Published at 13th of March 2020 12:43 am

Chapter 13: Arrow Shot From Pitch-Black Darkness VI - Part 1

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Translator : Solo

Chapter 13: Arrow Shot From Pitch-Black Darkness VI Part 1

【10th day】

※

I had a dream.

It was my first dream since coming to this world.

I was in a forest somewhere. A “someone” was there in that place. Behind me was a dear and beloved person. I didn’t know who it was, but the person I was in the dream loved and fully trusted this person. Such feelings were conveyed to me.

I came to a place deep inside the forest. It was the special place where the two of us would secretly meet.

The trees made a canopy of branches and leaves, and the sunlight filtering through the leaves illuminated the surroundings.

It was there, that I was stabbed in the back.

The blade appeared to have dug into my spine and nerves. I could only collapse onto the ground, and crawl like a worm. I didn't understand why this had happened.

The person who had stabbed me; there was only one person it could have been.

That person had run into the jaws of death with me. Had loved me. That was why I had responded. We even had a child that we had showered with love. For all that, if I still couldn’t believe in that person, then I would not be a person, but a beast.

I thought that something must have taken that person’s appearance. But that person’s eyes were lucid to the bitter end.

Without any last words, two people said their goodbyes with the flash of a blade.

It was a terrible nightmare.

That face that I saw at the end, it didn’t seem like I would be able to forget it any time soon. My shirt was soaked with cold sweat. My back, which had seemingly been stabbed, hurt. No, there was severe pain. It was similar to the pain from being hit by a stun gun.

「Izora」

『Yes, what is it?』

I gave orders to Izora, which was at my bedside.

「My back hurts. I may have been wounded. Scan my body」

『Understood』

Izora extended a small arm and touched my back.

「Urggg」

My body jumped from the pain.

『It cannot be confirmed via palpation and visual inspection. Administering medical nanomachines』

I was given an injection on my neck. I desperately tried to steady my ragged breathing. Instinctively, I curled up into a fetal position.

『Souya-san, what happened?』

Makina seemed anxious as she rolled up to the entrance of my tent.

『Makina, please bring medical kit D』

『Understood, Izora』

The rumbling sound of something rolling could be heard. In a flash, Makina returned with the kit. Izora opened it dexterously, and removed an ampoule.

『Scan completed. No abnormalities detected. Vitals are unstable. Status unknown. Team member Souya, is it okay if Izora administers a strong sedative?』

『Izora, that decision is rejected. Scan him again. Cut the information from the medical nanomachines, we currently cannot fully control them』

『Understood, Makina. Starting scan. …………… Anomaly confirmed by ultrasound. Metal has encroached into parts of the right arm. This is presumed to be the cause, starting separation』

Izora grabbed my right arm. On it was the elven hand protector that had been put on me yesterday. That’s right, I had been wearing it even in the dream.

『It’s not coming off. Insufficient power. Makina, if you please』

『Understood』

Makina's arms grabbed the hand protector from both sides. There was the sound of metal creaking, then fracturing.

『Makina is very sorry, Souya-san. Part of the arm has been damaged』

『Let's amputate』

『Understood, Izora』

「Wait!」

Makina took out an electric circular saw and turned it on. It buzzed loudly as the saw rotated at high speed.

『Izora, administer anesthesia, just in case』

『Izora cannot adminster anesthesia, but will inject him with a strong soporific and painkillers』

『Understood. Then, let’s commence』

「Both of you, wait!」

「Why is it so noisy this early in the morning?」

We had woken Misuranika-sama up. She extended her forepaws forward and stretched her back. Kuwaa~ she yawned.

「And, what’s going on here?」

『Good morning, Misuranika-sama. Something is wrong with Souya-san, so we were just about to cut off the cause. It’ll be over in a flash』

「Oh, it’s fine. I’ll do something about it. Makina, get me a glass of water. Izora, blindfold Souya」

『Understood』

Makina and Izora did as they were told. I had very complicated feelings about this master and servant relationship. Who did the two of you serve again?

Izora blindfolded me. Through the thin cloth, I saw Misuranika-sama growing bigger. While I could not make out the details of her face, the seductiveness of her glamorous limbs alone could be easily perceived.

『Here’s the water』

「Okay」

Misuranika-sama held my head.

『Kyaa』

Makina let out a high-pitched voice. Water dripped onto my cheek. Then, I felt a soft sensation on my lips. A tongue forced its way in, pushed opened my teeth, and held down my tongue. Warm liquid filled my mouth. I swallowed it slowly.

「Mmm ……Alright, well, that should do it」

Misuranika-sama took a breath. I was utterly confused and had no clue what was going on. Because it was my first time in various ways. It felt soft. It was like the body of a shrimp. Her tongue, I was talking about her tongue.

「Souya, does it still hurt?」

「Oh」

In my surprise, I had forgotten about the pain. No, the pain had disappeared. My body had also been freed, so I immediately pulled off the blindfold. I saw Misuranika-sama meowing in the form of a cat.

