Chapter 237 - The World of the Holy Oil Jar and the Crystal Palace
Clinging to Racshell's spear, we flew through the 'World of the Holy Oil Jar'. The surroundings were shrouded in darkness, and we lost all sense of up and down. When we left her dwelling, we could feel ourselves moving as the floating palace shrank in the distance. But now, it was impossible to tell if we were moving or standing still.
"With this spear, couldn't we travel to the other goddesses' dimensions as well?" asked Maira, who was holding on behind me.
"And do what when we get there? We'd just run into more people like her. Do you want to lose your faith like I have?"
"Hmph, what do you mean, 'people like me'?" Racshell cried out, but since she was exactly what I said she was, there was nothing for me to add. Besides, even if we could get there, we wouldn't know where we'd be transported to on the way back. If we were dropped in some unknown land, we'd have no way to get anywhere.
"If those palace-like buildings are what's sealing the goddesses, then we could use this spear to destroy them..." Maira continued, bringing the conversation back.
"Racshell would get her kicks destroying it, and then her summon time would end and she'd go home. The rest of us, along with any goddess left behind, would probably die."
Besides, if we couldn't destroy the walls of a dungeon, I had a feeling a goddess's palace would be just as indestructible.
"We wouldn't have to go with her. We could just wait in Lady Racshell's room. She could bring the other goddess back."
"I see. It might be a good idea to have Racshell meet the other goddesses. What do you think?"
I still couldn't see the endgame she was aiming for. I wanted to break the stalemate. With that thought, I posed the question to Racshell, but she didn't answer. To spite her, I groped her chest.
"Ahn... Mash."
"What is it?"
"It's the Crystal Palace."
I peeked past her shoulder to see ahead. A lone object floated in the darkness. It was the pyramid that hung in the sky above Migul, glowing an emerald green. At the same time, the scenery warped and twisted. My mana was running out.
Without a hint of hesitation, Racshell plunged straight into the crystal-covered wall of the pyramid.
"Racshell, look out! We're going to crash!"
I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for impact, but there was no shock at all as we slipped right through to the other side. When I looked back, the crystal wall was gone without a trace, leaving only an expanse of dark space. I composed myself and looked forward, my breath catching in my throat. Tier upon tier of crystal-covered corridors stretched out before us. A complex, sprawling labyrinth filled my vision. It was the same view as from inside the dungeon. We continued to fly, weaving through the corridors. After a while, I saw a spot where the labyrinth was broken off. She landed softly on the edge of it. I dismounted the spear and surveyed our surroundings.
"We're back?"
I took a few steps, looking around the corridor, before my legs tangled and I nearly fell.
"Master!"
Fam threw her arms around me to stop my fall, but we were both about to be flung into the empty space beyond the broken corridor. Mizuki grabbed my arm, and Sam grabbed Fam's, pulling us back from the brink. Their hands let go, but I couldn't release Fam. Even with her support, it was difficult to stand. My vision was going black. It seemed my body was completely out of mana.
"Racshell..."
"What is it?"
A hand touched my cheek.
"I couldn't keep my promise again..."
"That's right. You'd better escort me properly next time."
"You're the one trying to make us fight!"
I wondered if she heard my last words. My consciousness was fading.
"Fam... Find... Toratsuna..."
My consciousness returned with the soft touch of something on my lips. This time, I was sure it was Fam, and I eagerly latched on, seeking the mana recovery potion I knew she held in her mouth.
"Nn... mmph... nguh..."
Her lips felt a little fuller. Had she gained weight recently? No, maybe she'd just grown. I wrapped my arms around her back. She felt softer than I expected. Especially her chest. Just as I was about to press our bodies together, someone pulled me away. I opened my eyes to see Maira's blurry form.
"M-Maira... why?"
"Why? What do you mean, why?!"
Maira puffed out her cheeks. I scrambled to sit up and looked around. We were still in the same place Racshell had dropped us off. In the back, I spotted Fam standing next to Sam, watching me.
"Fam! It was supposed to be your job to wake me up! Why didn't you?!"
"I-It is not my role in particular."
Fam's cheeks were flushed red.
"That's right! It's not Fam's role. From now on, we take turns," Maira declared.
"Turns...?"
"...I'm next."
Marmie pointed to herself.
"..."
I glanced at Fam. She quickly looked down, but I thought I saw the corners of her eyes soften. I stood up and walked over to her.
"It started the day before yesterday, I think. What's gotten into you?"
Ever since we returned to Richelle, her attitude had felt off. Distant, I guess you could say. Like she was farther away.
"Nothing has gotten into me," Fam replied. "More importantly, let's go find Toratsuna."
Fam started walking. Sam scurried to her side. Marmie followed after them.
"What happened?"
Sometime during that exchange, Mizuki and Maira had ended up flanking me. Urged on by them, I started walking.
"I have absolutely no idea."
"Really?"
With that, Mizuki and Maira exchanged a look over my head.
"If that's the case, then I think I understand," Mizuki said.
"Yes, I understand as well," Maira added.
Their words made me look back and forth between them. Their gazes were downcast, their mouths turned down slightly. It felt less like they were exasperated and more like they were worried.
"I have no clue what she's thinking."
"You really don't?"
When I nodded, Mizuki's mouth fell open as she stared at me.
"It's because Sam is here, isn't it?"
"Is that it? Why would she act like that just because Sam is here?"
"Well, she's probably embarrassed, or maybe trying to act mature isn't the right way to put it, but you wouldn't want to kiss someone in front of your friend, would you?"
"Really? I wouldn't mind at all!"
I tried to throw my arms around Mizuki, but she must have seen it coming, because she dodged with surprising speed.
