The Silent One ②
It was unexpected, I guess. It didn’t seem like he was just putting on a brave face.
From Ax-san’s demeanor, while he was worried about everyone, he wasn’t panicking.
“You ask why?”
“Ah, yes.”
Ax-san gave a wry smile.
“It might sound strange, but this kind of thing happens relatively often.”
“It does?”
“Yeah. Even if you have a map surveyed beforehand, while things mostly stay the same, a Dungeon is still a place where you never know what might happen. It’s never guaranteed not to happen. It just so happened to occur today.”
“Is that how it is?”
“We have a decent amount of experience as Seekers. But not every run goes smoothly. There were times we got separated by traps and stuff.”
“That happens?”
“If I recall correctly, this is the third time.”
I couldn’t judge if that frequency was high or low.
“So, they’ll be fine. And Mineha too.”
It seems he was worried about her after all, I realized.
“Ax-san… can you hear that sound?”
“Combat?”
We nodded at each other and started running.
According to my Relic [Danger Detection], there were three reds. And one white.
An ally. One red disappeared.
“Haaaaaaaahhh!!”
A high-pitched yell echoed, filled with fighting spirit.
“A woman?”
The next moment, a strange sound reached my ears.
Like swirling wind—what we saw upon arriving was astonishing.
It was a woman tearing a Kobold apart with a Spear, like a lance used on horseback.
Flaxen hair I’d seen before. A cute face with competitive, upturned eyes. And wearing armor.
But she was taller than me.
The girl Ax-san and I knew was a Fairial. A small race with wings.
But I recognized her. The night Mineha-san had forcefully stayed over at my house.
The woman who had been secretly bathing.
I still remembered that time vividly, but I could absolutely never mention it.
Ax-san’s eyes narrowed. He looked like he recognized her too.
“That’s… could it be?”
“Probably… yes.”
Yeah, he’d notice, wouldn’t he?
The woman pierced the last Kobold with her Spear.
She must have noticed us. She turned around immediately.
“So you’re safe.”
“You are…”
“Mineha-san?”
“That’s right. As you can see.”
She was surprisingly nonchalant about it, as if it wasn’t a secret at all.
“But that size…”
“It’s a Relic.”
“I get that, but…”
“Could it be a Relic unique to Fairials?”
“Yes. It’s the Relic [Fairy Avatar], which enlarges or shrinks my body and the things I’m wearing.”
Mineha-san puffed out her chest proudly.
Ax-san looked around, seemingly exasperated.
“Damn. They’re completely gouged out.”
“…Perhaps, Mineha-san. That Spear. Is it an OOPArt?”
“It is. Good eye.”
“Because the Relic’s power was overlapping with the Spear.”
Relics normally can’t be imbued onto things, unless it’s through [Enchantment].
If it’s possible otherwise, it’s only with compatible OOPArts.
“It’s my Relic: Spiral.”
“What’s that Relic?”
“Spiral?”
When I said it, Mineha-san’s eyes widened.
“You figured it out quickly. I can make the flow of power swirl like a vortex.”
“So, like wind?”
“You might think so, but it’s heavier and more powerful than wind.”
“Indeed… it certainly has power.”
A flow of power. Like a vortex, maybe?
Still, the three Kobolds were crushed, torn apart, and pierced.
It was incredible. So this was [Spiral]?
Fortunately, since Kobolds are made of cobalt ore, it wasn’t gory.
Though I have no idea why monsters made of ore look like werewolves.
“By the way, where are the other two?”
“…Haven’t found them yet.”
“I see.”
Mineha-san slung the Spear at her waist, returned to her original size, and sat on my shoulder.
Then, we started walking again. Suddenly, I remembered something.
“Ah, um, weren’t there Return Stones? Don’t you two have them?”
“Oh, those. Right. There were… those.”
“Those, huh.”
For some reason, their reactions were sluggish.
And from their demeanor, I could tell they didn’t have any.
“What’s wrong?”
Ax-san answered my question with a slightly bitter smile.
“It’s certainly a Legacy item a Seeker should have. But they’re expensive.”
“That’s true.”
“Even for you, Mineha?”
“Of course. Only about Tier II Seekers can afford to keep those on hand regularly.”
Ms. Pachira and her group were Tier III, but they had them…
“Even though it’s consumable, it’s still a Legacy item.”
“I’d like to have at least one, though.”
“Times like these, I sometimes wish we had one. But they’re expensive.”
Ax-san grumbled about his wish.
Well, it’s because they’re useful in situations like this, but they’re expensive.
“I see. So you don’t have any.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. By the way, Wof. Can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“Normally, it’d be rude to ask, and you don’t need to say. But given the situation, I have to ask.”
“? What do you want to ask?”
Was there really anything that required such a formal, drawn-out preamble?
As I wondered, Ax-san paused for a beat before speaking.
“I want you to tell us about your Relic, Wof.”
“I want to know too.”
“Okay. My Relic is [Danger Detection]. I can determine danger using colors and points.”
“Colors and points?”
“White is safe. Red is dangerous. Black means death. Most enemies show up as red.”
“Does that mean it can also be used for searching for enemies?”
“Yes. At close range, I can even see through walls.”
“What is that?”
“That’s… a good Relic for a Seeker.”
Ax-san murmured as if impressed.
I get told that often.