I had absolutely no idea what was going on.
I'm well aware that I'm not the quickest thinker out there, but this went beyond even that. The developments unfolding before me were completely beyond my capacity, so surreal that they didn't feel real. I couldn't even manage to change my expression.
The moment Term stepped into the room, the guards all collapsed one after another, and before I knew it, we were under indictment. Even so, my brain still hadn't recovered from the confusion.
I know I'm hopeless on a daily basis, but when faced with a totally unexpected turn of events, I become even more useless than usual.
I had no clue what was happening. Term and the others being enemies was surprising enough, but the fact that I was apparently considered an ally by Term was even more shocking. What a shock.
I had to say something. Acting on that single thought, I opened my mouth—only to produce the kind of airheaded, clueless words you'd expect from someone who can't read the room.
"Fox...? ...What are you talking about?"
"............!?"
I could feel countless gazes piercing through me.
Franz, who moments ago had been shooting me looks sharp enough to kill; Krus, who had been glaring daggers at me; Term, who wore that gentle smile; Kechachakka, who was as stoic as ever; and even His Majesty the Emperor and Her Imperial Highness the Princess—all of them had frozen in place, staring right at me.
In that instant, time truly had stopped. But the person who understood the situation the least was probably me.
Term smiled at me once more and spoke.
"Hmph... How boring. Just a joke, *Thousand Transformations*. No need for an act anymore."
"Wha—"
I wasn't acting, though...
The moment I was about to say that, my brain finally started working.
On a normal day, I would've broken into a cold sweat, but thanks to my comfortable state there was none. In fact, the reason I'd been so relaxed up to this point was almost certainly the power of the *Happy Vacation*. This Treasure Weapon had the unfortunate quirk of forcibly making its wielder comfortable.
This was no time to be deliberating. If Kechachakka and Term were turning against us... that was a real problem.
They were my strongest fighting force. On my side, I had Franz, who was inexplicably kneeling, plus Krus and Kirunite. That was it.
I gave a small cough and decided to reset. I took a step back and pointed the finger of indictment at Term.
"Term! Kecha! So you two were traitors! I trusted you!"
"!? What are you talking about!? You're a member of the 'Fox' too, aren't you!?"
What is this man talking about?
My memory was hazy, but the "Fox" had to be the secret society whose name I'd only recently heard about.
But there was no way I'd be allowed into a secret society when I couldn't even properly fit in with a normal organization. And the *Mourning Specter*, despite its terrifying name, was a thoroughly clean party.
No matter how desperate things got, I wasn't so far gone as to side with criminals.
"A secret society letting me in? That's impossible! There are tons of secret societies that hold grudges against me! I have no idea what kind of logic it takes to arrive at that conclusion!"
"What...!? Then how did you know the code!?"
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."
"Don't mess with me! You identified yourself as the Thirteenth, didn't you!?"
"I have zero recollection of that."
"!?"
No, seriously. Code? Thirteenth?
The closest thing I could think of was when I mentioned getting a tail from a kitsune, but that couldn't possibly be it. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how that conversation could lead to me being part of a secret society.
Term staggered back a step, dumbfounded.
"Wha... No way... Damn it! Could this be a trap!?"
"Huh? A trap?"
What is this old man blathering about?
I wished he'd stop making up stuff like "trap" on his own and trying to pin it on me like I'd done something wrong.
Term raised his right arm. For the first time in a while, I shouted in a sharp voice.
"Whoa, don't move, Term and Kechachakka. If you do, I'll turn you into—toads. You've seen what I'm capable of, right!?"
"!?"
Term froze mid-motion. Cold sweat was trickling down his stern-looking face.
My blossoming magical talent. I'd tried several times since then but never managed to activate it again. But if not now, when would it bloom next?
As I struck a pose and extended my arm, Krus' eyes went wide and he shouted.
"Hey, weakling, you—make up your mind already! Are you an enemy or an ally!?"
"Well, my innocence has been proven by the *Tears of Truth*."
Franz, who had said he thought I'd be plenty capable, threw his eyes open impossibly wide.
Was I really that untrustworthy? I'd shown plenty of incompetence, but I had no memory of ever getting involved in anything criminal...
"I... don't get it!? Then why did you bring me in? Why let me run this far!? Damn it..."
Term spoke with a shudder. I puffed out my chest and shot back.
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about!"
"But the ship's propulsion has already been destroyed! The ship is going to fall!"
