Chapter 26
“HRMM… THE EXIT’S down here, huh?”
Flying into the sky, Mira took the absolute straightest, quickest route to her destination: a large river right beside Haxthausen that seemed to split the plain in two. The waterway’s outlet was just below the river’s surface. If Anrutine was right, then Fuzzy Dice would emerge there at any moment.
“Okay. I guess here should be fine.”
Mira threw her camouflage cloak around her shoulders as if it were about time for her big moment. She also put on her gas mask and night vision goggles, then dropped to the ground, fully prepared.
Not only was Mira away from the bright lights of the city, the sky was also rather overcast, so the pitch-black night shrouded everything around her. Night camouflage was particularly effective under those circumstances, so she was especially difficult to spot.
Mira’s other advantage was that, thanks to Anrutine’s reports, she could figure out exactly how much longer she’d need to wait for Fuzzy Dice. Awaiting an adversary while unsure when they’d show up taxed the nerves, but this time, she didn’t have to worry about that. Just knowing exactly when she needed to focus would give her a significant edge.
In addition to improved vision from the night vision goggles, Mira also had access to the very useful Biometric Scan ability. Thanks to that, as long as Fuzzy Dice was within range, she wouldn’t lose track of him even if she lost her goggles.
Mira also held a blasting stone in her hand. The rock was so small that she’d instantly lose sight of it if she threw it into the gloom. But she’d crafted it the night before for just this occasion; there was more to it than met the eye.
Then came Anrutine’s final report: “Ah. He dove in. He’ll be there soon!”
The outlet was underwater, so if Fuzzy Dice was submerged, then he was finally right in front of the exit. Mira lifted herself a tiny bit, readied the hand holding the blasting stone, and took a deep breath. She focused on the water and used Biometric Scan to look for Fuzzy Dice.
There he is!
Detecting things under solid ground was difficult, but that wasn’t true of things underwater. Mira picked up on something large below the surface. That was Fuzzy Dice, without a doubt. Keeping her eye on what she’d detected as it slowly floated upward, Mira tightened her grip.
At last, the figure broke the river’s surface, and the human-looking shape that floated upward made its way to the riverbank. He must’ve been about twenty or so meters away from Mira.
The figure rose out of the river with a splash. At the very next moment, his mana began to flow. That was usually a sign that someone was about to use a technique or spell, and Mira waited to see what he’d do.
Really? He’s just drying his clothes? It looked like he was using the same Ethereal Art she used to dry her own hair.
Observing the figure, Mira suddenly moved. If he was already using an Ethereal Art, he wouldn’t be able to use any other techniques, so this was her chance.
The moment the figure turned away from Mira, she popped up and hurled the blasting stone toward him. It cut through the air and vanished into the darkness. Though it landed a bit off the mark, it still blew apart impressively close to the figure. There was a blinding flash and a deafening bang. Based on its effects, the blasting stone Mira had crafted might as well have been a stun grenade.
Immediately, she heard a small cry. She rushed over, a binding cloth in hand. Even the legendary phantom thief’s senses surely wouldn’t be perfectly intact after he’d been on the receiving end of a blast like that. Having tested the blasting stone’s effects on herself the night before, Mira was confident that she’d apprehend him.
Just over five meters separated them now. Making it to the point where her target was just a bit farther away, Mira could clearly confirm the humanoid shape’s identity through her night vision goggles.
At first glance, the man who stood there—as well as his clothes and other features—could only be described as normal and utterly nondescript, so much so that he could’ve melted into a crowd and become impossible to pick out. For that reason, she knew he was Fuzzy Dice.
It’s over!
The blasting stone had been effective; Fuzzy Dice still appeared dazed and was moving unsteadily. Seizing the opportunity, Mira unwound the binding cloth before letting it fly.
Then it happened.
“What?!”
When she was one step away from him, something suddenly caught and immobilized Mira.
“You used Gravekeeper Spider’s Barrier Silk, huh? You’ve got some nerve…”
Looking closely, she saw that the spider silk was black, and that it was protecting Fuzzy Dice. In fact, it was stretched all over the nearby area. Once she’d stepped into that area, the spider silk had flown at her and stopped her in her tracks.
“Wow. I’ll admit, you took me totally by surprise.”
Not only that, it seemed as if Fuzzy Dice had fully regained his senses in that brief time. He stared at Mira as if rather impressed.
“I don’t even know what to say… Are Special Forces finally coming after me?” he asked, looking at her attire.
Smiling faintly, he took Mira’s gas mask, night vision goggles, and binding cloth. Right after doing so, he peered at Mira, and a slightly surprised look appeared on his face.
“I never would’ve thought…”
She couldn’t tell whether that meant Fuzzy Dice was surprised that the Special Forces were now apparently recruiting young girls or whether he simply recognized her.
Either way, he acted as if nothing was amiss, adding, “It’s the first time anyone’s caused me this much trouble.”
