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Chapter 164: Cobra (1)

"...huh? What? Who goes there?!" Frey cried out in shock upon hearing the sudden voice from the distance. "I-Is it a ghost?! Ahhh! First those monsters in the cold, bats, now this?! What's up with this place?!"

"H-Help... I-I think I'm going to die..." Minister Yer muttered out with a shaky voice as if feeling a knife behind his back that wasn't hesitant to kill.

"Where are they?!" Frey frantically looked around the area. However, all she was greeted with was darkness. "Ahh, just come out and get this over with! Stop hiding!"

"Are we in danger again...?" Raina uttered out.

"..." Throughout the entire fiasco, Shinto kept silent as he had given up on explaining. With one step forward, Shinto soon spoke out as if talking to the back of Minister Yer. "...sigh. This is just a false alarm. What do you mean ghost?"

"That ghost who spoke out suddenly!" Frey cried out.

"Y-Yeah! I-It's behind-" Minister Yer then kept quiet. "...my back? Huh? The presence is gone."

"...you can come out now," Shinto stated. There wasn't a need to keep the summon a secret. They were bound to find out eventually as she seemed to be of a high level that could easily wipe out the nightcrawler bats.

"..." Moments after Shinto had spoken out, silence protruded out into the area.

"Y-You're speaking to the ghost?!" Frey shuddered. "H-Have you gone mad?! Did they possess you? Eeek! Master, I need to save you!" Preparing to activate a skill, Frey was soon stopped by Raina.

"H-Hey, Frey! Wait a moment... You didn't hear what Shinto said?" Raina calmly uttered out. "I-I think it might be a friend of him..."

"...hey, you can come out now, you know?" Shinto raised his brow in confusion. He didn't know why the summon wasn't responding to him.

"..." Silence continued to remain within the cavern despite Shinto repeating to himself. In the next moment, a notification window soon popped up in front of him.

[ 'Cobra of the Empress's Sting' asks whether you're afraid of snakes or not. ]

"...?" Shinto raised his brow in question. "...no?"

[ ... ]

[ 'Cobra of the Empress's Sting' states that she doesn't want to be seen by your companions for the time being. Especially that annoying slime as she's very aware that they'll scream and bring about unnecessary problems for the Shadow Diviner. ]

"...this is?" Shinto could only stare helplessly at his notification window. "Sigh... If that's what you want, then fine... But, if you're not revealing yourself, then when?"

[ 'Cobra of the Empress's Sting' says soon. Perhaps when either her siblings are here to lessen the tense mood. For the time being, she wants to meet you in a place far from your companions and uninterrupted. ]

"Hey... I think Master's really possessed! He's talking to himself as if no one else is here!" Frey cried out. "Raina let me go! I have to get some sense into him!"

"Wait! Frey!" Raina continued grabbing onto Frey as she finally lost the battle of strength. Moments after, with no chains tying her down, Frey soon rushed forward.

"MASTERRR!! I'll save you from the ghost!" Frey shouted out.

"...?!" Shinto suddenly turned around after hearing the shout from behind him. Quickly, he noted that Frey was making her way towards him like a raging bull. Not wanting to be hit, Shinto swayed to the side as Frey then walked past him without stopping.

"H-Huh? Eeep!!" With the unexpected dodge from her Master, Frey couldn't stop at her steps as she soon tripped on the steep rocky floors and fell down over to the lying body that was in front of her view.

THUCK!

"O-Ouchie..." Landing onto the body of a man, Frey stayed in place for a few seconds whilst getting herself together. "If Master can dodge like that... Did the ghost run away? Aha! I did it!"

"...hey, can you please get the hell off me?" Moments after landing, a male's voice uttered out in anger. "You're so damn noisy, you know that?"

"H-Huh? Ack! Ethaniel, you're awake!" Abruptly standing up from his body, Frey then took a step back as she awkwardly spoke out. "M-My mistake... I didn't mean to fall on you..."

"Hah... And let me guess, you didn't mean to have your voice continuously echo in the cave and disrupting everyone's peace and quiet?" Ethaniel clicked his tongue as he stood up with a slight pain in his head. "Ugh... I can't even get proper rest even after falling unconscious."

