Volume 2 - CH 17

The Mercenary of Dawn returned to the surface once every several days.

They ran away with a family heirloom that they were requested to obtain and angered a noble who was their client. They took advantage that the heirloom is something that a noble can’t show around in public and chose to escape to a dungeon until the heat died down, even so in order to resupply their consumable items and rest their body, they have to return to the surface periodically.

Even so, I only know about their periodical return because they told the guild about it, but there is no guarantee that they will really return on that day. However when I checked at the adventurer guild, I found a party who seem to fit the description exchanging magic stones and materials for money.

It’s a group of four that consisted of three men who seem to be around their thirty and a woman. The red haired warrior among them has combat strength that surpassed 700, so that guy must be the leader of Mercenary of Dawn, the rank 4──Dagget.

.

▼ Dagget   Race : Human  – Warrior Rank 4

【Magic Power : 155/155】【Stamina : 326/380】

【Overall Combat Strength : 733 (With Body Strengthening : 918)】

.    

While his appearance and equipment fitted my information about Dagget, I tried using Appraisal on him. In case there is a mistake with my prior information, it’s possible that he has a skill that I can’t sense, but currently I’m not seeing any major difference.

I was told that his three comrades are rank 3, but it feels like their combat strength is higher than the average rank 3.

.

▼ Randy   Race : Human  – Heavy Warrior Rank 3

【Magic Power : 121/121】【Stamina : 378/423】

【Overall Combat Strength : 442 (With Body Strengthening : 504)】

.    

▼ Dankan   Race : Human  – Scout – Hunter – Rank 3

【Magic Power : 125/125】【Stamina : 250/286】

【Overall Combat Strength : 403 (With Body Strengthening : 468)】

.    

▼ Grinda   Race : Human  – Sorcerer Rank 3

【Magic Power : 212/248】【Stamina : 179/217】

【Overall Combat Strength : 541 (With Body Strengthening : 570)】

.    

The Simple Appraisal that I’m using doesn’t read the information of the opponent’s soul, but the information from their outer appearance……the build of their muscle, the way they move, the balance of their height and weight, the amount of life force and magic power that I can sense from them, etc. From there my skill estimated the opponent’s strength, and coupled with my skill Search where I can also see magic particle in color that has become level 3, I should be able to read someone’s strength more accurately than anybody in this guild.

The three other than Dagget have higher combat strength than the average rank 3 must be because they have multiple skills just like me. Even within the same rank, there will be a clear difference in magic power value and stamina when someone obtained multiple combat skills. In other words those three aren’t just completely reliant on the rank 4 Dagget. All of them had trained themselves in order to be worthy to be a member of a rank 4 party.

Conversely Dagget’s combat strength is lower than Viro and Sera is because his low magic power value……in other words, he is leaving other aspects of combat to his comrades while he only focused on improving his close quarter combat. This is the result of such division of role. That’s my hypothesis.

Certainly, this target will be too much for Keira or Guy. Even Radha will have a hard time to defeat them solo.

It’s troublesome but not surprising. I think they are still safe until now even after making their client angry at them because they are really good with making crafty plan or they have the strength that correspond to it.

If such people formed a party, for me these people will become an utterly higher ranked opponent for me almost for the first time.

I had faced higher ranked opponents in battles even before this, but my opponents were alone. I would lure them using my young age to make them let their guard down and took advantage of their weak point to barely grasp victory. But, with an adventurer party, each member is making up for their comrades’ shortcoming and they can display strength that surpass their true strength by making a good use of their respective forte.

It’s likely that this battle will become a divide for me. Will I become an assassin wannabe that only rely on petty tricks, or will I become an adventurer who is in possession of assassin skill. I felt that I’m standing on a crossroad.

I blended into the surrounding using Stealth that is adjusted only to make me appear natural so that I won’t gather attentions from other to me.

Just in case, in order to cover up my objective for coming to the adventurer guild, I went to exchange the magic stones that I obtained from diving into the dungeon with Carla. There the staff who I talked with before this seems to remember me. The friendly uncle came until the exchange counter.

「You there, nice timing. The rank 4 party that I told you before has returned. ……But, it looks like you already went into the dungeon by yourself huh.」

「A kind girl helped and guided me for free.」

In order to escape the gazes that gathered on me due to the staff talking to me, I hid my face with my shawl while giving that answer. Then the uncle nodded with a gentle smile.

「That’s great. Perhaps because this city has a dungeon, there is almost no young adventurer here, so the old timer staffs and adventurers are concerned. Did you form a party with that girl in the end?」

Putting aside the young people, the veteran adventurers are looking at me like that……? I won’t say anything bad about that, as someone who is hiding her true identity, such attention might be more troublesome compared to simply being picked on.

「She is a noble’s daughter. I think it will be impossible to form a party with her again.」

The uncle’s complexion changed when I casually said that.

「That person……could it be a girl with long black hair and a sickly look?」

Carla is being considered as a person to be wary of in this guild. The uncle won’t tell me the detail but, it seems that she is also being suspected for some other things too, like the disappearances of some adventurers during these several years.

As I thought, Carla seems to be a daughter of a high ranked noble. Apparently she is an existence whose information I can’t ask about even in the guild. I’m being strongly advised to not get involved with her as much as possible.

「Don’t spread it around but, a pair of young adventurers also just disappeared several days ago, so be careful okay? I suggest that you form a party with someone as quickly as you can.」

「I’ll consider it.」

The pair that Carla and I killed also got blamed on Carla……. It can’t be helped I guess, after all she didn’t seem like someone who will bother with hiding the evidence.

.

I saw the Mercenary of Dawn leaving the Guild from the corner of my eyes, so I also left the guild after thanking the uncle.

They already vanished from sight when I got out, but it seems that the heavy warrior Randy and the sorcerer Glinda don’t have stealth type skill. They are a bit far but, I managed to follow their presence just barely.

When I followed their track while they are still out of my sight, they visited a general store and drug store for adventurer in order to resupply their consumable, and then they immediately disappeared into a moderately nice inn near the dungeon.

If they follow the same pattern like before, they will dive into the dungeon again after staying for a night there. From the way they bought consumable, they should still be wary of retaliation from the noble, so I also continue to stand watch with that assumption.

