Chapter 17: Borrowed Peace
Sometime Later
With our decision made, we continued our journey through the Fragmentum-filled streets, solving a few puzzles here and there while dealing with the monsters that constantly appeared.
Due to the sheer number of enemies, however, my disease slowly started affecting me again, leaving me tired, dizzy, and increasingly sluggish—something March and Dan Heng immediately noticed.
Because of that, the two of them ended up taking care of most of the monsters themselves.
Eventually though, our luck finally ran out when we walked straight into an ambush led by Bronya and a squad of Silvermane Guards.
Normally, we wouldn’t have had much trouble breaking through them and continuing onward.
Unfortunately, my condition ended up holding us back.
Between the freezing cold, the constant battles, and the amount of energy I had burned through, I was in no shape to keep fighting anymore, and it clearly showed as I struggled to even focus on what Bronya was saying.
Standing behind March and Dan Heng, I used my bat to keep myself upright while they argued with Bronya.
‘I burned way too much energy fighting those monsters,’ I thought frustratedly as my vision blurred for a moment.
Ever since escaping the guards earlier, I had been carelessly throwing around Soul Arrows powerful enough to one-shot every Fragmentum monster we encountered, all while constantly keeping my Sharingan active and draining even more energy.
It was no wonder I was on the verge of collapsing.
“Aaagh! You’re so annoying! Can’t you see our friend is sick!? He needs rest!” March suddenly shouted, her voice filled with frustration and anger strong enough to cut through my haze.
Looking up slightly, I caught sight of an expression on her face I had never seen before.
March was usually cheerful no matter the situation.
But right now, an angry frown marred her pretty features as she glared at Bronya and the surrounding guards with her bow ready in her hands.
Even Dan Heng—normally calm in every situation—kept throwing worried glances in my direction while standing protectively in front of me with his spear tightly gripped.
“All the more reason for you to surrender,” Bronya replied coldly, briefly glancing at me before focusing back on March and Dan Heng.
“I give you my word that he will receive proper medical treatment once he is under our custody.”
That seemed to be the final straw for March as frost immediately began forming around her.
“As if we’d trust the people who already betrayed us once!” March snapped angrily. “Dan Heng, let’s just kick their butts quickly and get Caelus somewhere safe to rest.”
Dan Heng silently nodded in agreement, causing the guards to tense.
“And to think Caelus actually spoke highly of you earlier!” March continued with a scowl as she glared at Bronya. “Looks to me like you’re just another two-faced liar like the Supreme Guardian!”
Bronya narrowed her eyes in anger feeling slighted, and just like that, the fight became inevitable.
Wanting to help my friends one last time, I weakly raised my hand and swapped out my Sharingan for Absolute Accuracy.
Gathering the last of my remaining energy, multiple Soul Arrows formed above me before I launched them toward the surrounding guards.
Thanks to Pacifism, I wasn’t worried about seriously hurting them.
And with that final thought, the last of my strength finally gave out.
My consciousness faded as I vaguely heard someone shouting my name in panic.
“Caelus!”
=====
Unknown Time Later
Feeling myself slowly come to, I groaned softly as the lingering headache and dizziness gradually faded away. Remaining still for a moment, I quietly took in my surroundings while pushing aside the strange dream I’d had about Cocolia and storing it away for later.
Underneath me was what could only be an old but sturdy mattress, something I was unfortunately very familiar with from my first life.
The next thing I noticed was the smell.
That sterile blend of alcohol, ammonia, and disinfectant immediately told me I was in some kind of clinic or hospital, which brought me instant relief.
It meant Sampo had actually come through for once and managed to get us safely into the Underworld.
As my headache finally eased, I became aware of two voices speaking quietly nearby—a man and a woman. I tried listening in, only catching the end of their conversation before I heard a door open and close.
“…Hey, sleepyhead. Looks like you’re awake.”
The feminine voice sounded soft and comforting, making it obvious she had noticed I was conscious.
Realizing there was no point pretending otherwise, I slowly opened my eyes and sat up—only to blink when my left hand refused to move properly.
Turning my head, I found a familiar head of pink hair resting beside the bed while clutching my hand tightly as she slept in a nearby chair.
“Your friends were really worried about you,” the woman—who was obviously Natasha now that I got a proper look at her—said with a gentle smile. “Especially your friend there. She has rarely left your side since she woke up.”
Looking down at March’s sleeping face, I frowned slightly when I noticed the tension still lingering in her expression. Either she was having a nightmare… or more likely, she was still worried about me even in her sleep.
With my free hand, I carefully brushed her bangs away from her face and gently stroked her head, smiling faintly as her frown slowly disappeared and her expression relaxed.
“Thanks for taking care of us, Miss. How long was I out?” I asked quietly as I looked toward Natasha.
Now that I could properly focus on her, I noticed just how beautiful she was with her blue-gray hair, violet eyes, and mature figure.
