Chapter 284
I paused for a moment.
The prototype’s Core Technique.
I remembered Phantom Thief Zodiac’s distorted voice chattering about wanting to see the Core Technique at the landing pad. I had thought that might be another one of the Phantom Thief’s deceptions, but it seemed it really did exist.
“She could be lying, but…”
I fingered the trigger and continued to ask.
“I’m asking where that is.”
“It’s not far. We just have to go down a little further from here. At least, that’s what Prezen told me.”
I was confused whether the 'Prezen' Kali Haywood mentioned referred to the Prototype Artificial Intelligence or to the new Family Head of the Meredith Family.
“What is the Core Technique?”
When I asked, Kali smiled and said.
“Haha, I came all the way here because I was curious about that too. I don’t know yet. I can’t help it; I don’t know because I haven’t seen it…But I can make a guess.”
She could make a guess. Seeing my questioning look, she continued.
“It’s probably a technology that shouldn’t exist. It is a technology lost in the city… no, it is an annihilated Technique. It is something incredibly vicious and dangerous.”
I frowned.
I felt this was also information that would do me no good to know. Unlike that Phantom Thief Zodiac, I had absolutely no desire to dig into the dirty secrets of the Meredith Family and Enatomia Corporation.
What I wanted was only one thing: to rescue Alexandra Schneider and escape from this damn Mirror Castle.
“Unfortunately, I’m not interested, Phantom Thief Zodiac.”
“…I said it hoping you would trust me just this once. It’s true that I deceived you, but I swear I tried not to harm the Young Lady and the other Team members.”
I tried to move in a direction that would benefit everyone. Why do you think Prezen Meredith made an offer to the Schneider Family of all people?”
“We all almost died because of that damn offer.”
“But in the end, everyone made it to the escape shuttle. If we had stayed at the landing pad, a much more terrible outcome would have been waiting for us.”
…She wasn’t wrong. But an excellent con artist always mixes truth and lies plausibly to deceive others.
“The reason I hid the Young Lady and impersonated her instead? It was all to protect the Young Lady. If the Young Lady had been in my place, it would have been much more dangerous. You can’t deny that. I’ve been with the Young Lady for over five years.”
Before being a Phantom Thief, I was Alexandra Schneider’s friend. You aren’t the only one who cares for the Young Lady. Really, I was planning to just finish my job as a Phantom Thief and escape safely together… but things got really twisted. Even now, can’t we work this out with a conversation? Hm, Junior?”
It sounded very plausible.
That sweet, coaxing voice scratched at the weak spot in my heart, the part that wanted to believe her somehow, even if she couldn’t be trusted.
Unless I had a lie detector, I had no means to distinguish the truth or falsehood of all those words.
I just spoke calmly.
“If that’s true, lower your gun first.”
Kali Haywood’s expression hardened.
“…You don’t believe me. I suppose I can’t blame you.”
“I said I’ll believe you if you lower your gun.”
Our gazes crossed in an instant. As if planned, we pulled our triggers at the same time.
Bang!
My bullet grazed the empty air. Kali Haywood was far too fast for me to hit with my terrible shooting skill.
On the other hand, Kali’s bullet lodged in my body with extreme precision. Just as she said, she didn’t seem to intend to kill me, as a powerful impact struck my leg and my body collapsed.
“It’ll hurt a little, I’m sorry! I’d like to take you with me if I could… but it might be safer for you to stay here. Those Monsters should be coming to the innermost part of Mirror Castle right about now!”
Saying that, Kali Haywood ran off. However, she made the mistake of underestimating the performance of the suit I was wearing.
I had merely fallen over; I wasn’t hurt at all despite being shot.
I couldn’t let her go like that.
While lying face down, I rolled to the side and picked up the leather case I had dropped.
I still didn’t know what was inside.
However, since both Team Leader Hank and Eugene Schneider had called it a supply “essential for the mission,” it wouldn’t be ordinary equipment. I was certain it was something very powerful.
If it was hard to stop Phantom Thief Kali Haywood with my strength alone, I had no choice but to rely on the power of items!
Just as I opened the case, Kali looked back, perhaps sensing something suspicious.
RUUUUMBLE―――――!
In an instant, the world shook. The entire lounge rocked.
Bottles rolled around, and the glass on the walls rattled, ringing out a terrifying wail.
If this place hadn’t been Mirror Castle, I would have genuinely suspected an earthquake had occurred. But it wasn’t.
Most of the estates of upper-level nobles
Context: The walls rattled in, ringing out a terrifying wail.
Most of the estates of upper-level nobles are situated in the air, separated from The Mortal World.
Because the seismic device at the bottom absorbs all shocks, even if a real earthquake had occurred, its aftermath could never reach here in Mirror, which is situated in the air, separated from The Mortal World.
Because the seismic device at the bottom absorbs all shocks, even if a real earthquake had occurred, its aftermath could never reach here in Mirror Castle.
