Chapter 223 - Hyakka-chan and the New World Quest, Part 6
We were in the corridors of the forty-ninth floor of the Crystal Palace. The members of the New World party walked ahead of Levante—which consisted of Hyakka-chan, Fam, Mizuki, Maira, Marmie, and Shizuka. The two parties kept their distance as they advanced, wary of a surprise one-hit-kill attack and ensuring that a single blow wouldn't take everyone out.
We were attacked by a pack of trolls once, but with so many of us, the battle ended in a flash. Still, it was frustrating that the massive amount of experience points and mana seed drops all went to the New World party, where Mash-kun was.
Our steps toward the entrance felt heavy. Was there any way to make the New World, Yuuki, and Sameim stop fighting and listen to reason? I couldn't even imagine being able to beat Yuuki and his group in the first place.
"I'm at my limit..."
Shizuka, who was walking beside me, muttered.
"Is this about sex again? Just hold on. I'm not in the mood right now."
Now that she mentioned it, I had forgotten the pain in my ass and crotch, but focusing on it brought it all back. The pain had subsided now, but there was still a sense of a foreign object in the back, and a wistful feeling of loss from the front where something used to be.
"When we get home, I'm going to ask Mash-kun to put just the tip in. I bet he won't be able to control himself and will put it all the way in."
"Stop it. You're the one who'll get in trouble, not Mash-kun. What do you even think of him, anyway?"
"I love him, you know?"
"Huh?"
"If I didn't, I wouldn't have come all the way to this city with you. I wouldn't put up with being told not to sleep with other people. I'm betting on the chance that Mash will notice me."
I glanced at her, and she leaned in with a beaming smile. My heart skipped a beat, and I felt a flutter in my chest. I instinctively pushed her face away.
"You can listen to what Mash-kun says, but Ko-kun... Toratsuna told you not to sleep with other men, too. Why can't you listen to him?!"
"You're always making moves on girls, Hyakka-chan, but you're not very used to this kind of thing, are you?"
She was still grinning. I realized she was trying to dodge my question. She was telling a huge lie. But I couldn't figure out what it was, and the frustration gnawed at me.
"Am I really that bad? I might not look it, but I'm actually pretty hurt, you know?"
"Ko-kun... What are you going to do about Toratsuna?"
"He accepted the whole thing with the teacher, so I'm sure he'll understand if I talk to him. I'm sure of it."
"..."
He'll never understand. He couldn't bear what she said, and that's why he left her.
"So, did you find any sign of Toratsuna?"
She shook her head.
"I was looking carefully at first, but the scenery never changed, and once I became the mapper, my head was just a mess. Then Fam-chan went missing, and I just couldn't deal with it anymore."
She had never been in a dungeon before, after all. It was probably inevitable that she couldn't maintain her focus. Besides, judging from the dungeon's atmosphere, it was difficult to search for traces of someone from who-knows-how-long-ago. I had suspected from her silence that the search for Toratsuna hadn't gone well. It was a similar situation with the New World party. Still, after she'd been so distraught last night, why was she so cheerful now?
"Hyakka-chan. I need Mash to care about me, even just a little. It'd be bad if he didn't."
Her words shook me, and I turned to look at her. She immediately broke into a smile. That pasted-on expression she'd had for a while now was starting to bother me.
"You... Have you given up?"
"...I mean, both Ko-kun and I, we were never in any real danger in our old world, you know? I can't stop shaking. To come to a place like this all alone, fight monsters, and then get attacked by someone throwing fire everywhere..."
"W-Wait, that might have been true for me and Mizuki, but don't you forget what that teacher did to you back in our world! You might have been enjoying it by the end, but neither I nor Ko-kun have forgiven him for it!"
She grabbed the hem of my clothes.
"Then have Mash protect me! Just for fun is fine. As a toy is fine. I'll tell you everything I know. I'll do anything for you... Is that no good?"
Fun is impossible. I'd start hoping we never find Toratsuna. But that was wrong. I squeezed her hand back.
"Shizuka. First, I'll grant your wish. Toratsuna is alive. Why don't you try to hang on just a little longer?"
