267 Secret

Several minutes had already passed since Roz vanished using Instant Teleportation.

The thing that really gnawed at me, though, was the radio silence from Cecil. Not a single word.

This is bad for my heart.

I peered through my Dark Eye to perform a Mana Sense, but her signature hadn't budged. That only made the silence feel even more eerie.

Shari had rigged the Magic Shield protecting the artifact with so many layers of traps it would make a tomb raider weep. The difficulty spike for dispelling it was astronomical, and even if someone actually pulled it off, I would have known the instant it happened.

Yet, there hadn't even been an attempt to attack it.

Can Cecil actually win a raw power struggle against Roz? I had my doubts. But then again, Roz wasn't the type to use Mind Magic for cheap tricks like charms or status restrictions. This was going to be a straightforward, head-on collision.

While those anxious thoughts raced through my mind, the actual annihilation of the monsters was proceeding at a steady clip.

"Weiss, I'll be fine on my own for the rest," Cynthia said, her voice steady. "Use your own judgment and go provide backup elsewhere—"

This was according to our pre-arranged plan: move from the areas with leeway to the areas that were struggling. Just then, I noticed Carta and Olynn were on the move as well. They were likely heading toward Allen and Shari.

Normally, I should have jumped in to help Duke and Lilith. But Allen was the protagonist of this Original Story. Whether I liked it or not, he was the center of this universe.

In that case, there was only one logical answer.

"I’m counting on you," I said.

"Debibi!"

With a quick nod and a vocal signal to Cynthia, I released Debi to help her and left the rest in her hands.

I sprinted down the hallway, having already cleared a path earlier, and ran straight into Carta and Olynn. They’d taken a few hits, but they were far from death's door.

I mean, come on. These are guys from the Demon Race—heavy hitters from the final stages of the Original Story. And they barely have a scratch on them?

But the fact that they were hurrying this much meant—

"Did they vanish?" I asked.

"Yeah, they tucked tail and ran," Carta grunted. "Just when we were about to finish them off, too."

"I checked their coordinates; they went to where Allen and Shari are," Olynn added. "—Let’s move!"

Apparently, Instant Teleportation wasn't some all-powerful cheat. There had to be some kind of Restriction on it, though I didn't have the luxury of figuring out the mechanics right now.

When we arrived at the scene, we were met by a massive, pitch-black spherical Barrier. It was a specialized construct of the Demon World, the kind of thing my Time Lapse couldn't even scratch.

But then—it began to melt away like a scoop of ice cream in the sun.

As the barrier dissolved, Allen and Shari emerged. Standing against them were three children—one blonde, one pink-haired, and one black-haired—but all of them had eyes glowing a terrifying crimson. It was the classic trademark of their power manifesting when they finally got serious.

Shari was at a disadvantage at such close range. Which meant... did Allen really beat them back so badly that he forced the barrier to collapse?

No way. That’s impossible... right? But the evidence is standing right in front of me.

Suddenly, the ground began to glow.

Roz materialized in a flash of light. But the thing that actually made my heart skip a beat wasn't his sudden appearance—it was the fact that I couldn't feel a single drop of mana from him. No leakage, no aura... just nothing.

『Fansent, Roz can no longer use magic. I'm heading your way now.』

Cecil's voice echoed in my head.

...Cecil, what on earth did you do to him?

『I'll tell you the details later. For now—I won.』

Hah, I can't wait to hear this one.

Honestly, these people... just how much do they intend to wreck the Original Story before they’re satisfied?

But this was it. This was "The End" for the intruders. The finale.

"All right," I muttered, stepping forward. "How about you lot spit out everything you know about the Demon Race?"