Chapter 169: Something is wrong… very wrong
"Fou???"
Ethan stared at the small black goat rubbing against Mash's leg with a panicked expression.
"Ahahaha, that tickles, Fou."
Mash reached out her hand to pet the soft black goat.
Very soon after, the black goat turned its round eyes toward Ethan.
Step by step, it hopped over to him.
"——————?!"
Ethan immediately backed away several steps.
He didn't know why, but he had the feeling that this thing was very scary.
"Meh meh..."
The goat let out a somewhat sad, dejected bleat.
"Senpai, if you act like that, Fou will be sad."
Mash quickly stepped forward to advise Ethan.
"Back then, Senpai was clearly very close with Fou."
"I was very close with it???"
Ethan stared at the little black goat with a completely disbelieving look.
"Meh~~~"
It let out a helpless bleat, its round eyes filled with disappointment.
Looking at it like this, it really did seem like a harmless creature.
That fluffy appearance, it looked very tempting to touch.
Seeing that Ethan was no longer on guard, the little black goat immediately hopped closer.
"Senpai, it seems like Fou really wants you to pet it."
Mash stepped up just in time, and the little black goat also lifted its head to look at Ethan.
In those round eyes was a gaze full of expectation.
Under the watchful eyes of Mash and the little black goat, Ethan had no choice but to squat down, hesitantly reaching out his hand.
The moment his fingertips touched the fur on the little black goat's body, the distinctive softness of fluffy fur spread to his hand.
Honestly, it was quite addictive.
Ethan had petted cats and dogs before, but goats… that was definitely a first.
The hand-feel was quite good.
The little black goat, being petted by Ethan, also seemed very happy, immediately rolling over.
"Senpai, Fou looks really happy too."
"Umu."
Fou?
Looking at the little black goat rolling around on the ground.
For some reason, Ethan kept feeling that Fou shouldn't look like this, but he couldn't remember exactly what Fou was.
"Ah, this is bad, we need to hurry and find the control room!"
Mash spoke in a panic.
"Sorry, Fou, we have to go now."
"Meh… meh~~~"
The little black goat let out a dissatisfied bleat.
"Senpai, hurry!!!"
Mash grabbed Ethan's hand, pulling him up and running toward the control room.
"Mash, there's no need to rush like that… the doctor won't blame us."
Ethan spoke while glancing back.
The little black goat just sat there on the ground, using its pitch-black eyes to continuously look at him.
"Haa… haa…"
Mash dragged Ethan as they jogged at a steady pace, until finally she panted heavily as they entered the control room.
"Sorry, Doctor, Da Vinci-chan, we're late."
"Too late!!!"
Sure enough, the moment they stepped through the door, they heard Da Vinci's dissatisfied grumbling.
"Chaldea's workload is piled up like a mountain right now, you two are being way too lax."
"Ehm… I don't think you need to be that strict with them."
Doctor Romani, standing to the side, spoke up to mediate.
"After all, they succeeded in repairing the Singularity and returned safely — isn't that very good?"
"Hmm, you're right…"
Da Vinci nodded, temporarily accepting Doctor Romani's words.
"All right, Ethan, congratulations on successfully repairing the Singularity and coming back safe!"
"Congratulations, Senpai!!!"
"…Doctor, but I still don't feel anything clearly."
Facing Doctor Romani and Mash, Ethan voiced the doubt in his heart.
"I was clearly swept up in the Black Mud on the battlefield, and when I woke up, everything was already settled — it feels like it all went way too smoothly."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
Doctor Romani looked at Ethan with a puzzled expression.
"Senpai, you worked very hard, you just didn't personally witness the final moment, that's all."
Mash also chimed in from the side.
Hearing the two of them say that, Ethan also somewhat felt that maybe they were right.
After all, he had steadily advanced step by step to reach the final enemy, and he himself was just a Master — the fighting was left to the Servants.
Moreover, he had summoned Heracles in the Archer class; the opponent was only a Foreigner.
Surely, it could be handled easily.
Could it be that, because up until now they had always fought from a disadvantage, this time things went so smoothly that it just felt unfamiliar???
Ethan scratched his head, then looked toward Mash and Doctor Romani.
"Sorry, it seems like I was talking a bit strangely just now."
"Not at all, it's perfectly understandable for you to think that way — it's exactly because of that that you've made it this far."
Doctor Romani immediately smiled to comfort Ethan.
"Right, we will continue investigating the Spiritron Transfer and Rayshift issues, so advancing to the next Singularity won't start immediately."
Doctor Romani slightly nodded at Ethan.
"You've worked hard; you can rest for a while now."
"Is that so? Then I'll go rest first."
