CHAPTER 413: ARC 6, CHAPTER 29: BUT THEN I SAW YOUR FACE

"Haha! Completed again," the Inferno was deposited outside of the labyrinth, alongside a redhead.

Hotaru dusted off her skirt, "I’m sure you can go find your party now. We can split the forty-two platinum into twenty-one each?"

"Yeah, sure," his focus was seemingly drawn elsewhere while Hotaru counted out the coins in her palm. "The heck’s going on over there?" he put his hand above his brows.

"Here you are," Hotaru handed and looked in the direction. A small crowd had gathered and the guild workers were only visible due to the banner propped up where they were. "I may have a hunch."

Meanwhile, in the middle of said crowd. "Look everyone, I’m not really here to tell stories or anything," Jotou waved her hands in a ’calm down’ motion. ’Not like I can tell them why we’re really here anyway.’

"Yeah, yeah, we’re here, get over it; if you know us, then you know we’re adventurers too," Fumeko stated.

"But the Gauntlet! Were you trying to set a new record?" one from the small crowd queried.

Jotou gave an awkward smile, "I was just trying to get through it, that’s all, I wasn’t really looking at the timing."

Fortunately, they did not appear to be mobbed by their recent audience. Most kept a respectful distance while asking the two a multitude of questions—the blonde more than the brunette that is.

"How do I get as strong as you?" a question was posed as Jotou turned her head to notice a young woman with a shield and a spear.

The blonde tilted her head, "I wouldn’t call myself strong specifically, I mostly have a spell that’s pretty much made to break buildings."

"Hey, what happened to all your confidence and charm?" Fumeko whispered up to her, somewhat teasingly.

"I don’t know, I don’t feel like it," she replied out of the corner of her lips.

"Building up an audience?" a recognizable breathy, dulcet voice broke through the people.

"Not necessarily..." Jotou knitted her brows at the armoured figure not too far behind her. She met the redhead’s gaze, "You alright?"

Hotaru stared back, eyes a little tense and lips unsure whether to frown or smile. Was it the voice—the tone? The blatant care dripping unintentionally from just two words? Her ears fell, rosy pinks patched up her cheeks, "I am."

"We’re still missing two then, unless one of them’s with you?" Fumeko crossed her arms.

"Oh, no, I was actually with," Hotaru turned, hoping to introduce.

"The Scorching Inferno," he announced his name to all, the first one to breach the circle in the middle of which Jotou and Fumeko stood. He tilted his armoured head and leaned far down, "You must be the Thundering Blade, right? You’re much smaller than I expected."

Fumeko’s eyes turned into daggers.

"...I’m the Thundering Blade, that’s, my detective..." Jotou leaned her head into his view.

"Ah, my apologies," he moved up his head a little more. "Thought with the you know, purple and lightning being purple or blue," he waved his hands around.

"There’s red too, but I don’t know why my lightning’s yellow, I couldn’t tell you," Jotou shook her head in reply.

The audience around them either went silent at the meeting of the two, enraptured, or rolling their eyes at the mere sight of the gleaming red armour that sunlight reflected every inch off of.

"Aren’t you a pretty thing? Hair’s a bit messy and long, but I like that. Plus, your face and that body—you’re like an angel. Or crafted by a succubus if you got that demon in you," he purposefully made his voice huskier.

Nearly half if not all of the adventurers standing around all of them dissipated in an instant as the words left his mouth, with but a couple left behind, alongside the guild workers.

Jotou’s cheeks began to blush as her face twisted and grimaced, "Tone it down there buddy..."

"Ahem."

The very audible throat clear from behind turned the Scorching Inferno’s attention. Hotaru glared with her crimson ears and tail spiked.

"Righhht, you two are dating, right. Sorry, can’t change that route until I learn about it a little more," he raised his finger in calculation and shifted away.

Fumeko spun her dagger ready in her palm, "Smart move. My special can opener likes tin canisters like you."

The man seemed to not even have the brunette in his attention as he watched the other two and then turned towards the entrance of the labyrinth, searching for something. The people at this point had dissipated completely from them.

Hotaru’s gaze was locked on the red-armoured man while she approached the other two. "So I’ve met him... And had to be trapped with him for more than thirty minutes in forced cooperation," she spoke quieter.

"Sorry about that," the blonde responded.

"It’s not your fault. But I did manage to at least get him to talk to us later about the case," the redhead told.

"Perfect," Fumeko sighed. "Should be an easy time getting information," she raised one brow at Jotou.

"No, that’s a terrible idea, I’m throwing it off the table," the wolf-girl shouted in whispers.

"I know I can talk all charming and I’m not against seduction, but not with him, please," Jotou squinted and shivered.

"And no using Asobi to disguise herself as Jotou either, we’re not subjecting Sobi to that," Hotaru pointed at the brunette.

