Volume 4 - CH 8

『GUAAAAAAA!』

I slipped past the swinging rusty iron mace. The moment the ogre’s balance crumbled, I jumped and swung my knife in a large arc.

「──Double Edge──」

My Battle Skill launched two consecutive attacks that destroyed the ogre’s eyes.

『GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!?』

The ogre spontaneously dropped its weapon and pressed its hands on its face. I slid to its back and finished it off by thrusting my black dagger into its brain through its ear.

An ogre’s skin was so hard it was even used to be an ingredient for high quality leather armor. It was difficult to damage it with my throwing knife or normal knife but, it wasn’t an opponent that I couldn’t defeat in one on one battle.

The leader Dalton judged that I was able to fight better than expected and decided to use me not only as scout but to also take care of monsters within certain level.

That wasn’t the whole reason. Thanks to my very off the rail fighting style, the movement of the knights would become stiff when I was at the rear near them. The knights could honestly acknowledge the strength of “warrior” like Dalton or Feld, but it seemed an existence like me looked abnormal to them.

I too at first only faced monsters like orc or hobgoblin, but after several days passed the other started to gradually entrust me with facing monster that almost reached rank 4 like ogre.

This too was also because we had to increase the speed of our travel no matter what.

「I’m finished over here.」

「Roger.」

「Now then, let’s get back to work again.」

Feld and Dalton returned after defeating two trolls. Viro and I switched with them and moved forward.

Troll was rank 4 in combat strength, but because they had special regenerative ability that didn’t show in their combat strength from Appraisal, they were considered as low rank 5 in subjugation difficulty by adventurer guild.

That kind of enemy couldn’t be defeated by small weapon like what Viro and I used if we fought with a normal way, so we left them to the two vanguards who had large weapon.

「……It’s vexing.」

「You shouldn’t compare yourself to rank 5 yeah? Certainly you can’t defeat something like troll right now, but you’ll be able to if your Short Sword Skill reach level 5.」

Viro told me that in respond to me whisper.

「Viro, do you know the level 5 Battle Skill of Short Sword Skill?」

Serjura could also use short sword but, master couldn’t use that Battle Skill because her close quarter level was 3. I thought that perhaps Viro, a rank 4 might know but, he sighed and shook his head.

「I never see it at all. There’re a lot of scouts but, combat type scout like you and I are rare. I can’t teach you because I never actually see it but, I once read it in the guild’s record. It’s eight consecutive attacks using both hands but, I can’t even imagine how to do something like that.」

「Hee……」

Eight consecutive attacks huh……. But even if you slashed at the opponent, doing it in succession would lower the attacks’ power so I really couldn’t imagine how to perform it.

「Well, first you gotta aim to reach level 4 at Short Sword Skill. Even the level 4 Battle Skill is really awesome y’know? Right now that royal bro is a bother, so I’ll show it to you later if we get the chance.」

「……Roger.」

「But still……」

Viro frowned when seeing the trolls that Feld and Dalton defeated on our way going forward.

Even though we didn’t collect any material from all the monsters until now, we at least took the magic stone of the monsters stronger than ogre, but now we had to abandon even the troll corpses.

Naturally the ogre I defeated also got left behind. Viro too glanced at the ogre he defeated while grumbling in a small voice that only I could hear.

「Aa~aa, what a waste.」

「We will get extra pay to make up for these too right?」

The reason we increased our marching speed that we even left behind the materials of rank 4 monster lie in the protection targets behind us.

「Let’s stop here for today-!!」

We kept marching for a while until we found a place that looked relatively safe. Sighs of relieve could be heard from behind when Dalton called out like that.

We were burning incense to repel low rank monster although it could only serve as mere consolation, even so the knights and guards who were preparing the camp couldn’t feel a peace of mind just from that. Their face was showing color of fatigue that they couldn’t hide fully.

This dungeon exploration that started from floor 70 had reached floor 80 in one week. According to the story that Mira told me, it was common to spend more than three days just to conquer a single floor when exploring the deep part of dungeon, so our progress right now could be said as astounding.

