Episode 71: Team Up
“How did it come to this…?”
“You underestimated our Young Lady’s initiative!”
“I’m sorry, I was sworn to secrecy.”
Carlos-san and I slumped our shoulders together. It seemed Kalinka-san was a traitor.
“Hoh-hoh-hoh-hoh!”
“Hmph.”
Lady Evelyn was the one laughing haughtily, and our Young Lady was puffing out her chest with confidence. I really didn’t know when they’d made their move.
“To think you’d actually hire me. I’m impressed.”
“Your Young Ladies are reckless, you know?”
“Well, as long as I get paid, I don’t have a problem with it.”
Those saying that were Grams, who had shown his face the other day, and Brenda, whose exploits I’d been hearing about since she changed her sword recently. And some old guy I didn’t know.
“You guys know each other? I’m Heath, a Rank Five. I’ll be doing the scouting, so nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you… I’m Cladfield, Rank Five.”
“Huh?! You ranked up to Five?! When?! That’s not fair!”
“There’s nothing unfair about it.”
Our Young Lady had been quiet since we found the Dungeon the other day… but today, she told me we were going out.
We met up with Lady Evelyn and made a big move. Before I knew it, we were a large group.
“I’m not happy that old man is with us!”
“I can’t overlook this either, you know.”
“I know that!”
So, there were a lot of members.
First, there was our Young Lady, Ellie-san, her personal escort, and me. Then Lady Evelyn, Kalinka-san, and Carlos-san, plus two Escort Knights separately.
As Adventurers, there were Grams, Brenda, and Heath-san.
A total of 11 people in the party. What are we going to do with such a large group?
“We’re investigating the Dungeon!”
“Ooh!”
Apparently, that’s what we’re doing. Under Lady Evelyn’s command, we marched forward. The Guild’s investigation was already underway, so we skipped the first floor. Lady Evelyn defeated the Monsters that occasionally appeared with magic, and the Young Lady defeated them with her Sword.
Brenda, perhaps because they fought in a similar style, was wide-eyed as she watched the Young Lady’s fighting style.
“Second Floor!”
“Ooh!”
We proceeded smoothly to the second floor. Like the entrance, there was a distorted space, and we stepped into it.
As I had heard, it was a dense Forest. It was quite dark, as if it were set at night.
“I’ll use a lantern.”
“Please do.”
Carlos-san nodded at Heath-san’s words. I also took out a lantern and used it, and one of Lady Evelyn’s Escort Knights took out a lantern as well.
“I smell something.”
“Yeah, it’s a terrible smell.”
“…They’re here already.”
“I guess even without the old man’s warning, you’d know.”
Heath-san, the scout, said with a laugh.
Coming from the front were Undead-type Monsters. So-called Zombies.
“Princess.”
“I know.”
Lady Evelyn was a user of Fire and Lightning magic, so magic was difficult to use in the Forest.
“Haaah!”
“Sei!”
The first to strike were the fast-footed Young Lady and Brenda. I moved to a position where I could follow up if anything happened to the Young Lady. Ellie-san did the same.
“It seems to be mostly humanoids.”
“That’s right. They’re easy to defeat.”
“Yeah!”
The Young Lady and Brenda swung their Swords, defeating the Zombies one after another. Yeah, there was no need for me to interfere.
“Don’t go too far ahead!”
“I know!”
“I know that!”
But I’ll still say it. You don’t have to give the same answer.
“Well, what can I say? You’re going to have a hard time.”
“You don’t have to comfort me.”
Heath-san, isn’t this kind of warning your job?
“The vanguard has many opportunities to shine.”
“That’s how it is for Adventurers. Mages only need to move when the time comes.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. Magic is valuable, after all.”
We’re just teaming up over here.
The number of Zombies gradually increased, but they were being mowed down by the Young Lady and Brenda. Hmm, strong.
“Third floor. It seems to be plant-based and animal-based Monsters again.”
“It’s my turn.”
“Let’s keep going as we are.”
“Yes.”
The third floor also seemed to be a Forest map. However, it was said to be wider than the first and second floors. And it was supposed to be a daytime scene.
What appeared were plant-based Treants and Vine Snakes, Flying Bulbs. Pauldias and Kamoshika.
I don’t want to defeat the Kamoshika. The Kamoshika that appear in the Dungeon come out fully grown, so I can’t keep them.
