…So prickly.
Leaving the grimacing Isael alone, I quickly slipped into another train of thought.
How could Isael, not Leonard, become the master of the Holy Sword?
I mulled over the question for a long time, then leaned against the wall and closed my eyes.
But the moment I shut them, Isael spoke, "…Don't tell me you're trying to sleep?"
How did he know I was about to? What a ghost he is.
"I can't believe this. You can sleep when a monster could pop out at any moment?"
"..."
"Hey."
"I'm not sleeping."
Even though I bothered to reply, Isael didn't believe me at all.
"You must not fall asleep."
"I said I'm not. And I already told you. There are no monsters on this floor."
"..."
"There's nothing here. We just have to endure this darkness."
At least, not on the fourth floor.
More precisely, only the fourth floor is free of them.
Which means this is the last floor where we can rest like this.
I had to rest while I still could.
"Don't sleep."
"I told you I'm not."
But why do you keep talking to me, you little punk...
Even after that, Isael kept pestering me, insisting I shouldn't sleep.
Whenever I stayed silent, he would ask if I had dozed off, and I kept answering every single time. In the end, I didn't get a wink of sleep.
* * *
When the darkness finally receded, the first thing I did was check if the flower I had planted earlier was still intact.
It was.
"Good."
Isaeel looked at me strangely as I muttered to myself in satisfaction.
This jerk has no idea how much I am helping him right now and still looks at me with that ungrateful expression...
Ugh, whatever. No point saying anything.
After parking Isael safely to the side, I began earnest practice in handling my power.
The fruit I ate contained the power of the resentful spirits who died unjustly in this tower.
And to me, this power felt similar to how one would handle a summoned creature tamed by mana.
Because those who ate the fruit could call forth resentful spirits and control them.
If I could summon all the spirits who died in this tower and move them according to my will…
If I could truly master this ability, reaching the ninth underground floor would be no problem.
I fixed my gaze on the floor at my feet, focusing with all my might, and drew out my mana.
I kept repeating to myself that I had gained the power to summon the resentful spirits in this tower, that I was someone who could wield that power.
I wondered how much time had passed like that.
Before my eyes, on the floor I was staring at, black smoke began to gather.
I could feel the smoke shifting, condensing as if to take shape.
That was when it happened.
"I hear a groan."
Isael cut in.
My concentration shattered instantly. I spun around to glare at him.
This guy—if he can't help me, at least don't interrupt!
"Hey, I told you to stay quiet."
"Wait."
"..."
"Listen."
Isael scanned the surroundings with a grave expression.
It seemed he really had heard something.
Just in case, I also strained my ears, trying to catch any sound nearby.
"…I don't hear anything."
"Even with your ability, you don't see anything?"
"I don't see anything special."
Truth was, I don't have clairvoyance or anything like that. If you can't see it, neither can I.
Still, I pretended to examine the area carefully.
All I could see was the same vast space, thick with smoke.
"Even if there is something, we mustn't leave this spot."
"What do you mean?"
Isael furrowed his brows at my words.
Even in the dimness, beneath his jet-black hair, his crimson eyes gleamed sharply with doubt.
I answered with a serious voice.
"Why do you think I planted this flower here?"
"Just…"
"Just?"
"Just thought you were doing some weird nonsense again."
"..."
Wait, this bastard?
"This flower prevents us from falling into hallucinations!"
"Ah. I see."
When I snapped and yelled, Isael only shrugged his shoulders and reacted as if it was nothing.
But I couldn't let it go so lightly.
"Looks like you've started hearing things. Hold on."
"What?"
So the flower alone might not be enough to completely block the demon's influence.
It shouldn't be possible, or so I thought.
Still, I couldn't ignore even the slightest possibility.
And to prepare for this tiny possibility, I had made sure to bring something else along.
I hurriedly rummaged through my bag.
Then I pulled out a handful of roots I had gathered on the third floor.
They looked a little withered, but their effect should still be intact, so it didn't matter.
I quickly shoved one into my mouth, chewed, and swallowed it.
Taking care of Isael was important, but first and foremost, I had to make sure I survived.
When I looked up, smacking my dry lips, Isael was staring at me in shock.
"What did you just pick up and eat…?"
"Open your mouth."
Time for a stimulant.
"What? What are you even talking about all of a sudden?"
"I said open your mouth."
Naturally, Isael resisted.
"What are you trying to feed me?"
"It's a stimulant. Eat it."
"...I'm fine."
But I'm not fine.
What am I supposed to do if you fall into hallucinations?
"What do you mean 'fine'? You have to eat it. Eat."
"I said I'm fine."
"You're not fine!"
He looked like he suspected I was trying to feed him poison.
Talking isn't going to work.
"Eat it!"
When I shoved the root at his mouth to force it in, Isael started thrashing wildly.
"What are you doing!"
"You have to eat it."
"You eat it yourself!"
"I already did!"
"Then eat more!"
"I only ate it just in case. But you're the one who heard things. You're the one who has to eat it!"
There was no way I could overpower Isael when he was resisting this hard.
Even if we were around the same age, I was a girl, and he was a boy.
That alone meant a basic difference in strength, and on top of that, I was injured.
…Hm?
Ah, that's right. I'm a wounded girl.
"Ugh…"
I clutched my injured side in plain sight and dropped to the ground.
Isael froze.
"What, did your wound split open? That's why you shouldn't... mmph! "
Never let your guard down, you rascal.
Just as Isael leaned in to check on me, I grabbed his chin and shoved the root straight into his mouth.
Then I clamped his jaw shut with both hands.
"Mmff!"
"Swallow. I won't let go until you do."
"Urghh!"
"Swallow, quickly."
This time, he didn't struggle with all his strength to shake me off.
It seemed my little act of being in pain earlier had gotten to him.
Isael just shook his head a bit, but once he realized I wouldn't back down, he finally gave up.
The victory was mine.
Gulp. Isael swallowed the root at last.
Only after I saw his Adam's apple bob up and down did I let go of Isael.
"See? If you had just listened and eaten it when I told you, none of this would've happened."
"..."
Isael furiously wiped his lips with the back of his hand, glaring at me like he could kill me.
His blood-red eyes were brimming with murderous intent.
Seriously, what an ungrateful bastard...
"Anyway, you won't be hearing things anymore."
You don't realize it, but I just saved you.
* * *
After I forced the root down his throat, Isael made it painfully obvious that he wanted to keep his distance from me.
And I mean a physical distance.
"Hey, I told you not to stray too far."
"This much space is fine."
"..."
"You can see me just fine, can't you?"
Whenever I tried to get closer, he would flinch and immediately back away.
What is wrong with him, seriously?
"Good grief..."
I sighed and decided to focus on my own task.
I need to master this ability quickly.
Summoning resentful spirits through the concentration of mana.
By now, I could faintly shape them into a human-like form.
What I needed was to succeed in creating multiple at once…
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