But that too was the result of us marching in a straight line without veering off at all using the old document that the generations of royal family had left behind.

Here we couldn’t see the sun for many days. The knights couldn’t feel any sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. They had even lost any sense of time inside this closed off environment while doing the same thing repeatedly and constantly getting exposed to danger. It started to weaken them mentally.

Even the knights who sometimes would go out to the battlefield were in such state. It wouldn’t be strange for those like the royalties who had been living in the palace until now to be nearing their limit.

「「…………」」

We too crossed through that area in order to prepare to camp. It was then for a second my eyes met Elena who looked tired. She sent me a smile that looked just a little strained.

Elena was strong mentally. She was prepared to sacrifice even her own life if it was for the country’s sake. If it was her, I believed that she could overcome even this situation.

……But, in regard to Amor who was sitting near her with dark look while sipping water that a servant handed to him, he was the one who was the most in peril among the royalties.

He couldn’t possibly even complain because it was him who forcibly joined this exploration. He also said that he reason he was participating was to protect Elena and Ervan. But judging from his behavior, I believed that he also wanted to obtain Gift to change his current situation.

His true feeling and official stance were getting worn down by the terrible reality and fatigue. He himself must be losing sight of what he ought to do here. He had also stopped interfering after seeing my fight, but he would avert his gaze when looking at me while muttering something incoherent.

The other main participants still looked better compared to him but, Clara and Ervan had gotten together a lot more often since the incident at the monster room, and Clara’s eyes that had been looking fearful when looking at me before this was also getting filled with hostility now.

In contrast Ervan looked like he was able to maintain the stability of his mind by paying attention and taking care of such Clara even while he was feeling bewildered by her behavior.

Among them it was only Carla who looked no different at all than before. She was still “horrible” in various senses as usual. Even though she had the lowest stamina among everyone here, she was looking the most cheerful for some reason.

In a sense she was used to this kind of situation, the same like us. Dalton and Mira who had been active as adventurer for a hundred years looked completely the same like usual, while Viro had the composure to complain that there was no alcohol here.

Feld had big body so this cramped environment should be hard for him, but he only looked annoyed. As for me, while my experience in dungeon wasn’t much, but I hadn’t lived in a way that would make me feel agonized just from this kind of environment.

Getting back to the topic, for the sake of them who weren’t used to the dungeon’s environment, Dalton discussed it with Elena and Sera and they decided to increase our marching speed.

.

「……Feld」

「Again huh.」

When I called at Feld who was nearby, he understood without me needing to say any further and stood up while readying his great sword.

Viro had already started moving. Seeing that Dalton and Mira also stood up from the ground. Dalton lifted his war hammer and smirked just slightly at the corner of his lips.

「Can we eat “meat” today?」

Seeing us moving caused the relaxed knights to raise their voice, which almost sounded like they were screaming. In that timing, there was the sound of “hoof” from the path ahead that drowned their voices.

「It’s Minotauros!!」

Someone among the knights yelled. At the same time four Minotauros came running from the path ahead.

Minotauros was a monster with huge body and cow head and hooves. Its rank was upper rank 3 just like ogre but, its charging power during its excited state was said to be able to murder even an ogre that had the same rank with one attack. It was a powerful enemy with difficult that could even reach rank 4.

「Finish them off in one strike-!!」

Dalton yelled to us when he saw that the knights wouldn’t make it in time to be ready to fight.

The Minotauros were already in excited state. They came running as fast as a horse with their jet black horns pointed forward. Dalton and Feld leaped to in front of them with their weapon at hands, while Mira started to chant spirit magic.

「The left side, Aria!」

「Roger.」

Viro and I who had low attack strength targeted the same enemy.

「O spirit of earth! Stitch the enemy in place with indestructible power!!」

Mira’s spirit magic activated and the stone floor inside the dungeon rose up like clay. It became a huge stake that skewered one minotauros that charged from right ahead.

The other Minotauros became even more furious seeing that and didn’t stop rushing. They passed through the sides and one Minotauros targeted Mira who stopped moving from using spirit magic.

「I won’t let you!」

Dalton put himself between them. His war hammer smashed the Minotauros’ head like cheese with a thunderous sound.