“Don’t get ahead of me.”
“Got it.”
“Yes, yes.”
In this Dungeon, Grams and Kalinka-san were finally facing Monsters with enough attack power to damage them.
Treants and Pauldias. Treants are Monsters that look just like trees, and they strike with their branches when people approach. They also sometimes shoot Earth-based magic.
Pauldias have horns as hard as iron, and a blow with their weight behind it has the power to distort even an Iron Plate.
Neither is a formidable enemy, but they are relatively well-known Monsters, so caution is required.
“I’m looking forward to it!”
“Don’t drool and look at me like that.”
I wouldn’t roast meat in an unmanaged Dungeon.
And from here on, we need to be careful. The third floor is too wide, and the Guild’s investigation is not complete. It wouldn’t be strange if there were unidentified Monsters.
Well, I don’t think there are any strangely strong ones, given the level of the Monsters…
“How could they miss something like that?”
“Maybe it just wasn’t there?”
“Even so, the Guild is being too negligent.”
A single Monster looked down on us, flapping its wings with a rustling sound. A Lesser Wyvern.
It’s a weak Monster even among the sub-dragons, but even so, the Monster that bears the name of Dragon is on a different level from other Monsters.
“Young Lady!”
“Don’t stand in front of it!”
“That’s right! And be careful of its tail! It has Poison! Be wary of the position of its face, as its neck also bends!”
“Understood!”
There were three guards in front of Lady Evelyn and one behind her. Yeah, that side seemed to be fine.
“It’s my turn.”
So saying, Grams took out his usual weapon.
“Nuun!”
He swung it around and manipulated the Spike Flail into the air.
The Lesser Wyvern hurriedly evaded the iron ball that suddenly flew at high speed. However, Grams freely manipulated the iron ball, and the long chain became entangled in its body.
And it fell.
“Do it!”
“Lightning! A strike of judgment upon my enemy! Thunderbolt!”
“Gunu!”
“Ah!”
Lady Evelyn’s wholehearted Lightning magic! The electricity struck the Lesser Wyvern’s body, damaging it and sealing its movements! And the electricity, of course, traveled through the chain and attacked Grams as well!
“Oh, dear?”
“…For now, I’m okay. But I’m awake now.”
“S-So you’re okay… I’m losing confidence.”
He’s tough.
“First, apologize.”
“I-I’m very sorry!”
Perhaps because she felt bad, Lady Evelyn bowed her head repeatedly.
Brenda’s retort was harsh, perhaps because they were both women. As expected, no one around tried to warn Brenda.
“I did it! Hmm? What’s wrong?”
In the meantime, our Young Lady had brilliantly finished off the Lesser Wyvern. No one was watching.
The Young Lady was in a good mood after defeating the Lesser Wyvern. Her coordination with Brenda had improved, and the two of them were defeating Monsters one after another.
In addition to the Lesser Wyvern, several Guild-unidentified Monsters were found, such as Big Frunos and Big Acid Slimes.
By the way, we defeat the Big Frunos, but we don’t eat them. They’re big, so they’re often worm-eaten. The Young Ladies were complaining, so I gave them Dried Fruit to shut them up.
Isn’t it wrong for Brenda to be the one complaining? You’re an Adventurer, so you knew that, right? Don’t say it with a happy face. There are no refills.
Lady Evelyn was discouraged by the initial failure, but she played an active role in the Big Acid Slime battle with magic. She returned to her usual self.
“Let’s keep going!”
“Actually, we’re doing pretty well.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“Yeah. We’ve come to a place beyond the Guild’s survey map, and there are three types of unidentified Monsters. Moreover, the corpses have already been collected. Won’t we get a bonus? Well, if we divide it by this number of people, it’ll be a lonely amount.”
“Ahahaha, I’m sorry.”
“Nah, after all, having a lot of people gives you a different sense of security.”
Heath, the scout, was accurately finding hard-to-find Monsters such as Treants and Vine Snakes. His skills were good, and his individual combat ability was also decent.
“I thought it was the nobles’ hobby, but they’re not making light of the Dungeon. I’m getting off easier than I thought, which is helpful.”
“They’re honest people.”
However, it was only natural that the Young Ladies listened to the scout’s instructions. They didn’t know themselves.