We continued walking through the Crystal Palace. Fam took the lead, sketching a map on a piece of paper. Sam peeked over her shoulder to watch.
"Are we sure we're not just walking through empty space...?"
"The place we arrived wasn't a disconnected corridor, but rather a collapsed dead end. So it must connect to somewhere, don't you think?" Mizuki and Maira discussed.
My theory is that the Yasakani no Magatama's ability isn't to destroy dungeons, but to reshape them. The 'weird feeling' that New World's Etowan had wouldn't have been noticeable if only a small part of the maze had been altered. If they had found a place where the dungeon was broken, it would have been a clear anomaly, not just a 'weird feeling'. From that, I can deduce that this forty-ninth floor has its path from the entrance to the area guardian sealed off. And we should be on the area guardian's side. If Toratsuna is alive, he'll be on this side, too. When Toratsuna fought the Messiah on this floor, he used the Yasakani no Magatama to sever the corridor and escape to the area guardian's side. And Etowan felt something was off because they could never reach the area guardian's room. That was my prediction. And it seemed I was right, because the entrance to the area guardian's room came into view.
"What should we do? We still haven't found Toratsuna-san," Maira said, looking at me. If we defeated the area guardian and left, it would be a pain to come back to this place. I wanted to explore the entire corridor before leaving. Also, I was uneasy about fighting an area guardian without being able to use Goddess Summoning. The ideal scenario was to meet up with Toratsuna and have him restore the dungeon.
"The door... it's open..." Fam murmured. Indeed, unlike the doors we'd seen so far, this one, which should have been closed, was slightly ajar. We hid and peeked inside.
"It looks the same as usual inside..." Fam whispered. It was indeed a circular, arena-like space, but in the center sat a man, clutching a greatsword. He was large-framed but looked gaunt and emaciated. His hair was a mess, and his beard was overgrown. Draped in what looked like gray rags, he was the very picture of a beggar. The man's head moved slowly. From between the strands of his hair, a dark gaze shot out, pinning us in place.
"Toratsuna?"
He didn't reply, just stared in our direction. Since he'd already noticed us, there was no point in hiding. I glanced at my companions, and they nodded. Steeling myself, I stepped into the area guardian's room. The others followed. Even after we all entered, the door didn't close. It seemed he wasn't the area guardian himself. As our group cautiously approached the man, he stood up. He drew his greatsword and pointed its tip at Sam.
"That woman... you're with Yuuki's group."
"Wait, it's a misunderstanding!"
I tried to step between the man and Sam, but Fam had the same idea, and our shoulders collided. In that instant, the man's body seemed to float for a moment before he closed the distance to Sam with terrifying speed and brought his greatsword down. Sam barely managed to dodge the blow. Strands of her severed hair floated in the air as she stumbled and fell to the ground. Without her magic enhancements, evading that first strike was all she could manage. The man raised his sword for the next blow, aiming for the unarmed girl.
"Hey, listen to me!"
I instinctively drew my katana and blocked his slash. The impact was incredibly heavy, far more than I'd expect from such a gaunt frame.
"Kuh!"
My knees buckled, and my hands went numb. He turned his body to face me squarely. And then, he swung his sword at me. I barely managed to parry the blow, but a sharp pain ran through my arm. I glanced down to see blood streaming from a fresh cut.
"Listen to me!"
He paid no heed to my shout. The man swung again. I retreated, blocking one slash after another. While this was happening, Fam helped Sam to her feet, and Mizuki and Maira drew their weapons, preparing to surround Toratsuna.
"Stop! Toratsuna... no, Ko-kun! We weren't looking for you to fight! Shizuka asked us to find you!"
At those words, the man's movements froze. Seeing this, I signaled Mizuki and the others not to fight.
"Shizuka? Is she in this city...?"
He sighed, lowering his sword and loosening his grip. I took a breath myself. I looked him over again. He was tall but thin. His hair was long and unkempt, and he had a scraggly beard on his chin and below his nose. I'd called him a beggar before, but he also had the air of a hermit. Shizuka had said he was a year younger than her, but he didn't look it. Then again, if I tried to see it that way, his skin did have a bit of a healthy glow, though it was grimy. He probably hadn't bathed in a long time.
"Toratsuna, we were searching this floor for you."
"She was... exploring a dungeon?"
"That's right. But more importantly, you are Toratsuna, correct?"
He nodded. His sword wavered, and the tip pointed toward Sam again.
"Are Shizuka and that woman working together?"
"That's also a misunderstanding. We traveled with Shizuka all the way from Heilong to this city to find you. We met Sam here. She was just a slave being forced to follow Yuuki's orders. She's not a bad person."
"And you expect me to believe that?"
Toratsuna pushed his bangs back and glared at me. His sword remained pointed at Sam. Fam put a hand on the hilt of the katana at her waist, on guard. Everyone, friend and foe alike, was too hot-headed. In order to lower Toratsuna's guard, I tried to think of some information that only someone close to Shizuka would know.
"Alright. Then, her special skills are 'Raging Wave of Condoms,' 'Scales of Love,' and 'Bamboo Scale.' And what's more, I have a condom made by Shizuka right here!"
I pulled out a condom I had secretly kept from when she was summoned from my storage. It had 'Threatening 0.001 mm' written on it. Toratsuna's expression instantly hardened, and his sword tip turned towards me.
"You! Did you sleep with Shizuka?!"
In a panic, I pointed at Mizuki.
"N-No! Th-This... I was saving it to use on that woman over there, Mizuki!"
"Huh?! Me?!"
Mizuki flinched back in surprise. Seeing this, Toratsuna took my words as a poor excuse and glared at me with the face of a demon.
"You bastard! I'm going to kill you!"
His words echoed through the area guardian's room.
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