Chapter 323

323 Girl of Steel #4

Crackle-.

A very long time ago, there was a sound like electricity sparking from a broken wire. It was, without a doubt, a chilling sound that could make one’s hair stand on end.

Certainly, the sound itself was no more than a crackling noise.

However, our brains, which had been trained since childhood to understand the dangers of lightning and electricity, instinctively rejected it.

At least, that’s what I thought.

So when the cotton candy stuck to Elpride’s head began to make an odd crackling noise, I snapped out of my thoughts and immediately moved my legs and hands.

“Hey, Elpride! Bow your head!”

In a hurry, I slapped the cotton candy attached to Elpride’s head and tried to throw it far away towards the horizon or somewhere distant, but just at that moment, someone shouted loudly.

“Electro-shock!”

Grrrrr-!

Crackle-.

What swept over my head afterward was an overwhelmingly intense sensation, as if my entire body would explode. My arms and legs felt like they were shrinking, my skin tingled, and my mouth became parched.

“Uhhggghhh-.”

It was, in fact, akin to being electrocuted.

That peculiar cotton candy in my palm had, for some unknown reason, fired off an incredibly powerful bolt of lightning, and there was no denying it.

It wasn’t until a few seconds later that I was able to quickly regain my composure.

“What the hell is this thing?”

As chaotic as this world may be, devoid of rules and laws, should something like a cotton candy that spews lightning even exist?

Had something like this been around a sugar-loving Nymph like Paranoi, who knows what chaos might have ensued?

Gweeeng.

Crackle-.

The thing emitted another bizarre noise and released a prickling electric shock.

“Ouch, that’s hot!”

As I hurriedly dropped it, the thing floated into the air like a piece of fluff in the wind and settled atop Gloria’s head.

Chaching, jingle-jangle-.

Soon, I heard the distinct sound of breaking glass right in my ears. Luna shouted loudly.

“That shadow binding has broken!”

It seemed that the sound of something breaking just now was Luna’s sorcery failing.

“And that’s a Cloudring!”

Luna shouted loudly upon seeing the blue cotton candy sitting on Gloria’s head. Cloudring. I’d heard that name somewhere before.

With my mind now spinning due to this sudden awakening of divine providence, I quickly recalled something Luna had said during the height of summer’s scorching heat.

Cloudring.

It was an exceptionally rare monster found near Delphi’s seashore, said to cool the surrounding air merely by its presence, akin to a natural air conditioner.

And now, it was right before my eyes, capable of shooting lightning.

“Good job, Yiying.”

Yiyingyaing.

It even seemed familiar to Gloria, who treated it with affection, as if it were something she had been keeping.

Regardless, we couldn’t help but tense up.

While pressuring Gloria alone was somewhat possible, with this strange, incomprehensible monster now in play, we had no choice but to adjust our strategy and plans.

“In light of this, we’ll just overpower them with sheer force.”

Indeed, Hippolyte looked grim as she composed herself, her sword blade beginning to hum powerfully, making me break out in cold sweat.

Is this really going to turn into a fierce battle?

I was tensing slightly when…

Gweeeng.

“What? That’s the real thing?”

Yiyingyaing.

“Ah, I was enjoying a rare few days of freedom, but seems like there’s nothing for it. Hey, you guys. Consider yourselves lucky. I have somewhere to be, so I’m leaving now.”

Before we even realized it, Gloria turned her back on us, seemingly called away by some urgent matter.

“Assault with Voodoo!”

At that moment, Luna leaped swiftly, seemingly aiming for Gloria’s neck, but was easily deflected by a casual wave of Gloria’s hand, only to tumble and roll on the sands.

“Assault with Voodoo?” Does shouting it out so blatantly even count as an ambush?

“Hiiii…”

“Even that wasn’t a very strong hit. Anyway, it’s fine. Brother, I’ll see you in a few days. Once I’ve finished all my tasks and am free, we’ll be together forever. Rolling around every day…”

“Get lost!”

After Gloria disappeared, the beach was left with only the rhythmic waves breaking, the cries of seagulls, and our painstakingly prepared and devised traps remaining eerily silent.

“d*mn it!”

While planting his longsword deeply into the sand, Hippolyte spat.

“At this rate, we haven’t accomplished anything. With our forces revealed, it would be challenging to use this strategy again next time.”

“Huff…”

Beside him, Elpride, drenched in sweat, slumped right onto the shore.