Ethan accepted Doctor Romani's words.
...
After leaving the control room, Mash also followed behind Ethan.
"Senpai, are you heading back to your room to rest?"
"Hm? Is there something you need?"
Ethan looked at Mash in confusion.
"No, it's just — thinking about how hard Senpai worked this time, I thought we should go to the cafeteria and have a really good meal! I heard that doing so helps reduce mental stress!"
Mash earnestly said.
"Thank you, Mash."
Ethan smiled and nodded.
Seeing his kouhai-chan think so thoughtfully for him, he really did feel a bit happy inside.
"All right, then let's go have a meal!"
"Really! That's awesome!!!"
Mash exclaimed in delight.
It really was time to relax a little.
After all, in this Rayshift, he had gone through quite a lot of hardship — who would have thought that as soon as he transferred over, he would fall into the middle of the sea from the sky?
If it weren't for his tough luck, he would probably have drowned long ago.
The waves were so rough that an ordinary person wouldn't have been able to swim, and there was even a Hydra under the sea — it was truly a brush with death.
"——————?!"
Ethan suddenly froze in place, not moving.
"What's wrong, Senpai???"
Mash asked Ethan in confusion.
"No, it's just… suddenly I feel like I've forgotten something."
Ethan tried hard to think.
Did I really swim to shore by myself?
Could it be that someone helped me back then…?
"The thing is… Mash, can you go ahead for a bit? I'm feeling a little tired."
"Senpai, could it be you have a headache?!"
Mash showed a panicked expression.
"I'll go call the doctor right away!!!"
Saying that, Mash left Ethan behind and ran straight back toward the control room.
"Wait… sigh…"
Watching Mash's figure disappear, Ethan thought for a moment, then figured calling her back would be troublesome, so he decided to just let her go.
Having the doctor check on him wasn't a bad idea anyway.
After all, he had just been pulled out of the Black Mud — forgetting a few things was normal.
But… he kept feeling like he had forgotten something very important.
As he thought about this, Ethan absentmindedly looked around, and suddenly his gaze stopped at the direction of the storage room.
For some reason, that place gave him a very familiar feeling.
Unable to resist, Ethan began walking toward the shadows beside the storage room.
The closer he got, the more his head hurt.
It was as if something was fiercely repelling him.
But precisely because of that, Ethan felt even more that he had to keep moving forward.
A vision of a small, blond-haired girl suddenly appeared in Ethan's mind.
He opened his eyes wide, watching as the small blond-haired girl walked past the corridor leading to the storage area.
In the end, she stood before a door, reached out, pushed it open, and disappeared behind that door.
"Please wait…!!!"
Ethan instinctively ran after the figure of the girl — but suddenly, he felt as if someone was staring straight at him from behind.
Turning his head to look, he realized that at some point, the little black goat was already standing right behind him.
In its round eyes, it reflected his own silhouette.
"Fou…?"
As soon as he called that name, a sharp, intense pain shot through Ethan's head.
It felt as if concepts were violently clashing inside his mind.
"No… Fou… Fou should be…"
Ethan clutched his aching forehead, his vision flashing with the image of a small creature — white, like a cross between a cat and a rabbit.
That's right… Fou was supposed to be white…
But… why was Mash calling this black goat Fou…?
It hurts… I don't want to think anymore…
At that moment, the black goat suddenly started hopping toward him step by step.
No…!
I mustn't let that thing get close!!
Ethan immediately spun around, instinctively dashing toward the door the blonde-haired girl had just gone through.
"Mehhh~~~ Meeehh~~~"
The black goat let out a sharp, eerie cry, its steps accelerating. Its once-cute form now twisted and deformed, radiating pure horror.
Gritting his teeth, Ethan pushed his body forward with all his might, covering three strides in one.
The moment he reached the door, he grabbed the handle and glanced over his shoulder.
The goat's pitch-black fur was peeling off in chunks, then writhing and multiplying, as if it had a life of its own.
"Damn it…!!"
Ethan clenched his teeth tightly, yanked the door open, and rushed inside.
"Whoooooosh——————!!"
The roar of wind howled past his ears, and a sensation of weightlessness engulfed his entire body, as though he were falling endlessly.
Just when Ethan thought he could no longer breathe, his body was suddenly submerged — the only sound in his ears was the bubbling and bursting of air.
"Kh… khuh khuh…!!"
Ethan collapsed onto the ground, coughing violently.
But no matter how hard he coughed, nothing came out.
Shit…! Behind that door was a pool of water!?
Chaldea… has a place like this…?!
Wait, that black goat… did it get dragged in too…?
Wiping the corner of his mouth with his hand, Ethan turned to look behind him.
