After returning to our room, Mary gently closed the door and broke the silence by suggesting we’d be starving in the morning, which led us to another issue.  

We were totally alone. With no help from Meruria or Cridia, Team Quella just had Team Quella. We couldn’t speak the language of this world. How would we buy supplies or food? If we had an emergency, how would we get help? If we wanted to stay at an inn? How could we communicate that?  

We talked about this for a little bit before we had a sudden realization...  

None of us ever demanded the truth from Meruria.   

I knew we all had it on our minds, but after talking it over, it was like it vanished from our memory and only reappeared when we weren’t near our summoner. More than ever, we knew she was involved. She had to have been. It was unnerving. Sure, we could’ve demanded answers by marching back to her, but would that work? Or would she threaten to throw one of us into the void like she did Shuuta? 

Even if I’m a 5-Star, I can’t compare to Mia in terms of magical strength. I wouldn't win in any kind of fight. I need to get stronger...  

Greggie and Keeth started to push their beds to the other side of the room. “We thought you wouldn’t feel comfortable--” Greggie started to say. 

“NOPE!” Elly jumped over the bed and grabbed the chef by his thick hand. “In this new world, we gotta stick together. Purposely making a divide between us feels wrong. Besides, you two aren’t the type to feel up a girl when she’s asleep, are ya?”   

“Sleep touching?” Ami asked. She had trouble with the syntax of Elly’s question and groped her breasts through her yellow shirt. “Greggie sleep touching?"  

“Not in a million years!” Greggie hastily replied. Keeth echoed something similar, and Elly gave them each a big hug.  

“Qutie? Mary?” Elly asked us our thoughts.  

“We don’t have anything to worry about. Really, you’re the only two guys in our class we can trust,” I said, giving a small smile. “In this world, we only have us. It’s best to stick together when we can.” The boys’ stiff expressions softened, and they returned their beds to their original location. Mary said she had read the files on them. The ‘worst’ Greggie had done was break curfew because his truck's battery died. For Keeth, he had once fallen asleep inside a pottery store because he had just finished a 13-hour job. The security guard thought he was a thief.  

"But I don't have any problems with it," Mary added. 

Another series of yawns spread around, and it was time to go to bed. The lanterns soon turned off one by one, and we slipped underneath the coarse excuse for a blanket and laid on the stone-like pillow.  

Elly groaned that she hated falling asleep with a shirt on and preferred to sleep in her panties, which her cousin echoed, but even she knew that it was dangerous to strip her clothes off when we could be summoned at any time. Greggie and Keeth remained quiet, but I also shared Elly’s sentiment. But that was because I never cared about people seeing my bare body. After all, it was just that.  

A body.  

We all had one. Perhaps my breasts were larger than normal, and my mother said I was blessed in the hips, but so what?  

I suppose it didn’t matter. Only a fool would strip when in the heart of the enemy’s army.  

The past two days had changed the course of my life, and it wouldn’t ever be the same. I was utterly exhausted, but I couldn’t find it in me to sleep after placing my glasses on the lantern above my bed. His face appeared in my mind. But when I eventually fell asleep?  

I was forced to endure that awful nightmare, and I died.  

Again, and again, and again...  

Each time I met my end, I heard my mother’s voice disowning me for not living up to her standards.  

It was a double nightmare, but this was my sin to bear.  

Once I perish from this world, will I see him in the afterlife?  

---

Before the sun was even a spec in the sky, Team Quella stood in the nave of Meruria’s church, which did not skimp out on the luxuries. From golden curtains to shining chandeliers, it was like most of her wealth was dedicated to lavishness. Earlier this morning, a dwarf in a suit came to fetch us, but we were already up. It was hard to sleep with growling stomachs, especially if you knew you were going out into the unknown for the next 25 days.   

“The Aquatic Caverns of Melusine. That is where I will be sending you,” Meruria said as she appeared from a pillar of light, still wearing the same skimpy dress. She wasn’t alone, though. There was a white-eared beastfolk—probably a Wolffolk, if I had to guess, standing there.  

