Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria, Vol. 4

by Fujino Omori, Kiyotaka Haimura

  And then they were off, all six of them moving at once, as though they’d been given some sort of signal.

  “!!”

  They came at her from both sides in a pincer attack, but Aiz stood her ground, undaunted.

  Just like the catman, the four prums boasted abilities and skills that could only be described as first-tier. The five of them surrounded her, delivering wave after wave of attacks in a ferocious barrage that left Aiz with nowhere to move. Giving up entirely on attempting to evade their attacks, she instead focused on fending them off, using Desperate to intercept and repel every enemy strike.

  It was a moonlight raid in the blackest night.

  As the ceaseless noise of metal on metal echoed throughout the isolated back alleyway, Aiz fought tooth and nail against her attackers, her sword forming a barrier around her.

  What were they trying to accomplish? Was it her they were aiming for? A surprise attack against one of Loki Familia’s elites?

  Just as her mind began running wild at what these mute attackers could want, one of the prums—the one holding an oversize sword—called out from beneath his visor.

  “Consider this a warning, Sword Princess.”

  “You’d do well not to do anything rash from now on.”

  The hammer-wielding prum spoke this time but provided no further context. Aiz’s eyebrows rose in uncertainly.

  “What are you…talking about?!” she shot out between the report of blades.

  “Lock yourself away in the Dungeon, little doll. Hide yourself away on this expedition of yours…” the young catman hissed cruelly, “…and die.”

  Aiz found herself at a loss when she heard the feline’s words. But she didn’t have time to dwell. There was a sharp scream from behind her.

  “B-Bell!!”

  ?!

  She whirled around instinctively, still fending off her attackers, to find Bell and Hestia surrounded by yet another group of black-clad soldiers.

  There’s even more?! She moved to help them only to have her path blocked by a spear.

  “…?!”

  “If you refuse to listen, we’ll be forced to take drastic measures,” the catman spat coldly.

  Standing there, she could hear sounds of fighting from Bell and Hestia’s direction. The quartet of black-clad soldiers leaped at them, as if to deliver a warning to her.

  She could feel her patience growing thin. Try as she might to escape the circle her attackers had made around her, she simply couldn’t break through.

  The attacks came at her faster.

  So fast, her golden eyes widened in surprise. The five shadows were coming at her even more relentlessly now.

  —I knew it. It’s them.

  It came to her like a flame, scorching the inside of her chest. Talent like this could only point to one familia.

  The other great faction long thought of as the counterpart to Loki Familia.

  Led by that beautiful goddess, their members boasting war records that could rival Aiz’s own.

  The first-tier adventurers—

  —Vana Freya and Bringar!

  The former was a Level 6 bearing the alias of a chariot and thought to be the best in all of Orario; the latter, a group of Level 5 prums with combat abilities far exceeding Level 6 and near-perfect coordination.

  Aiz found herself immobilized by the relentless, multihit counterattacks of the four-man prum troop. At the same time, the catman sped up, his agility surpassing hers even after her recent level-up, and his perpetual barrage forced her to block more with her sword. She was holding back, inner turmoil forbidding her from revealing her true strength, her spell Airiel. She wasn’t about to allow even a single part of its chant to grace the ears of her enemy.

  But she was outnumbered. Even Aiz didn’t stand a chance against five first-tier adventurers at once.

  And if they were to realize that, the battle would be over very quickly.

  “We’ll say it again. This is a warning.”

  “Dig too deep and we can’t guarantee your life.”

  It came from the hammer-and ax-wielding prums this time, further drawing out the battle.

  Aiz felt her expression falter as they continued to gain the advantage, and the young catman shot her a look of pure ice from beneath his visor.

  “If you get in her way—we’ll kill you.” With a terrifying slash, his spear grazed the front of Aiz’s silver breastplate, leaving a scratch on its surface.

  Silver sparks danced before her eyes.

  “—Miss Aiz!”

  Then she heard it.

