by Ao Jyumonji
“I’m going to the front gate!” Bri-chan shouted. “I’ll go check on the main force! Kajiko, I’m counting on you!”
“Britney, by the time you get back, it’s all going to be over...!”
“Don’t get them worked up! Show some restraint! You’re not a bunch of children, you know!”
“You go tell the worthless regular army that I’m going to take that bounty!”
“Honestly...! Don’t be reckless, now!”
Is Bri-chan going somewhere? Haruhiro wondered. He said something about the main gate. I guess it’s fine. Whatever. It doesn’t matter. I’ve got bigger worries. It’s the outside staircase. Finally, we’re on the outside staircase. We’re in a real traffic jam here, though.
Can we go up like this? It’s so crowded, I wouldn’t think so, but we’re moving. Why are we moving so fast? That took no time. We’re already on the keep’s roof.
—Whoa. Who-oa. Wow. The arrows. They’re coming at us from three watchtowers. There are arrows coming from three directions. Now this is a real rain of arrows. It’s like a downpour.
Haruhiro managed to get his shield up, somehow. In the time it took to reach the keep’s entrance, several arrows thudded into his shield.
Just before being pushed through the entrance to the keep, he threw away his shield.
Moguzo. There. Ranta. There. Yume. Shihoru. Merry. There.
He could see Choco’s face, too. At least, he thought he could. They were packed in so tight, it was hard to tell. He didn’t really have a sense for the inside of the keep, either. For now, he had to go with the flow.
He ran through a corridor, then went down some stairs. From the third floor, to the second, then the first.
The first floor of the keep had a high ceiling. It was wide, too. It was so wide that it felt like the whole floor was just one open area.
There were staircases in the four corners, with the one Haruhiro and the others came down probably being in the southeast. If he recalled, they would have to go up the stairs from the first floor to reach the watchtowers. That meant the other three sets of stairs, in the northwest, southwest, and northeast, should lead to the watchtowers.
There were also four doors on the walls, all of them open. Had they already been searched, then? He’d stepped on or jumped over a number of orc corpses in the corridor, but that was nothing compared to this first floor. In the time it took Haruhiro and the others to get here, a fierce battle must have been fought.
There were ten—no, more than that—dead orcs, as well as a number of fallen volunteer soldiers. Some were being treated by their comrades, while some others weren’t. In other words, they were dead.
“Now then, which way’s the jackpot?” Kajiko called.
Kajiko and her Wild Angels looked ready to assault the northwest watchtower. Team Renji had chosen the southwest watchtower. Having seen that, most of the other volunteer soldiers were gravitating towards the northeast watchtower.
“What’re we gonna do?!” Ranta lifted his helmet’s visor, looking from one set of stairs to another. “I doubt we can compete with Kajiko or Renji and win, so should we go for the northeast tower like the others...?”
“Nah—” Haruhiro began.
I need to decide.
Before he could start over-thinking things, Haruhiro made his decision. He went on something like a hunch. “Let’s go with Renji and his group.”
“Are you stupid?! If we go to the same place as those guys, there isn’t a chance in hell that we’ll be able to take one of the leaders’ heads, and you know it!” Ranta shouted.
“Yume and everyone wouldn’t be able to take their heads anyway, y’know.”
“You idiot! Stupid Yume! You’ve got to aim higher!” Ranta bellowed.
Shihoru cracked up laughing. “I don’t think anyone who believes that if we went with Renji and his group, there’s no way we could take one of the leaders’ heads has any right to say that...”
“Yeah. Well, sorta. I guess you’re right. All right! Plundering it is, then!” Ranta declared.
“Hahaha...” Moguzo laughed.
“What a coward,” Merry said coldly.
“And I’m fine with that!” Ranta said with a grin. “For a Dread Knight, those words are the highest of compliments! Mwahahaha! O Darkness, O Lord of Vice, Demon Call!”
From behind Ranta’s head, slightly above it, something like a blackish purple cloud appeared. The clouds whirled into a vortex, rapidly taking shape.
It was like a headless torso, with two holes for eyes on its chest and a slit-like mouth beneath. It was a dread knight’s familiar, a demon.