Dammit!

「You were being drawn in by death. Because you drank consecrated water, its effects on your body disappeared. The culprit is this hand protector」

Her paw stepped on the hand protector.

「It’s most likely cursed. I can feel alarmingly strong emotions from it. Take it off immediately」

「This is an elven treasure, isn’t it?」

「I guess the curse only activates when someone who isn’t an elf wears it」

「I see」

I was convinced. And,

「Makina, stop holding the circular saw at the ready」

『It’s unfortunate that it wasn’t of much use』

She dejectedly kept the dangerous tool and left.

If you do that next time, I’ll dismantle you!

「I tried removing it, but it seems physically impossible. Misuranika-sama, can you please do something?」

「I can’t. I don’t have such powers」

She said that with finality.

「For the time being, I’m not affected by the hand protector, right?」

「Most likely. However, curses are strong human emotions that never fade away. It’ll affect you again if there's some sort of trigger. There’s probably no benefit for you to hang on to it. If you ask a high-ranking thaumaturgist in the city, you can at least be released from the curse」

「Understood. And Misuranika-sama, can I ask for one thing?」

「What is it?」

「Please don’t say anything about this to those sisters」

In particular, I wanted to keep it from Rana.

「Why?」

「It’s what I prefer. Please」

Rana would be exploring the dungeon early in the morning. There was also what happened yesterday, and “this” today. I didn’t want to make her worry about me.

「Hmpt, I win in both bust size and height, you know?」

「That's not the preference that I was talking about」

It was mistaken as a problem of appearance.

「That’s fine, I suppose. I’m an open-minded god, and I value the will of my follower. Can I also say one thing?」

「Yes, anything」

「If those sisters are the cause of your death, I’ll curse both of them. That’s fine, right?」

「I’ll bear that in mind」

Alright, Misuranika-sama said, before curling up and going back to sleep. I went out of the tent with a towel and a change of clothes. The world outside was still shrouded in darkness. I took a bath in the river to wash off my sweat. As the percentage of women had risen, I dressed myself conscientiously. It was a vain resistance, but in a sense, it was better than not doing it.

I took a long hard look at the hand protector. It was made from a thin unknown metal, and had an elaborate foliage design on its surface. You wouldn’t think that it was cursed. To begin with, it was something that didn’t suit me.

I decided to make breakfast and a bento.

Putting whole wheat flour, which was cheap even in this world, in a bowl, I added water and oil, then mixed it using a spatula. Whole wheat flour is wheat flour that hasn’t been refined yet. However, it’s very nutritious, and has high levels of dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. Besides, a bag of it about the size of an adult’s upper body costs only three copper coins. Food that was expensive and delicious wasn’t necessarily good for health. Beast-men baked and sold this in street stalls, so I thought that I would try imitating that today.

I mixed it well and started kneading it by hand once the mixture was no longer powdery.

『Is this chapati? Should I give you a hand?』

「Then, knead this until it becomes smooth. After you’re done kneading, leave it for a while, then divide it equally into roughly golf-ball-sized portions」

『O~kay. Knead~, knead~ Become deli~cious』

I left it to Makina, and started to work on the ingredients.

I steamed, then mashed some sweet potatoes from the alternate world that I didn’t really know much about. I added flavor using a small amount of diced onions, sugar, salt, pepper and vinegar. As I thought, it was lacking, so I diced pork, vegetables and cheese, stir-fried them, and seasoned it with Worcestershire sauce. I mixed everything together. I wished that I had mayonnaise. Hmm, it was still lacking. I chopped up some pickled things from this side, and fried some bacon, which were great in times of trouble. More sweet potato was added. I fried a small amount of garlic in olive oil. Once the smell came out, I added some watercress that I had taken from the river, sautéed them, then added more sweet potato.

「………………Oh no」

I had messed it up completely.

What’s this stuff that’s totally lacking consistency in its taste? Isn’t this completely one of those failed dishes that men who lived alone often made? What’s more, I had used the same ingredient twice when I put in both pork and bacon!

「Alright」

I’ll cover everything up by mixing in curry powder.

『Souya-san, the dough is okay now』

「Alright, let's roll it out」

Both of us rolled out the dough using a rolling pin. Because it was my first time, I had misjudged the amount, and ended up making too much.

『Are we baking this next?』

「No, let’s sandwich the ingredients」

I put the curry-flavored ingredients on top of a piece of rolled-out dough. Placing another piece of dough on top, I turned it as I pinched it shut. Makina began making the same thing without a word.

I placed the pieces of stuffed dough into the still oily frying pan. The heat from the firewood felt about medium. I also put a pan that was smaller than the frying pan on the fire. Once it was heated enough, I placed the bottom of the heated pan on top of the pieces of dough to transfer the heat.