  The boy’s frightened shout.

  Aiz whirled around to find Bell with his right arm thrust out in front of him.

  He’d already finished off the four black-clad soldiers, with Hestia on his left arm and Aiz’s current attackers in his sights.

  The five first-tier adventurers turned toward Bell. Aiz seized that moment to escape from the circle.

  Bell wasted no time. His voice roared through the air like the sound of a cannon.

  “FIREBOLT!!” he screamed, forgoing the chant, and six flaming bolts of lightning immediately followed.

  The sparking conflagrations overlapped, piling on top of one another as they hurtled toward the attackers before swallowing them whole.

  The explosion was instantaneous.

  A wave of voracious heat mushroomed out from the impact zone, practically throwing them backward. The flaming sparks exploded into cinders that rained down from the sky, staining the faces of Bell, Hestia, and Aiz—now a safe distance away—a brilliant crimson.

  The crackling embers bloomed around them.

  For a moment, at least, the obsidian attackers had been shaken off, lost in the sea of flame brought to life in that small street corner.

  “I…I cast a spell without chanting…”

  “You’ll wanna report that. Someone’s going to be pleased as punch.”

  Meanwhile, the five attackers leisurely walked out of the flames, not bothered in the least by the magic attack of a low-level adventurer. The four prums even had strangely pleasant smiles on their faces.

  Aiz readied herself, but just when it seemed it would return to blows, the five assailants lowered their weapons.

  “That’s enough. We’re leaving.”

  At the young catman’s command, the four prums scattered.

  Fearing the flames would draw unwanted attention, they moved quickly to retrieve the black-clad soldiers Bell had trounced earlier.

  Aiz saw no reason to recklessly pursue their attackers. She did, however, keep Desperate at the ready even after they disappeared from view, waiting until their presences were far, far away before finally letting out a sigh.

  Sliding her sword back into its scabbard, she made her way over to where Bell and Hestia were staring blankly, completely overwhelmed.

  “Are you injured?”

  “I-I’m fine! I’m more worried about you, Aiz…”

  “I’m also unhurt.”

  Aiz glanced at Bell, Hestia still fretting over him.

  Though Bell’s magic hadn’t done any real damage to the attackers, that didn’t mean it had been pointless. In fact, his move had helped her out of a pretty tight situation.

  Aiz still found herself a bit in awe at the boy’s unique fast-casting magic she’d first witnessed down on the tenth floor. She parted her lips in thanks…only to see the white-haired boy avert his eyes, softly biting his lip as though something still weighed on him.

  It was a curious look, and Aiz found herself wondering what it could mean until he opened his mouth.

  “Those people…who were they? And why would they attack us like that out of the blue…?”

  Bell asked with a sort of forced composure, as though hiding his feelings.

  The way he was acting bothered Aiz, but she responded to his uneasy question all the same.

  “Surprise attacks like this aren’t uncommon.”

  “They aren’t?!”

  “No. Thou
gh it is rare outside the Dungeon…”

  While Bell yelped with surprised, still ignorant when it came to power struggles between factions, Aiz’s mind raced with questions once more.

  Had they been targeting her while she was cut off from the rest of her familia?

  She thought back to their warning. Had she pissed off some faction without realizing it? And had Bell and Hestia simply gotten caught up in the whole thing?

  She certainly couldn’t think of anything she’d done that would warrant a vicious attack like this, but the fact that she’d put the other two in danger filled her with self-reproof.

  “Can you think of anyone who’d wanna attack you, Wallen-whatever?”

  “…Too many, in fact.”

  Aiz was hesitant to answer so directly but also realized it wasn’t exactly a secret with her familia.

  “Geez! Must be tough in Loki Familia,” Hestia muttered in awe as Aiz thought back to her attackers’ warning.

  “If you get in her way—we’ll kill you.”

  Still unsure what the young feline could have been referring to, she tucked the words away for later all the same.