Fumeko furrowed her brows, "I didn’t even say that- I’m just saying it’ll be easier, not that we have to, I’m perfectly fine opening him up with a dagger to get what we need."

"You really wanna cause a scene? Hotaru, how much did he talk about himself?" the blonde eyed.

"I think you can assume... Either way, a diplomatic approach will do. We’ve dealt with Archduke Filtrin, we can deal with him," the redhead suggested.

"Don’t know, doesn’t seem like too many people like the guy," Fumeko surveyed around. "But we’ll keep violence as a third-resort."

"What’s everyone whispering about?"

All three of them tried to locate the invisible voice hushing right next to them.

"The illusory magics that shroud against illumination from even daylight itself is still upon us oh wise elven magician."

"The hell are you two invisible for?" Fumeko queried.

"Oh right," Asobi and Tiffany popped out of invisibility. "We kept getting chased by orbs with eyes on them, even until the escape orb and we couldn’t get to it."

"Naturally, the fair elven maiden, used her illusory aptitude to shield us from discernibility, allowing us to conceal ourselves from prying eyes," Tiffany chuckled pridefully with her lips sealed.

"We have an empty book!" Asobi displayed.

"A spell befitting of one such as I—a bequest by the void itself, there lies no doubt," she presented the scroll.

"And!" Asobi turned around to jump up and down, jingling an old leather backpack that was filled with coin. "A super old backpack!"

"...The coin being more pertinent," Tiffany added.

"Heyyy!!! Over hereee!" the Scorching Inferno was calling over two newer escapees from the Gauntlet.

"Hey, it’s the man who told me about the Gauntlet from last night, hello!" Asobi waved with her wand.

The Scorching Inferno turned back around, "Oh hey, what’s up. So this was your party then."

"Mhm!" Asobi then noticed the other three with half-closed eyes shaking their heads at her.

"Nice to formally meet, I’m the Scorching Inferno," he posed a little, crackling flames in between his fingers.

"I’m the Amazing Asobi!" she lifted her wand in the air, showering herself with sparkler sparks and rainbow-hued butterflies.

"If thou wisheth to know mine name, thou indeed may. However, I forewarn, for cataclysm may shadow in ye wake. The name given to me as I descended into this world anew, is Stella Vespertillio, the Child of Void within the Sea of Stars!" Tiffany posed with a few fingers over her eyepatch.

"Ah shit, I can’t beat a chuunibyou’s entrance. Well, nice to meet you all," he replied.

Jotou knitted her brows and narrowed her eyes at the armoured figure.

"Can’t say the same," Hotaru whispered under her breath.

The two from the labyrinth approached the group gathered by the side—a young man and woman in perhaps their early twenties; a cheery, goofy smile on him, and a rather blank expression on her.

They were both of flaxen hair, the man’s short and shaggy, while the woman’s was straight down to her waist, some at the front pinned back and away from the sides of her face.

"Hey twinsies, how’d your end go?" the Scorching Inferno asked with anticipation in his voice.

The brother stepped up with a bright grin, lifting a heavy pouch from his belt to swing it, "How’s fifty-six platinum?" a jaunty voice he had.

"Sounds like drinks tonight!"

Both the brother and the armoured man hollered up to the sky for a brief moment before settling down.

"I will have whatever share of tea instead," the sister added, her voice gentle and calm. Both twins had fair skin, the brother was tanner than the other, and both were about the same height.

The brother had a bow and a quiver behind his back, a brown leather tunic on red knitted clothing for warmth and a slight skip in his step.

The sister wore a long dress cinched at the waist and elbows, giving off the illusion that she was gliding across the ground rather than walking.

While most of her garments were sand or cream-hued, they had a gradient of shimmering blue as it went down. She wielded a large hooked staff that looked like a shepherd’s crook with a large uncut blue gem attached within said hook.

"Who’re these folk?" the brother observed.

"Just met them, they wanna talk to me apparently, so you know, can’t say no to a party of pretty ladies," he uttered.

"We can hear you..." Fumeko glared.

The Scorching Inferno chuckled, "Yeah, sorry." He noticed Jotou staring at him and leaned to the twin, "The Thundering Blade apparently. Looks like she’s getting into me."

"Oh? Really?" the brother had a sly grin.

Hotaru’s ear ticked as she side-eyed.

"So, is the date tonight?" he looked to the golden blonde.

Jotou blinked a few times, "Ben...?"

The Scorching Inferno took a moment of pause and then gave an awkward laugh, "What, is she psychic or something?" he looked to the others as he asked. "I mean, who’s Ben?"

Fumeko held a hand to her chin as she glanced over to Jotou, "Friend of yours?"

"It is," Hotaru recalled.

The brunette’s nose wrinkled, "Him? Really?" disappointment seeped out in her words.

Jotou squinted at him, "Crispy, it’s me, Jotou," she said louder. "My name’s all over the papers! Have you been living under a rock this entire time!?"