She was dressed in a purple nightgown, but her blue eyes and tail were dead to the world. Without warning, Meruria put an arm around the beastfolk, slipped down her gown, and started to grope her bare breasts in front of us. She squeezed as if we weren’t there, but the girl didn’t react. She was completely stoic, but Meruria showed no signs of stopping. In fact, she even grinned and never broke eye contact as if this was a power move to intimidate us. 

“I know what you did,” I stated, stepping forward. I stared down the perverted Holy Lord and spoke my piece, never once breaking eye contact. “You think you’re slick, but you aren’t. We know you did something to our feelings to make us think of our childhood pets when you paraded Shuuta around. That trial was rigged, and you know it. And when we tried to confront you last night, you did something to make us forget it until we returned to our room.”  

Meruria snickered and broke into a hearty chuckle. “What? Do you think you cracked the code? That you have it all figured out? For your information—No, I will do this instead.” After a spark of light flashed around her palm, she held her staff in her free hand. A second after that, the same bell she used in the trial appeared in front of her. Instead of grabbing it, it flew to me. “Go ahead, pick it up. Just to let you know, Quella, you won't see a list of aspects you can change because that doesn't exist. The Kingdom of Aquanis manufactures that artifact to impartially deduce truth from fiction. It is impossible to alter." 

Like she said, I didn't see anything even resembling a settings menu. Still, I tested it out by stating a lie and truth to confirm it worked.  

“Did you use some sort of ability, spell, or skill to tamper with our feelings during Shuuta’s trial?” I asked.   

“Yes, I did. I, Holy Lord Meruria, tampered with your feelings during the trial.” The bell didn’t ring, but Meruria didn’t stop. “Even had I not acted, you all would’ve wanted Shuuta to die out of pity because that is what you subconsciously wanted. Is it not human nature to want something on the verge of death to die to end their suffering?" 

The bell...  

Did not ring...  

It remained totally silent. Hastily, I stated a lie about something only I would know, and it made noise. Frustrated, I asked Meruria thrice over before Elly’s shaking hands took the bell. She asked, it didn’t ring, and we passed it around while almost begging for what Meruria said to be a lie.  

“My dear warriors, surely you want to end this farce, yes? It does not matter how many times you ask because my answer will not change. I am speaking the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and I’ll do it again to prove it. I, Holy Lord Meruria, once again confess that had I done nothing at all, the outcome would not have changed.  Your desire for Shuuta’s death was out of pity, but nonetheless, it is what you desired in your subconscious. If you don’t believe me, ask the bell yourself because the power I used is not active. Ah, but I will admit to using it last night after you arrived late to dinner." 

The bell didn't ring. 

"Fine! I will. I did not want to see Shuuta die out of pity because I wanted him to be at peace. I wanted him to live! For whatever reasons that do not matter, I wanted him to live!”  

Almost immediately, the bell started to ring, and my heart sank once more. Mary and the others stated the same thing, but the bell never remained silent.  

We didn’t want to believe it. We refused to believe it. The only thing worse than Meruria’s annoying laugh was the person who entered a few moments later.   

“Lord Meruria, you really love my sister, don’t cha?” said a voice from behind. I turned around and saw that insufferable, brown-eared scum of a woman casually walking down the aisle. She was dressed in a suit with a white buttoned-up shirt and a red tie. A pair of daggers sat on her hips, and she wore heeled boots that nosily echoed on the marble flooring. “Aww, you’re still angry at little ole me? Don’t worry, Lady Quella, I made sure to give Lord Shuuta the riiiddeeee~~ of his life before his passing. Oh~~ He probably thought of me until the end...” Her furry ears twitched, but it wasn't cute. It was despicable.  

“You’re an insufferable bitch!” Greggie growled, slamming the bell against the ground. It simply bounced without any scratches or blemishes before disappearing in a flash of light. The beastfolk giggled a second time, then teleported beside Meruria. “And so are you! Meruria, you’re a monster! We know you put those feelings in our hearts! We know it!!!! The bell is broken! It must be!”  