「URAAAAAA!」

Feld swung his great sword horizontally beside him. He split the Minotauros’ head into two parts.

「Aria, make an opening!」

「Roger.」

I charged straight from the front and kicked on the face of the rushing Minotaurus. I used its face as stepping stone and leaped over it from right above. I used my whole body’s weight and momentum to pull at the string that got wrapped around its horn to make it lifted up its jaw, then Viro who believed in me and charged forward swung in a large arch using his mythril short sword.

「──Critical Edge──!」

It was the level 4 Battle Skill that heightened a single attack’s power by several times when aiming at vital spot. The short sword pierced straight to the Minotauros’s brain from right below.

This attack would become a normal attack if it missed the vital spot, but with precise aim, it would become a sure kill Battle Skill that unleashed several times the original power.

In short, it was the perfected and improved version of level 1 Battle Skill “Thrust” that I often used because of its ease of use. This Battle Skill needed to aim at vital spot but any Battle Skill fundamentally also had to aim at “opening”, so it didn’t change anything.

Certainly this was a usable Battle Skill. I turned toward Viro as I thought that, but then another sound came from behind.

『BUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!』

Its war cry thundered and following it the Minotauros came running.

The knights had only just gotten on their feet and they relaxed for an instant seeing the Minotauros were defeated. Few of them would be able to fight immediately. We too had defeated a Minotauros each but, because of that we were still out of position.

The Minotauros was running straight with its hooves trampling the floor. Ahead of it were the royalties including Elena.

Sera realized that and moved forward to protect them. With her strength she should be able to defeat the opponent if it was one-on-one battle, but just like Viro and I, Sera wouldn’t be able to defeat it with one strike. She must be planning to sacrifice herself to stop it.

「Aria! Go all out!!」

Feld yelled to me at that moment.

I turned toward him just for a moment. In my eyes I could see my comrades nodding. They all knew about my “trump card”. Then that must be what they meant by 『go all out』.

Without even a moment of hesitation I held the black knife in my mouth and bent forward while my hand grabbed the ground. At the same time I was discarding impurity from the magic particles that I was using to strengthen my body.

The purity of the magic particles were increasing. At the same time the flowing speed of the magic particles throughout my whole body sped up. It instantly raised the precision of my body strengthening to the maximum.

「HA!!」

*DANN!!* ──My fingers pushed on the stone floor so hard as though I was trying to gouge it with my nails. Even the scenery in my sight got left behind as I chased after the Minotauros that was running ahead. Just a moment before it reached the royalties, I used all my strength to lop off its head from right behind it.

*ZASHU!!*

The body of the Minotauros that lost its head rolled on the ground. The flying severed head fell in front of Clara and she screamed before falling unconscious.

I too had consumed almost all of my mana and stamina in an instant. I ran out of strength and tripped. My body rolled on the floor and fell on the torso of the Minotauros that were rolling ahead of me.

My body became unable to move after using the technique that defeated the orc general……

(As I thought, even though its humanoid, it can be eaten seeing that it’s a cow……)

I was thinking of such stupid thing in a daze.

「Aria!」

Elena who was nearby screamed and ran toward me.

「Aria, are you alright!?」

「You did something reckless again……, can you move?」

Sera who also came running at the same time asked me that. When I answered her 「I’m fine……」, two large hands held my sides and lifted up my body like a kid.

「You did great, Aria-」

「Feld……」

He ran after me……. I smiled a little at Elena to show that there was no need to worry. When Viro who also came running here grinned at me, I too finally relaxed and narrowed my eyes at the sight from my current position.

So the scenery that Feld was looking at was actually this wide…….

***

「The appearance of the Minotauros is the proof that we have arrived at the deepest area. Only a short distance remain. Put forth all your efforts!!」

Dalton who had confirmed the safety of the path said that in front of everyone.

The deep part of this dungeon was the area where Minotauros appeared. The enemy got stronger but, the finish line had finally come into sight. It increased the fervor of the knights despite Dalton’s rough tone.

