by Ao Jyumonji
When Merry gave directions, they were precise and accurate.
A thought suddenly occurred to Haruhiro. Perhaps Merry had wanted to come back here. Maybe she had been going over the structure of the mines in her head, over and over, so that she could.
Merry had said she wanted to get over something.
Did she have some unfinished business or something here? Had she been secretly hoping that, someday, she would be able to accomplish whatever that was? Was it taking revenge, like you’d expect? Or was it—
They arrived at the well. After sending the girls up first, Ranta, Moguzo, then finally Haruhiro climbed up the rope ladder.
“I’m not going to stay behind again, okay?” Ranta complained, but it wasn’t that Haruhiro didn’t trust him not to, he just didn’t want to take any risks he didn’t have to.
The kobolds didn’t chase them up to the third level. After all that had happened, they were exhausted, so they decided to take a rest in a spot where there weren’t so many lightflowers blooming.
Yes—That had been the plan.
It was a dark there. Very dark. So dark they couldn’t see anything. It was like a pool of darkness.
Haruhiro stopped.
“...Hold on. I heard something, a sound.”
“...A sound?” Shihoru asked, cocking her head to the side.
Haruhiro listened closely.
He could hear it.
Click, click.
Clack, clack.
Click, click.
It was a quiet sound, but there was something moving.
It’s not a kobold—I don’t think so.
“Wait here,” Ranta said, turning around and going back the way they came. He soon came back with lightflowers in his hands.
Ranta balled up two bunches of lightflowers and threw them deep into the darkness. The lightflower balls rolled up to their feet.
—Their feet.
“Oh! Oh...!” Moguzo cried, backing away. “...G-Ghos...!”
“Eek!” Yume screamed, leapt into the air, hugged Ranta, then immediately shoved him away. “—Wha-What’re you tryin’ to do to me?!”
“Y-You’re the one who grabbed onto me!”
“...Could they be...” Shihoru held her staff tight, her breathing quickened. “...s-skeletons...?”
“Yes.” Merry stepped forward.
When she whacked the pommel of her priest’s staff on the ground, there was a clear sound as the rings on it jangled.
“They’re corpses given a temporary, false life by No-Life King’s curse. This is what they become once they rot away. Skeletons.”
“It can’t be...” Haruhiro fell silent, at a loss for words.
In the area illuminated by the dim light of the lightflowers, he could see that those things—no, people— there was more than one of them.
There were three.
Each of them wore their own weapons, armor and clothing, but their exposed skin—no, there was no skin, it was bone. The slightly-yellowed white of their bones was peeking through.
One wore armor, carrying a sword. Another was dressed similarly to Haruhiro, carrying a dagger. The last was wore a mage’s robe, holding a staff.
“Long time no see,” said Merry.
Merry was standing further forward than Haruhiro, so he couldn’t see her face.
What kind of expression did Merry have now? Whatever it was, her voice wasn’t wavering. She spoke in the same tone she might use to greet old friends she was seeing for the first time in ages.
Probably, she had been prepared for this.
Here in the Cyrene Mines, Merry had lost three friends. Haruhiro had never heard her say she’d come back to look for the bodies. It would have been impossible to hold a proper service for them. She’d had no choice but to leave them here.
And those who died in the frontier lands of Grimgar, after five days at most, three at least, were turned into moving corpses by No-Life King’s curse if they weren’t cremated.
Merry had anticipated that her former comrades would have met that wretched end.
“Michiki. Ogu. Mutsumi.” Merry called each of their names, and then said, “—I’m sorry.”
“Get ready!” Haruhiro shouted.
That was because he’d seen Mutsumi, the mage, lift her staff. But, she was just bones. All that was left of her was bones, so why did she have a voice?
“...Delm... Hel... En...” Her voice was like the sound of the wind and, honestly, it was creepy, but he didn’t have time to be worrying about that.
Merry cried “Dodge it!” and leapt to the side. Without missing a beat, Haruhiro and the rest scattered to the left and right, too.
“...Van... Arve...”
There was wind. An incredibly powerful wind blasted against him.
It was no ordinary wind. It was a hot wind.
