Evil Avalon

Chapter 157 Strange Room

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

— From Satsuki Omiya’s perspective —

Mana raged, roars and explosions echoed. As if cutting off the space that led into that deadly battlefield, the door shut, and the elevator began moving quietly with a faint shift in gravity. Now, only the sound of rough breathing filled the air.

An unimaginably bad situation—everything I could think of was drenched in anxiety. In this state, no good ideas would come, and I wouldn’t be able to grasp the future I wished for. First, I needed to calm my head.

I looked at the faces of the others here to organize my thoughts. There was Kunoichi Red—Kirara Kusunoki-sama—and the one managing the Kinrankai… was it Kirigaya-san? And the noble siblings of House Mamiya—the younger sister, Chizuru, was famous for being top of her class in the middle school division.

I was curious how Souta had met and joined forces with all these big names—but more than that… ah.

In the corner of the elevator, Kano-chan was slumped, looking so small. It was only natural that she was hurting after parting ways with the Souta she loved like that. I set the large staff I was holding against the wall and gently drew her twin-tailed head into my arms as I reflected on the battle just now.

The strength of the Holy Empire had been far beyond anything I had imagined. Even the Kinrankai—a top-level raid clan renowned even in Japan—had barely been able to put up a fight unless they worked together. To make slaughter their trade, walking countless battlefields—it was no mere boast; it was pure terror. Souta was fighting three such monsters by himself.

Of course, I knew better than anyone how strong Souta was. His quiet, reserved personality often made classmates underestimate him, but he possessed surprisingly deep knowledge, advanced insight, and technical skill. There was no doubt he also carried a tremendous wealth of battle experience.

Even so—his face as we parted had not been one of confidence. Kano-chan must have sensed that too, which was why she had tried to rush into that hell after him.

But I stopped her. Because I felt the resolve in Souta to stake his life there and become our shield. And in his eyes, I saw his desperate wish: “Please… protect my sister.”

—If that’s the case.

Even if Kano-chan ends up hating me, I must answer Souta’s wish. Of course I’d give my all to disable the magical bomb array, but above all, I would protect this girl he entrusted to me—even if it cost me my life.

That’s what it means to be his comrade. That’s why I’m here.

As I quietly steeled myself, gently stroking Kano-chan’s downcast head, the dark pixie sitting on the shoulder of the black-haired yamato-nadeshiko, Chizuru Mamiya, spread its wings and softly floated into the air.

『ーー・ー・ー～♪　－ー・ー♪』

Its body was small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, with an androgynous face and wings that sparkled like jewels in rainbow colors. I’d heard that the dungeon was full of mysterious races like Furufuru-san, but this was the first time I’d seen a fairy.

Even so, what a beautiful singing voice… I wondered if this was a language of its own. Curious, I turned my attention to Chizuru, who picked up on my thought and explained:

"This is Pixie-chan’s skill—‘Elegy of Healing.’"

"Hmm… it really is a soothing song, fitting of the name ‘healing,’" someone murmured.

The fairy danced through the entire elevator as its stage, spinning in the air as if performing a graceful dance. Apparently it was a recovery skill that eased mental highs and lows like excitement or depression. Even Mamiya-sama, who had been tightening the string of his pouch with a tense expression, now praised the pleasant voice and listened intently. Indeed, the tension gripping my own heart was beginning to loosen just a little.

『ー・ーー～♪　－♪』

When the song ended, the pixie slowly returned to her contractor’s shoulder and bowed grandly like a stage actress. Meanwhile, Chizuru, who had looked quite proud earlier as she explained the skill, now looked toward Kano with her brows lowered in regret.

"…Kano-san. There’s something I must apologize for."

It was about Souta as they parted.

They were heading into an area crawling with Holy Empire combatants, where a magic array capable of destroying an entire building had been set up. Since the lives of everyone in the building were at stake, it was a crucial mission that could not fail. Naturally, it required capable fighters.

And yet, when she looked Souta up in the database, he was listed as an E-class student at the adventurer academy. Compared to her brother and everyone else here, his ability was clearly inferior. If he insisted on coming along, he would only be a burden—it seemed obvious.

—That was her judgment, and she now wanted to retract it and apologize.