「Makina, I can’t tell if the temperature is correct, so can you scan it?」

『Yes, I can~』

I baked them according to Makina’s instructions. The contents of those that had been stuffed too full with ingredients spilled out. I would be more conservative when filling them next time. Once we got the hang of it, Makina was eventually entrusted with everything.

In the end, there were two failures, but we had made twenty in total.

Chapati stuffed with curry-flavored ingredients completed. It seemed like Indians ate this more than they ate naan. I taste-tested one. Hmm, it appeared that I had somehow covered it up nicely using the curry flavor. It felt like the off-flavors were terrible though. It wasn’t unpalatable, but I wondered if it would taste good even when it was cold.

「You’re up early」

Rana had gotten up. She was dressed up as an adventurer. She was looking cute today too.

「Good morning. I had a strange dream, so I woke up early. Are you going already?」

「Yes, as being early is always better than being late」

That's true.

A drowsy Ea came out from their tent. I wrapped five chapatis with the dried leaves that had a preservative effect, and put powdered juice mix into a water bottle.

「Rana, this is breakfast and a bento」

「Ben-to?」

「Portable food for the dungeon」

「I see. Eh, did you make them?」

「They may not be very tasty, but I think that they’re nutritious and are quite filling. I'll do better next time, so for the time being, please put up with them this time」

I put the chapatis and the water bottle into Rana's bag.

「Thank you very much」

「Shall I accompany you?」

「No, I can’t let something like what happened yesterday occur again. Please take care of your body」

Erm, it’s because something like that happened yesterday that I want to go with you though.

「Alright then」

Rana bowed respectfully and walked away.

「Have a safe trip」

Ea waved her hand.

「Is it fine if you don’t go with her?」

「I would have gone if I could. It's an individual request for Onee-chan, but since the client is an elf just like us, at the very least, it’s less worrisome than a request from a Hemu」

I saw Rana off until her figure became small.

「Hmm?」

Ea flopped to the ground.

「Hey」

「Sorry, take me to the tent」

When I picked her up into my arms, she put her feeble arms around my neck. Her body was feverish. I carried Ea into their tent, laid her down and covered her with a blanket.

「If I’m attacked right now, I won’t be able to resist, you know?」

「What the heck are you saying」

As if I would do something like that.

「Don’t find me attractive? I'm quite confident in my looks though……」

Her complexion was worse than usual, but her white skin and her slender, well-proportioned limbs were captivating. It’s a bit late, but I did think that she was a tremendous beauty. But I didn’t have such a warped sexual disposition that I would lust after frail and helpless girls.

「You’re certainly a beauty. I’ll keep you company after you regain your health」

「Haha, that’s impossible. Cuz I hate Hemus」

Despite the fact that she was joking, tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes.

「It’s the worst, having to rely on a Hemu even though I’m about to die because of a Hemu」

「It’s the worst for me too, having an elf with such a bad personality as a teacher even though I want to learn bow techniques」

「Shut~ up」

She swatted my arm. It didn’t hurt at all.

Ea spoke in a murmur.

「Do you like Onee-chan?」

「Huuuuhhh!? I, it’s not like I particularly like her or something! I think she’s pretty, but yes. No, errr」

It had come out in a strange voice.

This was that, wasn’t it? It was like the thoughts of a foolish male middle school student who had gotten the wrong idea that a female classmate liked him just because she was a little bit kind to him. It made me remember the past, and I felt like dying.

「Uwaa, gross. Well, it’s fine. Don't worry about it, fool」

That “fool” had been gentle. Ea’s insults were adorable. My sister had once called me a caterpillar with limbs. I wondered how many times she had made me cry.

「Do you want breakfast?」

「It’s okay, I’ll sleep for a while」

「Call me when when you feel hungry. I'll bring it for you」

「Alright」

I was about to leave the tent when a weakly hand grabbed me.

「I'm lonely, so stay here for a short while」

「Okay」

I consented to the request from Ea, who had become docile. This was something that couldn’t be refused. I sat beside her and adjusted the blanket, which had slipped. I was a little hesitant, but I wiped the sweat on her forehead with a towel.

「It feels weird」

Ea closed her eyes and her breathing became soft and shallow. Without tiring of it, I continued looking at her face. It felt like I was watching a piece of art. Her time, which was on the brink of wasting away, was a memserizing blink of an eye. The stupid thought of wanting to sacrifice everything to save her crossed my mind.

Even though it wasn’t my place to do something like that.

After nearly an hour, I left the tent. My heart hurt. I felt as if I was going to fall to my knees, so I hit my chest to stop myself from collapsing. I saw a vision of my heart being pierced through.

『Man, I have a request』

My shadow was talking to me. It was a ridiculous sight.

「Excuse me, who are you?」

『A nameless ghost. Don’t let it bother you』

A distinctly dark shadow escaped my outline and formed a humanoid shape. It was enigmatic, and obviously dangerous. Just when I was about to call Misuranika-sama,

『My blood relative is in imminent danger. I need your help』

I decided to stop and listen to it. I didn’t need to ask the identity of the person who was in imminent danger.

