[Perhaps an Existing Spacetime] Captives

[Perhaps existing spacetime]

(Due to the large amount of content in the original work, some parts have been changed. This is because it differs from the original work from here on out, since Ubel is now the Ubel -Pro Max + Ultra version. Many people haven't read the original manga, so I'm writing this down. I may also add some secondary interpretations. After finishing this, I will pick up where the previous chapter left off and write the main text, up to the original ending. I won't go any further, because I feel the original author is experiencing writer's block. Although I have some ideas, I don't want to continue writing from his point of view; it feels like it's not worth the effort. I'll stop writing at the point where the original work is currently on hiatus, and I won't write about Levi's memories anymore.)

Lanto came out.

He stood in the center of the open space, his black tuxedo covered in dust; clearly, he had surrendered.

Noi looked at him, the short stick still pointing to the ground, but the surrounding floating building debris slowly lowered in height.

"A wise choice," Noi said.

He didn't approach immediately, but stood still until he heard another series of hurried but rhythmic footsteps in the distance.

Another figure appeared from the alley entrance. The newcomer was wearing the same dark uniform as Noi, with short black hair and a sharp look in his eyes. He held two pieces of black rope with a matte finish and a unique texture in his hand.

The newcomer was reinforcements from the Magical Special Forces, Weige. Behind him followed a completely black, enclosed carriage, its wheels making a dull thud as they rolled over gravel.

Weige walked closer, nodded to Noi first, then looked at Lanto, and glanced at Ubel, who was still clutching Noi's tie and whose eyes were unfocused.

"Is it them?" Weige asked.

"Yes," Noi replied, her gaze falling on Ubel's hand. "You can let me go now. The battle is over."

Ubel listened intently, then decisively released her grip on Noi's tie and short stick. She took a half-step back, stood still, her purple eyes still staring blankly ahead.

Weige stepped forward swiftly. He first wrapped a black rope around her wrist a few times and tied a knot. The rope felt strange, unlike the rough texture of ordinary hemp rope; instead, it was cold, dense, and had a metallic toughness and smoothness. Then, he walked up to Lanto and bound his hands with the same black rope.

The moment the knot was tightened, a subtle yet distinct fluctuation that suppressed the flow of magic emanated from the point of contact.

"Please get in the car."

Weige finished his work, stepped aside, and gestured for the black carriage to open. The door slid open silently, revealing a dimly lit interior.

Lanto said nothing, took the lead and stepped into the carriage. Ubel reached out and made a tentative motion in the air. After feeling Lanto's hand, he helped him with his foot and stepped inside.

The car door closed behind the two of them, shutting out the last ray of sunlight.

Outside the carriage.

Noi didn't leave immediately. He walked to a pile of ruins, where neatly cut stones lay scattered, their smooth surfaces reflecting a faint light in the darkening sky.

He crouched down, took out a delicate glass bottle from his uniform pocket, and carefully placed a few smooth-edged pebbles into it. Then, he stood up and looked at a lone streetlamp standing at the edge of the ruins not far away.

The lamppost is intact.

Just now, along the path of Ubel's charge, there was clearly a slash trajectory that she called 'Nothing Is Uncuttable' swept past that area. Given the cutting power she displayed, the street lamp would normally have had no chance of escaping.

But it just stood there.

Noi looked at the thick wall that had been cut open, then stared at the ordinary iron street lamp, his brow furrowing slightly.

"... The streetlights weren't cut?"

He muttered to himself.

"What exactly is this guy's magic based on?"

Weige walked over and glanced at the bottle in his hand.

"The cleanup won't be easy," he said, his voice tinged with a sense of administrative concern. "So many walls and houses have been destroyed. The report will be difficult to write, and Vice Captain Kanon might be angry."

Noi carefully put the glass bottle away.

"As long as they achieve something, that person won't get angry."

He was still thinking about that street lamp and those smooth cross-sections.

"Weige," he suddenly asked, "Do you think stone is something that can be 'cut'?"

Weige paused for a moment, seemingly not expecting to be asked that.

"Probably," he thought for a moment before replying. "My hometown has quarries; you can tell what they do from the name. Stones, well, they're things that can be cut, right?"

"..."

Noi didn't speak again. He walked to the black carriage and leaned against the cold interior. The carriage walls were made of thick iron plates, with tight riveting, and the surface seemed to be coated with a dark anti-magic coating.

He raised his hand, curled his fingers, and knocked on the car door.

"You two, behave yourselves and don't waste your energy."

His voice, somewhat muffled, traveled through the door into the carriage.

"This carriage is something even I cannot destroy. Furthermore, the carriage is made of iron, as are the ropes on your hands, and both are enchanted."

There was a moment of silence in the carriage.

Then, Lanto's voice rang out, flat and emotionless.

"Really? Thank you for your kind reminder."

Noi said nothing more, but gave Weige a wink. Weige understood and turned to walk to the front of the carriage.

The carriage shuddered slightly and began to move slowly. The wheels rolled rhythmically over the gravel and mud as it headed in a certain direction within the city.

