What's going on? Why does the atmosphere feel so strange?
Lofan froze the moment he arrived, then accessed his body's memories and nearly threw up.
"Dean, explain yourself."
"I specifically asked if you'd cleaned up the tracks, and you told me you hadn't cleaned them at all, but instead made them even more obvious. What's the meaning of this?"
If Lofan could get his hands on the System, he'd slap it silly.
This is ridiculous! Not only is it an Artificial Idiot, but it also answers every question?
Fortunately, Lofan thought quickly and blurted out, "Lord Marcel, I figured that if the tracks were too subtle, the pursuers might think we were hiding something and not trust the trail at all."
"Instead, they'll fall right into my trap, and boom! They'll be blown to smithereens!"
Marcel's expression softened slightly at Lofan's explanation. He then asked, "You previously said you made the tracks more obvious because it was too dark. Was that really the reason?"
"Indeed, Lord Marcel, nothing escapes your discerning eyes! My admiration for you flows like an endless river!"
Ahem...
Marcel's expression softened considerably as he eyed Lofan with a hint of bewilderment. Why hadn't he noticed how pleasant the man's words were before?
"Dean, haven't I told you? I despise sycophants."
"But Lord Marcel, these words come straight from my heart!"
"Lord Marcel is the eternal god in my heart!"
Marcel's smile widened.
Having successfully placated Marcel, Lofan breathed a sigh of relief and hurried back to check on his preparations.
After a while, Marcel seemed to remember something and turned to the System-controlled "Dean."
"Dean, what kind of trap did you set?"
Dean, speaking in a monotone under the System's influence, replied stiffly, "I strapped bombs to clockwork mekas and ordered them to detonate elsewhere."
"Marcel?"
"Dean!"
"What do you mean by that?!" Marcel hissed, his voice laced with fury. "Have you betrayed me?!"
"Huh?"
Lofan, who had barely managed to deceive Marcel earlier, was stunned to discover that the situation had deteriorated further in the short time he'd been away.
After reviewing the memory, Lofan was speechless.
Earlier, his slight delay had nearly caused him to crash into another tree upon returning. Faced with the group's concerned glances, he had reluctantly claimed to be injured, urging them to proceed while he caught up later.
However, Navia, worried about him encountering danger in the forest, had ordered the group to slow down to accommodate him.
Now with no further excuses, Lofan had no choice but to stubbornly press on, projecting his consciousness back to observe.
And that's when he stumbled upon this scene.
Don't panic! I can still salvage this!
"Ah, Lord Marcel, you wound me!" Lofan immediately adopted a pitiful expression.
"I'm using these Clockwork Mekas as bait to lure the pursuers into a death trap!" Lofan explained.
"Think about it, Lord Marcel. If they fall for my earlier trick and chase after the Clockwork Mekas, they'll assume they're on the right track when they find them. They'll charge headlong into the Clockwork Meka Legion."
"And then—boom!—I'll blast them all to kingdom come!"
Hearing Lofan's plan, Marcel's expression softened slightly, and he nodded. "Hmm, it's a bit crude, but it's barely passable as a decent trap."
"Of course, Lord Marcel! How could I possibly compare to you?" Lofan exclaimed, buttering him up. "Compared to you, I'm just a speck of dust."
"If you were setting this trap, even the Spina di Rosula, the Court of Justice, and the Marechaussee Phantom combined wouldn't stand a chance against you!"
Lofan's flattery warmed Marcel's heart, making him see the young man in an increasingly favorable light.
"Hmph, not bad. You know how to talk."
"As long as you remain loyal to me, Dean, I promise I'll take good care of you and reward you well."
Lofan listened, his face lighting up with delighted surprise as he nodded repeatedly.
Just as he was about to return, he suddenly stopped and turned to Marcel. "Marcel, if you have any further questions, please ask them now."
Marcel frowned, irritated by Lofan's presumptuousness. However, since Lofan had given him a rather comfortable back rub earlier, he restrained himself and replied, "No further questions. Let's proceed without delay."
