On the scorched streets with a similar landscape, Marie continued running.
Despite wearing high heels, astonishingly, Marie ran without pause or discomfort. Behind her, a horde of skeletal warriors chased after her.
They were the reason Marie had to flee and scream for help.
A few minutes ago, after waking up in this burning city, Marie encountered this group of skeleton soldiers and had been running ever since.
Honestly, she was almost completely out of strength!
"Damn it, why am I so unlucky… Where is that idiot Naoki! Where's the protector he promised me!"
If Naoki were here, monsters of this level wouldn't even be worth a single finger. But unfortunately, he wasn't here now. Though she didn't know the reason, Marie had already decided in her heart that she would give him a thorough scolding once they returned!
*TAP-TAP-TAP!*
The sound of footsteps from behind grew closer. After running for so long, Marie's speed had begun to slow.
If this continued, she would be caught.
"Damn it, don't think I'm easy to bully—"
Quickly turning around, Marie shaped her hand like a pistol and aimed it at the crowd of skeletons ahead. A Gandr bullet gathered at her fingertip, but before she could fire, a large black shadow suddenly swooped down from above her head!
It was a massive boulder, resembling a large chunk broken off from the ceiling of a building.
*BRAAAKK!*
The boulder falling from the sky crashed hard in front of Marie, instantly obliterating all the skeleton soldiers chasing her!
Who threw this?
As she wondered, Marie heard sudden footsteps approaching from behind. She turned and saw two familiar figures running toward her.
"Fujimura Ritsuka? Akuta Hinako? And… is that Mash?"
Seeing the three people approaching her, relief immediately flooded Marie's heart: "You're all here!?"
"Since I heard your cry for help, I ran over immediately." Hinako said with an annoyed tone. "So troublesome. If it weren't to confirm your safety, I wouldn't be running around like this."
"Uh… Hinako! What kind of attitude is that? Are you speaking like that to the Director of Chaldea—"
"Alright, alright. Director, calm down. And Akuta-Senpai, don't be like that. Let's talk nicely."
Seeing the two about to argue, Ritsuka quickly stepped in between them to stop it: "Director, the situation is urgent right now. Let's go with us first—let's find a safe place to rest."
"You, the newcomer, teaching me how to work?"
"Uh… that's not what I meant. It's just the situation…"
(This Director is really hard to get along with!)
Ritsuka felt exhausted. Someone like Marie was exactly the type of person she couldn't communicate with. Communication simply didn't work well at all.
"But… you do have a point."
After calming down slightly, Marie looked at the three in front of her: "Like the newcomer said, let's find a place first. I need to calm down and think about the current situation—Hinako, are you alright?"
"Don't lump me in with you people."
With that cold remark, Hinako turned and walked into the empty building beside them, carrying Mash on her shoulder.
After stomping her foot in frustration, Marie followed them.
(Not only Director Olga, even Senpai Akuta is hard to talk to… Ah, I feel so unlucky.)
On the first floor of the empty building, inside a room that seemed to have once been a shop, near the elevator.
Leaning against three corners of the room, after listening to each other's accounts of what had happened, Marie gently held her forehead: "An explosion… Yes, I remember too. There really was an explosion in the control room. But are you sure Naoki said that, Fujimura?"
"Did Natsukawa really say Lev would cause an explosion?"
Ritsuka, hugging the small animal in her arms, nodded: "Yes, the department head said it, right before I lay down in that tube."
"…"
Marie crossed her arms and fell silent.
In Chaldea, the people she trusted most were Naoki, Lev, and Romani. These three were the important figures her father had left behind, and essential presences within Chaldea. Daily, they supported her in every way.
Now, she was being told that one of the people she trusted most caused the explosion in Chaldea? And Naoki had known about it all along?
(Why didn't you tell me sooner, Natsukawa?)
A feeling of disappointment began to rise in Marie's heart, but she quickly suppressed it and turned toward Hinako and the unconscious Mash. Just as she was about to say something—
*TITITIT!*
The bracelets on their three wrists rang simultaneously.
A connection?
Ritsuka and Marie were both startled, while Hinako firmly accepted the call. Along with a projected light screen appearing in the air, the image of Roman sitting in the command chair in the control room appeared before the three of them.
"Great! Finally connected! Hello, hello? Can you hear me?"
"Yes! We can hear you, Doctor Roman!"
Ritsuka immediately answered.
Finally, she had met someone she could talk to properly!
Seeing Roman sitting there, Hinako and Marie immediately asked: "Romani, why are you sitting in that seat!"
"Where's Naoki? Make him talk to me."
"Eh—! Director? Miss Akuta? You're there too?"
Roman had just noticed the two of them and was surprised. However, a second later, he felt relieved: "Thank goodness, you're all safe. It's such a relief you managed to complete particle transfer under such circumstances. I thought you all might've…"
"I won't easily get hurt! Besides, answer my question, Romani. Why are you, the head of the medical department, sitting in that seat? Where's Lev? Where's Naoki?"
"Ah… that… Professor Lev was at the center of the explosion, so there's almost no chance he survived."
Roman delivered this fact with a heavy tone.
"How could… Then Naoki? He must be fine!"
"Yes, Natsukawa is fine. But right now, he's working hard repairing Chaldea's damage and maintaining the power supply to keep Chaldea operational. So he's not in the control room. That's why I'm temporarily sitting here as acting operations commander. After all, in Chaldea right now, besides Natsukawa, I'm the highest-ranking."
Naoki is safe.
Hearing Roman say that, Marie visibly relaxed. The tense expression on her face softened. As long as Naoki was safe, nothing else mattered more.
"Then, since you're all confirmed safe, please describe your situation there. Once we understand it, we can formulate an appropriate strategy—that was Natsukawa's message before he left for repairs."