"———?!"
The sight before his eyes shook him to the core.
He was no longer in Chaldea.
Surrounding him was an ancient, crumbling palace. The stone pillars around him were severely corroded, broken in segments.
The walls were adorned with ancient murals, but most had been eroded by time, making it impossible to discern their original content.
"Thud… thud…"
Before he could even comprehend what was happening, heavy, slow footsteps echoed from afar.
That sound wasn't human. It was slow, heavy, and came in pairs, as if some massive body was dragging itself forward.
Holding his breath, Ethan pressed himself against the remains of a collapsed pillar.
"Thud… thud…"
The footsteps echoed through the dilapidated palace, each beat drawing closer and closer…
The suffocating bloodlust weighed on Ethan's chest like a boulder.
What… is approaching? And… where the hell is this place?
Ethan's heart pounded so fiercely he felt it was about to leap from his throat — he could hear its thudding clearly in his ears.
At this moment, only two sounds filled his mind — the thudding of his heart and the heavy, unknown footsteps, intertwining, merging…
"Thud… thud…"
Just when Ethan could no longer tell whether the sound he heard was his own heartbeat or "that thing's" — the footsteps suddenly stopped.
"…?!"
Ethan tilted his head, straining to listen.
Indeed, the atmosphere had abruptly turned unnaturally still.
"Haa…"
Ethan let out a sigh of relief, about to step out from behind the collapsed pillar—
Plop.
Something black suddenly dropped down with a thud right in front of him from above.
"…!"
Ethan instinctively backed away, tilting his head upward to look—
That thing resembled a massive lump of flesh, with countless long, black tentacles sprouting from its surface like rotting, withered tree branches, reaching up high.
On that grotesque mass was something resembling a "face," yet it had no eyes, no nose.
Instead, there were several gigantic mouths filled with razor-sharp teeth, endlessly opening and closing as if gnawing on some invisible life force.
"————————!!!"
Ethan spun around and bolted straight toward the distant corridor — the place that looked like an exit!!
"Meh!!!"
The creature let out a bizarre, goat-like screech, but its speed was terrifying — it shot toward Ethan in an instant!
"Damn it…!!"
Gritting his teeth, Ethan sprinted forward with all his might, leaping over broken walls and scattered rubble.
At last, he burst out of that room and into a narrow, pitch-dark hallway.
On both sides were shattered window frames, tattered curtains fluttering eerily in the cold, gloomy wind.
No time to think—Ethan kept running!!!
"CRASH————————!!!"
Behind him, the deafening sound of impact echoed as the monster smashed through every obstacle in its path, tearing through the door and bursting out of the room!!!
Ethan didn't dare look back, throwing every ounce of strength into his sprint.
"BOOM——————!!!"
Just as Ethan tried to push himself even faster, a dark figure suddenly shot in through the window ahead!
A humanoid monster — body shaped like a demon, goat-headed — landed from midair at the far end of the hallway!
THUD!
It hit the ground, blocking the way forward.
But it seemed preoccupied, searching for something on the floor, and hadn't noticed Ethan yet.
"Damn it all…"
In front was a monster; behind, a nightmare closing in. Gritting his teeth, Ethan's eyes darted left.
The window.
A shattered window frame, and beyond it — a bottomless, pitch-black abyss.
Jumping out there… could mean instant death.
But if he did nothing, he'd die for sure.
He only had a few seconds to decide.
Keep running? Fight? Or— take the gamble and leap?
Choose, Ethan.
If he kept charging forward, he'd slam right into the goat-headed demon — certain death.
Thud… thud…
The heavy sound from behind grew closer and closer.
At that very moment—Ethan suddenly caught sight of a small door just a few steps away, hidden among the crumbling wall, almost invisible if you weren't looking carefully.
With a door that small, there was no way those massive creatures could squeeze through.
At this point—he had to take the gamble!
Ethan surged forward, leaping in great strides!
Before the goat-headed monster could notice, he yanked the small door open, slipped inside, and slammed it shut!
THUD!
The momentum was so strong that he slammed his shoulder straight into the inner wall, pain shooting through him until he couldn't lift his arm.
Even so, he clenched his teeth, holding his breath, trying desperately not to make a sound — terrified the two monsters outside would discover him.
Thank God the door wasn't locked. If it had been, he probably wouldn't be alive right now to feel grateful for it.
Ethan forced his breathing down to the quietest level possible, straining his ears to catch any movement outside.
But then, his eyes were drawn to a dark corner of the small room.
A small figure was curled up in the corner, trembling violently.
"Uwaa… don't eat me… please…"
A young boy dressed in a sailor uniform, clutching his head, let out soft, terrified sobs.