「…………」

Even while I’m doing this, I’m regularly sensing the “out of place feeling” that denoted Radha’s existence.

I think Radha is moving inside the shadow or doing other things like eating when I can’t sense that out of place feeling.

Radha is also a human. She needs sleep and food too. If I move during that time, it’s faint but I became able to sense her moving, so I’m memorizing that sensation.

Radha didn’t attack me even when I was alone. Radha should be thinking that I killed Guy, there should be a reason why she isn’t attacking me even then.

Although the connection between assassin guild branches is severed, perhaps it will cause a problem of honor if she caused a big problem in other territory. That might be the reason.

Besides Radha was that enraged by Guy’s disappearance. She must be thinking of choosing a place to kill me where she can take her time to prolong my pain. Radha is thinking that I’m taking action based on the data she handed to me. In that case the location where she is going to attack is……inside the dungeon.

Radha was observing the kid who was called “ash covered” from inside a shadow.

It was likely that ash covered was the one who killed Guy. It was the nature of assassin business that a lot of people were suddenly gone. Apparently the guild leader Dino planned to not question it any further, but Radha was convinced that the ash covered was the culprit as the result of her interaction with her.

There was no proof. But, from her experience as an assassin, she sniffed the 『scent of blood』 from the ash covered.

When she first used Appraisal to her at the assassin guild, the girl’s combat strength hadn’t even reached 200, but if she used despicable method as befitting a disciple of a demon race, it would be possible for her to make Guy let his guard down.

But even Radha couldn’t kill the ash covered right away.

The leader of the northern frontier district branch Dino called the ash covered as his fellow disciple and acted like her guardian. Most likely he did it as a warning to them because he was planning to keep the girl alive if possible in order to use the ash covered’s master as a pawn too.

If the disciple died, it was possible to direct the demon’s anger to the targets. But that would be like a bomb that could only be used once. If they were careless, that anger might possible got directed toward the guild after the demon dealt with the target.

Similarly Radha too wouldn’t hesitate to make Dino and the demon into her enemy if it was for the sake of taking revenge for her little brother’s murder, even so she was feeling indebted to the previous guild master who picked Guy and her. She couldn’t take the initiative to do anything that could be considered as a betrayal to the guild.

The ash covered was an eerie kid even from the eyes of Radha who had been killing since she was a girl.

At the outside she looked older because of the growth from magic power, but her actual age must be ten years old at best. And yet, she easily accomplished the assassination of the rookie hunters when it was thought that her chance of success was less than fifty percent, displaying an abnormality that was unthinkable for a kid.

But the eeriest thing from her was her “atmosphere”.

Even though her external appearance was nothing more than a twelve years old child, the people at the city who noticed her appearance would unconsciously follow her with their gaze. In a sense she possessed an “alluring” atmosphere.

It seemed the ash covered herself didn’t notice but, perhaps, it was also possible that even Dino and Guy were bewildered by that atmosphere. Right now her childish appearance still stood out more, but if she kept growing at this rate into adult, the sign of how she would mislead a lot of people in the future could be glimpsed even from her current appearance.

Radha felt more terrified than angry for her little brother’s murder. If she couldn’t kill her here, in the future that girl might become an existence that brought great trouble to the guild. She was feeling that with a slight cold feeling.

.

It seemed that the ash covered would carry out the assassination of the target, the Mercenary of Dawn inside the dungeon just as planned.

The data that Radha handed to the ash covered had been subtly altered by her. There was other guild contact, so Radha avoided murdering the ash covered inside the city. She set things up to carry out the assassination inside the dungeon.

Even so she didn’t alter any information about the Mercenary of Dawn. It wasn’t because she thought that the ash covered could assassinate them solo, but because she wanted to see the girl’s hidden trump cards.

Radha wasn’t underestimating the ash covered. Putting aside her combat strength, she thought that the girl was using a despicable method that she learned from the demon. But at the same time, Radha was also thinking that even though she might get seriously wounded if she let her guard down, it was impossible for the ash crowned to kill her with such low combat strength.

It was said that using ingenuity, a human could fight an opponent of one rank higher than them at best. When the rank differed by two, even dodging a blade would become difficult, and it also became impossible for the lower rank to resist against the higher rank’s sorcery.

Radha was vigilant, even so she hadn’t given up killing the ash covered by her own hands. She also didn’t wish for the ash covered to get the table turned on her by the assassination target and died. She would crush the girl’s trap, and when she got cornered by the target and despaired at the end, she would kill her herself.

.

Mercenary of Dawn dived into the dungeon again just as expected. The ash covered also followed their track and disappeared into the dungeon. Radha also used shadow to infiltrate the dungeon without getting found out by the guards protecting the entrance. Then while Radha monitored the ash covered who was tailing Mercenary of Dawn, she felt a faint discomfort.

(……What?)

She was aware that the ash covered was skilled in Stealth for a kid. But that was 『for a human』. Large differences would show up in scout type skills like Stealth, Search, and Night Vision depending on the race.

For a cat beastman like Radha, there was positive correction with her Stealth and Night Vision skills. Dog type beastman got positive correction to their Search skill. Human was especially bad at Night Vision type skill, so it also affected their Search. Because of that there would be a small difference even when they had Stealth skill of the same level. That should be the case, but for some reason Radha almost lose sight of the ash covered several times since entering the dungeon.

(……The distance between the ash covered and the targets feel strange. Just what’s going on?)

Radha was confident with her sorcery Shadow Walker, even so it had its flaw.

Due to the peculiarity of dark sorcery of space teleportation variety, the effect wouldn’t activate unless she was completely isolated from outside world with darkness magic particles. And while she was completely isolated, information from outside couldn’t reach her.

Space that was isolated with dark sorcery like with expanded bag and the like would cease being an environment where living creature could survive. Radha too could only maintain the isolated space for several seconds while she was crossing the shadow. Normally she was only hiding inside the shadow by opening a part of the isolated space, even so she was isolated from outside information during that several times when she was moving.

The distance between the ash covered and Mercenary of Down was shrinking. How could she stay hidden from rank 4 adventurer when she was that close?

