「――What is happening?」
The first thing I saw when I woke up was a dim ceiling. It wasn't the familiar ceiling, but I knew immediately that this was the ceiling of a clandestine room on the 5th floor of the school tower.
At the same time, another spectacle reflected in my eyes.
The bright fairy plaza on the 2nd floor.
And I saw everyone had collapsed while vomiting blood―― alongside the big table filled with a sumptuous feast prepared by Mei-chan.
「HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!」
And I looked at that, laughing like a maniac.
「How did I end up in this place!? This… Don't tell me…」
「O~h, good morning Momokawa-ku~n. have you woken?」
That awfully cocky voice came from above me.This was the first time I heard her speak with such glee.
「So you're the one behind this… TAKANASHIIII!」
Takanashi Kotori.
She looked down at me who was rolling on the floor as she sat on the table in the clandestine room with an extremely elated face.
「Eh? Kotori has no idea what you're talking about. You're the one who did it after all, Momokawa-kun.」
「Say… What…?」
Don't screw with me, bitch.
Takanashi Kotori was obviously the culprit of this mess.
Okay, let's sort out the situation… Firstly, I went to sort out Yamata no Orochi's materials before going to the victory banquet.
Since there were a lot of materials collected, and even if the core was used to activate the teleportation magic, there was still a big enough chunk left.
And just when I was thinking about a lot of options for enhancing Rem, Himeno came and reminded me that the victory banquet was about to begin. I sorted the materials and headed to the 2nd floor with Takanashi―― That was when my memory got interrupted.
And I was already in this state the moment I woke up.
I rolled on the cold floor of the clandestine room in the 5th floor of the school tower, and my offshoot was impersonating me in the fairy plaza for some reason.
My offshoot was laughing maniacally while looking down at my classmate who was vomiting blood on the floor.
From a third-person perspective, I did look like the culprit who poisoned my classmates.
「Do you get it now? Or are you by chance still half-asle~ep」
Dammit, I couldn't control the offshoot in the fairy plaza.
My line of sight was connected to it, there was no doubt that it was my 『Twin Shadow』, but I couldn't do anything but watch the situation from my offshoot's perspective. Even though it was my offshoot, I couldn't even control its finger.
That offshoot was completely under Takanashi's control.
How did she do that? I don't think it was some sort of cheat ability that allowed her to copy the other party's skill with just a glance… Wait for a second, I do remember that once before, my 『Twin Shadow』 got taken out when I fell asleep while monitoring Yamata no Orochi. I thought it got ambushed by the gargoyle, but it might simply have been be captured back then.
So rather than a skill that copies a skill, it might be more accurate to say that it was magic that hijacks another skill. Since our vision was shared, there was no doubt that it was my offshoot.
Dammit, so Takanashi had been hiding my offshoot, waiting for this moment to use it.
It was my mistake for failing to anticipate this situation until she showed her true character.
But regretting now won't change anything.
I refuse to allow this traitorous Takanashi to get what she wants. I had to turn the tables no matter what.
In fact, I'm really pissed off right now at this sinister betrayal that was clearly only aimed at me. On the other hand, my anger rose to the point before it cooled down and allowed me to regain my rationality.
There was always opportunity rising amid life and death situations. Stopping to think here would only lead to my demise.
That's why I calmed down… Seeing that I was still alive meant that there was still the opportunity to turn the table.
Fortunately, it seemed there was still no problem on my part.
Though I had passed out somewhere around the entrance, I felt no pain, nor did my body feel numb. There was nothing wrong with my limbs either.
Well, that might be natural. I mean if something happened to my body, it would be reflected back to my attacker.
Firstly, I stood up quietly while raising my vigilance at Takanashi.
I circulated my magical power, ready to blast her with my hexing as I stood up on my feet.
I didn't have both my air launcher and the fool's cane right now, but I was still wearing my enchanted gakuran and magic item and the glove for hexing, I wasn't completely defenceless.
And I just needed to call Rem, but…
「Kotori has always hated that part of you, Momokawa-kun. You're already trying to fight back, aren't you? Humph, you should look more desperate and pitiful.」
That displeased face was something that I was used to seeing.
She might have wanted to see me falling into panic and desperately begging for my life.
That innocent and carefree look on her face was what really disgusted me.
「But, it's futile, resistance is futile I tell you. Kotori has planned everything.」
She must be wanting to enact the cocky act of a certain vampire with time-stop ability after cornering me this far.
Yeah. This was an outrageous act of betrayal. And not a spontaneous one, but rather clearly a well-planned one.
Since when did Takanashi… Prepare for this betrayal.
「――『Blackhair Bind』」
「I've told you, it's futile.」
I did a little test with 『Blackhair Bind』 on Kotori who was laughing like an idiot―― Yet it slipped through her body as if it was an illusion.
「Kotori has clone skills too. But since I've never used 『Projection Art』, its level had barely raised since I got it.」
「Tch, a hologram, huh.」
Since that was the case, Takanashi's real body… Must be among the classmates.
I think this 『Projection Art』 of hers allowed her to project her hologram, moving and observing the situation. Since it was different from my 『Twin Shadow』 which had real substance, she could use this to appear before everyone to create an alibi.