With the tables now turned, Fuzzy Dice strode toward Mira with the binding cloth in hand. Even someone with Mira’s talents would be helpless if tied up with that item. To be fair, Mira was already mostly immobile due to the spider silk. Only her fingertips could really move.
“Hey, could I ask you a quick question?” Mira asked, desperation clear on her face.
When she did, Fuzzy Dice paused for a moment. “You want to ask me something? Is it about that day underground…? No, perhaps you want to ask whether I know about an orphanage deep in the woods?”
Indeed, Fuzzy Dice had correctly guessed what Mira wanted to inquire about. “Mm-hmm. Yes, exactly. It seems you really did overhear my talk with the chief detective.”
Fuzzy Dice’s response, and his actions at the guild, suggested that he’d already gotten wind of everything they’d spoken about while hatching their plans. Guessing that this was the case, and not particularly surprised, Mira asked whether they could cut to the chase.
“That depends on the reason you’re looking for the orphanage,” Fuzzy Dice replied. Peering into Mira’s face, his expression changed. Perhaps he was trying to determine whether she was telling the truth, or maybe he had some other purpose. Regardless, his eyes suddenly took on a stern, deadly serious glint that she hadn’t yet seen.
Well, yeah. If I don’t explain that much, he probably won’t tell me.
By talking with Fuzzy Dice, she stood a chance of finally figuring out the location of the orphanage she was after. To do that, though, she’d have to give him a justifiable reason to spill the beans.
Orphanages were, by definition, crowded with helpless children. And Mira was looking for one particular orphanage out of all the orphanages in the world. That would certainly seem fairly suspicious to anyone else. Someone actively supporting such a facility would have even more reason to be wary. In short, there was no way Fuzzy Dice would ever tell her its location if she didn’t justify herself well.
She couldn’t tell him the real reason yet, though. And even if she dodged the question slightly by saying that she’d heard her friend was there, he’d likely just ask who exactly that friend was.
She needed to provide a clear reason that she could convince him of, but she couldn’t just straight out tell him that she needed to learn whether the orphanage’s director was Artesia. After all, that constituted a state secret, so even Mira couldn’t just go saying it to someone whose true identity she wasn’t yet sure of.
She was left with only one option: She’d have to capture Fuzzy Dice and force him to spill the beans, just like she’d originally planned. Perhaps there was some other way, but there wasn’t one that came to mind.
Mira decided to move quickly. “The reason I’m looking, huh…? That’s a secret,” she said, staring straight back at Fuzzy Dice. She immediately unclenched her fist and squeezed her eyes shut.
In the very next moment, the small stone she’d let slip from her hand fell between them and burst with a blinding flash and deafening bang.
“Ngh…!” a voice grunted faintly.
This attempt to stun Fuzzy Dice had apparently also been successful.
That said, since Mira had also faced the blast directly, she was stunned too. She’d closed her eyes, blocking the full flash, but the powerful shock of the sound waves sent her head spinning. Still, she somehow managed to use [Immortal Arts Earth: Enveloping Blaze], burning the spider silk away with the flames from both her palms.
“That’s scorching!”
She brushed away the spider silk, which had instantly burst into flames, and—still dazed—pushed herself backward so forcefully that she tumbled to the ground. She felt plenty hot, but thanks to the Dark-Knight Frame, she didn’t suffer any burns or even a single scratch from her nasty fall.
This invention will absolutely go down in the history books! It looked like the Dark-Knight Frame would definitely be usable in real battles against monsters. Still not quite steady on her feet, Mira smiled unconsciously at how useful she found her new technique.
That reaction lasted only a moment. Having regained her senses before Fuzzy Dice, Mira quickly tried to check on how her opponent was faring. But he’d taken her night vision goggles, and she couldn’t make out much with the naked eye.
“This is…inconvenient.”
Although she couldn’t really see, she still perceived Fuzzy Dice’s mana spreading around the area. After getting hit by the blasting stone, he’d apparently once again instantaneously thrown up a spider-silk barrier. He had both skill and tenacity in spades.
The barrier he’d put up before could bind whoever got close to it, so what would this one do? Despite being called “spider” silk, the threads were produced by a Demonic Art, and there were many different varieties. In the darkness, it was impossible to make out exactly which kind Fuzzy Dice was using.
Looking at her current situation, however, Mira deduced what all the threads had in common: a weakness to fire. She decided to try a brand-new summoning technique.
[Evocation Conversion: Vermillion Frame]
This new summon was a special one that let her utilize the Spirit King’s blessing to imbue her brand-new Dark-Knight Frame technique with the power of the fire spirit Salamander. Mira had dubbed the method “Evocation Conversion.”
Since her Vermillion Frame contained the power of fire, any spider silk that attempted to bind her would burn away.
“I almost feel kind of bad about exploiting your weakness like this,” Mira remarked. “But business is business.”
The Demonic Arts could create fire-resistant varieties of spider silk, but the majority weren’t nonlethal, so Mira presumed that an honorable thief like Fuzzy Dice definitely wouldn’t use those.
