“H-hey! What about Arc!? Is Arc all right!?”
Erie says with a panicked voice, cutting between me and Cara.
Is Arc that hero?
“We haven’t found him yet…”
“…!?”
“B-but it’s okay. Ceres said he’s strong, and that she’s sure he’s fine…”
“Even if he’s strong! In a place with a monster like that…”
I feel a chill running down my spine when she says monster.
I quickly look up, but all I see is an endless void.
But I know. This place is Miss Sheryl’s, so she knows everything that happens here…
“Seriously, what is this… It’s too crazy, my darkness magic didn’t work at all.”
“I can’t use destruction because I can’t die yet, but would it even work on that…”
Don’t call her ‘that’…
I feel a cold sweat, as I can somehow feel her mood getting worse.
At this rate, she might end up sealing me here too.
“Hum, Miss Sheryl isn’t a bad person.”
“…You know what that monster really is?”
“If you know, tell us. We need to beat it, or we’re gonna be here forever…”
Are these two raring to fight!?
They could stand to learn from Zephir, who’s chilling in the hot spring, and be a bit friendlier…
‘Interesting.’
““…!?””
As I’m thinking that, Miss Sheryl appears from the darkness.
There’s a powerful dark aura around her, and it makes me shrink back.
“You’re going to beat me? Then I will face you.”
She says with an evil grin. She’s definitely having fun in a bad way.
“Kuh…!? You…!”
“Die!”
They react quickly, and fire explosion and darkness magic at Miss Sheryl despite this happening so suddenly.
It makes sense I guess, they are a member of the hero’s party and one of the seven great mages.
But unfortunately for them, their opponent is on a level where her name could make a mark in the history of all races, nevermind human.
The darkness great spirit, Miss Sheryl.
“That’s it?”
The direct attacks did no damage, and she’s standing like a demon king of old.
“Ah, ah, ah…”
“Eek… What’s this…”
Both sound scared, and they’re trembling.
This is like one of those unbeatable boss fights.
I’d hate to be in their shoes…
That said, despite fleeing like leaving them and running, I stand in front of them.
“Hum, can you leave it at that?”
“Are you going to be punished on their behalf?”
“Well, I don’t think they meant anything bad when they said that, so…”
I come up with excuses while feeling a stare filled with bloodlust.
Scary!
She’s probably just mad about being called a monster and ‘that’, but honestly, I think it’s Miss Sheryl’s fault this time.
And the two girls behind me can’t even stand at this point.
“I think we can sort this out if you all just talk about what’s going on with you…”
“…Hmph, fine. You over there.”
She says while pointing at Erie.
“Next time you use that stupid magic in my temple, it will be the last time you see light.”
“Y-yes!”
Stupid magic? I guess Erie knows what Miss Sheryl means.
Is she satisfied with that? Miss Sheryl sighs a little, and crosses her arms while the bloodlust around her dissipates.
“I’m going to let you all out, but Snow is out there, so don’t let them do anything weird.”
“Ah, you want me to watch them?”
“Who else?”
I guess.
Well, I doubt they’ll keep resisting after feeling that difference in power. But since Cara seems like a handful, I’ll do as she says just in case.
“Hum, how much do you know about this place?”
I turn around, and the two girls have tears welling in their eyes, and no intention to keep fighting.
“N-nothing! We were near the temple all of a sudden, wondering if anyone was nearby, when that mon…”
“S-stop!”
“Mogah.”
She’s going to be mad if you call her a monster again!
I rush to block Erie’s mouth, and she looks flustered.
But I think she gets why I did that, because while her eyes tear up a bit, she calms down, looking at my hand like she’s telling me I can let go.
I slowly do so, and she shuts up with nothing but ragged breaths.
“Seriously, we were just here all of a sudden. By the way, what do we call her?”
Asks Cara as if taking over for Erie.
She tries to act like nothing’s wrong, but the way her body’s shaking betrays her fear.
“Miss Sheryl, I guess?”
They might panic again if I call her the darkness great spirit.
Anyway, I can see they don’t know anything.
“So you wandered into Miss Sheryl’s temple, and fired magic there?”
“Well, a monster attacked us all of a sudden…”
“My magic didn’t work at all, but her destruction magic did, so we were going to destroy the temple and escape, but we were caught…”
“…I see.”
They seem about on the same level in terms of power, so Erie’s magic must have some sort of effect to it, if hers worked and Cara’s didn’t.
But that’s what angered Miss Sheryl…
Oh right, she did say something about troublesome magic.
Is that why she locked them in the darkness prison? And she didn’t kill them out of consideration for us?
“Well, I think I understand now. I’ll take you two to where I live so we can tell you about this island.”
“…Yes, thanks.”
“I can finally take a breather…”
They’re both seasoned mages, but as one might expect, facing Miss Sheryl means they’re done with this.
They let out a sigh, and relax.
“Can you release the darkness prison, Miss Sheryl!?”
I ask, but get no response.
“Oh? Hey!”
What’s going on? Is she ignoring me?
After a while, the space in front of me sways, and I see Miss Sheryl holding a sleeping Snow.
Hum, what?
‘Stay there until she wakes up.’
“…You’re kidding…”
I guess she wants to hog the sleeping Snow.
I don’t really mind, but…
“…”
These two are fidgeting, itching to get out.
Being in a place where they feel like they might die at any moment isn’t doing them any favors psychologically.
“Ahh…”
Anyway, I’ll explain why they can’t leave.
I was going to talk about the ecology of this island after we got out, and about the people who live here, but…
Actually, will they even believe me…
We have Miss Sheryl as an example, but my experience thus far tells me they won’t.
Oh well, I’ll just leave it be if that happens, and start explaining.
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