Chapter 92: I Love You [2]
"Lancelot. I love you."
Lancel tried to speak, but even as his lips moved, no sound came out. Meanwhile, the black shadow wrapped around him continued to whisper the same words again and again.
"Lancelot. I love you."
"...."
Lancel wanted to pry himself away from those cold arms. That cold breath brushed against his skin, sending a pricking sensation through him, as if goosebumps were forming, even though nothing on his body could actually move.
This hadn’t happened the last time he used Nyarlathotep.
And Lancel didn’t want to find out what would happen next if he used it again.
In any case, as he had surmised, Nyarlathotep was still an unpredictable variable, something he couldn’t use on a whim.
But Lancel was certain of one thing.
"Lancelot. I love you."
Whoever this was, the one who kept whispering those words to him...
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➤ ▒▓█▌▐░▞▟
[Bond Level : 999]
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It was undoubtedly the entity recorded in the system with a bond level of 999.
"Lancelot. I love you."
And yet, for some reason, that voice, clearly reminiscent of a woman, sounded oddly familiar.
It certainly wasn’t Leticia.
But it was familiar enough to make Lancel want to relax, to let himself succumb to her touch.
"I’ll see you again soon."
And as those words left her mouth, time began to move once more.
———!
The colors, which had been dulled and muted, returned to their natural hue, and the sounds of the surroundings flowed back in.
The moment they did, Lancel immediately backed away.
"Some speed, too. If I had met you first before Lemuel, I would’ve chosen you instead."
"...."
Lancel frowned.
This crazy bitch just kept spouting nonsense.
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[Emergency Objective!]
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[Condition:]
∎ Survive for one minute
[Rewards:]
∎ Strength: +2.0
∎ Vitality: +2.0
∎ Endurance: +2.0
∎ Agility: +1.0
∎ Mana: +1.0
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If the condition was simply to survive for one minute for rewards like these, then there wasn’t much to think about.
"...."
All Lancel had to do was avoid her.
"...!"
But the moment he took that single step...
Crackle———!
His body went flying.
There was no time to react, and certainly no sign of a Hexencircle activating anywhere. Lancel turned mid-air and saw himself hurtling straight toward a large boulder. At the last moment, he twisted his body, pivoting to slow the force.
"Frostnova."
Countering the impact with the force of the Frostnova spell, Lancel managed to save himself from his impending doom. He drove his dagger into the ground, dragging it along as he slid, the friction slowing him down until he finally came to a stop.
Then, he looked up.
"...!"
The witch had already closed the distance.
"Magic?" she tilted her head, a hint of amusement curling on her lips. "Ah, you’re a male witch. Has it really been that long since someone like you showed up?"
Swoosh——!
Lancel threw his dagger, only for it to be stopped mid-air by an unseen force. He didn’t hesitate and immediately turned to run again.
Just get away.
That was all he told himself.
Because he knew... no matter what he did, there was nothing he could do against this opponent.
"Not a talker, huh?"
But it was useless.
"Show me more."
The witch had already disappeared. And in the very next instant, she reappeared right in front of him.
She flicked his forehead.
———!
Immediately, Lancel was sent flying again, blood gushing out of his mouth.
"Kuh...!"
Lancel felt his head spin as he stumbled across the ground. Blood began to flow from his nose and eyes, and that single flick had rattled his skull enough to leave him lightheaded.
But even so, Lancel didn’t falter.
It seemed he had piqued the witch’s interest, and he was willing to gamble on the fact that she didn’t intend to kill him just yet.
"Show me more, didn’t I tell you?"
The air ruptured.
———!
Suddenly, an unseen mass pressed down on him, forcing his body into the ground. A shallow crater formed beneath him as the pressure rattled his bones, his entire weight pinned heavily against the earth.
The witch stepped forward and grabbed his hair, lifting his head with a rough tug. Lancel’s face was already bruised and battered, blood streaking across his features.
"I said show me more, didn’t I?" she murmured, leaning in close.
She stuck her tongue out and suddenly licked his bloodstained cheek before she lowered her hand to his stomach.
"...!"
Lancel’s body jerked from the sudden touch.
Then, she lifted his shirt slightly and traced her fingers across his abdomen, feeling around as if searching for something.
"Is your circuit located all the way here?" she said. "Huh? It’s not?"
Then she tilted her head.
"Where could it be... Oh?"
Her hand moved lower, all the way to his crotch.
For a brief moment, her eyes widened, before amusement slowly crept across her face, an eerie smile forming on her lips.
"So your circuits are here, huh?" she said. "I wonder how a male witch’s circuit would taste."
Now that Lancel was seeing her up close, she was certainly a beauty in her own right. A seductive kind of beauty that reminded him of Angelica.
But no thoughts came after that.
Because this woman was yet again another crazy bitch.
"Thanks for the meal."
She licked her lips as mana began to gather around her fingertips. Lancel felt her hands grow warm against his crotch, and in the next instant, a strange pulling sensation overtook him, as if something deep within him was being drawn out.
As if his very essence was being siphoned away.
This crazy witch... She was eating his magic circuits...
———!
At that moment, Nyx appeared out of nowhere and lunged forward. The witch’s attention shifted for just a second as she repelled its claws.
That single moment was enough for Lancel to force his weakened body to move.
"Frostnova! Frostnova! Frostnova!"
One after another, he cast the spells in rapid succession, the bursts of frost erupting around him and spreading into a dense, freezing mist that obscured the surroundings.
Using it as a smokescreen, Lancel immediately turned and fled, limping as fast as his body would allow.
"How has... it not been... a minute yet?!"