"You were such a s.h.i.tty, impertinent brat back thenn. I even thought about asking Her Eminence, the highest minister, to awakenn, but I couldn"t very wel do that before finishing the preparations for the ritual, you seee. Thus, I had no choice at all, but to withdraw the automated elders from their duties for the time being to yank open those walls that protected all of those that were oh-so-very precious to youu. Well, I did get my fill of amus.e.m.e.nt thanks to that show you put up, thoughh! Hohii, hoh-ho-!"
His shrill guffaws ceased the moment the Fragrant Olive Sword"s tip got within a centimeter close. However, a grin remained in his eyes and lips.
The glib words spilling from Chudelkin included several valuable pieces of information. I did want to hear his answers on various issues if only Alice could restrain herself, but still, this felt off. Why had this jester been talking about the secrets 274.
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so vital to the church without restraint? He should have cut down on provocations towards Alice if he wanted his life spared and it didn"t seem like he was waiting for a chance to counterattack either.
I gathered my thoughts in silence; as though I didn"t register in his eyes at all, Chudelkin resumed his reminiscing.
"The first phase of the forced synthesis ended and you were carried to Her Eminence, the highest minister, by no other by me, as I will proudly admitt. Regrettably, I couldn"t watch what happened nextt, but in the end, the ritual completed and you awoke as an integrity knight, convinced that you were a herald of the G.o.ds, sent down from the Celestial World, you knoww?
Just like every single one of the other knightss. I almost tore open my stomach, laughing when I heard you silly knights go on and on about the Celestial World..."
I noticed Chudelkin"s eyes swaying as he quickly spoke without stop, suspended in the air. As though he was waiting for something. In other words, this guy"s long story was just to buy time by binding us in this room...?
I tried to call out to Alice to tell her so, but the knight opened her mouth a moment earlier. Her voice, colder than the cold air fil ing that large bath, streamed into the gilded room.
"Chief Elder Chudelkin, I thought you might have been a poor jester who had his life toyed with by the highest minister, 275.
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Administrator; a victim like the integrity knights. But even if that was true, it appears you had your fil of fun from your own circ.u.mstances. I suppose you have no lingering regrets, then.
These stories are starting to bore me."
The tip of the Fragrant Olive Sword shifted and pressed against the middle of the round, bulging jester costume-right on the heart. The glittering material showed some final resistance as it slightly sank in.
Chudelkin should reveal some new information now if his aim was to buy time. Perhaps even Eugeo"s location.
My predictions were easily betrayed a second later.
The golden blade dug deep into the chief elder"s chest as he stayed silent, his mouth left open in the midst of his words. His narrow eyes opened wide and his jester costume of red and blue strained as it swelled. Perhaps to avoid the spurting blood, Alice swung her face away; it then happened.
Baan! That tremendous explosive noise roared out and Chudelkin"s perfectly round body shot off like a balloon. A flood of blood dyed Alice"s armor crimson-not.
"What..."
"Eh...!?"
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Both Alice and I let out cries of surprise. What spurted out wasn"t liquid but gas-fumes colored bright red. It soon spread into the surroundings, shrouding the entire room of toys.
There were monsters with this special ability in Aincrad too.
Their skin swelled over their whole bodies and whenever they were hit by anything aside from a blunt-type attack, they would burst open and spew out a lot of smoke, their real selves escaping somewhere in that opening.
Having refreshed my memories from back then, I instinctively swung the sword in my right hand the moment I noticed a long, thin shadow nimbly crossing past at a corner of my sight. I felt a little resistance, but all that rolled to my feet from the smoke was a familiar golden hat.
I stepped forward in pursuit, but the poisonous-looking fumes a.s.sailed my throat with a p.r.i.c.ky pain the moment I breathed it in and drove me into a coughing fit.
"Chudelkin...!!"
Alice cried out with her left hand covering her mouth and leapt out in pursuit of the shadow. Chudelkin had escaped not towards the door connecting to the Chamber of Elders, but deeper into the room. Thinking about how there shouldn"t be an exit there, I held my breath and dashed forth as well, with a lowered stance.
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However, what we saw beyond the smokescreen was the golden drawers slid to the right and a hidden pa.s.sage open behind it. We peeked in, just in time to see a shadow of a round head atop with a ridiculously lean body and limbs escaping with agility.
