As Fuuka and Philly stood locked in a tense standoff, Haruto called out to me.
"Luna, you’ll just be in Fuuka’s way if you stay here. Take the Marquis and head to the Guild."
It seemed they had no intention of stopping Fuuka from challenging Philly alone. To be fair, she exuded an aura so dense she seemed like an entirely different person compared to moments ago. It was painfully clear that in my exhausted state, I would be nothing but a burden. Leaving was the only logical choice.
"I understand. ——Marquis Forgas, can you stand?"
"A-Ah. I’m fine. We’re heading to the Guild, right? Could you explain the situation to me on the way?"
Based on the exchange I'd just witnessed, it seemed Philly was responsible for the Marquis’s memory loss. Was that also a result of her special ability?
"……Understood. First, let’s get away from here."
Haruto and the others had already begun moving toward the North Gate. I set off toward the Guild, keeping the Marquis behind me and remaining hyper-aware of our surroundings.
"In honor of the bravery you've shown by placing yourself in such a disadvantageous position, I’ll let you have the first move. Come, do your worst."
Philly spoke with an air of absolute composure. Following their previous bout, she didn't believe there was even a one-in-a-million chance of her losing.
However, that confidence was based on the Fuuka she had fought before—a woman devoted entirely to coordinating with her party members to stall for time. Until just now, Fuuka’s sole objective had been to buy time until she could use Future Sight again.
Fuuka’s Future Sight typically allowed her to see a few seconds ahead, but by taking a significant risk, she could peer even further into the future. The catch was that after looking that far ahead, she would lose the ability to use her power for a certain period of time.
During the carriage ride back from Maranto, Fuuka had used that deeper vision to see a future where I lost to Philly, leaving her unable to see the future until this very moment. But now, the seal on her ability had finally lapsed.
The current Fuuka was worlds apart from the one who, until moments ago, had suppressed her strength for the sake of teamwork without the use of her ability.
It did not take long for Philly to realize this.
Fuuka closed the distance instantly, eschewing any feints or tricks.
"——!?"
Unlike the start of their previous encounter, Philly was paying maximum attention to Fuuka’s movements. Yet, even with her superhuman reflexes, Philly found it nearly impossible to track Fuuka’s full speed. She barely managed to follow the girl's trajectory, raising her staff to intercept the approaching blade.
But before Fuuka, who could see the future, both defense and evasion were meaningless.
Fuuka’s katana bypassed the staff as if it weren't even there, the blade sinking deep into Philly’s flesh.
"Ugh… guh…"
Philly collapsed on the spot, the wound clearly fatal.
"……I know this is a fake. Why don’t you just bring out the next one? I’ll keep you company until you reach your limit."
Fuuka addressed the Philly who was likely still hiding in the vicinity. As she spoke, the collapsed figure vanished, and an unharmed Philly reappeared a short distance away.
"……Die."
Philly muttered the word, her expression no longer composed but twisted with irritation. Countless attack spells erupted from the air around Fuuka, but she dodged them all with light, graceful movements.
In the blink of an eye, Fuuka closed the distance again and swung her blade. This time, Philly attempted to evade, but Fuuka—already knowing exactly where her target would move—slashed the very spot where Philly intended to land.
It looked as if Philly had intentionally jumped into the path of the blade. Philly died again, her face frozen in a mask of astonishment at the agonizing pain.
As the image of Philly vanished once more, another unharmed version appeared nearby. This time, her face betrayed the first signs of genuine panic.
Philly’s ability was Perception Alteration. As the name implied, it allowed her to rewrite the sensory perception of any target. The two "Phillys" Fuuka had just cut down were fakes created by that power. The phenomenon was the result of altering Fuuka’s perception to make her hallucinate a physical presence where none existed.
The most dangerous aspect of this power was that, to the victim, the hallucination was an unmistakable reality.
Philly would activate attack magic while simultaneously erasing the magic from Fuuka’s perception. Ordinarily, such an attack would be impossible to defend against. However, Fuuka was calculating her movements backward from the visual images of the future where she felt the impact.
(She’s even dodging this……!?)
Though Philly maintained her defiant front, she was physically exhausted from the sheer number of times she had used Perception Alteration throughout the day. She was now facing an opponent who could be described as nothing short of unfair—a woman who dodged every attack while making defense and evasion impossible for Philly in return.
However, the adjustments to her plan—necessitated by Marquis Forgas’s interference—were complete. Philly had already fulfilled her primary role in the operation. Eliminating the Head of the Shinonome House had only ever been an afterthought.
"Regrettable as it is, I suppose it’s time to withdraw. ——Still, to think there was someone other than myself or Orun Doura in this city who could do this… It was a complete oversight. Next time, I will certainly finish you, Fuuka Shinonome."
Philly muttered these words even as she watched Fuuka mercilessly cut down another of her illusions. But she soon realized that escaping from Fuuka would be no easy feat.