“You’ve been unconscious for around a day and a half,” Natasha answered as she walked over with a calm smile. “Your friends, however, woke up within a few hours.”
“By the way, how are you feeling? Any pain or discomfort?” she asked professionally as she inspected me with an experienced gaze. “Your friends insisted you would recover with enough rest, but it never hurts to make sure. You were in pretty bad shape when they brought you here… mumbling things about ‘Stellarons’ and ‘wishes.’”
“I feel much better now, thank you,” I replied softly, careful not to wake March. “My name is Caelus, by the way. Thank you for taking care of us, Miss,” I added gratefully.
“Fufufu, think nothing of it.” Natasha smiled warmly. “Now that you’re awake, try moving your limbs a little. And it’s nice to meet you, Caelus. I’m Natasha—a doctor here in the Underworld.”
“Sampo went off to clean up a mess of his own making, so I’ve been watching over you in the meantime,” she continued. “And judging by your condition now, I don’t think there’s any reason for alarm anymore. You seem… stable.”
I noticed the slight hesitation in her tone regarding my condition but wisely chose not to comment on it.
“How much do we owe you, doc?” I asked calmly, wanting to steer the conversation elsewhere. As much as I liked Natasha, there wasn’t really anything she could do about my illness anyway.
Natasha immediately shook her head and waved her hands dismissively.
“Oh please, there’s no need to worry about that. You were mostly just asleep for a while, I barely had to lift a finger.”
“I… may have exaggerated your condition a little for Sampo’s ears,” she admitted more quietly. “But that man owes me. He better bring me back some medicine.”
Shaking my head at her kindness, I made a mental note to leave her some credits later. I was rich anyway, and helping her out was the least I could do after she took us in.
…Though admittedly, I was also a little biased because I had always liked Natasha from what I remembered of her, and meeting her in person certainly hadn’t changed my opinion.
“Hmm, very well. I’ll accept that for now. Do you know where my other friend is?” I asked calmly with a smile, earning a slightly amused raise of her eyebrow at my wording.
“The young man with the dark hair has been exploring the area a bit. I believe he should currently be with Sampo,” Natasha explained.
“Thank you, Natasha. We’re in your debt. I promise I’ll repay you somehow,” I said sincerely, bowing my head slightly.
Natasha blinked in surprise before offering me a warm smile.
“You’re quite polite, aren’t you?” she said softly. “Alright then, I can already tell I won’t be changing your mind. Just don’t go overboard.”
Giving her a nod, we continued talking for a bit longer. Natasha shared what she knew about Sampo—which, unsurprisingly, was mostly things I already knew—and eventually the conversation shifted toward Bronya.
Apparently, Sampo had dragged her down to the Underworld with us during the escape, though he had somehow lost track of her afterward. Which meant nothing had changed from canon.
Our conversation came to an end just in time as I felt movement beside me.
“It seems your friend is finally waking up. I’ll leave you two alone for now,” Natasha said kindly before heading off to tend to her other patients.
“Yaaawn… agh, my back and neck are killing me,” March muttered groggily as she stretched her arms over her head before finally opening her eyes.
The moment she saw me awake and smiling at her, her eyes widened.
“Hey…” I greeted softly, noticing she still hadn’t let go of my hand.
The next instant, I was suddenly pulled into a hug.
“Caelus! You’re awake!” March exclaimed. “How are you feeling? You should rest more if you’re still tired!”
She started rambling into my ear while pulling back slightly to inspect my entire body as if trying to spot signs that I was still unwell.
My smile only widened at her worried behavior.
Gently grabbing her hands, I gave them a reassuring squeeze until she finally focused on me.
“It’s alright, March. I’m fine now,” I said calmly. “I just overdid it yesterday and burned through too much energy without taking a break.”
March carefully searched my face and eyes for any sign I was lying before finally relaxing in relief and squeezing my hands back.
“Thank goodness… I was really worried, you know?” March pouted at me cutely before suddenly blushing when her stomach let out a tiny growl.
“Hahaha. How about I treat you to something to eat down here? I’m curious what the locals in the Underworld eat,” I offered with an amused smile.
Immediately, March’s pink-and-blue eyes lit up in joy and a grin spread across her face.
“You’ve got yourself a deal, Mister~ Let’s go!” she declared, instantly back to her energetic self as she jumped to her feet and dragged me toward the exit.
Following behind her with a smile, I gave a small wave to Natasha, who watched us leave with an amused expression and waved back.
Before we reached the door, another notification appeared and I quickly checked it.
[Feat Achieved! Met and Made a Good Impression on Natasha]
+1 Silver Random Ticket
“I just hope we don’t run into that Bronya girl!” March ranted with a scowl as we stepped outside and she immediately started looking around warily as if Bronya might suddenly appear from thin air. “She’s so full of herself it drives me crazy! I swear, if she starts talking about arresting us again, I’m decking her in the face!”