"Hohii!! Hohi-hii-hii-hii-hii-!!: The piercing laughter reached my ears as I continued coughing.
"Arts aren"t all to a performance, you idiots! Ii-diots!! Go ahead and come after mee, I"ll put my all into entertaining you next timee, hoh-hoh, hoh--!!"
The laughter continued like a broken toy"s, alongside short, quick footsteps.
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4.
Alice and I had stopped for a mere five seconds.
We exchanged glances and I took the lead, plunging into the narrow pa.s.sage. Fortunately, there didn"t seem to be anything poison in the red fumes I inhaled a little of-though that was based on the reasoning that Chudelkin wouldn"t have done too well with poison in his clothes-and the coughing settled down in time too.
The hidden pa.s.sage fitted Chudelkin and we would knock our heads on the ceiling if we didn"t stoop. The scratching sounds coming from behind every now and then must be the sound of Alice"s shoulder armor sc.r.a.pping the walls. I, too, continued to run in a rigid posture while the sheath of the Blue Rose Sword hanging off the right of my waist banged into the wall.
Ascending stairs came into sight at the front before long, so we stood still for a moment before jumping on after confirming there weren"t any signs of an ambush. Chudelkin"s footsteps had already vanished and nothing but cold air flowed from our gloomy path.
The stairs were far longer than expected, taking up practically three of the cathedral"s floors. Judging from the height of the ceiling, I believe the Chamber of Elders, where those who Chudelkin described as "automated elders" were housed, made 280.
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up floors ninety-six to ninety-eight, so the ninety-ninth floor would likely be at the end of these stairs.
The battle against the Axiom Church that started from the underground jail-along with the two-year journey Eugeo and I went on that started from Rulid Vil age would end in another two floors. My partner wasn"t by my side right now, but I should be able to reunite with him in the highest minister"s room if Knight Commander Bercouli"s words prove true. I will return his Blue Rose Sword to him and the three of us, including Alice, will defeat Chudelkin and the highest minister. And after that......
I lightly shook my head and focused on the faint lighting visible at the end of the stairs. I had all the time to think about what would happen next after everything was over. Now was the time to concentrate on the final battle.
It was when I focused my mind, almost slipping away to the past and future, back to the present, that I faintly heard the chief elder"s shrill voice from our path.
"System caaaaall! Generaaate..."
A chant for an elemental art. My wariness spiked, but we couldn"t stop here. The illumination from in front rapidly closed in.
"...We"re nearly at the end of the stairs!"
I curtly replied when Alice cried out a warning from behind.
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"Watch out for an ambush by sacred arts!"
"Got it!"
Nodding, I braced my black sword in front as I ran. Magic was handy for surprise attacks in this world where elements could be prepared and maintained. By generating a thermal element and changing its form, then standing by, it could be discharged like a firearm the moment the enemy got within sight.
However, on the other hand, the firepower of arts was determined solely by the number of elements consumed. A single element used would basically result in the same firepower, whether it was a student who just started studying the sacred arts or a top-ranking art user who had trained for a long time. Many elements could be manipulated with adequate training, but each element required a finger to maintain, so the limit at a single time was ten. My black sword with its nature of absorbing energy could even guard against a concentrated attack of ten thermal or cryogenic elements.
If Chudelkin was aiming for a surprise attack, it would be less risky to burst out from the stairs than to cautiously reveal myself. Having decided that, I sped up and dashed through the few remaining meters, jumping up high after kicking off the final step.
However, there were neither floods of flames nor downpours of icicles. Spinning around horizontally in midair, I looked around three hundred and sixty degrees, but neither Chudelkin 282.
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nor anyone else was here. Landing on the marble floor, I p.r.i.c.ked up my ears while down on one knee. All I could was Alice"s footsteps chasing after me.
Alice showed herself the moment I brought my body up. The knight scanned through our surroundings like I did, then spoke with a frown.
"I believe I heard chanting, but there isn"t anyone here, is there... Did Chudelkin give up on a surprise attack and ran away above... to the hundredth floor...?"
Following Alice"s lead in glancing towards the ceiling, I muttered.
"But there"s just the highest minister"s room up there, right?
Even with his status, the chief elder can"t just enter without permission, can he?"