Lania, the Harbinger of Ruin.
Honestly, my memories of that woman were overwhelmingly filled with bad recollections rather than good ones.
「"Now, Ark is finished."」
「"By the will of the Great Spirit."」
「"Die, all of you."」
Lania the Harbinger of Ruin was what one would call a growth-type villain.
Her ether sensitivity, by the latter half of the stage, surpassed even that monstrous leader of the Shadow Order. There was no need to explain just how terrifying her talent was.
In fact, if Lania the Harbinger of Ruin was left unchecked as the stage progressed, there were instances where Ark would fall to the Kronos Union.
That was why, to clear The Defense, she was one of the villains that had to be eliminated before the mid-stage.
If not, Ark's destruction would be inevitable.
'But to think Lania was Carl Marcus's sister…'
It was something I could never have imagined. Yet, if Carl Marcus's absurd level of talent was something hereditary, then it wasn't an entirely impossible idea.
'…Come to think of it, she always spoke of the will of the Great Spirit.'
Back then, I thought it was just some meaningless line.
But now, seeing the situation unfold, she was practically confessing her connection to Carl Marcus with her own mouth.
'The Descendants of the Great Spirit.'
It wasn't just Carl Marcus.
Lania Marcus.
That was probably the real name of Lania the Harbinger of Ruin, the future second-in-command of the Kronos Union.
And the one who would bring Ark to ruin.
"Oraboni! I knew you'd be alive!"
Whether she knew my complicated feelings or not, Lania greeted me with a bright smile.
It was almost suffocating.
"But why are you so pale? You look like some sickly noble! Did you eat something weird?"
"…Not that I know of."
Now that she mentioned it, I did remember having a darker, sun-kissed skin tone compared to Lania…
'Was it the hot springs?'
I vaguely recalled reading somewhere that the hot springs in Noah were good for skin health… but whatever.
I wasn't sure if that was even important right now.
"…'Oraboni?'"
That was when Kalakin, who had been silently observing this mess, looked at me in shock.
"What is going on here, Carl Marcus? You were acquainted with the remnants of Kronos?"
"…It seems that way."
"…You mean to say you didn't know?"
"I didn't."
"…"
Suspicion filled Kalakin's gaze.
It was inevitable.
Even if I were in Kalakin's position, I wouldn't be able to accept this situation so easily.
'In a situation like this, it would be stranger not to suspect me of being a Kronos spy.'
After all, the fact that I came from a tribe near Kronos was common knowledge in Ark.
It wouldn't take long for suspicion to turn into certainty.
Yet, Kalakin's doubts aside, Lania continued speaking to me without a care in the world.
Her openness was almost suffocating.
"Oraboni, you know these people?"
"Yes. I came with them."
"So, you did make it to Ark safely!"
"Yes."
Even hearing that I arrived with Ark's investigation team, Lania only looked relieved.
It was so different from the Lania I knew—the one who resented Ark with every fiber of her being—that I could hardly believe it.
"What about the others? Did they make it with you?"
"If you're asking about Kurilta, he's alive."
"That bald geezer? I don't care about him."
"… …"
Kurilta would probably be heartbroken to hear that.
"There weren't many survivors. Including Kurilta and me, only a handful."
"…I see."
Lania's eyes drooped slightly at my words.
She looked… like a sad puppy.
Something that didn't suit the Lania I remembered at all.
"But I'm glad you're safe, Oraboni. Of course, I always believed you'd be alive."
I didn't answer.
Because if history had progressed as it should have, what would have happened to Carl Marcus?
'If it had been someone else, could they have survived that situation?'
I wasn't sure.
That moment had been that desperate.
The Skull Hounds, led by the Hellhounds, had chased us with relentless persistence.
"And Grandfather… He stayed behind to protect us until the very end."
Grandfather, huh…
Of course, I had no idea who that was.
But I had some guesses.
When I first arrived in this world, there was something Kurilta said to me while I was still dazed.
「"Carl! Stop spacing out and take this!"」
「"Why are you giving this to me…?"」
「"Damn it! You still mad about what the old man said? We don't have time for this, get ready!"」
「"…Ready? Ready for what?"」
「"Damn it! Just do what you want!"」
The old man Kurilta mentioned back then…
He was probably the same person Lania was now calling Grandfather.
'I'll have to ask Kurilta about it later.'
About what exactly happened before we fled.
Why Carl Marcus and Lania Marcus ended up on separate paths.
"I'm sorry, Oraboni. I couldn't protect Grandfather… I was too weak…"
Tears welled up in Lania's eyes.
Then, she carefully buried her face in my chest and wept.
"You've been through a lot."
I glanced down at the girl leaning against me.
'Should I kill her now?'
I had come to understand that Lania the Harbinger of Ruin was Carl Marcus's sister.
Judging by her behavior, she didn't seem to resent Carl Marcus.
But that didn't necessarily mean she was friendly toward me, either.
'No… Even if she were, she's still part of Kronos.'
No matter how I looked at it, Lania the Harbinger of Ruin belonged to the Kronos Union.
Not just that—she would eventually become their second-in-command, the very symbol of Kronos's military might.
'If I strike now, I can kill her easily.'
While she was a growth-type villain, she wasn't that strong yet, not in this early stage.
No, she was probably already stronger than Kalakin, but she was nothing compared to me.
And right now, she was completely vulnerable, trusting me without a single shred of doubt.
If I acted now, she wouldn't even realize she was dead.
Eliminating Lania here would prevent Ark's destruction in the future.
'I have every reason to do it.'
Killing her would also erase Kalakin's suspicions of me entirely.
Then, I could rescue the investigation team from the ant nest and leave undetected.
