by Tôwa
Her shield had a small window in it. It was made of a silver metal and polished to a mirror finish. It was the kind of high-quality piece of equipment that you’d never manage to find in District Eight. I also understood why she looked like a knight, since the Labyrinth Country didn’t have any modern equipment. Even the baton she carried had a mace-like weight on the end and looked like it could do serious damage.
“Thank you for the information. I need to speak with my party for a moment; could you please wait for me?” I said.
“Sure,” she replied, agreeing to hang around a while longer as I went back to my friends, who were waiting behind me.
“Atobe… Are you thinking of using that Savior Ticket to ask her to help us?” asked Igarashi.
“You guessed it. I don’t think we’ll have a chance like this again, so I really want someone with a high defense to join us for opening the box.”
“I wonder how dangerous the first attack will be… I don’t think it’d be so powerful that even a Guild Savior can’t handle it. It’s dangerous to ask Cion to use Covering to take it, since she doesn’t even have any equipment,” said Elitia as Suzuna stroked Cion, who was sitting obediently next to her. Like she said, Cion might be a guard dog, but I was worried about having her take attacks without having any equipment.
“I haven’t seen any defensive equipment more impressive than that anywhere. It looks super sturdy,” said Misaki.
“You’re right… It’s incredible that she can move so quickly with armor that heavy…,” said Igarashi.
“……”
Everyone seemed to be in agreement. Even Theresia was looking at Seraphina, but it didn’t seem like she was wary of her.
Seraphina was waiting by the wall of the Guild building so as not to get in the way. I went up to her and held out the Savior Ticket she’d only just given me.
“Seraphina, if you have the time, I would like to request you join my party while we open a chest,” I said.
“…Are you sure? It’s not generally recommended that you allow someone outside of the party to be present when opening a chest. A chest and its contents are the property of the party,” she said.
“Well… There’s a high probability that an enemy will appear when we open this one. We need to defeat it. I understand that there would be risks in you agreeing to help us in that you’d be faced with an unknown attack, so I understand if you decline,” I said, and Seraphina stared at me. Her eyes were so sharp and bright that I had the urge to look away. Her hair color couldn’t be natural if she was really a reincarnate. It must have changed to this fantastical color sometime while she was living in the Labyrinth Country.
“If that is the request, you won’t need to use the Savior Ticket. One of our duties is to support any particularly promising rookies,” said Seraphina. “Chests are rarities, and while it isn’t common, it does occasionally happen that a rookie party is completely killed by the traps on a chest. Considering the situation, I would hope to prevent that from happening if at all possible.”
“Ah… Thank you so much! But I feel like I have to give you something in return. I don’t want to feel like we’ve gotten some sort of preferential treatment…,” I said.
“It wasn’t just that you saved Polaris. I heard that you also visited the patients we took to the Healers and returned one to consciousness. I am personally interested in what kind of Seeker you are. Don’t worry about compensation.”
I didn’t want my rearguard skills to become widely known, but I had a hard time believing anyone would choose to come to see us open a chest, knowing it was going to be dangerous, just to use my skills somehow.
“…Lastly, I will abide by your decisions. I wish to work with you for the time being. I won’t speak of anything I see during that. You may do with me as you see fit if I break that promise,” she continued.
“…All right. Though, you don’t need to say it like we’d threaten you,” I said.
“Threaten… That was not my intention. I was simply providing a suggestion as to what cost I would be willing to pay to gain your trust.”
Ariadne was like that, too; I felt like they didn’t treat their own femininity with much regard. It bothered me that I got so thrown off by it. I wished I could just be calm like you’d expect from someone my age.
“…I’m getting the impression that Japanese people don’t like inelegant women,” observed Seraphina.
“Th-that’s not true at all… Also, I wouldn’t call you that,” I said.
“Hmph… Is that so? …I’m glad you think that way… In some ways, I think my Guild Savior training was lacking… Ahem.” Seraphina seemed genuinely concerned about it, but she saw her squad looking at her, cleared her throat as she got ahold of herself, and went back to her normal demeanor.
“Ms. Seraphina, will you be joining these Seekers? We plan to return this evening. I hope to be on the way by three PM,” said one of the women, who appeared to be Seraphina’s assistant, carefully interjecting. Seraphina looked up at the clock above the square; it was nine in the morning. There was still plenty of time.
“Um… Would you mind coming along?” I asked.
“I will join you. Everyone else, patrol the area. Respond as necessary to any request from the Guild,” ordered Seraphina, and the five men and women who’d been standing at attention the whole time broke into grins. She’d said patrol, but maybe in practice, that meant they were allowed to do whatever they wanted. Seraphina was the only one left after her squad saluted and went their own ways.
First things first, I wanted to use Morale Support on Seraphina. It would take time, but having her Morale Discharge or not could be the deciding factor in the battle. The rest of my party came over now that it was official she’d be joining us. Now we needed to introduce everyone.
“Wow, I can’t believe you’ve found a second Black Box already. I was wondering if I’d see you again,” said Falma when we arrived.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but I want to ask that you teleport away as soon as you open the box… We might have a fight on our hands,” I said. I had thought she’d be surprised to hear it, but she was oddly at ease.