When they went down to the dungeon’s fifth floor and no other adventurer was around, Radha didn’t understand the situation and started to feel impatient. She approached them until nearby using Shadow Walker in order to obtain information.

(……What’s, this)

At that spot where she dispelled the space of isolated shadow, a small black “shadow” was floating in front of Radha. The usual Radha should immediately realize what it was. But, she was in the darkness because she was lurking in the shadow, and her mind that was starting to get impatient was delayed by a moment before she realized the true identity of it.

In that instant, something flew out from that small shadow. She couldn’t even dodge immediately and the hidden throwing weapon pierced Radha’s throat.

「……tsu!?」

She couldn’t make any sound. Blood flooded her trachea and she couldn’t breathe. Her mind was in chaos because she didn’t understand what happened. Radha prioritized jumping out from the shadow first in order to escape from the attack, then iron arrow and Ice Javelin suddenly came flying and pierced through her defenseless torso.

Radha involuntarily fell on the ground. Then as though to finish her off, a small “shadow” appeared on the floor once more. The blade that flew out from there pierced Radha’s right eye.

(This is the ash covered’s knife? Then this small “shadow” is her sorcery-!?)

That sorcery was really similar with Radha’s specialty, Shadow Walker.

She was feeling the flame of her life was dying while her remaining left eye used Appraisal at the ash covered who was standing among the Mercenary of Dawn. With that she realized that they had been deceived from the beginning.

.

▼ Ash Covered Race : Human  – Estimated Rank 3

【Magic Power : 135/210】【Stamina : 141/148】

【Overall Combat Strength : 374 (With Body Strengthening : 432)】

.    

What did Aria do to Radha? Why was she together with Mercenary of Dawn? To understand that one needed to go back to this morning.

The members of Mercenary of Dawn left the inn around noon and immediately headed to the dungeon.

The heavy warrior Randy and the scout Dankan apparently stayed in the same room, so they ate together at the morning in the first floor of the inn that doubled as a bar, but Dagget and Glinda who were sleeping in the same room woke up late, so as the result they came out at this time.

They arrived at the dungeon after walking for a bit, then they bought food that could be immediately eaten from a nearby stall, then they entered the dungeon right away. They won’t come out for several days once they entered, but their luggage looked too few for that. From how Dankan put the food that they purchased into a bag, I learned that they possessed a bag with expanded space.

In that case, my tactic will change depending on what the bag contained. Because even if I gradually wound them bit by bit or poison them, if they have high class recovery medicine inside their bag, all my efforts will come to naught.

It won’t be pointless to exhaust them using all those methods but, they also aren’t an opponent who I can afford to treat that leisurely. In my tactic, I thought that perhaps I should neutralize Glinda the sorcerer first, but it seems that I’ll need to change the order of priority.

But that’s something to consider only after I deal with Radha who is following behind me.

「I want one with cheese between them.」

「Thanks for the business-, it will be three bronze coins.」

In order to avoid suspicion, I bought black bread with cheese and pickled vegetable as its filling from a different stall and spent some time. I watched the Mercenary of Dawn entering the dungeon with a side glance while confirming that Radha is also following me. Then I too paid the stall owner with bronze coin and headed toward the dungeon’s entrance.

Previously I was stopped because I’m a kid. I could pass because of Carla’s face, but this time I can enter inside because the guard is a young soldier.

Naturally Mercenary of Dawn has gone out of view already when I got inside, but I erased my presence and started running straight forward without hesitation.

It was written in the information that Mercenary of Dawn used a safe area around the tenth floor as their base. With their actual strength, they should be able to dive into deeper floor but, their objective isn’t for earning money in the dungeon, but to kill time until the heat die down and it became safe for them.

In that case I believe that they will head directly below without stopping by anywhere. I had investigated the shortest route to there when I came here with Carla.

.

I ran through the dungeon’s passage for several minutes without even really encountering any monster before I caught sight of Mercenary of Dawn cutting down several kobolts at some distance in front of me.

Kobolt is a rank 1 monster that looked like a stray dog standing on two feet. Their height is also only a bit taller than goblin, and sometimes they also carried weapon but their danger level really isn’t that different from an actual stray dog. There is no way such low level monsters can have any hope against a level 4 party, so the three men dealt with the kobolts easily in front of Glinda who is only watching while yawning.

They headed deeper inside without even collecting the rank 1 magic stones. I tailed them while maintaining a certain distance from them while carefully heading deeper.

Normally, it’s said that even through the shortest route, it will take around one hour to pass the first floor of this dungeon, but they are a bit faster than that. They are already going down to the second floor in less than forty minutes.

The second floor is also not that different. There are only rank 1 monsters appearing, and very rarely there will be rank 2 hobgoblin showing up alone.

At the third floor, the appearance rate of rank 2 monster increased just slightly. At fourth floor, rank 3 high kobolt will also appear rarely.

At fifth floor, rank 1 monster almost cannot be seen. Mostly there are only hobgoblins or high kobolt walking around on their own.

This place is the limit for low ranked adventurer. Conversely speaking, even low ranked adventurer can come as far as here, but they won’t be able to earn anything from here, so it became inevitably considered that only rank 3 party or higher will challenge this floor.

After coming this far, there is no more other adventurer around us. Because if they are going to leave the dungeon at the same day, they won’t come until this deep, and if they plan to explore for several days, they will go hunting at floor below floor 10 where orcs will appear in multiple amount.

I haven’t fought until this point. Because rank 2 or 3 monster that came out alone isn’t a match against them but, let’s see……I guess this area is just right.

I took off the cloak that I was wearing in order to hide my gender, bundled it behind my waist, removed the illusion of ash on my hair, then I walked forward and closed the distance with them bit by bit.

(……1, 2, 3……)

I closed the distance and gauged the timing. Then in that moment, the scout Dankan noticed my presence and warily turned around.

「Wait, there is something-!」

「Please wait-, I’m not a monster.」

At the same time when Dankan raised his voice, I used the sign used between scouts that master and Viro taught me.

When I signaled 『Alert』『Attack』『Forward』 with my hand, Dankan made a surprised face and whispered to his comrades 「Keep walking forward」.

「A girl……? A child at that?」

Dagget looked back only for an instant and muttered with a small voice.

