Side – Ludia
We placed the Labyrinth Core inside the beast carriage and decided to take a short break before activating the altar’s Magic Circle to leave.
Normally, clearing a Labyrinth would be a cause for celebration. However, this Solpreza Labyrinth is located within the Nizheg Dukedom, which has been privatized by the current Duke, Narlstadt, for his own selfish desires. I’m sure he’ll try to seize the Labyrinth Core from us.
Of course, we won’t entertain such a demand.
“Everyone, don’t move!”
See? I knew it would happen.
As soon as we exited the Solpreza Labyrinth via the Magic Circle, we were surrounded by a large number of Knights and Soldiers. About fifty of them, I’d guess. The fact that we used the altar’s Magic Circle to exit the Solpreza Labyrinth serves as proof of its conquest. Narlstadt must have prepared this ambush to steal the Labyrinth Core.
“Hmph… So, what is your objective?”
“It’s obvious. Hand over the Labyrinth Core, as well as all the Monster corpses you obtained. You have no right to refuse.”
Just as I expected. I had heard from Hunters in the Dragoonia Hunter’s Guild that this is how materials are often taken, and Emperor Folias had also expressed concern about it. Why do they keep doing this?
“Let me ask, is this by Emperor Folias’s will? Or is it Narlstadt’s? Depending on your answer, we too will have our own plans.”
“Hoh. A mere Hunter dares to make an enemy of us, the Nizheg Dragon Knights?”
So they are the Dragon Knights. This man, with his arrogant attitude, must be the Captain of the Dragon Knights. However, there are no Dragonians in the Nizheg Dukedom, so their mounts would likely be Wyverns, or at best, Armor Drakes. Even with that, Yamato and Prim, let alone us, can handle them.
“So it’s Narlstadt’s will. Emperor Folias is troubled by the conflicts with Hunters in the Labyrinth, yet you ignore the Emperor’s plight – are you planning some sort of rebellion?”
“Or perhaps, he’s plotting to seize the eastern part of Valentia as his own kingdom?”
Mana and Prim, in their exasperation, are speculating about Narlstadt’s actions and intentions, and I suspect they are right.
“Well, whatever the case. Yuri, please.”
“Me? No, I understand the reason, and it’s for the best. ‘Library’.”
With that, Yuri opened his Library and threw it at the Captain.
“A Library? You mean this…!”
Upon realizing Yuri’s true identity, the Captain’s face turned ashen.
“This High Elf is my older sister. If you are the leader of the Dragon Knights, you should understand what that implies without me having to spell it out.”
Yuri’s gaze was chilling. Such disrespect towards royalty from another nation, especially someone with Succession Rights, is a capital offense. Naturally, Emperor Folias cannot remain silent, and Narlstadt will face repercussions. In the worst-case scenario, it could even lead to a war between Amister and Dragoonia. Though, before that could happen, Yamato would likely annihilate the Nizheg Dragon Knights.
“A-aim your weapons!”
Even though I thought that, the distraught Captain ordered his subordinates, the Dragon Knights, to ready their weapons. Oh dear, that’s the worst possible move.
“If you’ve drawn your weapons, it means I don’t have to hold back either.”
“Yamato, can you leave some for me?”
And just like that, Yamato and Prim entered combat stance. Either one of them could easily resolve this situation, but with both of them moving, the outcome is obvious.
“S-shut up! We’ll just eliminate all of you here! We’ll make it seem like you died in the Labyrinth, and Amister won’t be able to interfere!”
No, that’s impossible. Not only Hunters, but even Hunter’s Guild staff are present. There’s no way to silence them all. Amister will definitely find out, and Emperor Folias will certainly not stand idly by. Although, this force wouldn’t be able to stop Yamato and Prim.
“I see. Prim, I apologize, but I will handle this. Not as a Hunter, but as an Order.”
“I can’t help it. But finish it quickly, okay?”
“Understood. ‘Ee-quipping On, Arc Order’s Coat’.”
Yamato, clad in his Arc Order’s Coat using Ee-quipping, threw his Union License. Normally, doing something like that could result in needing a license reissue, but Yamato used Telekinetic Magic when throwing the license, allowing him to retrieve it at any time. When he helped us, he properly retrieved Prim’s license as well, although I have a feeling his method of using Telekinetic Magic is a bit off.