「I don’t mind lending a hand. I’ve gone too far to turn back now. Well, what should I do?」

Even though I didn’t know the true nature of what I was dealing with, I consented easily.

It felt ominous. I was covered in cold sweat. Would it request something unbelievable from me?

『That’s a big help. The hero of the concealed name will definitely reward you for your self-sacrifice and for your life』

「Wait, what are you doing to—」

「Weak one. Adventurer from foreign lands. The contract is hereby formed」

Its voice drew very close.

The shadow stood up.

Under the light, the darkness was bottomless.

I felt like I had seen this in a horror movie before.

※

※

Slight nausea. A deep breath.

The weak smell of grass. Wind, the dampness of the morning dew.

There was no wound on my heart. My body moved well enough.

「Izora!」

I called, but Makina was the one who came.

『Yes, what is it?』

「Where is Izora? I'm going to the dungeon right now」

『Izora is in the dungeon』

「Huh?!」

That reply was completely out of the blue.

『Izora disguised herself as Rana-sama’s lantern, and accompanied her to the dungeon』

「What the heck is she doing? No, it’s perfect. Is it possible to establish a communications link with her?」

『Makina will give it my best shot』

Makina's screen displayed a snowstorm, like an ancient television set.

「Izora, can you hear me?」

There was no reply. Instead, a grainy video was shown. The point of view was from around a person’s waist, and it showed the inside of the dungeon. It was seemingly the point of view of Izora, which was hanging from Rana’s waist. I couldn’t tell their exact numbers, but there was one beast-man and one elf accompanying her. The party stopped moving. They were having a conversation, but the sound of their voices was distorted, and it was hard to make out what they were saying. Only the disquieting atmosphere could be felt. They met up with another party.

Among them was the idiot prince from yesterday. He had a huge grin on his face. Their conversation was inaudible. Rana took a step back. The other party members stared apathetically at Rana.

She took to her heels. The prince and his party followed.

The video cut off there.

「Do you know the floor that they’re on?」

『Izora has transmitted the data. It’s the 10th floor, and a map is attached』

「Understood」

I didn’t know if I could descend five floors in one go, but I was going. I was going even if I knew that it would be futile. First, I prepared my equipment. I put on extra layers of blade-resistant shirts, put my hunting knife into its sheath on my waist, wore protectors on every limb other than my right arm, and hauled my usual backpack onto my back. I pulled on a replacement poncho. Then, the bow was,

「Dammit」

The string was broken. I’ll ask Ea to repair, no……, I had the location of a replacement bow in mind. Next, I needed arrows that would be suitable, but—

「He~yy」

Geto-san came out from the river. He looked different than usual. Apart from the harpoon he always had on him, he was carrying a quiver-like bag on his back, with harpoons haphazardly strewn inside it. He held a net with a huge chunk of meat in one hand.

「Look at this. We found a big fish last night, and my entire clan went out and hunted it down. I thought we could eat it right away…… What’s wrong?」

Geto-san had noticed that I was acting weird. The arrival of this person was nothing but a stroke of good luck. Could it be that meeting this person was the luckiest thing that had happened to me?

「Geto-san, I would be glad to eat that deliciously. But I would like to ask you for a few favors」

「Alright, go ahead and ask for anything」

「Those harpoons that you’re carrying on your back. Please sell them to me」

「I’m not going to take money for something like this. I’ll give them to you. However, a small amount of the paralytic poison used for hunting the big fish still remains on them. Be careful. If you carelessly let it enter your body, a Hemu like you will be immobilized for half a day」

「That’s extremely helpful」

I took the bag and carried it on my back. It was fairly heavy. I took one harpoon in my hand and gave it a close look. Its form was more like a spear than a harpoon. The point was curved and sharp, and made from a white non-metallic crystalline material. Its shaft was made from bone, which I realized was hollow when I hit it.

「Also, please carry me to the city. How long would it take you to get there?」

「Via the river? If I take it seriously, I can make it in about 300 seconds」

I could really save time and strength with this.

「Makina, the various devices are waterproof, right?」

『Yes』

「Let’s go right away! I’m counting on you!」

「A, alright」

Geto-san pulled on me lightly as I drew close to him.

「Makina, I’m heading out. Please keep an eye on Ea while I’m away」

『Okay, please leave it to me. Good luck』

「Here we go. Hold your breath. It may be a bit tough for a Hemu, but you have to endure it」

I took a deep breath. Geto-san held me as we fell into the river.

It was incredibly fast.

I thought that my body would fall apart because of the water resistance. Even though we took a breather once in the middle, we arrived at the city in no time at all.

『It took both of you 330 seconds to reach the city. That’s amazing, that’s faster than modern submarines』

Makina announced. It appeared that there were no problems even if the devices got wet.