Having continuously drained mana and faced the interference of the strange monster at the end, she must have been quite fatigued.

“My spell was disrupted. What in the world was that? That strange, cloud-like thing….”

“It’s a Cloudring. Considered a treasure of Jupiter, a small repository for lightning bolts. I knew Gloria was favored by Jupiter, but I didn’t expect her to possess a Cloudring.”

Small repository for lightning.

It was an apt nickname indeed for the little dark cloud. Was it something Jupiter, the god of thunder, gifted to Gloria, whom he refers to as his illegitimate child?

At that moment, Paranoi interjected after listening to the tale.

“T- That kind of treasure pales in comparison to the Transparent Helm or the Grim Reaper’s Fork that Master Hassan inherited. Those are truly terrifying treasures of Pluto, you know…!”

Treasures of Pluto?

Despite my exhaustion, my ears perked up at the mention.

“What are those?”

“Actually, I don’t truly know either…”

Despite being aware that Paranoi’s words should be taken with a grain of salt, a flicker of hope made me involuntarily pay attention.

And when I was slightly disappointed, Paranoi continued.

“But somewhere in this world, there must be treasures hidden by Lord Pluto! For instance, the Star of Calan that Master Hassan wears around his neck!”

I recognized my pendant.

The Star of Calan.

No, it had been upgraded to Pluto’s eye, had it not? Reflecting now, perhaps this was something I inherited from my father.

According to Paranoi, somewhere in this world were legacies I should inherit. d*mn it.

Elpride added a comment.

“Treasures of Pluto… Most of them have already been stolen by adventurers and tomb raiders during the maze explorations.”

“We must reclaim them! Those adventurers are filthy tomb raiders! Master Hassan should claim his rightful inheritance…”

Is that even reasonable?

It was a common practice for adventurers to make a living by pilfering gold coins and relics from Pluto’s mazes. Even I, for instance, have done the same. Still, among those items, there must be powerful weapons or armor imbued with great strength. Thinking about it this way somewhat lifted my spirits.

“Hhhheuu-.”

Just then, Luna, who had been knocked unconscious by a strike from Gloria’s palm, opened her eyes. In response, Hippolyte explained the situation with a slight grunt.

“Noctis Dotty, you’ve finally regained consciousness. Gloria has escaped; this was our complete defeat.”

Luna blinked a few times.

Then, she opened the tightly clenched fist she had been holding to reveal several strands of long, black hair.

“Our victory!”

“Indeed, it’s truly remarkable, My Lady Luna! I believed in you!”

“Now, we’ll use this to find the person most closely related to Gloria or any trace of her.”

Thus, just as the sun began to dip into the horizon and the lunch hour passed, we became acquainted with a strange object created by Luna.

“Luna, what is this?”

“Karma Detector! If you tie the hair onto this specially enchanted needle tip, it will point towards the direction of a similar Karma when placed on a flat surface!”

It looked like a makeshift compass made by elementary school students for practical experiments. As Luna blew on it, the needle which had been spinning wildly, finally came to point in a certain direction.

“It works!”

“Indeed, who would have guessed Lady Noctis Dotty had such skills? The world truly has its mysteries.”

“Somewhere around here… The needle keeps spinning. What is it?”

We roamed through the nearby mountain ranges outside Delphi’s vicinity, getting confused by the dense woods and plagued by insects, making life unpleasant.

“d*mn, there are still mosquitoes even in autumn.”

I was especially harassed by mosquito swarms clinging to me. Why do they all stick to me? It’s like I’ve become some sort of mosquito-attracting totem.

“Seems Master Hassan’s bl**d is as sweet as honey…”

“Shut up, will you.”

While Luna and Hippolyte diligently sought the way forward, it was unclear whether we could accomplish our goal before today’s sunset.

After all, there’s also the possibility that Gloria’s brother isn’t even in Delphi’s surroundings.

Reflecting with my clear mind freed from the Blessing of Chaos, I thought it might be wise to withdraw to our lodging and resume efforts tomorrow.

Still, Luna and Hippolyte appeared quite anxious.

After all, having left their far-off homeland of Sodomora, they were likely eager to settle things quickly and return home. Their impatience wasn’t surprising.

The only one displaying any calmness was Elpride, as always, with her lips tightly sealed.

At that moment, she quietly approached me.

“Hey. Hassan.”

