267 That's why I was honest.

"What's the matter, Hark-dog, with your sullen face?

Jestiff's brother is always so stern. I've always wanted to be a dignified man like my brother, ever since he picked me up and opened my heart to him.

I don't know anything about the book he was reading. ......

That's not true. You're just not ready. You can't even read, you know.

You can't even read. I don't know. It's like we've just met. .......

I don't know. I had another adult read it to me and teach me in detail. But I didn't understand the point of doing so.

"Well, you must have studied hard.

Oh, so this is a dream from a long time ago. I remember reading a book in my brother's room, something about theories of politics and economics. I hated that I couldn't be a part of the difficult conversations my brother was having with adults. I was determined to study on my own, but I couldn't even read. I thought I could ask a nice man to read the book and understand its contents, but in the end I couldn't.

"I want to be as great as you, but I don't feel like I can be. ......

It is important to admire someone and want to grow like them. I'm just being myself, but you're trying to grow. This is the only way to make a difference in your growth.

"......, is there anything wrong with that?

"There are. You can grow by trying to be me, but you can never be me. But I can't become you either. Then cherish that.

The depth of my brother's words was almost incomprehensible to me at the time. But if you said so, then I guess I understood.

"--Dock!

What's the matter? I'm savoring a nostalgic memory. Someone's shouting in my ear. No, you're not mad?

"Hark-dog! Stay awake!

...... Oh, ......, is that you, ......?

Through the blur of my vision, I could see Masetta's form. I can't move my body, I can see a figure a little further back that looks like a mix, but I can't see it clearly.

"Thank God! She's calming down! I'm using recovery magic now, you have to accept my magic too!

I can hear you. ...... Don't shout ...... at me, please. ......

I'm not sure what to make of this. Concentrate on that magic, and imagine accepting it. ....... It's like taking a bath when you're exhausted, it's soothing. .......

I think I can handle this. ....... Huh. ......

Don't let out a big sigh while looking at someone's face. ......

Whose fault is it you think you are? You are dying right now! I'm over the hump!

It's not like I'm dying. ...... Oh, that's right. Wasn't I in the middle of a fight with a guy from Ritual? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I just remembered. I couldn't see a way to win if I was forced to fight for a long time, so I took a chance and did something pretty crazy.

Instinct senses the danger of death and tries to force me to move. If I continue to refuse it, the shock will continue to increase. But in other words, it means that I know when I'm on the verge of dying or not. That's why I could usually recklessly go as far as my instincts would take me, and try not to die even if there was some danger.

But that's not going to work when you're dealing with a Lial. In order to defeat, or rather, trick, a Liar who can read my thoughts, I thought, why not give him another result first? There's something to be said for that, but for now, if I'm going to die, he'll certainly try to kill me. Just aim for that moment.

That moment is when instinct kicks in beyond its limits. That's when I'm knocked unconscious by instinct.

Keep your back hand on the verge of bursting, and wait for the killing blow as you jump into Ritual's pocket. I held on and held on and held on until I lost consciousness. And then, at the moment I lost consciousness, the control of the compressed magic power was released, and the inner workings were activated. If the blow is fired from outside of your consciousness, there is no way for Ritual to read it.

...... How am I still alive?

As my body regained its senses, I noticed that my back was soaking wet. And it smells like blood. That's my blood, isn't it? Masetta's hand was on my neck, I knew she was going to chop it off. I don't know how badly I got chopped off.

If there'd been any more blood, she'd be dead for sure. In fact, there's so much blood that you wouldn't survive.

"I'm a bleeding man. I bleed more than most people.

Next time you make a joke like that, I'll burn the rest of you and seal the wound.

I'm sorry, please be gentle. What happened to the ...... ritual?

I tried to move my head, but Masetta was holding me back, so I couldn't even check on her. You can see that the atmosphere around you doesn't feel like a defeat.

"Mr. Littoral is already in custody, sir. He seemed to be in good health, so we decided not to treat him.

"...... I see.

I understood from what Mikus said that we had won. I would have died if I hadn't been healed, and Ritual's life was intact. If this was a one-on-one fight, I'd be the only one dead.

You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of these in the marketplace.

I'm sure you're not the only one. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not. You were defenseless and hid your aggression until you were about to be beheaded. Even if I had risked my life to stop the sword, it would have been a 50/50 chance to defeat Littoral.

"Oh, no!

"Hey, Ms. Gradna! He's hurt real bad, don't you dare touch him with your foot!

Look, Hark-dog. Littoral risked his life to get here, but you're prepared to throw it all away. You showed that you were willing to give up something that Lityal was not. You've won, be proud, be proud.

Gladna laughed as she stomped on the man's stomach. That's nice of you to say, but... What's the point of stomping? I can't tell if it hurts or not because I'm paralyzed, but I do know it's humiliating.

Well... It's about time they came.

Who's coming?

Hark-dog!

Just when I thought Gladna had finally moved out of the way, Morari appeared on top of a man's stomach. Next to him is Jastet. That's what you were talking about.

Wow, for a second there I thought I stepped in some animal shit.

"...... Get him out of the way, Morari. Looks like a dying man.

You ...... didn't do that on purpose, did you ......?

It's a miracle you're able to do that, Mr. Littoral!

I'm not sure what to do. You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.

I'm not treating him because I don't want him to move. We don't want you to move, so we're not treating you, but you're alive and well, so feel free to treat yourself.

"How dare you ...... do this to Ritual!

"...... Calm down, Morari. You did not do this to Mr. Littoral. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. ......