I took off my cloak in order to lower down their wariness and make them let their guard down. Recently it became more often that people didn’t let their guard down against me because I had gotten taller but, a woman can also make other people lower their guard in her own way.

I gauged the timing at first also because I aimed for the instant Radha vanished into her shadow so that she won’t notice but, the scout of Mercenary of Dawn read my intention accurately because he is a skilled one.

「Randy, make loud footsteps. You girl, is there something coming from behind?」

Just like how I followed them while keeping distance of dozens of meters between us, there is also around the same amount of distance between Radha and me, so there won’t be any problem if we talk with a small voice. Dankan understood the situation and made his comrade walked loudly. He kept looking forward while asking me with a small voice. I also nodded a little in respond.

I used that woman’s “knowledge” and talked them with a moderate acting.

「Yes, something lurking in the shadow is following me. At first I thought that it’s targeting me, so I used Stealth and hid but, it kept following even then, so I thought that it might be targeting your group. That was why I called out.」

「You……you were following us?」

「I-I’m sorry. It was from the middle but, I wanted to come to the fifth floor……. I only have a bit of money, but I’ll pay-」

「Don’t be loud. Forget about money……what now?」

「This girl’s combat strength is just 200. There is nothing she can do even if she trick us.」

Glinda apparently used Appraisal on me. She whispered that to Dagget.

「How is it, Dankan? Is there really something following us?」

Dagget asked dubiously. Dankan showed a focused expression.

「There is nothing……no wait, there is really “something”.」

You will notice the out of place feeling if you know something is there, even so it’s not easy to find Radha’s presence when she is hiding in the darkness. He is really skilled……not just him. All of them immediately raised their guard, read my intention accurately, and swiftly took action.

I shuddered from witnessing the true strength of a rank 4 party. At the same time, I’m also impressed by Dino’s discernment that saw how the guild would also be harmed from taking them on as opponent and decided to ask master to deal with them.

「Perhaps this is the pursuer from you-know-who? In that case it’s our enemy.」

Randy whispered while making loud footsteps. Dagget nodded lightly and I sensed that he is lowering down his wariness against me.

「Seems so. How can we doubt a cute little miss like this.」

I don’t really understand about my own appearance but, as expected people can’t really be wary against a woman and a child at that. Dankan and Randy smiled slightly at Dagget’s joking tone while the lone woman in their party Glinda lightly glared at me with a sulk.

Even my shoddy acting was interpreted really nicely because 『I’m a child』『I’m a woman』 to them.

「Then what now?」

「Let’s see……Dankan, can you detect where this pursuer is hiding?」

「No, I still can’t sense them clearly. What about you?」

Dankan recognized me as a scout and asked my opinion.

「This enemy is lurking in the darkness and sometimes their presence vanish completely, but I can somehow sense when they came out. Should I try attacking with sorcery?」

「You are a sorcerer huh……」

「Then let’s try leaving it to her. Glinda, Dankan, prepare yourself.」

Dagget immediately decided their course of action. After he instructed the rest with a small voice, Glinda gripped her staff and Dankan readied his bow.

They are really skilled. That’s why I can prepare a trap for Radha like this without her realizing it.

「Then, I’ll count until ten……here I go.」

I chanted the spell of dark sorcery while focusing my mind with more than half of my mental capacity assigned to construct dark magic.

It’s my first time using it but, I have checked its structure many times and I also had tried activating it until midway. Even so I didn’t activate the sorcery until the end because I was restraining my “skill level from going up”.

「──Shadow Snatch──」

Blade crossed the shadow, the shadow took away life.

The magic that I chanted while walking created a small “darkness” from the shadow of the palm that I clenched. I threw it to make it float behind me, measured the timing, and after I counted to ten while walking, I threw a hidden weapon to the shadow on my feet.

This is a magic that used the application of Shadow Walker, the dark sorcery that Radha is using. Radha’s Shadow Walker is a powerful sorcery, but it has lethal flaws from my perspective. One of the flaws is its great consumption of magic power. Radha is keeping it within limit by using the sorcery in standby state, but because of that she became unable to use any other sorcery at all.

And then the biggest problem is that while traversing shadow, the caster is cut off from outside information.

There won’t be any problem when you use it for assassination by surprise attack, but in a direct fight like now, that state of being isolated from information for several seconds is lethal. If her timing of coming out and her location got pinpointed, it will become a big opening.

That’s why I limited my use of the magic by sending only my weapon through the shadow in order to avoid consuming a lot of magic power and being isolated from information. Thanks to that the level 4 dark sorcery became Shadow Snatch that is the equivalent of level 3 sorcery. The magic power consumption can also be suppressed until only a tenth from before.

『──!?』

I did my best to aim, and the hidden weapon successfully hit around Radha’s throat. Radha fell into confusion from receiving a surprise attack while she is in her absolute safe zone that she leaped out from her “safe areashadow” in order to avoid further attack.

At her current state even I can land my attack on her, but I yielded the chance to the people behind me for the sake of laying more “trap”. Then Glinda’s sorcery and Dankan’s arrow pierced Radha’s torso.

It’s still difficult for me to control Shadow Snatch, even so I can maintain it if it’s just for several seconds. I made the “shadow” that is still remaining to slide on the floor and threw another hidden weapon to below my foot. It pierced Radha’s face from right below.

「────」

Radha who is lying on the ground opened her eyes wide in shock as she looked at me.

She is still alive……. But, Radha. You die here.

Dankan fired another arrow. It stabbed Radha’s head and finished her off. I erased the shadow after confirming that and I felt something growing inside me with my magic power and strength increasing.

.          

▼ Aria (Alicia)   Race : Human  –  Rank 3 △1UP

【Magic Power : 135/200】△ 20 UP【Stamina : 138/148】△ 3 UP

【Strength : 7 (9)】△1UP【Endurance : 7 (9)】【Agility : 10 (12)】【Dexterity : 8】

《Short Sword Skill Level 2》《Martial Art Level 3》△1UP《Throwing Level 2》《String Control Level 2》

《Light Magic Level 2》《Darkness Magic Level 3》△1UP《Non-Elemental Magic Level 3》△1UP

《Daily Life Magic×６》《Magic Power Control Level 3》△1UP《Pressure Level 3》△1UP

《Stealth Level 3》《Night Vision Level 2》《Search Level 3》《Poison Resistance Level 2》

《Simple Appraisal》

【Overall Combat Strength : 374 (With Body Strengthening : 432)】△ 161 UP

.

