I don't really know what's going on, but things have gotten pretty troublesome. All I did was deliver Ruin back to everyone, and somehow I ended up getting roped into a job.
I scratched the back of my head as I left Selen's house—where everyone had gathered—almost as if I were fleeing.
I'm the kind of person who constantly gets asked to do things. Sometimes it's straightforward requests, like from Gaark or like this time, and other times I end up doing something without even realizing I'd been recruited.
Apparently, there are plenty of people out there who want to pawn work off on high-level Hunters.
I encountered the Spiritfolk known as Ruin at exactly such a moment—while I'd been cheerfully invited out and was wandering around Yggdrasil after leaving the room I'd been given.
Aside from Selen, it was the first time a Yggdrasil resident had spoken to me. According to Selen, the residents were an extremely small non-combatant population, most of whom had evacuated. During my stay, I'd occasionally catch sight of one, but they'd flee immediately, so I never got as far as a conversation. Can't really blame them for freezing up, either.
Gender uncertain. Short hair and eyes like blazing flames. There was something imposing about their bearing, and refusing their request was out of the question.
Ruin had approached me to get a grasp on the situation. It seemed they'd spotted me while on their way to meet Selen and decided to speak up on a whim.
It became clear almost immediately from our conversation that Ruin was involved in Citry's strategy.
Apparently, Ruin had been trapped by a mask and turned into a Phantom. I don't know when exactly they were captured, but since then, they had lost their will and remained at the Origin Temple.
Driven by nothing but instinct, they had attacked Yggdrasil, and only yesterday—after a fierce battle—had they been freed from the curse. Hearing all this, I finally realized that this person was the same one who'd been lying in a hospital bed just yesterday.
Ruin Seintos Frestel had been one of the most accomplished Mages in all of Yggdrasil. Even turned into a Phantom, the fact that Ruin had been able to exchange blows with Lucia was proof enough of his skill.
I hate troublesome situations. But if the trouble is harmless, requires little effort, and benefits my companions, I'll sometimes take action myself.
I didn't know much about the progress of Citry's strategy, but I understood that in this situation, every bit of combat power counted.
So I willingly explained the current events in Yggdrasil to Ruin and decided to escort him back to Selen.
"Seriously, what are Selen and the others thinking?"
I shouldn't have gone outside. I muttered to myself as I returned to my room.
All I did was be nice and show someone the way, but I never expected to catch stray fire like that. Well, I suppose you could say it was partly my fault for lingering outside the door after getting curious about the conversation... Could this be what the little fox girl meant by lacking a sense of danger?
Setting that aside, let Citry and the others fight if they want. It's to rescue Luke, and for the high-achieving members of the Mourning Specter, high-level quests are practically a hobby. But don't drag me into it.
I'd gladly participate if I could be of use! But I can't be! I'd just get in the way! It would only be dangerous! I'm definitely better off not being there.
I sat down on the bed and sighed. Even though I'd only been at that spot for a few minutes, the fatigue was brutal.
I'd nearly been swept up in the current and forced to fight dangerous Phantoms.
If I hadn't had experience being shoved into dangerous missions and made to suffer before, I would have been thrown straight into battle against those Phantoms without a second thought. Close call, close call.
Well, instead, I ended up having to buy time. But that's something I should accept gladly—it's a hundred times better than being forced to fight Phantoms.
Ideally I'd prefer they didn't ask me to defeat the Phantoms, but even if they didn't ask, I wouldn't be able to. I literally can't beat them.
My attack power is garbage-tier, but I'm at least somewhat capable when it comes to evasion. I've collected a respectable number of Barrier Rings, and I've brought various Treasure Weapons with me this time. I can even hide inside Mimi-kun.
My performance as a decoy is unquestionably Level 8. Being targeted by Phantoms and Monsters is par for the course, attracting the hostility of Thieves and Hunters is an everyday occurrence, and to top it all off, even natural lightning has it out for me. It's probably just coincidence, but when coincidences stack up enough times, they become indistinguishable from fate.
