“Take this!!”
[ｋ!?]
He threw it. The stone, hurled with force, cut through the air—but it veered slightly above the giant bat.
“Missed…!”
He had known it would be difficult. It was unreasonable to expect to hit a moving target on his first try, especially in such darkness. If only he had time to practice, but of course, that wasn’t an option.
The giant bat’s figure quickly disappeared into the dark night.
“Throwing wasn’t a bad choice. But with your skill level, you’ll need to make adjustments to hit a moving target.”
Having seen the spectacular miss, Diz picked up a stone from the ground nearby. He played with it in his hand, testing its grip, and glared in the direction the giant bat had flown.
“Adjustments.”
“It’s nothing major. Like choosing a bigger stone, see!”
And he threw it. The sound of the stone cutting through the air was stronger than when Ur had thrown his. At the same time,
[ｇｙａｎ!?]
A scream-like cry echoed, and after a brief pause, something fell from a high place, followed by the sound of it being crushed.
“Well done.”
“If you overcomplicate things, you lose the simplicity of strength. Do it well.”
“…Got it.”
There was so much to learn. Rather than a detestable debt collector, Ur nodded as if he were being instructed by a mentor. Then he looked around. At least for now, there were no signs of monsters nearby. Or so he thought, until the rustling of grass and leaves made Ur and Shizuku turn their weapons in that direction.
“Lady Diz.”
A voice came. It had a strange, almost magical resonance. And what appeared was a small bird with yellow feathers. However, instead of a chirp, a man’s voice came from its cute beak.
“It’s the Alto Knight Brigade.”
“I’m Rano from the magic corps.”
“Did you bring what I asked for?”
“I’ll guide you.”
A small bird spread its wings and flew ahead, guiding Ur and the others along their path.
Naturally, it was a beast trail where human presence was rare. However, the familiar bird seemed to choose paths that were easier for Ur and the group to traverse. They didn’t encounter any monsters along the way.
At one point, a pure white wall of light could be seen faintly in the distance through the trees. That was likely the barrier surrounding Canaan’s fortress. Even from this position, the barrier was visible. Breaking through it head-on would be difficult.
That’s exactly why Ur and the others were now heading for a secret passage.
[This way.]
“……So this is the labyrinth we’ve heard about.”
The entrance was almost completely hidden under dirt and tree roots, but upon closer inspection, there was a hole resembling a cave. Inside, a stone passageway that looked artificially constructed could be seen. It was clearly not natural, but it also didn’t seem entirely man-made.
It was undoubtedly a trace of the labyrinth that had emerged from the depths of the earth and eroded the underground of 【Canaan’s Fortress】.
“Any signs of monsters?”
[This labyrinth has already lost its core magic stone. There weren’t many monsters. However, like this forest, it’s been encroached upon by evil spirit trees, Treants. There are also traces of seals to keep them from moving.]
“Then it’s confirmed to be connected to the fortress. Were they on guard?”
[No. There was no sign of that. The barrier doesn’t reach underground. The passageways were also collapsed in places, so they probably didn’t think it was connected to the outside.]
The labyrinth, which had crumbled and collapsed hundreds of years ago, had its external entrance discovered thanks to the relentless efforts of the Alto Knights.
[I couldn’t investigate inside the fortress. My apologies.]
“Not being detected is the top priority. It’s fine.”
Diz whispered to the familiar perched on her hand, and as if reflecting the feelings of the mage controlling it, the bird bowed its head apologetically before looking up again.
[Please, do your best. The knights will do their utmost to expedite the formation of the extermination team.]
“Understood. But don’t push yourselves too hard. Don’t forget your duty to protect the nation.”
[Yes…………Please, avenge the grievances of those who fell victim to the Island Devouring Turtle incident.]
With those words, the familiar’s body dissolved like a leaf blown by the wind, vanishing without a trace in an instant. After watching it disappear, Diz turned her gaze to Akane.
“Akane, the armor, please.”
[Unyu~]
Akane spun around in the air, transforming into a spherical shape. At the same time, Diz stripped off her light attire. Before Ur could look away, Akane, now a sphere, dripped like water onto Diz’s exposed skin.
[Puha!]
Akane splattered, clinging to Diz’s bare skin.
In an instant, Diz’s shoulders, chest, and legs were covered in a light armor adorned with golden decorations. The armor protected her while also accentuating her heroic figure.
“That armor……”
“Y-yeah, I had Akane mimic the armor I own.”
[Isn’t it awesome!?]
“Well, sometimes Akane gets careless and it pierces through.”
[Nyaa……]
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
In other words, Akane and Diz had been up to all sorts of things, not just this time. But Ur decided not to press further on that point. As Akane had said, it was a promise between the two of them, and it wasn’t his place to interfere.
“Alright, we’re about to head in, but let’s confirm something first.”
Standing before the labyrinth’s entrance, Diz looked at them.
“As I explained earlier, depending on the situation, we might have to take human lives multiple times. Are you okay with that?”
“The targets are bandits, scoundrels.”
“So? Scoundrels or not, they’re still human. Killing comes with its own burden.”
She said this and waited for their response. Between Ur and Shizuku, Shizuku was the first to move.
“No problem.”
“That’s a quick answer. If you’re just saying that to convince yourself, it’s dangerous, you know?”
“No──I’m certain.”
There was no wavering in Shizuku’s voice or eyes. Calm as still water, she declared as if stating a simple fact.
“Even if it’s an unforgivable act, I can commit murder.”
Satisfied with her answer and the look in her eyes, Diz nodded. Then she turned to Ur. While Shizuku had been answering, Ur had been deep in thought, but his conclusion was clear.
“They’re enemies whose names I don’t know……I don’t intend to misjudge the balance of life.”
Throughout his life, he had never actively tried to kill anyone, but he had lived as a 【Nameless】. He had fought back desperately when attacked by lawless bandits. It was possible that some of them had died from the wounds he inflicted.
They hadn’t had the luxury of feeling fear or regret over that fact. But when it came to weighing the lives of himself, his sister, his comrades, and the lives of fallen scoundrels, Ur had no hesitation.
“But……”
“But?”
If there was one thing he felt beyond that──
“──It just doesn’t feel good.”
No matter what, taking a life isn’t something to be happy about, and I don’t think I can just brush it off because they’re scoundrels. That’s all. Hearing his answer, Diz smiled faintly.
“That’s good.”
“Is it?”
“It’s far better than feeling nothing after taking a life. Don’t forget that.”
With that, Diz looked down at herself. More precisely, she glanced at Akane, who was wrapped around her body.
“By the way, Akane, you’re coming with me no questions asked, right? You’re mine, after all.”
[So mean!]
A voice of protest came from the crimson armor, but Diz just shrugged.
“I already know you’ll be fine. So do your job properly, okay? Otherwise, someone will die.”
[Diz will?]
“Nope, Ur will.”
[Guess I have no choice, Nii-tan.]
“Sorry about this.”
For some reason, Ur ended up apologizing, and Diz laughed. Then, quickly wiping the smile from her face, she glared straight into the dark cave.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Yes.”
“Got it.”
[Aye aye~]
And so, the extermination operation at Canaan’s fortress began.
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