My skill level went up just as I expected. The level of Magic Power Control also went up along with Dark Magic, and with that the level of Martial Art that controlled the flesh also went up. ……I can do it with this.

When Radha stopped breathing, the men sighed in relief, while the sorcerer Glinda approached me in excitement.

「What was that sorcery-!? That was the first time I saw something like that-! How did you do it? Teach it to me a little-!」

「Ah, yes. ……Err」

On her bouncing large boobs, I saw a necklace with greenish gem attached on it. I understood that it’s the Spirit Tear that I was looking for. Its size is different but, the water spirit that I defeated also dropped the same thing, so there is no doubt about it.

Glinda realized that my eyes are staring at the swaying necklace on her chest and grinned proudly.

「You’re also a girl aren’t you? The men at my place just don’t get it but, this is really nice right? It’s really pretty, and it looks like this also has the effect of strengthening your sorcery you know? But forget about it, teach me the sorcery just now please, if it’s the necklace then I’ll show it to you later-!」

「Yes, I don’t mind.」

I smiled sweetly at the “stolen item” swaying in front of me and pointed my right palm toward Glinda.

Originally it’s a taboo to ask other adventurer about their trump card. But these people who are relieved after repelling an “assassin” ignored Glinda’s action and only smiled wryly at her.

「……Shadow Snatch……」

I activated the dark magic and created a small “darkness” on my palm. Glinda peered into it with interest.

「How can you attack with something like──」

*Shupa-!*

「──Ah?」

The small crossbow gimmick installed in my left hand protector fired a short arrow at that moment. The arrow was sucked into the shadow and pierced the eye of Glinda who was peering into the “darkness” and reached her brain. Her remaining eye reflected my expressionless face while she quietly crumbled.

……Three people left.

.

「Eh, what’s wrong?」

Glinda died instantly without making any sound. I swiftly caught the crumbling Glinda and spoke to her body. The three men of Mercenary of Dawn directed their attention at me.

「What, what’s wrong?」

「Oi oi, Glinda, you’re too exci……」

The scout Dankan was still unwary, relaxed. He carelessly approached with an exasperated look.

「──tsu!?」

In that instant, he seemed to see something when he met my gaze. Dankan’s tension instantly rocketed up. I pushed Glinda’s corpse at him.

「Wha-!?」

Nobody is thinking that Glinda has died at this point. Dankan immediately caught Glinda’s body that I threw at him, then without delay I pulled out my black knife and brandished it far behind me.

「──Double Edge──」

「Guoh!」

Dankan twisted his body while still holding Glinda’s still warm body to dodge the short sword Battle Technique that I unleashed. But, although he dodged the first attack of the two consecutive attacks, because he unconsciously tried to cover for Glinda, Dankan got hit by the second attack and it left a large gash on his right arm.

……I failed to finish him off. They are really capable.

He must have noticed when he looked at my eyes. Battle had broken out after I only managed to finish off one of the targets. I’m still far away from master’s level.

「What-, what’s going on-!?」

「Dankan-! How is Glinda-!?」

「Glinda isn’t moving-! That little girl is enemy-!」

The members of Mercenary of Dawn are in confusion. Even so they readied themselves to fight from Dankan’s words. I threw a knife at Dankan at that moment, but the leader Dagget immediately cut in and used his large sword to deflect the knife.

「Dankan, heal yourself and Glinda with potion-!」

Dagget raised his voice while readying his sword to protect the two.

But I know. The sorcerer Glinda held the healing role in this party. The tank Randy can also use light sorcery to some degree but, he should only be able to use Heal just like other adventurers in general.

Furthermore the majority of the healing potions that are generally sold has weak healing effect and intended for recovery more, so even though the potion can close the wound, the arm that has been deeply wounded won’t be able to regain its full function.

In my plan I would defeat Dankan and snatched the expanded bag where their potions are stored, but thing doesn’t go as planned.

I let out a small sigh while lightly swinging my knife to remove the blood on it. I pointed my palm up and made an inviting gesture with my fingers as provocation.

「……You bitch-!」

Randy is enraged by my obvious provocation.

「Stop Randy-! Something is strange with her-!」

Dankan stopped Randy while holding his seriously wounded right arm.

Dankan is wary against me after getting hit by my attack. As the party leader, Dagget chose to protect the wounded in order to calmly ready themselves. But Randy lost his senses seeing his comrades wounded. He ignored his comrade’s caution and headed toward me with sword unsheathed.

This is the adverse effect of 『adventurer party』 that I thought.

The adventurer guild recommended to adventurers to form a party instead of going solo in order for comrades to combine their strength so they can make up for each other’s shortcomings while making use of their own strong point, heightening their survival rate.

However, adventurers got largely divided into two kinds from there. The commander type who kept the benefit for the whole party in mind while depending on the situation they could abandon their individuality for the sake of the whole, and the worker type who have come to a decision to only focus on their own role.

I’m not saying that it’s bad to be a worker type. They can display a performance that surpassed their actual strength under the leadership of the commander type. But, Randy who have been engaged only in his role as tank in this party from the beginning found it difficult to display his actual strength when he abandoned that role.

「You won’t get away-!!」

I broke into a run deeper into the dungeon. Randy followed behind me.

「Randy-!」

Even Dagget’s voice that called to him to stop doesn’t reach him. In this situation the best plan would be to wait until everyone is healed before the whole party gives chase by following the track, or choosing to withdraw. But Randy doesn’t choose that. The first “trap” that I laid out is in effect against that.

「Don’t think you can run away with only 200 combat strength-!」

My combat strength when entering this dungeon at first was only slightly above 200. The combat strength that is visible with Appraisal skill differ somewhat from each person based on the individual’s sensing ability. That’s why after Glinda told her comrades that my combat strength was around 200, Randy is under the impression that I’m only half as strong as him.

But, my dark magic’s level has gone up and the magic power’s path that is flowing through my whole body has expanded. With that my body strengthening and martial art have also improved. My current combat strength has increased to a point that it’s even close to Dankan or Randy.