What...!? ...Thank goodness I'd gotten on good terms with the carpet.
But even if he told me that, I didn't know what to do. It wasn't my fault. Well, letting Term and the others on board was my mistake, so I was indirectly responsible, but honestly there was nothing I could do about it right now. That wasn't what I should be focusing on.
The good news was that there wasn't yet any sensation of falling... Maybe the balloon part was slowing the descent somehow. I had no idea what principle kept this thing flying, so this was pure speculation.
I forced a resigned smile. I was past caring. This guard mission had clearly been a failure.
"Anything built will eventually break. Franz... that's no good. Kirunite, restrain them!"
But His Majesty was still alive. The others who had collapsed might survive if treated immediately.
At my request, Kirunite—who was wearing the bright red armor I'd borrowed from Citry—didn't move a single muscle.
He'd been functioning properly before, so why— The very thought I'd just had was answered when a bizarre voice echoed through the room.
It was coming from a suspicious-looking man in a black robe who was laughing like he'd completely lost his mind.
A man so suspicious that he circled right back to not being suspicious at all. Kechachakka Munk. If he wasn't a scheming mastermind, who could possibly be called one?
"Hee hee hee... ke ke ke... I knew it. You were... hee hee hee... not an ally. Hee hee hee hee hee hee hee!"
"!? Kecha can talk!?"
"!? Ke ke ke... Don't mock me—but, hee hee hee... ke ke ke..."
"Kecha... why do you look so happy!?"
Yeah, he really was glowing. Come to think of it, had I been considered an enemy by both sides? That stung.
Before the first shock could even settle, the second one came barreling in. What Kechachakka produced was the controller for Kirunite that I'd received from Citry. It had gone missing at some point, but why did Kechachakka have it— "That's impossible—"
No way... I had no memory of using the controller in front of Kechachakka.
But Kechachakka had apparently figured out the connection between it and Kirunite.
Kirunite, who should have been in auto mode, stood completely motionless.
"Hee hee hee... I knew Kirunite was a golem... hee hee hee... Don't underestimate mages, *Thousand Transformations*, Shinet!"
Kechachakka flipped a stick and pressed a large button.
Kirunite shuddered once, then awkwardly moved both arms and legs, breaking into a bizarre dance.
"...!?"
Having no sense of shame, Kirunite danced in slow motion under countless gazes. For something Citry had programmed, it was an incredibly halfhearted dance.
Kechachakka watched the dance in silence. His expression was like someone watching a nightmare.
When the dance finished, Kirunite stopped, then collapsed on the spot. It lay there twitching, never getting back up.
Oh right—that's when I remembered I'd never fed Kirunite even once.
He'd never been at the dining table, either... I think. Was I supposed to give him raw meat? Anyway, it seemed Kirunite wasn't going to be an enemy after all.
I gave the dumbfounded Kechachakka a hard-boiled shrug.
"Well... I was saving that for later... So what's the deal with all this?"
"!? ???? Ke... ke ke ke ke ke, ki-heee!"
Kechachakka broke!
Kechachakka screamed. Regaining his will to fight, Term aimed both hands at me.
I desperately wished for toads as I stepped forward to shield Krus and the others.
Spells came flying. In an instant, an impossibly countless number of water lances had been constructed.
His chanting speed was too fast. There was no tell at all!
There was no escaping it—countless lances pierced my entire body. Tremendous power, tremendous speed, and yet not a single sound. Terrifying magic.
But thanks to the *Happy Vacation* and the *Barrier Ring*, I was comfortable.
All the water lances were deflected, unable to move me a single step. That was the Barrier Ring's effect.
"What...! You're unharmed!? That's the legendary *Thousand Transformations*' 'Absolute Defense'!?"
"Your skill is unbelievable, Term. You're definitely one of the strongest mages I've ever known."
Term was saying something strange, but inwardly I was far less composed than my face showed. My expression was comfortable, though.
What a terrifying mage. Term's magic was remarkable not only in chanting speed and power, but his control was perfected as well.
How did I know? Because I'd blocked every single lance with a single Barrier Ring.
The barriers deployed by the Barrier Rings varied depending on the ring, but basically they activated truly instantaneously. If there had been even the slightest timing discrepancy, multiple rings would have had to activate. I doubted even Lucia could pull off something like this.
I grinned, mustered my resolve, and launched a spell.
"But playtime's over! Haaaaaaaaaaaah! Turn into orange juice!"