“I will know whether a monster will come out or not when I undo a trap. I will inform you right before I do,” she said.
“Understood. I’ll leave the rest to you, then.”
“As you wish. Eyck, Plum, you two hold down the fort for a bit, okay?”
“All right! Be careful, everyone!” said Eyck.
“I’ll wait here with Eyck!” said Plum.
We left the children behind as we descended the stairs that led to the teleportation door. Cion’s mom, Astarte, wasn’t at home. Being level 13, she was probably off on some Guild mission in the higher districts.
“…I should tell you that I have a number of skills that allow me to draw the enemy’s attention if I’m in the vanguard. I can increase their hostility, or hate if you will, toward me. The one most effective against a lone enemy is Provoke. If successful, the enemy will prioritize me for their attacks,” said Seraphina.
“All right. I can support your fight from behind. I can increase your attack and defense, for example…,” I said.
“You were increasing my morale before… I’ve never had my morale reach maximum.”
“You probably know that you can use your Morale Discharge when it reaches maximum… But I suppose if you never have, then you might not know what your Morale Discharge does?” I asked, and Seraphina nodded. When I first met her, I’d gotten the impression that she was a very strict and disciplined soldier, but she’d become much more compliant when she joined the party.
“I can’t be certain it’s combat-oriented, but… It might give us an edge when we’re in a pinch. If you use it, it takes a while before you can use it again, so we can’t really test it out,” I said.
“Since we don’t know what will happen, I’ll save it as a last resort, as you said. How does that sound?” she asked, but Igarashi seemed bothere
d by something and jumped into the conversation.
“It’s hard to know who you’re referring to when you keep just saying you. It’d probably be easier to follow if you addressed people by their names.”
“Oh… Good point. Uh, you can address me however you like,” I said to Seraphina.
“Then, I will call you Mr. Atobe, though I suppose it would be more appropriate to call you captain as you are the party leader,” replied Seraphina.
“You know, that salute from before was sooo cool. We’ll call you Captain Arihito. Oooh man, I wanna be called captain, too!” shrieked Misaki.
I wondered how useful Misaki’s Gambler skills would be for this fight. There was a possibility she’d be useful, but her defense was so low that I wasn’t certain I wanted her to participate.
“Misaki, this fight’s going to be really dangerous…,” I started.
“Mr. Atobe, please trust in Cion’s strength in times like this. I can tell she’s becoming stronger, like her mother,” said Falma.
“Woof!” barked Cion.
“Whoooa… Falma, could you tell he was about to leave me behind? Can I call you mom? You’ve got a mother’s intuition,” said Misaki.
“Ha-ha… I’m just perceptive when it comes to these kinds of things,” replied Falma as she put a finger to her lips and smiled. It probably wasn’t the right time to be thinking this, but she seemed to be getting more flirtatious the longer her husband was away.
The number on the teleportation door this time was twenty-five. Like Falma had explained before, it was a room that no other parties were currently using to open their chests. We opened the door, passed through, and found ourselves in a huge room that looked the same as the one before. Falma stood where she could make a speedy getaway if necessary, and we fell into battle formation.
♦Current Party♦
1: Arihito
Level 5
2: Theresia
Rogue
Level 5
3: Kyouka
Valkyrie
Level 4
4: Elitia
Cursed Blade
Level 9
5: Suzuna
Shrine Maiden
Level 4
6: Misaki
Gambler
Level 4
7: Cion
Silver Hound
Level 4
8: Seraphina
Riot Soldier
Level 11
That was our party of eight. Seraphina was level 11. With that giant shield of hers, she was clearly the person with the highest defense in the party. Leading the formation was Seraphina; making up the second rank were Elitia and Igarashi. Behind them were Theresia and Cion, then Suzuna and Misaki. I took up the rear.
“I will begin unlocking it now. Oh… I can’t believe I get another chance to open a chest this difficult…,” said Falma. She was as attractive as always, but she was fairly far from me, so I didn’t get drawn in by her allure. I needed to focus for when the box opened.
Falma held her right hand up to the box, which was in her left, and the three-dimensional magic field unfolded. That was the Dimensional Barrier Lock. It was significantly bigger than the one for the last Black Box—and far more complicated.
What is this feeling of dread…?
“It’s… Ah, what is this…power…? I need to let it out or the box won’t open!”
“This is it, everyone!” I shouted.
Falma’s magic was flowing down the paths of the mazelike Dimensional Barrier Lock. In its path was a red light. Her magic had to pass through there, but the light completely blocked the way forward. Which meant that there was no choice but to let her magic run into it. The moment she did…the box opened. The last time, the surface of the box had glowed with blue lines, releasing a flood of light. But with this box, the light that flooded the room was purple. It was so intense that it hurt to keep my eyes open. Falma fell to the ground shaking and stared at the scene in front of her.
“Falma, keep it together! Get out of here; leave it to us!” I shouted.
“Ah!”
Falma pulled herself up and started moving, and the purple light started to fade. As it did, our vision was filled with the sea of gold that had been in the box and was now swallowing the ground. In the air was a single sword. It gave off a purple glow and had a shape similar to a Japanese katana.