Even so this isn’t opponent that I can be careless against. My Short Sword Skill is still level 2, perhaps because of my body stature. And in the first place, short sword specialized in cutting skin and flesh. It’s difficult for such weapon to wound a fully armored opponent who carried a shield like Randy.

I sensed the presence of the pursuing Randy while reloading my hand protector’s gimmick with arrow.

This gimmick is something that I requested Gelf to install my hand protector with the part of small crossbow that I received from master. A sorcerer like master used this crossbow for holding back enemy in close quarter combat. It was made from a Treant’s wood, with mythril as its core, and flying dragon’s tendon as its bowstring. Even when it’s left in a state of arrow loaded inside, the string will regenerate from the user’s magic power and won’t turn loose.

This gimmick can also be reloaded with one hand. It’s easier to use than throwing knife in close quarter combat.

「I caught you-!」

Dagget will catch up if I take too long. I judged that this distance is the best and lowered my speed after moving for thirty meters. Randy came charging like an iron cannonball.

「──Pain──」

「GUGYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?」

The illusion of intense pain that I fired stopped Randy’s movement as he groaned like a flattened frog.

The effect of pain should be weak against Randy who is a tank specialist. But, Randy’s guard was down because he never expected to feel pain this intense from a weaker opponent like me.

「Goh!?」

I didn’t let go of that chance and made use of my martial art and body strengthening that have become level 3 to leap at Randy’s chest, struck up his jaw from below with my lunging palm, and then I planted a knife deeply into his exposed defenseless throat.

A tank can only display their real worth when they have comrades as support. Your cause of defeat is because although that heavy armor is suitable for blocking heavy attack, you didn’t notice the demerit of you fighting alone.

「──tsu」

Randy’s eyeballs rolled back. I pulled out my knife before his muscles stiffened. I jumped over Randy who is falling backward and without pause I dashed toward the former location of Dagget and Dankan.

……Two people left.

.

「The little girl came back!」

「Randy!?」

「I saw him falling but I don’t know anymore than that-!」

When I returned to the previous location, they have laid down Glinda’s corpse. Dankan who sensed my approach is holding a short sword with his left hand while his wounded right hand is dangling down limply.

Dagget is taking a stance with his large sword to protect Dankan who is in that state, but then he pointed his palm to me as I approached.

「Wait-, you are sent by that noble right! Do you know what those guys had in their possession!?」

「…………」

Dagget raised his voice at me who returned.

There is no point slowing down here. As time passed, they will regain their composure from their confused state and they will make a plan to fight. But, I noticed that they have readied themselves to some degree and so I stopped. The corner of Dagget’s lips slightly rose up seeing that.

「Looks like you’re going to listen……. Those guys had Spirit Tear which is a forbidden item. That is a magic stone from a spirit, something that is forbidden by the holy church of Fandora Theocracy to possess.」

「……What does it matter?」

It’s unclear what is the requirement for it to drop, but a spirit that is a spiritual life form can leave behind a magic stone that look like jewel in a very rare case.

Because the magic stone that water spirit dropped has water element, it wasn’t really beneficial for me, but not only it contained powerful magic power as a magic stone, it seems that it also strengthened the element of sorcery although only a little. And then, because of its beauty that is like a jewel, it seemed there was an era where humans intentionally summoned spirit to kill them for their magic stone.

Spirits are important existences that governed the nature and magic particles of this world. The holy church can’t tolerate the item that drive human with greed to hunt those spirits.

「Don’t you get it? I don’t know what you have been told that you attacked us, but it’s that noble who is in the wrong! If you consider yourself to be in the side of justice then take my hand-!」

「Dagget-!?」

Dagget suddenly tried to win me, his enemy over. It caused Dankan to look at him with objection.

「She is the one who killed Glinda! Even Randy……」

「Look at the reality Dankan-. In the first place it was because of Glinda’s selfishness to own the Spirit Tear that we ended up getting into a quarrel with a noble-. We need a strong comrade.」

「……Tsk, I get it.」

Their theft of the Spirit Tear was only because of Glinda’s selfishness. Dankan nodded reluctantly after Dagget admonished him like that. He turned his gaze toward me and approached while covering his right hand that can’t move.

「……I think I know how strong you are even without using appraisal crystal. If you’re just being tricked by that noble, then please listen to what we have to say.」

「……Got it.」

When I nodded a little, Dankan smiled slightly. He put away his weapon and offered his left hand to me for a handshake.

「Then, first──」

*Clang-!*

In that moment, the knife that Dankan was secretly holding with his right hand collided against my black knife. Sparks illuminated the dungeon’s darkness.

「Tsk!」

Dagget charged at that timing and attacked. I changed my position to use Dankan as a shield.

「This girl-」

Dankan who is used as a cover tried to get away, but I pressed his right hand that isn’t at its best condition and closed the distance until our body touched. I fired my crossbow’s arrow into Dankan’s mouth.

「Gah!」

……One more person.

.

「Dankan-!」

I rolled to dodge the large sword swinging down and took some distance. Dagget caught Dankan who crumbled while convulsing. He then looked at me with a face that is distorted with anger.

「You……how, did you notice?」

「Why do you think I wouldn’t?」

In the first place I have heard that the noble requested the assassin guild instead of soldier because the item in question is something that can’t be showed around openly.

Besides the request is to collect the heirloom and dealing with the thieves, so no matter what kind of reason they have, from the start I had no intention to lend my ear and go along with the nonsense of people who stole family heirloom due to greed.

In the first place, commoners and adventurers who rarely had the chance to watch a play might get tricked but, for me who have that woman’s “knowledge”, it would be strange if I got tricked by such third rate farce.

Dankan too, I knew that he wouldn’t be able to use his right arm to that degree unless he used a high class healing potion.

「It would be hard for me to deal with Dankan with you protecting him. It was a big help that you allowed him to approach me while his fighting strength was lowered.」

「Y-YOU BASTARDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!」

Perhaps Dagget felt that I was ridiculing him when I spoke my honest feeling. He angrily tossed away Dankan’s corpse.

「You little girl-, I’ll never forgive you-!」

Mercenary of Dawn, its last member──the rank 4 warrior howled inside the dungeon.

