—Catacombs of the Heroic Spirits, Floor 1—
“Alright everyone, I’m giving you a trial. Aim for the 10th floor and follow me.”
With those parting words, Kelvin-san sprinted off into the depths of the dungeon (probably at full speed). I never expected to be left behind even by Efil. Still, for now, it was just Sera, Shutra-chan, and us left on the first floor.
“It’s a trial from our Master! Let’s all do our best!”
“O-Oh!”
Touya was completely hyped up, and Nana was getting caught up in his energy. Seeing them with their fists raised to the sky, full of spirit, there was no way I could talk them out of it. I’ve improved enough to know when to quit, but my troubles are far from over.
“Um, Sera-san?”
“Sorry, but right now, I’m turning all of their corpses into a legion from the underworld bathed in blood, so please don’t talk to me. If anything happens, ask Shutra.”
I sought help from Sera, who had stayed behind with us, but she seemed too busy creating bright red skeletons from the bodies of the opposition and wasn’t listening. It seemed she stayed not for our sake, but to generate those skeleton warriors.
“Hooh… Hooh…!”
Miyabi, meanwhile, was engrossed in Sera’s work. Was she sensing something that only someone who manipulates Black Magic could understand? I hadn’t expected much from the start, but it seems she wouldn’t share my worries. That leaves only…
“Shutra, Big Sis, are you okay? You look pale.”
This blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl, Shutra-chan, who had been disguised as Colette until just now. She rides a giant plush bear and controls over twenty knight-type golems, yet she still shows concern for my well-being. She herself is like a doll, incredibly cute; I want to hug her, cherish her, and be healed by her.
“No, I’m fine. Thank you.”
“Really? Then that’s good. We have to chase after Kelvin, Older Brother, now, don’t we?”
…Yes, if I think about it calmly, Shutra-chan was also an extraordinary being. With a flick of her finger, her marionettes under her control would act, obliterating any adversaries. The unfortunate people who became corpses on the ground were a prime example. The dolls she controlled had the discipline of an army, and while each possessed overwhelming combat power, they excelled at group tactics. I am constantly amazed by Shutra-chan’s broad vision that enables this.
“Ah, are you curious about Georgius? This one is~–”
As I pondered these thoughts while watching the dolls, Shutra-chan, with a happy smile, began explaining about them.
First, the plush bear she rides, ‘Georgius’, was a gift from Efil and is her strongest asset. Apparently, she finished it overnight when asked. Not only is she proficient with a bow and cooking, but she’s also perfect at needlework. Truly, Efil-san can do anything. As a girl myself, I feel inadequate about my own lack of “girl power”…
Then, surrounding her and forming a defensive formation are the Shutra-chan-customized golems created by Kelvin-san. They are called ‘Guards’. The problem is not the customization, but the fact that we don’t even know the strength of a normal golem. However, it’s likely that the knights who guarded Kelvin-san’s mansion are these.
They are slightly smaller than Gerard-san, who is also fully armored, but they still seem to stand over 180 centimeters. The shield they equip is, well, normal (though it’s likely terrifyingly sturdy). The real problem is the lance, which incorporates a Gatling Gun. It doesn’t fire actual bullets like the guns I know; they say it converts magic power into projectiles instead. Touya, for some reason, seemed to be intensely excited, but honestly, I don’t think that’s the point to focus on. I really don’t… Kelvin-san made these too. Are those people capable of anything?
“Yo, Setsuna! What are you spacing out about? Hurry up, or you’ll be left behind by Master.”
“…Yeah, I’m coming.”
Urged on by Touya, I placed my hand on the hilt of my sword and caught up to them at a run. That’s right, I can’t just keep thinking. Once we pass the safe haven of the second floor, the third floor awaits. It’s said to be home to some of the strongest monsters in the Delamis Territory. There are even rumors of S-class monsters among them. Since I’ve decided to go, I’ll steel myself. I will protect my allies, no matter what!
—Catacombs of the Heroic Spirits, Floor 3—
The third floor, unlike the grasslands of the first and second floors, was a monotonous place paved with cobblestones. The strange, humanoid objects that seemed to reach for the sky—are they a type of tombstone? They’re too unique to say for sure. Also, it seems to be wider than the previous floors, and I can’t gauge the distance to the other side. The story that the dungeon itself is shaped like a rhomboid, in this case, a bipyramid—a sort of three-dimensional shape formed by joining two square pyramids at their bases—seems true. If we continue like this, the fifth and sixth floors should be the widest, and then they should get narrower as we descend.
“Hmm… Older Brother and the others seem to have descended to the fifth floor, no, the sixth floor now. Grandpa Gerard and Big Sister Mel, who are ahead, are probably around the eighth floor?”
“A-Already that far!?”
“So fast…”
Shutra-chan, capable of gauging the distance to her party members, located Kelvin-san and the others. Even so, isn’t that too fast? While we were moving from the first to the third floor without encountering any enemies, what kind of continuous charge had they been on?
“Grandpa went quite far ahead to the starting point with Brother’s ‘Summoning Magic,’ so there’s no point comparing. More importantly, look—”
Shutra-chan glared ahead. Almost simultaneously, my Detection Skill alerted me to the approach of enemies.
“Whoa, there are so many…”
Moving shadows emerged as if crawling out from the gaps in the cobblestones. Upon closer inspection, they had the appearance of miniature versions of the surrounding objects. Nana’s sigh of exasperation was understandable. The shadow monsters continued to appear as if they would spawn infinitely, threatening to engulf the entire area.
“Nana, it’s fine. Their individual strength isn’t that great.”
“Yeah, if we can use our abilities properly, they’re opponents we can definitely beat.”
Having these two exude confidence in a situation like this is reassuring. Drawing their swords and staffs, they were already in a combat stance.
“It’s still much better than the ‘Grotto of the Divine Beast.’ These are B-class monsters, ‘Labyrinth Shadows.’ Be careful, as they split if you attack them half-heartedly. Aim for their heads.”
Shutra-chan, perhaps possessing ‘Appraisal Eye,’ poked Georgius’s head while giving precise instructions. Alright, their numbers are a threat, but B-class is manageable!
“Also, in a way, you’re lucky. If you follow them, it’ll be somewhat easier, and you’ll know the path to the next floor.”
“Eh?”
At her words, I squinted again.
“…Is there a section where there are no monsters?”
On the floor, which was about to be covered in pitch black, there was a part where the cobblestones remained exposed. It stretched out towards the other side like a path, and I could almost swear it was glittering.
“It’s the path Rion-chan took. She probably just mowed them down and ran straight through, but it’s been so purified that monsters can’t get close.”
“Eh, ehhhhh… …”
Shutra-chan said that with a straight face.
