Tsukaishi ⑦ – Chimera Variant.
The Good Flame Boar spat fire from its mouth, and Lupinus-san blocked it.
Liv-san tried to approach but was hindered by its tusks.
Pachira-san conjured a tornado, catching the Good Flame Boar’s flames within it.
Whoa, a flame tornado.
“Amazing.”
“It’s not good to look away, you know.”
“Sorry.”
Shiro-san scolded me.
Shiro-san and I were surrounded by a pack of Firewolves.
The Good Flame Boar had brought them along. They were wolf monsters, burning red.
There was actually an excuse for why I ended up looking away during the fight.
It was because the Firewolves were just surrounding us and not doing anything.
They kept a certain distance, wary, merely growling without taking action.
Just as I readied myself, thinking it might be better to attack first, Shiro-san stopped me.
“I told you to wait, but you should always maintain tension in a battle.”
“Yes.”
“At the very least, they won’t move until the fight over there is finished. Wait.”
“Will they move once it’s over?”
“Yes, they’ll definitely run away.”
No matter how you looked at it, the Good Flame Boar had to be the Firewolves’ boss or guardian.
If it gets taken down, they’ll flee, huh.
“So, about not fighting them…”
“If they’re going to run away, there’s no need, right?”
“That’s true.”
Now that she mentioned it, well, yeah.
Shiro-san paid it no mind and looked up at the Good Flame Boar, saying.
“That boar. It’s not a monster from this floor, is it?”
“Indeed…”
It wasn’t exactly a tough fight, but ‘Torquetum’ was having some trouble.
Besides, the Good Flame Boar was using a Relic.
By the way, what’s with the name Good Flame Boar?
“A Stray.”
“What’s that?”
“It happens sometimes. Monsters that don’t match the floor’s strength wander around.”
“…Sometimes?”
“Yes, sometimes. If your luck is bad, that is.”
So, our luck is bad right now… Ah, they defeated it.
“Hah… hah… why was that thing here!?”
“Nn… too strong… tired…”
“Hah… hah… honestly, running into a Stray of all things, what bad luck!”
“Good work, everyone.”
I handed small vials to the three of them.
Pachira-san, upon receiving the vial, had a conflicted expression.
“This is… that stuff, isn’t it?”
“Nn… energy… hundredfold.”
“My fatigue is vanishing all at once!”
“I think this every time, but… is this really okay?”
Pachira-san seemed hesitant to drink it.
I could kind of understand how she felt.
Lupinus-san and Liv-san didn’t seem to mind, but she probably thought it was cheating.
It wasn’t really cheating, though.
Still, I could understand feeling like having your fatigue vanish instantly was unfair.
Urged on by the other two, Pachira-san drank it.
I lightly rinsed the empty vials and collected them.
I’ll refill them and give them back later. Although, I’ve already given them separate supplies.
Shiro-san tilted her head.
“What’s that?”
“It’s Elixir.”
“…………Do you still have more?”
“Yes. I do.”
I have an infinite supply. I handed a vial to Shiro-san too.
I have tons of vials filled with Elixir.
Since getting it from the Egg takes time when you need it, I keep a large stock divided into vials.
Shiro-san gazed curiously at the vial I handed her.
“Well then, let’s g—”
“Help meeee!”
“Someone, anyone!?”
Suddenly, shouts were heard. Both were male voices.
“What was that?”
“Nn… nearby…”
I used [Danger Detection].
I saw countless red dots surrounding two white dots.
The direction is… that way.
“This way!”
“Wait a moment.”
I hurried.
It was because I saw the red dots closing in on the white dots.
Gotta hurry— There they are.
Two male Seekers were surrounded by a pack of Firewolves.
The two were fighting back with swords in hand and had defeated several, but there were too many Firewolves.
I joined the fray with Agaro’s Knife Modified in hand.
“I’ll lend a hand!”
“Oh, thanks!”
“A kid?”
“Y-Yes. I’m a Tier V Seeker.”
“Same as us!”
“Whoa, he’s taking them down one after another…”
Using [The Silent One], I precisely took down the Firewolves.
At this rate, I probably wouldn’t need to use [Knife Magic].
The male Seekers also fought hard, and the remaining Firewolves fled.
“Phew, we’re saved.”
“Man, I thought we were done for…”
It was a blond male Elf and a black-haired male Human.
They looked to be in their early twenties. Their appearance was that of typical Seekers.
The two sheathed their swords and turned to face me.
“Thanks a lot.”
“Honestly, if you hadn’t shown up, we’d be dead…”
“No, no, I’m just glad you’re safe.”
The two of them and I shook hands.
“I’m James.”
“I’m Johnson.”
“I’m Woff.”
When I introduced myself, the two looked at each other.
“The Witch’s disciple!”
“Uh, yes.”
“Whoa… First time seeing one.”
It was kind of embarrassing.
The blond male Elf was James.
The black-haired male Human was Johnson, huh.
Their voices sounded kinda familiar, like I’d heard them somewhere before.
James-san put Johnson-san in a headlock and laughed.
“This guy’s a fan of the Witch, y’know.”
“H-Hey! It’s not like that!”
“A fan?”
“You bought one of The Impregnable bromides during the last festival, didn’t you? You were thrilled when you got the Witch!”
“You were happy too when you got ‘The Immortal White Rose Princess’!”
“…The Impregnable…?”
I knew about the bromides.