Noi and Weige didn't follow. They stayed behind and began cleaning up the mess.

Inside the carriage.

The light was very dim, with only a very faint glimmer of light seeping in through the cracks in the carriage walls.

The car drove smoothly, but occasional bumps caused the two people's bodies to sway gently with the car.

Lanto looked down at the black restraints around his wrists. He moved his wrists, the ropes digging into his skin, the sensation distinct.

He said it was made of iron...

He raised his bound hands and gestured towards Ubel.

"Ubel, what does this look like?"

Ubel didn't look. She leaned against the carriage wall, her head tilted slightly back.

"What does the Glasses Guy boy see in this?"

Lanto lowered his hand.

"... Can't you still not see it?"

"Speak."

"... I think this is rope," Lanto replied. "The feeling in my wrist tells me it's a tightly woven, thick hemp rope. What about some enchanted iron... I think he's talking nonsense, or maybe the rope does have something mixed in, but the essence remains the same."

"What a feeling..."

Ubel repeated the word. She suddenly shifted, leaning to the side and resting her shoulder lightly on Lanto's arm.

She wasn't heavy, but the sensation of touching her was exceptionally distinct in the silence.

Lanto looked at her without saying a word.

"Wow... there's such a method?" she murmured, as if confirming something. "As expected... you are the real person, not just a clone to fool me."

Lanto let her lean against him without moving.

"Creating the clone takes a lot of time," he said. "Who would have thought it would be crushed by the building in an instant?"

"I see..."

Ubel's voice was very close. Then--

Without warning, she jerked her head forward from Lanto's shoulder, then quickly slammed it back, the back of her head slamming into Lanto's chin.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

"It hurts so much!"

Lanto winced in pain, his head snapping back and hitting the carriage wall. He gasped for breath and turned to look at Ubel.

Ubel had already sat up straight. Her face was expressionless; she was simply "looking" in the direction from which Lanto's voice came.

"Why didn't you attack him just now?" she asked, her voice calm, making it hard to believe she was the one who had bumped into him. "We were so close to winning."

Lanto rubbed his chin with his arm; there was a tingling, numb feeling there.

"... Win? That's what you think?"

He looked into Ubel's unfocused eyes.

That man was clearly serious about killing you.

"Oh, and then?"

"And you're thinking it doesn't matter if we die together..."

Ubel turned his head to the side, as if he were "looking" at him.

Lanto paused for a moment.

"Why can you treat other people's lives and your own lives so casually?" His voice was low and deep. "If you had chosen not to fight, we would have had a chance to escape together."

The carriage fell silent.

Only the monotonous sound of the carriage moving along and the faint, distant noises coming from outside could be heard.

Then, Ubel smiled.

The smile was faint, blooming on her face. Her purple eyes remained empty, but the curve of her lips was clear.

"Glasses Guy."

She called him.

Lanto looked at her.

"... Um?"

Ubel's smile deepened, and a subtle, triumphant pleasure seemed to creep into his voice.

"Just as I thought, Glasses Guy. You really didn't want me to die, did you?"

Lanto looked at the smile on her face and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then, he turned his face away and looked at the dark wall opposite him.

"... You're still talking about this now."

He spoke in a low voice, his tone tinged with self-mockery and a hint of resigned helplessness.

"I should have just attacked directly..."

On the other side.

Frieren picked up a cat-ear hair accessory and twirled it in her hand.

The hair accessory was made of velvet, black, and pointed, looking almost exactly like real cat ears.

A magical device that allows you to hear sounds from afar...?

She read the words on the handwritten label at the stall and looked up at the stall owner. She was a smiling old woman with a headscarf wrapped around her head.

Is this true?

The old woman nodded.

"You can try it, little girl. You'll see once you put it on."

Frieren blinked and put the hair accessory on her silver-white hair. The black cat ears stood on top of her head, swaying gently as she tilted her head slightly.

Her little face was tense and her expression serious, but her fluffy ears were perked up.

"I don't understand."

She muttered to herself.

Fern stood beside her, his pale purple eyes calmly lowered as he looked at his master.

"Lord Frieren."

She reminded him in a calm voice.

"We're on patrol right now."

Frieren said "Oh," and took off her hair ornament, handing it to Fern.

"Fern."

Fern took the velvet hair accessory, which was still slightly warm from her body, and looked at it.

"Really..."

She sighed, but still put it on her head. The black cat ears contrasted with her pale purple hair, somewhat jarring, yet strangely harmonious.

She stood quietly for a few seconds, carefully sensing the sensation.

Then she shook her head, took off the hair ornament, and handed it back to the old woman.

"I can't feel any magic," she said. "It must be fake."

The old woman took the hair ornament, still with that smiling face, without arguing or trying to sell it, and simply put it back on the velvet cloth that was laid out in its original place.

Frieren's gaze had already drifted to the next stall. There stood a row of glittering little metal pieces, their purpose unclear.

A very far place.

On a high floor of a building, next to the railing of the outdoor dining area of a high-end restaurant.