“It’s hot...?!” Haruhiro reflexively covered his face with his arms.
Still, I guess it’s not hot enough to burn me. It is hot, though. It’s still really hot. It feels like it’d melt my eyes out if they were open. I don’t think they’ll melt, though.
“I’ll use Dispel to free you from this abominable curse!” Unlike usual, it seemed like Merry meant to actively move up to the front. “I need to get closer!”
I can’t stop her, thought Haruhiro. Even if I tell her to stop because it’s dangerous, this is one time that’s not going to work. I need to let Merry do what she wants. In order to make that possible, we have to support her.
“Moguzo, take the warrior!” he called. “Ranta, get the thief!”
With a shout, Moguzo started swinging at the warrior, Michiki.
“Leave it to me!” Likewise, Ranta sprung at the thief, Ogu.
“Yume!” Haruhiro gave Yume a signal with his eyes.
Merry was probably planning to cast Dispel on Mutsumi first. He and Yume needed to work together to lend her a hand. Yume immediately nodded and gave him a “Sure!”
“Ohhhhhhhhhh...!”
He was up against a skeleton, so it might not do much good, but Haruhiro roared as he charged straight at Mutsumi. Yume was right there with him.
If Mutsumi shows any sign of casting, I need to dodge. That spell she used before was probably Hot Wind. It’s a type of Arve Magic, I think. Arve Magic should have a lot of attack and destruction spells, so it’d be bad if we got hit by one.
“...Delm... Hel... En...”
Here it comes.
Mutsumi drew elemental sigils with her staff and began to chant.
Delm, hel, en. That much was the same as before. It was Arve Magic.
“Run!”
Haruhiro darted left, while Yume let out a funny cry and threw herself to the right as hard as she could.
“...Rig... Arve...”
What is it?
Something flared up. Flames.
It’s flames. A wall of fire appeared in front of Mutsumi.
“Firewall!” Shihoru cried in surprise, then began chanting. “Ohm, rel, ect, nemun, darsh...!”
Shihoru’s spell was Shadow Bond. The shadow elemental attached itself to the ground, right in front of where Ogu was heading. Ogu stepped on it and then wasn’t able to move anymore.
“Nice one, Shihoru!” Now that he held the advantage, Ranta redoubled his assault. “Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah...! Whuh...?!”
However, Ogu was a thief, just like Haruhiro. He used his dagger to deflect Ranta’s longsword. He deflected and deflected.
It would have been hard to do that against heavy strikes like Moguzo’s, but even Haruhiro could probably have managed to deflect Ranta’s attacks somehow. Ranta might not be able to defeat Ogu.
“Murgh! Hwahhhh...!”
Meanwhile, Moguzo had locked blades with Michiki. They fiercely pushed backed and forth. Moguzo would have liked to use Wind to spin his sword around his opponent’s, but since both of them were warriors, they each knew the other’s moves, so it wasn’t that simple. For now, there was no question that Moguzo was struggling.
“Wh-What can we do...?!” Yume was standing in front of the wall of fire.
Mutsumi’s on the other side. Because of the flames, we can’t see her.
“Wh-What do you mean, what—” Haruhiro’s head shot back. “Ah...?!”
A small bead of light had shot through the wall, smashing Haruhiro right in the face. For a moment, he thought he was dead, but he was still perfectly alive. It hadn’t done any more damage than a punch might do, but it hurt all the same.
—Was that a Magic Missile...?!
“Ahh?!” It sounded like Yume had been hit, too.
Beads of light were zooming around.
All Haruhiro could do was back away from the wall of fire and dodge the beads of light. He’d never realized magic could be used like this.
There was a grunt from behind him.
Did they get Moguzo...?!
No, it looks like he dodged it by the skin of his teeth. Michiki. That technique.
Haruhiro only saw it for an instant, but had Michiki just done a reverse somersault while swinging his blade down?
Is that a warrior skill? So they have those sorts of acrobatic maneuvers in their skills, too?
Moguzo immediately tried to counterattack, but Michiki quickly jumped backwards, putting them on even footing again.
That warrior, he’s tough. Michiki. His nimble techniques are better than Moguzo’s. They may be equally matched in strength, too.
