FabL: The Blue Traveler and the Dual-Body Savior

Running earnestly, relying on the reaction of Qi.

Before long, on the other side of the passage, Alice standing on her two feet and Karla collapsed were reflected in my eyes. I can guess that Alice, being the one standing, is not in a bad situation. I feel relieved about that first.

"Alice——! Are you safe———!"

Perhaps she didn't think I could escape on my own. Aiming at her, who looked terribly surprised, I made a last spurt.

Approaching further, I could confirm the state of the two. Karla has a painful appearance with her shoulder pierced. And Alice's left arm is in a miserable state just by looking at it.

The moment I recognized that Alice was seriously injured, my anger boiled over.

"Karla! You!"

I approached the last step furiously. Although I had a terrible threatening look myself, Alice was startled and, for some reason, hurriedly intervened to stop me.

"Yu! It's fine for now! Karla-san has reflected! Milia is back to normal too!"

"Eh?"

Being told, I immediately searched for Milia's Qi. Then certainly, the reaction had returned to normal.

"It's true. Milia is back..."

Milia was saved. Does that mean Karla canceled it voluntarily?

Understanding that fact, my hand that was about to grab her stopped. Karla stared straight into my face and apologized, looking truly regretful.

"I'm sorry. I really did a terrible thing to you."

"Ah, no..."

I was taken aback and gave a stupid reply. Karla seemed to have completely lost her poison and returned to the gentle Senior of before. Seeing such a change, the anger I held went somewhere.

I was dumbfounded.

"Eh, what? What's going on?"

Alice puffed out her chest with the best smug face ever.

"I punished her firmly!"

"Yes. I was punished firmly."

The two, who looked at each other saying so, seemed to understand each other somehow. It seems there was a serious women's battle that changed her heart where I didn't know. I understood that much somehow.

---

Then, I heard briefly why she was active as the Masked Woman. That it had a great relation to the sad past of losing her boyfriend.

Hearing the story, I finally understood her inner heart. Both the reason she ran to violence and the reason she targeted us.

Karla-senpai seemed to be truly reflecting. Milia also returned to normal. Then, it might be boorish for me to blame Karla-senpai further.

She will receive appropriate punishment later. But that is something to be done by the appropriate person who suffered damage. Something the judiciary does. It's not what I do.

Regarding what was done to me, I decided to forgive cleanly. Compared to the safety of Alice and Milia, it's a trivial thing, and I didn't care at all anymore.

And, I myself decided to forgive her. If she is reflecting from the bottom of her heart, I think it's fine for someone to extend a hand. Because that is surely something only we who know her well can do.

Am I naive after all? No, this is fine. So that she can atone for her sins properly from now on, I intend to stay by her side.

Anyway, I was relieved to know Alice's safety. Let's head to Inea-sensei immediately. Sensei seems to be quite weak, so I'm worried.

"Alice. Let's take Karla-senpai and go to Inea-sensei."

"Yeah."

"Senpai... you can't stand, can you?"

Karla-senpai nodded apologetically.

"Impossible. Strength left me."

"I'll lend you a shoulder."

Just as I crouched down and tried to help her up, Karla-senpai said with a mischievous smile.

"Oh my. For Yu-chan, you are manly and reliable."

"Please don't tease me at a time like this!"

Alice burst out laughing beside this "as usual" exchange.

Despite being in the middle of enemy territory, a peaceful atmosphere flows. That, in a good sense, unraveled the tense tension. Come to think of it, since being attacked by the Flame Dragon until now, there was no time to rest my mind. Of course, it's not the time to rest now either. Still, the vitality that wells up as the depressed mood improves is never small.

However, just as I lent a shoulder to Karla-senpai and stood up. The worst event happened that destroyed such an atmosphere in an instant.

Through something like a speaker installed on the wall of the room, an audio broadcast began. The voice echoed throughout the underground. The owner was Master Megil. Tor Guief.

『Ah—. Gentlemen. Truly thank you for your hard work. Thanks to your efforts, the time has finally come for my long-cherished wish to be fulfilled! I hereby declare the resurrection of Edel!』

Karla-senpai, who is entrusting her shoulder to me right next to me, said with a faintly trembling voice.

"Then, can I meet Eike...?"