Did she go out of her way to isolate me like this just to talk with me?
「Then tell me where's your real body?」
「Close the door.」
The door of the room closed right after Takanashi said so.
This room shouldn't have a door. The door turned out to be a hidden-type sliding door, and no one should know about that, and yet…
「Dammit, you can control the facility of the school tower eh?」
「That's only natural right? kKotori is the 『Sage』 after all.」
If the Takanashi in this place was a mere hologram, I would dash toward the fairy plaza and detoxify everyone who was poisoned by her, and catch her real body. But it seems she wouldn't let me to do that.
I tested the door, just in case, and quickly realized that it wasn't the kind of door that could be opened up forcefully.
「Now then Momokawa-kun, since this is a rare opportunity, let's have a chat, shall we? You must've got a lot of things you want to ask to Kotori, right?」
「….」
Seeing that the only door in this clandestine meeting room had been closed, it meant that I was locked up in this place.
And yet, the hologram of Takanashi didn't seem to have a way to attack me.
Since there was no other way, maybe I should get along with Takanashi's offer and gather as much information as possible. And wait for my chance.
「You've killed everyone.」
「It's not Kotori. You're the one who killed them, Momokawa-kun.」
From everyone's perspective, there was no doubt that I poisoned them.
I had never expected that she would use my offshoot to put a false charge on me. But everyone's life takes priority here.
No one had died from the poison yet, but that was only a matter of time.
「It's okay, they won't die immediately. Death Stalker is mostly a paralysis poison, it won't kill its victim immediately. They will suffer for three days, and die.」
This bi*ch actually snitched death stalker poison behind my back.
Since Natsukawa-san's 『Death Stinger』 was made by this bi*ch, she must've gathered a lot of it.
「Fufufufu, you're not the only one who can make poison, Momokawa-kun. Rather, I, the 『Sage』, am more skilled in that regard.」
That poison's refinement must be one of the skills hidden by this bi*ch.
Takanashi Kotori, just how much power of the 『Sage』was hidden by this bitch… She was already on the suspicious list, to begin with, but it seemed I had underestimated her danger level.
Good grief, I really have no eyes for people.
「You planned to kill everyone, huh? Why are you doing this? Even after I said that everyone should work together to find a way to get out of this dungeon together.」
「Kotori doesn't really care about whether everyone is going to survive or die though. But naturally, having no one die is an unacceptable result.」
「Having no one die… Is unacceptable? Who decides that?」
「E~h… It's the God, is it?」
What a despicable evil god that was. Hey, Takanashi, the Sage God who gave you your vocation is actually a world-ending, final boss-type of evil jerk.
I demand them to convert to the deeply compassionate Ruinhilde-sama's religion.
「Hey Momokawa, you know it right? The name of your god.」
「God of Curse.」
「Yes. You must've met and talked directly with that god. Am I wrong?」
「Is something the matter with that?」
「Normally, you can't meet, or know your god's name. You must've noticed that no one talks about their own god, right?」
Based on what she said, that made me a pretty special exception I guess.
I heard from Mei-chan that she heard a goddess-like voice when she was bestowed with her vocation, 『Berserker』.
I heard that the same went for everyone. In short, the voice of god sounded like a system message for everyone.
However, I was frequently summoned by Lady Ruinhilde to the Dark God Realm whenever I received a new dark spell. She praised me, left ominous and cryptic messages, and we managed to have a semblance of a conversation.
Meaning that Takanashi had the same experience too,
「――『Elysion』. That's the name of the God, or should I say, Goddess who bestowed 『Sage』 vocation to Kotori. What about yours?」
「… It's 『Ruinhilde』. Remember that name, the name of the one who put a curse on you.」
「Ahahaha, never heard that na~me! Even Kotori's God has never heard that name before, must be an extremely minor God. They must've been forgotten ri~ght?」
「How much did the gods teach you? Do you know about this entire other world, about us being sent into the dungeon, everything!?」
「Uhm, I'm aware of it. I mean, Kotori is the game master, after all.」
Game Master. Otherwise abbreviated as 『ＧＭ』, was a role that managed the progress of the game in TRPG.
Game. So this dungeon captures stuff… Is just a game for them.
「DON'T SCREW WITH ME… GAME MASTER… AND YET YOU JUST LOOK AT US FIGHTING TO DEATH EVEN KNOWING THAT!」
「Yes, Kotori's job is to watch over the progress of the dungeon capture.」
「You are just the lackey of an evil god… Or could it be that you've been brainwashed or something?」
「Kotori is chosen. Just like Souma-kun.」
「So the 『Hero』 really gets special treatment.」
「Yup, hero is special. Or should I say that it's Souma-kun that's special.」
「So the rest of us is just a foil for the 『Hero』.」
「As expected of you, Momokawa-kun! You catch on quickly. Or maybe you've read something like this in manga before, I mean being an otaku and stuff, right?」
Unfortunately, it's the latter. How many isekai fantasy works do you think I've read?
Another common trope was a world that treats summoned Earthlings like slaves.
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