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“Ugh… Gah…”

Brooklyn Kantjelucia, who had used her Shield to prevent Orbis from being killed by the Explorers, clutched her chest in pain as she walked closer. She glanced over at Orbis, her eyes trembling like those of someone who had been killed for the first time.

“Oof…!”

Weiss, whose sword had been deflected by the Shield, was struck by Orbis’ knee, causing him to collapse to the ground. Orbis then kicked Weiss’s head from the side, snapping his neck in a direction it should not have gone. A cloud of dust exploded as Weiss was sent flying into the distance.

“…Huh?”

“Watch out!”

One of the Golden Tune members, stunned by the sight, almost had her head grabbed by Orbis. But Leon, who had been preoccupied trying to find a gap in the Shield, managed to push her aside just in time. However, Orbis grabbed Leon’s outstretched right arm and snapped it like a twig.

Knowing he would be killed if he remained restrained by Orbis, Leon immediately cut his right arm with his sword and broke free. He quickly distanced himself from Orbis, tears welling in his eyes as he looked at his severed arm.

“What the hell!? Something’s blocking my way!”

“Amira! Fall back for now! Everyone, gather around me!”

Amy called out to Amira as the latter was angrily smashing her greatsword against the Shield. Daryl and Leleia also retreated, and the other members of Absolute Helix who had been fighting Orbis on the front lines headed to Amy’s location.

Seeing the Shield magic appearing around them, Orbis turned to Brooklyn, his arms hanging heavy as he rummaged through his pockets.

“Your decision could have come sooner. I nearly died.”

While everyone was still in shock from Brooklyn’s betrayal, Orbis pulled a Green Potion from his pocket and consumed it, vial and all.

“…Shut up. I’m not following your orders,” Brooklyn responded, still looking rattled as she proceeded to scan the surroundings once again.

Her line of sight locked on to a black-haired man holding the Black Staff, and she raised her hand toward him.

“Tch…!”

“Gah–!?”

Tsutomu, sensing trouble the instant he locked eyes with Brooklyn, kicked Eunice away, let go of the Black Staff, and cast > on himself. Eunice gasped from the sudden impact, tumbling to the ground along with the staff that she had been holding on to with her tail.

But as Tsutomu escaped into the air, he struck an invisible Shield — finding himself trapped, he realized he was surrounded on all sides. He lightly bit his lip as he confirmed his predicament.

“Your cooperation is always appreciated, no matter the form in which it comes… Yes, this is a favorable turn of events. What of Babenberg?”

“I’ve immobilized him for a while. It’s a fifty-fifty chance whether or not he can be killed.”

Brooklyn had ambushed the head of House Babenberg, enclosing him with multiple layers of Shield magic to crush him. Though Master Babenberg had managed to protect himself with his own Shield, Brooklyn’s magical power and technical prowesses exceeded his. Already past his prime, he struggled to fend off the ever-shrinking perimeter around him.

“Well done. Now then… please continue to cover me. We need to eliminate as many Explorers as possible here to avoid future complications.”

“…Right now, I’m using most of my Shields to contain Babenberg, so I can’t deploy many layers at a time. I’ve broken Christia’s legs, but the Shields around her are gone. And with me holding Tsutomu at bay here… I barely have enough left to defend myself and you.”

“That’s sufficient. I’ll handle all the killing, so please focus on protecting yourself.”

Orbis drank several Potions to heal himself, all the while smiling at Brooklyn, who was speaking behind a layer of soundproof Shield to keep the Explorers from hearing their conversation.

“…Don’t misunderstand. I’m not your ally. Our goals just happen to align.”

“Yes, of course.”

Annoyed by how Orbis seemed to have anticipated her arrival, Brooklyn clicked her tongue before controlling her Shield magic to pull the captured Tsutomu closer. Tsutomu, who had been trying to smash the Shield from the inside with >, stopped his attempts immediately when he saw Brooklyn’s irritated glare.

“Now, Brooklyn, I would appreciate it if you could keep Tsutomu alive. He might be one with Divine Favor, you see…”

“I don’t know what this Divine Favor you keep bringing up is, but I also intend to keep him alive. He’ll be useful, in any case.”

Given Tsutomu’s remarkable achievements in Dungeon City and his unusual affinity with the Spirits, Orbis had suspected that Tsutomu possessed some unique skill — and possibly Divine Favor. Brooklyn, too, sensed something unique about Tsutomu, recognizing his potential usefulness after having observed his efficiency in providing support and healing earlier.