Relieved, Lofan hurried back. But the moment he arrived, Vinani's accusatory voice rang in his ears.
"Monsieur Henry, did you use that trick again?"
"N-no! Of course not!" Lofan stammered, his guilty conscience betraying him.
"You look so damn cool when you lie!" Vinani retorted. "I've told you countless times—that method is far too dangerous! Why can't you ever listen to my warnings?"
And so began another tirade.
Meanwhile, Marcel had remembered something. He turned to Dean, his expression thoughtful. "Dean, given the time, the Spina di Rosula must be growing suspicious of us by now, right?"
"They're likely debating which route we'll take to leave Poisson," Dean replied.
"Heh, by the time they figure it out, it'll be too late."
"Not too late, Lord Marcel," Dean, now controlled by the System, spoke up. "The Spina di Rosula already knows we're evacuating Poisson along this route."
"And their pursuers are closing in fast."
Marcel froze, his face twisting in confusion. "Dean, how did you find out about this?"
"Because I was the one who leaked the information to the Spina di Rosula."
Marcel's mind went blank. A wave of humiliation and fury washed over him. "Dean, you betrayed me?!"
Just then, Lofan returned. He met Marcel's murderous glare and frantically searched his memories. When the truth dawned on him, he gave up pretending.
"Damn it, I can't take this anymore!"
"Since you've caught on, I'm dropping the act!"
"Lord Marcel, after seeing your methods, I couldn't trust you'd really have my back!"
"Who knows? Maybe someday you'd silence me too to save your own skin!"
"Dean, you—!" Marcel pointed at Lofan, speechless with rage.
"Isn't the fact that I brought you along enough to prove my trust in you?!" Marcel demanded. "Why would you betray me?!"
Lofan scoffed coldly at the accusation. "My life is completely in your hands. How could you possibly understand what that feels like?!"
"Enough talk," Lofan said. "My apologies, Lord Marcel."
Seeing Lofan prepare to strike, Marcel immediately activated his Clockwork Meka. But in that instant, Lofan leaped across the gap, landing directly on Marcel's Meka. He tackled Marcel off the platform and began relentlessly pummeling his face with brutal punches.
Lofan held back his supernatural abilities, but even so, Marcel struggled under the relentless assault, his screams echoing through the chamber.
This has gone on long enough. I need to check back.
With that thought, Lofan's consciousness returned to Dean in the rear, causing the old man's movements to become stiff and mechanical once more.
Seizing the opportunity, Marcel broke free and ordered his Meka, "Kill him!"
As the machine moved to obey, Dean's agility returned in an instant. He swiftly grabbed Marcel by the neck, using him as a human shield.
"Go ahead, Lord Marcel. Give the order."
"Make your Clockwork Mekas attack me! Come on, strike!" Lofan taunted.
"They're moving now," Dean replied. "I might die today, but you won't survive either!"
"I'm telling you, I've put up with your arrogance for far too long!"
Marcel, of course, had no intention of sacrificing himself for Lofan. He quickly pleaded for mercy. "Dean, there's no need for this to escalate."
"You just want money, right? I'll give you all the Mora I have on me!"
"Let's part ways after this and never see each other again. What do you say?"
Marcel paused, then added threateningly, "But don't forget—if I'm convicted, you'll be in trouble too!"
Meanwhile, Lofan hadn't finished dealing with the situation elsewhere. After abducting Marcel, he had returned to his previous task, completely ignoring Marcel's pleas.
As time passed with no sign of Lofan, Marcel noticed the grip on his arm loosening. Believing he had convinced the man, he seized the opportunity. He slammed his elbow into Dean's kidney and swiftly broke free from his captor.
"Kill him! Kill him!" Marcel roared furiously, the combined rage of betrayal and threats driving him to the brink of losing his sanity.
Just as the Clockwork Mekas were about to move, Marcel felt something cold and metallic pressing against his back. He immediately began shouting again.
