The Silent One ⑨
Alexander-san spoke quietly.
“The Dungeon Anomalies are all Dungeon Monsters, ya see. There are various types, and as you all know, Dungeon Monsters and us natural Monsters are vastly different. It’s about whether they’re alive or not, ya see.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“From our perspective, the Monsters that appear in Dungeons aren’t alive, ya see.”
“I recall they’re artificial bodies given pseudo-personalities to act like Monsters.”
“From our perspective, we can’t tell the difference, though.”
Mineha-san glanced at Alexander-san and spoke sarcastically.
“Mineha-san, watch your tone.”
“Nahahahaha! Indeed, the Fairial young lady speaks the truth. Dungeon Anomalies aren’t living beings either, ya see. An Anomaly refers to a defective or damaged version of a certain Dungeon Monster. It’s a non-conforming version of a certain Monster that occurred due to some kind of malfunction in the Dungeon. That’s what an Anomaly is, ya see.”
Malfunction… so like an error?
Do Dungeons have systems or something?
“It’s a Dungeon Monster, right?”
“That’s right, ya see.”
“What kind of Dungeon Monster is it?”
“It’s a Monster called a Dungeon Lord, ya see.”
“A Dungeon Lord!?”
“No way, could it be?”
“That’s surprising.”
I was surprised too.
A Dungeon Lord. A Monster ranging from high Gold Rank to low Jewel Rank.
Dungeons are broadly divided into two categories.
Large-scale Dungeons and small-scale Dungeons.
Small-scale Dungeons have a ‘Lowest Floor’.
Large-scale Dungeons have an ‘Innermost Area’.
The Dungeon we explored was small-scale.
A Dungeon Lord is a monarch residing in the ‘Innermost Area’.
Not the ‘Lowest Floor’, but the ‘Innermost Area’.
Therefore, they aren’t found in small-scale Dungeons.
A Dungeon Lord. Jewel Rank is a First Class matter.
They say even a Tier I Seeker would have trouble defeating one solo.
“A defective Dungeon Master, maybe?”
“Hoss. Don’t look at me. It’s true I’m the prodigal son.”
Rell-san… is it really true? Mineha-san looked exasperated.
“You’re not wrong, are you?”
“It’s troublesome when you state the obvious like my Eleventh Sister.”
“Just how many sisters do you have in your family?!”
That was a very valid question.
Alexander-san chuckled at the exchange.
“Well, since it’s a damaged body, its rank drops to mid-Gold Rank or high Silver Rank, though.”
“Still a formidable enemy, no doubt.”
“That’s plenty strong.”
“Yeah, it is.”
Mid-Gold Rank or high Silver Rank… even Tier II Seekers wouldn’t fight that solo.
I worried about this unexpected revelation. Mr. Agaro and the others… would they be okay?
They should be fine, right? Mr. Agaro is that strong, after all.
Besides, Ms. Megadia, who’s on the same level as Mr. Agaro, is also there.
And Ms. Pachira’s party, Torquetum.
There are other skilled Seekers there too.
They’ll be fine. Yeah.
Still, to think the Anomaly is a defective version of a boss from the Dungeon’s Innermost Area…
Speaking of defective, this Dungeon is like that too, isn’t it?
Alexander-san’s theory.
This Dungeon was shattered by earthquakes caused by the Anomaly.
And now, due to another earthquake, this Dungeon is trying to become whole again.
Why is there a connection between the Anomaly and this Dungeon?
“Alexander. What kind of Monster do you think this Anomaly is?”
“Let me see, ya see. Judging from the Mimic Puppet Box and the like, I speculate it’s likely The Fool, ya see. Because it commands Mimic-type Monsters, ya see.”
“The Fool… I recall it was a humanoid Monster.”
“First time I’m hearin’ ’bout it.”
“I don’t know it either. My Fifteenth Sister would probably know.”
“Monster knowledge isn’t useless knowledge, you know. All I know is that it’s humanoid.”
“I know it. The Fool. That’s the jester Monster, right?”
“That’s right, ya see.”
The Fool. A humanoid Monster. It dresses like a jester.
Apparently, its classification is technically Undead.
“A jester? Like those street performers or clowns?”
“I saw one once at something called a circus. My Tenth Sister got banned after conquering all the food stalls.”
“Just how much did she eat? What is it, Wof? That look on your face like ‘you’re one to talk’.”
“I didn’t say anything!?”
Though I was definitely thinking it!
“A clown. So that’s what it is.”
“The one I saw in the Royal Capital was balancing on a ball, holding a wine bottle in his mouth while juggling knives.”
“Isn’t that amazing, regardless of the clown part?”