‘Oops… I think the changes I made to the timeline caused March to seriously dislike Bronya,’ I thought with a nervous sweat running down the back of my neck.
‘Hopefully that hatred doesn’t transfer over to my BFF Wolfie too.’
=====
A While Later
After March dragged me all around Boulder Town—which was where we currently were—checking out different shops and trying local food, silently thankful that they accepted credits, we continued exploring the area for a while before getting distracted again.
Somehow, March had managed to rope us into a game with a very familiar group of children after chatting with them and hearing they had apparently seen someone resembling Dan Heng nearby.
And naturally, I immediately recognized their leader.
Pitch-Dark Hook the Great.
The cute blonde gremlin was dressed in her familiar brown-and-yellow outfit while proudly standing in front of her little gang of troublemakers known as The Moles.
In exchange for showing us around the best spots in “Mole Town” and sharing whatever information she knew, Hook demanded that we join the Moles first.
And apparently, the initiation test was a game of hide-and-seek.
“You guys are seekers, by the way!” Hook declared smugly with a confident grin.
“…Boss, they don’t seem very smart. Why don’t we do a practice round first?” one of her minions—Julian, I think—whispered to her.
“Hmm… you’re right, Julian.” Hook nodded seriously before turning back toward us. “Okay! We’ll do a practice round first. I’ll hide, and you two have to find me!”
“So you kids think you’re better than us, huh?” March immediately narrowed her eyes playfully after picking up on Hook’s smug tone. “Just wait and see!”
I ignored the notification that appeared as Hook ran off to hide, deciding to save it for later.
[Feat Achieved! Met Pitch-Dark Hook the Great]
+1 Silver Random Ticket
With my Sharingan, it became a simple matter to quickly find the little rascals both times, even if they complained a bit afterward.
True to her word though, Hook told us what she knew.
“Hook saw the blue-haired guy take your dark-haired friend to the Fight Club,” Hook declared proudly with her hands on her hips.
“Uh, Pitch-Dark Hook the Great, where exactly is the Fight Club? Can you show us the way?” March asked while shamelessly buttering up the little gremlin, who immediately puffed up at hearing her full title.
“Hmm But it’s a really obvious building. Grown-ups are just useless” Hook said with a disappointed shake of her head, making one of March’s eyebrows twitch. “Come with Hook. I’ll show you the way.”
As for me, I was doing my absolute best not to burst out laughing.
‘Hook is such a savage little gremlin… I love it,’ I thought in amusement, only to wince when March elbowed me in the side after clearly noticing my expression.
“Thanks, oh great one,” March said a little too exaggeratedly, which somehow only managed to annoy Hook.
“That’s Pitch-Dark Hook the Great to you! Who said you could shorten my title!?” Hook demanded with crossed arms and a pout.
Seeing March’s eyebrow twitch even harder, I finally lost the battle against my laughter.
“Hahahaha! You’re awesome, Hook~” I laughed while clutching my stomach and giving the smug blonde girl a thumbs-up.
Hook immediately preened proudly.
“Huhuhu, at least Onii-chan understands Hook’s greatness~ It’s decided! From now on, you’re an honorary member of the Moles!”
Which only caused March to sigh in irritation before rolling her eyes and grabbing my hand.
“Yeah, yeah. Can we get moving already? We don’t have all day,” March drawled tiredly.
Walking behind her, I turned toward Hook and raised my hand for a high-five, which she instantly returned with a giant grin.
As we followed her, Hook enthusiastically explained how awesome the Fight Club was and casually mentioned she had even participated before.
Naturally, this horrified March.
“Wait, what!? They let children fight in there!?” March immediately started ranting about how shady the place sounded.
Her complaints continued the entire walk until Hook casually revealed there was a separate kids’ division, instantly making March realize she had misunderstood everything.
“…Oh,” March muttered with the face of someone who was spiritually exhausted.
‘This is amazing,’ I thought in amusement. ‘Hook has already made March nearly crash out twice within the first thirty minutes of meeting her.’
We eventually reached the Fight Club and, after saying goodbye to Hook, I mentally prepared myself for the upcoming mess.
‘I just hope I can get through this world without pushing myself to exhaustion again like before… though something tells me I won’t be that lucky,’ I thought uneasily as I remembered all the fights still waiting for us on Jarilo-VI.
“Are you alright, Caelus? You got quiet all of a sudden.” March’s worried voice pulled me from my morbid thoughts.
Turning toward her, I gave her my best attempt at a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine. I’m just hoping we can resolve this mess quickly,” I said, trying to ease her concern.
After giving me another careful look to make sure I was physically alright, March finally nodded.
‘Sorry, March… but I don’t have the courage to tell you that every day I feel weaker and weaker.’
‘I probably only have until Penacony… or maybe Amphoreus at best before my body finally gives out.’
Silently, I watched the back of March’s figure as I followed after her.