Makeshift Wolf Brigade ② – Why Are You Like That.
We proceeded down a corridor with faded, pale blue walls and floors, different from the Sacred Chamber.
“…………”
“……”
“…………”
“……”
We were silent. Mineha went to the front with Liv-san.
Her body remained enlarged, and for some reason, Dagaa was perched on her shoulder.
The air was tense and heavy. It was my fault. Or was it really my fault?
But this couldn’t be helped, or rather, there was no other way.
“…………”
“……”
“……”
“…………”
It’s true I hadn’t told her, but that was because— An unsettling sound came from ahead.
I used the Relic [Danger Detection].
Red… five moving dots. Monsters. They were quite close. We’re about to engage!
What appeared were small demons wearing red pointed hats. Each held a weapon.
Knives… none, I see. Redcaps. But there’s something strange about these ones.
Their skin should have been green like Goblins, but these Redcaps were… earth-colored.
Not rock-like skin, but rough skin literally made of rock.
“Spiral Thrust!”
Mineha suddenly thrust powerfully with her Spear.
The rotating power of her Relic: Spiral pulverized two Redcaps. It was like a drill.
“…Sky Form… Pleiades… Alcyone Blade!…”
Liv-san’s Blade turned black and crushed the remaining three Redcaps as if squashing them.
Incredible. Could it be gravity-based?
“Rock Redcaps, huh? Even for a subspecies, what’s with these?”
Ax-san tilted his head, looking at the remains.
“They weren’t much.”
“Well, yeah, but still. Isn’t this weird?”
“Nn… Indeed… Too unusual.”
It was surprising that monsters like Rock Redcaps even existed.
Mineha grew irritated at everyone’s questions.
“You’re all so noisy. We just need to defeat whatever appears, right?”
“Hey, you…”
“Hmph.”
Mineha glanced at me for a moment. But she said nothing and walked ahead.
After that, we encountered bronze Goblins. Iron Orcs. Mithril alloy Gremlins.
And even liquid metal Mothmen. Mothmen?
All these monsters were pulverized by Mineha’s [Spiral].
Even the liquid metal ones were completely undone; I almost felt sorry for the monsters.
Mineha showed absolutely no mercy. Her method of piercing and crushing was forceful, filled with anger.
She was taking her frustration out on the Dungeon monsters. It was obvious to anyone watching.
Ax-san picked up fragments of the metal monsters, saying they’d fetch a good price, then suddenly muttered.
“No matter how you look at it, this is strange.”
“Truly… A parade… of subspecies…”
“And it’s a lineup of monsters you wouldn’t expect even in an earth-type Dungeon.”
“Na?”
I thought about it.
The clearly unnatural subspecies of Dungeon monsters. This was probably…
“Perhaps they might be Hayyarn’s creations.”
“Creations?”
“I looked into it. About the alchemist Hayyarn.”
Hayyarn was an alchemist from the distant past. Apparently, the nursery rhyme of the three eggs is famous.
Perhaps because of that rhyme, he’s treated as if he didn’t actually exist.
So, most information about Hayyarn is like legend.
Things like building Dungeons. Or creating monsters.
Or defeating Lesser Treasure-class monsters solo.
Or creating gold from pebbles. Or building a fortress city overnight.
Or developing Relics, and various other things.
That’s why it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s a fairy tale.
Hayyarn. Who exactly was he?
And what was his dream?
“So you’re saying Hayyarn created monsters? Are alchemists really that amazing?”
“Nn… Alchemist… If so… possible…”
“Seriously? Wait, did Hayyarn actually exist?”
“He existed, you know. Because one of the three eggs is actually right here,”
Mineha said sarcastically, looking at me.
“…………”
I fell silent. I couldn’t say anything.
“Hey now, Mineha. That’s enough,” Ax-san said, as if he couldn’t stand it anymore.
“What is it?”
“You should understand too. Why Woff kept quiet. If I were in the same position… I might not tell Hoss and Rell either.”
“Nn… Liv also… kept quiet…”
“I know that!”
“Then why?”
“Even if I understand… there are things I still don’t understand!”
“Mineha!?”
“Na!”
Dropping Dagaa, she ran ahead. I instinctively chased after her.
The Orb of Light followed, illuminating my path.
I saw her. It was Mineha.
“Mineha-san!”
“Shut up! Don’t follow me!”
“It’s dangerous in the dark!”
“Shut up! Someone like you… huff… huff… ngh.”
I caught up. Breathing heavily, Mineha also stopped.
“Mineha-san. Um, I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
Mineha stared at me intently, as if glaring.
“About… keeping the Elixir Sacred Egg a secret for so long.”
“—It’s fine. That part is just as Ax said.”
Mineha’s gaze changed. She looked incredibly sad. No.
“Why do you look so lonely?”
“…What are you talking about? I’m not lonely. I’m not sad either.”
That was a lie. Right now, her eyes held a pleading look. Why was she like that… Was I making her feel this way?
Had I hurt Mineha this much?
“I’m sorry, Mineha-san.”
“I told you, why are you apologizing?”
I looked straight at Mineha and said,
“I… I don’t want to see you make that face, Mineha-san.”
Hearing this, Mineha’s eyes widened, and she looked extremely troubled.
Then she sighed.
“Hah, what are you saying? If you don’t want me to, then get your act together.”
“I’m sorry.”
She’s right. If I don’t pull myself together, it’s no good.
Mineha sighed deeply.
“Hey, Woff.”
“Yes.”
“You… Fine. Never mind.”
“Mineha-san?”
“It’s cruel of me to try and make you understand when I don’t even understand it myself.”
“…”
What was she talking about?
Then, Ax-san and Liv-san caught up, and they both scolded Mineha and me.
Also, Liv-san was holding Dagaa.
Further ahead, after fighting metal monsters several more times, we arrived.
A black door.
The four of us worked together to open it, entering a room with a black pillar in the center.
At the far end was a blue altar. There was a stone monument with an inscription carved into it.
“Um— It says, ‘Offer the Eternal Egg upon the Altar of the Eternal Chamber.'”
“That’s the second of the three eggs, right? I think…”
“The egg of life that lets any creature live long~♪… Yes. What is it?”
I was surprised that Mineha suddenly started singing.
But her clear voice, like the ringing of a bell, was striking.
Ax-san spoke with admiration.
“Mineha. You. You’re a good singer.”
“Nn… Angel’s… singing voice…”
“It’s not really like that. So, what do we do? Don’t tell me you’re going to say you have the second egg.”
The look in her eyes as she stared at me was frightening.
“That’sさすがに (sasuga ni – as expected /さすがにそれは – that’s a bit much, even for me).”
A chill ran down my spine. That wasn’t a look a ten-year-old girl should have.
“Nn… Then… what should we do…?”
“This means it’s the end of the line here.”
“Well, yeah.”
The two of them were surprisingly nonchalant.
They had probably expected this. But I felt the same way.
Which is why I came prepared for something like this.
“…There is a way.”
“Huh? There’s no way there is.”
“…Hoh.”
“…Is that, perhaps. From the Witch…?”
Ax-san seemed to know something.
He looked uncomfortable.
Well, that’s basically it.