"Feeling tired? Is it really just 'tired' that simple? Don't you feel anything else strange?"
Lumine narrowed her eyes and asked again. Her attitude made Teppei a bit strange. Wasn't she asking him to explain the situation? Yet her demeanor seemed to suggest she knew more about the side effects of this item than he did.
"N-no, will something uncomfortable happen if I use it?"
"Haven't you felt a lack of energy upon waking up recently, constant fatigue, and even no desire to 'relax your mind'?"
"...Leaving aside what you mean by 'relaxing your mind', I do experience the first two things you mentioned. However, I can accept this level of side effect. After all, I haven't received the gaze of a god. It's reasonable to pay a price if I want to possess power."
"Even if the price is your own life?"
"Yes, even if the price is my life... What did you say?"
That sentence wasn't spoken by Lumine, but by the person who had been hidden in the darkness. As she spoke, she stepped out of the shadows and came to Lumine's side.
It was another extremely beautiful person. Someone so petite should logically be called 'cute,' but... 'cute' couldn't fully describe her.
Her demeanor was different from Lumine's. Her expressionless face put immense pressure on Teppei, as if he were facing a superior.
Teppei wasn't attracted by her appearance this time. His mind was filled with her words just now: 'pay with your own life'? What was going on?
"You... you just said I would pay with my life? What's going on?"
"Literally, the price for driving this thing is your own life. The reason you feel that way is because too much life force has been drained."
Saying that, she came before Teppei, pulled a few strands of hair from his head, and showed them to him. They were almost all white hair. He was only in his twenties, not yet at the age for such hair.
Even if he tried to console himself that it was just a few strands, when he saw Durandal take out a mirror and show him that the number of white hairs was almost more than he imagined, he had to accept the truth.
"Do you see? You are currently overdrawing your life to use this thing. It is called a Delusion and was developed by the Fatui. You soldiers of the Rebel Army are being used by them to fight the Shogunate's soldiers, and incidentally, to test the effectiveness of the Delusions for them."
"You only see the benefits brought by the Delusions, but you don't see that you users are gradually walking towards death. While you are immersed in the beauty of power, your lives are also slowly fading away."
Looking at Teppei's stunned expression, she continued, "Besides giving you Delusions, the Fatui have probably also placed their own personnel within your ranks. The reason your Rebel Army is still fighting the Shogunate is probably due to these people inciting it, right? After all... the disagreement between Sangonomiya Shrine and the Shogunate is not a matter of a day or two. If they say just a little something, you'll foolishly jump into the trap, even if it means death."
Teppei wanted to say something, but he found he couldn't refute it, because what Durandal said... was all true. Although there were some differences, the general situation was correct.
Thinking of this, he felt a chill throughout his body, not only because of his own situation but also because of the people he cared about in the Rebel Army. Without his knowledge, they were slowly walking towards death.
He didn't want this to happen. He protected those people, wanting to save them, but... he was useless. He had no means to save the people he cared about.
"Can... can you help me? You definitely have the ability to help me, right?"
Teppei looked at Durandal imploringly. It was a strange feeling; he felt that Durandal had a way to help him. She could definitely help him.
"I can't interfere with internal matters of the Rebel Army, and the Fatui are all hiding from me. If I suddenly appear, they will run away, and catching them won't be easy."
"But... just because I can't do this, doesn't mean you can't."
Just as Teppei was completely despairing, Durandal changed her tone, "With your identity, doing this is the most suitable. After all, you are 'one of us,' aren't you?"
"But... I can't do that much. I... I'm too weak, I have no power."
Teppei smiled bitterly. If he had power, he could do many things, but... he had nothing, and he wasn't watched over by a god.
"No, you still have a choice."
"A choice?"
"That is... to pledge allegiance to me."
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