I looked down at Mimi-kun, who sat by my side, and sighed.
"...Well, I should at least get some kind of preparation ready."
But what kind of preparation, exactly? The Treasure Weapons were already charged.
"North... buy time in the north, huh..."
I muttered, but I barely had a grasp on the big picture of Citry's strategy, let alone the details. I'd been the one to suggest buying time myself, but that had been an impulsive response to nearly being thrust into combat.
The next step was supposed to be the installation of the Mana Material disruption device, but they'd said there was no device to install in the north—so maybe I just needed to lure the Phantoms and keep running?
At any rate, no matter how I approached it, what I needed was some means of stalling.
I was unquestionably one of the most talented Hunters when it came to being chased. I'd been hounded by Phantoms, Monsters, criminals, and lightning alike. Running away alone should buy enough time, but if I could make the enemy hesitate, I could buy even more—safely, at that.
Getting a guard detail from the team was out of the question. Using conversation to stall was also difficult when the opponent was a Phantom.
So what to do... If these were Phantoms from the Wandering Inn, a casual conversation would be enough to stall them.
I thought for a while, but nothing came to mind, so I pulled my smartphone from my pocket.
"The only way to find out how to stall Phantoms is to ask a Phantom."
The recipient, naturally, was the little fox girl. Since she was also a Phantom from a temple-type Treasure Hall, she might have some useful hints.
"I need to stall a Phantom somehow—any good ideas?" I typed.
As soon as I sent it, the reply came back in seconds. I knew this phenomenon well. They call it smartphone addiction.
With practiced ease, I opened the message. The reply was just two lines.
"Don't text me. We're not friends."
...Kind of cold for a pen pal. Well, if I let that discourage me, I'd never survive the world of texting.
Humming a tune, I typed my response.
"Work with me here."
"Send fried tofu."
"I need to buy as much time as possible."
"If you want a favor, start with fried tofu."
Is she addicted to fried tofu? ...Actually, now that I think about it, all I'd need to do to stall the little fox girl was dangle some fried tofu in front of her.
Resigned, I put my phone away and thought seriously.
I guess I could use Finger Shot to fire off magical bullets as a form of suppression... but that barely worked as a stalling tactic even against the White Wolf's Den's wolf knights. Even if I can't defeat them, I need more firepower.
But my Treasure Weapon lineup doesn't have any decent offensive weapons. The best I have is probably Yearning for a Foreign Land, which stores Lucia's magic... but that's a one-use item.
Is there anything else? Something I can use, reasonably powerful, with no usage limit, and ideally eye-catching. Bonus points for long range. Something like the Dog Chain.
...Wait, Luke? No, no, no, no. What could a stone statue possibly do?
And that's when a certain item flashed through my mind. Something I could use, powerful, no usage limit, usable from long range, and—on top of everything—incredibly eye-catching. Perfect.
The problem was the risk involved—but ah, who cares.
I steeled myself, reached into Mimi-kun, and pulled it out.
A cursed teddy bear wearing a pendant around its neck.
§ § § The lifespan of Spiritfolk is far longer than that of humans. Among them, the High Spiritfolk, who boast even greater longevity, rarely die of old age.
But even so, the flow of time was indifferent to all. Whether they wished for it or not, the day of battle would come.
Before a great battle, the Spiritfolk of Yggdrasil would center their minds at a ley spot.
In an empty, silent park, Selen and Ruin sat side by side at the spring's edge, feet dipped in the water, performing the pre-battle ritual.
Ruin had been missing for two hundred years. They had endless things to talk about, but conversation before battle followed a predictable course.
After hearing about everything that had happened since the Mourning Specter's arrival up to the present day, Ruin smiled softly.