Now, it’s the main event from here.

「UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!」

Dagget readied his large sword and slashed at me while screaming.

The attack even made me felt wind pressure from it. I sensed its presence with my skin and dodged it just barely that several strands of my hair almost got tore apart while throwing the hidden weapon from my waist.

As expected from a rank 4……even I might not be able to dodge that attack just now if my Martial Art that affected my evasion didn’t level up to level 3.

「Kuh!」

Dagget tilted his head to dodge the hidden weapon that was thrown to his face from point blank range.

In that instant I threw a pendulum from the “shadow” on my palm. The pendulum flew in an arc. Dagget bent backward to dodge the blade and immediately stepped back to take some distance from me vigilantly.

With my Dark Magic reaching level 3, Storage that took me all my effort just to activate has expanded until a stage where its usable for me. Even so, it’s only to the degree of a small bag where previously it was already full just from several knives, but I intentionally don’t keep my main weapon there and stored hidden weapons and pendulum instead.

「……What are you planning?」

Dagget looked at me with suspicion when I don’t continue attacking.

I understood from the exchange just now. No matter how fast the sword of a rank 4, I can still fight even at my level if the opponent is Dagget whose attack is simple due to his anger.

But……I’m troubled if he is in such state.

「Come at me seriously.」

「……What?」

Dagget’s eyes widened from my mutter.

But this is the only thing that I can’t give up on. I played so much tricks to kill Radha and the other members of Mercenary of Dawn were for having a one-on-one fight with a rank 4 adventurer.

After this I’m going to fight an organization, the assassin guild as my enemy, although it’s just a single branch. But among them there are rank 4 like Dino and the Sage……and then there is also someone like the Condemned Goudo whose combat strength is nearly rank 5.

In order to gradually whittle down the assassin guild’s combat strength while I myself is growing stronger, I even misrepresented my combat strength to buy time, but if even Radha fail to come back then as expected I’ll get suspected.

If I finished off Mercenary of Dawn, I think I’ll be able to buy time until I return to the guild. But, if my combat strength got reexamined again when I return to the guild, the suspicion on me will surely turn into conviction.

I’ll entrap them before their suspicion change into conviction. That’s the only way I can win.

That’s why, before that I want to experience fighting a rank 4 warrior head on no matter what. At first I decided on Radha for that, but even though she was a rank 4, her main fighting style is with stealth and surprise attack. As long as I understand Shadow Walker’s mystery, her direct fighting ability is no different than an upper rank 3.

That was exactly why in order to fight against the rank 4 Dagget who has direct combat skill, I used Mercenary of Dawn as bait to defeat Radha, then used Radha’s death as bait to kill the members of Mercenary of Dawn.

That’s why, I’ll be troubled if I have him fighting me in this state where his anger made him forget himself.

Dagget……you aren’t that kind of compassionate person right?

Even after his lover Glinda died, he tried to trick me by going as far as insulting the dead.

He tossed away Dankan’s corpse from anger after his trap failed.

Calm down and look at me. The one who killed your comrades is an assassin who can kill even rank 3 adventurers even though she is just a little girl. Display your full strength. Fight with everything you have, die, and become my “nourishment”.

In exchange, I’ll give you my life if you win.

「……You damn brat, what the hell with those eyes.」

Dagget’s lips warped with undisguised emotion from my fixed gaze on him.

Dagget’s head cooled down after a beat passed. He fired up himself with fighting spirit instead of anger and gripped his sword.

「……A brat like you won’t really get it but, in this world, there are people who you mustn’t get involved with no matter what.」

Dagget suddenly started talking. I also listened to his words while calming down my breathing that had gotten slightly hard from the consecutive fights.

「That kind of people are broken somewhere inside. Even monster will be scared when facing an enemy stronger than them, and yet those guys will easily bet their own life without blinking if it’s for winning.」

「…………」

「I won’t think of you as a little girl anymore. You’re a monster. I’m going to kill you as my greatest enemy from here on!」

In order to match my speed, Dagget held his large sword’s handle shortly while sidling up toward me with his toes. I also readied my knife and hidden weapon and moved to the side with sliding feet to get out of that range.

*Dan-!*

「UOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!」

「HAH!」

Dagget kicked on the ground, at the same time I also threw my hidden weapon. Dagget titled his head again to dodge it, while keeping his momentum and swung down his large sword diagonally at me.

Most likely I’ll be crushed by the attack even if I blocked it. I made that judgment instantly and stepped forward in order to dodge that attack and leaped into Dagget’s chest.

「Tsk!」

Dagget whose target has left his range immediately swung his large sword’s handle downward. I blocked it with the protector of my left hand, but I got sent flying due to the difference in strength. Dagget saw that as his chance of victory and instantly decided to drop his large sword on the ground and pulled out two short swords behind his waist. He slashed at me with them.

Although I had gotten hit with an attack and received damage, in order to kill me with surety when I’m faster than him, the speedy short swords are perfect. But, that correct decision is also a bad move.

Even if Dagget’s Sword Skill, Martial Art, and Defense skills are level 4, is his Short Sword Skill that is his spare weapon has also reached level 4?

*Clang-!*

I understood the moment I blocked it. His ability with short sword isn’t that much different from me. Even so due to the difference in physique and the damage from just now, my knife that blocked the attack got slightly parried to the side.

「Die-!」

When fighting in close combat or facing a formidable opponent, Battle Technique won’t be used in order to keep the opening at minimum. Dagget doesn’t miss the chance to kill me with certainty and performed a quick thrust.

「Fuh!」

I let out the breath I was holding and stepped forward without fear.

Dagget’s short sword that I just barely avoided left a shallow cut on my side.

It’s a foolish thing to do to fight a stronger opponent head on, even so I don’t quit.

A rank 4 warrior is fighting me on my ring. I’m fighting him in order to surpass him. How can I quit here-!

*Clang! Clang! CLANG!!*

I held the black knife on my right and the steel knife on my left. I clashed against Dagget’s two sword style head on.

Whether it’s physique, or strength, or skill, or experience, everything is in Dagget’s favor. My attacks don’t even graze him. And even if some land by fluke, his hard leather armor deflected them. My stamina got shaved off just from a single attack from Dagget. My shoulders and arms are getting wounded bit by bit.