Intelligent Stellar Sword awakens; Self-Defense Mode activated.
♦Monsters Encountered♦
?INTELLIGENT WEAPON
Level 6
Dropped Loot: ???
It wasn’t just floating there; it was swaying up and down. Lightning raced out from around the sword, which gave a menacing aura to the blade. Even I, in the far back and before the battle had even started, could only think of death.
“There’s a sword…in the Black Box… Is that a katana?”
“Seraphina, I’ll lend you my support! Ariadne, give us a hand!” I shouted, and a moment later, the sword floating in the air suddenly came down to attack Seraphina in the front line.
“I, Ariadne, grant my devotee and his allies my protection!”
“I’ll stop this attack… That’s my job…!” cried Seraphina. My Defense Support made an invisible barrier over her shield, and in front of her appeared not one but two mechanical arms to stop the incoming sword. Those two arms were the result of our work on increasing our devotion to Ariadne. It was completely different from the last time she’d helped us—these were evolved Guard Arms.
Please… If we can’t stop this attack, we’re done for!
♦Current Status♦
> ARIHITO activated DEFENSE SUPPORT 1 Target: SERAPHINA
> ARIHITO requested temporary support from ARIADNE Target: SERAPHINA
> ARIADNE activated TWIN GUARD ARMS
> SERAPHINA activated DEFENSIVE STANCE
> SERAPHINA activated AURA SHIELD
> ?INTELLIGENT WEAPON activated BLADE OF HEAVEN AND EARTH Hit SERAPHINA
The sword struck down from above, cloaked in lightning. The Guard Arms stopped the blade with their hands, but even though they stopped it from advancing, the strike unleashed a shock wave that crashed into Seraphina’s shield.
“Gah… Argh…!”
♦Current Status♦
> BLADE OF HEAVEN AND EARTH created AFTERSHOCK Damaged SERAPHINA
> SERAPHINA activated COUNTER Skill will activate immediately
The damage was reduced a lot, but it wasn’t eliminated completely… She can’t keep doing that forever. Wait, she’s not just going to stop the attack…!
“—Haaaaaah!”
♦Current Status♦
> SERAPHINA activated SHIELD TACKLE Hit ?INTELLIGENT WEAPON
11 support damage
“It worked… It worked against a metal opponent!” I cried. Seraphina hadn’t just defended against the attack—she had pushed back and sent the sword flying, and I saw that the set damage from Attack Support 1 worked as well. She seemed surprised, but I was relieved… It had worked for the Giant Eagle-Headed Warrior, which had been metal, but I hadn’t been certain we could hurt a sword.
The sword bounced back, twirled in the air, and righted itself, but it didn’t come in immediately for another attack. It waited there, suspended in midair.
“Pant, pant… Those mechanical arms just now… What were—?”
“Seraphina, I’ll explain later. It’s coming again!” I shouted.
“I can dodge. I have to make it easier for her!” said Igarashi.
“Don’t push yourself! This enemy’s attacks aren’t normal!” I called.
Elitia and Igarashi advanced. I knew Elitia could keep up with the sword if she used her skills to speed up. Igarashi could help draw some attacks, since she could use Mirage Step to evade. We needed to end this quickly.
“The damage from my skills is as effective as it has been! Find an opening and attack—,” I started.
“—?!”
The sword’s next target was E
litia. She reacted immediately, bringing the Scarlet Emperor up to stop the blade.
“Argh!”
Slash, parry, thrust. The sword’s attacks came one after another, forcing Elitia to defend, unable to counterattack. Blocking a swing with her sword apparently didn’t count as an attack, as there wasn’t any set damage from my skills.
We need to break this up and make an opening… But we can’t use projectiles. The only thing that would hit for sure…
If Auto-Hit always landed, then it would still be able to hit that sword, but there was no way to break into their close combat.
“Ellie, fall back!” called Igarashi.
“Kyouka…!” answered Elitia.
Igarashi’s movements were significantly different from before; she was moving much more quickly.
That’s right, her abilities are increased with Wolf Pack… She can probably break into their fight with an attack!
“Hyaaaa!”
♦Current Status♦
> KYOUKA activated DOUBLE ATTACK
> ?INTELLIGENT WEAPON evaded Stage 1
> Stage 2 hit ?INTELLIGENT WEAPON
11 support damage
> ?INTELLIGENT WEAPON activated COUNTER SLASH
> KYOUKA activated MIRAGE STEP Evaded COUNTER SLASH
“Gah… I dodged it, but it’s so fast!” said Igarashi.
Everyone put some distance between them and the sword for a moment. It wasn’t just the physical attacks from the sword that were dangerous—there was also the lightning surrounding it. It would be bad to get too close.
Seraphina adjusted her stance and fell back into battle formation. She had been able to stop the first frightening attack… But the enemy moved too fast, making it difficult to get in any significant amount of damage.
If we can draw its attention, we can get in Elitia’s Blossom Blade and our attacks. We have to stop its movement somehow…
The floating sword readied itself for another attack. That’s when Seraphina activated the skill she’d told me about earlier.