"Ahaha... Sorry..." Frey murmured out.

"Tch... You should be," he furrowed his brow.

"Ah... Ethaniel, you're awake," Shinto stated out. "Thanks for helping us with elementals..."

"Ugh and you... The hell! You fell unconscious and left me to deal with three high-levelled enemies on my own?!" Ethaniel glared at Shinto. "I may be able to handle against one if I received support, but three with Erith nearly being out of commission!? That's asking for a death wish!"

"Cough..." Shinto let out a helpless cough. "How did you manage to defeat the monsters then? If it was how you described it..."

"Obviously, it was due to this sword you gave me," Ethaniel shrugged. "Had it not been for the effects, I might have died."

"Oh...? The sword?" Shinto raised his brow. "Huh, so that was the reason..."

"What? You thought it was a different reason? Hah, I'm as unlucky with this situation as with my class's growth," Ethaniel shrugged. "Honestly, if it wearn't for this piece of work, I wouldn't have won."

"Huh... I see," Shinto nodded his head. "Then, what about Erith?"

"What about him? He's there sleeping soundly after the battle," Ethaniel stated. "He did pretty well in holding up himself whilst you and... Hey, where's that fox? He wasn't here either during the fight, did he-"

"He was forcibly returned back home... So you'll only be able to see him again in another day's time," Shinto stated. "But in any case... He's safe."

"Right..." Ethaniel stated as he soon turned to the entrance of the caverns. "Anyway... That much time past huh? What do we do about Reru and Rustly?"

"You never did explain to me regarding their situation," Shinto sighed. "So, how about telling us this now before we decide to do anything?"

"Hah... I do wish that they spoke Arcos for once. Wouldn't that make everyone's life easier? Shitty slime language..." Ethaniel clicked his tongue as he began reiterating the events that had happened before.

...

Under the darkened night skies of the snowy atmosphere, two woman and slimes walked through the snowy paths whilst a divine light led the way.

"T-This is the way right?" Hikari muttered out whilst shivering heavily. "Haven't we been walking for a while now? It's already nightfall... Let's find somewhere to keep ourselves safe and warm."

"This is the right way," Reru stated. "Look, I and Rustly have a business, so if you want to hitch a ride, then you'll have to follow us without complaint."

"It's not exactly complaining, but rather... Where are we going exactly?" Hikari tilted her head. "You asked for a light source and I've been giving you one. Though... This place is unlike the previous areas in the plains..."

"Just follow without question, you'll get what you want later," he stated. "In any case, please direct your light over to the front."

"Huh? Alright..."

Stopping at their footsteps, Hikari manoeuvred the small ball of light over towards the front of the group. Moments after, they were greeted by a saddening sight.

"..." Greeted by the sight of a broken-down village that seemed to have long been abandoned, Hikari tilted her head. "This place... In a snow plain like this one? Where have I've heard of such a story..."

"...this is...?" Crowelin raised her brow as her eyes landed onto a small sign that was within the Hikari's light: 'Village of Xifdzmhpr'. "...the heck does this read?"

"So, it does exist, huh?" Rustly solemnly spoke out. "...will there be any clues as to why this place was like this?"

"Tch... Can we just get this over with and get Lier's journal? I don't like this damn area and if it wearn't for you, we would have been back by now to the catacombs!" Reru spoke in gloop.

"Look... It wasn't my intentions on bringing you here anyways," Rustly reasoned to himself. "Madam Ru's magic works like a lottery... We might have been taken to a volcano for all I know!"

"Yeah, yeah whatever. You made such excuses to get away from the humans and then proceeded to lead me all the way out here for your own gain? What's next, the crystal shit is a lie?"

"...no, I do need to know about the area's magi before I can take you guys back... But since I realized we're at such a place... I might as well visit here first," Rustly stated. "Please? I'll make it up to you... Somehow."

"First you nearly died, second you cause unnecessary problems for me, third you caused the entire Sanke fiasco, you'll make it up somehow? If every other Slera knows of this, you'll be executed!"

"..." Rustly kept quiet as he soon waltzed ahead of the group, soon heading into the village.

"Grr... You're lucky I'm not like Minister Yer," clicking his tongue, Reru soon followed after the slime.