I'm not sure if I can see it, but can't I lift my head? If you have any questions regarding where and how to use this site, you can contact us at our website. There was Ritual, bound and unconscious.

Wow, one side of his face is really swollen! My hands couldn't have done that, so I guess Gradna did it. I'm sure you'll be able to find something that will help you get back on your feet. ...... No, I know I shouldn't be frustrated, but...

I'm sure I'm not supposed to be frustrated, but... - Why are you so calm, Jastet? You're not frustrated, are you?

"...... I regret it and I hate it. ...... But if we let our emotions get the better of us here, who's going to rescue Master Ritual from here?

"......!

I know how you feel. I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure it's a good idea. I'm sure Tudor will hate me for it, too.

"......

"Mr. Littoral!

Perhaps because of Morari's angry voice, it seems that Ritual has regained consciousness. This is a great way to make sure you are getting the most out of your time with your family and friends.

...... I've lost, haven't I?

Yes. You've lost, Lord Littoral. So--

"No explanation necessary. The people of Yggra would like me to leave this place, wouldn't they? You could've killed me, but you're being naive.

Your friend made a promise to get information from the Morari.

I'm talking about you keeping your word to the man.

The brothers had promised to surrender themselves to their informants, Morari and Jastet, if they succeeded in neutralizing Ritual. However, the threat of Rytial is clearly bad, and I'd like to eliminate it if I can. Both from a brotherly standpoint, and from my brother's and mine.

"If I were to finish you off, your friends would laugh at the idea. But I don't want them to think I'm that kind of woman.

"You want to be what your ideal partner wants you to be. You're young. But I don't care, after all I've read and lost to him.

"That's not true, Ritual.

I shouted. But I was told that this was something I had to tell him.

...... What's the difference, Harkdock?

"The brothers didn't beat you at reading. He said, you'll never beat me. That's why he gave up reading.

"What?

Any best move the brothers could come up with would be read and they would lose. That's why they only prepared moves that were easy for us to make and left everything to us.

The plan the brothers took, I wouldn't call it a plan. The only thing they thought of was the organization that would make it easiest for the members of the raid to cooperate. They left everything else to us. If you can't beat them by reading each other, then don't read each other.

'...... Oh, so that's why he stayed behind to strand Ark Real.

"Yes. Miss Iliad and her brothers, the aim is to keep your strongest pawns at bay with the minimum number of people and abandon your personal readings.

Litiar always makes moves to win against his brothers. But in reality, there was no player. The brothers said that anyone who can think in front of a non-existent opponent has a good chance against another.

I sensed his intentions in the organization, but nothing in his actions. He was abandoning his own winning ways and letting his friends pick up the wins. ......

"You never lost a reading contest. But you know, even I can hunt you down if you look around.

The reason why Litiar couldn't see through my last move is because he thought I was getting some kind of advice from my brothers. That's why he only thought about what he could give me, and my haphazard and foolish plan stung him.

The irony is that if you had faced me head on from the start, this might not have happened.

I thought, "...... can beat him. That's what I thought, but he didn't even show up to compete in the first place. He's a cunning man.

"I'm sorry you're down, but before you go, you should pick up Tzadari from down the road. He's just as bad as you are.

"Jastet, there's a hole down there. Pick him up.

...... Okay.

Yastet left and walked towards the hole I had made. A few moments later, he came back with Tudori. The only thing is that his face is covered with a cloth, so you can't see his expression. I'm not dead, am I?

"Mr. Ritual ......, I'm sorry .......

Oh, he's alive. Good, good, good. If I'd died, I'd have had to pretend to be unconscious or something!

"You protected what should be your first priority. That's good enough for me.

"...... Hi.

"Mr. Littoral, I'm telling you this because it's the only protocol that needs to be followed. Morari, Jastet, and you were poisoned just before you appeared here. I've left the antidote with the Tarzan Knights who are waiting at a certain location.

"So you have a destination in mind?

Yes, sir. They'll have to move around a few times, but I've made sure they'll be able to take the antidote by the time the poison gets around.

It's not just a matter of getting Lityal and the others to the surface. Even if they can't move, if Morari and Jastet can be used as a force, it's not a problem.

First, ask them to go back to the place where they are waiting near this ruin, and ask for the location of the Tarzian knight in another place. Then repeat the process several times to get to the knight who has the antidote.

It won't take that long because of Morari's transference magic, but you won't have to worry about him suddenly coming out to fight back.

"Fine. I'm grateful enough to have a life, so I'll obey you. Morari, move.

"...... Yes.

Morari activated the transfer magic, and Ritual and the four others were transferred to the ground. You're a lot more honest than I thought you'd be, aren't you? I thought you would be a little more stubborn in the fight of your life.

Well, let's move on. Mr. Harkdock is at .......

He can't fight, of course, but he needs a better place to rest. ......

That's right. According to the map, there should be a large room ahead of us. Let's get him there.

Mixu used his robe and earth magic to create a simple stretcher. I was carried on it, and we went on with the others.

You can leave me here if you want.

"You can leave me here if you want," he said. "The bleeding's stopped, but I haven't had any real treatment yet. You must stay behind, Masetta. We can't have a woman resting in the aisle, can we?

...... I suppose.

Is it safe? I just checked, and the other team's route was a bust. ......

Really? ......

I had a feeling that's what it would be, since Litiar was guarding it. So this is the route that leads to the lower levels. ....... I'm not sure what to do. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

We're not going to win on our own. I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.

I see, then I guess you two are the right people for the job.

The relief was short-lived, but before we reached the next room, we were rendered speechless. We thought we'd hit the jackpot, but this straight road was filled to the brim.