In a one-on-one fight, eventually he’s going to get the better of Moguzo. He’s already starting to push him back.
If Moguzo gets taken down, there won’t be anyone left who can hold Michiki back. We may have the numerical advantage, but if we fall one by one—We’ll lose. I need to support Moguzo.
The moment Haruhiro thought that, Shihoru cast a spell.
“Ohm, rel, ect, vel, darsh...!”
It was Shadow Beat. The shadow elemental, which looked like a black ball of seaweed, struck Michiki’s shoulder. However, that was all it did. Michiki may have shaken a little, but not noticeably. Basically, that meant Shadow Beat was ineffective against skeletons.
“Shihoru, use Shadow Bond!” Haruhiro shouted.
At the exact same moment, Ranta shouted, “Your spell’s worn off over here!”
When Haruhiro looked over, sure enough, Ogu was able to move freely now, and he had Ranta on the ropes.
The spell duration for Shadow Bond was supposed to be around 25 seconds. Had 25 seconds passed already? No, it didn’t feel that way.
Haruhiro didn’t know the details, but there were a lot of things could make it easier or harder for a spell to work, and even when it did work, it there were apparently ways to weaken the power or effect of it through willpower or under a number of conditions.
“I-I’m doing it now...! Ohm, rel, ect, nemun, darsh...!” Shihoru tried to catch Ogu with a Shadow Bond again, but perhaps it was too blatantly obvious. Ogu leapt over the shadow elemental on the ground, closing in on Ranta.
All the while there were beads of light shooting out from behind the wall of fire, and when they came Haruhiro had to dodge them, so—
What am I supposed to do...?!
“Mutsumi...!” Merry shouted her comrade’s name.
“...Huh?” Haruhiro was dumbstruck by what he saw. “Wait, Merry—”
What?
What in the world are you thinking?
Merry charged towards the wall of fire.
No way.
You’ll get burned.
If you do that, you’ll burn up.
If he could have stopped her, he would have, but there was no way for him to make it in time.
Merry vanished beyond the wall of fire. “—O light! May Lumiaris’ divine protection be upon you... Dispel!”
He heard Merry’s voice.
Soon, the flames weakened, quickly vanishing.
Merry was crouched down on the ground.
At her feet lay a mage’s robe and hat, a staff rolling on the ground.
Aside from that, there was just ash.
Haruhiro tried to call out to her, but he couldn’t find the words.
“I’m fine!” Merry stood up.
How are you fine?
There’s no way you could be fine.
Her hair’s slightly singed. Her face’s a little red from being burned, too. Of course, that’s not all. Merry just struck down a comrade—someone who was probably her friend, too—and she did it with her own hands. There was no way she’s fine after that.
But comforting her will have to wait.
“Yume! Shihoru! Help Moguzo!” he called.
“Sure!”
“R-Right...”
Having left supporting Moguzo to those two, Haruhiro tried to get behind Ogu. But, of course, his opponent was also a thief. Ogu moved around quickly, keeping Ranta in check, and never failed to keep an eye on Haruhiro so he couldn’t get behind him, as well.
He’s better than me, thought Haruhiro. Haruhiro’s reflexes were nothing compared to Ogu’s. Even though he’s a skeleton. His abilities must be the same as they were when he was alive.
Probably, in a straight-up fight, Haruhiro wouldn’t be able to beat Ogu. He might go down pretty easily.
—But, sorry, Ogu. Sorry for calling you Ogu like we’re pals, but me and Merry are friends, so that’s why. I’m weaker than you, Ogu, but I’m not alone.
“Ranta!” he called.
“Yeah!”
Haruhiro traded places with Ranta. At times like this, Ranta was strangely quick to pick up on what he wanted. He had good instincts.
Ogu seemed a little confused, looking like he was searching for Ranta. As if to say “You’re wide open,” Haruhiro thrust at Ogu.
Ogu used Swat. Next he went for a counterattack, so this time Haruhiro used Swat. When he attacked, his opponent used Swat, when his opponent attacked, he would use Swat.
