Chapter 30 - Boss Battle and Memories of Our Original World
After several battles, we reached the door to the Area Guardian's room.
"Alright, let's go in," Mizuki said.
Everyone nodded. Mizuki opened the door and stepped inside, followed by Fam, me, and then Maira, who closed the door behind us. Light particles gathered on the ceiling, forming a giant eye about two meters across. Ten wolves also appeared on the floor. There were too many.
"I'll take the Big Eye. Fam, you handle the wolves."
Before I could nock an arrow, a fireball was launched. It was a large mass of flames, and fast. I dodged, but the heatwave grazed my face.
"Crap!"
Using magic seemed to slow down my attacks.
I fired an arrow. The Big Eye deployed a defensive barrier, but the arrow tore through it and hit its mark.
But the enemy didn't falter and fired another fireball.
"Mizuki!"
Mizuki dodged the fireball at my shout. Another pillar of flame shot up.
The flames from the first fireball were still burning. We needed to end this quickly, or we'd be surrounded by fire.
I shot another arrow at the Big Eye.
"Master, the Big Eye's weakness is its pupil," Fam said as she fended off a wolf that had rushed me.
"I know, but it's too fast."
The pupil rotated 360 degrees, constantly moving. Another fireball was launched, this time at me and Fam. We barely dodged it, and I fired a third shot. It was hard to hit the pupil, but at least the Big Eye wasn't moving.
When my third shot landed, I realized that the pupil's movement stopped for a brief moment when it was attacked.
"Fam, when it gets hit, the Big Eye's pupil stops moving slightly. I'll fire arrows, and you can hit it with your skill after I do."
"I don't know, I haven't seen the pupil stop moving, so I don't know how much time we have. Master should target the pupil."
"Alright, got it."
"Then, Kikuichimonji!"
As I responded, Fam unleashed a Kamaitachi strike. It was between wolf attacks, so there wasn't much time to prepare. I had no choice but to fire an arrow without wind magic support.
Fam's skill struck the pupil. The pupil's movement stopped.
Don't panic. Focus.
I told myself as I fired the arrow.
It struck the Big Eye's pupil perfectly. The Big Eye vanished.
"Yes!"
I switched to my one-handed sword and shield, but Mizuki and Maira had already finished off most of the wolves. Maira struck the last one down with her mace.
All the wolves disappeared. As we high-fived each other, the door in the back opened. We had cleared the third floor.
*
Back at the inn, Maira returned to the church. I wondered if she'd come with us if I asked, but somehow I didn't think so.
Cecily and Aira also returned, and we made plans to meet them in the cafeteria in the morning.
The inn had a room with a king-sized bed for twenty silver coins. It was twice the price of the other rooms, but it was a good deal since we could all stay there.
The price of the rooms in this town was determined by the type of room. As long as we stayed within the occupancy limit, the price was the same regardless of how many people stayed there. The king-sized room could accommodate up to four people, probably for families.
I thought Mizuki would be against sharing a room, but she didn't complain.
The room was much bigger than the twin room. Instead of a table attached to the wall, there was a separate low table with sofas arranged around it. I sat there sipping tea from the Mateo Trading Company.
Tea was traded at high prices, mainly for nobles, and wasn't widely available. I searched the market for chai, but couldn't find any. I wanted to try coffee too, but it wasn't there either. Maybe Mateo could get some for me.
"I want to see Mizuki's smartphone," Fam said to Mizuki.
"Huh? Why?"
"I want to see the pictures Mizuki took."
"Are you sure?"
Mizuki looked at me. She was worried about showing someone from this world something from our original world.
"I already showed you guys some," I said. This shouldn't be a problem.
"Okay, then."
Mizuki took out her smartphone and handed it to Fam.
"I want to see it too."
"Sure, but there aren't any dirty pictures."
"Then let me check your browser history."
"Sorry, I won't tell Fam about that."
Should I ask to see it too? Maybe later.
"Master's photos are all landscapes, but Mizuki's have lots of people in them."
Fam hit a sensitive spot. I felt a sting.
"I was still in school, so I took lots of pictures of my friends."
Mizuki tried to minimize the issue. If smartphones had been popular when I was in school, I'd probably have taken mostly landscapes too.
"...Everyone's human."
"In the world Mash and I came from, there are only humans. We grew up in an island nation with little historical exchange with other countries, so we were mostly surrounded by people with the same skin and hair color."
"If Master said he wanted to go back to his original world, would it be okay if I went with you?"
"Probably. Racshell would probably find a way."
Mizuki was being overly optimistic. I'd already told her I wouldn't go back to my original world.
