'N-no way…!'

My body shudders, and I nearly collapse on the ground the moment I realize the truth.

Just a few moments earlier, I had decided to use Clairvoyance to monitor the Vey'lithars, especially Ciel, to see what they were doing without me. I will admit that it's a little creepy and an invasion of privacy… but I missed them.

I missed her.

Imagine my shock when I witnessed Ciel's speech and the horrid revelation that came with it.

'Ciel, you… You schemed against me?!'

I never expected it!

You would think that after experiencing betrayals so many times, I would have learned my lesson, but I truly did not suspect these people in the slightest.

'You are too good at acting, Ciel!' I clutch my chest, feeling a strong pain within it.

To think it was always her intention to kill everyone.

Including me.

Such a deep scheme… and I fell right into it.

Now it's almost too late.

If I were indeed a Leaper, there would be no use resisting, as everything about her plot is accurate. I wouldn't be able to do anything against her.

But I'm not one.

I am actually a Harbinger with three Fragmented Conceptions.

I don't have Jumping.

But I have Tracing, as well as Clairvoyance and Frontflow.

These Conceptions are not the most convenient to use, and switching between them is arduous, but they still provide me with far more options than Ciel doesn't yet realize.

I'm thankful I never exposed my Pathway to her.

'And everyone… look at how they were cheering for her plan.' My heart sinks as I recollect the look of glee and pride on their faces.

I thought the Vey'lithar Race was supposed to be peaceful.

I trusted Brad's judgment, and after seeing the state of his village, my opinion of the Vey'lithar Race was furthered by another degree. After experiencing their festival, I became even more trusting of their community, to the point where I developed a genuine affection for them.

I never once considered using them for my benefit.

But, to think it was all for naught.

'Ciel, that night we spent together… did it really mean nothing?!'

All those words she told me, did they amount to mere cogs in her machinations, small parts of her much bigger scheme? Even now, it's difficult to swallow.

'I see now…' My eyes bulge. 'She did everything so I could let my guard down. She also intentionally made it seem like I always had the option of leaving, though her plan was to keep me inside the Sanctuary for as long as possible.'

She seduced me with her body, also encouraged me to remain so I could tell the residents of Brad's Village all about the Vey'lithars.

Everything was so that I would be enraptured in the moment and not think of anything else.

Such a cruel person.

Not only to me, but also to herself.

She pretended for so long, to the point where I never saw a single flaw in anything.

Such coldness and calculation… I have never seen it before.

"But now isn't the time to think about that!" I quickly reach out to my Dual Comm Armament and activate it, hurrying to contact the Academy.

Because of Ciel's deceit, I went in the opposite direction from where everyone is, and right now, I don't even know their precise location. If I wish to save them before it's too late, I have to act fast and contact someone I can trust.

—Seth!

"Javier, where have you been? We've been trying to reach you for three days now!"

Seth's words burst forth, his tone showing great panic.

I can hear his voice shaking and his breathing heavy. It seems he is being chased at the moment, and judging by what I hear, he is already out of breath.

This is bad.

It means the slaughter might have already begun.

I have to hurry.

"Tell me where you all are, and fast! I will try to make it as quickly as possible!"

"No, Javier! Don't come… you'll only be killed! We're outnumbered! It's hopeless. Right now, we're trying to escape… through this cavern! Hopefully, we can lose them. If you come, you'll only be killed!"

"I can find backup! Just tell me what I want to know!"

Without meaning to, I yell at Seth.

I know he is only trying to keep me safe, and his consideration for me is very much appreciated.

But now is not the time.

Right now, I am the only one who can help these people.

"F-fine, I'll tell you… but only so you can avoid it, wherever you are!" Seth then tells me the location, and my eyes widen.

My goodness… Ciel is simply too conniving!

I was truly moving in the opposite direction, not only horizontally, but also vertically.

'To think I already began to descend the mountain when they are near its peak. No wonder it'll be hard for them to escape! But the good news is that there aren't many caverns there, and if I can find traces… I'll be able to detect them without a problem.'

But this is frightening.

This unexpected scenario has also revealed something that I hadn't ever considered.

Seth's Divination… it was likely about this.