"The way he moved, like a demon, in that final moment… it struck me like a bolt from the blue. I was finally able to understand why my brother and Kirara-oneesama held him in such high regard, and I am ashamed it took me so long to see."

The white-robed foes had all been undeniably skilled. The only ones here who could face them properly were Rorogi-sama of the Ten Rakshasas, Kuki-sama, leader of the Kinrankai, and Mikami-sama, the Kunoichi Red. Those three were top-level masters whose names every adventurer in Japan would know.

And yet, the fierce fighting spirit Souta displayed in that final moment—had he not already reached their level? Her eyes had been clouded, to have dismissed someone like him as a burden. With her long hair falling forward, Chizuru lowered her head deeply.

It might have been controversial for a noble to bow to a commoner, but neither Kusunoki-sama nor her brother Mamiya-sama intervened. Kano-chan, who had been quietly listening through her tears in my arms, took a small breath and forced a smile as she replied:

"O-of course! You understand now that my onii is the strongest, right? There’s no way he’d lose to guys like that! And… it’s okay. He promised he’d come back… so until then, I just have to hang in there…"

Though she put on a brave smile, her words faltered at the end. Still, her straightforward determination and forward-leaning resolve struck a chord in everyone present.

"Even the Holy Empire won’t take Narumi-kun down so easily. I can vouch for that."

"Yeah. I saw his strength with my own eyes—no doubt about it. And that skill of his—oh, looks like we’ve arrived," added Kirigaya.

Kusunoki-sama gently pulled Kano-chan’s head to her chest in my place, smiling softly as she whispered:

"It’ll be all right. Absolutely."

Kirigaya, too, nodded in agreement, but before he could say more, the elevator’s gravity shifted as it came to a smooth, silent stop.

The floor indicator showed they had arrived at the destination—44th floor.

It had been so hard just to descend a few floors earlier, yet here they were, arriving so easily by elevator. Thinking of how Souta’s desperate resolve had made this possible, I felt my chest tighten painfully.

(Please… please, be safe.)

I clasped my hands together and prayed hard for my best friend’s safety. But from here on, it was my turn.

Taking a big, deep breath to steel myself, I raised my head—and saw a luxurious lounge spreading out before me.

Leather sofas, wood-grain low tables, a billiards table. All of it bathed in stylish indirect lighting. Quiet jazz music played softly, seemingly relaxing—but this was an area the Holy Empire had rented out exclusively as lodging. It wouldn’t be strange for enemies to emerge from anywhere, and if we encountered them it would turn into a fight immediately, potentially ending in disaster. Thinking that way, even the background music sounded eerie and unsettling.

“(This is an area where communications don’t work. Stay sharp.)”

Kirigaya-san, who had been fiddling with his wrist device, showed us the screen that now read ‘Communication Unavailable.’ It seemed there was a magic circle set up nearby that jammed communications. He said we couldn’t expect backup—but even if we could call for help, it was doubtful whether we could hold out long enough for it to arrive.

Still, we should at least be able to buy enough time to send Kano-chan back. Expecting the moment might come, I quietly gripped the escape item I’d tucked in my chest pocket.

Kusunoki-sama peeked her head halfway out of the elevator to check the outside. I held my breath, willing my heartbeat to quiet down while waiting for the result. When she finally nodded that it was clear, I felt a small relief.

Next, everyone’s gaze shifted—to the small, dark-skinned fairy: the dark pixie.

The pixie herself crossed her arms and glared back at us with a complicated expression, as if to say ‘What do you want?’

Souta had said that fairies were good at tracing mana. There was even a detection spell called Magic Sense, but apparently fairies could scan a wider area with higher precision. We were hoping that with her help, we could quickly locate the enemies—or the powerful mana flowing through the explosive magic array.

Chizuru Mamiya, her contractor, stepped forward and asked on everyone’s behalf:

“(Pixie-chan, can you detect mana?)”

For a moment the fairy looked dumbfounded, but then nodded vigorously as if to say ‘That’s all?’ and puffed out her chest.

As everyone watched with hope, the dark pixie closed her eyes with a hum, and then—just a few seconds later—snapped her finger toward the far end of the hallway. She seemed to have detected some kind of mana source there.

“(What’s in that direction? …More importantly, can we even trust this thing?)”