"Speaking of which, Mizuki, have you ever climbed Mount Fuji?" Fam asked.
"Yeah, I have. I was in elementary school, so I don't have any pictures."
From our previous conversation, it seemed like she owned a smartphone since middle school.
"Did you see the sea of clouds?"
"I didn't see it the day I climbed, but I've seen the sea of clouds on other mountains."
Mizuki operated her smartphone. A photo of the summit of a mountain with giant rod-shaped rocks appeared. The next photo showed a sea of clouds, and Mount Fuji's distinctive silhouette rose from it.
"Mount Houou... Do you like mountain climbing?" It was Houou in the Akaishi Mountains, part of the Southern Alps.
"Yeah, my dad liked it, so we climbed a lot when I was in elementary school. After I started middle school, I had club activities, so I only managed to go about once a year. Mash, how did you know about Houou?"
"Actually, I like mountain climbing too. It's a hobby I can do alone."
"Oh, is that so? I thought you were always holed up at home except when you went to work."
"Hey, that's hitting a little too close to home. Stop it."
"Mizuki, who's in the picture with you?" Fam changed the subject.
"That's my dad."
Fam pinched and zoomed in on the photo. She was getting better at using it. It had been only a year, hadn't it? She came to this world with only her clothes, a smartphone, and some cash.
"Somehow, he looks like Master."
"Hey! Stop saying things like that. The only similarity is our age!"
"He has a gentle air about him. You both like the same hobbies too."
"How is this guy gentle? You saw what he did to me yesterday, didn't you, Fam?!"
"His appearance and actions are different. Besides, hobbies don't matter."
I looked at the picture too. A slightly younger Mizuki was smiling with a middle-aged man. He looked like any other guy. I'd imagined Mizuki's parents as super handsome and beautiful, but they weren't.
Still, there was something of Mizuki in him. They looked happy. Maybe she wanted to go back to her family and see them again. I thought I didn't resemble him, but now I'm not so sure. It was subtle. Wait, Fam was talking about my face since coming to this world. I hadn't really looked at my face closely since coming to this world. Mizuki's impression of me had softened slightly too. She'd looked at me with a harsh expression when we first met, but since coming to this world, my face had become slightly softer, more to her liking. I should be that way too.
"More importantly, Mash, what are you planning to do after tomorrow?" Mizuki changed the topic completely. Her face was bright red. Talking about her family probably embarrassed her. I would feel the same way, wouldn't I? I need to focus.
"Well, it depends on Cecily and Aira. I don't know how to approach them. I have a feeling they'll ignore me."
"Don't say things like that. You always say harsh things to me."
"That's because you're Mizuki."
"...." For some reason, Mizuki fell silent.
"We also need to buy some necessary supplies. And I think we need a break too. Maira said the tenth floor of the dungeon is possible, but I don't feel like pushing myself right now. What do you think, Mizuki?"
"The tenth floor of the dungeon is beyond my experience, but the third floor was easy once we had the right equipment."
"Getting the equipment is the important part."
"Yeah, well... I don't think Maira would suggest something reckless, so I think it's worth considering her suggestion. We can always turn back if it doesn't work. I'm in favor of setting aside a day for shopping too. I want to talk to Aidan again."
"Then, the breaks will be for Master and me. Am I right?"
"Why would that be? Fam's already been with us the whole time, so it's fine. I want to spend time with Mash too."
"Mizuki, you were with Master first. You gave up that chance."
"Hmm, I can't argue with that, but is it bad?"
"Then, the shopping day will be for Master and me. Everything else, separate activities. The breaks will be for Master and Mizuki."
It felt like my schedule was being made up without my input. It was best to stay quiet.
"Is that okay? Me on the breaks? I hope Maira doesn't get upset if we just decide this on our own?"
I wanted them to listen to me too.
"Sis..." Fam hesitated.
"Maira's impossible in this town."
I remembered what Mateo had said. When Maira was around, the number of greetings increased, and children flocked around her. Dumb kids even hugged me and gave me high-fives, so why couldn't I do it? This world was so unfair.
"Yeah, I think so. Aira's told me things. It seems like Maira's like a saint in this town, and she's especially popular with children. If Mash laid a hand on her or took her to the inn, things could get serious."
"Mizuki, don't you trust me?"
"I do trust you. You'd absolutely never do anything improper to Maira."
Mizuki was right. Come to think of it, Maira had confessed to being into younger boys. Would I save the boys in this town by taking her away? Or would I be condemned for taking away the adult ladies who were their crushes?
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Thank you for reading. To those who bookmarked and rated me, I truly appreciate it. It's my motivation to keep going. I'm grateful as always for any corrections on typos.