「As expected it seems you’re at your limit!」

「…………」

Generally  it’s said that you can’t reach level 3 with close quarter combat skill before growing into adult. That’s because a child’s body can’t endure that skill.

The same apply even to me who has grown from magic power. Although I have grown taller, my muscles are still weak compared to those who have grown normally to early teen.

But is that really true? Normally……doesn’t that mean that there is “exception”?

For an instant, the black haired girl who I encountered in this dungeon crossed my mind. Her complexion was pale like a sick person. She felt like someone who was born just for the sake of killing other people. I felt a strong will from her who won’t hesitate to even thrown away her life if it’s in order to obtain that strength.

What is different between me and her? I had fought until now by compensating my lack of stamina and strength with technique and “knowledge”, and by putting my life on the line.

Strain your eyes. Comprehend your opponent’s movement.

I can’t match him with strength. My stamina can’t possibly hope to compare against him.

Use your intellect if you don’t have strength. Parry his attack with technique if you don’t have stamina. If something is lacking then put your life on the line to compensate.

Look forward. There is “technique” to learn from right in front of your eyes. There is a warrior who have continued to fight for more than ten years there. Steal his technique. Block his blade and study it.

I’m just going to die if I can’t do that right now!

「Muh!」

The moment I blocked his attack, I twisted my wrist, redirected the strength with my upper arm and upper torso, and softened the impact with my legs and waist.

I parried the second and third attack, gathered strength like drawing a bow from the attack I blocked, and unleashed an attack back with that. That attack finally cut up Dagget’s leather armor.

「What-!?」

In that moment, “something” changed inside me.

*Clang-! Clang-! CLANGGG!*

The sounds of knife blocking the attacks changed from the sound of iron clashing to a clear sound.

Even so it was only to the degree of my attacks finally reaching the same level of Dagget. But, Dagget who had been enjoying the advantage until now showed a faint anxiety in his expression. He held aloft his short sword by the push of that emotion.

「──Cyclone──!」

Dagget unleashed the level 3 battle technique of Short Sword Skill, Cyclone.

It created pseudo wind blades using magic power so the user can attack even from distance. Its advantage lies in the fact that it’s an “area attack” of magical type.

He didn’t use low level single shot type Battle Technique but relied on area attack skill instead. That must be because he feared his attack got dodged in this close fight. But, although it’s difficult to dodge, it’s not something to fear in close range combat as long as you have the resolve.

I radiated magic power from my whole body and resisted the magic. Even though the wind blades tore my skin, I rushed toward Dagget who stiffened for a moment from using Battle Technique and threw my steel knife.

「Tsu!!」

Dagget too understood that his neck or face will be targeted if it’s throwing attack. Dagget who had just barely recovered from his stiffening tried to tilt his head again to dodge the knife flying at his face. But──

「──Gah!?」

I had seen that evasion several times. The pendulum’s blade that I threw from my palm’s shadow at the same time with the steel knife cut Dagget’s neck using the steel knife as bait.

「Gugah!」

But it’s still shallow. It’s still not lethal. I brandished the black knife far at my back toward Dagget whose balance crumbled after his neck got cut.

「Tsu!」

Dagget too must be thinking that I’ll use Battle Technique. He discarded his short swords without even hesitating, and even while losing balance, he pitched forward while scooping up his large sword with one hand, and then without stopping he leaped and mowed his sword horizontally.

But from the start I didn’t have the intention to use Battle Technique here. I used the momentum of swinging my knife behind me to fall backward and dodged the attack that rushed into the opening that I intentionally created.

I quickly tapped my heel. Dagget’s neck is defenseless because his body flowed forward from the momentum of his attack that cut through empty air. I jammed the blade that came out from the boot’s front tip with a kick into there.

「Gugaah!!」

Blood spurted out from his carotid artery. Dagget vomited blood from his mouth, even so his eyes still aren’t dead.

So this is a rank 4 warrior……you yourself is quite a monster.

Dagget’s hands reached toward my neck as he collapsed forward. Most likely I won’t be able to stop him with a knife. With those thick arms, he should be able to muster his last strength to at least snap my neck to drag me to hell together with him.

But that’s no good.

Go die alone.

「──Shield──!」

I threw away my knife and created light shields on both hands with all of my magic power.

It’s a shield for resisting sorcery but, perhaps because the shield is materialized particles of light, it has the hardness of a thin glass. Because of that it has the adverse affect of sorcery with property of physical attack being able to destroy it, but I bet everything into that slight physical defense.

If I use them just as they are, the falling Dagget will break them without me being able to defend. But, I’m not making the Shield into something with surface, but as a horizontal “line”.

「-!?」

The Shields that are anchored in the air tore Dagget’s thick neck until halfway due to his falling momentum and weight. I heard the auditory hallucination of glass breaking as the Shields dispersed.

In that moment I grabbed Dagget’s face with my left hand. Dagget is still conscious. He is looking at me with an expression of someone who is looking at a real monster. I thrust my straightened fingers into his neck with all my strength.

「────────!!」

Dagget let out a voiceless death throe. He fell on top of me and vomited a lot of blood that dyed me red.

Dagget lied down with his breathing having stopped completely. I laid his head on my lap and looked down on him while softly whispering to see off the warrior.

.

「My gratitude……I became stronger again thanks to you.」

.

▼ Aria (Alicia)   Race : Human  –  Rank 3

【Magic Power : 92/210】△ 10 UP【Stamina : 84/170】△ 22 UP

【Strength : 7 (9)】【Endurance : 8 (10)】△1UP【Agility : 12 (15)】△2UP【Dexterity : 8】

《Short Sword Skill Level 3》△1UP《Martial Art Level 3》△1UP《Throwing Level 2》《String Control Level 2》

《Light Magic Level 2》《Darkness Magic Level 3》《Non-Elemental Magic Level 3》

《Daily Life Magic×６》《Magic Power Control Level 3》《Pressure Level 3》

《Stealth Level 3》《Night Vision Level 2》《Search Level 3》《Poison Resistance Level 2》

《Simple Appraisal》

【Overall Combat Strength : 443 (With Body Strengthening : 514)】△ 69 UP