December 20, Dark Continent, the tower in the Ancient Labyrinth.
The stench of the sea of blood had been completely replaced by the strange fragrance wafting from the dissolved remains of the Painful Bloodthirsty Apostle. Fragrance was always more overpowering.
It lingered around the tower, then drifted over the sea of blood, passed through the jungle of cubic stone pillars, and spread beyond.
Gelman stood on the west-facing platform at the top of the tower, brushing his teeth as he gazed into the distance.
He saw no one.
Ging had indeed broken his promise. He hadn't returned on the agreed-upon fifteenth, and now it was already the twentieth. Who knew how long he'd be delayed?
The bristles of the toothbrush gently brushed his teeth and gums. Mint from the toothpaste filled his mouth, and Gelman tasted a hint of sweetness on his tongue.
He took a mouthful of water and swished it around, cheeks puffed, making a gurgling sound as the water rinsed the toothpaste foam from his mouth.
At last, he bent forward and spat all the water out over the edge of the tower. It didn't land in the sea of blood, though, but on the stone slabs below.
The slabs paving the ground around the tower were the result of their work over the past few days.
The clean water came from cards from Greed Island, as well as from sources outside the Ancient Labyrinth.
"Mm..."
Hearing a languid hum, Gelman turned his head and saw Shizuku walking over.
Shizuku seemed not to be fully awake yet. Wearing her glasses, she alternated between narrowing her eyes and opening them, as if switching back and forth between sleep and wakefulness.
"Ah... haa..." She raised a hand to her mouth and yawned.
As if that wasn't enough to chase