LOTM: Seekers

49. Should I stab him?

"Chris," Cassie called from behind as I carried her on my back, carefully descending the coral tower.

"Yes?" I replied, maneuvering downward with the help of my threads and controlled bursts of flame beneath my feet, mindful not to jostle her too much and cause motion sickness.

"Um… this might sound weird, but… do you like mushrooms?" she asked, her tone curious and a little hesitant.

"Well, that is a strange question," I chuckled. "I've never really thought about it. I don't particularly like them, but I don't dislike them either. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, just curious," she said, then fell silent for a few moments before adding, "Please… stay away from them if you can."

"Uh… alright, I guess?" I replied, puzzled. It was odd advice, but there was no harm in following it.

"You have to," she insisted, but her voice carried a note of relief, as if reassured by my answer. A short while later, we finally touched down on the ground below.

The moment my feet touched the ground, a thread silently shot out from my left hand—thin and nearly invisible—as it slithered toward the figures lurking in the shadows, waiting for me to descend. Without hesitation, I activated my stigma. Just as I would channel flames through the end of my thread staff, I sent fire surging along the hidden strand. Following its path like a guided trail, the flame ignited the carapace scavengers, burning them down regardless of how well they were concealed.

I was growing increasingly adept at controlling it with precision.

These Carapace Scavengers were tainted by a slight Corruption or so Uriel told me, which made them especially vulnerable to Uriel's abilities—much to my advantage.

"..." Cassie was momentarily speechless—not because of what I had just done, but because I was still carrying her even after we'd landed.

"I can walk on my own," she said, her voice firm. She disliked being treated differently because of her blindness. Even though she knew she needed help at times, accepting special treatment was something she simply couldn't bring herself to do.

"It's fine. It's not like you're heavy—maybe if you were five times heavier... pfft—hahaha!" I couldn't help but laugh.

A confused Cassie tilted her head. "What happened?"

Is it that angel he talked to before? Or is he just trying to change the subject? she wondered. But the real answer was far more ridiculous than anything she could have imagined.

"Nothing, hahaha," I said, struggling to suppress my laughter. "I was just wondering how heavy you'd have to be for me to be unable to carry you anymore. Then, well… I imagined you five—no, ten times heavier. Still with that smooth, doll-like face, but with jiggly, flabby limbs wobbling around—pfft! No, I can't. I'm sorry. Let's stop for a second—I can't! AHAHAHAHA!"

"..."

A wooden staff materialized in her hand.

Should I stab him with this?

She was seriously considering it.

A few moments later, my laughter finally died down.

"Have you had enough fun?" came a chilly voice, spoken directly behind my ear. The icy tone sent a shiver down my spine.

"Ahem… y-yes, of course, ma'am," I replied quickly, doing my best to sound composed. "Now then, let's get moving."

I continued on as if nothing had happened. The best way to deal with a situation like this... was to pretend it never happened at all. So, with her still on my back, we resumed our journey.

"I can walk," she tried to bring the topic back, but—

"I'll have to refrain from that," I cut in smoothly.

Cassie, who had just been decisively shut down, opened her mouth to argue—only for me to add, "If I were to see you right now… kehehe... I don't think I could handle it. So yeah, I'll pass." I was using every ounce of willpower to stop myself from laughing again—yet it was still impossible to hold it all in.

Just as I was starting to laugh again, an idea popped into Cassie's head.

"Kuhu… haha—hahaghgyak!" she suddenly wrapped her arm around my neck and held on—not tight enough to hurt, but just enough to throw off my voice mid-laugh.

"Hehe," a soft, mischievous chuckle followed from the culprit.

"...Ms. Cassie," I called out.

"Yes?" she replied, her voice a note higher—completely innocent, or at least pretending to be.

"Um… nothing. I just hope you can loosen your gri—IEK!" She did it again. Just like before, it was followed by another chuckle—this time more unrestrained.

"..." I was speechless.

"Ms. Cassie," I called out again. "Didn't you say you wanted to walk? I'll let you down."

But just as I was about to lower her, the grip around my neck tightened.

"Are you seriously going to leave a defenseless, frail, blind girl to walk all alone?" she asked sweetly—too sweetly.

"Uh… alright then." And so, we continued our journey, with Cassie trying—and failing—to hold back her laughter as it slipped out anyway. Well, I reap what I sow but..

'The Constellation "Demon-like Judge of Circle" frowned at the situation.'

…What are you dissatisfied with now?

****

I walked through the unchanging scenery—an endless maze of twisted, red coral-like forest. It might have looked like a leisurely stroll without knowing where I'm going, but I had already scouted a path with the fewest Carapace Scavengers to avoid wasting more time than necessary. Even so, the area felt familiar. I was fairly certain this was where I had found Cassie—or at least, it lay in the same direction.

With the help of Detection, it didn't take long for us to locate the person we were looking for. However, aside from our intended target, the one who lit up the night , there were a few unfamiliar individuals in other directions too.

If Cassie's words are to be trusted, then these must be the ones sent here by the Winter Solstice, I estimated, continuing with our original plan as I approached the closest figure to our position.

What we found is a young woman. 

She was a slender girl, but unlike Cassie, she didn't appear fragile. Her white hair and pale gray eyes gave her an almost ethereal presence—so much so that, if seen under the moonlight by a lake, one might mistake her for a spirit of the moon.

She sat in front of a dead Carapace Scavenger, holding a bone with half-eaten meat in her hand. On her back was a large coral growth, most likely to protect her from ambushes from behind. To be honest, it was a bizarre sight, but somehow it fit the surroundings better than my first impression of Cassie, who had been alone in the middle of nowhere.

Despite my approach, she didn't seem particularly bothered. She slowly set her breakfast aside, her eyes locking onto mine. Once there was enough safe distance between us, I gently put Cassie down, giving myself more room to react if needed. Then I asked, "Are you human?"

Somehow, I sensed a strange gaze from Cassie. But you have to understand—living in a world where even the slightest eavesdropping can rot your ears, where a mirror could kill you at any moment, and where babies and pregnant women can be more deadly than serial killers, you learn to expect the unexpected.

 I added cautiously, "Are you here because of the Winter Solstice, too?"

"I am," the girl replied with an aloof tone—just as I had imagined from her appearance. "But who are you? I don't recall seeing you at the academy before."

"Is it Nephis?" Cassie interrupted, recognizing the voice.

"You know her?" I asked, surprised.

"You're… Cassia?" the silver-haired girl—Nephis—responded.

With their familiarity easing the tension between us, the mutual suspicion each of us had felt lessened by a notch.