  Retaliating at the faction level would only exacerbate the situation, something she was sure her opponent was trying to avoid, as well.

  Which meant she’d need to leave it be for now, as much as it left a foul taste in her mouth.

  The flames from Bell’s spell had calmed down to something on the level of a bonfire. People were starting to gather, though, so Hestia suggested they skedaddle.

  Aiz nodded, hoping to avoid any unnecessary trouble herself. Still exchanging words with the young goddess, she started toward a small alley.

  —Only to realize Bell wasn’t following them.

  “…?”

  Still rooted to the spot, he was simply staring off into space.

  “What’s wrong…?” Aiz called out behind her.

  Bell turned around with a start. “Huh? Ah, no, it’s…it’s nothing. Nothing at all.” He quickly dashed over to them.

  Aiz glanced in the same direction Bell had been so intently staring.

  Toward the center of the city.

  Where the tall white tower gazed down at the trio from its spot in the night sky.

  “Ottar’s somewhere in the middle levels?”

  Raul Nord, member of Loki Familia, spun around.

  It was evening, only two days remaining until the expedition.

  They were in Guild Headquarters, currently teeming with adventurers on their way back from the Dungeon. Armor-clad demi-humans bustled around the wide marble lobby as they went about their business, whether it be cashing in their monster loot, reporting to their advisers, or collecting rewards for completed quests.

  Standing in front of the giant bulletin board that was decorated with official Guild proclamations and quest notices, Raul turned his gaze toward the incoming bearer of information.

  “Is that true, Aki?”

  “Yes. Well, at least that’s what a couple of adventurers were saying earlier. Not sure how much stock you put in it, but quite a few folks have seen him now.”

  The cat girl in black—Aki—flicked her slender obsidian tail that was the same color as her waist-length hair.

  A number of Loki Familia adventurers were at the Guild collecting intel that could prove useful during their upcoming expedition.

  Irregulars along their planned route, overlapping schedules with other factions, potential presence or absence of floor bosses—investigating these things was important work and couldn’t be neglected if they wanted to ensure their expedition’s smooth progress.

  And it was this exact job that’d been entrusted to Loki Familia’s lower-ranking members.

  “Mister Rauuuuuul! Looks like ol’ Goliath’s reared his ugly head on the eighteenth floor again. Everyone’s just lettin’ him be, assuming we’ll take care of him as we go through.”

  “The Guild’s saying Babel can’t get all the salamander wool and undine robes we ordered! What should we do?”

  “Just…just hold on a second, will ya? Give me a moment!” Raul thrust his hands out to stop the barrage of incoming information, his brow furrowing in overwhelmed aggravation as he pleaded silently for a chance to collect himself.

  Raul Nord. Human. Twenty-one years old.

  His big forehead was crowned with a crop of spiky black hair. A man of medium build and average stature, his features only further emphasized his humanness and utter ordinariness. Even now, standing flustered in front of his companions, he made for a fairly boring, uninteresting addition to the familia.

  That being said, he was still a Level 4, second-tier adventurer.

  Born the third son of a poor farming family, before he was even eight years old Raul made what he called “the biggest decision of his life” by leaving his country home. Like so many others, he arrived at Orario filled with big dreams and just a little manly ambition. Before long, he found himself inducted into Loki Familia.

  He turned out to be a natural, and by forcing his way onto the battlefield behind Finn and the others, Raul got to where he was today. For a reason even Raul himself couldn’t fathom, first Finn, then the other elites in the familia began putting a great deal of trust in him, which was why he often found himself tasked with supervising other lower-ranking members, whether in administrative tasks like this or dealing with issues in the Dungeon.

  That same human, so scatterbrained when compared to the pioneers of such a great familia, was currently attempting to prioritize the incoming information from his fellow familia members one at a time.

  “Uhhh…Right! Aki! We were talking about Ottar…”

  “He’s been spotted hunting monsters around the seventeenth floor these last couple of days. Right, Leene?” Aki turned to glance at her colleague next to her.

