Chapter 142 Part 2
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Translator: Jiro Editor: Ryunakama
She then headed towards the beach. As her back turned towards me I once more hit the back of her head. To which she let out a groan of pain.
「Zeph-kun, Milly-san.」
From the side of the beach, Claude was running towards us while dressed in her white bikini.
Just as my eyes deviated towards Claude’s chest, which bounced around, covered by a white cloth I could feel Milly’s cold gaze on me.
If she could just pay such attention when I’m talking to her… Is what ran through my mind.
「Where did you both go? I looked all over for you.」
「Haha, well Zeph had something he wanted to talk… Auch?!!」
「Didn’t I tell you not to talk about it so casually you idiot.」 I said as I hit her side, stopping her sentence midway.
She’s way too quick to spill the beans, I warned her just a minute ago for christ sake.
「Urgh, okay… Well, everyone else is waiting so…」 Claude said as her expression got a bit gloomy.
「Yea, we’re sorry Claude.」
Why do I feel like she’s misunderstanding. … I guess it wouldn’t hurt to say something.
「I’ll say it just in case, but this is not what you’re thinking it is Claude.」
「No… I understand.」
「Then that’s f… Hey!」
After Claude said that she ran off without listening to me speak.
This is bad, she definitely misunderstood everything.
Even when we went back and had fun with everyone, Claude had a melancholy look on her face.
Even when I tried to invite her, she always seemed to find a way to turn me down.
As if being worried as well, Milly came to me
「What’s wrong with Claude… Is the thing with her brother still weighing on her mind?」
「Could be.」
Still I don’t think that’s all.
When Lydia and Shirushu went to approach her, from what I saw, she acted normal. However, she still didn’t feel like her true self.
Guess we’ll just have to solve it over time.
We played around until evening, and got into the bathtub as soon as we got home.
Afterwards we stuffed ourselves with delicious food.
There were still a couple of days until the end of our assignment.
I wonder if Claude’s mood will clear up if we spend the remaining few days casually like this.
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During the evening, after everyone had quieted down I heard a whisper in my ear.
「Zeph-kun, are you awake?」
It was Claude.
Turning around I saw Claude, covered with her blanket, looking over at me.
「… What’s up?」
「It’s just…」
It seems like she wants to tell me something.
Claude twisted her body so she could get out of her blanket. After that she placed it on the ground and sat on top of it.
She then began undoing the buttons of her pajamas and took off the top part.
「It’s just that… I…!!」
She turned bright red as she tried to move her lips.
She wanted to say something but her mouth wouldn’t move the way she wanted it to. She then buried her head in the blanket.
「… Please take care of my Magic Power Lines…」 she whispered out in a really quiet voice. I somehow felt like that wasn’t the thing that she came here to say.
But even so I did just as she asked me.
「… Okay.」
I moved my fingers across Claude’s back, which was covered in scratches, and slowly began to impact her Magic Power Lines.
At times I was rough, at others gentle.
I did it very carefully.
Each time Claude’s body quivered and she let out a passionate sigh.
「Ah… Zeph-ku…n… I’m…」
「Don’t say anything Claude.」
「O-Okay…」
While continuing to fiddle with her Magic Power Lines for a while I could hear Claude sleeping.
Looking closer, I saw that there were traces of tears on her cheeks.
As I wiped them off with my finger Claude’s long eyelashes shook a bit.
「Goodnight Claude.」 saying that I went to sleep as well.
She must have been holding it all in. This is a serious problem. I should do something about it…
5
The next morning, unusually for me, I overslept a little and was awakened by a loud voice.
「Zeph! This is bad!!」
「… Why are you yelling, good grief…」
「Claude is… Claude is…」
Milly’s face was deathly pale. I was immediately startled by her words.
「Claude’s gone!!」
「… Damn it, I can’t even contact her with Telepathy.」 I said as I tried to call her, but there was no response.
She’s probably rejecting my calls.
「When I woke up she wasn’t here… I wonder where she might have gone…」
「Don’t worry, she’ll probably come back soon. If not, we’ll definitely find her and bring her back.」
「… Yea.」
I put my hand on top of Milly’s head as she looked down.
When the thing with the Transparency happened, Claude looked at me and Milly talking with a somewhat of a lonely expression. There’s also that thing from last night… Damn it, I should have realized it earlier.
I began pondering where Claude could have gone while clicking my tongue.
Despite it being a small island, when it came to searching for only one person it seemed quite huge.