“You may want to calm down, Greggie, lest your heart decides to croak and enacts its gluttonous revenge. Now, onto your task... The caverns are full of water and ice monsters, and the average level is 18. Really, if you die here, you’re just as pathetic as the sacrifice. I expect great things, you know. Exceed my expectations, or you’ll face the consequences. A 5-Star you may be, you have shown me nothing I should be impressed by. Quella, I shall see you and your team in 25 days. Perhaps you’ll be more mature by then. It saddens me to see you blame others for your own feelings because you cannot understand them.” While continuing to grope that girl, Meruria raised her staff. A magic circle appeared on the floor, and our eyes were filled with white.  

And then it felt cold and chilly.   

Our sight returned to our eyes, and we were there...standing in the middle of a large cavern with ice-blue walls. A moat of extremely cold water, filled with stalagmites, surrounded us, and there were just four bridges that led to four rooms. Icy stalactites threatened us from above, and they slowly leaked water. Elly yelped when it a drop landed on her bare neck. There was a hole in the roof above us that let in some amount of light, but it wasn’t a lot.   

And then the realization came, and it struck like a speeding truck.  

“It’s not true... Elly, say it isn’t true...” Ami whined. She wrapped her arms around her cousin and cried. “I didn’t want him to die!!! I didn’t want that!!! Elly!!!!!” She wasn’t the only one. Hearing the truth hurt us, and we all showed it. Mary wiped the water from her eyes with the back of her hand before crouching and hugging her legs. Greggie couldn’t keep the anger in his heart. He turned to Keeth for support, who couldn’t hold back the sadness in his heart.  

I wasn’t an outlier. It was hard to see through the teardrops cascading down my cheeks. I wanted to do nothing more than drop to my butt, hug my legs, and wait for death to take me. Because that was what I deserved, right? If Shuuta died, then it made sense for me to follow that fate since he trusted me.   

 The six of us were broken. The one link that could’ve kept us sane turned out to be a mirage, so did it matter if we survived?  

“Grrrrrrrr...” Suddenly, a lowly growl sent fear through our sadness. Instantly, I stood up and watched a pair of crimson eyes in the far distance down one of the pathways. The thing it belonged to approached us with cautioned steps, but it didn’t see us as a predator because it came close enough for us to see it.    

[Snowy Bipedal Leopard – Lv. 16]  

Standing on two legs, it had nothing but fur covering its body and an icy club in its other hand. Its mouth was stained with crimson, and it probably saw us as a cheap meal. Everyone else stood up. Keeth used his special ability to snatch a chunk of the ground, pricked off a piece about the size of his thumb, and fashioned it into a spear, but that took 90% of his mana. In a flash, he kneeled and groaned while beads of sweat splashed to the ground with salty tears.   

The leopard chuffed as if laughing at our party’s weakness and approached menacingly. It continued when I raised my hand, but its tone changed when a flaming sphere was launched towards it. Ducking under my attack, the monster howled and charged in, but I had mana to spare. With a war cry to fuel me with a false sense of bravery, I defended my friends and let loose a dozen orbs of pure fire until I finally managed to score a hit to its foot.  

Its HP dropped by 9%? That was a lucky strike.  

“We have to fight!” I yelled, trying to get my breathing under control while my arms shook. The fight or flight reaction circulated through my sympathetic nervous system, and it leaned towards the latter. But running away? No, I couldn’t do that. How foolish was I to think throwing away my life would be any better than fighting in this unjust world?  

The leopard tried to stand up, but it couldn’t. It glared its teeth and went down on all fours to run on its three good legs, but it was met with another [Fireball]. It splashed its face, draining another 12% while burning the beast, and that was when Keeth gathered enough strength to run forward with the spear raised.   

“AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!” he screamed, bringing it down upon the beast’s back, which took an additional 22%. Elly broke into song with a mournful voice, but we were energized with [Physical Resolve]. Greggie rushed forward to grab the club the monster had dropped. His large body slowed him down, but his arms were surprisingly muscular from years of constant cooking under the most hectic conditions. He endured the coldness of his armament while breaking the leopard’s hind legs. It roared in pain and writhed; the awful snapping of its bones was another reminder that this was real.  

