Chapter 176 - Encounter and Blessing

Kairos was surprised to see me appear with Myne.

[What happened? Why are you in tatters like that?]

[A ferocious tiger just hit me.]

[I see. Sure is a ferocious tiger.]

[Trying to attack me while I sleep, what a crafty guy]

[Fate! You….]

[No, I didn’t. That’s a false accusation! I was just trying to wake her up]

[Well…that’s what they always say]

[Not Mikuria-san too…]

[Okay, let’s stop with the joking. We need to go. Is the preparation done?]

[ [ Yes ] ]

Kairos nodded back to us. Then he took the black sword that was left leaning on the wall behind him.

[Are we going at last? Took you long enough.]

[My bad. Things just not the same as usual. And it’s all thanks to Fate. I haven’t been able to find anything as funny for a long time. I guess I’d been too focused on how much time I had left.]

[You are…such a horrible man. You haven’t really changed at all.]

Kairos looked happy.

[Alright then, let’s go. Mikuria, until later.]

[Yes. Be careful.]

[There are actually not that many researchers in this facility. And most of them tend to stay in their own room doing research like Mikuria does. Two researchers rarely pass each other in this passageway.]

[Let me tell you, this looks so easy only because we have an insider.]

[If we don’t…what would happen?]

[Look at that. Although it’s currently inactive now.]

[The bronze statue?]

[It’s not just a statue! It’s a machine. A mechanized doll that will attack immediately once it detects a suspicious person. The most troublesome part is that more of them will continue to come. Not to mention that those things have no soul, so Gluttony skill cannot devour them.]

[Cause it’s not fulfilling, so it’s a bore?]

[That’s right! That’s why, it’s better to not awaken them if possible.]

[Okay then, how should we proceed from here?]

I felt like I had a weird case of deja vu.

[It seems that we’ll have to go to the underground level via this ventilation shaft. Apparently, even though Mikuria-san couldn’t secure a regular path to that place.]

[Well, of course. She didn’t even know what’s in there after all.]

I pried open the cover of the designated ventilation shaft, as per the instruction.

[Ugh… the inside is a bit dusty. And just after I had shower.]

[Indeed. Myne, I don’t think piggybacking will work here.]

[…..I’m going back.]

[Oy you, wait! How about your promise?]

[Myne….will go]

[Just kidding. I know. Promise must be fulfilled.]

[Fate seems to be very familiar with this.]

[Ahahah… I did something similar in the past.]

[As expected from our guide. I made a good choice.]

[Don’t you think, it’s getting somewhat cold?]

[Cold…]

[Indeed it is. Don’t let your hands cling too long. Greed, what’s the current temperature?]

[You really like to work your sword roughly. The temperature is -10 degrees. It also gets colder as you get down. You might become a clattering mess if you keep going down.]

[I thought so. Let’s make it quick then.]

[What do they keep in such a place? Although it’s not excessively cold, it’s not the temperature where most living creatures could stay in for too long.]

[It’s too cold.]

[The place marked in the floor plan is just around the corner.]

[That’s not bad at all. Although there is still some roughness there. But I can feel that you’ve been forged through actual battles.]

[This is the first time someone actually praised my swordsmanship.]

[I guess Fate’s teacher was a very strict person, huh?]

[I guess so…]

[What?]

[Quickly. I’ll push you if you don’t.]

[Okay, I know. Heave ho.]

[The leftover food.]

[You two, look ahead.]

Even in this extreme cold, the blob seemingly survived without freezing.

[Myne?]

[My…ne, you are…finally here.]