Normally, that might have been difficult, but with the chaos from the current attack, it was perfectly feasible.
'Hmmm…'
Logically, this was the best course of action.
And yet…
For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to do it.
Lania the Harbinger of Ruin was a massive threat to Ark.
For Ark's sake, eliminating her now was clearly the best option.
But…
'Would that really be enough?'
I had killed Lania countless times before.
Every time, it ensured Ark's survival.
Yet, in the end…
I still failed to clear The Defense.
Of course, back then, I thought—
If only I had bullets. If only I had bullets, I could clear it.
But was that really enough?
Was there no other way?
'If I could bring the Kronos Union over to Ark's side…'
No, I didn't even need them as allies.
If the Kronos Union simply refrained from antagonizing Ark and remained neutral, that alone would change everything.
That's why—
I shook my head.
Because the thought crossed my mind—perhaps I could use the relationship between Lania Marcus and Carl Marcus.
'Judging by Lania's attitude toward Carl Marcus, it's not entirely impossible.'
There was no need to go as far as trying to establish a friendly relationship between Ark and the Kronos Union.
As long as they didn't become enemies, that alone would be enough.
'Lania the Harbinger of Ruin will one day become the second-in-command of the Kronos Union, the true power behind the scenes. If I can persuade her properly, it might be possible to establish a non-hostile relationship with Ark.'
After much deliberation, I carefully patted Lania on the back and spoke.
"This isn't the time for this, is it?"
"Ah."
Only then did Lania, her face streaked with tears and snot, wipe it all off on my clothes.
"… …"
"What? Is it expensive or something?"
"…It's nothing."
Expensive or not, wasn't it common courtesy not to blow your nose on someone else's clothes?
For some reason, I was suddenly struck by the realization that Kurilta was actually quite a gentleman.
Turning my gaze to the collapsing cavern, I spoke again.
"We need to get out of here first."
"Got it. Follow me."
"No, there's something I need to do first. Where are the investigation team members sent by Ark?"
Lania's eyes narrowed.
"Which bitch is it?"
"…Huh?"
Even Kalakin, who had been standing beside me, was caught off guard by her words. He looked between me and Lania with a bewildered expression.
"What do you mean?"
"Who is she? The bitch you're so eager to save that you're ignoring your long-awaited reunion with your little sister? Oh, is it that pale-faced one? Or maybe the one with the dog-like eyes?"
"… …"
Even as Lania spewed venom toward Iris and Hildegard, I found myself at a loss for words.
"…I don't know what you're talking about, but it's nothing like that. I'm just trying to save my team members."
Lania grinned.
"You should've just said so from the start. Follow me."
"… …"
What could I even say?
She didn't match at all with the ruthless destroyer I once knew.
At this rate, she really was…
["She's definitely your sister."]
'…In what way?'
["From being completely unhinged to being shamelessly blunt, you two are clearly cut from the same cloth."]
'...'
At that moment, Lania, who had been leading the way through the ant nest's tunnels, suddenly turned her gaze.
"Who's that?"
["Hic!"]
Of course, in terms of sheer power, Esther, a former Grade-1 Specter, had no reason to fear Lania.
Yet, for some reason, whether it was Lania's eerie presence or something else, Esther was so rattled that she even let out an unnecessary hiccup.
["C-Can you see me?"]
She sounded like a ghost in a third-rate horror film.
The moment her eyes met Lania's again; she flinched.
To be fair, high enough ether sensitivity allowing specters to be visible wasn't all that unusual.
However, since lower-level ether attuned individuals couldn't perceive Esther, it wasn't a common occurrence.
Even among the investigation team, Iris hadn't been able to see Esther.
"Oraboni, what is that?"
"…Don't mind it."
"Hmmm. If you say so, then fine. But you—"
Lania raised two fingers to her eyes before pointing them at Esther.
"I'll be watching you."
["..."]
With the collapsing tunnels barely held together by ether, we pressed on through the ant nest.
Eventually, we reached the prison where the investigation team members were being held.
"…Kalakin? Were you captured too?"
"No. I came to rescue you."
Hildegard's gaze shifted past Kalakin, settling on me and Lania.
"…Carl Marcus."
"Don't say my Oraboni's name so carelessly."
"…Excuse me?"
Hildegard couldn't hide her bewilderment at Lania's sudden interruption.
The same went for Dmitri and Iris.
They were so stunned that they couldn't even speak, merely opening and closing their mouths like fish.
"This is…"
If I left things as they were, explaining would take all day, so I cut in.
"I'll explain later. For now, we need to leave."
As much as I wished otherwise, there was no time for lengthy explanations.
Even now, the cavern and tunnels of the ant nest were collapsing, sending rubble scattering everywhere.
Or rather, to be precise, the only reason they hadn't fully collapsed yet was because Lania and Esther were forcibly holding them together.
"…Ah."
Lania unlocked the prison door and freed the team members from their restraints.
"What about our equipment?"
"Over there."
Once the team quickly rearmed themselves, they grabbed their weapons and instinctively turned a wary gaze toward Lania.
"What, are you seriously thinking of fighting me? You'll regret it."
Ether flickered ominously around Lania.
Even though Kalakin was the wielder of the Moonlight Blade, he wasn't strong enough to handle Lania right now.
I had no choice but to step in.
"This isn't the time for this. You don't want to get buried alive here, do you?"
"…And we're just supposed to trust you?"
Dmitri spoke, his tone already treating me as an enemy.
'Tch. Guess there's no other way.'
I had wanted to resolve this as peacefully as possible.
But if things continued like this, we'd all end up buried here together.
I had no choice but to use more forceful means.
'Esther.'
["Yes?"]
'Knock them all out. We're dragging them out of here by force.'