CH 310.2

『……Shit! What’s with this monster?』

After some time had passed, the old man, who was as thin as a dead tree, spoke.

The lead-colored body of the Metal Golem lay crumpled in front of him. The commander had managed to win the battle, even though his Knight was in tatters.

The reason why he struggled so much was because the Golem was strangely accustomed to fighting.

The Golem did not just rely on force and physical strength but also attacked with a series of feints. He had never seen or heard of something like this before.

(But it was not the Knight who rode on Zaratan’s back at the Spirit Lake.)

He shot a Fire Arrow into the side hole and peeked in, but it was a dead end inside. It didn’t lead anywhere else, so he wondered if it was just a nest.

(What does this mean? Just what is going on?)

The thin old man couldn’t and refused to understand. In the back of his mind is the possibility that there is no underground lake or World Tree here, but he is unwilling to face that possibility.

Admitting that his last bet was off the mark would cause a mental breakdown.

(Was there another side hole in the middle, not at the most bottom part of the pit? Or was it just cleverly concealed?)

He was too busy looking away from his despair and searching for answers to notice. The three Knights who were supposed to be fighting the Heavy Stone Golem were lying dead on the upper level.

And that the jet-black Knight who had reaped the lives of his men was watching his battle against the Metal Golem from a level above, with his Death Scythe in hand.

『…..Well done』

The mist had been blown away by the battle, and a blue sky with clouds in the distance could be seen. Against this backdrop, a slender A-class Knight said through the external sound system.

Then the blade of the Death Scythe glinted in the sunlight, reflecting the words on the surrounding walls.

『Well, then, let’s start killing each other, shall we?』

The green-black A-class Knight with most of the spikes broken off. If this had been a golem instead of an elf Knight, the reaper would have let him go.

He wanted to fight an opponent who was in perfect condition. That should’ve been his principle.

But even if he is a battle fanatic, he is still a pilot of the Empire. If the opponent is an elf Knight, he has no choice but to fight them.

『……Here I come!』

The Empire A-class Knight piloted by the Grim Reaper flew down in the backlight.

The battle between the Knight and its pilot, representing the human and elf races, had begun, but it did not take long for the battle to finish. Both the old man, who was as thin as a dead tree, and the Knight he rode were already at their limits.

The jet-black A-class Knight thrust its Death Scythe deep into the chest armor and kicked it away with his foot.

『……』

He felt that it was a shame, but he didn’t say it out loud.

Looking back, the Heavy Stone Golems in the upper levels flee away, avoiding his gaze. The Grim Reaper, who had been fighting and defeating them every day, had already become the master of the Great Pit alongside the Metal Golem.

They do not thoughtlessly challenge him like the higher-ranking golem did.

(Let’s give it a try.)

Grim Reaper turned his gaze to the metal golem that was shattered by the Flame Arrow.

As long as there are materials here, another Metal Golem will be born. What he was thinking about was the existence above it.

(An elven A-class Knight. With this material, it might become such a being.)

An existence further above called 『Heavy Metal Golem』. Fragments of what appeared to be it have been unearthed at a ruin, but it still exists only in stories.

『Fighting power that surpasses that of a Metal Golem.』

Any normal person would hesitate to assist in its birth. No matter how precious the rare metal it had stored in its body might be.

But for the Grim Reaper who wants to be killed by a powerful enemy, the danger is what he desires.

(Let’s also use the elves’ B-class Knights.)

Returning to one layer above, he kicked down piles of destroyed green-white B-class Knights to the bottom.

『Let’s go back.』

The jet-black A-class Knight begins the long climb up the hill to the surface, with a piece of the elven A-class spike in his hand as proof.

The expedition of the Elven knight order that was the last hope of the elves. That light should have been extinguished here.

(I’m saved….)

This thought belonged to the long-haired female pilot who was the vice commander. Although her Knight was hit by the Metal Golem’s fist, the cockpit was safe.

However, due to her high ability to manipulate magic power, it was difficult for her to even breathe. Perhaps that is why she was unnoticed.

(I have to go home… I don’t wanna die in a place like this.)

For the elves, who loathe the earth attribute, the bottom of the pit is equivalent to being plunged into a pool of fecal matter.

The vice commander crawls with the Knight in desperation, as if reaching for the distant blue sky. But her vision is blocked by the face of a hideous Heavy Stone Golem.