“(Pixie-chan says: ‘What are you, blind?’)”

Kirigaya-san still eyed the fairy with suspicion, and in response she stuck her tongue out at him defiantly. But it seemed she could only sense that there was mana—she couldn’t tell exactly what it was.

Whether the mana source was a magic circle or an enemy would completely change how we needed to respond. I wanted to be cautious and think it through, but we didn’t have the luxury of time.

As I hesitated, Kano-chan, now having regained her composure—though her eyes were still slightly red and swollen—stepped forward.

“(Then we just have to go and see for ourselves. Chi-chan, fairy-san, lead the way!)”

“(Yes, let’s go.)”

Taking Chizuru’s hand, with the fairy perched on her shoulder, Kano-chan started walking ahead without waiting for everyone’s approval.

I thought about calling out to stop her, but when Kusunoki-sama also followed behind them, I quickly grabbed my staff and hurried to catch up.

We proceeded with nerves sharpened and our guard at maximum—but we hadn’t gone far from the elevator before the dark pixie suddenly pointed and indicated here.

But… this was…

“(A broom, a bath towel… and over here, a vacuum cleaner. Hm.)”

“(Is this really the right door?)”

Around us were shelves full of cleaning tools and amenities. Most likely this door led to a staff room or a storage closet.

And since the next door was only a few meters away, it was clear this room wasn’t very big. Would they really install something as dangerous as an explosive magic circle in a place like this?

Chizuru asked again on Kano’s behalf, but the dark pixie only puffed out her chest and nodded firmly. In that case, we had no choice but to check.

After Kusunoki-sama carefully inspected the door for physical or magical traps, she slowly turned the knob so as not to make noise.

It wasn’t locked.

After about ten seconds, she opened it just a few centimeters and peered in through the crack—

“(It’s dim in there.)”

“(Is anyone even inside?)”

“(…More importantly, something feels wrong. There’s an obvious contradiction here.)”

“Let me—”

Kusunoki-sama, then Kano-chan, then Chizuru, and even the fairy all peered through the crack.

I tried to see what they were looking at, but from my angle I couldn’t see anything.

A contradiction? What did they mean?

Curious, I shifted my head lower to try again—but someone behind me was also trying to peek, and we ended up bumping into each other.

“Let me—let me see too!”

It was none other than Subaru Mamiya, carrying his large urn on his back.

Like me, he’d been trying to look inside, but after being elbowed aside by Kano, Chizuru, and even the fairy, he seemed to lose patience and forcefully shoved his head into the gap.

The door swung open with a loud bang, and my heart nearly stopped.

“See? There’s nobody here. Let’s go in.”

I quickly glanced around, but… nothing seemed to have changed.

Did Mamiya-sama really not understand how dangerous this infiltration mission was?

What if there were enemies waiting?

I wanted to scold him and tell him to be more careful, but he paid no attention to my gaze and cheerfully hummed as he strode inside.

Even Kusunoki-sama could only sigh at his arrogant behavior.

“Haah… He hasn’t changed one bit, has he?”

“You’ve known him a long time, then? In that case, please keep a tight leash on him for our sake.”

“Don’t worry. My brother has thoughts higher than Everest, and deeper than the Mariana Trench. Now, shall we?”

Apparently, the Kusunoki and Mamiya families had ties dating back before we were even born. And the two of them had been childhood friends since they were small. Kusunoki-sama spoke with a faint bitterness, as though recalling old memories of his habit of completely ignoring the mood.

Kirigaya cut in sharply, sayingshe hoped they at least knew how to rein in his reckless behavior, but Chizuru interrupted, smiling faintly and saying: “He has some of the deepest thoughts in the world.”

Then, without even bothering to stay cautious, she followed her brother inside…

As I struggled to figure out how to deal with the ever-unpredictable Mamiya siblings, a sighing voice came up beside me.

Standing next to me now was the twin-tailed girl.

“Honestly, Chi-chan’s brother complex is ridiculous. I guess I’ll have to stick close and keep her from getting herself hurt too badly.”

“…Y-yeah. Let’s go too.”

I swallowed the words ‘Kano’s brother complex is just as bad’ that nearly slipped out of my throat, and instead we too stepped into the room in question.

TL Note- Bro-con?

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