“Hey, wait a second… Why the hell is Master Brooklyn over there!?”

“Was she a traitor all along?”

“Is she gonna use her Shield magic on us!? We can’t win against that! What about Master Babenberg!?”

The members of Ealdred Crow and the Labyrinth Conquerors, panic evident in their voices, kept their eyes fixed on Orbis and Brooklyn. Some of the Scarlet Devil Squad rushed in to save Weiss, whose neck had been snapped. Leon, having lost his right arm, was receiving first aid from the Healers of Golden Tune.

“Tsutomu!”

“Teach!!”

Seeing Tsutomu captured by Brooklyn, Amy and Hannah immediately tried to rush to his rescue.

“Y-you two! Wait!”

“B-but Tsutomu’s gonna…!”

Xeno promptly grabbed Amy’s arm, and Diniel held Hannah by the collar, stopping them.

“Gweh!?”

“If you rush in, you’ll only get trapped by the Shield like him. We need a plan and should wait for Christia’s orders.”

“But…! Tsutomu’s gonna… he might be killed, you know!? We have to save him!”

“>.”

As Amy shouted, Leleia cast a contract spell on Tsutomu, summoning the Undine. The water-elemental Spirit emerged from Tsutomu’s right pocket and immediately enveloped him, forming a protective perimeter.

“I can try to counter the Kantjelucia Shield’s compression — but maintaining the Undine will drain my mental energy. For now, Tsutomu isn’t in immediate danger of being crushed, but if I were to try to do anything else, I would have to divert my focus. As such, I likely won’t be able to participate in the fighting.”

“…I’m counting on you.”

Garm, despite the frustration evident on his face from being unable to protect Tsutomu himself, placed his hands on Leleia’s shoulders as she proceeded to disengage all other > with the Spirits to concentrate her mental energy on the Undine. Leleia, feeling the tremble in Garm’s grip, was momentarily taken aback before her composed expression returned.

“I understand, Leleia — focus all your efforts on defending Tsutomu. Meanwhile, we’ll strategize his rescue while awaiting Christia’s instructions. Fortunately, we have those who possess enough brute force to break through the Shields. Strength is not an issue; we’ll definitely save him.”

Xeno glanced at Amira, who had broken a layer of the Shield earlier, and Diniel, who was silently preparing arrows. Amy and Hannah, though not as strong as Garm or Xeno, could also potentially breach the Shields with enough effort, making their forces adequate.

The surrounding Clans, opting to observe for now, remained clustered together, their eyes on Orbis, Brooklyn, and the Shield-bound Tsutomu. Meanwhile, tension rose within the ranks of Ealdred Crow.

“PLEASE LET ME GO! WE MUST RESCUE MISTER TSUTOMU!”

“…This isn’t the time to worry about others, Stephanie. Right now, we wait.”

“Listen, Rook! If you’re not going to act now, I’ll leave Ealdred Crow! Mister Tsutomu’s situation will grow worse with every moment we waste!”

Stephanie, alongside the top team’s Attackers and Tanks, was ready to rush to Tsutomu’s aid but was stopped by Rook’s calm judgment.

Stephanie’s ultimatum caused a stir among the Clan members. Seeing just how far she was willing to go, as if she was a devotee fearing for her god, Rook chose his words carefully.

“…Stephanie, rushing in now is too risky. If Master Brooklyn intended to kill Tsutomu, he would already be dead. She’s keeping him alive for a reason. If we make a reckless move, we’ll only cause more harm. We need to wait.”

“But…!! There’s no guarantee he won’t be killed!!”

Though Stephanie almost conceded to Rook’s logic, she quickly shifted the argument back towards rescuing Tsutomu. The discussion within Ealdred Crow remained at an impasse.

Everyone was shaken by Brooklyn’s betrayal and now was only able to watch on, stuck with only two courses of action: either strategize or wait for orders from the Royal Capital.

Amidst the hesitation, the young girl holding the Black Staff took a step forward. Then another.

While everyone else remained frozen, she broke into a run.

“Hah… hah… hah… hah…!”

Eunice, the primary Healer of Golden Tune, ran alone toward Orbis, Brooklyn, and Tsutomu.

▽▽

Eunice despised Tsutomu. From the very first time they met, she couldn’t stand him. Despite being a low-level Explorer, he had quickly risen to prominence, acting as if he were a seasoned veteran. When he publicly criticized the methods of Healers like herself, Eunice had instinctively spoken out against him.

The idea of learning from Tsutomu was unbearable to Eunice, and she still disliked how Leon valued him. She had tried to put Tsutomu in his place, only to be defeated by his undeniable skill.

