Crown of the Wonderland ①
Leaving the mysterious and solemn Great Temple, I found a living hell waiting for me.
Since the Great Temple is at the highest point, I can survey this Innermost Area to some extent.
Six giant Mimics surround the area on all four sides.
There’s a familiar Mimic Box—the Puppet Box.
I don’t recognize the others. Their box colors and shapes are different, so I can tell they’re distinct.
Are there different types?
“Wait, the location of that Puppet Box is—!?”
Isn’t that near the Encampment?
Are Ax-san and the others okay?
For now, I carefully wrapped the weakened Mineha-san in an unused handkerchief.
Then, having no other choice, I carefully placed her in my pouch and started searching for Ax-san and the others.
But I can’t make a big show of it. Quietly, slowly, and cautiously, I leave the Great Temple.
Countless puppets and Mobile Mimics are already wandering the vicinity.
Stationary Mimics are also scattered about. They’re needlessly ornate, making them easy to spot.
Furthermore, Skeletons, Lizardmen, Kobolds, Slimes, and other Monsters are roaming around.
For some reason, tentacles are sprouting from various places too.
According to [Danger Detection], it’s a danger zone colored bright red and black. It truly is hell.
Just a little while ago, there was almost nothing here.
I somehow managed to reach the vicinity of the western Temple District.
There’s a deep, straight, artificial trench running vertically, packed with various white buildings as if filling it.
Nearby, the passages are filled with rubble. There are many ruins.
Since it’s a trench, there’s no entrance at ground level. You have to descend stairs from above to enter.
It’s a strange town.
According to Alexander-san, the Temple District is a town for believers.
Apparently, the families of believers and priests used to live there.
And the priests themselves lived in the residential quarters of the temple, or so I heard.
Passing through the Temple District, I cautiously advance along the rubble-filled passage, hiding behind debris.
“Still, what in the world happened— Whoa!”
A Mobile Mimic suddenly attacked, so I eliminated it with [Vanish].
Then, some puppets spotted me. I defeated several while fleeing.
Puppets are easier to defeat than Mimics. I can even take them down with my Knife.
“…I wonder if they’re safe.”
I’m getting anxious. I want to get back quickly, but with the distance and all these obstacles, it’s taking time.
“Hm?”
Suddenly, I heard the clash of swords. Someone’s fighting. Is it Ax-san?
Hm? What’s that? A sword is dancing in the air above the rubble.
Ah, that integrally formed Blade is—!?
“…Sky Form… Subaru… Keraino Blade.”
It was a right-angled slash, curving in a way impossible for a normal sword trajectory.
It cut down several puppets at once.
Wait, that technique, that voice! Could it be!?
“…Nn. Lupinus… I leave it to you…”
“Now! Bid!”
“Me!? Ahh, geez, you work people too hard!”
Hearing voices from behind, I turned around just as someone leaped directly over me.
In mid-air, they fired countless arrows from a shortbow.
Several shots hit the Mimics and puppets, felling a few of them.
These three… who are they?
First, the sleepy-looking beautiful girl with shining, short, light pink hair is Liv-san.
She’s wearing a black jacket over that spacey white bodysuit that still seems to clash with the world’s setting.
Second, a beautiful Elf woman clad in white full-body armor, carrying a large round shield on her back.
Who is she? Ah, it’s Lupinus-san.
I haven’t seen her since that time I spotted her in town.
And third, the Holland Lop-eared girl who jumped over me.
I don’t recognize this girl at all.
A black-haired rabbit-kin. She has large blue eyes, freckles, and a charming, cute face.
She wears a leather gauntlet on her right arm, a blue jumper over a yellow shirt—light attire.
And she’s wearing black spats.
They aren’t exactly spats, but considering the material, stretchiness, thinness, and tight fit, they’re quite similar, so that’s what I call them.
The tail visible from her spats is, for some reason, white and round.
She was called Bid. She must be a Seeker too.
Um, I think she’s a member of that other group that was participating.
But still, why are they here…?
They should be in the Dungeon in the city of Hydrangea.
They’re supposed to be subjugating the anomaly there.
So why are they in the Innermost Area of an unrelated Dungeon?
“No, wait…”
This mysterious development. The suddenness feels familiar somehow.
Huh, where’s Ms. Pachira?
“Nn… Well… done. Bid…”
“You managed to clear the path, at least.”
“Ahh, geez, what’s going on? Where are we? Where’s the leader? Where are Crouton and Romomo!”
“Nn… Pachira… is also… not here.”
Right. Ms. Pachira isn’t here. Why?
“That’s what we’d like to know. Anyway, we need to find Pachira and Aegis-san’s group and rendezvous with Lagaro-san’s team. We can’t afford to be held up here.”
“Come to think of it, I felt like someone was right below me when I jumped.”
“It wasn’t a puppet?”
“…Mistaken identity…”
She’s talking about me.
I hid instantly and missed my chance to reveal myself.
I ended up observing them from within the rubble.
What should I do? When should I come out?
“Really? Looked like a kid, though.”
“It wasn’t a puppet?”
“…Mistaken identity…”
“You think so? Ah, it’s Pachira!”
Ms. Pachira?
Where they were looking, there indeed… was Ms. Pachira.
Light green, waist-length hair with white streaks.
Cat ears peeked out from gaps in her hair, one eye was hidden by her hair, and she wore a large, wide-brimmed hat.
She wore a pure white robe, a blue jacket fastened with a large black belt.
She wore a white long skirt with a bold blue line down the middle. Kinda stylish.
She held a wooden staff with a jewel embedded at its tip.
Two white tails, one long and one short, swayed gently.
The beautiful Cat Beastman girl, Ms. Pachira.
I hadn’t seen her in a while. She looked well.
She waved and ran towards them.
Behind her—a giant black box Mimic emerged as if rising from the shadows on the ground.
“Pachi!”
“…!?”
“Behind you!”
Before I knew it, I had leaped out from the rubble.
The three girls were surprised by the giant black box Mimic, and even more astonished when I appeared.
But none of that mattered.
Activating the Relic [The Silent One], I dove in just as Ms. Pachira was about to be devoured.
No matter what, given the timing and speed, saving her was impossible.
In that case, I’d get eaten with her, protect her inside, and defeat this thing.
“Where is this…”
Inside the Mimic, it was pitch black.
Furthermore, forget left and right; there was no up or down either.
I could tell I was floating. It felt like being underwater.
And the only thing that existed, the only thing that was clear,
was the feel and warmth of Ms. Pachira’s body.
Her tails wrapped around my legs and body.
“W-Wof…?”
(Wof… Wof…)
“Ms. Pachira…?”
What… is this… My senses… consciousness… Damn it. So it’s that kind of Mimic.
This thing is probably exactly what it sounds like—a Mimic Black Box.
It likely gradually absorbs you into the darkness.
This is bad. Right now, I have no way to counter this.
(…Wo…f…)
At this rate, Ms. Pachira will disappear…?
Mineha-san too… No.
“I won’t let that happen!”
I focus.
The Relic [The Silent One] calms me and guides me to the optimal solution.
I see. So it can be used like this too.
Then, there’s no hesitation.
For just an instant, I used the Relic [Generous].
Immediately, I activated [Phantasmagoria].
Countless [Vanish] shots were fired, piercing the Black Box.
The darkness shattered, and the blue sky shone down on Ms. Pachira and me.