(Eh? What’s…)

Heavy Stone Golems swarming around the green-white B-class Knights. Now that the Metal Golem had been defeated and the Grim Reaper had left, the food in front of them was theirs.

[Kyaaaaaa!!]

Head, hands, feet, and internal organs. She shares her senses with the Knight, who also receives the sensation of being ‘eaten’.

[Noooooo!! I don’t wanna die—!!]

If she were the Knight itself, she would have lost consciousness when half of her head was eaten off. However, sitting in the cockpit surrounded by a sturdy shell, such a thing wasn’t possible.

[No, there’s no way this is real! There’s no way that I would end like thissss—!!]

The golems are fighting each other for the finest ingredient, mithril silver. Her screams continued until the cockpit was destroyed.

And once again, the expedition of the Elven knight order came to an end.

***

As the sun sets over the western horizon and the heat of the day wanes, the red-light district of the royal capital suddenly comes to life.

I was having dinner in a restaurant with my best friend, a not-so-attractive macho man.

[Corneal-san. Is your body okay? I heard you were very busy.]

After gulping down a mug of chilled ale in one gulp, Corneal closes his eyes tightly with a beard of bubbles. If I had to describe that appearance in one word, it would be 『Delish!』.

He wiped the bridge of his nose with the back of his hand and spoke with a smile.

[Well, that’s the only thing good about me after all. But thank you for worrying about me.]

This young man is actually a big shot, the number three of the Kingdom knight order. He has been having a hard time being pushed around by his superiors ever since the Empire and the Elves began to dispute.

Yesterday, he informed me that he was able to take a day off, and we suddenly decided to hold the 『Adult Gourmet Club』 activity for the first time in a long while.

[Excuse me—! A refill please!]

Corneal lifts his mug with his thick arms and shakes it from side to side. The new mug, filled to the brim with bubbles, was brought to the table along with a big serving of raw meat, the main course.

While my best friend happily plunges into his second glass, I use tongs to place the meat on the grill grate, which is placed in the center of the table.

[I heard it you know, Tauro-san. That thing about you ravaged Jayanne.]

I look up and see him smiling mischievously at me. I can only shrug my shoulders in response.

From the outside perspective, it is true that I have defeated the 『First Boss, Last Boss, and Hidden Boss』 namely, 『Explosive onee-san, Light Cruiser-sensei, and Cool-san』.

[Are you going to target Cione next, slaying the mother-daughter pair? Or are you going to exterminate the Queen of Cassabell? This Corneal thinks either one is good. Whether the Queens come at you in a swarm or not, I will act as a shield and show you that I can catch every tip of the whip!]

The pervy macho stuck out his thick chest and smiled confidently. He knows exactly how I feel about it and is just teasing me, so I just leave him alone.

Fortunately, he is not of a persistent nature, so there was no need to reply.

[By the way, how’s work going? And our neighbor’s situation.]

After nodding off vaguely, I asked as I turned over the thin slices of meat. This isn’t the kind of thing we should talk about in public, but a little ambiguity would probably do the trick.

Even if I belong to the Merchant Guild, I would be sent out in the event of a large-scale war, and I would like to know what they are up to after they take a shot at the World Tree.

The high official of the knight order opened his mouth while putting a lot of grated garlic in a small bowl of dipping sauce.

[Our neighbor is serious. They are seen everywhere, heading to the north.]

He cut his words and held out a small bowl of rice to me. Looks like it was my portion.

[Our side decided not to make a move. If we break the promised time limit, it’ll make our friend in the East look at us cold.]

We have signed a truce with the Empire for about two years. There is a way of breaking it immediately and crossing the border, but if we do that, our country’s credibility would be ruined.

[So there won’t be any fighting for a while huh.]

I replied and started eating the internal organs first. The sweet and spicy sauce is good, but a little too garlicky.

Corneal wrap the garlic around the meat and brings it to his mouth, but instead of nodding, he shakes his head from side to side. When I stared at him quizzically, he swallowed his food down along with the drink and grinned.

[What are you talking about? Our battle is just about to begin, isn’t it?]

Then he tapped the entertainment district magazine on the table. I smiled back and raised my mug.

[Right. Our battle is just about to begin.]

[Let’s hurry and finish our meal and make them squeal!]

As one would expect from a diner in the middle of the red-light district. People around us didn’t mind our vulgar conversation at all.

We clinked our beer mugs together and thought about the battlefield we were about to enter.