Chapter 20 - Searching

"Angelica..."

"Yes, it looks like Franz did it, just as expected of him."

Angelica and Eva, who were still floating, observed how the chimera not only stopped moving but also began to decompose.

"It's strange that its corpse is falling apart..."

"It's probably because its body wasn't that big originally, and it artificially grew in size with its mana. However, when the chimera's core was destroyed, its body stopped being supplied with mana."

Angelica, considering it safe, decided to descend with Eva to the ground. Her mana was nearly depleted, making it difficult to stay afloat any longer.

Once on the ground, most of the chimera's colossal body had already disappeared. Unable to spot Franz with the naked eye, Eva began searching for him everywhere.

Angelica, confident in Franz's survival skills, wasn't particularly worried. Besides, she lacked the same stamina as Eva to run around searching for Franz.

Just as she was about to calm Eva down:

"Kyaaaaaa-!"

Eva's scream echoed. Concerned, Angelica prepared herself for battle, thinking the chimera might still be alive and attacked Eva.

However.

"A-Angelica... this is Merlina, Franz's sword!!!"

Eva, with no visible injuries but shedding tears, conveyed the discovery.

"C-Calm down, Eva!"

Angelica, caught off guard by Eva's emotional state, also panicked.

"How do you expect me to calm down?! Franz's sword has been left here!! There is no way he'd leave behind one of his most powerful weapons while fighting the chimera!!!"

Eva, assuming Franz's sword appearing in this desolate place indicated something bad had happened, couldn't be blamed for her reaction.

In a normal situation, it wouldn't be strange to think that way. Merlina was not only one of Franz's most powerful weapons but also a priceless treasure. The possibility of it being tossed aside as a mere distraction wouldn't have crossed anyone's mind.

"..."

Unable to think of an appropriate response, Angelica stood silent, and Eva's tears continued to flow. Eva's melancholy affected the already exhausted Angelica.

"Sob sob, Sniff."

Unexpectedly, Angelica began to cry as well.

In this situation, footsteps approached, but the crying prevented them from hearing anything. The footsteps stopped behind them.

"By the way, Angelica... Now that Franz has finally left us... W-Who will get his sword?"

"Eva! How can you think of such things so soon after his death... um, but it's clear that the highest-ranking person should keep it anyway..."

"That's unfair! You only say that because you're a Lieutenant Colonel, but this isn't an official army mission, to begin with!"

The two girls argued over who would get Merlina. Did they want a memory of the late Franz? Not likely. Perhaps they wanted to use the sword in battle? Impossible. Franz was one of the few who could properly wield the sword due to the substantial mana it required.

So, why seize the sword?

"If I could sell the sword, how much money could I get?" Angelica asked.

"Without a doubt, a huge fortune! That's why I should keep it; I have debts in my family that I could pay!" Eva replied.

Money. Sweet money! The Merlina sword was a treasure for any kingdom, and unlike Franz's Geronimo sword, it belonged solely to Franz, not an organization or kingdom. Geronimo couldn't be sold as it was the property of the Herssian kingdom, but Merlina could be auctioned.

For girls facing financial problems, it was a difficult option to resist. While the girls chattered about such matters, Franz observed them from behind, planning future pranks as revenge.

"Sorry to disappoint both of you, but I'm still alive."

Hearing Franz's words, both girls stopped abruptly and turned toward him.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The three exchanged glances in silence until Franz spoke, breaking the tension.

"Cough, cough... well, I'll ignore what I just witnessed."

'I will not do it.'

"So let's get out of here first."

The girls, unsure how to apologize, decided to follow Franz's change of topic.

"Do you want us to go back to the village again?" Angelica asked.

Thinking about returning to the village, Eva remembered something important.

"We have to go check on Jessica now!"

Contrary to the girls' expectations, Franz gave a slightly different answer.

"Before we return to the village, we must check if any of the black-robed men are alive or at least check if their bodies are in a recognizable state."

Franz hadn't had the time to inspect the black-robed men's bodies during the chaotic escape from the cave. In the battle outside, some of Thomas' escorts were hit by the chimera's tentacles, so someone might still be alive.

However, the chimera had devastated almost the entire forest, and even the chimera itself had claimed that all the lab members were dead. Still, Franz wanted to make sure.

The girls and Franz split up to search the surroundings, but the destroyed terrain and the snowfall made it challenging to find anything useful. About to suggest returning to the village, a male voice's moan of pain reached Franz's ears.

Without hesitation, Franz ran towards the source of the sound, finding a black-robed man who seemed more like a corpse than a living being. Both legs were broken, and a large cut across his throat seemed fatal.

'It's too late to save him.'

Franz couldn't perform healing magic with his depleted mana. A healing potion wouldn't suffice either. The cut was so deep that the man's head could be separated from his body at any moment, and only an Elixir could potentially save him.

Observing the scene, Franz assumed the man had fallen from a nearby tree. Near the man's body was the trunk of a giant tree, suggesting he had sought refuge there during the chimera's attack.

'He must have broken his legs falling out of the tree.'

Franz approached the dying man with the intention of at least removing the hood and mask that covered his face. However, he stopped when the dying man locked eyes with him, displaying intense hatred. The glint in the man's eyes vanished, and his body began to decompose.

Staring at the deforming body, Angelica arrived at the scene, witnessing the same morbid sight.

"Franz... How is he?"

"He's dead, Angelica. There's nothing else to see here. Let's go to the village," Franz said without taking his eyes off the corpse.

"I'll look for Eva," said Angelica, leaving the scene and leaving Franz alone under the snow.

Thinking about the dying man's expression just before he died, Franz contemplated the complex emotions and mysteries that lingered in the aftermath of the intense battle.