Meanwhile, Ami put her hands up and used its head as a punching bag, taking care to dodge before the leopard’s paw had a chance to land a strike. She had a green bar under her name, which represented her aura. When it was full, Ami jumped backwards, put both hands together, and launched a green orb from her palms. “Move!!!” she ordered. Keeth and Greggie nodded and slipped while making distance, which was good because the energy ball exploded, leaving behind half a head. Raining chunks of flesh, due, skull, and brain fragments poured around this room, with most landing in the water around us. But the monster’s innards were hot enough to produce steam.  

[New Title: Snowy Bipedal Leopard Slayer (I)]  

[New Title: Novice Fire Mage]  

[New Title: Team Leader]  

You’ve reached Lv. 5. You’ve gained 64 SP  

The empty HP bar under its name signified it was dead.  

We’d killed it. Proof of that was in the titles and my new level staring at me from the activity log.  

Much like that goblin...  

Much like Shuuta...  

It was a harsh truth to face, but reality was rarely ever gentle. 

I tapped my frigid cheeks with my hands and shook the jitteriness from my heart. Fearful goosebumps covered my arms, but I couldn’t give up. I was going to lead my team back to Meruria, and I wouldn’t allow anyone to die. It was awkward to say, but I was the most experienced. Not just in terms of power but because this situation was like the adventure books I loved to read. It didn’t matter if I was the heroine. I was never going to get that role, and I was fine with it.  

Even in this cold abyss, sweat still traveled down my cheeks. Even more so after staring potential death in its bloodstained mouth and ending its life before it could kill us. Vomit traveled up my throat, but I forced it down.

“We can’t keep acting like this,” I said to my team. “We must move on. We must fight to survive. We had our time to mourn him, but our survival is at stake. We’re in a dangerous place, and we’re on a time limit. If we're late, we might die. And... I don’t want that. I think the best thing we can do—”  

“You don’t have to say it, Qutie,” Elly wiped her eyes dry. “I know what you mean, but I’m scared. I think we all are, but we still gotta move forward, right?”  

“Killing that monster made me realize something. This isn’t a dream. I wanna wake up, but I know I won’t,” Ami added. She looked at her bloody hands and formed a pair of fists. “I was a luchadora because it made people happy... But now I want to fight so all of us will survive.”  

“I...don’t want to be useless anymore. I’ve been a coward my whole life,” Mary whispered. She was the only one who remained still during the fight, and she was probably the most scared. “I couldn’t protect Shuuta, but I want to change that!”  

“I guess this means he’s really gone. We won’t ever see him again. I’m sad, of course, but it’s the truth. He’s not hurting anymore. I hope he’s in heaven, though. I hope he’s having the time of his life, but I’m sorry, Shuuta. I’m going to have to accept your death even if it hurts me,” Greggie cleared his throat and ran his ice burnt hands through his hair before slightly yelping from the pain. I couldn't do anything to heal him. Healing magic has to exist in this world, and I need to acquire it.   

“Shuuta’s never held a 1903 Springfield before, and I never had the chance to sculpt him one out of clay. Greggie, I hope you’re right. I hope he’s having fun up there.” 

Same here. Meruria said Shuuta's fate was to be tortured endlessly in the void, but I choose not to believe that. Wherever he is, I know he's happy. He has to be... 

“Then it’s agreed,” I said, raising my voice just slightly. “We’re going to get out of here and survive!” Once I had my team’s affirmation, I continued. “I’ll take the lead since I can attack the fastest. Finding shelter is our top priority. Keeth, keep an eye out for any material you can use to make a tent.” He nodded.   

I looked down the closest passageway and saw almost total darkness. It felt like my shoes were crafted from lead, but this new determination forced my legs forward with my hands and mouth at the ready to strike first at whatever wanted to kill us.