Volume 3 - CH 7.2

Translator: DarkHeartedAlchemist  Editor: Weasalopes

「In order to go to rescue Froro, we must first enter the Middle Layer.」

Folio explains while drawing a map on paper.

「However, Radi and I are basically not allowed to enter the Middle Layer except when being called by Lady Yuweloi. There are three passages to the Middle Layer: here, here and here, and this one is the closest to Lady Yueloi’s quaters.」

She drew a picture of three sets of stairs and encircled one of them.

「Man, you suck at drawing.」

「And what does it matter now?!」

Folio yelled at Sarnak, who actually had the audacity to say what everyone else had thought out loud.

「….. If only there was a Skill that would make you good at drawing pictures…」

「Don’t get so depressed over it. It’s fine if you don’t know how to draw. It’s natural to have weaknesses after all.」

Aur comforted Folio, who hung her head down while keeping her face hidden with her hands.

「Anyway, does that mean that we would have to fight the guards to ascend to the Middle Layer?」

According to Aur’s magical scan, the only way to reach the upper layers was through the stairs.

「No, breaking through would be ill-advised. Lady Yueloi is not the only resident od the Middle Layer. If we start stirring trouble there, we might turn all the Wall Tribes living there into our enemies.」

Not only that, but the guards in the Middle Layer are also quite strong, she added.

「What should we do then? Hide our presence with magic?」

「Not a bad idea, but the probability of it working is a little low.」

They don’t even know what kind of Skills the Guards are possessing. Nagia’s 『Appraisal』 seems to only be able to identify low-level Skills only to certain extent, and even with that, it might not be possible to fully grasp the extent of their abilities.

「Even if we managed to hide ourselves with your magic, in the worst-case scenario the guards might be equipped with the Skills to see through such deceptions.」

The rules behind Aur’s magic and hiding by using the power of the Skill were two entirely different things, but even with that the chances of being found out by the guards are about fifty-fifty, and they are not in a position to gamble like that.

「So our only option is to go there from the other side.」

Yueloi was frustrated.

All the residents of the Middle Layer stared at her as she walked down the corridor. She found such outright gawking to be especially annoying, so she quickened her pace to get those pests out of her sight as soon as possible.

Ever since she got her hands on her, Bran has locked herself in her room together with Froro and refused to leave.

Since Yueloi didn’t contribute to her capture in any meaningful way it would be weird if she expected any kind of reward from her, but it’s not like she didn’t do anything. It was Yueloi who has prepared everything for the operation to be successful, and she was the one who was keeping Bran safe up until now.

「…. Fuck.」

When she was sure that there was nobody around, she drove her fist into the 『Mother’s Wall』 with an anguished expression. She was fully aware that it was quite a shameful display, and the one she absolutely couldn’t show to anyone.

To put it bluntly, she was jealous. Jealous of Froro for taking all of Bran’s attention for herself. She was a utterly ugly creature by her standards, totally unbefitting of the attention of a member of a prestigious Wall Tribe. But there was nothing she could do about it, and it caused her heart an unspeakable amount of pain.

Right now, she was on her way to the gate to the Lower Layer, because Folio contacted her that she managed to obtain new information about that man who came here from another world, and she was really insistent of letting her know about it. When she asked if she couldn’t just relay that to her through the Communication Skill, she said it was something she absolutely had to tell her in person.

Thanks to that, Yueloi had to all the way there herself.

「Folio! Calling me all the way to this filthy place! That information you have for me better be a good one, or else I might get just a tad bit angry with you!」

Speaking sarcastically, Yueloi pushed open the door leading to the Lower Layer. When she done that, a big lump of flame came flying towards her, causing a huge explosion upon impact.

「….. I see.」

While being struck with the explosion, Yueloi smiled, understanding what was going on here. Her smile was unquestionably the one of joy.

「So you have joined the enemy as well, huh, Folio?!」

That was a perfect occasion. Yueloi made a name for herself as someone who channeled the power of her anger to obliterate all those who would dare to stand in her way. If she defeats Aur and the others who took control of Folio, Bran will have no choice but to recognize her acheivment.

With such a picture in her mind, Yueloi jumped out of the swirling vortex of fire, completely untouched by it. Her entire body has been covered with a thin, silver armor.

「Eat this!」

What was waiting for her beyond the explosion, was a sword wielding Sarnak.

「Hmpf!」

Covering herself with her outstretched right arm, Yueloi blocks Sarnak’s attack with a loud clashing noise. At the same time, she slammed her left fist into Sarnak’s stomach.

「Hm? Oh, I see. You’re the one with the 『Steel Shield』.

Her attack didn’t harm him in any way, and didn’t left a single dent or scratch. Initially surprised with that lackof effect, she recalled the contents of the report she received.

「Tch! Looks like you possess a 『Shield』 Skill as well, huh?!」

He must have the 『Swordsmanship』 Skill s well. His slashes were sharp and powerful, but he was taking his time delivering them.

「I never thought someone like you will possess such rare Skills!」

Yueloi blocked his attack with her iron gauntlet, taking he trouble to receive the blow with the thickest part of the armor. There could be no doubt that among all the defensive Skills, the 『Shield』 ones are the best there are.

「But, oh well…」

He thrusted his sword forward, aiming for her throat. She deflected it with her right arm, and right afterwards placed her left one on Sarnak’s sword-holding hand.

「I have no need of you Skill.」

「Wha….!?」

Sarnak became startled when he saw a piece of armor that appeared on his hand out of thin air.

『Full Body Armor』. It was a simple Skill that Yueloi was using to quickly equip armor on the body part of her choosing. If wasn’t an almighty Skill that could block any attack, and just like any Skill that created things, it would disappear the moment her focus was interrupted. However, it had a number of advantages over any real armor, one of them being that she could create in on the bodies of others beside herself. And it didn’t have to be a fitting part, either. It could be literally any part. Right now, she used that ability to enclose Sarnak’s right elbow in the left arm’s vambrace. Wearing a wrong piece of armor, he could no longer bent that arm properly, so his sword-wielding arm was as good as dead.

「Damn it!」

He hurriedly tried to tear it off, but then his left hand was closed in the pack part of the right gauntlet. She couldn’t make the the armor appear inside of the target’s body to harm it in such a way, but she could manipulate its size to an extent, and that’s exactly what she was doing now.

「Tch! Wait…!」

「I’m not gonna wait!」

With Sarnak’s entire body restrained by the unfitting pieces of armor, Yueloi looked around. She was blown away by the explosion earlier, but Folio shouldn’t be that far away. But alas, she was nowhere to be found. The room that Yueloi stepped into now was small, with very few places to hide. Maybe she tried hiding in the back of a closet or under the sleeping rags, but hiding there would be meaningless since all it took to get her out of hiding would be a single fireball.

Then, she heard a strange creaking noise with her twitching ears. Looking back over her arm, she saw that the armor covering Sarnak was glowing red.

「Wha…?!」

Keeping her distance, Yueloi realized that the one creating the flames covering the armor wasn’t Folio. It was Sarnak himself.

In the next second, the armor that was covering him like a prison was blown away in every direction.

「Di… disappear!!!」

Yueloi erased it out of reflex. If she left all those burning hot lumps of iron as they were she would not be able to avoid them all, and even with her armor on she would have undoubtedly receive some serious damage. Her decision wasn’t the wrong one, but…

「Phew…. Damn, to think that I would have to use it right away. But I guess now that I have this…」

While being covered by something that looked like a thin layer of white mist, Sarnak turned towards Yueloi and said:

「We can start over again.」