“That’s about right, ya see. I’ve fought The Fool several times, and it uses a lot of bizarre attacks, ya see. Especially the Crown’s invisible juggling is a threat, ya see.”
“Invisible?”
“Yep. If it hits you even though you can’t see it, it’s over, ya see.”
What kind of juggling is that?
Mineha-san sighed.
“I’d rather not fight something weird.”
“Well, ‘weird’ is certainly one way to put it.”
“Straightforward is best.”
“Exactly. I’d rather not deal with someone like my Thirteenth Sister.”
I wonder what his sister is like.
Hoss-san sighed.
“That’s how it was for us. Next, we wanna hear Ax’s story.”
“Right. Ax. You seem to have softened up quite a bit.”
“You think so?”
“Did somethin’ happen with Mineha?”
“Don’t say weird things. She’s been my mother’s prized disciple since she was ten.”
“Excuse me. Even at ten, I was a lady.”
“You look the part when you use your Relic.”
“That just made me bigger.”
“Made you bigger… huh.”
“What is it? Got a problem?”
“Especially your chest got bigger.”
“Ax-san. Any further is unwise.”
I stopped him. Ax-san looked puzzled.
“Hm? What’s wrong, Wof?”
“What’s goin’ on?”
“Oh, too bad. I can’t slap him now.”
She said with a bright smile.
Yep, Mineha-san. She looked ready to slap him just now.
“H-Hey?”
“That was Ax’s fault. Getting bigger is the Fairial’s Relic, right? An innate Relic that enlarges her body and belongings. It was [ Fairy Avatar ], wasn’t it?”
“You know quite a bit.”
“My Fifteenth Sister is knowledgeable.”
“Information about races isn’t useless knowledge either!”
“I see.”
“Haaah, what’s all this about… Guess I’ll talk about that too. Right. Wof.”
“Yes?”
Suddenly, Ax-san wore a hesitant expression.
I instinctively braced myself. What could it be?
“About you… uh… it’s about you, about that Relic…”
“Ah, it’s fine. Please tell me.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s alright.”
Well, if it’s just about that.
Rell-san and Hoss-san probably had some idea already.
They weren’t that surprised when they heard I had a Relic.
And then the conversation turned to the Relic Plate.
“Haaah, what’s the world comin’ to?”
“A consumable Legendary that lets you possess a Relic, huh.”
“Come to think of it, this is a Legendary, isn’t it? Obvious from the effect, though.”
“To think I’d see my first Legendary in this form…”
“Yeah. Thought it’d be much later.”
“Hoh. A Relic Plate, is it?”
Alexander-san twirled his kiseru.
“Do you know something about it, Alexander-san?”
“I’ve heard tell of consumable Legendaries like that, ya see. This is the first time I’ve seen one with my own eyes, ya see.”
Even Alexander-san hadn’t seen one before?
Ax-san stared at the Relic Plate in his hand and declared.
“I’ll say this first. I won’t use it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’ll aim for First Class just like this, without a Relic.”
I could feel strong determination in those words.
Mineha-san smiled faintly.
“That path is no easy feat, you know.”
“If I don’t go that far, I can’t surpass my mother.”
“You’ve got guts. Surpassing my master is one of my major goals too.”
The other being her mother, an active First Class Seeker, huh?
That’s no easy feat either.
Hoss and Rell looked at each other and spoke.
“I don’t need it either.”
“Me neither.”
“You guys…!? Are you sure? You can get the Relic you’ve always dreamed of! The Relic you wanted so badly you couldn’t stand it! You can finally get it!?”
That sounded like Ax-san’s true feelings.
And at the same time, it was likely Rell-san’s and Hoss-san’s true feelings too.
The undisguised, true craving of the Fang of Thunder, a Seeker party without Relics.
Mineha-san and I remained silent. Then Rell-san pushed up his glasses and said.
“Hmph, the moment you, the one who wanted it most, said you didn’t need it, I decided I didn’t need it either.”
“Me too. If you guys don’t need it, it’d feel weird for just me to have a Relic. Besides, if we got Relics, we wouldn’t be the Fang of Thunder anymore. Did ya forget, Ax? We don’t need Relics. The three of us, without Relics, will aim for the top. That’s what we swore, right?”
Hoss-san said this with a wry smile.
Ax-san trembled.
“Rell. Hoss… Ah, yeah. That’s right. I’d forgotten.”
“Don’t forget, Leader.”
“Yeah, really, Leader.”
Ax-san wiped the tears welling in his eyes and turned back to me.
“Wof. That’s how it is. We don’t need it. So, I’m giving it back. Thanks.”
“Understood.”
The Relic Plate was returned to me.
I glanced at it and carefully tucked it deep inside my pouch.
I guess it can’t be helped.