Side: Athena
After defeating the Big Scissors Scorpion, we continued to advance smoothly through the sixth floor of the Instant Labyrinth, defeating monsters such as Sand Dragoons and Giant Sandwurms, and finally arrived at the first Safe Area.
We decided to take a short break here. Yamato and the leaders of the Raid groups participating in the Alliance were discussing our next move, and we decided to push onward a bit longer.
There were still nearly two hours until noon.
About an hour after leaving the Safe Area, we spotted something that looked like a desert town. I had seen similar places in the Solpreza Labyrinth, and I had heard they existed in other labyrinths too, but I hadn’t expected a desert town to appear. Everyone seemed surprised.
“A town here? And since it’s a desert, there’s even an oasis.”
“If this were a Safe Area, I’d welcome it, but it clearly isn’t. And annoyingly, the road leads to that town.”
“Troublesome, again.”
Yamato, Slei-san, and El-san had troubled expressions on their faces. Even though it was called a town, it was inside a labyrinth, so I knew monsters would appear there too. But what was so troublesome about it?
“It wasn’t in the Solpreza Labyrinth, but towns and villages like that in labyrinths usually have demi-humans hiding within them.”
“R-really?”
“Yes. Annoyingly, demi-humans within labyrinths are considered one rank higher. Furthermore, with P-rank monsters all around us, it wouldn’t be strange for higher-grade or rare species to be lurking here in large numbers.”
Ugh, that’s truly troublesome. The lowest rank of demi-humans is Goblin (I-rank), Orcs, Kobolds, Sahagins, and Antlions are C-rank, and Amazones, Sirens, and Valkyries are B-rank. Being one rank higher means even a Goblin would be equivalent to an Orc or a Kobold. And their higher-grade or rare species would be B-rank or S-rank at the very weakest.
“Since this is a desert, the most likely candidate is the Antlion, but with an oasis, we can’t rule out the Sahagin.”
“If you’re going by that logic, the Siren is also a possibility. And we can’t deny the possibility of Kobolds either.”
“The worst-case scenario would be encountering Valkyries.”
I understood why Antlions, being desert-dwelling demi-humans, were the most likely. It also made sense that Sahagins or Sirens might be present due to the water source of the oasis. Orcs and Amazones don’t live in areas without forests, so they could be excluded, and I knew that Goblins and Kobolds inhabited almost everywhere. But why would Valkyries appear here?
“It might be surprising, but Valkyries that inhabit the Temellario Great Sky Wall occasionally venture to Retisencia, Solemne, and Alegria to abduct males for breeding. Naturally, the distance is too far for a day trip, and they aren’t always found quickly, so it’s said that Valkyries who leave the Temellario Great Sky Wall may not return for several years.”
“It’s said that those several years can be spent in forests or deserts. That’s why we sometimes hear about them being subjugated in the forests of Alegria.”
“I believe the same applies to information from Retisencia and Solemne, but those two countries don’t share information with us. Well, since Retisencia has Sirens and Solemne has Antlion territories, it’s possible they can’t accurately assess the situation.”
So that’s how it was. That’s why Valkyries had the potential to appear even in the desert.
“Goblins would be the easiest, but it’s best not to get our hopes up too easily here.”
“Considering the nature of this labyrinth, we can’t dismiss the possibility of the worst-case scenario, Valkyries, appearing either.”
Valkyries are most closely related to the winged tribe of Elves. However, they have shorter ears than Elves and their bodies are whiter than High Elves, so it’s said they are rarely mistaken for them. But they are the only demi-human race with wings, allowing them to fly freely.
“Hm? Hey Yamato! Do you see something strange near the town!”
“Something strange? What are you talking about?”
“It’s quite far, but is that… Huh? Could it be a forest?”
“A forest?”
Ludia, who was keeping watch from the observation deck, reported seeing a forest next to the town. A forest in a desert town, could that happen?
“Isn’t it part of the oasis?”
“No. It’s on the opposite side of the oasis.”
Hearing this report, Yamato and the others put their heads in their hands again.
“Now we have no idea which demi-humans are inhabiting this place.”
“Indeed. Honestly, I’d prefer to take a detour… ”
“If we try to go around that town, it’s anyone’s guess how many hours it would take.”
“Besides, we’re here for reconnaissance, so we have no choice but to go, even if it’s troublesome.”
“That’s true. There’s no helping it. Let’s get into combat formation and charge in.”
When Yamato made his decision, everyone nodded. The archers rushed to the observation deck, and those with spears or axes gathered on the rear deck. Ludia and Lydia, who had come down from the observation deck, along with Meena, were preparing on the front deck where the driver’s seat was. Not everyone could fit on the deck, so some remained in the cabin. Spica and Breeze, who were pulling the prototype beast carriage, remained as they were, but Jade and Fluorite were also brought out from the courtyard, and Yamato and Prim mounted, completing the preparations.
“The Alliance is considering it, but looking at it now, it seems even more impressive than a beast tank.”
“Indeed. Especially the observation deck built on top of the cabin; it’s quite spacious. The seven archers we have now could accommodate a few more.”
“The deck is divided into front and rear sections, allowing us to sortie from either side, making it excellent for Alliance use.”
“Yamato calls it a multi-functional beast carriage.”
“Frankly, I’m glad it’s a prototype. We wouldn’t know how it would perform in an Alliance without trying it out.”
Voices praising the prototype beast carriage could be heard, but Yamato humbly stated that it was still a prototype and had many issues. That was certainly true, and there were problems discovered by Slei-san and the others boarding it. The beast carriage made with the branches of the Heavenly Tree would be built taking those into account, wouldn’t it? Oops, I shouldn’t be thinking about that right now.