“...Kehe... Kehehehehe... Kehehehe... Kehehehehehehehe... Kehe... Ranta dies.”
“Not ‘die, Ranta,’ but ‘Ranta dies’?! You’re suddenly predicting my death, Zodiac-kun?!”
“...Ehehe... Kill Ranta.”
“And now you’re uttering death threats?!” Ranta shouted.
“Zodiac-kun, paw!” Yume called, putting out her hand.
Zodiac-kun said “...Die... Ugly...” but still put his hand in hers.
“Ohh!” Yume cried. “Zodiac-kun’s such a good boy. But, y’know, callin’ people ugly is mean...”
“...Kehehe... Sorry...”
“You’re all meek now?!” Ranta exclaimed.
Ranta’s comedic jab got no reaction from Zodiac-kun. Why did even his own demon torment him?
Choco’s party seemed torn on what to do, too.
“You may not appreciate the advice, but you guys shouldn’t push yourselves!” Haruhiro told them.
It wasn’t clear whether they had taken Haruhiro’s advice or not, but regardless, Choco and her group seemed like they’d be staying on the first floor. There were other parties that were making no attempt to move, too. They were safe this way. It was a good choice.
In truth, Haruhiro and his party might have been better off staying on the first floor, too. Why weren’t they doing that? Because they had killed orcs. Having lost their virginity, were they letting it go to their heads? Did they feel like they could do orcs now?
Haruhiro didn’t think that was the case. Normally, Haruhiro would have at least hesitated here. So why had he made his decision immediately?
Was it because he’d felt like it wouldn’t be that dangerous if they were with Renji and his group? That was probably part of it. He couldn’t deny it.
Team Renji were strong. If he stayed hiding behind Renji, he probably wasn’t going to die that easily.
That said, he had no intention of just hiding. Haruhiro knew his party should be able to help, at least, and he intended for them to.
It was strange to say, but Haruhiro felt, at least somewhat, like he wanted to help Renji. Nothing they did would be the deciding factor in the battle, but it wasn’t like they wouldn’t be able to contribute anything by being there, either. If they were going to go help someone, he would rather it be Renji. Even though they would just be seen as unwanted help, or even treated as an outright hindrance. He didn’t want to think that they couldn’t do anything.
If Haruhiro had been alone, he wouldn’t have minded being seen as a good-for-nothing. If they’d mocked him, he would have been able to laugh it off. He could give up on himself. However, he was in a party. He had comrades.
Moguzo was a pretty amazing warrior. Even Ranta, annoying as he was, had tenacity, and there was something unique about the way he used his skills. Yume was always easygoing, so she was easy to get along with, and Shihoru might look plain, but she was always thinking about her comrades, and she could look at the big picture. Merry was working hard to support everyone, too.
Manato. We’ve shaped up into a good party.
Though it’s really unfortunate that you can’t be here with us.
I want to take this party as high as it can go.
I don’t think there’s any need to rush, but even at this stage, I think we can go a little higher.
“Let’s gooooooooo....!” Ranta called.
Team Renji climbed the stairs. They raced up them.
“Yume’s eyes’re spinnin’ round and round!” Yume called, laughing.
They could hear noises from above. The sound of battle.
“Did we hit the jackpot?!” someone shouted.
There were volunteer soldiers bunched up near the very top of the stairs.
Five of them. A party, huh.
“What’re you doing?!” Ranta bellowed.
A volunteer soldier who looked like a warrior’s eyes went wide. “Even if we wanted to go, we can’t... it’s gotten really crazy in there!”
“Are you stupid?! If it’s gotten crazy in there, that’s all the more reason we’ve got to go in!” Ranta shouted, pushing Zodiac-kun forward. “—Go, Zodiac-kun! Go forth, and come back to tell us what’s happening!”
“...Nnnnnn... No, no, no, no, no, no, no... Kehehehehehehehehe...”
“Why not?!” Ranta screamed.
Haruhiro clicked his tongue. “—Forget it! I’ll go look! Don’t you feel bad for Zodiac-kun?”
“Oh, shove it! Zodiac-kun’s mine, so I can do whatever I want with him!”