Just then, the New World members walking ahead of us came to a halt. We were at the spot where we had just fought Yuuki's group. There was no sign of the enemy. Fam was carefully watching our rear. No enemy presence there, either.
"They ran..."
As we rejoined the New World party, Etowan was the first to cry out. A deep sigh escaped me. I had no idea what the best course of action was. The problem had only been postponed. Fam, Mizuki, Shizuka, and the members of the New World party were all still burdened with their own anguish.
"Let's stop exploring for today and head home."
All the members of Levante nodded at Hyakka-chan's words.
"I want to take a bath and clear my head."
Mizuki raised her arms lightly and stretched. The curve of her chest was emphasized, and her healthy thighs, visible from under her lifted skirt, were dazzling. As I watched, she quickly returned to her normal posture and held down the hem of her skirt.
"Don't forget about Hyakka-chan!"
"Hah, it's useless to hide it. I'll get in with you and see everything. You, Fam, Marmie, and Hyakka-chan. Tonight is the festival of the four smooth-skinned queens! We'll all pluck Maira's clean!"
"Are you a complete idiot?! I'm definitely not getting in with you!"
As we were bickering, Mash-kun approached.
"You have a bath?"
"Wanna come?"
Come to think of it, I wondered if they had a place to stay. Were they planning to live in a tent on the outskirts with Karpana's group? If Fam and I moved to the annex, they could use the floor above the dining hall, and we could all live together.
"I'd like to freshen up too, but..."
As Mash-kun hesitated, Etowan grabbed his shoulder.
"We're going to explore this floor a little more. I can't quite explain it, but this floor is strange. Something feels off. Besides, with this guy around, we can earn some extra cash."
Chihiro and the other members nodded in agreement.
"I see. Well, you can come by later."
Mash-kun nodded at my words. We parted ways with the New World members and started walking toward the floor's entrance. That was when I felt the surrounding scenery ripple and distort.
A door came into view in the distance. It was the door to an Area Guardian's room. The space behind us also began to warp, the scenery starting to change. This was the same feeling I'd had in the dungeon in Richelle.
"It's Emma's special skill!"
She has a special skill that lets her summon monsters she's defeated to fight for her. But we have no reason to fight her anymore. We should have reconciled, and Yuuki was the one who killed her partner. If this was her doing, I couldn't make sense of the situation.
"Huh? Huh? What's going on?"
Shizuka frantically looked around at the changes happening around us. Fam and Mizuki were walking at the front; there was no turning back now. It would be bad if Shizuka, who can't fight, got trapped in this room. I decided to at least get her out and reflexively shoved her out of the distortion.
"Wh-What are you doing? No!"
She clung to Hyakka-chan's arm and wouldn't let go.
"Hey! Just wait outside quietly!"
"Absolutely not! I'm staying with you!"
I tried to shake her off, but she clung on for dear life. While we struggled, the space closed, and our surroundings completely transformed into the Area Guardian's room.
"Tch, is it Hekatonkheires again...?!"
I scanned the room, and my eyes widened at what sat in the center. It was a dragon, its massive body floating and coiling like a snake. Red eyes beneath deer-like antlers stared down at us.
"The Dragon of the Great Cosmic Origin and Ancestry!"
Its golden scales reflected the light with an eerie sheen. It also resembled the shadow of a fish showing its white scales underwater.
"Huh? What did you say?"
Mizuki asked. It was one of those dazzling, chuunibyou words you didn't want to repeat. She was definitely asking again just to humiliate me.
"The Dragon of the Great Cosmic Origin and Ancestry! It's the dragon that Yuuki summoned with his special skill earlier!"
As I hesitated, Fam, standing next to Mizuki with her crescent halberd at the ready, answered for me.
"Is our senpai summoning this dragon to attack us?"
"I don't know. It didn't become a space like this before," Fam replied to Mizuki's question.
"Maira, Marmie, it attacks with its claws and a fire breath. Its destructive power is on a whole other level compared to the phoenix we fought before. And Fam can't use her special skill anymore. I'm counting on you for defense."
They nodded at Hyakka-chan's words.
"Shizuka, you go with Maira too..."
She had been clinging to me the whole time, her body rigid and trembling uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry, Hyakka-chan... I-I'm too scared, I-I can't..."