"Klye Andrich. An interesting human. If everything in this situation truly went according to that human's plan, as Princess Selen suggests—then Thousand Transformations is even manipulating Keller, the God of Masks, from the palm of his hand."
Keller, the God of Masks. That was one of the few pieces of information about the Origin Temple that Ruin had brought back—the name of an evil god who stood as their enemy.
Keller bestowed masks upon living creatures, transforming them into his servants.
Ruin himself had been captured by a Phantom and forced to wear a mask, which had resulted in his transformation into a Phantom as well. Presumably, the other Yggdrasil warriors had undergone a similar process.
Beyond that, Ruin had almost no other information to offer. During his time as a Phantom, his consciousness had been dreamlike and vague, lacking any sense of reality. The fact that only the god's name had remained in his memory—perhaps that was due to his stubborn pride as a Yggdrasil warrior.
Keller. A name not found even in the records of Yggdrasil. He was likely one of the countless evil gods who had reigned in ancient times.
An ancient god seeking to draw power from the heart of the world and reclaim his strength. As a guardian of the World Tree, this was an enemy that had to be defeated, no matter the cost.
"There is hope, Selen. Let us believe. That human's scheme has restored me to a proud Spiritfolk once more. Then we, too, must repay that debt with action."
Ruin spoke in a serious voice, soothing Selen. It was a nostalgic tone.
And then, Selen remembered something that had been bothering her.
"Come to think of it, Ruin—why did you stop moving during your battle with Lucia? It seemed like you stopped when you looked in my direction. Could it be that your consciousness returned, even for a moment?"
This was a crucial question. Among the Phantoms, there were those who had manifested as Phantoms from the very beginning, and there were those who had been Yggdrasil warriors transformed into Phantoms.
If the latter could see Selen and recover their memories—even momentarily—it could serve as a means of distinguishing former comrades.
Ruin was silent for a long time before answering in a voice stripped of emotion.
"I can't say my consciousness was entirely gone. It was extremely faint, but the Phantom that was me still remembered Yggdrasil. Yes... when I returned to Yggdrasil, I felt nostalgia. I had some vague sense that I shouldn't be attacking."
He recalled what Citry had told him.
According to Citry, who had witnessed the battle from the start, Ruin's movements had been sluggish—as though testing something. During the fight with Lucia, he had initially focused purely on defense and never launched an attack of his own accord.
The soul of a Yggdrasil citizen, buried deep within, had persisted even after being forcibly turned into a Phantom.
It made him proud. Come to think of it, ever since the Origin Temple had manifested, no Phantom had attacked Yggdrasil directly. He had always assumed the barrier surrounding Yggdrasil kept them at bay, but perhaps it was because the Phantoms' deep consciousness still retained memories of their days as Yggdrasil warriors.
Then Ruin let out a deep sigh and looked at Selen with an indescribable expression.
"But the reason I stopped just before delivering the killing blow—why I stopped—was because you, the proud Princess of Yggdrasil, looked absolutely ridiculous. Like I'd been smacked in the head. My hazy consciousness sharpened for one crystal-clear moment. As someone who had served as your instructor for a time, I nearly died of shame."
"—! U-...Uuuuuuu!"
Stunned by his words, she felt her face flush red to the ears.
Ridiculous... far too ridiculous. The only reason she'd looked like that was because that human had given her those Treasure Weapons.
In the two hundred years since Ruin had disappeared—aside from that one incident—she had never once appeared before Yggdrasil in a manner unbecoming of its princess.
No wonder his first words upon waking had been about her appearance. She had assumed his mind was still clouded and he'd simply blurted it out—but...
That human... had he given those Treasure Weapons to Selen for precisely that purpose?
Ruin murmured with a pained expression.
"...Perhaps if Selen were to charge out in that outfit one more time... it might help us tell the Phantoms apart from former comrades."
"You can't be serious!? I refuse! How could I possibly show that outfit to my brave comrades-in-arms? I would rather die than wear something like that! Uuuuu!"