I also knew they were pretty much the same as in my previous life’s memories.
The Impregnable?
“You don’t know? Or maybe it’s precisely because you’re the Witch’s disciple?”
“Y-Yes. What is this ‘The Impregnable’?”
“It refers to the eight female Tier I Seekers who absolutely won’t fall for any man.”
“…………Eh?”
Fall for… in that sense.
For some reason, James said cheerfully.
“— ‘The Witch of the Canopy’・’The Immortal White Rose Princess’・’Clean Cut Ittousai’・’Autodoll’・’The Sensible Beast’・’The Silent Musician’・’The Seeker Knights Commander’・’The Green Guardian Child’. Those are the eight.”
“…………”
“What’s wrong?”
“N-No, it’s nothing.”
I broke out in a cold sweat. About half of those eight… were acquaintances of mine.
“By the way, ah, is Woff okay?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“What are you doing here—”
“So this is where you were.”
Shiro-san appeared, looking slightly peeved.
“Ah, Shiro-san.”
“!?”
“Heh!? Th-th-th-th, ‘The Immortal White Rose Princess’…!?”
“Who are these two?”
“They’re the ones who were screaming earlier. They were being attacked by a pack of Firewolves.”
“I see. If they’re saved, then that’s fine. Let’s go.”
“Y-Yes!”
Right. I turned back around.
“Um, James-san. Johnson-san. It was fun talking with you.”
“O-Oh.”
“Ah, yeah.”
“Well then, see you later. Hm?”
Shiro-san took my hand and led me away, pulling lightly.
“H-Hey, did you see that?”
“The real deal… First time seeing her.”
“He was holding her hand at the end.”
“Their fingers were intertwined.”
“…Intertwined fingers… S-So that’s the Witch’s disciple.”
“The Witch’s disciple is amazing… huh.”
Later, when I met them at the Cidre Tavern, for some reason they called me ‘Woff-san’.
“U-Um… my hand…”
“You don’t like it?”
“It’s not that I don’t like it, but…”
The hand holding mine was smaller than mine, soft, cool, and felt nice.
Moreover, she intertwined her fingers, making me keenly aware that we were holding hands properly.
“Shiro remembers that day well.”
“That day?”
“When we ate together.”
“Milk Cheese Rice.”
“I like that.”
“You had seconds, didn’t you?”
“It was the first time I’d tasted something so gentle.”
“Shall we go again sometime?”
It seemed more crowded than before, though, and we’d probably end up in the VIP Room again.
Shiro-san giggled softly.
“You know… even before being the Witch’s disciple, you’re a strange person.”
“R-Really?”
“Chive’s expression… that attitude… I’d never seen it before.”
“Chive-san?”
“Munieca too. That iron mask became quite expressive.”
“Ahaha…”
“The Witch, too, yes. She’s changed.”
Shiro-san was looking at me, but her gaze seemed to be fixed on somewhere far away.
Then she let go of my hand. Without missing a beat, I grabbed her hand again.
Shiro-san looked surprised. Her pure white eyes widened like a cat’s.
“Because… I wanted to hold hands a little longer.”
It was how I truly felt. But even I was surprised by my own actions.
Grabbing a girl’s hand again after she let go… it was so clingy.
“You really are a strange person. Witch’s disciple.”
Shiro-san intertwined her fingers again, looking amused.
Floor 10.
The Keeper, Salamandra, was finished off really easily.
Lupinus-san defended against Salamandra’s fangs of flame.
Pachira-san used wind to blow out all the fire covering Salamandra’s body. And then.
“Nn… Cosmos Form… Pleiades… Maia Blade…”
Liv-san’s red slash cut the now-exposed Salamandra clean in two.
For just a moment, the sight reminded me of grilled eel kabayaki.
I didn’t want to eat the Salamandra, but the image just popped into my head.
The combination of ‘Torquetum’.
This last battle, in particular, had a truly flowing beauty to it.
Shiro-san praised them too.
Things went smoothly after that too.
As expected, they’d been here many times and were used to it, so progress was smooth.
And then we arrived. Floor 13.
It was a maze surrounded by black lava walls. The identical walls made it even more confusing.
“If only this place wasn’t a maze.”
“Nn… complex… bizarre…”
“We always lose them because we get hindered by the maze.”
“Ah, I see.”
“There are a lot of Chimeras, too. Well, unlike the Pyrochimeras on the lower floors, they don’t use Relics, though.”
“…Chimeras… I hate them…”
“The Chimera Variants are infuriating as well. Their [Evil Eye] is truly detestable, it is.”
As we walked through the maze, Torquetum’s complaints didn’t stop.
Hearing that, Shiro-san, who apparently also had issues with Chimeras, joined in, turning it into a bad-mouthing session.
They bad-mouthed Frost Chimeras relentlessly. Just how much did they hate them?
While listening and nodding, I used [Danger Detection]. Just in case, I also activated [Wheel of Fortune].
Here and there, there were green, yellow, and blue lights.
Treasure Chests, maybe? Hmm. They’re blocked by walls, so I can’t easily get to them.
“Ah! There are many enemies ahead!”
Multiple red reactions ahead. A little further off, there’s a single black one.
Shiro-san and Torquetum, who for some reason had been discussing sweets, shifted into combat stances.
In a suddenly open area, there was a pack of Chimeras, and deeper in, I could see a pure white Chimera.
An Albino Chimera. It’s a Chimera Variant.