Levi sat at the table, having just put down his knife and fork. The food on his plate was finished and neatly arranged.

Laile stood a little behind him, holding a long, cylindrical magical artifact close to his eyes, looking towards the market.

That thing looks like a monocular telescope, but with a shorter tube.

Laile watched for a while, his expression serious.

"It's such a sight, Levi, that I can't help but smile."

He said that the sound appeared somewhat blurry and distant when observed through a telescope.

Levi didn't turn around, his elbows resting on the table covered with a clean white tablecloth, his fingertips lightly touching.

"I was going to say they were too careless... but it's really strange."

His voice was not loud, and it carried a thoughtful tone.

It was as if someone was telling me, 'It's about time you showed your true colors.'

Laile didn't reply. He maintained his observation posture, the telescope lens slowly moving, tracking the figures in the market.

Then he saw Frieren turn her face away.

Across a vast distance, through dense crowds, and through the gaps between countless buildings, the silver-haired elven mage suddenly raised his eyes, his emerald green pupils looking straight and accurately in the direction of the telescope lens.

Laile stopped observing.

"... and our eyes met."

Levi finally turned his head slightly, glancing with his intact gray eye at the magical artifact in Laile's hand, then turned back to look at the blurry distant view of rooftops and streets.

"That's really strong."

His comment was ambiguous, his tone revealing neither admiration nor anything else.

Laile lowered the telescope. A slight mechanical friction sound came as the telescope tube retracted.

Do you think they will affect this plan?

Levi didn't answer immediately. He picked up a napkin, wiped his mouth, folded it, and placed it next to his plate.

What do you think?

He countered with a question.

Laile gathered the cutlery together, making a soft, crisp sound as porcelain clattered against metal.

"Assassinating Serie is a matter of national righteousness. Compared to that, everything else is just a trivial matter."

After hearing this, Levi's lips twitched slightly, but it wasn't exactly a smile; it was more like a fleeting line formed when muscles pull on a scar.

He didn't say anything more and stood up.

Laile immediately stepped forward and pulled out a chair for him. The chair legs made a short, soft thud as they dragged across the smooth stone surface.

The two walked back into the restaurant, one after the other. The heavy glass door slid open silently, shutting out the wind from the rooftop.

The interior was softly lit and lavishly decorated. Crystal chandeliers cast their light on the gleaming marble floor, and the air was filled with the scents of expensive incense and lingering food. Several tables of guests chatted quietly, and the occasional clinking of silver cutlery added a touch of elegance.

Levi walked ahead, his pace unhurried. His dark suit jacket creased subtly and quietly with each movement.

Laile followed half a step to his side, maintaining just the right distance.

"Not careful enough, old man," Levi suddenly said.

Laile did not respond.

When he reached the reception desk at the door, Levi stopped, took out an unsigned, plain white envelope from the inside pocket of his suit, held it between his fingertips, gently placed it on the polished counter, and pushed it toward the head waiter who stood respectfully with his hands at his sides.

"Keep the change, please."

The head waiter bowed and accepted the envelope with both hands. When his fingertips touched the thickness of the envelope, he slightly raised his eyelids, then quickly lowered them again, his posture becoming even more respectful.

Thank you for your generosity, Your Excellency. We look forward to your next visit.

Levi didn't look at him again and strode out of the restaurant. Laile followed closely behind him.

Outside, a carriage, entirely black with no family crest, understated in style but with sleek lines, was quietly waiting by the roadside. The doors were closed, and the two horses pulling the carriage had glossy coats and were quietly trotting their hooves.

Laile stepped forward and opened the car door for Levi.

Levi didn't get into the car immediately. He stood by the door, his hand on the cold door frame, and turned his head to look at the layered rooftops of the Imperial Capital in the distance, and the royal palace castle standing like a stone crown in the distance.

He squinted at his one intact gray eye.

"Shadows have their own way of fighting; who says only those standing in the light are heroes?"

He spoke, his voice low, as if talking to himself, or perhaps to Laile behind him.

Great achievements that will not be etched in history need no embellishment.

He withdrew his gaze, bent down, and stepped into the dimly lit interior of the carriage.

Laile was behind him, his hand firmly gripping the car door.

Levi settled into the seat, which was covered with dark velvet, and leaned back. The carriage was spacious and simply furnished.

"We only need to be like the undead of the great warriors..."

His voice came from inside the carriage, steady and deep, and clear in the relatively enclosed space.

"Abandon pride and glory."

Laile listened quietly, his hand on the car door remaining still.

"Just go all out for victory."

The last syllable falls.

Laile gently closed the car door.

Click.

A soft click, and it fit perfectly.

The carriage fell completely silent, shutting out the outside light and noise. Only the faint light seeping through the cracks in the walls outlined Levi's serene silhouette as he sat in the shadows.

The carriage started slowly, its wheels rolling over the smooth stone road, making a regular, low rumbling sound that quickly blended into the bustling and noisy sounds of the Imperial Capital's afternoon streets and became indistinguishable from the rest of the journey.