Otome Game Mob Villain

Chapter 562

That's the "voice" of those bird-people.

She must have infused  her voice with magic or some kind of special spell.

Truly, magic is such a profound thing.

But no, now's not the time to be thinking about that.

Glancing to the side, I see Memory also deploying a magic barrier, holding her ground.

This voice carries both thunder and storm.

At the very least, it incorporates two attributes.

Moreover, the surrounding ground is being torn up, and the vegetation is being shredded. If we were to take this attack head-on, we'd suffer terrible damage.

But since the medium of the attack is their voice, they can't keep it up forever.

The attack will eventually stop, so I'll close the distance in one go.

Sharing my thoughts with Memory through a glance, she nods without a word.

Soon enough, the force of the attack begins to weaken.

Finally, has she run out of breath? The next moment, a large number of thunderbolts start forming around the foul-mouthed bird-person.

"Still not enough, huh? I haven't sung enough yet either."

As she grins, showing her white teeth, the thunderbolts are launched one after another towards us.

But the voice has stopped.

If we're going to make our move, it has to be now.

Memory and I dash forward at full speed.

We dodge the unavoidable thunderbolts, either cutting them down or blocking them with our magic barriers, as we push through the barrage.

"Heh, you've got guts. Hey, you, take him and go ahead. I'll hold these guys back."

"Understood. I'll go ahead then."

The bird-person girl grabs Gabriel with one hand and takes to the sky.

She must be planning to retreat from this place.

Memory and I channel magic throughout our bodies and leap into the air.

"You're not getting away!"

Just as our attack is about to land, the foul-mouthed bird-person smirks defiantly.

"Too slow."

"...⁉"

Once again, an ear-splitting voice roars, and a shockwave mixed with thunder and storm rages.

Since we were charging in at close range, there was no time to deploy our magic barriers this time.

As a result, Memory and I end up taking the hit in a sort of "counter" fashion.

The shock to our ears feels like being inside a giant bell struck by a mallet, and we're on the verge of losing consciousness.

We desperately endure, but the storm and thunder mercilessly assault us as we falter.

Unable to withstand it any longer, we're blown away and slammed into the ground.

"Guh...⁉"

"Ugh...⁉"

A violent shock runs through our bodies, and we instinctively grimace.

We managed to avoid direct damage by quickly deploying a spherical magic barrier, but we couldn't completely negate the impact.

Memory is still maintaining her physical form, but the strong impact has disrupted her magic flow, making her movements sluggish.

"Haha. Pathetic."

A triumphant voice echoes from above.

It's frustrating, but as she herself said, her speaking voice is quite pleasant, undoubtedly fitting into the category of a beautiful voice.

That said, her tone and the roughness of her delivery are excessive.

"If possible, I'd like to hear your singing voice properly."

As I say this and stand up, she relaxes her mouth into a somewhat pleased expression.

"You, you get it, huh? Wanting to hear my singing. Alright, if there's a chance, I'll sing for you. Well, it might be a requiem, though."

Amidst her loud laughter, a voice calls out, "Ibi-neechan."

Turning around to see what's happening, I find Aria standing there, her face pale.

"A... no, Pink, why are you here⁉"

"I'm sorry. But that person is our... my older sister. And I sensed Iria's presence too..."

Aria is clearly flustered, breathing heavily.

However, the foul-mouthed bird-person called Ibi visibly scowls and snorts in displeasure.

"I don't know someone like you."

"That's not true. I know you, Ibi-neechan. And Iria too."

Listening to their exchange, I finally understand the true identity of the bird-person.

During the battle at the Narrow Fortress, there were unidentified bird-people who made contact with the Second Knight Brigade's air unit.

They were disguised, but they were apparently the long-lost sisters of Aria and the others.

The leader of those sisters was the one we're facing now, 'Ibi Padoguri,' and the one who was here earlier, 'Ilia Padoguri,' as reported.

Aria and the other bird-people in Baldia, despite differences in skill, can all use 'Electric Field.'

Given that they all identified the unidentified bird-people as the long-lost sisters of the Padoguri family, Ibi and Ilia, it's almost certainly correct.

"That's right, Ibi-neechan. Ilia and everyone... everyone, come to big brother's place."

"Huh...?"

Ibi tilts her head in confusion, but Aria leans forward, undeterred.

"We're not failures, disappointments, or useless tools. Big brother saved all of us. So, Ibi-neechan, Ilia too..."

"Shut up."

She cuts Aria off with a wave of magic, glaring at her.

"Don't make me say it again. I don't know you."

"But..."

"Shut up, shut up, just shut up. You little pet bird, chirping whatever you want."

As her angry roar echoes, a tremendous shockwave erupts from her.

"Aria, get back!"

"...⁉ Big brother."

Memory and I step forward, quickly deploying a magic barrier, but the surrounding ground is torn up, and a cloud of dust envelops the area.

With almost no visibility, I use the Electric Field to locate the bird-people and am startled.

"...We've been had."

In that instant, she had already soared high into the sky, attempting to escape.

We don't have the luxury to chase her through the air, and against Ibi and Ilia, the kids Aria entrusted as her substitutes wouldn't stand a chance.

In the first place, the air unit has been instructed to retreat if they determine the enemy is clearly superior.

They're Baldia's prized assets, after all; we can't afford to push them too hard.

Increasing the output of the Electric Field, I confirm there's no hostile presence nearby and let out a sigh, sheathing my rapier.

We let Gabriel and the bird-people girls escape, but we achieved our initial objective.

We need to tend to and restrain the naked, fallen mercenaries and retrieve the carriage loaded with hidden funds.

This is probably the right time to withdraw.

"Ibi-neechan, Ilia..."

Aria collapses to her knees, beginning to sob.

As I comfort her, I can't help but feel a strong distrust towards the Padoguri family of bird-people.

"Holst Padoguri. In a way, he might be more terrifying than Elba."

The words of Clarence from Balst resurface in my mind.

The emerald orb Gabriel had, the possibility of connections with Elba's faction, including Remos and other powerful families.

Is this what Clarence was hinting at?

No, that's not it.

That orb feels like it's tied to something even more sinister.

The beast-king Sekhmetos of the beast-country Zubera, the various tribes and their chieftains.

Are they connected to Holst?

Or is this his own doing, with collaborators... The more I think about it, the more questions arise.

But if they're going to lay a hand on Baldia and the people I care about, the answer and what I must do are clear.

I gaze in the direction the bird-people girls flew off, clenching my fist.