「Though I was carrying someone, I’ve certainly gotten old, haven’t I?」

「Urgh, koff, koff」

I had drunk a little bit of water. I crawled out of the river and laid down on the road.

「N, no, I would have died if you had gone any faster than that」

「Is that so? I’ll be waiting at the camp, alright? Tell me the circumstances afterwards」

「Understood」

Geto-san disappeared into the river.

When I stood up, my vision flickered and I felt dizzy. I kept my cool, and stood up while making sure that I did not lose my balance. While I was like this,

「Hey foreigner. You’ve got an unusual acquaintance, don’t you?」

Barfuru-sama was looking at me with a curious expression. He’s a very expressive person, even with a dog’s face.

「Are you going to treat me drinks again? There are still a lot of my heroic exploits that you haven't heard, you know? Well, I suppose it’ll depend on the amount of drinking money you provide」

「No, that’s not why I’m here today」

「Nya! What's wrong-nya! You’re drenched to the skin-nya!」

Tyutyu was surprised after seeing my impression of a drowned rat.

「For some reason, this guy came out of the river with a fish-man」

「Wait a minute-nya!」

Ignoring Barfuru, who was pointing at me, Tyutyu pulled me to the back. She brought me a coarse blanket and wiped me down with it. She’s a good girl. But I didn’t have the time to let her spoil me at the moment.

「Tyutyu. I have a request」

As my hair was being wiped briskly, I randomly grabbed some gold coins from my purse and placed them on the table.

「NYAAA!」

Tyutyu trembled at their radiance. I had put no fewer than five gold coins on the table, but it would be uncool if I took them back.

「Wha, what should I sell-nya? My body-nya? What kind of “play” will you demand from me-nya. I’m scared-nya」

「No, lend me this」

I rummaged through the sack that had been placed on the ground as usual. I took out an old bow.

「Hang on, foreigner. I’ll praise your taste, butー」

It was a hardy bow that was almost as tall as I was.

Its limbs were slightly curved. It was wrapped in leather to make it thicker. There was a strong presence surrounding it. An ominous will with a dark, gleaming hatred of the undead. Its string, which had been coiled around the bow, looked like it had been twisted together from hair. I unwound it and strung the bow.

「Lycan bows are drawn using curse power. For a regular human――――――」

I tested its draw by pulling the string back powerfully. It was a gallant bow that lived up to its Lycan name. The tension that it could hold was tremendous. And that was not all. It was a cursed item. One that cursed the world. Perhaps because of that, it deviated slightly from the laws of this world. If it was this bow, rather than just the eye, it was probably capable of shooting through the large spider’s heart.

「It’s a good bow. I’m borrowing it, Barfuru-dono. Drink in moderation, alright?」

「Who are you, sir?」

I greeted my old friend, then set out in the direction of the dungeon.

I was filled with nostalgia as I walked through the city streets.

It fell far short of my prime, but running and feeling the wind was a sensation that was hard to come by. The warmth of flesh was the flame of life. Even with a pitifully poor heart, its value remained the same.

I reached the dungeon.

For me, it was the fated labyrinth in which Lola had been cornered, but ultimately let escape in the past. At first glance, the dungeon had changed a great deal, but it was essentially unchanged. As if something that had been dropped by the progenitor god could be changed by the likes of humans.

I headed straight for the portals.

There, I crossed paths with a party that had just returned.

「Hey there, handsome」

I tripped the elf that looked like the leader by sweeping his leg. Faster than anything, I nocked a harpoon to the bow and pointed its tip at his face. The people in his party froze.

So slow. Is this the level of the current adventurers?

「You’re short one person, aren’t you? Explain」

「W, who are you! Someone help me!」

「Souya? What are you……? What’s that bow……? ……Guild President! Please come quickly!」

Evetta-san, who had happened to pass by, turned pale, and called for the Guild President.

「You againnnn~. What did you do this timeー Hey, who’s that?」

The Guild President, who had appeared with a sleepy look, also turned pale.

「This Hemu went nuts and suddenly pointed his bow at me! Hurry up and do something!」

The elf shouted grievously.

「He should have formed a party with Rauaryuna Raua Heures today. Tell me right now, what did you do?」

「I don’t know! I didn’t form a party with a person like that!」

「Wait a minute, I’ll look into it right now」

Before I knew it, the Guild President was holding a staff. It was as tall as him was, and had a dreadful form that made it obvious that it had been made from human bones.

「Wind, compile, turn, fly, and gather, today’s dungeon exploration application forms」

When he knocked the staff against the floor, pieces of parchment fluttered and gathered around the Guild President.

「You’re Melter from the Heures Forest, right? Hmm, there's certainly no record like that」

「Right?! Hurry up and do something! This Hemu is insane!」

「No, there’s no application form from you guys in the first place. What’s going on? What did you do?」

「I witnessed them coming out of the portal. Should I call for their person-in-charge?」

「Wha, no. Errr」

Cornered by the Guild President and Evetta-san, the elf shut his mouth.