It seemed her legs had completely given out. I tried to carry her over to Maira and the others, but it was difficult to support her with Hyakka-chan's weak body. In that time, the dragon roared and lunged at Fam and Mizuki. Sharp claws shot towards them. Fam, having faced it once before, feinted before dodging with a swift movement. Mizuki staggered and blocked with her shield, but the impact sent her flying.
"Kyaa!"
She couldn't regain her footing and fell. The dragon pressed its advantage, its sharp fangs aimed right at her.
"Mizuki!"
She rolled away to dodge the blow and staggered to her feet. Her eyes were glowing red. Super Save had activated. However, a deep gash from the fangs marked her right shoulder, and fresh blood was flowing.
"I-I'm fine..."
Mizuki turned to face the dragon, ready to re-engage. But her hand was empty; there was no sword.
"Dammit... My sword..."
She had dropped it when she took that last hit. She scrambled to run for it, but the monster lunged, trying to impale her with its claws. She blocked with her shield, a step too late, and was blown away in the opposite direction of her sword. Fam moved in, attacking to draw the monster's attention. She slashed with her crescent halberd, but the blade couldn't penetrate the hard scales.
"Fam, use the move Marianne taught you!"
"I'm already gathering my mana."
Fam slashed again, but her blade still failed to cut through. Mizuki used the opening to run for her sword, but the dragon's tail struck her. She fell again. I had never seen her like this. Mizuki was completely off her game. She was shaken up over Yuuki.
"Shizuka, I have to go help Mizuki."
"I-I'm sorry, but I can't do anything!"
She was sobbing now, too. A sense of impatience squeezed my chest, knowing I couldn't do anything.
The dragon's body floated lightly into the air. Its eyes glowed with a sinister light, and its enormous mouth opened wide. It was going to breathe fire.
"...Everyone, gather around Hyakka-chan!"
Marmie, while preparing a spell, ran over to us with Maira. Fam pulled Mizuki back with her. There was no time to hesitate. I had no choice but to use the special skill Mash-kun had forbidden.
"Special Skill, [Kujaku Monkei]!"
In that instant, a fan-shaped bronze plate appeared in mid-air. The reddish-pink plate glowed as it began to play a unique, rhythmic melody. The dragon roared as if to drown out the tune. The very space around us trembled. And then, before the special skill could take full effect, it unleashed a torrent of crimson flames.
"...Make it in time! [Magic Defense Barrier]!"
Marmie raised her wand, and a barrier like the film of a soap bubble formed before us. However, the barrier evaporated in an instant under the scorching heat.
"...Not yet!"
She cast multiple layers of the barrier, one after another. They were destroyed in succession, but the very last one barely managed to block the breath, saving us from a direct hit. I looked around. The crimson flames had incinerated our surroundings, leaving only the small area protected by her barrier. The smell of burning and the heat-hazed air distorted my vision. In that distortion, like a mirage, a boy stood with his back to us, a lance at the ready. He turned around. A handsome face that could be mistaken for a girl's. And a gentle smile.
"Did you call? Onee-chan."
Guided by the melody of Kujaku Monkei, Chihiro had answered the summons and appeared.
"Chihiro! Uh..."
Kujaku Monkei. A special skill that summons a person etched deep in the user's heart. Whenever Hyakka used it, Chihiro would always appear. She had sworn never to use this skill. She would protect Chihiro, no matter what. She never wanted to call him to a place of crisis and put him in harm's way. But Hyakka-chan had used it. I had to make excuses to him and to Hyakka. I had to explain the situation to him. I had to apologize for summoning him to this deathtrap.
"Chihiro..."
As I tried to speak again, he pressed his lance to his chest.
"If Hyakka calls my name, I'll come running, no matter where you are. I'll protect you no matter what. Let's defeat that dragon together."
Chihiro smiled again. Then he turned to face the dragon.
"Special Skill, [Shirasaya-iri no Tsurugi]!"
As he shouted, his form shone with light, and the clothes he wore transformed into white robes. A tachi was now gripped in his hand. From its blade rose a faint sword aura, almost like a demonic presence.
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