Story Reader / Extra Hidden / EX05 Inscription of Labyrinth / Story
What happened to Lamia was a long story.
But we need to go through it to explain why she ended up in The Merciful One's camp.
So, let's begin.
This is what you're after, isn't it?
A gleaming white cube appears on Lee's fingertips—Huaxu's key, given by Roland earlier.
He hands Lucia the key before pointing his gun at Lamia.
Hmph... Guys with instincts are the worst.
Can't let an Ascendant get ahold of it again.
...Ascendant? Pfft, you really are pretty clueless, aren't you?
What are you saying?
Hmm... I'll get nagged if I say another word. You're nowhere nearly as scary as that guy.
Try as you may, I'll get what I want eventually. And this time... you're not catching me.
Lamia flicks her tongue out to taunt them before disappearing into thin air.
(Eek... If this road is destroyed, I'll have to wait at the "end"...)
(Better not show up in front of them again. There is only one shot...)
Lamia was going to seize Huaxu's key from the exhausted Babylonia members, but the explosion and collapse of the facility have brought unexpected changes to Lamia's plan.
Lamia managed to get the thing that "he" wanted, but she finds that if she doesn't run, she will be buried alive with the entire facility.
Eek! Not again!
Well then...
Lamia gathers strength from all four legs, leaping toward the top of the ruins like a locust.
Gargh—!
A steel bar loses its hinge and swings down.
Lamia is in mid-air and has nowhere to run. She is knocked sideways, slamming into the ruins on the opposite site.
The impact pushes Lamia all the way to the other side of the ruins. Meanwhile, right underneath her...
Roland sits at the bottom of a crater, watching the Red Tide pouring down from the broken pipes. Beside him lies the other ashen Hetero-Creature, now completely lifeless.
He picks up his broken left arm, trying to match it up with where it fractures from his shoulder, before putting it down disappointingly.
...It's over... It's all over... I'm the only one left...
This group of Ascendants, led by Luna, is facing inevitable destruction, Lamia believes.
But she refuses to go down with it.
She wants to survive. She will survive, no matter what she has to do...
Dammit... I won't die here... Eeaaagghhh!
She forces herself up, clinging onto every single protrusion of the ruins.
One step after another.
Every step means she is closer to "survival."
Every step means she is moving further away from "those people."
But Lamia has to do it. Because she must live on.
She sees the sun outside—
(If I ever tell Roland that I watched Miss Luna disappear and watched him die without doing anything...)
(...No! It's too scary! He's going to kill me for sure!)
Remember the Polyphage? It was a complete mess...
I couldn't find you after that...
...
(Will he believe me? Will he?)
...Whatever. I was lucky to survive it. You couldn't really do anything even if you were there.
...Yeah, exactly...
(S-safe...)
What happened after? Why were you in the camp of The Merciful One?
You seemed like you wanted to follow her.
Um, that's because...
After Lamia left, she completed the deal. But someone didn't seem to think this way.
She has only been walking on the wasteland for a few days before finding out someone has been watching her.
(...What's going on? I already changed my route many times, but I still feel like being watched and chased...)
Lamia has no choice but to give up hiding or staying. She departs once again, hoping to get rid of the pursuer.
And then—
Eek?!
Two shells fly past Lamia's both sides, kicking up a lot of dust from the ground. She looks back at their source and finally gets a vision of the chaser—
It's a black figure rapidly approaching from the sky.
You got "that thing." Hand it over.
...!
But I already gave it away...
Is that so?
...Guess I'll just take it off your corpse.
...???
Before Lamia can explain, numerous missiles are launched from the chaser's giant wings, flying toward her...
I have been chased ever since... Could not find anywhere to take a break.
Until I got near The Merciful One's camp... That black guy circled around and left. They might have some sort of agreement.
...
After that... I just saw you come out of her tent...
Speaking of which, Roland, you look a lot different now... What happened?
If you ask me... She saved me, probably.
...Saved you?
I just bought myself a chance, taking advantage of her uninhibited and unpredictable nature.
Even so, I took a great risk trying to set up an agent. Gotta be more careful in the future.
Now there is a second chance, "we" must find Luna again.
Sigh... But where shall we go...?
...That's a problem indeed.
(Even Roland doesn't have a clue... Such a rare sight.)
(But if that's the case...)
Why don't we split up? That way, we will have a better chance...
(As long as I can leave Roland for a moment, I can get away...)
Actually, no.
Eek?
I am just as clueless as you are. We won't get anywhere if we split up.
Both of us are equally worn out. Better not divide our strength even further.
Or...
Before Roland says "are you planning to run away," Lamia quickly replies.
L-let's move together then!
Lamia doesn't mind if Roland doubts her, as long as he doesn't become an enemy.
If she is lucky, she may find enough chips for her next deal with Murray along the way.
Guess we just have to move together for now.
Instead of thinking where to go, Lamia would rather let those around her decide her direction.
She can then focus on how to survive. This is what she has always been doing, so the decision isn't hard to make.
...Alright then.
We might have lost the others, but I don't see any harm in two left-behinds sticking together.
So Roland isn't eager to dig into Lamia's hesitating and capricious response.
It's not the time to push her away yet. After all, she makes a great scapegoat, and is an asset he can sacrifice any time.
Speaking of which, how much do you know about The Merciful One? Why were you with her?
Eek?
I don't know either...
It's just that... I sensed a power from her, not quite like Miss Luna's... But very similar...
So...
You wanted to find a shelter, but she turned you down?
Lamia nods.
Ever after what happened to Shome, Roland had been investigating The Merciful One. But every piece of information about her was ambiguous, just like her mysterious smile and unpredictable action.
She seems to be always alone, with no minions or friends. Roland cannot tell if she poses a threat to Luna as an agent.
Not to mention that she did save his life.
She gave him so much, but asked for nothing. Even when she learned that he was only using her, she wasn't upset at all. Whoever did this must be either a saint or a fool.
Roland does not think she is a fool, but can hardly call her a saint.
What is her purpose then?
Either way, it's not something I should worry about right now.
Perhaps she had a purpose, perhaps she didn't. But that's not important at this moment.
After all, he would have died long ago without her.
Let's take a rest and head out at daybreak.
Um...
He didn't ask any more questions... Am I safe for now?
...I can only keep going. There is no safe place...
Lamia?
Eek?!
I'll leave it to you to set up the guard, lassie (Miss).
...Eek—?
Lamia wants to complain, but Roland has already lain back against the wall and entered hibernate mode.
...Hmm.
Stick to the plan.
Understood.
