278 When the Time Comes
My consciousness slowly returned, and within my faint hearing, I could discern the sound of the firewood crackling.
Alongside it, a faint sound of chatter, mixed with short giggles, echoed. Although the content of their talks didn't enter my mind, the joy in their voices filled my mind with a colorful image.
"Hmmm..."
I opened my eyes and saw two mounds blocking my view of the ceiling. A feeble hand was petting my head gently, as if soothing me into sleep. The sensation of the soft but firm thigh supporting the back of my head was extremely familiar, making me mutter the name of its owner.
"Fang...?"
"Ah, Leader! You finally woke up!"
As soon as I called her name, the two mountains moved closer before a face appeared beyond them, hair cascading as she tried hard to peek over her own chest just to see my face.
"My Lord! Finally, you're awake! We were starting to get worried, you know?"
Igni shouted from behind, probably near the fireplace, since I couldn't see her figure within my view. Looking around, I quickly realized that this place was the living room inside Vendetta's mansion.
Although reluctant to part with my soft pillow, I stood up gently. My head pulsed with pain as soon as I moved, gripping my temples hard, but Fang quickly supported my body and let me lean against the sofa's backrest.
"Phew..."
After taking a few deep breaths, the pain slightly lessened.
"Leader, are you alright?"
Fang asked with a voice filled with worry and concern.
"You were passed out far longer than even Ember was."
"Ember passed out?!"
I quickly looked around but found that Ember was in front of the fireplace, seemingly telling stories to the children with a wide smile on her face. She didn't look injured anywhere, so I felt relief instantly.
"Right... Where's Minerva? She's safe too, right?"
The last moments of my consciousness were completely blurry. It was to the point that I couldn't recall anything after we jumped into the Void. Fang smiled and pointed to the back, and Minerva was there, sitting with Hekate and sleeping soundly.
"... So we're all safe..."
Just as I was about to let the tension off my shoulders, I recalled an important matter.
"Right, Fatima!"
I tried looking around, searching for the gun, and was about to stand up when Fang pulled me back down.
"Leader, calm down. It's right in front of you."
She explained while pointing at the small table in front of us. There, on top of it, was the sniper rifle. I quickly picked it up and held it gently, like a fragile object, before inspecting it.
"..."
Worried that everything I did was all a part of a long dream, I quickly inspected the energy inside the gun. Fortunately, there were the three familiar energy signatures from before and the unknown one gathered together.
My fears were unfounded, it seems.
"This scent... Is Fatima inside the gun?"
Fang muttered while sniffing the gun up close. It was a wonder how she could sniff Fatima's scent from the gun, but thinking back, it was held by her physically for a short while.
"She is... Though I don't know how to take her out of it yet."
We did save her and succeeded in returning to the present safely without changing the past. However... We have absolutely no idea how to extract Fatima from the gun.
It was the Taming System who did most of the heavy lifting after all, so I had no idea what to do next. Will the system give me tips if I ask? I highly doubt it, but maybe I should try it later.
"Oh, so you're finally awake."
A slightly tired but still sexy voice echoed from afar. Turning to the entrance, there was Vendetta, who just entered, removing her wide-brim hat and even her mist-like cloak for the first time.
She... Was stacked. It wasn't visible under the cloak, but it was even larger than Fina! I think it's rude to compare, but well, I can't help it.
"What? Oh, right."
Finding my gaze a little weird, she immediately realized the reason.
"The robe protects me from the environment and helps in concealing my presence. I rarely take it off,"
She muttered with a faint, seductive smile as she squeezed both arms, emphasizing the weapons of mass destruction she was displaying. Her low-cut dress wasn't helping to lessen the impact, making me gulp loudly in reflex.
"Fufu, you're really true to your desires. Too bad..."
Just as she was about to say something, she quickly shook her head and dismissed the thought. Renewing her smile into a cheerful one, she returned to the conversation.
"Anyway, it's about to become dark soon. If you don't hurry and return to the town, you'll get the gates closed on you before you can enter."
"Can't we stay here for the night, then?"
I know it's a little thick-faced to say that, but looking at how I wasn't really fully recovered yet and that Ember was getting swarmed by the kids still, it was a little hard for us to leave.
"I wish I could accommodate you, but alas..."
Her smile turned to a wry smile before she heaved a short sigh. Is there a reason she can't let us stay? I'm a little curious, but overstaying would reflect badly on us. Without further ado, I called all the girls and told them that we were leaving.
"Eeeeh?!"
The kids raised their voices in reluctance, making Ember show a look of sadness and exasperation. In the end, Vendetta was the one to disperse the kids, letting us leave the villa in peace.
"Then, we'll come and visit tomorrow to formally thank you for all the help."
I quickly declared this to her before bidding farewell. After all, the fact that we managed to get Fatima to "safety" was mostly due to her help.
Her face remained smiling all the same, but for some reason, I could feel the sadness behind her expression. Her lips parted lightly as words left her mouth with a mix of sadness and satisfaction.
"I'll be waiting."
"..."
Her words... Felt lonely. As if this were the last time we would be seeing each other. However, before I could ask further, Fang alerted me that we needed to get going, or else we wouldn't make it out in time.
Everyone bid her goodbye one after another, and Ember and Fina were even called out by the kids, saying that they'd be waiting for the two to tell them more stories. I didn't miss the slight signs of tears on the corner of the two's eyes as they watched the kids wave goodbye while bawling. I guess they're really soft on those kids.
We started running back shortly after, and as soon as we left the area where the sky was downcast, Ember quickly opened a portal leading to the town's gates. Luckily, we made it in time. Well, technically, even if we got locked out of the gates, we could simply teleport inside directly. However, that might cause several problems, so entering properly through the gate was still the best option.
There weren't any more problems after we entered, and we just headed straight for a nearby restaurant for our dinner. We didn't go for a high-class one, nor did we choose a low-class one with low security, but instead went for a pretty famous restaurant for the average person.
There was limited space, and the tables were pretty close to each other, but the atmosphere was nice and peaceful. Furthermore, the food was great! Ember and the others ordered a lot, making me fear for the state of my poor wallet.
After the girls finished eating and the extra food we ordered was placed inside my [Spatial Storage] for safekeeping, we slowly returned to the inn. Probably from becoming full, Minerva and Hekate both had their heads bobbing around, visibly sleepy already.
As soon as we reached our rooms, the two entered theirs to rest without wasting another second. Well, Ember and the others were pretty similar too, in the sense of being drowsy. Everyone fell asleep almost instantly, but I was unable to get a wink. I was staring at the ceiling, then at the gun, and then back at the ceiling repeatedly.
I was distracted, and sleepiness was not even trying to knock on my consciousness. In the end, I took the gun, walked to the rooftop, and took a breath of nice, cold night air.
The view was superb since the lights of most houses and establishments were already dim. The stars in the sky, whose constellations I don't even recognize, glittered and shone brightly.
I placed the gun before me. I was carrying it by hand since, for some reason, any sort of storage refuses to hold the gun anymore.
"Master, did you know..."
I started talking to the gun for some reason. It wasn't that I was lonely or that I was feeling crazy; just that talking to her felt like the most reasonable choice that I could make.
I talked about random things, not only parts of our misadventures after leaving the sealed space but even some stories from my past life. Just like that, I continued talking, not minding how my throat was getting dry from talking too much.
Time passed as I talked to the lifeless gun, enough that before I noticed, the sky was slowly turning lighter. The morning was fast approaching, and the sun was about to emerge, starting another day.
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