“What.”

“We agreed to hide under the blanket. Why did you jump in?”

Ah. She was reproaching me for my earlier actions during the battle with Gloria.

“If I hadn’t removed that Cloudring from your face, you’d probably be fried by now.”

“Understood.”

“Good.”

“And you, what are you going to do?”

“Do what?”

“You’ve been pondering a lot because of the prophecy. Have you thought about it?”

“Don’t know.”

I was completely distracted by fending off mosquitoes, and Elpride’s constant chatter beside me was quite annoying.

Then, she added one more sentence.

“If it’s too difficult, I could help.”

“Help with what?”

“To become part of your family. I could be the first. Of course, without any special feelings. Just having our names added in documents.”

My thoughts were still foggy in the wake of the chaos, but I couldn’t make sense of what Elpride was saying.

What exactly was this girl implying?

Right then, Luna shouted.

“Here, around here!”

It was then that we finally came across a vast plain after parting the thickets. The dim night sky, a strangely acrid smell in the air, and familiar constellations.

The moment I saw them, I immediately lost interest in whatever conversation we had been having.

Buzzzzbuzzzz.

The autumn grasshoppers were noisily chirping in this field.

“It appears to be the remnants of some building. These patterns, where have I seen them before…?”

“Look here! There are loads of strange bones! Many charred ones! It seems like a mix of animal and human bones. Why did the detector stop here?”

As everyone looked around in puzzlement, I could not help but furrow my brows.

I know exactly where we are.

“Hassan! Hassan, don’t you feel anything? Hassan!”

Luna called out to me.

Hassan.

An-

Hey, Hassan!

It felt like a lightning bolt struck my brain, spinning my thoughts.

I realized.

“This is it, this is the site of the Desros Arena.”

They say criminals always return to the scene of their crimes. It seemed this saying held true.

Seeing the remains of this arena, which I had burned down, now covered by lush vegetation, made the back of my neck prickle.

Chains visible among the weeds.

A rusted, broken sword.

Teeth and fingernails.

A man’s face emerged in my memory amidst these sights.

He was, without a doubt, the strongest Samaritan man I had ever known.

“Castrator-.”

His final words, slightly forgotten amid the trials of life, came flooding back. He had entrusted me with watching over his sister in the Black Wilderness, had he not?

Could it be.

Is it a coincidence?

No, if the man called Gloria’s brother was really as strong as described, it was likely him.

While pondering this, a rustling sound came from behind us. A subtle sound. Initially mistaking it for a wild beast, the sound of footsteps belonged unmistakably to a biped.

“Visitors to the arena?”

A plain face, with the man barely reaching up to my waist.

The middle-aged Halfling approached us and asked. He scanned our appearances and nodded as if understanding something.

“Visitors, eh? No, looks like they’re contestants. But too bad, we’ve been closed for quite some time. Some d*mn fool set it on fire and fled, causing everyone to lose everything.”

“Who are you?”

The man smiled faintly as Hippolyte squinted at him.

“I’m the forest ranger around here, and also a small-time entertainer. Looking at you all, you seem pretty down on your luck, don’t you?”

The man thoroughly scanned us from head to toe.

People in this world don’t consider it impolite to inspect one’s appearance so openly, so it’s understandable.

“Looks like you haven’t eaten for days, but you’re all quite skilled.”

Judging by how tattered we looked after wandering through the forest after our fight with Gloria, it seemed accurate.

In fact, his observation was correct. I was so bitten by mosquitoes, I desperately wanted to clean up.

Even I, who am used to a certain level of discomfort, could imagine how miserable Luna, Hippolyte, and Elpride, who prefer cleanliness, must feel.

Then the forest ranger said,

“Judging by the looks, it seems I might be of some help. Would you be interested in earning some money? I could provide a place to bathe and food. Let’s call it charity work.”

“Wha- How dare you say that to us? Let me introduce someone here who is truly- Aah!”

I quickly cut Paranoi off as he tried to say something and asked casually,

“If there’s a way to earn money, what is it? Is it illegal?”

“God forbid! Completely legal and socially beneficial work. Just enter Pluto’s labyrinth and hunt some monsters.”

What?

As I furrowed my brow slightly, the man added one more thing, as if trying to drive the point home.

“Judging by your skills, it seems great. Listen, if you manage to defeat that black-haired beast, you could acquire a great treasure.”

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