Chapter 129: Left Behind
“Dad? Mom?”
Tina suddenly stood up and looked around.
“Huh?”
As I was dismantling the Giant Rat, I noticed the absence of the two. The restroom? No, the butler is missing too.
“They went down to check,” Retze said.
“Down?”
“Yeah, we’re going back up.”
“Why?”
I returned Retze’s statement with a question, only to have my foot stepped on.
“…When Dad and Mom go quiet, it usually means they’re doing something dangerous.”
Tina, clutching the hem of her jacket, looked like she was about to cry.
“Eh?”
What kind of dangerous thing could they be doing at Gold Rank?
“If you cry and make a fuss, the Demon Beasts will come. If you don’t want to worry them, you need to hold it in,” Ash told Tina.
His blunt, scary expression probably reflected his uncertainty about how to handle the situation. Retze stepping on my foot was likely to prevent the kids from asking unnecessary questions.
But Tina, being sharp, caught on immediately.
The Three-Horned Giant Rat.
The Three-Horn appeared and began to survey the area.
The reason Demon Beasts are born is that Spirits, who have been forcefully drained of their power and wounded, become tainted with darkness and attach themselves to animals and such.
The Black Spirit prefers to possess creatures that are easier to be around rather than resorting to cannibalism, so most Demon Beasts born are of the Two-Horned variety.
A Black Demon Beast is either one that has grown stronger by consuming other Black Spirits or one that was originally a strong individual that became possessed. Alternatively, it could be a Demon Beast that has gained strength.
Once a body is obtained, it doesn’t become drastically stronger immediately, and considering the likelihood of a strong individual being possessed, it’s quite low.
When magic is frequently used in wars, the number of wounded Spirits increases, leading to strong Spirits being born through cannibalism before reaching the Forest, but due to distance, they usually stop at Two-Horns.
However, if large-scale magic is used and many Spirits are consumed, Three-Horns will appear. While an increase in Three-Horns can sometimes lead to a flood, they tend to lack cohesion and are quickly subdued.
But when a more powerful type of Black Demon Beast emerges, it seems to attract more Demon Beasts, leading to a frenzy where they attack humans and won’t stop until either they or the Black Demon Beast dies.
The appearance of Three-Horns is a precursor to the emergence of Black Demon Beasts. If there’s only one, it’s fine, but if there are many, it’s wise to suspect the presence of Black Demon Beasts.
They probably went to investigate that. And it seems I was left out of the loop. I noticed Retze’s lantern was missing; he must have given it to the three of them.
For the two Gold Rank individuals and the butler, the strength of the Three-Horns isn’t a threat, but the darkness and this wall are obstacles.
Especially since Dinoss uses fire due to the Spirit he’s possessed by. If he uses a large fire in the narrow mine shaft, it could endanger the two of them, limiting their actions.
Well, my assumption that he uses fire magic could be wrong; it might be body enhancement magic instead.
So, are Dean and the others leaving me behind because they’re confident or because they see me as a hindrance? Given that they left without a word, it’s probably the latter.
I stood at the edge of the Vertical Shaft where Dinoss and the others seemed to have descended, peering inside. The nearby area was illuminated by the torchlight, revealing the support beams and planks, but the darkness swallowed everything beyond that.
As I gazed, I extended my range of Exploration. I sensed several small presences, the three of Dinoss, and just ahead, a multitude of presences.
“Dad…”
“Mom…”
“It’s okay; both Dad and Mom are strong.”
Tina reassured the twins, who looked like they were about to cry.
Ah, it seems there really are good sisters in this world.
“Yeah, it’s fine. Dad and Mom, and big brother too, are all strong. I’ll just go check on them.”
I smiled at Tina and the twins before leaping backward.
“Jean!”
“Are you an idiot?!”
Standing at the edge of the Vertical Shaft, I fell straight into the hole. I heard Ash call my name and someone else scream, but the wind rushing past my ears drowned out everything else.
It’s pretty deep, but as I fell, I named the new gust of wind, and before hitting the ground, I was pushed upward by a wind from below.
I ran toward the presence of Dinoss and the others. I pulled out the Zanzenken from [Storage], holding it close to my waist as I ran.
While running, I named the small remnants of the Fire and Light Spirits—probably the lantern’s flame or the remnants of Dinoss’s Spirit’s power.
Let’s just ignore the names like Mine Shaft One and Mine Shaft Two.
“Use my magic power! ‘Light’!”
The surroundings brightened, but I didn’t stop moving.
Even without naming it, I could use magic by borrowing power from the Spirits around me, but there were only a few Fire and Light Spirits here. I didn’t want to forcibly draw out their power.
Ah, Dinoss and the others are about to reach the horde of Demon Beasts. Retze’s detailed explanations of body parts and his cheerful stories for the kids were probably just a way to buy time to prevent them from following.
I’m strong! Probably!
“What!?”
“Light?”
“Lord Jean!?”
I dashed into the narrow mine shaft where the three were engaged in battle, taking down the Giant Rat.
“No leaving anyone behind!”
By the time I arrived, I had named enough to illuminate a fairly wide area. It was just bright enough to see, which was likely due to my focus on a broad range.
“Haha! Well, if it’s bright, it’s our advantage!”
“Enemies aside, not being able to see my feet was tough.”
In a room about twelve tatami mats wide, with corridors on all sides, the results of my Exploration indicated that there were several more rooms beyond the corridors.
The ground had holes here and there, likely made by larvae or worms, but I didn’t mind. Compared to chasing Black Spirits in the Forest while fending off Demon Beasts, this was easy.
Prioritizing speed, I moved with my toes pointed forward, stepping in. I slashed through the rats and, using the power of the Stone Spirit, I took down the bothersome larvae with “Pebble.”
“Hey, you! Not only are you strong, but you’re actually pretty skilled!?”
“Oh dear.”
“You’re usually so careless…”
I slashed down the enemy in front of me and then cut upwards at the one to the side. Even after defeating them, enemies kept pouring in from the corridors.
Now that I think about it, aside from the One-Horned Rabbit and Wolf I defeated in front of others, the only other time was when I took down a Fox in front of Retze. That one ended up being a disaster due to the blood splatter.
With Exploration, I could grasp the presence of enemies, the existence of hidden foes, and where Dinoss and the others were. I had practiced until I could maintain constant deployment and understand the results without needing to check.
I moved while positioning myself so as not to interfere with the three’s attacks, taking down enemies.
Narrow? The trees in the Forest were closer together. At first, I had ended up cutting down trees along with the enemies, causing quite the environmental disaster.
Besides, this narrowness felt like the width of a mansion I had stormed in a period drama!