I turned my head towards Shirushu who stood next to me.
「Shirushu, you should be able to follow Claude’s smell right?」
「Actually… I can’t seem to feel her smell at all… My nose follows the smell of magic, but if she used her Screen Point then…」
「… I see.」
It seemed like even Shirushu’s nose wouldn’t be of help this time.
We could interpret it as her not wanting to be found at all.
「Silverie, is your snake no good as well?」
「Yea. Kuro’s ability allows him to search for magic power. If Shirushu’s nose doesn’t work, then neither will his ability.」
「So that’s how it is… Either way, let’s all split and look. It might take a bit of time, but if we all look then there’s no way we can’t find her.」
「Yea!!」
In order to find her, we spread to all the places that we could think of.
For me, there was one in particular that came to mind.
It was the rocky mountain where I had fought against Kane and Grain with her.
I don’t exactly want to go there right now, but I guess it can’t be helped… It’s not like I can think of any other places where she might have gone to.
I hurriedly ran through the forest and reached the rocky mountain that had been left in ruins due to Platinum Break.
It’d be great if the Dispatch Magicians aren’t here…
I sneaked through the gaps in the rocks and walked while being cautious of my surroundings.
Looking around, it seemed like the damage was really grand, and monsters were yet to begin spawning again.
It really is bad. I might have destroyed this dungeon completely.
「Oh my, if it isn’t Zeph-kun.」
Shivers ran down my spine as I heard a female voice from behind me.
I fearfully turned around and saw her leaning against a rock.
Her black hair swept over her white coat. It was the Dispatch Magician Azalea. I ended up meeting the person I didn’t want to meet the most.
「It’s been a while since I’ve seen you in person… Hey! Where do you think you’re going!」
I ignored Azalea as she tried to speak to me as I turned right and ran with everything I had. After all, I had annihilated the dungeon after having been warned not to do so.
I wanted to avoid this place because there was a chance that a Dispatch Magician would be dispatched here, but it seems like I was dead on.
「I’m sorry but I can’t be captured right now you see!」
「… Hmph!」 Azalea snorted as she looked at me running at full speed.
Immediately after that she appeared before me.
Looking at me with a smile on her face she promptly grabbed my shoulders.
「Good grief, you should listen when someone speaks to you, you know? It seems like you were also purposefully avoiding my calls as well…」
A feeling of intimidation suddenly rushed over me.
She’s probably using some kind of intimidation magic in order to prevent me from teleporting.
On top of that, it seems like she also teleported in front of me just now.
Damn it, I have no choice but to talk with her.
「… It really has been a while Azalea.」
「That’s more like it, you should properly greet people you know.」 she said as she smiled and stroked my head.
However, her eyes didn’t seem happy at all.
She quickly took on a serious look and looked down at me, forcing another wave of intimidation to rush over me.
「Even though I warned you so much, here you went ahead and completely annihilated this dungeon, didn’t you Zeph-kun?」 said Azalea as she looked around at the remains of the dungeons that I had destroyed.
However, it wasn’t as if I destroyed it because I wanted to.
「It’s true that I was the one that did it. And it’s true that I might have gone overboard. But listen here Azalea, it was because…」
「… Because you had to defeat Grain right?」
If she knows then it makes it easier. I’ll be able to speak honestly about it. I don’t have to feel guilty about it.
「Grain was with a friend who happened to be a Mage Killer. He had the ability to absorb Magical Power… He had a powerful ability that let him completely neutralize almost every spell. I had no choice but to go this far in order to be able to beat them.」
「Hmph, well it’s not like I was here, so I can’t say anything but, I can’t help but feel that you still overdid it despite that… You see I got an order from the Association to capture the culprit at all costs…」
「Urgh…」
It was true that I overdid it.
There should have been other ways to take care of it… At least that’s how a third party would view it. Especially when it comes to the thick-headed executives at the Association.
It also seemed like even Azalea wouldn’t be able to cover for me this time.
「However, this is the last, and I mean the last time that I’ll let you go.」
「Really?!!」
「However.」 saying that Azalea put up a single finger.
It seems like she has a condition.
「I want you to help me look for Grain.」
「… I’m pretty sure I took care of him. There isn’t a single trace left behind.」
「No.」 she said while shaking her head.
「… Unfortunately Grain is still alive. And he’s still on this island.」
「Wh-What…」
The waves crashed in the rocky mountain drowning out my muttering.
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