"Stop! All of you, stop!"
"You're quite the handful, Marcel," Lofan remarked.
Marcel, furious but helpless, could only glare silently.
"What do you want from me?!"
"I want to uphold justice."
"Huh?!"
Marcel was dumbfounded.
Lofan continued gravely, "In the past, I had no choice. But now, I want to be a good person!"
"I've sworn an oath: every evil will be brought to justice by my hand!"
"What nonsense are you spouting? Haven't you committed enough sins already?!"
"Oh, that's because I just took that oath."
Lofan's words left Marcel utterly bewildered. He felt as though events were spiraling beyond his control.
"Enough! What will it take for you to release me? Name your price, and I'll do my best to meet it."
Lofan chuckled. "Alright, then. First, you'll stand still while I tie you up."
"Dean!"
"Are you even serious about negotiating?!"
Lofan merely chuckled softly at Marcel's furious roar. "Very well."
"Why should I negotiate with you?!" Marcel roared.
"You can't escape, Marcel. Take one last look at this beautiful moonlight—you won't see it again for much longer!"
"Dean!!!"
"You're going to die!!!"
Lofan quickly tied Marcel up, too impatient to listen to his pointless ranting. He withdrew his consciousness and returned to his body.
He found himself being carried by Navia, who was hurrying forward.
The position was incredibly embarrassing, especially with so many eyes on them. Even Vinani cast him an odd glance. But Lofan had no choice; he needed to keep an eye on Marcel.
"You're awake," Navia said.
"Did you think of something else?"
Lofan replied mysteriously, "I think I heard some unusual commotion up ahead. I suspect Marcel and his butler might have had a falling-out."
"Let's pick up the pace! Time to scavenge!"
The group stared at him in stunned silence. Seriously? You can deduce that from this?!
Navia shook her head lightly, recovering from her surprise. Even for Lofan, this was too far-fetched. She didn't take him seriously, assuming he was just urging them to move faster.
To Navia's surprise, after traveling a short distance further, they encountered a group of Clockwork Mekas that had come to a halt.
What's going on? Why are there so many Clockwork Mekas here?
Did Lord Marcel abandon them and sneak away on his own?
But if that's the case, why didn't he just abandon them from the start?
"Miss Navia, look over there!" Lofan pointed in a direction. Following his gaze, the group vaguely made out two figures approaching them.
Instantly, everyone tensed. As the figures drew closer, they gradually recognized them.
It was Lord Marcel and his butler, Dean!
Marcel was bound tightly with ropes, seemingly being dragged forward by Dean.
No way... Did they really have a falling out?!
The crowd gasped, their eyes fixed on Lofan cradled in Navia's arms. Is he even human anymore?!
Why didn't humanity's evolution include us?!
"You can put me down now," Lofan said reluctantly, sensing the crowd's stares.
Navia nodded and gently set him down.
Just like that, Lofan was released from the comfort of Navia's generous embrace.
Vinani, who had been clinging to Navia's back, also jumped down. Seeing the lingering wistfulness on Lofan's face, she glared at him and snorted coldly.
By now, the two figures were only a short distance from the group, while the Clockwork Mekas remained motionless in the distance.
"Miss Navia, I've come to renounce the darkness and embrace the light!" Lofan shouted, his eyes glazing over again under Vinani's watchful gaze. At the same moment, the figure dragging Lord Marcel forward echoed his declaration.
"I can't bear the torment of my conscience any longer! This monster's actions are beyond tolerance!"
"Miss Navia, he's the true culprit who framed Monsieur Callas!"
Hearing these words, Navia and the other members of Spina di Rosula visibly stiffened.
Though they had never truly believed Callas capable of betraying his friends, the revelation still stunned them momentarily.
At that very instant, Dean suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream and dissolved into a puddle of water before their eyes.
Everyone except Lofan was utterly dumbfounded.
Lord Marcel, in particular, began to question the very fabric of his existence.
But... I haven't even made my move yet!