“O-Rank Order!? Im-impossible…! Then, are you an Ancient Human from Amister!”
“That is correct. And let me tell you, since you’ve drawn your weapons, I will have you escorted to Dragoonia. After all, you dared to point a sword at the Princess of Amister.”
Though he says that, his true feelings are that he’s on the verge of exploding because they pointed a sword at his wife and fiancée. However, since he stated he would resolve this as an O-Rank Order, he probably won’t take the lives of the Dragon Knights.
“And to add, Yuri is my fiancée, and I am already married to Mana. You can understand what that means, can’t you?”
Oh, this might be too much. He didn’t just reveal Yuri’s relationship, but also his connection to Mana. More importantly, at that very moment, the intensity of the Mana Ring increased, and the Dragon Knights, excluding the Captain, might be saying their eternal goodbyes.
“A-attack!!!”
Unable to bear Yamato’s pressure, the Captain has completely lost it. Facing an Ancient Class is reckless enough, but facing Yamato spells instant defeat. Like this.
“It’s over.”
“Nibbleheim is always convenient, isn’t it?”
“I’m aware it’s repetitive, but it’s the easiest. By the way, I didn’t use Nibbleheim this time, but Cold Prison.”
Right, regarding the Engraving Magic called Nibbleheim, he mentioned it requires an Engraving Tool to be generated.
“’Library’. So this was level 44.”
“He’s the Captain of the Dragon Knights, after all. He must have evolved to Hydragonewt at least. Still, it’s lower than I expected.”
Indeed, it’s lower than I expected. Given that the Nizheg Dukedom is adjacent to the Solpreza Mountain Range, the Captain of the Dragon Knights defending it should be at least level 50 to be effective.
“Isn’t it perhaps because any self-respecting knight wouldn’t follow Duke Narlstadt’s intentions, so those knights left the Nizheg Dragon Knights, and as a result, the overall level of the Dragon Knight corps has declined?”
“Ah, that’s plausible.”
It’s true that ordinary Dragon Knights would have no reason to follow Narlstadt, so Mina’s prediction seems accurate.
“Well then, now that the thawing is complete, let’s bind him and take him away.”
“Don’t bring him into the beast carriage?”
“Of course not. We’ll tie him up outside.”
That’s also brutal, but as Mana said, I don’t want him inside the beast carriage. He’ll probably be unconscious until we reach Dragoonia, but there’s always a possibility he’ll wake up. Even if bound with Lightning Band and Arresting, who knows what he might do.
“You there, Hunter.”
“Y-yes!?”
The Elf Hunter Yamato called out to responded with a squeaky voice. He probably didn’t expect to be addressed.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but could you please inform the Hunter’s Guild that the Solpreza Labyrinth has been conquered and that we are going to present the Labyrinth Core to Emperor Folias?”
“Y-you really conquered it!?”
“No way? The Guardian here is an A-rank Gold Dragoon, isn’t he?”
The Hunters are surprised, and I can understand why. Even dozens of High Class Hunters can easily be wiped out when facing an A-rank Monster. Especially the Gold Dragoon, whose roar had a paralyzing effect, making combat itself a secondary problem. Yet, that roar had no effect on Yamato and Prim, and they defeated him with apparent ease.
“It was quite troublesome. I’ll report the details to the Dragoonia Hunter’s Guild.”
“We appreciate that, but it doesn’t mean we’ll fight.”
“Of course. We can barely handle even G-rank Monsters, let alone A-rank.”
Being able to barely defeat G-rank Monsters means that this human male and elf female, as well as their Raid, likely consist of many High Class individuals. Their weapons might still be Magic Silver or Adamantine Steel, but that’s still impressive.
“In any case, understood. I’ll report to the Hunter’s Guild here. If I recall correctly, the Raid with an Ancient Human was the Wing Crest?”
“It’s a Union, not a Raid. I’d appreciate it if you would.”
With that, Yamato flicked a Divine Metal coin he was holding towards the human male. No, no, no, no, that’s way too much!
“Hey, hey, this is too much for just a message, isn’t it?”
“It’s not just for the report. We want you to spread the word to other cities about what happened here. We’ll also inform Emperor Folias, but since many of the nobles in eastern Valentia are under Narlstadt’s influence, if Hunters spread the word about the Dragon Knights here attacking another country’s princess, they might be dealt with sequentially.”
