On **Lydia’s** side
After confirming the Guardian’s chamber and handing Eos an axe made of Lapis Laz, we decided to head for the eastern islands.
The Guardian’s chamber was on a slightly elevated hill, so we could see not only the neighboring island but also several islands beyond it. There was one island to the east that caught my eye, so we decided to go there.
From what we could see, the island was two islands away, so it shouldn’t take too long.
“Still, why is that island so dark?”
“It’s not so much dark as it feels like night there.”
As Sir Yuri also points out, for some reason, the area around that island was dark.
I also feel like something is shining in the sky, so perhaps it is night, as Mana-sama says.
“Night. I thought there might be a dark-elemental Dragoon there, but that would mean the opposite could also be possible.”
“The opposite? Light element? Why… ah, I see. Because there’s light from the moon and stars.”
“That’s right.”
Moonlight and starlight bring to mind Moonlight Dragoon and Stardust Dragoon.
Both are light-elemental Dragoons, said to be able to convert moonlight and starlight into magic power.
I see, when you think about it that way, it makes sense that one of them might be on the night island, as you say, Yamato-san and Rika-sama.
By the way, there are no Dragoons that convert sunlight into magic power.
Rather, monsters are said to use and recover magic power not only from ambient magic power but also by receiving sunlight, so almost all Dragoons would apply.
“I’m curious about that too, but first, it’s the next island. After all, it’s raining on the next island.”
That’s right.
As Prim-san says, before the night island is an island that could be called a rain island.
From a distance, we can see grasslands, a small forest, and something like stone walls, but dark clouds are spread across the sky, and it’s raining quite heavily, so visibility is poor.
However, it seems that rain does not fall in the Safe Area, and it is strange that only a beautiful blue sky is visible there.
“It’s helpful that we can see the Safe Area at a glance, but conversely, it feels like it’s increasing the island’s difficulty.”
“That’s true for the night island too.”
Lydia and Edward-san mutter with indescribable expressions, but for the night island, just like the rain island, the location of the Safe Area can be seen at a glance.
In the past, Safe Areas could not be identified unless we got close.
However, the fact that Safe Areas can be seen at a glance can also lead to the prediction that there may be that much danger.
It is possible that it is simply a Safe Area, but I don’t understand the logic of the Labyrinth Core, nor do I want to.
“There’s no point in thinking about that. However, rain means that it will be a water-elemental Dragoon that appears, won’t it?”
“It’s possible. There’s also a possibility of wind-elemental or lightning-elemental Dragoons.”
Flam-san predicts the element of the Dragoon that will appear, and Mana-sama answers, but it is true that wind and lightning are associated with rain, so it is quite conceivable.
M-rank Dragoons are said to have only one element, and in fact, the Dragoons we have hunted so far have been so, so it seems most likely that all three types inhabit this island.
There were no monsters that attacked us while we were crossing the bridge, and we safely arrived at the rain island.
“It feels like a ghost village.”
“Yes. There are no people living in the labyrinth, so why is there such a place?”
Raus-kun and Carol-san are tilting their heads at the sight before them, but I understand how they feel.
After advancing for a while on the rain island, we found several houses lined up.
There was no sign of people, and if you look closely, the houses are actually damaged, so it’s definitely a ghost village.
“It’s not unusual. This might look like a ghost village, but in the Float Labyrinth, there was a floor that resembled Float, and there was also a maze floor.”
“I’ve only heard rumors, but I’ve heard there are labyrinths with floors that resemble a royal castle.”
Mana-sama has actually been inside a labyrinth, so she doesn’t find this sight unusual.
Eos is in the Solpreza Labyrinth for the first time, but there are quite a few Dragonians who have been in labyrinths, so she’s probably heard about it from Wilness Mountain.
“It’s artificial, I don’t know if I can call it that, but that’s what a labyrinth is. It’s a harsh statement, but we have no choice but to accept it.”
Although it’s a crude statement, we have nothing else to say.
Investigations using Labyrinth Cores have been conducted on labyrinths for a long time, but all that is known is that the monsters inhabiting the labyrinths are born from the Labyrinth Cores and that they reproduce among themselves, just like on the surface.
It is said that in the past, dragons were only Dragonians, but due to Labyrinth Floods where monsters overflowed from labyrinths, it is said that Dragoons that escaped outside began to reproduce.
“Putting that aside, don’t you think monsters should appear soon?”
“I’ve been on guard since earlier, but there’s no sign of anything. Of course, since there’s nowhere for a Dragoon to hide, we’d know immediately if they attacked.”