This wasn’t an earthquake. It wasn’t a Natural Disaster, but the work of a talented person.
The fact that it didn’t stop at just one time made that point even clearer.
RUUUMBLE!
A loud roar rang out again. This time, the vibration was even more severe. Whatever it was, it was getting closer and closer.
RUUUUMBLE!
The noise of destruction, of things breaking and collapsing, rang out.
As if announcing an ominous sign, the chandelier on the ceiling fell and shattered to pieces.
In that moment, the words Kali Haywood had just spoken came to mind.
“Those Monsters should be coming to the innermost part of Mirror Castle right about now!”
If this was the work of a person… as far as I knew, there was only one formidable being capable of doing such a thing within Mirror Castle.
He was coming.
The Monster was coming.
I snapped my head up. I made eye contact with Kali Haywood.
Her complexion had turned white.
Despite its being artificial skin - no, perhaps because it was artificial skin, it expressed her emotions even more clearly.
Kali shouted in a shrill voice.
“Damn it, already! How did they ruin this so badly? This is completely different from what was said… Aaron, run, hurry! If you don’t want to die, flee or hide anywhere!”
Seeing her speak to that extent, it seemed she truly didn’t want me to die.
Only now could I fully believe her words that she had no intention of causing harm.
But to realize this now?
“If I run or hide, will I be able to avoid it?”
When I asked, Kali Haywood bit her lip. I could tell the answer just by looking at her expression, which looked like she had chewed on shit.
It was already too close. There was no way the Monster could fail to catch the presence of a few hidden flies.
Perhaps he was already aware of our existence. No, there was a high probability that he was.
If so, running away would only serve to provoke the Monster.
I had somehow managed to survive the Monster’s clutches twice. But a third time?
In baseball, three strikes means you’re out. What about in reality?
Instinctively, I had a feeling that the same miraculous luck as before wouldn’t come to me this time.
I couldn’t hide from an inevitable disaster, nor could I run away. This was a crisis I had to resolve directly with my own strength somehow.
However, I couldn’t explain that vague intuition to others in words.
It would only be a waste of breath, and they probably wouldn’t understand it properly anyway. I’d be lucky if they didn’t treat me like a crazy person.
I just stood in place without moving and asked.
“Let’s say I run away. Let’s say I’m lucky and the Monster just leaves me alone. Then what are you going to do?”
“…I’ll have to run away too. After I buy time for a bit.”
Even as she said it, she trailed off at the end, knowing it was nonsense.
She was going to buy time against “that Monster” and then run away? It would be a much more realistic story to run away from over a hundred Luddite Gang members in the labyrinth trap over there.
But I nodded for now.
“Alright, let’s say that’s possible. Let’s say we both luckily run away. What then? That Monster’s goal is probably that Core Technique too, isn’t it? And that Core Technique is in the secret vault in the innermost part of Mirror Castle.”
“Right.”
“And you said Alexandra is there.”
“…”
Kali Haywood opened and closed her mouth as if at a loss for words.
And after all this, she made the absurd excuse that she did it to protect Alexandra?
I spoke as if growling.
“Those are your own words. Tell me straight. Is it true that Alexandra is there?”
“It’s true. I swear.”
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.
My body trembled from the vibration.
I closed my eyes and organized my thoughts.
Amidst the Monster’s increasingly closer rumbling and my heart sinking with every beat, I finally reached a conclusion.
I spat it out as if chewing on the words.
“Then we have to stop the Monster.”
That was the only way.
Kali Haywood pushed back.
“Are you crazy? You saw what that Monster did, and you’re saying that? How on earth are you going to stop him?”
“We have to stop him together.”
“Say something that makes sense - “
There was no time to argue. I yelled out.
“Then run away alone and let that guy kill me, storm into the innermost part, and kill Alexandra too!”
“…”
“If you want that, run! I’m not saying this expecting loyalty for fighting together from a traitor like you, Phantom Thief Zodiac.”
Kali Haywood’s face contorted. The manipulation of her Artificial Muscles revealed anger, fluster, shame, fear, and surprise…
She swallowed the emotions she had revealed forcefully and asked.
“Then?”
“I’m talking to the escort Kali Haywood, not the Phantom Thief. If your blabbering about caring for Alexandra wasn’t a lie, now is the time to prove it. By fulfilling your duty as an escort.”
If she were an Escort, she naturally shouldn’t let a vicious Monster approach the Young Lady she served.
It was what needed to be done. Kali Haywood knew it too.
“…How? If we could, there’d be nothing holding me back. But it’s impossible. Even if the two of us sacrifice our lives - “
I immediately cut off Kali Haywood’s despairing shout as she tore at her hair.
“I have a plan.”
There is just one way, under the premise that everything goes according to my thoughts.
I have a plan to hunt the Monster.