kscans

Chapter 106 - The Need for Madness

"Pr-Professor...?!"

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kyo-chan!"

"Erina-san?!"

As I stood there with my mouth hanging open like an idiot, Erina-san peeked out from behind the professor and threw something at me.

I caught it instinctively. It was the Bracelet of the Flame Horse and the telepathy earring.

Thinking it might be, I quickly put on the earring, and a familiar voice came through.

"Help me... heeeelp meee..."

"Aira-san, you're alive?!"

"Sis!"

A huge wave of relief washed over me as I heard her voice, which sounded like she was on the verge of tears. The tension drained from my shoulders.

"So you're okay."

"I am not okaaaay...! It's freezing in this cage...!"

"A cage?"

I tilted my head at the unexpected word.

"I passed out on the way, so I don't know my current location, but I'm inside an ice building. I've been put in a birdcage-like cage made of ice. There are other captured humans, but I can't tell if it's one person per cage or what the situation is with the others. There are a lot of birdcages hanging on the opposite wall. The cages are spacious, but it's so cold it's far from comfortable. Seriously, it's freezing!"

As Aira-san rattled on, the professor called out to her.

"Aira."

"Eh, is that you, Grandma?!"

"Let me say this first. We are coming to save you, without fail. So you must not give up until then. Do you understand?"

"...If you say so, Grandma, I can't really say no."

"Good. Then, keep the telepathy line open as much as possible from now on."

"Roger that. Ugh, so cooold..."

The professor took her finger off the earring and looked at me.

"I said what I did just now, but I have no right to ask you... especially you, Kyouta-kun, to join this fight. Everyone here besides myself is a minor. Even so—"

"I have absolutely no intention of leaving Aira-san behind."

I knew it was rude, but there was no time. I cut off the professor's words to state my own intentions clearly.

As a citizen, the right thing to do would be to leave this to the police and the SDF. But from my experience, I couldn't expect a swift rescue from them.

It wasn't about their capabilities. The decision to engage in 'urban combat' was probably a much more difficult one than I could imagine.

That's why we would go.

"Me too! I have to save my sister!"

"A ninja never abandons their comrades. The Kojiki says that ninjas who abandon their friends are scum!"

"...Very well."

The professor gave a wry smile at our words, then her expression hardened.

"Then, we will now proceed to rescue Aira. Erina, give them the luggage you brought."

"Roger."

With a light nod, Erina-san took out a large Boston bag and a case from her [Item Box].

I recognized them both. When she handed them to me, I felt their familiar weight.

"Kyo-chan, sorry for not telling you beforehand, but..."

"No, thank you. I'm going to activate it, so please continue to keep a lookout."

"Got it."

I unzipped the bag and, as expected, found Byakuren inside, disassembled.

Apparently, Erina-san had brought it from my house. I was a little concerned about her entering my room, but given the circumstances, I decided to let it go.

While I was assembling Byakuren, Mia-san received a paper map.

"I printed it at home, so it might be a little hard to read."

"No, this is more than enough. Sis, can you tell us in more detail what kind of place it is? First, are you inside a dungeon or outside?"

"...Probably outside. I checked my phone, and I'm getting a weak signal. The internet is too slow to connect, though."

"Then what about the material of the building? Is it all ice?"

"I have to preface this with 'probably' again, but I don't think I'm in an existing building. It looks like a palace."

"A palace..."

Of course, there was no such building around here.

If it wasn't inside a dungeon, that meant the Cuelebre had created the ice palace.

It was hard to believe, but I couldn't rule it out either. After all, we were already in a blizzard at the end of June.

"In that case, there must have been a fairly large open space..."

"There's also the possibility that they destroyed a building and built on top of it."

"Not much time has passed since my sister was taken. Assuming the Cuelebre's speed is around 150 kilometers per hour..."

The professor and Mia-san were discussing something, but I couldn't really follow. I mean, I understood they were trying to pinpoint the location, but still.

I'll leave the brain work to them. I quickly assembled Byakuren and poured my mana into it to activate it. Next, I unlocked the weapon case and checked the contents...

"So it's this one."

I couldn't help but let out a wry smile. Inside was a flail—a chained iron ball.

But the enemy was airborne. The battle axe and shield combination was versatile, but considering the reach, this might be better.

At first, I had complained about the design, but now I felt I should thank Ooyama-san.

"...Come to think of it, have the Cuelebre attacks lessened?"

"Yeah. There are fewer of them flying around than before."

Erina-san, who had been keeping a sharp eye on the sky, answered my question.

"On the contrary, it's incredibly noisy over here. All the captured humans, including myself, are quiet, but the Cuelebres' chorus is seriously annoying."

"Does that mean they're all gathered at their 'nest'?"

"We've confirmed the route. We're leaving now. Is everyone ready?"

I nodded in response to Mia-san's question.

"Aira-san. We're on our way now."

"Right. I'm counting on you all."

Her voice sounded composed. But was the slight tremble from the cold, or from fear?