When he used Swat for the fourth time, Haruhiro had a scare. Ogu changed the angle of his dagger, causing Haruhiro to nearly fail to deflect it.
As he had thought, Haruhiro couldn’t win against Ogu. He didn’t have to.
Haruhiro stepped in, thrusting his dagger forward.
Swat was purely a technique to ward off enemy attacks, a defensive skill. So, for a moment at least, the user had to focus all of their attention on their opponent’s attack. Once they got used to doing it, it became reflexive and they would do so pretty much automatically. Perhaps even when they shouldn’t.
Ogu used Swat on Haruhiro’s dagger.
“There...!” At precisely that moment, Ranta came at Ogu diagonally from behind, swinging his longsword into Ogu’s right leg.
Honestly, Haruhiro shuddered.
We didn’t plan that at all, so, Ranta, man, I’m amazed you knew to do that. Actually, it’s creepy that you did.
“Ogu...!”
As Ogu’s leg snapped in two and he could stand no longer, Merry rushed over to him.
“O light! May Lumiaris’ divine protection be upon you... Dispel!”
Was it okay for him to be watching, or should he look away? Haruhiro didn’t know.
Either way, he saw Ogu engulfed in light, and the next moment his body, or rather his bones, crumbling away to nothing. Haruhiro felt a pain in his chest. He even felt a little like he might cry.
Since it was Merry, who had once been his comrade, who had released Ogu from his curse, he thought maybe that was a good thing. But, in another way, he felt it wasn’t good at all. It was too cruel for Merry.
Merry fell to her knees, scooping up the ashes that had once been Ogu in her hands. Even as she grasped at them, they slipped through her fingers.
Merry looked down, hanging her head. “...Now it’s just Michiki.”
“Hey!” It wasn’t clear what Ranta was thinking, but he leveled his longsword at Merry. “You’ve got us with you now! Don’t you forget it!”
No, Haruhiro did kind of get what he was trying to say. But there were probably more polite, or more accu
rate, ways to put it, and what was he pointing a sword at her for?
Well, regardless, Merry lifted her face, saying, “Yeah.” She even had a smile as she did so, so maybe it was okay.
“Haruhiro-kun!” Shihoru shouted.
“We’re doing this!” Haruhiro turned back to face Michiki.
Michiki was slowly driving Moguzo into a corner. It looked like neither Yume or Shihoru could do much about it. If Moguzo stepped on a Shadow Bond, that would be a disaster, so maybe it was difficult.
“Ranta’s on the scene!” Ranta took a swing at Michiki from his flank.
Michiki easily turned the blow away with his sword, but it let Moguzo, who had been in a pretty bad spot, catch a breath.
Haruhiro decided to target Michiki’s back.
Michiki’s more observant than Moguzo, but he’s no Ogu. Ranta keeps on attacking without hesitation, and Moguzo can be pretty skillful, and he’s good at working in sync with his comrades. We can do this.
—Here.
Now’s the time.
Haruhiro grappled Michiki from behind. He was all bones, so poking and stabbing him with the dagger wasn’t going to do any good.
He took him by the neck. Wrapping both arms around it, he tore Michiki’s skull off of his spinal column. Right after that, Moguzo’s bastard sword slammed into Michiki’s right arm.
“Hungh...!”
Michiki’s right hand and sword sailed through the air.
“—O light! May Lumiaris’ divine protection be upon you...”
Merry was coming.
She brought her five fingers to her forehead, making a pentagram. Then, pressing her middle finger to her brow, she completed the symbol of Lumiaris, the hexagram.
Merry pointed the palm of her hand towards Michiki. “Dispel...!”
The light was brilliant, yet somehow felt sad. Michiki crumbled away in Haruhiro’s arms.
The way only the things he was carrying and his ashes are left behind, it’s just too cruel.
Though, it was the same for Manato. It’s the same for everyone. When you die, this is what happens. In the end, this is what dying is.
When the light faded away, Haruhiro slumped to the ground. He couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t think anything. Nothing came to his mind.
Merry crouched down in front of what had once been Michiki. Moguzo and Ranta stood still. Yume, too. Shihoru held her hat, her shoulders heaving with labored breaths.