Even so that didn’t mean we are going to depart immediately. The journey from here would be even harsher than before. Everyone checked their equipment and prepared for around half a day. They used that time to rest their mind and body.

I too couldn’t move immediately after using that technique. I used Cure on myself while Sera was also giving me treatment. Then healing magic was casted at me from the side.

「──High Heal──」

The healing magic that was casted with tremendous amount of mana healed my my injured body. There was still the fatigue so I wouldn’t be able to move right away but, with this I should be able to recover quickly.

「Carla……」

Carla healed my body. I didn’t know what kind of whim pushed her to do so. She narrowed her eyes smilingly and quietly whispered into my ear while I was lying down.

「You said that you won’t die until you kill me right?」

「…………」

When I first met Carla……I said that I’d kill her if she wished for it. Carla still remembered that promise.

Would Carla still want to die even if she managed to regain her health……?

And then the half day break was over and we departed to explore the dungeon once more. I too had become able to stand up, but I still couldn’t put strength into my legs. It would be difficult for me to fight. Even so I should be able to walk and I massaged my legs to help with that, but then someone suddenly called out to me.

「Excuse me. If possible can you allow us to carry you?」

The men in front of me were the young knights who talked to me at the ship and put some distance from me after I exterminated the monsters at the monster room.

「……Why?」

「We too were able to understand something important after seeing your fight.」

「You’re someone necessary. Your recovery will also quicken if you don’t move. That’s why please let us carry you.」

I don’t understand their reason but it looked like they didn’t fear me anymore.

I felt reluctant to let myself be carried by people I didn’t know but, certainly I would recover quicker if I didn’t move too much, so I nodded. The young knights showed gladdened expression at my respond.

「Then allow me.」

「No, I’ll be the one to carry her.」

「No no, it should be me.」

The knights volunteered themselves as though they were in a competition for some reason. While I was thinking of what to do, a woman in maid uniform appeared from the side and lightly lifted me up.

「Aria-san is a girl so I’ll do it. It’s an order from “her highness the princess”. Is there anyone who disagree?」

「「「……No.」」」

Elena’s bodyguard maid Chloe smiled brightly at the young knights. In respond they unconsciously took several steps back.

.

According to Chloe, it seemed that I was 『lighter than the shield she usually used』. Chloe said that but, she was holding that shield in her hand while carrying me on her back, so I couldn’t even imagine just how much muscle strength her slender body possessed. But thanks to that I managed to return to fighting condition in one day.

We only progressed by one floor in one day but, compared to the marching before this where we couldn’t see the finish line, there was a world of difference feeling-wise even for the nobles and knights. We were progressing faster than before.

The number of Minotauros became a lot the deeper we went. They were ferocious, even so we combined our strength and broke through before suddenly at a certain floor the enemy stopped coming.

「Is it a trap?」

「No……we’re close to the deepest part.」

Dalton answered Feld’s question. We found a stair after walking through a straight passage where no enemy appeared. Then a huge iron door entered our eyes after we went down that stair.

「The deepest door……」

Everyone held their breath and fell silent. Elena’s voice flowed like the sound of bell in the middle of such mood.

Floor 90……the lowest and deepest floor of the dungeon. There wasn’t any wall that divided the room there. There was only a huge iron door with fine reliefs that was three meter wide and five meter tall.

Even though it was said that dungeon was reading the thought of dead human, for there to be this kind of door here told us that there was some kind of existence that possessed “will” in here.

I didn’t know whether that existence was the dungeon’s spirit. But, I had been feeling the “gaze” of someone since getting deeper into this dungeon.

「Then let’s go!!」

『OOOOOOOOOOOO!』

Viro and I checked thoroughly for trap, the Dalton called out to everyone and pushed the door open together with Feld and the knights. The heavy door began to slowly open and when it was full opened, behind it was…….

「That’s……」

There, three huge humanoid figures were waiting for us.

The two at the left and right were colored blue and red. They must be superior type of Minotauros. And then the remarkably huge black Minotauros that was almost three meter tall standing between them was──

「Be careful. It’s a rank 6……Minotauros Murder.」

.

『BUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!』