After losing in yesterday's martial arts tournament semifinals, Fuka and I took Huey and Kati with us and headed first thing in the morning to the neighboring town of Marant.
Why? Because when Fuka woke up, the very first thing she said was that she wanted to eat Marant's dango.
Marant is about an hour and a half by carriage from Tsutorail, famous for its delicious dango.
This princess is way too free-spirited.
And wanting dango first thing after waking up—how bottomless is her appetite?
After buying a massive amount of dango in Marant, we're now riding back toward Tsutorail.
The round trip is tiring.
But we have dinner with Alf-san this evening, so we can't just ditch it.
"Fuka, is it good?"
When Kati asked Fuka—who was still eating nonstop—Fuka nodded vigorously.
"Yeah. Good."
Normally Kati would scold Fuka for eating like this.
But since she thinks Fuka is hurt from losing to Orun yesterday, she's being extra indulgent.
…She's definitely not hurt. That refreshed look right after the loss wasn't regret at all. I'd bet on it.
Fuka is taking full advantage of Kati's softness and acting even more selfish than usual.
She probably asked to go to Marant knowing Kati would agree at this timing.
What a personality.
◇
When Tsutorail's outer wall came into view through the window, Fuka—who had been eating nonstop—suddenly stopped, lifted her head, and began looking around restlessly.
"Fuka, what's wrong?"
Kati asked worriedly at Fuka's sudden behavior.
"…Hart. Check Tsutorail."
"Huh? What's with the sudden order?"
Fuka isn't stupid. In fact, her mind works fast.
But she's so self-contained that she only ever states conclusions.
In her head, there are already all kinds of reasons behind that statement, but unfortunately our worlds are too different—I can't fully grasp her intent. I'm used to it by now.
"Just do it. Quickly."
She means it'll be faster if I look myself than if she explains.
As she said, I closed my eyes and sent my vision soaring above Tsutorail…
This is my ability: [Bird's-Eye View].
I can move my field of vision to any point within several kilometers of myself.
I don't have to close my eyes, but handling two sets of vision at once is exhausting, so when I have the luxury, I shut them.
I looked down on Tsutorail from above.
"No way…"
The disastrous scene that spread before me made me mutter involuntarily.
In the upscale residential district on the north side of Tsutorail, part of the buildings had collapsed.
"Leader, did you see something?"
Huey asked after hearing my murmur.
"Part of the city is destroyed."
"—What!?"
When I answered Huey, both he and Kati froze.
"Hm?"
I lowered my viewpoint for a closer look—something exploded nearby.
When I focused there, two people were present.
(Wait—this is midair. Why are there people—)
It was Orun and Oliver.
(This isn't the tournament finals. That should've ended long ago. And that aura around Oliver…)
"This might be the worst-case scenario. Oliver's gone berserk. Probably the thing Christopher mentioned. Right now he's fighting Orun. Naturally Orun is at a disadvantage."
"The thing? The reason you two came to this city?"
Huey asked again.
He remembered even though I only mentioned it once long ago.
"Yeah. We—or rather Fuka—came to this city to kill Oliver if he went berserk. They said the chance was low, though."
"Where's Philly?"
Even at a time like this, Fuka calmly asks not about Oliver's state or location, but Philly's whereabouts.
I scan Tsutorail again to find her.
At the former site of the hero party mansion, I spot Philly fighting Luna from the same party.
I thought it was reckless, but Luna's mana barrier is incredibly tough—it's withstanding Philly's powerful attacks.
Still, it's only a matter of time.
Right now, in the vicinity of this city, only Fuka can match her.
But Fuka's role is to kill Oliver.
Looks like I have to risk my life to stall Philly…
"Philly is at the former hero party mansion site. I'll buy time for now. Finish Oliver, then come over."
"No need. I'll cut Philly."
Fuka states her conclusion as always, self-contained.
"Fuka, this is an emergency. Explain so I can understand. Your job is to stop Oliver. Why abandon that and go after Philly?"
Fuka tilts her head as if to say "Why are you even asking that?"
"Because Orun is there."
"So explain that reason. Why do you trust Orun so much? No offense, but if he keeps fighting Oliver like this, he'll definitely die."
"…? Wait—did Chris not tell you about Orun?"
Fuka seems to realize something and asks.
From Christopher?
He mentioned Oliver's berserk possibility and asked for Fuka's backup, but nothing else, right?
I rack my brain, but I don't recall anything more.
"…No, he didn't."
"I see. That's why our Orun-related talks never lined up."
"Stop being satisfied and just tell me. Or is it something you can't tell a branch-family member like me?"
Fuka shakes her head at my question.
"No such thing. In fact, I thought you already knew. I'll explain now. —First, do you know that the 'King of Ability Users' has appeared?"
"Yeah. The real one born around the same time as Oliver. But he died ten years ago in a cult attack… wait, no way…"
No way.
So that's why Orun was so unbalanced…
He mastered martial arts to Fuka's level, yet his physical ability couldn't keep up.
That means…
"Yes. Orun is the fairy-tale hero who was sealed with magic… the 'King of Ability Users'."
That one sentence made everything click.
Now I finally understand Fuka's previously confusing words.
"Then why is he at a disadvantage? Ten years ago, didn't they say he could release the seal of his own will?"
"Didn't Chris tell you what Philly did to Oliver ten years ago?"
"…I see. [Recognition Alteration]. So Orun's memories were rewritten too… that's what you mean?"
"Exactly. He doesn't remember how to release the seal—or even what ki is."
Come to think of it, when I mentioned ki after Fuka's second-round match, he acted like he had no idea.
"Then isn't this bad? Even if he's the King of Ability Users, with the seal still active, Orun has no chance against him."
"Probably fine. He may not remember ki, but he already released part of the seal. I think he has another way to break it fully. Otherwise he couldn't have beaten the black dragon alone."
Right—he defeated the black dragon solo.
Looking back, the idea of the King of Ability Users and the Hero teaming up to conquer the southern Great Labyrinth is a nightmare…
"Time's running out. Just now I saw a future where Luna gets killed by Philly… If Luna dies, Orun will grieve. So I'm going ahead. Hart, come quickly too."
With that, Fuka jumped from the moving carriage and dashed toward Tsutorail at incredible speed.
How far ahead did she see…? That means she can't use [Future Sight] for a while!
"Leader, are you going too?"
Huey asked anxiously.
"Yeah. This is the reason we came to this city. You two—when the carriage reaches Tsutorail, help guide civilian evacuation."
I consider Huey and Kati comrades, but I can't drag them into what comes next.
One moment of carelessness could be fatal.
I don't want them stepping into that kind of place.
"I'm going with Leader."
"Me too!"
"You don't seem to get it, so I'll be blunt. If your resolve is half-hearted, you'll die."
"We know that from your and Fuka's atmosphere. Even so, I want to help my life-saving benefactors. If I'm a burden, cut me loose."
"Same here. Without Leader and Fuka, I wouldn't be here. I want to repay my benefactors!"
…Both of them are dead serious. No time for debate now.
"Got it. Then we move immediately. Kati—cast [Agility Up] on yourself and Huey."
"Got it!"
We stopped the carriage and chased after Fuka toward the hero party mansion site.