“...Wh... Who’re you saying is yours...? I’m not yours... Are you stupid...? Die...”
“If I die, you’ll vanish, too! Are you fine with that?!” Ranta shouted.
“...Eehehehe... If you’ll die... I... I-I-I couldn’t be happier... Ehehehehehe...”
“Wha—”
Pushing aside a speechless Ranta and passing between the volunteer soldiers who were ahead of them, Haruhiro poked his head out from the stairs.
“—Whoa!”
They were serious.
This really is crazy.
The round room at the top of the watchtower was wider than he’d expected, with a ceiling that wasn’t low. At a glance, there were more than ten orcs. In the center of the room were Renji and Ron, who were raising hell and seemed to be putting up a good fight, but Chibi-chan, Sassa, and Adachi had been chased to the edge of the room.
Chibi-chan was waving her staff around, somehow managing to protect Sassa and Adachi. The members of Team Renji were the only volunteer soldiers there, and there was only one orc down at this point.
Haruhiro ducked his head back into the stairwell. “This is bad, guys. At this rate, I don’t know about Renji and Ron, but Chibi-chan and the others...”
They had to save them.
Could they do it? Them?
It was presumptuous to the point of absurdity to think that they could. Still, Team Renji was in serious trouble. Currently, it was five-on-ten. Team Renji might be strong, but they weren’t superhuman. Their opponents weren’t weak, either. Actually, they were strong. However, if Haruhiro’s party of six joined in, they could turn things around numerically at least.
First, they’d help Chibi-chan’s group. Renji and Ron didn’t need it. They could handle themselves. Besides, if Haruhiro and the others helped Chibi-chan and her group, it would make it easier on Renji and Ron, too.
“Moguzo, go up and head to the right!” Haruhiro called. “Chibi-chan and the others are there, so protect them! Ranta and I will go, too! Yume, Shihoru, Merry, keep an eye on the situation and decide for yourselves!”
“Mm-hm!” Moguzo said.
“Yeesh, they’re so needy...” Ranta muttered.
“Ranta, man, just try telling Renji that to his face!” Haruhiro shot back.
“I can’t and you know it! You damn fool!”
“You’re the damn fool! Let’s go!”
Haruhiro, Moguzo and Ranta went up in that order.
He saw it.
The faintly shining line of light.
From the moment he thought he saw it, Haruhiro’s body was already in motion, following the line, neither walking nor running. He advanced as if sliding across the floor.
There was no sound.
It wasn’t as if everything had stopped, but it all moved at a very gentle pace.
That orc was about to take a swing at Sassa.
Right here.
Backstab.
Even though it was through armor, Haruhiro’s dagger slid in smoothly.
It touched something. A vital point.
When he pulled out, the orc crumpled without uttering a noise.
“...What was that?” Sassa seemed dumbfounded.
Haruhiro shook his head in response. Even if she asked, he couldn’t explain it well.
“Thanks...!” bellowed Moguzo, using his Thanks Slash to blow away an orc that was about to attack Chibi-chan. “H-Hey, you! Zodiac-kun! Help out, would ya! You’re not being fair...!”
“...Huhehehehehehehehehehe... Nnnnnnn... No... You wimpy, wooly caterpillar... Die...”
“Dammit...! There’s not quite enough space, so this is hard!”
Ranta was running around to avoid a direct exchange of blows. Still, he was handling an orc by himself, so he wasn’t doing too badly.
Yume, Shihoru and Merry came up, too.
“Renji!” Haruhiro used Swat on an orc’s slash, then backed away, leaving the next attack to Sassa.
Sassa was good at using Swat. Haruhiro must have had considerably more muscle strength than her, but Sassa was flexible and moved with comfort. She had a sense of rhythm.
Haruhiro shouted out, “Chibi-chan and the others are fine!”
Renji glanced over at Haruhiro, smiling faintly.
Ahh.
He really is amazing.
Renji used his entire body to make Ish Dogran’s sword spin around. It almost looked like he was dancing. What kind of technique was that? Was it a skill?
