True God In Another World (Tensura x Tbate)

Chapter 112 - As Quickly

Lilia Helstea POV

Tess took another step forward, less hesitant this time. Her shoulders had straightened, her uncertainty melting away as she got closer to the corpse pile. "A-Arthur? Is that you?" she muttered once more, her voice getting caught in her throat. There was a tremor in those words—five years of worry and separation trying to escape all at once.

Every single soldier in the cavern, augmenters and conjurers alike, had their heads turned to watch Tess as she approached the man sitting atop the grotesque hill of corpses. It was like they were all in some kind of trance, unable to look away from the scene unfolding in front of them.

The silence that had filled the cavern was suddenly broken by a bright, cheerful chirp.

The sound cut through everything, unexpected and almost jarring in its innocence. I had maybe half a second to register what was happening before a streak of white shot out from the shadows like an arrow, moving too fast to follow properly.

The small creature landed directly in my arms, and I almost stumbled backward from the impact.

"Sylvie!" My eyes widened, and a smile spread across my face before I could even think about controlling it. It was automatic, the kind of smile that came from genuine joy. "You're back too!"

The white fox—because that's what Sylvie looked like now, and what a transformation it was—wrapped her small form against me, nuzzling into my chest. Her scales, now snow-white instead of the pitch-black I remembered, caught the dim light filtering through the cavern. Her ears, tipped in black, swiveled toward me as she let out another happy chirp.

"Y-You! State your name!" It was Dresh, the expedition leader. His usually confident voice was wavering at the sight before him. His hand was on his sword hilt, ready to draw at any moment.

"There's no need to worry. He's not an enemy," I called out, stepping forward to try and reassure everyone. As I turned my gaze back toward the corpse pile, I realized Art was already moving.

He was prying his bloodied sword out of the corpse it was embedded into with methodical efficiency. Then, with a grace that seemed impossible given his exhaustion, he leaped down the massive mound of bodies. The movement was controlled, precise, like he'd done this a thousand times before. He landed in front of the large doorway without so much as a stumble.

As he stepped out of the shadows and into the light filtering through the cavern, I could finally make out his full appearance. The chestnut hair I remembered reached his shoulders now, longer than before. His blue eyes—so calm, so steady—swept across the gathered soldiers. Bloodstains and dirt covered his clothes and face, but none of that mattered. He hadn't changed. Not really. He was still the same Art I'd known all my life.

He was just... more now. More powerful. More weathered by experience. But still fundamentally the same person.

Sheathing his teal sword into an unadorned black scabbard with a soft metallic sound, he took a step toward us with his hands held up in a non-threatening gesture. "I'm on your side," he said wearily, his voice carrying that characteristic calmness despite the blood covering him. "I assume someone's going to want an explanation?"

"Art!" I shouted as I approached him, Sylvie still curled up in my arms. She was surprisingly light for a creature of her power. "You're back! Finally!"

He let out a soft laugh, the kind of tired sound that came from someone who'd been through absolute hell and back. Which, knowing Art and where he'd been for the past five years, was probably exactly what had happened. "Hey, Lily. Long time no see," he said, and there was genuine warmth in his voice.