It’s been a while since we entered the rain island, but there’s no sign of any monsters attacking.
While the Solpreza Labyrinth has many Dragoons, it’s not like there are no other monsters.
However, the ecosystem seems to differ between islands on the 7th Level of the Solpreza Labyrinth, so it’s hard to guess what kind of monsters inhabit this rain island.
Or rather, it’s a landscape that could be found anywhere except for the rain, so there are too many possibilities to consider.
“It’s helpful that monsters don’t attack as we advance, but it’s a problem in terms of materials.”
“Yeah. Especially since lightning-elemental Dragoons might be on this island, I wish they’d show up if possible.”
The conversation between Prim-san and Yamato-san is as unsettling as usual.
However, we have become accustomed to it, and given our objective, we have no choice but to agree.
It’s not a very large island, but searching it will undoubtedly be troublesome.
“There’s still time, and more importantly, we’ll be hunting all day tomorrow, so won’t it be fine then?”
“That’s right. If it’s a lightning-elemental Dragoon, I think it’s likely on that island over there.”
Lydia says there’s no need to rush, and Rika-sama agrees, but it’s true.
Furthermore, lightning frequently flashes on the island Rika-sama pointed to, so it is undoubtedly the island that could be called the lightning island where lightning-elemental Dragoons are most likely to inhabit.
However, the lightning island is located south of the Guardian’s island, so we have to return to the Guardian’s island, which is a hassle.
“We probably can’t go there today, so that’s for tomorrow.”
“Right. Besides, it’s unlikely this is the only time we’ll be coming to the Solpreza Labyrinth.”
That’s certainly true, as Yamato-san and Prim-san say.
After all, labyrinths don’t disappear once they’re cleared, so you can come as many times as you want.
This time, our objective is to clear it, and we’re concerned about the movements of Retisencia and Valentia, so we can’t conduct a long-term exploration. However, if we were to come again, we would consider those factors carefully.
“Ah, I see the Safe Area.”
“It’s easy to see because the rain clouds are neatly parted.”
The Safe Area on the rain island is a place where there are no rain clouds and a blue sky is visible.
So, as long as you are there, you don’t have to worry about being bothered by the rain.
This is also said to be the labyrinth’s way of encouraging people to enter.
“What’s wrong, Honest?”
However, just before reaching the Safe Area, Honest, the Grantpus pulling the Beast Carriage, suddenly stopped.
Lady Apricot, who has a familiar contract with Honest, is reading a book on healing magic in the Beast Carriage, so Prim-san is the first to speak to Honest.
“Is it scared? That means!”
“It’s coming! Yamato!”
“I know!”
Although Honest is timid, he has been pulling the Beast Carriage with peace of mind not only in the 6th Level but also in the 7th Level, thanks to Yamato-san and Prim-san being nearby.
It’s hard to imagine Honest being scared.
However, since monsters are definitely attacking, I, along with Meena-san, quickly dismount the Beast Carriage.
“It’s a Dragoon after all!”
“B-but, it’s bigger than the ones we’ve hunted so far!?”
As we dismounted the Beast Carriage, we saw a Dragoon that was one size larger than the Dragoons we had been hunting until then.
“Meena, Lydia, you’ve come down.”
“M-Mana-sama, that Dragoon is…?”
“It’s a Disaster Dragoon.”
The name Mana-sama announced made both Meena-san and I turn pale.
Disaster Dragoon is an A-I Rank Monster, meaning it’s an anomaly species of Dragoon.
There are records of it appearing about 150 years ago during the Retisencia Labyrinth Flood, and it is said to have destroyed many towns and villages within Retisencia, and even brought the Imperial Capital to the brink of collapse.
The five Ancient Classes who were alive at the time fought together, and with the sacrifice of an O-Rank Order from Amister, they finally managed to defeat it. However, the sacrifices of knights and soldiers who participated, as well as civilians, were tremendous.
Could a Disaster Dragoon, which caused such great damage, be in this Solpreza Labyrinth?
“It’s not that it was here, but rather that it evolved. In fact, Labyrinth Floods can bring forth not only anomaly species but also catastrophe species.”
Indeed, my review of Labyrinth Flood records always shows the appearance of anomaly species, and even mentions of catastrophe species are not uncommon. But doesn’t that mean that this unconquered Solpreza Labyrinth might have flooded soon?
“I think you can think of it that way. Many Hunters enter the Solpreza Labyrinth, but I heard that the number has decreased since Narlstadt inherited the Duke’s title. The reason is the requisition of monster materials. Since they are forcibly taking rare materials that Hunters obtained at the risk of their lives, it’s only natural that the number of Hunters would decrease.”