Sure enough, as she stepped into the area fenced off by the brilliant-red spider silk, strands of that silk flew toward her. However, they burst into flames, just as she’d expected.
“Now!” she cried.
Her opponent’s sluggish movements indicated that he was still dazed and struggling to get to his feet. Mira immediately unwound the binding cloth and leapt into the air, looking as if she intended to throw her arms around him. She managed to wrap Fuzzy Dice beautifully in the cloth.
“Nh…” Mira grunted. “This texture…”
Mira crashed to the ground; in all the excitement, she’d wrapped Fuzzy Dice up as thoroughly as possible before he had any chance to resist. The bonds in place, however, she felt that something was off and turned around.
Sure enough, the spider silk on the ground where Fuzzy Dice had been standing suddenly rose up like a cocoon, and the phantom thief nonchalantly emerged. “Wow. You sure use some unusual techniques. That was a close call.”
Looking down to check her hands, Mira saw that she’d tied up nothing more than a doll made of flowers. “To think you’d set up a trap within a trap…”
Fuzzy Dice had projected an illusion of himself. Considering Mira’s substantial magic power, even the highest-caliber demonologist shouldn’t have been able to completely fool her. But in the pitch-black night, she wouldn’t have been able to tell whether it was really him in the first place, so even an illusion that was only half effective was more than enough to work.
The real Fuzzy Dice had been hidden under flame-resistant spider silk coiled on the ground. Since he’d been directly beneath the doll, he’d deceived Mira’s Biometric Scan as well.
This guy’s a trickier foe than I imagined.
What impressed her most was that he’d borne the full brunt of the blasting stone and still been able to execute all his plans. It seemed wise to assume that he could deal with any weaker attacks she threw his way.
Well, I guess I have no choice but to use my ace in the hole.
At the end of the day, Mira’s primary objective was to get information. The quickest way to do that would be to capture Fuzzy Dice—and, if possible, to avoid injuring him. That said, the phantom thief was only using nonlethal attacks, so would beating him by pelting him with full-strength attacks really be a victory? Mira’s foolish pride resurfaced to object.
The truth was, that was nothing more than an excuse. What Mira was afraid of was Fuzzy Dice’s fans. If she pulled out all the stops in order to defeat the righteous hero who never hurt anybody, his fans would doubtless go from seeing her as a mere challenger to the main villain. Worst of all, she’d forever be known as the person who’d brought down their hero.
I’d definitely rather not look over my shoulder for the rest of my life…
Thus, Mira had begun thinking that it was absolutely essential that she use only nonlethal methods, so that the battle would be on equal terms and she could capture him fair and square.
“In that case, this is about all I’ve got,” she mused.
Mira took something out of her bag. It was just about the only nonlethal means she’d prepared that would have an effect on someone of Fuzzy Dice’s caliber. She looked once more at the phantom thief.
Fuzzy Dice, meanwhile, was in a cautious stance, his eyes still fixed on Mira’s hands. Although he’d managed to bounce back from the two blasting stones she used on him, it wasn’t as if he was immune to them. They did work, and there were only so many ways to deal with them. That was why he was so cautious.
This won’t be so easy anymore, huh? From Fuzzy Dice’s reaction to her clenched fist, Mira observed that he was very much wary of her using a blasting stone.
Having noticed this, she made her move. Instantly using Shrinking Earth to disappear from where she stood, she moved to Fuzzy Dice’s flank, a spot where she could see the river opposite her.
“See how you like this!” Mira shouted, sending about a dozen blasting stones Fuzzy Dice’s way with a single throw. She lobbed the stones much more blatantly than both the previous times, her attack now reliant on quantity over quality.
“Huh…?!”
Fuzzy Dice reacted very quickly to Mira’s sudden appearance beside him. Still, he must’ve anticipated her next attack from where she’d been before, since he cried out in surprise as she sent the stones flying at him.
Because he’d had his guard up, though, he dealt with the stones rapidly. The spider silk that he let loose caught them all almost instantaneously. He wrapped them in a cocoon, in which they exploded. A feeble glow and faint sound emanated from the cocoon, and then it was over.
Hrmm… He must’ve switched to using Predator Spider’s Silk, huh?
That was a type of silk conjured using Demonic Arts that could catch flying objects. The technique could survive even a hail of arrows, and Fuzzy Dice had evidently used it to deal with Mira’s blasting stones. The silk itself wasn’t very strong, but it had apparently been enough to trap the blasting stones, which were meant to stun and lacked real destructive power.
Now that Fuzzy Dice was using that silk, sending blasting stones straight his way was no longer an option. But Mira was unfazed and simply put on a cocky smile. Predator Spider Silk’s strength was unmatched against flying objects, but needless to say, that meant it required a lot of focus on its user’s part.
Therefore, Fuzzy Dice’s eyes were focused squarely on Mira.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login