Keeping a constant watch on our surroundings, I moved toward the Guild. It was a slow but steady pace, and I used the time to give Marquis Forgas a rough summary of recent events.
"——And you were one of the people who provided the catalyst for this incident. I can’t explain exactly what you did, but……"
"……I see. I did this……" the Marquis muttered, his eyes fixed on the crumbling buildings around us.
I truly believe this entire disaster began the moment the Marquis showed that golden magic stone to Oliver. To my eyes, Philly’s subsequent actions seemed to be a response to whatever had gone wrong with him.
I cannot forgive the Marquis. However, I have no clear evidence that he used the magic stone to intentionally break Oliver’s mind, nor can I explain the mechanics of it. Since everyone present at the time—except for myself and Philly—seemed to have lost their sanity, and since I doubt Philly will ever tell the truth, the Marquis cannot be held legally responsible as the mastermind.
Furthermore, publicly accusing the Lord of the city while we are in the middle of this chaos would only invite further disaster. It’s frustrating, but right now, the army, the Guild, and the explorers must unite under the Marquis’s leadership to stabilize the situation.
For that reason, I had to get him to the Guild. Whatever happens to him after this is settled will be for the survivors to decide.
Though the journey took longer than usual, the entrance to the Guild finally came into view.
"Marquis Forgas, my escort ends here. Please go the rest of the way alone. I can’t go any further."
"I understand. Thank you for protecting me this far. ——Luna-kun, I promise I will face my sins. But for now, I must prioritize my duties as Lord."
"……Yes. I’ll leave it to you."
I had already explained my current status to him. He accepted my words without hesitation and headed toward the Guild Headquarters alone.
(Now then, shall I head toward the South Gate?)
Based on the flow of the magic beast invasion, the most intense fighting was expected at the East Gate, followed by the North, then the South, and finally the West. With the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky at the East and Copper Afterglow at the North, the South Gate was the most likely place to need reinforcements.
Just as I prepared to move, several explorer parties emerged from the Guild, passing the Marquis as he entered. They were likely heading to their assigned stations. Then, they noticed me.
"——Hey, that’s Luna from the Hero Party."
"——What’s a comrade of the guy destroying the city doing here?"
"——Shouldn't we just lock her up?"
They threw hateful glares my way. It was unavoidable. Thanks to Selma-san’s voice echoing across the city earlier, it was now common knowledge that my comrades were responsible for the destruction.
"……Hey! Luna of the Hero Party! Explain yourself! How did this happen!?" one of the men shouted, venting his fury at me.
"……I am truly sorry. I promise to explain everything later, but for now, please focus on the magic beasts. Our top priority is stopping the invasion."
"Don’t give me that! You people started this! What kind of 'Hero' does this!? My daughter is terrified because of Oliver! If she never recovers, how are you going to take responsibility!?"
"……"
『……Honestly, humans really are such emotional creatures, aren't they? Blaming Luna here accomplishes nothing. If he really cared about his daughter, shouldn't he be ignoring Luna and killing as many magic beasts as possible?』
Sylph muttered her disdain in my ear.
『It can't be helped, Sylph. Everyone is just overwhelmed by the suddenness of it all,』 Titania replied softly.
"Hey, she might go on a rampage, too! Let’s restrain her right now!"
Taking the man’s lead, the explorers began to surround me. At a high estimate, they were likely an A-Rank lower party. Even in my current state, I could have neutralized them easily.
——But I had no intention of resisting.
My family was involved in the heinous crimes of kidnapping and human trafficking, and my party members were tearing the city apart. Even if I hadn't been directly involved, I knew I deserved to be punished. If I were arrested here and spent the next few months in a cell, so be it. At least I had Sylph and Titania to talk to—assuming they were willing to stick around.
(I wanted to see how this all ends, but I suppose this is as far as I go.)
Just as one of the explorers reached out to grab my arm——
"——Stop this at once!"
A woman’s voice rang out from a short distance away. Everyone turned toward the source.
"Eleonora-san……"
I looked over to see Eleonora-san, the Guild official in charge of Golden Dawn. She was usually a gentle, soft-spoken woman who always had a smile on her face, but now she was glaring at the group with a terrifyingly stern expression.
"A Guild official? Look, this girl is one of the primary culprits. There’s nothing wrong with us taking her in."
"Did you actually see her harming the city or its people? Did you witness the exact moment she triggered the Stampede?"
"W-Well, no, but……"
The man faltered, completely overwhelmed by Eleonora-san’s sharp tone and imposing presence.
"Your duty right now is to subjugate the magic beasts threatening this city. It is not up to you to decide her fate; that is the responsibility of the Guild and the army. Now, head to your assigned gates immediately!"
""Y-Yes, ma'am!""
Cowed by her uncompromising aura, the explorers scrambled to follow her orders and hurried toward their respective gates.
It seems the old saying is true: the kindest people really are the scariest when they get angry.