「Should I say it then? You guysー」

「Poe will speak」

A beast-man from the elf’s party spoke up. He had a young-looking face from the canine family, and ears that stood upright. He was well-built and lightly equipped, but held a large shield.

「Melter sold the elf princess and received money from the prince. Person-in-charge is in on it. Form was stolen by the prince’s beast-woman」

「Poe! Don’t you realize what will happen to us afterwards?!」

「Shut up. Don’t care. Can’t trust a person who sells out someone from his own race. Poe might be next. Will never from a party with you again. Goodbye」

The beast-man left.

「Sorry, this is it for us too. Former leader, don't call out to us anymore, alright?」

The other elves also left. I thought about shooting them in the back, but I’ll let it be for now. I let go of the string because my hand was tired. The harpoon pierced the floor with a heavy, dull sound.

「Hiii, hiii」

Probably because something like that had grazed his face, the elf lost control of his bladder.

「Please confine this guy, Guild President. I’m going to rescue Rana」

「Do you know her location?」

「I only know that she’s on the 10th floor」

「What the lowest floor that you’ve reached?」

「The 5th floor」

The Guild President struck the elf with the butt of his staff. I thought for a moment that he was using some sort of magic, but he had simply knocked the elf out using physical means.

「Evetta, call Otou-san here. Urgently」

「Okay. Souya, please don’t do anything rash until I get back. You absolutely can’t, you hear?」

Evetta-san dashed off with the speed of a quadruped beast.

「Come, you fool. I’ll be on your side just this once. Follow me」

I pulled out the harpoon and followed behind the Guild President. We stopped in front of a portal.

「This is really a special one-time thing. I’m lending a hand because I sympathize with the princess. I’m not doing this for you personally. Don't get me wrong, okay?」

「Make it quick」

「You can go down to the 10th floor in one go if I open a rescue portal. Do you want to listen to the few pieces of advice that I have for you?」

「Please keep it simple」

Being able to go to the 10th floor in one go was a happy miscalculation. Still, time was precious.

「If you determine that the princess can’t be saved, escape and forget everything. The king is a kind person, but he’s still the parent of that idiot prince. Also, I won't leave any records of the Guild helping you. So do whatever you want. Adventurers are free creatures」

「If that idiot prince has his pants down, I’ll probably kill him. Is that okay with you?」

「Setting aside the prince, his guards are strong. Don’t die in vain, alright?」

He hit the portal with his staff. The portal’s color turned red.

「One last thing」

The Guild President asked.

「I’m Solcia, the small wing. A diminutive miracle born as a result of St. Dimast's madness. Oh, wavering, strong and venerable soul. I wish to leave your name in my memory」

「I'm Lumidia, the concealed name. I’m just a fool who shot the large spider to death, and let the dragon eater escape. There's no need to remember me. I appreciate your help. Farewell, boy」

The hero inside me had answered without permission. Let this be the last time something like that happens. It’s my body, my will, my life. Be it killing or saving, they’re my sins to bear. So lend me only your skill with the bow. I don’t need anything after that. I don’t want anything. I won’t bear any grudges.

In response, the will inside my heart resounded, melted, then disappeared.

I dived into the portal.

I was engulfed by a torrent of light for an instant before dropping down into darkness.

The dungeon’s structure wasn’t all that different from the 5th floor. It was made up of stone walls, and was enveloped in darkness.

「Izora, can you hear me? Please respond」

After some static, Izora’s voice rang out from the glasses.

『Team member Souya. How on earth did you manage to get here?』

「I’ll explain later. Your reason for following Rana is also for later. Tell me her current location」

『This is her estimated location』

The map on the glasses’ LCD was updated, and a red dot was displayed.

『I’m very sorry. Izora was thrown away in surprise when Izora started talking in an attempt to help her escape』

「Understood. Let’s meet up」

『Understood. Izora will make our routes converge further ahead so that we can meet up』

The red dot representing Izora was displayed on the map. The locator was also displayed, and the shortest route to the estimated point was indicated. I proceeded to follow it.

I hurried, but I only went as fast as I could while still suppressing my presence. Although I was able to use the Lycan bow, it didn’t change how frail I was. I couldn’t spare the effort to fight monsters right now.

After turning a few corners, I saw some human bones and pieces of flesh with blasphemous designs that were roaming around. I let them pass me by. The dungeon was wider and longer than I had expected. My impatience was building, and my forehead was drenched in cold sweat. My stamina and nerves were being worn down at the same time. I thought about checking my regeneration point, but it was about the tip of my little finger anyways. Just looking at it was probably pointless.

At last, I would meet up with Izora before long. Right then,

「Ah」

「Mya」

I came across a cat beast-woman with tanned skin and short black hair.