Initially, her dislike for Tsutomu was clear. But as time went on, Eunice began to question her feelings. His abilities as a Healer were top-notch, and many followed his lead in Dungeon explorations. Given his competency, his attitude seemed justified.

Yet, Tsutomu was different when he interacted with his other students, treating only Eunice like a nuisance. Although she had brought this treatment upon herself, Eunice secretly wished to be on amicable terms with him.

The moment Tsutomu acknowledged her dumpling-style skills, Eunice felt genuinely appreciated. For that brief instance, he saw her as a fellow Healer, not a troublemaker. Even when she failed to provide support and healing for Leon, Tsutomu approached her as a Healer, offering guidance instead of criticism.

When Tsutomu tasked her with using her dumpling skill on the whole team, Eunice felt overwhelmed. However, his confidence in her capability lifted her spirits.

So when she saw Tsutomu’s anxiety as he was trapped in the Shield, she acted on impulse, running toward him without even a single thought.

[Wait… why am I doing this? Why am I running out here alone!? WHY!?]

Eunice realized her desire to rescue Tsutomu, just as he had once saved her. Yet, she knew running out alone was reckless. Her body had moved on its own, and now she deeply regretted it.

“E-Eunice!? What are you doing!? Stop! Don’t go!”

Milway’s distant shouts barely registered. Leon, who had immediately chased after her, could not run at full speed due to the transparent Shields in their path. Crashing into one while going fast enough could be fatal, forcing him to proceed cautiously.

“You… Hmm, I’m afraid I don’t know who you are.”

In front of Eunice, now charging ahead, stood the towering figure of Orbis, over three meters tall. Orbis watched her intently, seeming wary of her sudden solo appearance.

“>!”

Eunice knew she could not defeat Orbis head-on. She created a layer of > around Orbis, then used > to soar overhead. Orbis, misreading her reckless charge as part of a deeper strategy, hesitated. However, he quickly tore through the > as if it were paper, a look of irritation crossing his face.

“>!”

Eunice, upside down in mid-air, unleashed a full-powered attack, the Black Staff she wielded, amplifying its power. The recoil propelled her backward. However, even with the staff’s enhancement, a White Mage’s attack could not harm Orbis.

Still, despite her lack of preparation, Eunice’s charge caught Orbis off guard. He expended an excess of energy to dodge the >, wary of her unexpected attack.

The amplifying power of the Black Staff, combined with Orbis’s overcautiousness, allowed Eunice to evade what would have been an instantaneous defeat. She used this momentum to approach Tsutomu. With Eunice successfully bypassing Orbis, Brooklyn, visibly strained, clenched her teeth and conjured a Shield.

“Oof…!?”

Eunice collided head-first into the transparent Shield Brooklyn hastily created. Rubbing her face in pain, she looked rather foolish. Tsutomu, trapped within the Shield, shouted in frustration,

“You… what are you, an idiot!? Why’d you come here alone!? A White Mage like you wouldn’t…!”

“S-shut up! I couldn’t help myself! My body moved on its own!”

“What…?”

Even in such a dire situation, Eunice’s nonsensical explanation left Tsutomu dumbfounded. She grinned at his reaction, her nose bleeding, as she pounded on the Shield.

“You looked like you needed help, so I came to save you!”

“What are you even talking about!?”

“I’M HERE TO SAVE YOUR ASS, THAT’S WHAT!”

“…You idiot! Orbis isn’t trying to kill me, and I have the Undine protecting me! I don’t need your help! Just get away already! You’re going to get yourself killed!”

Eunice’s eyes widened as she took in the sight of Tsutomu shielded by Undine. Relieved, she wagged her tail and smiled.

“…What the hell… I thought you were gonna die for sure…”

“……”

“Thank God…”

As Eunice placed her hands on the Shield and muttered her relief, Orbis rapidly closed in from behind. Seeing this, Tsutomu grabbed the Undine, untethering it from his body.

“Look, don’t mind me! Keep her safe! Please!”

“……”

Undine, transforming into its humanoid form, shook its head.

“Are you saying you can’t!? You can’t go to her like you came to me!?”

“……”

Despite Tsutomu’s pleas, the Undine remained hesitant, its expression troubled. In the meantime, Orbis closed in on Eunice, raising his foot to strike.

“Hmph!”

Orbis’s kick connected squarely with Eunice, sending her flying. She crashed into another Shield layer a short distance away, a dull thud echoing as collapsed to the ground, motionless.

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