Chapter 252 – Oremia’s Power

“What is… this…? The strength of my body… is restored?” (Oremia)
“I did tell you that I could save you.” (Bouchi)
“You… Who in the world are you…!?” (Oremia)
Well, of course he would be surprised when he had been right at death’s door literally moments before.

“This may be sudden, but let me explain the situation to you quickly, Oremia.” (Bouchi)
Oremia lifted his body and looked at me without saying anything. Seeing Sol on my shoulder, his eyes narrowed for a moment, but he quickly turned his gaze back to me.

“…..Tell me your name first.” (Oremia)
It wasn’t really the time for that, but there was an unspeakable power behind the ascertaining gaze he was directing at me which compelled me to speak.

“Actually, I already told you my name, but…” (Bouchi)
“I was too exhausted to remember. Tell me your name again. This time… I’ll be sure to remember it well.” (Oremia)
“…Hiro. Bouchi Hiro.”

“Bouchi… Hiro. Then, Bouchi, you should remember my name too. I am Oremia—the proud half-body of The Tree of Gluttony, Belzedor. The Sacred Bird of the Forest, Oremia.”
“Oremia, will you listen to me?” (Bouchi)
“Yes, I won’t go back on what I promised. Once I say something, I will always stand by it.” (Oremia)
I proceeded to explain the current situation to him as briefly as possible.

“I see. I’ve been used by Galafegorn then. Tch, how frustrating. That damn turtle!!” (Oremia)
“That’s what the current situation is, so we should get out of here while we can.” (Bouchi)
Galafegorn still wasn’t aware of my presence, but it was only a matter of time.

At that moment, a tremendous impact shook the place, causing everything to rock and sway.

…It’s Kaza, huh? The final move. Keep Galafegorn occupied for me, alright?

At the start of the operation, I had Kaza positioned up in the skies on the [Jet Book]. I told him to use his strongest move as soon as Shiki finished attacking, which would allow him to draw Galafegorn’s attention.

Kaza was a monster considered among the top of A-Rank, so I knew that Galafegorn wouldn’t be able to ignore his attack.

Like this, Galafegorn’s attention was diverted once more. But now, our time was running out.

“Oremia! We’re getting out of here now!” (Bouchi)
“Tch, alright! Get on my back, Bouchi!” (Oremia)
“Eh?” (Bouchi)
“I’m gonna have to pay this turtle back for locking me up in this damn ice. We’re going to break our way out!” (Oremia)
“Hahah, sounds good to me. He’ll definitely be shocked speechless.” (Bouchi)
“Wahahaha! Nice! That’s exactly what I want to see! Get on, let’s go!” (Oremia)
I clambered onto Oremia’s back with Sol.

“”

“Alright! Hold on tiiiiight!” (Oremia)
Oremia spread his wings wide and flew up. Naturally, there was a thick wall of ice blocking our path, but…

“―<Aura of Gluttony>!” (Oremia)
Suddenly, a red light was released from Oremia’s body, surrounding him in a sphere-like domain.

The ice that came into contact with the sphere gradually melted away. The ice became filled with cracks. But those cracks could have been caused by Kaza’s attack from the outside.

Still, the ice surrounding us was being reduced more and more, like it was being eaten. And then…

All of a sudden, we could see the magnificent, perfectly clear blue sky above us.

“Alright, time to get revenge on this bastard!” (Oremia)
“W-Wait a second, Oremia! We should get out of his domain while we still can!” (Bouchi)
“Agh! Why!? I can’t just take this loss lying down!” (Oremia)
“Please, just wait until the situation is better to take revenge! Besides, this is the Lazy Turtle, an S-Rank monster we’re talking about! You may also be S-Rank, but you only have the power of half of the body, so there’s a good chance you’ll just lose again!” (Bouchi)
“Gghhh…!” (Oremia)
“Do you really want to be trapped in ice again? I won’t save you twice!” (Bouchi)
The fact that the rescue operation had gone so well thus far was thanks to Galafegorn’s carelessness. If we were to try to save Oremia again, it might require an all-out confrontation.

To be honest, I didn’t want to waste any more money either.

“If you really want to get revenge, do it after you fuse with Belzedor!” (Bouchi)
“B-But as a man, I can’t back down like this…!” (Oremia)
Damn it, he’s being surprisingly persistent. In that case…

“Then please, at least go see Belzedor first! Then I won’t say anything more!” (Bouchi)
“………Tch, I’ll only listen to you because you saved my life. Fine. I won’t go on a rampage and end up getting myself killed. I’ll listen to what you say.” (Oremia)
Oremia started to suck in a deep breath for some reason, and all of a sudden—

“YOU ROTTEN TURTLE!! NEXT TIME I SEE YOU, I’LL TURN YOU INTO MINCEMEAT, SHELL AND ALL!! YOU BETTER REMEMBER ME, STUPID TURTLEEEE!!” (Oremia)

My goodness, what a childish taunt…

The shocked Galafegorn glared at Oremia and seemed to regain its senses after hearing his shouts. At that moment, Galafegorn’s shell began to shine once more.