That’s certainly true.
The Solpreza Labyrinth, where B-rank monsters appear from the first level, is a difficult labyrinth even for Hunters.
Therefore, we enter with plenty of preparations, including spare weapons and armor, as well as a large supply of potions.
However, if the materials acquired with such preparations are requisitioned, Hunters are at a great disadvantage.
In fact, I heard at the Hunter’s Guild that many Hunters have left the Nizhheg Dukedom because of this.
“The royal families of each country protect the Labyrinth Cores to check nobles who do such things, don’t they?”
“Yes. If nobles act arbitrarily, in the worst-case scenario, the country could split, and this is to prevent that. Moreover, it ensures a certain number of Hunters enter the labyrinth, and circulating materials vitalizes the economy. That’s why Labyrinth Cores are always managed in the royal castle.”
Amister and Torencia are well-managed, and there are audits, so there are no nobles monopolizing Labyrinth Cores.
However, in Valentia, as can be seen in Narlstadt, there are many nobles who pursue their own interests and neglect the people.
In fact, the Notos Labyrinth, south of Dragunia, was monopolized by a noble for many years to satisfy their selfish desires, after apprehending the Hunters who had cleared it and confiscating their Labyrinth Cores.
Naturally, after it was discovered, that noble was stripped of his title, and his territory, including the Notos Labyrinth, all became direct territories of the Dragon King Family.
“So that’s the Disaster Dragoon that nearly brought Retisencia to ruin.”
“Looking at it like that, it’s hard to believe.”
Rika-sama, Lydia, and Flam-san seem to have dismounted the Beast Carriage as well, but what are they saying… ah, I see.
“With Yamato-san’s Ice Edge Javelin and Prim-san’s Flare Penetrator, it’s already having trouble moving.”
As Flam-san says, the Disaster Dragoon is bleeding from all over its body from Yamato-san’s Ice Edge Javelin, and Prim-san’s Flare Penetrator has created a hole in its body, so it’s only a matter of time before it runs out of strength.
“So, it’s true that you have a track record of single-handedly defeating a Demise Species.”
“Indeed. However, it is said that Disaster Dragoons possess three elements: water, wind, and lightning, and they also have high resistance to fire and earth, so it’s a top-class material.”
So Disaster Dragoons were Dragoons with three elements?
However, since Disaster Dragoons are A-I Rank Monsters, aren’t they difficult to use as materials?
“It will be difficult to use, but we’ll have to rely on Ed and the others for that.”
“Also, like the Gold Dragoon, I’m thinking of donating some to Brother Rai and the others for armor. Even though they are royalty, they are also Hunters, so it would be troublesome if they died easily.”
Yamato-san and Prim-san return after retrieving the Disaster Dragoon into storage. They are donating armor to Emperor Reinhardt, H.R.H. Elis, and H.R.H. Maruca as well?
Indeed, the three of them are also Hunters, so it would be good to have armor with high defense. However, with the addition of Gold Dragoon to Disaster Dragoon, it seems like something incredible will be made.
“I appreciate it, but is it really okay?”
“Yeah. There’s no fire element, so you’ll have to forgive us for that.”
“No, even so, it means we’ll be using an A-rank Dragoon, so it’s more than enough. My father will be overjoyed.”
Emperor Iver, the former King and current Regent of Amister, is a P-Rank Crafter.
He is said to have the technical skills of an M-Rank Crafter, but due to his position as king, he hasn’t had time to take the promotion test. Mana-sama informed me that he will be taking the promotion test soon.
There’s no way Emperor Iver wouldn’t be delighted to be in front of an A-rank Dragoon.
In fact, he was ecstatic when we presented him with Lapis Laz, Jade Silver, Blue-Gray Iron, Gryphon, and Winger Drake.
“Putting that aside, let’s take a break at the Safe Area. Honest was scared too, so we need to consider that.”
“Shall we do that?”
Indeed, Honest was very scared.
If we are to pull the Beast Carriage, the remaining ones are Jade, Fluorite, Spica, and Breeze. Spica is a War Horse, and Breeze is a Battle Horse, so neither can pull the Beast Carriage alone.
Spica, who has evolved into a War Horse, might be able to, but Mana-sama’s combat power would decrease, so it’s best not to do that in the labyrinth.
Both the Hippogriff Jade and Fluorite would be fine, but Fluorite doesn’t like pulling the Beast Carriage, so that leaves only Jade.
However, since there are no other options, it seems Jade will have to do its best.
