-Chapter: 11.5

“Hey, Nero! Where are you?”

“Nero!?”

I and Ciel searched for Nero but we can’t find her, having reached their frustration limit, Ciel is near to breaking.

“Hey, I’ll go serious. I can phase through solids but I can’t fight, you can make yourself small right? Then please, you’re also her master.”

“Yes I understand”

It seems that Ciel cares more for Nero than me, I wonder why?

Ciel and Hiyuki broke up and tried to find Nero on their own using their abilities. Now Hiyuki in her original form tries to fly fast in the cracks and nooks that she could find.

Fitting her small little body, maneuvering her direction if there is a dead end. And so, goblins do appear now, about a group of 10.

The goblin herds were a great nuisance for the fast-moving Hiyuki, so she used her magic to slice up the goblins one by one in her way.

Damn... these monsters here a troublesome, I just have any skills to use and locate with it...

Having come a total silence from the earlier massacre, Hiyuki remembered her newly acquired shared skill, [Detection].

Why did I forget?... well never mind, were connected maybe, if I could just use this to spot on her location I can just use earth magic and go straight to her.

[Detection] a skill like its name applies can be used to detect and locate things the user wants to.  But, for this situation, this skill is really useful for its ability to map out the dungeon and point out the monsters with red dots.

A circle panel appeared in front of me, maybe this is the skill? I’m this blue one, and the red ones are maybe the goblins around me. The gray one is probably the already dead one I killed.

Looking through the map, Hiyuki quickly found out Nero’s position. Lots of red dots surround a blue one, Ciel's position may be classified as not exactly here. Moving through thick walls indicated in the map, Ciel moves up and down going from floor one to floor 3 in a cycle.

Well, let’s tell Ciel.

<to Ciel:

Found Nero, she’s near a dome-shaped area in floor 2, quick I can’t arrive there quickly in time, I need to properly go down there  >

Now let’s leave everything to Ciel to solve, please make it in time Ciel.

Hiyuki boosted her speed once more and glides through the floor with light magic activated to light her way down. Her barrier magic fully activated in a sharp shape to pierce her enemies if they were to come close of if Hiyuki rams them on.

-----

*Ciel side*

Ping* a message appeared in front of my view. I don’t have any time for that! Nero, Nero, she’s still a lonely child. But I just can’t ignore this and not read it.

Ciel fiddled with the screen and stop moving for a while to read the message. Having realized what was contained from Hiyuki’s message, in Ciel's mind concluded.

“Nero’s being attacked”

Ciel now moving faster than the last time moves through the walls. Equipping her armaments in-between spaces through the walls she got herself ready.

Oh Nero, please be safe.

“Oh the great deity that governs thy great land, bless this one and locate thy helpless [Tier 2 Earth magic: Pin Point] “

With Ciel's chanted magic, Nero’s position and signs were visible in the surroundings. Marks of footprints and signs of being attacked.

“Nero... please makes it in time, activate [1st step: Close!] “

Ciel activated her compound magic, fused with her skills and magic. Ciel can reproduce effects greater or even better than any ordinary means.

Activating her compound magic, she disappears and reappears simultaneously. In cycle, moving faster and efficiently than before Ciel reached her destination.

What were there were players, standing while holding the chained Nero.

Nero, who is now immobile due to the chains bounding her feet and arms, is being held of what looks the leader.

“Huh? What? Someone did found us?  Oi, you girl I think you’ve seen enough, kill her boys and loot every possession she has. “

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Can’t you see this fine lovely Npc here? If we could sell her to a slave trader or use her as a sacrifice or something it would be great. Just imagine at the richest we could obtain from this single girl alone”

“…….’

“Ciel…. Help….”

Nero’s neck which was being squeezed tightly by the leader’s hands speaks in a broken tone.

“Luckily some girls were kind enough to not notice their Slave missing right boys?”

The entirety laughed with their leader’s speech.

Ciel now enraged more than ever prepares her rapier and activated several auxiliary magic’s.

“Hmm? Hey, can someone just kill this girl here? I’m getting annoyed by her eyes looking at me like that”

3 moved forward and attacked Ciel in a straight forward way.

Ciel now ready stroked the 3 players that tried to attack her and killed them fast.

 Hitting their weak point which is their hearts, Ciel killed them without even getting the chance to at least touch Ciel's skin, and the 3 died right away.

“Hm, try to move closer or ill kill this girl”

The leader warned Ciel, Ciel, now which is in a state of what to do is in suspended animation.

Ciel prepares her magic in her head, chanting it one by one, accumulating more magic as the time passes.

The surrounding became colder and colder, by the time that the man spoke to Ciel.

“Hey, are you scared, little girl? Then I have no choice but to kill this girl to make you DESPAIR!!”

The man laughed evilly while holding his face to hide his big smile. Holding his knife at Nero, nearing its sharp blade at her neck.

This man is creepy, I won’t forgive you, I will kill you

Ciel’s magic was fully charged and was ready to go.

‘The great world, the holy world, Ice is me, a pickled soul, thy greatness shall freeze me, [5^th tier Ice magic: Frozen world]’

While she mumbles, the ground formed a magic circle and eventually freezes the surrounding area. Killing the kidnapers along with it, fortunately, friendly fire doesn’t work on this magic, so Nero is safe.

“Nero, are you safe!?”

Nero, who was still being held by the frozen leader, collapsed on the ground. It seems that Nero fainted.

But, the area where Ciel is now is unimaginable. The men who were supposed to capture Ciel now is a piece of frozen block. The floor glints small light and the ice-cold air drifts making a white smoke float in the middle.

Nero, it seems that she’s safe. Let’s apply a healing spell at her for a moment.

“Oh the one who governs love and fertility, save this one’s life, the petals that never die, [2^nd tier holy magic: Recuperate]. It seems overkill to cast 2^nd tier magic at simple scratches but this should be enough”

While Ciel's body and Nero’s body were covered in sakura* leaves. The petals revolve around Nero and glows a slightly pink color, illuminating the ice world by Ciel's attack. The whole room lit up, with its pink color.

And thus Nero’s life has been spared.