(…Dammit… How did it turn out like this… Seriously, how…)
Backdoor’s whole body was bound by branches, leaving only his eyes and his sharp tongue free. And he was very unhappy.
The eyes of Duke Kernel, whose gender he could not discern, pointed at him. Qualia and Ace also never took their eyes off him. He could see the hatred over having hurt a girl that was important to them seeping through those stiff expressions.
Backdoor also hated the three people in front of him. He hated the humans, and the magic doll joining them.
But he had different, personal feelings towards Liebe.
(My peace… He took away what I looked forward to…)
But Backdoor knew. This was no time to argue, it was time to act like an obedient prisoner.
“Request explanation. Where are the remaining ancient magic stones Black Hole hidden by Woodhorse?”
As he heard Qualia’s question, he started thinking again.
(I’m pretty sure… Qualia can tell when someone’s lying.)
He clenched his teeth a little.
But he had no desire to cover for Troy either.
(…In any case, when looking at the big picture, I can’t see Troy beating them. They found them out easily, Zero Division was useless, and who knows how much that armor with the ancient magic stone Black Hole, Black Dock or something, is going to help against them.)
He thought he really picked the wrong people to back.
Woodhorse, Liebe… They either did not have what it took to finish the job, or had a change of heart.
He knew he could do nothing on his own, but at least it did not come with the harsh uncertainties of other people. It was a contradiction that happened a lot in that kind of life.
But that also meant that to Backdoor, Troy was something he could abandon at any time.
“Holy Testarottenmaria dungeon, western area of the lowest floor. If you go near it, there are so many Black Holes enshrined, that any human would suffer from magic energy intoxication…”
He said the name of the dungeon.
Holy Testarottenmaria. It was said it was built a long time ago by the Fair Skies Church’s predecessor, meaning it was affiliated with them. That said, it was fully explored, and the dangerous monsters brought about as a result of rituals had been mostly exterminated, so it was mostly ignored.
However, its position meant that if Black holes were activated, the capital would sink.
“Qualia. Is what puke is saying correct?”
“There are no values detected that indicate falsehood.”
Backdoor’s face loosened a little over Qualia’ reaction.
(Yes, this information is correct… That’s why I’m using it as a feint.)
Unbeknownst to even Qualia, Backdoor was infusing his body with magic energy. Even Qualia let down his guard for a moment, as he heard information he had been seeking. Backdoor’s gamble was a success.
“But… If it’s the last floor, that’s pretty deep. It’s too far, isn’t it? What a pain.”
“I guess that’s just how strong those Black Holes are, uh…”
“Like this doesn’t concern you.”
(Like I care about the capital being destroyed and beast people being killed. As long as I have my peace…)
He was looked at with suspicion. But it was not just Kernel. Since Qualia knew that information was truthful, he continued looking at Backdoor, to extract more.
But for a moment, Qualia’s eyes focused on learning the situation.
“Analyzing situation. Detecting abnormal values of magic energy around Backdoor.”
“…True. Nice catch. I wouldn’t have caught on if it wasn’t for you.”
(…Am I busted? This guy here is the most troublesome…!)
It was what Backdoor most feared about Qualia, his strong ability to read the situation around him clearly.
Kernel was also on to the flow of magic energy, so he could tell it felt erratic if he focused.
But if his attention was diverted even a bit to something else, he would not notice the flow of magic energy he was slowly activating.
Normally, humans were not good at focusing all their senses in one point. But Qualia ignored human habits that had existed since their primordial days, and could somehow focus on it. Because of this, he would not let it escape his attention unless he was given important information.
However…
(But… I’m done…)
He flickered a little while still bound in the Domain Tree, and smiled in that light.
It was already activating.
It was magic of Backdoor’s signature element, light.
(I’m not gonna die yet… I was born into this world and everything. Might makes right, uh? And there’s nothing better than seeing other people’s misfortune from a safe space far away.)
“Type SWORD.”
(It’s time to lie low. It’s time to lie low. It’s time to lie low. It’s time to lie low…. So I’ll run and hide.)
Qualia thrust his photon weapon at Backdoor’s forehead.
It was done with as little movement as possible, but it was still too late.
“Too late!! Hihihihihyaah!! Fibernetwork!”
Backdoor turned into light. Literal light, that neither a physical body or even a beam could hit.
It was another spell of the extraordinary light attribute, that even allowed Backdoor to mimic others.
This was Backdoor’s trump card, that could be activated in less than a second. In this short amount of time, Backdoor turned into this pseudo light through his magic energy, allowing him to slip through the Domain Tree and run far away very fast.
“Ahh, ahh…”
He smacked his lips, thinking he could escape right to the Zero Day Empire if he moved at the speed of light.
It was an imitation, so if he tried to actually move at the speed of light, it would tear at his body. But that did not change the fact that it was still an impressive speed.
He took enough distance that he could not see Kernel or Qualia. He was still in the capital, but that direction put him close to the Zero Day empire.
“…It’s time to lay low. First I’ll escape to the Zero Day Empire…”
But as he made his escape plans…
“Execute Teleportation.”
Something suddenly appeared in front of Backdoor.
Fifty meters ahead, Qualia appeared with a black ring hovering over his head.
“Backdoor’s magic energy reactions means he is judged to be near here. Apre… Apprehending Backdoor… [N/A]… Executing search and capture.”
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