5
The heat blew in, Beatrice's hair tensed, and the shockwave further ruffled it. Only now did the white cloth fall from the weapon and the artifact appeared in all its glory.
The staff was snow-white and as long as a spear. The simple, undecorated baton suggested that whoever created it valued the practical side above all else. When designing a tool, he wanted only a tool. And so it was. This metia was created by the Witch of Greed Echidna, who adhered to such principles.
- Mother... - Beatrice whispered. Painful memories came back to her.
- But... but the power! What have they given me! - exclaimed an astonished Felt.
A massive white beam shot out of the staff, striking Batenkaitos and sweeping away both him and everything else that stood in his way. White smoke rose from the cobblestones, and radiant rifts formed on the facades of the buildings that were struck.
Beatrice looked at Ley. He lay on his back motionless, burned. There was smoke coming from his body.
A beam like that must have burned his guts out. I give him a fifty percent chance of survival.
- Beatrice! Lady Felt! - Happy Otto ran towards them, waving his hand. He had lost his hat and was all covered in mud. - Aren't you all right? It was amazing... It was wonderful!
- Totally! What kind of gun is that?
Felt and Otto looked anxiously at the powerful metia.
- It was created by my mo... Eh. It was created by a powerful, beautiful and wise woman to defeat the Dragon. And then the staff went missing.
- Wow, you know a lot, girly. So it’s a dragon beater? - Felt in awe.
Otto looked concerned. He knew that Beatrice had spoken of the Witch who had died centuries ago. It surprised him that the girl wanted to use the word "mother."
- Really? That thing beat the Dragon?
- Apparently the reptile was crying like a baby.
Beatrice had learned this from Roswaal during their old conversations from the beginning of their acquaintance, when the young earl had been in the habit of making fun of her. For example, saying that she herself had risen as a weapon against the Holy Dragon.
- This must be an awesome story! But... - Felt changed the subject. - We beat an annoying bastard and it's only because of you, little girly. Thanks! - Smiling, flashing her fang, she patted Beatrice on the back with such force that the girl squirmed.
- Don't call me little," she protested offended. - You yourself have barely grown out of the ground. The pot calling the kettle black.
- Huh? I praise you and you get mad at me? It's annoying! Besides, I may be small, but I'm growing fast! I've grown all this year, I'm taller and I even have boobs! Wait a bit and you'll see the difference between us!
- Well, Betty was designed to remain just such a lovely child forever...
- Please, don't argue! - Otto interrupted them. He sensed that this was about to turn into a fight. He looked at the girls. - All right? We won together, we should be happy. The metia plan worked, and it worked! It gave me a thrill... Huh?
- What happened?
- Nothing. I just... I just... Since when do I enjoy a fight? I feel the thrill? - he groaned.
- Oh, he's already complaining. I wouldn't last long with that one. Hey, get up, Gaston! - Felt decided to ignore the merchant's whining. She walked up to her vassal and shook him hard. She wanted to praise him. If it wasn't for his stubbornness at the very end, this victory would not have happened. Unfortunately, the poor man was unconscious.
- Otto is right... We won together," Beatrice whispered.
- Huh? What did you say?
- That our counselor clearly has a calling," she said, intertwining her arms.
- I'm starting to get scared, but I don't think I can deny it," he groaned.
Otto liked to whine and spin gloomy perspectives, but he was irreplaceable in Emilia's camp. Of course, Beatrice, like Subaru, had no intention of telling him this or praising him.
- Forgive me for interrupting your merry chatter - said the only mercenary who was still on his feet - I think we should tie him up. Any objections?
Beatrice looked at the man and concluded that she had seen him at GHM headquarters.
It's called... Dynas?
- So... he's alive? - Otto asked, glancing at Batenkaitos.
- If not, we have a problem. I wanted to interrogate him to find out where Mr. Kiritaka was. And use him as a hostage to negotiate with the Witch's cult. Though I'd rather he was dead," he choked out angrily.
She really wants to kill him, thought Betty. - As an act of revenge for the druids, but also out of disgust. After all, he is a member of the Witch's cult, and they are hated on principle.
The thought made something hurt inside her.
- I thought it would be more difficult, but here it is, one-two and done! Before, he was just dodging - said Felt.
- It went so fast because he didn't expect that attack with the cane. Before that he played for time on purpose to learn our names. He wanted to eat them, that's why he didn't kill us at once - explained Otto.
- So he lost because he didn't take us seriously enough! Weak! - exclaimed Felt.
Beatrice shared Otto's opinion.
If it weren't for the fact that eating our memories was more important to him than killing us, we would have lost badly. There's no more point in speculating. We beat him, that's the main thing.
- Uhhh...
Beatrice turned to see where the loud gasp was coming from.
Dynas had knelt by Batenkaitos a moment ago to bind him. Now he was lying on the ground, wounds on his legs, and a pool of blood was growing around him. Lolita felt like she was in a nightmare.
What happened?
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
- Attention!
Beatrice was struck on the back and collapsed on the pavement. Otto was standing in front of her. He was the one who screamed and pushed her.
