"Ugh... Aaah!!!"
Kyaru, who had been quietly tucked under Jhin's arm, suddenly let out a piercing, ghastly scream. Black mist kept seeping out of her body, soon shrouding her head, and her hands clawed wildly in all directions, leaving several savage bloody gashes on his arm.
Without the slightest hesitation, Jhin condensed the [Blade of Resurrection] and plunged it into Kyaru's body. With the black mist interfering, this time the power of life couldn't form a light membrane; the two waged a fierce battle across her body like opposing armies clashing in war.
Caught in agony, Kyaru wailed heart-rendingly, then sank her teeth firmly into Jhin's wrist, which was right before her eyes.
"Tch."
Jhin gritted his teeth and let her gnaw at his hand. Kokkoro's and her abnormal states had him burning with anxiety. The all-out, explosive attack he'd just unleashed on [What Heads Toward Death] was no longer enough to keep him in his [Elemental Armament] state, and his movement speed had slowed considerably.
The quest had given no prompt of completion, which meant [What Heads Toward Death] hadn't been killed by him. Unable to confirm exactly who it had assimilated with, he didn't dare take the two of them to find a doctor, and could only push himself to the limit to quicken his pace back to the guild cabin.
For now, he could at least confirm that the companions at his side weren't assimilation targets, so home was currently the safest place.
Kyaru's sharp fangs had already pierced Jhin's skin, the fresh blood staining her lips a weird, blood-red hue. As the power of life gained the upper hand in the struggle, the tearing pain in her brain gradually faded, and she could no longer hold on, slipping into unconsciousness.
Pecorine and Megumin anxiously awaited the return of Jhin, his left hand dripping with blood, along with their two unconscious companions.
"Jhin! Are you all right?"
"Who attacked you all!?"
"Megumin, is there anyone in the Crimson Demon Clan skilled in healing?"
"I'm sorry, no... The wound on your hand..."
"There's no time to worry about that. Hurry and pack up—we're leaving here right now."
Since the founding of the Gourmet Edifice, it had never fallen into such a perilous situation. Everyone hastily finished packing and, without pausing for even a moment, left Landosol straight away. In Jhin's plan, they were to head near Maple Sugar Valley to hide out for a while, making sure the two recovered from their injuries before considering what to do next.
On the second day of hiding out in the wilderness, Kyaru slowly woke in Jhin's bedroom. Megumin, who was looking after her, joyfully shouted out the door, "Jhin, Kyaru's awake!"
Jhin walked in with a calm expression. "Thank you for your hard work. Go out and rest for a bit first."
"Mm."
Once he'd calmed down, he reconsidered, from start to finish, why [What Heads Toward Death] would attack Kyaru and Kokkoro, and even know the location and time of their appearance.
Kyaru's true purpose in secretly monitoring them at the very beginning once again came under his suspicion.
The fact that he'd posted the commission was something Jhin had told only to his companions in the Gourmet Edifice. If the person who had earlier directed Kyaru was the assimilation target, then everything made sense.
That person had originally been after Pecorine. After being affected by the assimilation, they may have given up targeting her, which was why Kyaru had shown no strange behavior earlier—until the commission drew the attention of [What Heads Toward Death], and she received orders and only then took Kokkoro to that place.
Kyaru sat up clutching her dully aching head. The moment she saw Jhin, guilt welled up in her heart, yet she couldn't recall why she felt guilty toward him.
Seeing her eyes dodge away, not daring to look at him directly, Jhin grew even more certain of his guess. "Kyaru, who was the person directing you?"
"Directing? I... I..."
Kyaru's memory was like a film with many of its frames violently erased; the fragmented dialogue and large blank stretches even made her doubt herself to a certain degree.
Am I really Kyaru?
Why can't I remember so many things? Why did I take Kokkoro there?
The more she pondered these questions, the more fear grew inside her, like a burst dam completely submerging her in negative emotions.
From deep within her heart, two utterly different voices emerged, confronting each other.
[You're not Kyaru at all. That kind of person who betrays her companions died long ago!]
[You are Kyaru—that Kyaru who betrayed her companions, the sin-laden Kyaru.]
"No!" Confusion and fear joined forces to shatter Kyaru's fragile spirit in that moment. Clutching her head and screaming, she ran to the corner, trembling like a frightened little beast. "I don't know! I can't remember! I'm not Kyaru... I'm not her!"
Jhin's brow furrowed tightly, gloom filling the depths of his eyes. He recalled that when he'd brought Kyaru back, the black mist seeping from her body had prioritized attacking her head—surely to erase the relevant memories. If he hadn't used the [Blade of Resurrection] to heal her in time, Kyaru might have ended up a vegetable or lost all her memories.
The clue to uncovering the true identity of [What Heads Toward Death] had thus been severed. Jhin cursed its mother dozens of times in his heart, then slowly approached her. "Kyaru..."
"I'm not Kyaru. Don't call me by that name!"
"All right... Then do you still remember who I am?"
"Jhin..."
Merely uttering the name made Kyaru feel as if her heart were being cut by knives; the guilt was about to drive her completely mad.
"Looks like you still have at least some memories. Go back to your room and rest a while; maybe being there will make you feel a little better." Having said this, Jhin called Megumin in to take her back to her own room.
Having dealt with matters here, he returned to Kokkoro's room. Gazing at the tiny guide lying quietly on the bed like a Sleeping Beauty, his fury toward [What Heads Toward Death] flared up in an instant.
After taking several deep breaths to press it down in his heart, he walked over and sat on the chair by the bed, gently holding her small hand, which was at a normal temperature.
Even Kyaru, who had been directly attacked by the black mist, had already awakened—so why was Kokkoro, who had merely been sealed by the crystal, still sleeping so deeply?
Maybe she just needed a bit more time before waking...
In the days that followed, Jhin carried the comatose Kokkoro on his back, traveling nonstop with the rest of the party. During this time, he also explained the full picture of events to Megumin and Pecorine. Though they were equally furious, they couldn't help in any way.
After arriving near Maple Sugar Valley, Jhin shut himself inside Kokkoro's room and refused to come out. Although Kyaru was no longer jumpy and easily startled, her memory loss left her like a puppet at others' mercy, and she even began refusing to eat or drink.
Pecorine and Megumin saw all this and grew anxious at heart. The Gourmet Edifice now was like a small boat on the verge of falling apart, yet it still had to face an enemy hidden in the sea, an enemy whose very appearance was unknown.
As usual, Megumin set the lunch at the doorway of the sequestered Jhin's room and was about to get up and leave, when the door suddenly opened. She joyfully assumed Kokkoro had awakened—only to see him skirt around her and head straight for Kyaru's room, kicking the door open with one foot before walking in.
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