「We’re busy with something further ahead-mya. I’ll prefer if you went somewhere else-mya. Hang on, you’re from the barー」

『Cling, clang, jangle♪』

As the beast-woman was speaking, the sound of many gold coins dropping onto the ground could be heard from behind her.

「Mya!」

The beast-woman turned back, but all she saw was Izora, which had been disguised as a lantern. She had created the perfect opening. I pulled out a harpoon, and smashed the beast-woman’s head in with a full swing.

「Kyuu~」

I didn’t hold back as she was a higher ranked adventurer.

「Nice」

『Glad to be of service』

I high-fived that small arm. Izora and I disarmed the beast-woman, tied a gag in her mouth, then tied her hands tightly behind her back. We proceeded to restrain her feet, then tied those restraints to the ones binding her hands. She was now looking pretty charming in the reverse shrimp tie. With this, she was probably incapacitated. Alright, onto the next one.

「Izora, maintain a reasonable distance from me, just in case」

『Understood. As for the monsters in our vicinity, the knight has defeated them all by herself. There’s probably no need to be careful about that point』

「Understood」

If anything, I had to face the person who did them in all by herself, and two others on top of that. I didn’t waver over whether I would be able to do it. At any rate, it was do-or-die for me.

『Team member Souya, a strategy has been formulated, but would you like to hear it?』

「Of course. Partner」

※

※

After nocking the harpoon to the string, I drew the bow. Breathing slowly, I slid my feet. I was eager, but not impatient. I had only one chance to pull off this sneak attack.

I could see light. Two lanterns were lined up together.

There was a female knight that showed no openings at the end of the cul-de-sac. She was facing the darkness, as if she was keeping guard. I could not read her gaze because of her helmet. I should be hidden in the darkness, but my heart was beating violently as it felt like our eyes had met. A noblewoman-like magician was leaning against the wall, looking bored. She was holding her own staff, and another that belonged to someone I knew.

Rana was there.

She was being held down by the prince.

My emotions, which felt as if they had exploded, reversed direction and dropped below freezing. If Rana's clothes were more disturbed, or if the prince had pulled himself out of his pants, I would have probably shot him in the head without thinking.

「Come on, this is the first time a woman has resisted like this. A king is bestowing his favor on a lowly woman like you! What’s there to hate about it?」

「L, let me go! Are these the actions of the king’s son?!」

「Adventurers are free people. The king’s son can at least choose the women he wants to bed. Besides, how much further can the woman who burnt her own people to death fall?」

The prince grabbed Rana’s thighs roughly with his hands. But Rana fluttered her feet to ward off the prince’s hands. Either Rana was stronger than he had expected, or her fierce resistance was enough to fight him off, but it didn’t seem like he was going to get the deed done.

「Tch, Lanseal, lend me a hand」

「I refuse, prince. We’re in the dungeon. Who knows what’s lurking in the darkness. Why are you trying to do this kind of thing in a place like this?」

「I wasn’t given much choice, was I? I can’t even go to the brothel because old man Medimu has been making such a fuss about it recently. Just yesterday, he hit me, the prince, just for messing around with a beast-woman brat. He couldn’t be more disrespectful!」

「……………」

I turned the tip of harpoon towards the speechless knight.

Could I do it? Or should I shoot the prince first?

As the tip of the harpoon swayed due to my indecision, the bored-looking magician spoke.

「Now, now, my prince. Then, shall I use my marvellous skill to change this foolish princess into a wild prostitute and offer her up to you? Fufufu, she’ll lust after you like a dog in heat. But the insides of her head will become just a little~ bit hollow, like it has been eaten by worms, but that’s okay, right?」

The magician placed the butt of her staff on Rana's forehead.

「Princess, it’s tough, isn’t it? Falling to the world of the common people that you aren’t accustomed to, and being played around by what the elves call “boorish Hemus”. But that all ends today. I’ll let you forget about everything. Everything is all inside a dream. Submerge your soul into a lewd, alluring dream, and you’ll become a vulgar bitch that shakes her hips for all that is male from now on」

「Stop, it, please」

Rana's face twisted in anguish.

「Hahaha. A female dog, huh? That’s great. I had just been thinking that I wanted another one. Should I make the fellow dogs lick each other first?」

「Prince!?」

The knight turned towards the prince and raised a critical voice against him.

Right then,

An arrow was shot from pitch-black darkness.

The magician was pierced through her side and slammed against the wall. She lost consciousness while still being completely unaware of the situation. Two staves rolled onto the ground.

I held the bow vertically. A harpoon, which I was using as an arrow, was nocked on the right side of the bow. I pulled the string back until it reached maximum tension. With my current skill, it would hit exactly where I wanted it to.

「Prince! Get down!」

I released my fingers and, like a whip, the string thrummed as the arrow snapped through the air.

The knight’s reaction was fast.

The knight received the arrow, which had the force of a cannonball, head-on with her shield. The shield bent as the arrow split open and broke. The knight’s body was blown back a little. I nocked the next arrow.