The merchant slowly looked down at his legs. -They looked as if someone had skinned them in the same way one peels a fruit. The skin had been cut off along with the pants, and red flesh, white nerves, bones, and gray veins were visible. Everything inside was intact.
Otto was silent. He couldn't tear his eyes away. Not even a single drop of blood fell on the pavement. Who would have thought that the human body could be so efficiently skinned?
- If you have a brother who can't do anything, then the younger sister has to do a lot! - said the stranger and put his mouth on Otto's body. His rough tongue moved quickly, licking the inside of the merchant's leg.
Suwen was frozen by an unbearable feeling. He let out a shattering scream. He fell to the ground and began to cry out in pain. It was not possible for him to simply lose consciousness. He suffered unimaginably.
I have to help him! But... ...I can't get up! He hurt Dynas and Otto... My instincts tell me he's too powerful, so powerful I can't move... Who is he?!
He appeared suddenly. Beatrice did not recall having ever seen him before. He was about forty years old and had sharp facial features. He was taller even than Gaston and very muscular.
- Who...? Who are you? - Felt whispered.
- Hmmm? You're asking that? We wanted to ask you that question! - replied the man in a tone that did not match his appearance at all.
Felt didn't know how to respond to this strange statement.
- Cha, cha, cha! - The man was clearly amused. - Clever, we admit! To use a false name. Poor little brother was fooled!
- A fake name? What do you mean?
The man was so busy with himself that he paid no attention to the confused Felt.
- Is that your strategy? Yeah, very clever! We're impressed. We can't find the real name in any memories!
Nothing seems to match, Everything about his character is incongruous. A big guy who speaks in a low, hoarse voice but uses the feminine gender. He also behaves strangely. Just now he clapped his hands like a little girl.
Beatrice and Felt were bemused, but luckily Otto had his head on straight as usual.
- Are... are you Gluttony? - He choked out, fighting the pain.
- Hmm? Can you still talk? We're impressed. You can do it! - The man raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly.
Otto gave him a cold look.
- Where the body should be, there's nothing... Besides, the rags... ...that you're wearing... are his clothes... - he muttered, panting heavily.
Beatrice admired him for finding the strength to do so. Indeed, Batenkaitos was nowhere to be found. His body, without knowing when, had disappeared, and instead the man had appeared.
I think you know what that means.
- Excellent, excellent, excellent, excellent! We see that you are worth having at the table! Yes, and we see it too! - whispered the man happily, covering his face with his hand. Suddenly something changed in him. His figure trembled like heated air in the desert, and after a while, a girl of Felt's age stood in the place of the tall man.
She was very small. She had a sweet, pretty face, and golden hair so long that its strands covered a good part of the pavement around her. She stood barefoot, in a piece of cloth pinned up like a toga. The simplicity of the garment only enhanced her natural beauty.
Pretty as an angel, the girl smiled sinisterly.
- We are the Archbishop of the Sin of Gluttony, Louis Arneb.
- Louis? - Beatrice sputtered.
- That's our name. After all, we did say.
Another Gluttony?! We fought Ley Batenkaitos! Can he change form? No... He's just a different person!
- Shut up and don't try any more tricks, you bastard! - shouted Felt, threatening her with a metia.
- Oh dear, why the aggression, fake?
- I don't have a fake name! Don't make me nervous! I've been using it for fifteen years, ever since I got it from Old Rom! Don't lie to me!
- Oh, I see. You yourself didn't know your real name was different? Well, now you know. You were called something completely different before your guardians gave you your new name.
- I don't give a shit about their name! They dumped me on the street like I was some piece of trash! Maybe that's what they called me. "Garbage" or "Parasite" or "Problem"! Well, which one fits? - Felt provocatively.
- Come on, come on, easy. - Louis moved the tip of the cane to the side of her face. - You pretend to be threatening, but you're not going to do anything to us with that, are you? We've already seen that you can't operate it yourself.
- Ghhh!
- There's no need to get so uptight. We thought that was enough for today.
- Is that enough? Is it? - Beatrice snapped out. The girl glared at her opponent, ready to attack.
- Really! - Louis laughed. - Our little brother is pretty banged up, and brother does everything that woman tells him to do. Ah, the Binge Eater and Gourmet really don’t understand. The most important thing is not who you eat, but with whom,' she said, and then turned on her heel.
Felt and Beatrice watched in amazement as their opponent turned around, giving them a great opportunity to attack.
- Sometimes wise choices are painful. Anyway... congratulations, you made the right one! - Louis sneered, then vanished into thin air.
They were in no condition to pursue her. Not with so many wounded. And... where to? They both felt they had failed.
- It didn't work...
- Shit! Damn them all...! - snorted Felt.
Otto was drifting on the edge of consciousness, suffering from pain. Gaston and Dynas lay spiritless. All of them needed the healing magic that only Beatrice could wield in this company, and she could only unleash it with the help of the last crystal.
- Betty doesn't know how to look Bubby in the eye... I don't think I deserve a hug from Subaru either.
The soul of Rem is in the Archbishop of Gluttony. I've gained valuable information, but how will I tell Subaru? How do I confess that I let him get away?
- Damn it! - shouted Felt once more with grief.
Her voice echoed through the streets of the Water Gate City.
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