Slice, slice—Renji laid two orcs low, one after another. Ron took one out as well, cutting it down with all his might. Then Renji took out yet another, decapitating the orc this time.
“Zeel, mare, gram, fel, kanon.”
Adachi used the spell Freezing Blood to freeze an orc’s feet. Despite that, the orc still continued to stumble along.
“Zeel, mare, gram, terra, kanon.” Without missing a beat, Adachi began chanting his next spell.
It was Ice Globe. The ice elemental instantaneously froze the water in the atmosphere. The resultant sphere of ice smashed beautifully into the orc’s face.
It looked painful. The orc dropped to his knees.
Without a moment’s delay, Sassa moved up.
She went past the orc. Immediately after, Sassa buried her dagger in the orc’s neck.
So you can pull off a Backstab like that, too? Haruhiro thought. What a combo. Well, we aren’t doing bad, ourselves.
“Ohm, rel, ect, nemun, darsh!” Shihoru stopped an orc with Shadow Bond, Merry gave it a good hard whack with her priest’s staff, Yume stabbed it with her machete to make it back off, then—Moguzo.
“Hunghh...!”
He didn’t use the Thanks Slash. He stepped in, sticking his arm out straight in a one-handed thrust. It was First Thrust.
The orc’s throat was basically pulverized. Of course, that meant its neck was broken. There was no way it would be getting back up.
Haruhiro looked around the area. Were there any enemies?
None.
The orcs were all collapsed on the ground.
“Dammit...” Ron shook his bloody sword. “We didn’t need your help.”
“What was that?!” Ranta closed in on Ron assertively, but one glare was all it took to make him shrink back at the speed of light.
“...I-I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“Wimp...” Merry muttered.
“Wimpy, wimpy, wimpy... Kehehehehehehe... Wimpy, wooly caterpillar... Ehehe... Caterpillar, caterpillar, caterpillar, caterpillar...”
“...An actual caterpillar would be more useful, don’t you think?” Shihoru asked.
It doesn’t stand out, but Shihoru
can be pretty mean, Haruhiro thought. I agree with her, though.
“Since caterpillars’re cute, y’know,” Yume nodded.
That, I can’t agree with.
“You helped,” Renji said.
Man, even Renji’s voice is cool. It’s low and husky. It’s intimidating, but there’s a vague sadness there. When I hear him saying we helped, with that voice—Honestly, it’s just overwhelming.
It frustrated him, so Haruhiro tried to feign calmness, shrugging. “We owed you one.”
“Now we’re even,” Renji said.
“...Are we?” Haruhiro asked.
“Yeah,” Renji said, looking to Moguzo. “You. I could use you.”
“Huh...?” Moguzo’s eyes darted around rapidly, then he pointed to himself. “—Whaaa?! Y-Y-Y-Y-You mean me...?! N-No, that’s not... Uh, I-I’m not that impressive...”
What did he mean, he could “use” him? That may have bothered Haruhiro a little, but both Renji and Moguzo were warriors. “It takes a warrior to know one”—he didn’t know if there was an expression like that, but a warrior had to know a lot about what it meant to be a warrior. What was more, he was being recognized by Renji, the guy who had the attention of more volunteer soldiers than anyone else. Moguzo had to be proud of that.
Moguzo really is amazing, Haruhiro thought. Our Moguzo is amazing.
“Regardless,” Adachi said, adjusting the position of his glasses, taking on a calm and sarcastic tone, “it seems the prize isn’t here. Should you be taking it easy now, Renji?”
Renji didn’t respond. In place of a response, he turned towards the stairs. That was when it happened.
“Hey! Below!” someone said.
Someone. Not from Team Renji or Haruhiro’s party. Not here.
Haruhiro twisted his head. “Below...?”
Renji took off at a run.
“Haruhiro!” Ranta slapped Haruhiro on the back. “We’re going, too!”
What could it be? Weird. My heart. It’s pounding like crazy. Below. What’s happening below? Below. Wait, below...?
They descended the spiral staircase.
It felt like his ears were plugged. Strange. Why? Why was he so shaken? He didn’t understand. What was the reason? The cause? Haruhiro had lost his head to the point where he couldn’t make sense of anything.