So, what you’re saying is… what exactly?
“Besides this Solpreza Labyrinth, there are two other Labyrinths in eastern Valentia. One has already been conquered, but the other is said to be quite deep and remains unconquered. Since similar incidents are likely occurring there, by spreading news of how the Nizheg Dragon Knights, who made an enemy of an Ancient Human, met their fate, Duke Narlstadt’s wrongdoings will more easily reach Emperor Folias’s ears.”
“Making an enemy of an Ancient Class is something no one would normally do. Furthermore, Yamato dealt with him as an O-Rank Order, which can also be interpreted as an act of hostility towards Amister.”
“In other words, you’re telling the noble who possesses that other unconquered Labyrinth the consequences of making an enemy of Amister?”
Raus tilted his head at Mana and Rika’s explanations, and I’m just as confused.
“It’s not quite to that extent. Doing so would be intervention in internal affairs. However, since a princess of a kingdom drew a sword, it gives us grounds to interfere.”
“I see. If it’s to that extent, I can do it. I mean, I would have spread the word anyway, even without payment.”
The human male seemed convinced, and the surrounding Hunters nodded in agreement, indicating they understood.
“This is a personal request, so this is just… a token of my appreciation.”
“If that’s the case, I’ll gladly accept this. Oh, I am Balga Blist, leader of the Union Falcons Merchant. This is my wife, Eliza Blist.”
Balga Blist! He’s a famous High Hunter in Valentia! I’ve never met him before, but so that’s who he is!
“Ah, so you were the Falcons Merchant. I heard about you from Mr. Raibert, but I didn’t expect to meet you here.”
“You’ve met Master too.”
Balga is level 53, and Eliza is level 51, both G-rank Hunters and disciples of Mr. Raibert. Balga and Eliza are both over 40, but they are famous figures in Valentia, known to any Hunter. Naturally, with the Falcons Merchant led by those two, they can easily defeat G-rank Monsters.
“Before we came to the Solpreza Labyrinth, we had a meal together. That’s where I heard about it.”
Actually, the night before coming to the Solpreza Labyrinth, I was invited to dinner by Raibert. During that meal, he told me about his other disciples besides the Falcons Merchant and shared his experiences as a P-rank Hunter, which was incredibly helpful. For the conquest of the Solpreza Labyrinth, all the Hunters of Wing Crest have evolved to High Class, but their experience is insufficient due to the sudden level increase.
“I see. It’s a shame, but I’d like to talk more, but now that you’ve conquered this place, it’s imperative you present it to His Majesty as soon as possible, or we too could be in trouble.”
“This meeting here is also fate, and I’m sure we’ll meet again somewhere.”
“We’ll look forward to it. Then, shall we report to the Hunter’s Guild and then head to Maldos?”
“Let’s do that.”
Maldos is the city with the unconquered Labyrinth. It’s about a three-day journey by beast carriage from here. The Maldos Labyrinth is confirmed to have 15 floors. Around that level, P-rank Monsters start appearing, and there have even been reports of M-rank Monsters, so the deeper levels are completely unknown. However, like the Solpreza Labyrinth, there are rumors that it’s being privatized by nobles, making it a Labyrinth the Dragon King Family wants to conquer quickly. Still, with the appearance of P-rank and even M-rank Monsters, it’s hard to say how many High Hunters would be needed, so the Dragon King Family has been hesitant to proceed with the conquest.
“Please do.”
“Alright. I’ll make sure to spread the word thoroughly.”
As Balga and Eliza waved goodbye and headed towards the Hunter’s Guild, the Falcons Merchant followed them. Since they are Raibert’s disciples and have many connections with other Hunters, the news will likely spread to Hunters throughout Valentia in no time.
“…I mistook it for a platinum coin.”
“I knew it. But it’s already been given, and I can’t exactly ask for it back, so we’ll just have to accept it.”
“Tonight, we’ll all comfort him properly.”
Ah, so handing over a Divine Metal coin was indeed a mistake. However, as an Ancient Human and an O-Rank Order, I couldn’t possibly ask for it back, even if it was a mistake. Besides, Yamato still has enough Divine Metal coins to cover a few mistakes, so even if it stings, he still has plenty, right? But as Prim said, we’ll be staying at the Amister Embassy in Dragoonia tonight, so we should definitely comfort him.
