After leaving the A rank party, I aim for the deep part of the labyrinth with my former students
"Advance scouting route and movement plan are all good too!"
Nodding at Silk and Nene’s reports, I looked up at the sky where the faint outline of the “tower” could be seen.
The time was... early morning. In Finis, it would be about time for the first bell to ring.
Dressed properly in our adventuring gear, we had gathered at the entrance to the evacuation camp.
"Hey, are you really sure it was okay not to tell the guild master?"
"He backed down once, but if I told him today, he might have told us to wait again."
"I don’t think he’d say that though."
Jamie had known him for a while too, but I’d known him longer.
It might sound self-important, but Benwood is a bit overprotective when it comes to me.
I do appreciate his concern, but right now, we have an urgent reason to act.
"We can apologize later. For now, we have to save Marina."
"Yeah. Let’s beat down that creepy guy and rescue Marina as quickly as we can."
Seeing Jamie get fired up again, I took a deep breath and composed myself.
"Just like with the royal tomb in the ‘Valley of Death,’ we’re going in fast this time too. Minimize exhaustion, push through the ‘tower,’ go deep, secure Marina, and then take out the head of the ‘Seventh Cult.’"
"You’re unusually aggressive today."
"I may not look like it, but I’m not a very tolerant guy. When someone treats someone important to me like a disposable tool, I get a little pissed off."
At my words, Rain and Silk exchanged glances and chuckled.
"Yuke, that side of you... I kind of like it."
"Sensei, sometimes you’re surprisingly masculine."
"A womanizer. But I don’t mind this version of Yuke from time to time."
Even Jamie joined in the laughter.
Seriously, how do these people see me?
"Depends on how much the terrain has changed, but I’ve plotted the best route I could. Leave it to me until we reach the ‘tower!’"
"I’m counting on you, Nene."
"Nya-ssu!"
"Alright, let’s go. Take us to the city, Mr. Raptor."
I jumped onto the driver’s seat and cast Physical Enchant on the giant running lizard, the Raptor.
The ride gets rougher at higher speeds, but they'll have to bear with it.
After confirming that everyone had boarded the carriage, we took off onto the highway.
Thanks to the special high-speed transport vehicle prepared for us in Troana, we shouldn’t have to worry about the wheels or carriage breaking even if we push it.
From the evacuation camp in the Aldan Lakeside Forest to Finis is roughly a full day’s walk.
But with this magically-enhanced Raptor, we should arrive in just a few hours—before noon.
Our goal is to reach the tower before sunset and accomplish the mission.
『Good news! We've received a report that our "Clover" has returned to Finis!』
『Now the stage is set. The return of the "Hero" will surely push forward the resolution of this crisis.』
From the tablet that Rain had apparently activated, the broadcast voices of Shou-san and Gato-san could be heard from the driver’s seat.
Come to think of it, I need to thank those two as well.
Thanks to their emergency broadcasts and information sharing, the confusion among the Finis evacuees was reportedly kept to a minimum.
I’ve met Baron Gato Tsormi, but I’ve never met Shou-san.
He’s probably someone from the Royal Broadcasting Bureau—I’ll make sure to thank him personally when I return.
『The recapture of Finis begins now—but what do you think, Gato-san?』
『So far, the focus has been on evacuation and rescue, but with "Clover’s" return, I expect the strategy to shift toward direct assault.』
『Meaning?』
『According to the Royal Academy’s analysis, that structure—we call it the tower—appears to be a special type of labyrinth dungeon. They also believe a powerful curse is spreading inside.』
『A... a curse!?』
『Yes, it’s dangerous to even touch, but apparently, "Clover" has resistance to that curse.』
It was a rather general explanation, but not wrong in broad strokes.
For someone to lose their sense of self and turn into a "shadow person"—what else could that be but a curse?
『So, they were waiting for "Clover" all along!』
『Exactly. Especially since "Clover" has a proven track record in dealing with multiple labyrinth disasters. This marks the beginning of the counterattack.』
『I see, I see! Now let’s hear what people around the region have to say.』
The audio crackled slightly as the screen seemed to shift.
Then, voices of the people of Finis came through.
『I’m relieved "Clover" came back.』
『Finis just isn’t the same without "Clover."』
『I was saved together with this person once. That’s why I believe they’ll save us again.』
Among those voices, I even heard some familiar ones.
『There is no need to worry if it's that red mage Warlock and his wives. That man is a true hero who even saved our Salmutaria.』
"Yuke, Prince Mastoma is on-screen."
Rain leaned over from the driver’s seat, holding out the [Tablet].
On the screen she handed me, sure enough, was the proud and sincere face of my friend.
『Are you watching, Yuke Feldio... my friend. Regarding this incident, Salmutaria will spare no aid. Go forward without hesitation on the path you must take.』
"Mastoma...!"
The unexpected encouragement stirred something warm in my chest.
And it spread to many others as well.
『Do your best, “Clover”!』
『We’re cheering for you!』
『Don’t worry about us!』
『Go, “Clover”!』
Pushed forward by so many voices, we raced down the highway.
The “tower” that once looked distant was now steadily drawing near.
◆
"I'm back."
From within the collapsed city walls, Nene returned without a single sound, still wearing her [Hidden Mantle of Invisibility].
Tension was clear on her face.
"How was it?"
"It was a bit worse than I expected."
Letting out a small breath, Nene pulled out a folded map.
"This route, this one, and this area too—no good. It's not just an ‘Overflow,’ it's more like a ‘Full-blown Rampaging Stampede’ that’s not even moving properly anymore."
"That bad...?"
We had expected it to be bad, but it seemed both Nene and I had underestimated the situation.
There were more monsters than anticipated, and the city’s condition was worse than we thought.
After three rounds of advance scouting, even Nene was a little worn out.
"What if we try advancing to a midpoint first?"
"The monsters are moving around a lot. We might get surrounded if we’re not careful."
"Then what about targeting the thinner spots and picking them off one by one?"
Silk leaned in to look at the map and pointed to a spot.
It was slightly off from the main road leading to the central district, but it was nearly the shortest route.
"If we fight, we might draw attention and get swarmed… but it might be the safest plan."
"We want to conserve our strength, but if there’s no path, we’ll just have to carve one."
Standing still and wasting time wasn’t an option either.
If the sun went down, the monsters would have the upper hand.
Breaking through would be even harder after that.
"Alright, we’ll go with Silk’s plan. Everyone okay with that?"
"Mm. Got it."
"No objections here. Let’s go."
With my comrades nodding in agreement, I steeled myself and pulled “GoPro-kun” from my magic bag.
I had been unsure until the last moment whether or not to stream, but in the end, I decided it was worth it.
This was the adventurer city of Finis—the forefront of adventure broadcasting.
Streaming what we were about to do would surely have meaning.
"Begin broadcast."
Floating gently into the air, “GoPro-kun” quietly captured us with its lens as we stepped into the transformed city of Finis.
Comments
Post a Comment