『So, I want to give you a reward. I promised, didn't I? That I would take you to the sky. I am a man who keeps promises.』

Raising a laugh like a scumbag, he started saying something outrageous.

『Let me invite you—to Heaven. No, maybe Hell. Kukkukku.』

"What!?"

"No way...!"

It was a unilateral disposal declaration to subordinates. Karla-senpai's face floated a color of astonishment.

"It's a lie, right!? It's a lie, right... Master!"

The heartless broadcast continues.

『Soon this underground facility will be blown up without a trace. In just about seven minutes.』

Blown up in seven minutes, you say!?Dammit! That's why he left me alone with such composure!

『The exit is blocked. There is no escape. Then, while thinking of the journey to the sky, enjoy your final moments. Good luck.』

Leaving a terrifying bombshell remark, the audio was cut off once.

What to do? How can everyone be saved? My thoughts become full of that. Can we escape with Inea-sensei's Teleportation Magic!? No, there's no way he, who is also a Nessra, wouldn't think of that. Some measures must have been taken.

Just as I was feeling intense impatience, the audio played again. Judging from the content, it was probably playing only in this room.

『Karla. You are there, aren't you?』

"Yes. I am here!"

Karla-senpai answered formally, perhaps a habit from when she was a subordinate.

『I see. Good grief, I am disappointed in you. Do you think I can't see through it? Even though I highly valued your heartlessness and faithfulness to the mission.』

"Th, that is..."

『You are a piece I don't need anymore. You should die together there happily.』

"Kuh..."

She ground her teeth in regret. Naturally. Because she was easily cut off by the partner she had served all along. While I was sympathizing, he added an even more terrible pursuit.

『So, was it the magic that can converse with the dead you desired? Do you think such a thing really exists?』

"Eh—"

Her face turned pale at once.

"Master. What, are you saying...?"

『There is no such magic in Edel. You didn't seriously believe it, did you?』

"No, because... Master said, there is... That's why, I believed and all along..."

『Ah. Perhaps you are an idiot? Isn't it something you understand if you think a little? Hahhahha! What a fool!』

Karla-senpai's expression distorted visibly, changing into something like crushing a bitter bug. The faint hope she was clinging to is now completely cut off. By the betrayal of none other than the "Master".

But a treatment even lukewarm compared to that attacks her. He continued with a voice full of sarcasm.

『Oh yes. Your boyfriend. It was Eike Narbasta, right?』

"Ha...?"

『He was truly excellent. So you see, I tried to recruit him personally.』

Just with that, I had only a bad premonition. Stop. Don't say any more. Strength entered my fist with anger. The disgusting narration of him who became completely talkative, naturally, didn't stop.

『But he refused. Not only that, he started blustering that he would ascertain my fraud and publish it. Good grief. There are people like that sometimes. Misunderstanding bastards with a face of justice like that.』

"No, way...!"

What was told to her trembling wana-wana was the worst truth.

『Ah. I had him die. He was calling your name all the way to the end, you know?』

"A, a..."

Light vanished from Karla-senpai's eyes. I don't know what to say. Terrible! Too terrible!

『Kukkukku. Hahhahhahhahhahhahha!』

This time for sure, the audio ended. Leaving only the worst aftertaste.

Karla-senpai was distorting her face in passion so much that I couldn't even tell if she was frustrated or sad. And with a look as if about to shed tears of blood like a demon. As if squeezing out the messy things inside, she let tears overflow at once.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh—!"

She raised a wail. I had never heard such a sorrowful scream before.

I felt terribly unbearable, but heartlessly the time limit for the explosion is approaching moment by moment. I have a mountain of feelings wanting to comfort Karla-senpai but... we have to move.

"Karla-senpai. I'll carry you."

I held her, who leaned on me powerlessly and continued to wail, onto my back without waiting for a reply. Unlike when I carried flat Alice, I could clearly feel the soft sensation of breasts hitting my back. But at a time like this, I don't possess the sensibility to be happy about such trivial things.

"For now to Sensei's place! Find a way to escape somehow!"

Alice, who had the same unbearable face as me seeing Karla-senpai being too pitiful. She also nodded as if regaining herself with a start.

"Got it!"

Carrying Karla-senpai on my back, I ran out hurriedly with Alice.

Until the Laboratory explosion, 5 minutes remaining.