Chapter 15: Lux Arrives!
“Lux! You’re late!”
“Michelle? You’re awake?”
“Yeah. Shifa-san used an Omaori Amulet for me.”
I see. The Omaori Amulet I gave Shifa had a spell embedded in it that would automatically heal injuries.
I gave it to her hoping it would protect her, but Michelle is important to me too.
It must have reacted and healed her. That’s a relief.
That Omaori Amulet is a handy item; you can change the magic sealed within it.
I’ve put support magic or even counter-type spells in them before, not just healing magic.
Omaori Amulets are meant to be effective when something happens, but the abilities differ for each person I give them to, and the anticipated dangers are different too, right?
It seems Michelle still has hers. I think I put physical defense and healing magic in that one, but hers is empty too.
She must have used it up while escaping after I fell into that trap.
I recharge the magic in both their Omaori Amulets.
This time, with effects to protect each of them.
“Ah, I see. So Shifa went to check on Michelle, huh?”
“Yeah… I thought it would be bad if she got caught in the Stampede…”
“Is that so? Thank you, Shifa. I hadn’t even had a chance to thank you yet.”
“I’m the one who should be thanking you! We’re talking normally and all, but you withstood the breath of a dragon that destroyed a legendary city, right? No one’s missing, are they?”
Shifa looked around restlessly.
Yeah, probably no one’s missing.
“Thanks, everyone. I know you probably hate me, but thank you for helping Shifa and Michelle.”
“No, we’re the ones who should be sorry.”
“That’s right. We were deceived… We didn’t even consider how strange Jekyll’s statements were.”
“We didn’t even know that Lux-san was thinking of us so much…”
“We’re very sorry.”
“Ah, it’s fine. I don’t know what you’re talking about, though. Anyway, let’s just take down that big flying thing for now.”
I don’t get what these guys are on about, but could it be that the fund or whatever got exposed? That’s embarrassing.
I was doing that secretly and calculatingly because I thought I’d become the lord eventually…
Because, wouldn’t it be cool to reveal it someday? Like when I’m dying, or passing it on to a successor.
“I’m sorry. My sister was so malicious that I ended up telling them about how you were trying to add to our reward money and things.”
“!?!?”
That was the embarrassing part~~~~~!
No, panicking here would be more embarrassing.
Stay calm. Act like it’s no big deal, Lux.
I can do this, right!?
“Don’t blame Shifa-sama, Lux-san.”
“That’s right. We were the ignorant ones.”
“To think we didn’t know about Lux-san or Shifa-sama, who were thinking of us so much.”
“If you’re going to blame someone, blame us!”
It was no use.
Stop it. Don’t attack my tear ducts so suddenly!
“Aaargh, enough already! Anyway, I’m going to take that thing down, so all of you, run!”
“Even for you, Lux-san, we can’t listen to that!”
“We’ll fight too! That’s why we stayed!”
“Yeah! Yeah! We won’t let Lux-san die a cool death all by himself!”
They’re definitely misunderstanding, aren’t they?
I’m not trying to go die a cool death.
I’m saying this because, having survived the Deep Floors, I can take down something like that, but it seems pointless to say anything to them now.
“Shut up! I’m telling you not to get caught up in it when I bring it down! Enough. I’m going!”
Giving up on persuading the adventurers, I unleash and deploy all the Mana I possess.
“S-such incredible Mana…”
“Could he be stronger than the dragon?”
“Is that even possible???”
“Come to think of it, wasn’t he dropped into the Deep Floors and came back alive?”
“I feel like Lux-san has a stronger presence than that dragon, at least… but that’s just my imagination, right…?”
“Seriously, shouldn’t we get further away?”
“Everyone, move out! Run towards the gate!”
“””””Yes, Michelle-san!”””””
Nice one, Michelle. As expected, she understands the situation well.
She probably doesn’t know how much stronger I’ve become after surviving the Deep Floors, but she must have judged based on my attitude.
“Lux-san. Thank you. And… please be careful.”
And the one who remained until the end was Shifa.
She’s a stubborn one, this girl.
Well, whatever.
It seems she’s believed in me all this time. I’m genuinely happy about that.
“Ah…”
As a way of thanking her, I hug Shifa and pat her head.
“Thanks, Shifa. For believing in me.”
“Yes… Ah…”
She turned bright red, which was cute, so I placed a kiss on her forehead.
I thought she was a child, but I wasn’t the only one who grew in these past six months.
“Go now. I recharged the magic in your Omaori Amulet earlier, but I’ll feel more at ease if you get as far away as possible.”
“Understood. I’ll head towards the gate too.”
“Yeah. Let’s talk after I take that thing down.”
“Yes. I’ll be waiting.”
She left with a smile.
After seeing her off, I float up using magic.
Now then, are you prepared? You damn lizard.
Floating up, I position myself right in front of the dragon’s eyes.
What surfaces in its enormous eyes is, amusingly enough, bewilderment, and then fear.
Naturally.
This thing has probably never been trampled upon by anyone before.
It has always been the strong one, always the victor.
A creature like that had been kept silent all this time by the Mana of a tiny being on the surface.
It must be surprised.
No, it must have been surprised.
But you picked the wrong opponent.
In the Deep Floors, there were swarms of enemies at your level, you know?
For some reason, they couldn’t seem to come from the Deep Floors to the Lower Floors, but are you an irregular?
You just happened to spawn on a Lower Floor, didn’t you? That’s the only reason you were unrivaled.
I get that you’re stronger than anything I’ve seen on the Lower Floors. You probably kept devouring and trampling Lower Floor monsters. Getting cocky and coming out here, only to find me, was the end of your luck.
GROOOOAR!
Oh? Showing some good spirit at this stage, huh.
It unleashed that red breath from before, so I swat it away.
Too bad. I can’t afford to take that hit.
I paid attention to where I deflected it, you know? It’d be bad if it landed in the city. The deflected breath became a sphere and flew far beyond the gate.
Whoops, a forest fire or something… It should be fine. It should have landed on an empty plain near the forest and, right, that fort I can see.
Close one~. Well then, goodbye.
“Eclipse.”