  The bespectacled girl with her hair pulled back in a braid responded with a nod and a hesitant “Y-yes.”

  Ottar the Warlord…captain of Freya Familia and the strongest warrior in all of Orario.

  At the same time, he was one of Loki Familia’s longest-standing foes.

  Ottar had commanded the top spot on the familia’s blacklist for as long as Raul could remember.

  It seemed a bit strange that Freya Familia’s captain, of all people, would be camping out in the middle levels where he’d overpower every monster he came across…

  “…What’s that guy up to, I wonder.” Though even as he muttered it under his breath, Raul knew there was no one in the vicinity who could supply him with an answer.

  The other familia members around him glanced back and forth at one another, starting with Aki, who simply shrugged her shoulders.

  “What’s goin’ on here, huh?”

  “Ah! Sir Gareth!”

  The dwarf made his way through the hustle and bustle to where they were standing next to the giant bulletin board.

  Gareth was one of the heads of Loki Familia, and the great dwarf warrior exuded the aura of a seasoned soldier. He naturally drew the gazes of the nearby adventurers, their eyes filled with a kind of awe.

  Raul filled the dwarf in about Ottar.

  “So the old bloke’s muckin’ about the middle levels? Hmm…Bah! I wouldn’t give it a thought!”

  “Really?”

  “That’s right! Don’t let it bother ya, yeah? Even if the fella’s there on official orders, he’s not one to favor plannin’ ’n’ all that. I don’t think we’ve got to worry about him interferin’ in our expedition,” Gareth mused. “’Sides, what with the Guild encouragin’ exploration in the depths, he’d be takin’ a risk himself attackin’ a familia doin’ just that,” he continued, running a hand through his beard.

  Raul and the others found themselves agreeing with the old dwarf—he was one of their familia’s leading authorities. Of course, thanks to Aiz’s silence, none of them knew about the vicious attack against her that had occurred just the night before, which meant they weren’t particularly on guard when it came to Fre
ya Familia.

  “What brought you here, then, Sir Gareth?”

  “Right! Got done carryin’ everything back to the manor. Expedition’s gonna start right on time the day after tomorrah. Gotta inform the Guild, y’know?”

  Raul and company followed Gareth to the counter in the lobby as the dwarf filled them in on the familia’s preparations. It seemed everything was in order, including the weapons—and the magic sword—from Hephaistos Familia.

  When a high-ranking faction such as Loki Familia went on an expedition, it was essential that they report the details to the Guild—everything from their start date to how long they planned to stay down in the Dungeon. They were a valuable military power to Orario, after all.

  If something happened to them and they didn’t return from the Dungeon, the Guild would oftentimes send in search-and-rescue parties.

  “By the way, how’re you kids doin’, huh? Restin’ up properly ’n’ all that?” Gareth turned toward Raul and the entourage of other familia members trailing behind them.

  “Ha…Ha-ha-ha…Ha-ha-ha-ha-haaa…” Raul laughed weakly.

  Even with the expedition right around the corner, he and the other low-ranking members were finding every chance they could get to train, none of them wanting to look bad in the face of Aiz’s recent level-up. As they walked, Aki looked purposefully in the other direction, and Leene refused to meet Gareth’s eyes.

  Gareth, in turn, could do nothing but sigh, the same as a certain high elf had earlier.

  “I’ve already gotten an earful from Mister Bete, actually…” Raul admitted. The memory of the werewolf standing over him with a sardonic laugh as tears pricked the corners of his eyes was still fresh in his head.

  “Ain’t gonna do ya any good now, moron!”

  “He and Miss Aiz…they went up against some pretty powerful enemies down on the twenty-fourth floor, didn’t they?” Raul whispered quietly in Gareth’s ear.

  It took Gareth a moment, but finally, he nodded. “…Aye, they did.”

  As one of the familia’s elites, he’d already heard all about the incident a few days prior.