Unsure if she should advance on me or protect the prince, the knight hesitated.

I did not hesitate. I pulled the string back and released another arrow. The discordant sounds of metal rang out.

Compared to the first arrow, the knight didn’t pull back much. She had held her shield at an angle to divert its power. She had already adapted. This person was really impressive.

「Why don’t you show yourself?! You coward!」

The knight yelled. It was an out of place request, but I'll take advantage of it.

「Aren't the people who ganged up and assaulted a lone woman the real cowards?」

「You’re the one from the bar」

「Souya!」

When my figure was projected in their eyes, the knight and Rana showed their surprise.

「Impossible. There’s no way a feeble guy like that can pull off something like this」

The prince was ignored.

「If you say that I’m a coward, then I’ll crush you head-on. I still have four of these harpoons for hunting big fish that I’m using as arrows. If you can withstand them, then it’s the knight-sama’s win. I’ll just disappear into darkness like this. If you can’t withstand them, I’ll crush that prince's balls. He gets pleasure from being fancied by dogs, right? It’s better if I castrate him」

「YOUUU!!!」

「I’ll take that challenge」

The knight interrupted the prince and accepted my challenge.

「Alright, let's get started」

After saying that, I shot arrows in rapid succession. There wasn’t much power behind them. They were easily blocked by her shield. The knight was closing the distance between us. Calm down, pull, aim, and release.

She dodged under the arrow with a low posture. The missed arrow landed beside the magician. The knight had read the course of the arrow instantly from my line of sight.

A light bulb went off in my head, and I shot the next arrow at the ground while keeping my eyes fixed on her.

The arrow ricocheted off the ground and hit her shield directly. At that angle, the power of the arrow could not be diverted. The air felt more viscous as time slowed, and I saw the arrow smash through the shield and graze the knight's helmet. Her skirt flipped up, and I saw a fluttering bit of silver.

The knight discarded her shield, but she did not hesitate and kept on moving.

The distance between us was already less than six meters. She had the speed of a beast, and she didn’t move like her whole body was covered in armor. She was a match for Evetta-san. Just a little more, and I would be cornered.

I took deliberate aim.

The angle was such that the prince would be hit if she dodged.

Victory or defeat would be settled in an instant.

I released the arrow. At the same time, the knight whipped out her sword.

It looked like a superhuman feat. She had unsheathed her sword and swung it in one motion, cutting the arrow into halves that rolled behind her.

She had slashed instead of thrusting, but other than that, it was very similar to the swordsmanship used by Shuna. While maintaining a low posture, the sword swung by the knight stopped with its blade a paper’s width from my neck.

「You’ve lost. That skill with the bow is truly admirable. I’ve not seen even five archers with the strength to destroy this shield that had been bestowed by the king. Truly, it’s admirable」

「Kill him! Lanseal! He pulled a bow on a prince, you know?!」

「You should withdraw. You’re not a human who should be on the side of the elves」

The prince was ignored once again.

This person was probably not a bad person. She seemed quite hardheaded though.

「Thank you. But it's not over yet」

I passed through the knight's body and shot an arrow at the prince. The arrow pierced through the prince's shoulder and pinned him to the wall.

「GYAAAAAAAA!」

It was a dirty scream.

「What?!」

I shot an arrow at the distracted knight. It didn’t penetrate, but the chest portion of her armor was greatly damaged, and got blown off. I had a peek of white skin.

「It’s alright now」

The hologram of me that had been projected by Izora disappeared. Only then did I step out of the darkness for the first time. In addition, my declaration about the number of arrows had also been a lie.

I followed up by shooting another arrow at her leg. It didn’t penetrate again, but the armor was crushed. The impact damage was getting through. Shoulders, knees, elbows, I was in no way dealing enough damage to make her bleed. Because she was much higher ranked than me, I did not let my guard slip at all. I shot with the intention of using up all my arrows. Even if the knight was showing absolutely no signs of resistance, I continued shooting without letting my guard down.

The fingers that I extended into the quiver cut through air.

Picking up an arrow that had fallen to the ground with my foot, I pulled it back as far as it would go, then released. It hit the knight’s head. The helmet broke apart and her head slammed against the floor. Long silver hair spilled out, and her animal ears flopped out. Then, blood finally flowed. That’s good. I had thought for a moment that she couldn’t be killed.

「Ple, ase」

「That’s amazing. You’re still conscious?」

If it was me, I would have died 30 times.

「You can do whatever you like to this body, the princeー」

「Who cares?」

I kicked her in the head. I had nothing more to say to her. And I wasn’t going to lick my chops sleazily for an offer like that, and was definitely not going to let my guard down to the bitter end. Against a strong person like her, I won’t feel at ease even if only her head remained. Of course, I had absolutely no mercy for her. I’ll kill her as painlessly as possible.

I recovered the arrows, and stood in front of the knight once more. I nocked an arrow.

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