“The only problem is the speed of movement. Well, it can’t be helped since there are so many people.”
“This is just right. If we hurry too much, we’ll get tired.”
“That’s true. Hey, Young Lady! That tree is a Treant.”
“Yes! Please do it!”
“Roger that.”
Grams is basically the one who deals with the Treants. He strikes with Grams’ Spike Flail from outside the opponent’s range. It’s really efficient.
The nimble Lady Evelyn and Brenda took care of the fast-moving Vine Snakes, Pauldias, and Kamoshikas. Dealing with the Flying Bulbs that suddenly emerged from the ground was left to each individual, with the agile members dodging them and the armored ones deflecting them.
Only Lady Evelyn could really attack the Flying Bulbs, but she was surrounded by guards… making her a pitiful non-entity. Well, Big Fruno was in a similar situation.
Lady Evelyn dealt with the Big Acid Slimes with magic. Ore and Ellie-san were reduced to smiling and watching over the Young Lady.
With a large party of eleven, including even high-ranking adventurers, they advanced through the Third Stratum quite smoothly, if not at a breakneck pace, until they saw the entrance to the Fourth Stratum.
“Oh, we have guests,” Lady Arianna remarked.
“Oh, hey there. Heath, is that you?”
“Yo,” Heath-san greeted casually.
“These guys are Guild investigators. Can I tell them the results of our investigation?”
Heath-san asked Lady Evelyn, the representative.
“Please, go ahead.”
“Thank you, Princess of Sandfelds.”
“Alright, let’s talk about the route we took and the monsters we encountered.”
Of course, they didn’t share their battle strategies, but they did talk about the monsters they had encountered along the way. The Lesser Wyvern was a surprise to them. Apparently, they had heard the flapping sounds but couldn’t identify the source, so they had been on alert.
“Well, if it’s just a Lesser Wyvern, it’s no problem,” one of the Guild investigators said casually. It seemed that even entering the Dungeon required a certain level of strength. However, they listened intently to the information about the other monsters.
“What’s the Fourth Stratum like?”
“It’s completely an undead layer. There were Armored Skeletons, Crime Zombies, and even a Lich. In the center, there’s a horde of Animal Zombies. It stinks like hell.”
“Ugh,” Heath-san groaned, sounding genuinely disgusted.
“Armored Skeletons?” Lady Evelyn asked.
“It’s not just skeletons wearing armor, but a general term for skeletons that can freely wield weapons. A skeleton with a sword is a decent swordsman, if not a master, and a skeleton with a bow is a formidable archer with considerable accuracy and power,” Carlos explained to Lady Evelyn.
By the way, the Crime Zombies were different from ordinary zombies in their agility. They ran around on walls and ceilings, attacking from all directions. The Lich was a wizard zombie. Despite being vulnerable to fire, it loved to use fire magic.
“…That’s enough for today,” Lady Evelyn declared.
“Oh?”
“Huh.”
“Hmm.”
Heath-san, Brenda, and the Young Lady reacted to Lady Evelyn’s words.
“Princess, you’ve made a wise decision.”
“…There were monsters I didn’t recognize. Besides, it’s rare for Old Man Carlos to describe something as ‘formidable’.”
“Indeed.”
In fact, among the Armored Skeletons, the Archer Skeletons were particularly troublesome. They fired powerful bows with considerable accuracy.
“If it were just the Lich and Animal Zombies, I might have gone, but I can’t underestimate those Armored Skeletons. Lady Arianna, is that alright with you?”
“It’s a shame, but Evelyn is the leader today. I will follow the leader’s instructions.”
“Thank you. But it would be boring to just go back. Shall we explore the Third Stratum a little more before returning?”
“Yes! Let’s investigate the unknown monsters!”
Under Lady Evelyn’s command, they explored the Third Stratum on their way back. Although they didn’t find anything new in the Third Stratum, they discovered a Flying Eyeball, an undead monster, in the Second Stratum. Afterward, they safely exited the Dungeon and reported their findings again.
“It seems we’ll be updating our Guild Cards soon!”
“Oh! Finally, Rank Nine!”
“I’ll be Rank Eight!”
It seemed Ellie-san would also be updating her rank… Volks-san, I’m sorry, but it looks like you’ll remain at Rank Ten. When are you coming back?