736 The Pen [3]

The aperture in the cell was so small that very little light could pass through it. It was eerily quiet and pitch black. He had no idea how long he had been locked up for. He had long stopped keeping track.

He just felt numb.

Thinking about his wife and daughter, he felt his heart get torn into pieces.

He was innocent. He didn't do anything, but for some reason, he was framed. It wasn't just him; Levisha and Gravar were put in the same circumstances as him.

… They had been wondering why, but the only response they got was a list of charges. Each worse than the other.

The looks of scorn and the contempt he received from the guards were something he'd never experienced in his whole life.

'Why are they doing this to me?'

Toshimoto's head slowly raised as he gazed up at the pitch-black ceiling above him with a blank expression on his face.

He felt so empty…

Rumble!

Suddenly, he heard a muffled rumbling sound coming from a distance, and he lowered his head to look in that direction.

"What's going on?"

He wondered, weakly raising himself and moving toward the door.

Rumble!

Another muffled rumble reverberated. This time, it was a lot closer, and Toshimoto was able to make it out clearly.

'Did something happen in the facility?'

He felt his heart beat quicker.

Rumble!

The rumbling was getting louder and louder with each passing second, and it wasn't long before it reached his direction; he could feel the entire room shaking as it happened.

"This power?"

It felt terrifying and oppressive.

"Mia?"

He was able to instantly recognize it due to the heaviness of it. What was more terrifying was the fact that it was getting weaker and weaker by the second.

'Is she fighting against someone?'

It soon became clear to him that something major was happening. An attack perhaps? He wasn't sure… but for it to require Mia's personal intervention... It had to be extremely serious.

Booom!

The terrifying sound of an explosion came from nowhere, and at the same time, the door of the cell was violently blown open.

Toshimoto had to quickly cover his eyes with his arm in order to protect himself from the sudden influx of light that filled the room.

"Argh!"

He still nonetheless felt his eyes sting.

"W,what is happening?"

In spite of the pain, Toshimoto forced himself to open his eyes and see what was going on.

It was there that he caught sight of two deep blue eyes staring at him. With a smile on his face, he greeted.

"It's very nice to meet you… Uhm, Master?"

***

Master? Benefactor?

Was that the right way to address him? Technically speaking, he wasn't the same person as the one from my world, but at the same time… he was?

Or was he not?

'Ugh, this is so confusing.'

I felt a headache thinking of how to address him. In the end, I still came to the decision that it was appropriate to address him as master.

It was a form of respect for everything that his martial manual had granted me. Without it, I wouldn't have been what I was today.

"Y,you, who are you?"

He looked different from the Keiki that I knew.

Compared to the remnant soul I had met back then, he looked much older and more malnourished. The skin on his face was also quite pale, and he appeared to have trouble standing up straight.

"Let's leave the questions for later. Let me help you get out of here first."

I offered him my hand, which he glanced at with caution. I smiled at that.

"I understand your caution, but you really have no choice but to take my hand. It's either you take my hand or you stay here and go through the death sentence."

Grandmaster Keiki's face changed before he eventually nodded his head.

"You're right."

His sudden calmness and composure in dealing with the unexpected matter was rather surprising, but how should I put this... As expected of my master?

He took the initiative and grabbed hold of my hand. It was at that point that I directed my mana into his body, and finally, his frail body started to transform.

His previously pale face became flushed with red, his posture began to straighten, and his muscles began to fill.

Within seconds, he looked like a completely different person.

"This…"

He seemed startled by the sudden changes, but I merely smiled at him and let go.

"That will do for now. Let's go."

Rumble!

I had just turned around when I felt a strong force heading in my direction, and I furrowed my brows.

"…How annoying."

As I moved my hand forward, a figure slammed into the nearby wall, leaving behind a sizable impression.

"Cough… Cough…"

Several coughs came after that, and I found myself on the other end of two glaring red eyes.

"I,impossible."

She weakly muttered while trying her best to get out of the deformation on the wall.

I rolled my eyes and turned to look at Grandmaster Keiki.

"What's wrong?"

The way he looked at me was akin to that of someone looking at a ghost. 

"T,that… How?"

"Don't worry about it."

I gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder before turning my attention to the other two prison cells. After pointing at them, the doors suddenly blasted open, revealing two elderly men in poor health. One's stature was larger than the other, while another seemed rather handsome, and I instantly knew who they were.

'Grandmaster Levisha, Grandmaster Gravar.'

I signaled to them with my finger, and they both sped in my direction. When they arrived, I pressed my hand against each of their chests.

Instantaneously, a similar scene from before replayed, and the two of them began to heal very quickly, and not long after that, they became filled with vitality.

"What's going on?"

"What's happening?"

After opening their eyes, both of them stared at themselves in disbelief for a moment before turning their attention back to me. As soon as they laid eyes on me, I smiled warmly and offered them a greeting.

"It's an honor to meet you."

The two of them looked at each other before shifting their attention toward Grandmaster Keiki, who shook his head.

Seeing just how apprehensive the three of them were, I didn't bother saying anything.

Had I been in their situation, I'd have reacted the same as them.

"Ukh… Cough…"

I had just finished speaking when I was startled by a series of coughs coming from behind me. Turning around, I saw Mia standing there. My eyes opened in surprise.

'She's quite tenacious.'

"Y…you, what are you doing?"

"Can't you see?"

I thought it was fairly obvious from the start.

She glared at me more fiercely and took a step forward. Her hair was all over her face, and blood was dripping down the side of her mouth and down the back of her head.

"D,don't you da-pftt"

She spat a mouthful of blood halfway through her sentence and took a knee.

I was honestly impressed by her willpower. Had it been anyone else, they would've already given up by now.

'I wonder just how strong she would've been in my world had she survived…'

The fact that she was not a person who I knew very well led me to believe that during the second cataclysm, a demon had most likely been the cause of her death.

It was a pity since she was so talented.

"Alright then, let's get going."

I turned my gaze away from her and looked up. Just as I was about to make a move, I heard Grandmaster Keiki's voice.

"Wait."

"Hm?"

I stopped whatever I was doing and looked at him.

He stared straight into my eyes with a serious look.

"Are you really on our side?"

Even though his question appeared to be rather straightforward, he and the two other grandmasters became tense the moment he asked it. They were still extremely vigilant.

I calmly looked at the three of them.

"If I wasn't on your side, I wouldn't have bothered coming here."

Grandmaster Keiki closed his eyes for a short time and then turned around to look behind me. He looked toward Mia.

"…Then, if you're really on our side. Take her with you."

"Huh?"

His words surprised me as I turned to look behind me, where Mia was. She was looking at me with a fierce glare, and I looked back toward Grandmaster Keiki.

An idea suddenly popped up in my mind.

"…Is she on your side?"

  "Yes."

He nodded.

"Without her, we would've probably been in even worse shape. You can say that the only reason we're still alive is because of her."

My eyes squinted. Last I recall, they were in pretty bad shape. Did she brainwash them into thinking that she was on their side?

As if he could read my mind, he continued.

"They were planning on having us chained up for every moment of our stay over there. She was the one who opposed it. Almost risking her career over it."

"Risking her career?"

I looked at her strangely.

Before I could say anything else, Grandmaster Levisha spoke.

"The forces behind our imprisonment are far stronger than you think. Just that simple action was a big risk for her."

"I see…"

I came to a sudden understanding.

"Very well then. Let's get out of here then."

Bringing another person out wasn't really a problem.

With a wave of my hand, my vision warped.