Probably both. I didn't know the exact temperature, but it was definitely below zero. The blizzard was still raging.

Even we felt the cold, so for Aira-san, the temperature could be life-threatening.

...Thinking about it calmly, Erina-san and the professor were dressed even more scantily than Aira-san.

Erina-san was, well, Erina-san. The professor was wearing something like a competitive swimsuit as an inner layer, with a leather chest plate, a short sleeveless jacket, hot pants, and a waistcloth. It was not an outfit for being out in the snow. And for some reason, the navel area of her inner wear was cut out in a diamond shape, exposing her bare skin.

In any case, Aira-san's stamina was a little lower than that of a normal non-Awakened person. We had to hurry.

"It's hard to see in the blizzard, but I'll do my best to navigate."

"Roger. If you tell me a landmark, I'll confirm it."

"First, please proceed straight in that direction. According to the map, there should be a large pachinko parlor..."

"I have visual confirmation. Let's go."

I said to Mia-san and was about to start running with Byakuren in the lead.

However, the professor lightly grabbed my shoulder.

"If we're running, I have a convenient tool. Let's use it."

"Yes?"

While I was tilting my head in confusion, she thrust her arm into the empty air. Golden particles spread out softly.

Is that spatial magic? But the flow of mana is different from what Erina-san uses.

Ignoring my puzzled expression, the professor took out ten glowing horseshoes. Then, she tossed them onto the snowy ground.

They split into pairs with strange precision, lining up in a horizontal row like shoes neatly arranged at an entrance.

As I stared, dumbfounded, Professor Arisugawa stood on one of the horseshoes. Then, as mana flowed through it, the horseshoe transformed, integrating with the sandal she was wearing.

"They're disposable and time-limited, but they'll make you faster. Let's go this way."

"Is it a magical tool?"

"I prepared them for just such an occasion. Now, hurry."

"Y-yes, ma'am."

I did as I was told, stepping on a horseshoe and channeling my mana into it. It stuck to my [Arcane Gear]. When I lifted my foot to check, the horseshoe-shaped magical tool had transformed and fused with the sole of my boot, conforming to its shape.

"Everyone has them on. Then, let's go."

"Roger."

Several questions came to mind, but there was no time. I swallowed my questions and started running.

My body was propelled forward with tremendous speed. It seemed to amplify the force of my kicks against the ground.

Despite being on snow and using a magical tool for the first time, it felt strangely natural. It fit my feet so well it was almost eerie.

It seemed to be the same for the other members, and even for Byakuren. We all kicked up snow and took off at a speed faster than a car on the highway.

"Continue straight, then turn right at the large intersection!"

"Right!"

As we sprinted through the swirling snow, Erina-san called out to Aira-san through her earring.

"Paisen! Say something!"

"Don't you think that's a bit of an unreasonable demand, Erina-kun?!"

"Aira. In your situation, it's better to keep talking. From the sounds of it, there are no guards, are there?"

"Oh, that's what you mean. Well then, I have some good news and bad news I just noticed."

"Tell us both at once."

"OK. I used [Appraisal] on the area, and it seems this birdcage slowly drains the mana of whoever's inside. It doesn't look like we're going to be eaten right away, but the drained mana is being funneled to a single point. It seems there's something incredibly nasty here with terrible fuel efficiency. Be careful."

"Understood."

Draining mana, huh.

From my experience so far, only a boss monster came to mind. It was either an enemy that draws mana from elsewhere to operate, like the Demon, or as Aira-san said, one with simply poor fuel efficiency.

Either way, if it required a lot of mana, it would be a troublesome opponent. I mentally raised my guard.

Even with the poor visibility in the blizzard, I could tell from the arrangement of the buildings and traffic lights that this was the intersection Mia-san had mentioned.

"We're turning right!"

"Got it!"

We shouted to each other over the strengthening wind and kept running.

As we moved forward, consciously ignoring the red stains scattered on the snow, Erina-san issued a warning.

"Something is heading this way from our direction of travel! A lot of them! More than fifty!"

"Judging by the direction, it must be the 'nest's' interception force. Kyouta-kun, sis, do you have a plan?"

"...I don't think we can coordinate properly with this group."

"I agree. I think so too."

"So."

I took a deep breath, and the cold wind chilled my lungs.

I roared, as if to expel all the air tainted with the smell of blood.

"Byakuren will support Mia-san! Everyone else, crush the enemy on your own judgment and advance! We'll slaughter every last one of them!!"

I consciously reignited the fire in my brain, which had started to calm down.

Who in their right mind would dive into a dragon's nest? I was just an adventurer.

Therefore, I needed to go mad. As luck would have it, I had more than enough reason to be enraged.

I kicked off the snowy ground and launched into the air. Kicking off the wind to accelerate further, the power of the horseshoe-shaped magical tool activated here as well.

Thank goodness. The difference in turning performance could be overcome with speed.

"GGGGAAAAAAA───!!"

"GEEEET OOOOUUUUT OF MY WAAAAAY!!"

Sword in hand, I charged into the approaching swarm of Cuelebres.