"!?"
Term and Kechachakka stiffened and stepped back.
The spell activated. Probably, maybe, possibly, it activated. But there was no indication that Term and the others were about to become orange juice.
...Wait, could I actually not use magic?
I gave a small cough.
"Seems like I'm off my game today. If you run, I won't chase."
"You... Is that how far you're going to mock us!? Freeze!"
The bracelets on both of Term's arms glowed faintly.
A crackling sound came toward me, about to envelop me—then stopped.
The Barrier Ring hadn't activated. This was the effect of the shirt-type Treasure Weapon, the *Happy Vacation*. This Treasure Weapon had almost no defensive capability, but it was incredibly resistant to changes in temperature. It was supremely comfortable.
The reason Krus was unharmed behind me was likely because Term had severely narrowed the area in order to boost the power.
Narrowing an area should sometimes be much harder than expanding it, but that was what being Level 7 meant, I supposed.
"That's impossible... There's no way. What kind of power is this!? Not only did it block that cold air, it completely erased it!?"
The *Happy Vacation* was a Treasure Weapon that protected against changes in surrounding temperature and humidity. I was glad I'd brought it.
"High heat and humidity don't work on me."
"Weakling, now's not the time to be joking!"
The words that had spilled out of my mouth without passing through my brain earned a retort from Krus.
Term's face was bright red. Blood had completely rushed to his head.
"Grrr... I'll drop the whole ship!"
"Ke ke ke ke!"
Kechachakka laughed and stomped his feet. I didn't know what he was doing, but I could feel the Barrier Rings being consumed one after another. There was definitely some kind of curse-like aura, so this must be what curse magic was. Much worse matchup than Term.
Having the ship dropped on us would be bad. But for some reason, I was off my game and had no means of attack. No help was coming either.
Looking at Krus, he seemed to understand and began chanting a spell.
"Ugh... Even though I told you I'm bad at fire magic... *Fire Storm*!"
I simultaneously activated a *Finger Shot* halfheartedly. The extremely weak bullet it generated hurtled toward Term mid-chant, dissolving before it could even hit.
He'd set up a simple barrier—the standard defensive trick of any mage. I'd heard they were little more than peace of mind against somewhat powerful attacks, which meant the Finger Shot's magic bullet really wasn't much of an attack.
A beat later, Krus' spell Fire Storm hit Term. A light drizzle of embers sprinkled down on Term, having absolutely no effect.
The power was way too weak, even by any standard. Was he holding back?
I couldn't help but stare, but Krus himself was the most stunned of all. He looked at the staff in his hands—the *Round World* I'd lent him—and shouted.
"What the—!? What is this staff!?"
"...You can't blame the staff for this."
But it was too late. Everything was backfiring.
While this was happening, both of Term's bracelets released a mystical glow. Blue light.
I didn't own many staff-type Treasure Weapons, so I couldn't say for certain, but that radiance was unquestionably first-rate. There was no stopping this!
The air shimmered, and a tremendous shock rocked the entire ship. Term screamed.
"Perish! *Endure, White Heavens!*"
§ § § "Lucia! Gain altitude! Higher!"
"Shh... shut up... This isn't just a storm!"
Refuting Liliz's words instinctively, Lucia blushed crimson as she desperately controlled the magic on the kite.
She'd already taken off the sheets. Now wasn't the time for that.
The kite was enormous. It was carrying everyone plus extra luggage, with significant weight. Yet regardless of all that, her control was almost entirely useless. It was like trying to hold the reins of a bucking horse. For Lucia, who always trained to be ready to use magic at any moment, it was unbelievable.
It felt like she was casting in the midst of a specially powerful barrier designed to disrupt magical activation.
Despite that, riding the strong wind, the kite kept climbing higher and higher. It had taken time to catch up after the initial fall, but she was gradually getting used to controlling the kite, which had been completely unresponsive at first. Above, dark clouds stretching across the sky gave the impression of the end of the world.
A massive aura emanated from within. Citry, clinging to the top of the kite, tilted her head slightly.
"There's no way a barrier could be deployed at this altitude... The weather's looking awfully ominous."
"Oooooooooh! We're so high! Plunge into the storm, Lucia! I'll lead the first charge! Watch me—it's time to strike lightning, and if I can't do it here, I'm no man!"
"...Indeed."
And so, the peculiar group aboard the white kite plunged boldly into the dark clouds.