Spica and Breeze were pulling the beast carriage at the same speed as before, while Jade and Fluorite walked slightly ahead. Jade and Fluorite would soon reach the town, but we had to remain constantly vigilant as we didn’t know what the inside of the town would be like. With such thoughts, we stepped into the desert town.
Side: Yamato
Even after entering the town, there was no immediate reaction. The weathered buildings standing here and there made it look less like a desert town and more like a desert ruin. I knew that no humans could possibly live here, but the sight was eerie. Moreover, this town seemed larger than the town in Instant, so it would likely take several hours just to pass through.
After proceeding for about 20 minutes while cautiously observing our surroundings, we finally got a reaction.
“Finally. And why would they appear so far from the water source?”
“It’s the same with the forest. I can’t help but wonder why they are in the same town and don’t fight over territory.”
“They’re coming from above too. This labyrinth is truly malicious.”
I, Prim, and Mana grumbled, but it couldn’t be helped. After all, Sirens appeared from the oasis side to our right, Amazones from the forest side to our left, and Valkyries from the sky above, all in swarms. They appeared to be higher-grade species, but within the labyrinth, they would be considered one rank higher, making them equivalent to G-rank. Shell Sirens, Venus Amazones, and Rune Valkyries, was it? And there were about 30 of each of them? It was just troublesome.
“What shall we do, Your Majesty?”
“This is certainly troublesome, but if they are G-rank equivalent, we can defeat them. For the Order of Holy Grave and Feel, weren’t they attacking Grand Orc and Giant Orc settlements in an Alliance?”
“Well, that’s true. So, shall we proceed normally?”
“Understood.”
As I decided this, the Hunters who had been preparing for battle on the deck leaped down. Prim and I also dismounted Jade and Fluorite and took up our weapons.
“Yamato-kun, I’m sure you’ve noticed as well, but I’m curious about the temple ahead. Let’s wrap this up quickly and head there.”
“Ah, you’re curious about it too. Understood.”
I was also curious about that temple. It looked exactly like the Guardian’s Chamber I saw in the Solpreza Labyrinth. Well, I’ll investigate that thoroughly later, but for now, defeating these enemies is the priority. I generated Multi Edge and Mirror Ring and activated the layered barriers of Yggdrasil and Niflheim. Since it was a desert, I thought the compatibility with earth-attribute Engraving Magic would be good, but Niflheim, with its water attribute, would be difficult. Fortunately, the oasis was nearby, so a moderate amount of humidity was a saving grace.
“Fall down quickly!”
As Niflheim froze the Rune Valkyries’ wings, they fell one after another. Still, the fact that not a single one crashed into the ground after regaining their posture mid-air showed their status as top-tier demi-humans.
“What- Seriously!?”
Furthermore, the Rune Valkyries melted Niflheim’s ice by converging light onto their wings. I had indeed only intended to freeze them and hadn’t increased the strength that much, but I never expected all of them to do that.
“Bring it on.”
I decided to prioritize defeating the Rune Valkyries.
“Yamato-kun and Prim will handle the Rune Valkyries. The Alliance will engage the Venus Amazones, and Wing Crest will engage the Shell Sirens. Let’s coordinate and take them down one by one!”
“Understood!”
Perhaps sensing my intentions, Emperor Reinhardt issued the command. Following his lead, the Alliance moved towards the Venus Amazones, and Wing Crest moved towards the Shell Sirens. Arrows were shot from the observation deck to provide support. This was truly a test of the prototype multi-functional beast carriage’s capabilities, but for me, that was secondary.
“Here, take this!”
I created about 50 Ice Edge Javelins and fired them without any further manipulation. My limit for telekinetic magic was about 20 projectiles. However, I could create this many without it. It seemed the Rune Valkyries’ speed was unexpected, as five were directly hit and met their end. The rest were not unscathed, but they were far from fatally wounded. I truly understood that Ice Edge Javelin was best when manipulated with telekinetic magic. So, I activated Mist Solution on Usugre and Multi Edge, and with Accelerating Magic, I initiated close combat. Rune Valkyries could fly freely, but I was also proficient in aerial combat.
“Troublesome, huh! Whoa!”
Prim, who was also engaging Rune Valkyries in aerial combat, swung Scarlet Wing and defeated them one after another. Prim was also becoming accustomed to aerial combat, so she was fighting effectively even against Rune Valkyries.
“Whoa, here we go!”
I deflected the last Rune Valkyrie’s sword with Usugre and counterattacked with an upward diagonal slash. With the effect of Mist Solution activated, the Rune Valkyrie’s blood flowed ceaselessly, creating a pool of blood on the ground as it crashed. The sight of the blood pool was quite grim.
“Yamato, I’m going to assist the Alliance.”
“Understood. Leave this to me.”
After we, Yamato and Prim, annihilated the Rune Valkyries, we split into two groups to support everyone in the Alliance. It seemed that Venus Amazones, due to their habitat in the Gagun Great Forest, had low resistance to fire-attribute magic. That’s why Prim went there, but since about half of them had already been defeated by the Alliance, her support might not have been necessary. On the other hand, the Shell Sirens, whom Wing Crest was fighting, were demi-humans who used ice-attribute magic. For this reason, they seemed to have high resistance to fire-attribute magic. Of course, even with Prim’s Extreme Flame Wing, resistance might be a factor, so it might take an extra effort. That’s probably why Prim chose Venus Amazones over Shell Sirens. About two-thirds of the Shell Sirens still remained. Wing Crest had fewer members than the Alliance, but their average level was higher. The fact that this was the outcome despite that indicated that the difference in experience was significant. In terms of experience, I was still no match for veteran Hunters.
But right now, I needed to support everyone. I regenerated Multi Edge and began firing Ice Edge Javelins at the Shell Sirens.