But that doesn't make sense.

All of this is happening because of the Vey'lithars, and it was triggered because I sought out their Sanctuary. In essence, if I hadn't come for this Excursion, the massacre that Seth witnessed in his Divination would not have taken place.

'So what the hell is happening?!' My heart continues to tremble. 'I only joined this Excursion because Seth approached me and I thought I would be able to make a difference, but to think I am the actual cause?'

And what about Seth's later Divination, where we all return safely to the Academy?

I thought that was a change I caused.

In fact, it was one of the reasons I let my guard down in the Sanctuary. I was already partially careless because I had an assurance that nothing would happen.

But what if the second Divination actually showed what would have happened if I didn't get involved, while the first Divination showed what would happen if I did? In that case, it's precisely because of my presence that all of these students die.

This is merely a theory, but how else can I make sense of this absurdity?

There isn't time to deliberate on the issue, though.

I need to hurry.

'Obsidian Steed!' In a flash, I bring out the statue and stare at it for a moment.

Unfortunately, I need to activate Frontflow while tossing it in order for this Armament to activate.

And because I already used Clairvoyance not too long ago, I'll have to wait almost an hour before I can switch to another Fragmented Conception.

Speaking of Frontflow, it is likely going to be my trump card in this instance.

'I just need an hour, so please hang on. Seth, Seraphina, everyone…' I grit my teeth and begin to ascend the mountain with my own strength.

'… I'm on my way!'

************

WHOOSH!

After spending nearly an hour climbing the mountain, I am finally soaring through the air with the Obsidian Steed.

Better yet, I have Frontflow activated while I dive into the sky.

I have chosen to replace my Minute Layer with my Hour Layer, giving me an entire hour to spend instead of a single minute. Naturally, this means I am sixty times faster than the world, but something more interesting is taking place.

My flying Armament… is also sixty times faster than the world!

It all makes sense now.

Normally, whenever I use Frontflow, everything around me slows down considerably. Yet, I am still able to move in my clothes and use my Armaments the same as normal. When I use my sword, it doesn't freeze in midair or slow down.

Instead, it follows my rhythm and is subject to my velocity.

The same could be said about Obsidian Steed.

At the end of the day, this flying horse is an Armament. An unconventional one, but an Armament all the same.

That means it can sync with my current speed so long as I am piloting it. It is an extension of my will, and so I can force it to move using my own perception of time.

This is absurd.

My normal travel speed as a Knight is around fifteen meters per second. With the aid of Potions, this figure can rise to as high as twenty-five to even forty meters per second.

But that is the limit.

However, using Frontflow, this sharply rises to 900 meters per second.

I consider myself impossibly quick whenever I move sixty times faster than the world.

Now imagine how fast this Armament is.

Its normal speed is at an average of 100 to even 120 meters per second.

Multiply that by sixty.

At the minimum… that is 6,000 meters per second!

An incredible feat.

Divine speed!

I understand now.

This is the perfect Armament for an Exemplar.

Within a second, I easily reach the pinnacle of this tall mountain, and after only a few seconds of searching, I spot the cavern that Seth must have been talking about.

'They should be in there!'

My heart races, and a sharp glint flashes in my cold, gray eye.

However, before I can advance, something else catches my attention within the mountain, a small distance from the cavern.

Another group, a much smaller one.

'They're surrounded from all sides!' I quickly realize, my body impatiently shaking.

It shouldn't take too long to save them.

Plus, I can use this as an opportunity to gather information, so I can know exactly what the situation is and how it started.

This should give me an edge over Ciel, since I am still in the dark regarding her full plan.

Lastly…

'I need to hide my identity.'

I actually already expected that I would need to act as a Leviathan on this trip, so ever since I agreed to join the Excursion, I had made preparations regarding the matter.

Not only do I have a Potion to help obscure my identity, but a completely different set of clothes, coupled with a full-face mask, is also present in my pouch. Everything is with me, so there isn't any time to hesitate.

It's time for a Leviathan to make his debut on the battlefield.

[A/N: It took some time, but we're finally here! Thank you all for your patience, and I believe you will all have even more fun from this point onwards.]

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