Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy
Saul
Fortunately, as much as I loathe to call it that, the tunnel collapse that took Iris and Reiji also separated me from the enemy, allowing me to grab Hayato and made our narrow escape.
However… the road we came from was completely caved in and I could no longer confirm those two’s safety.
The boy Hayato had yet to recover. While I was trying to find another entrance by looking for an air current, he just silently followed me, crying all the way.
As a matter of course, I had something to say about that, but I pushed it away and put my hand on his head to comfort him.
“…What happened wasn’t your fault. We’re to blame for not sharing information about the existence of such a thing with you. Really, you did the best you could in that situation. Your timing was impeccable, I have to admit… but that enemy wasn’t ‘normal’ by any means.”
Yes, what happened back there was almost entirely our fault for not sharing the information. Unlike those of us who had previously engaged in combat with such a creature, he didn’t even know it existed.
“But…!”
But neither he nor I were mature enough… to accept the fact that his well-meaning actions have led us to our current predicament.
“Do you really think so, Nii-chan?! It’s all my fault, I screwed up! If you think so, you should have said that already-”
That remark hit too close to comfort, and in an instant, blood rushed to my head. The next thing I knew, I grabbed him by the chest and slammed him against the wall.
“…You want me to spit it out, right?”
“Ugh…”
I found my own voice surprisingly cold.
Hayato moaned in pain as his breathing was blocked by the tight squeeze.
“Then… IT’S BECAUSE YOU STICKED YOUR DAMN NOSE WHERE IT DIDN’T BELONG THAT THOSE TWO WERE CAUGHT IN THE COLLAPSE, ARE YOU FUCKING SATISFIED NOW…?!”
I’m aware that I’m far from a saint. No matter how much I tried to hide it, deep in my chest, there’s a whirlpool of resentment toward this boy who caused Iris and Reiji to fall into the tunnel collapse.
…I should not have brought a child who could not fight to such a place, bonded by temporary compassion. This is the result of sympathizing with this kid’s concern toward the person who took care of him and letting him do as he pleases.
In any case, it’d help no one if we kept on finding the right person to blame for what happened.
The sight of the boy’s frightened eyes as I grabbed him by the chest and glared at him quickly cooled the blood that had been rising in my head. Anger quickly turned to guilt.
“…This is stupid. Let’s not waste our time any further. Go.”
I let go of his collar and shove him away.
If this continued any longer, I was going to blame him to the point where I really couldn’t take it back.
I understood what he was talking about. I was seething with anger inside. But if I gave in to it, I’d never be able to forgive myself again.
I took a breath to regain my composure.
“…You came back because you wanted to help us, didn’t you? I supposed I should thank you for that.”
“…Mmm.”
As I turned on my heel and started to walk away, I felt a presence behind me rush up and follow me, wiping away his tears. I glanced to the side and saw his eyes red and swollen, but he was biting his lip and trying not to cry anymore.
…Timid as he was, guess he’s still a boy regardless. He didn’t want to look weak.
A giggle escaped from my lips. Yes, somehow there was room to laugh, even in this situation.
Thus, we resumed our search and went deeper underground.
“What the…”
We were now on a narrow, man-made path that runs along the middle of a steep cliff that was originally a huge underground cavern.
As we proceeded fearfully on the barely walkable path, the faint flickering of the space below caught my eye.
The scene spread out over there was…
“…They don’t look like goblins anymore, do they?”
A wide space below, probably the end of another tunnel, where countless glowing shadows filled it.
Covered in crystals here and there, those goblin-sized silhouettes looked abnormal even from a distance.
“Demihumans” like goblins at least still had humanoid shapes. Those creatures, on the other hand, were deformed and bloated in places, some of them even growing extra limbs.
There were well over one hundred of those, all in a crouching position as if sleeping.
“…Well, that explains why we didn’t run into any goblins at all.”
I said with a trembling voice. Disgusting sweat ran down my face.
Fortunately, they didn’t seem to be moving.
Was it because they haven’t detected us yet?
…Or their sleeping forms were merely chrysalides before mutating into something even worse?
“…This is bad. If all of them attack the town at once, defending it would be impossible…”
“Not even Nii-chan and the other two can do it?”
“There’s still everyone in the mercenary company who can turn the tide… No, this number of enemies is just too much…”
Without a doubt, direct combat with these creatures would lead to high casualties among us.
We’d known firsthand how dangerous those “crystalized” creatures can be, and now there were as many of them as the goblins accompanying the General we once fought.
This wasn’t a simple boss raid anymore. We were now facing something akin to a small war… a “Legion Raid”, speaking in the game’s terms.
Unlike last time, the odds were heavily against us. Even if we mobilized the entire town, it would still be far from enough.
We could try to contact the Count ruling this region and request the aid of his army… but there’s too much hurdle to go through with that approach: getting in touch with him, exchanging information, asking for help, waiting for the army to prepare… Would these monsters even sit still during all that?
It’s impossible, no matter how I look at it.
“I can’t think of any way we’re going to win. Worst case scenario, the entire town must be abandoned…”
“No way…”
Hayato looked down in dismay. That town had only been his home for a month, but he seemed to be really sad about having to abandon it.
I was about to say something to him, but didn’t know what to say and swallowed my words.
“Excuse me…”
“Who goes there?!”
I was completely distracted by the situation below when a voice suddenly called out from behind me, startling me to the point where I thought my heart would stop, but I barely managed to stifle my voice.
I turned around in a hurry…
“Um, sorry for startling you, I…”
“Nee-chan?!”
Now it’s Hayato who’s surprised by the newcomer.
She’s a woman in her early twenties with long, rich blonde hair that was loosely braided into a single strand, swept off her shoulders and hanging down in front of her body.
With a ladylike smile on her face, she spoke to us with a beautiful voice befitting her gorgeous appearance.
She was dressed in a green-toned robe with plenty of lace, like a dress, and an embroidered cape that wasn’t too ornate… If you ask me, she resembled a character from a certain alchemist video game.
…That reminds me, threads pertaining to her in the game forum were often called “Atelier” because of her career as a pharmacist.
Somehow, I felt a great sense of defeat when I looked at her.
I can proudly say that Iris and I are exceptionally beautiful, but it was only possible with our effort and passion that went into refining our avatars over and over…
But this person in front of me was a native of this world. Thus, it’s hard for me to believe that all this appearance is natural.
Seriously, what’s with those legs? Those hips? Those melons?
I was quite the beauty in my old world, but this woman was on another level.
Completely disregarding my inner struggles, the woman in front of me clasped her hands together and came over to me with a relaxed expression.
“…Thank goodness. Both you and Hayato-kun are safe.”
She exhaled deeply as if deeply relieved, checking each of our faces and whether or not we were injured.
I glanced sideways to check on Hayato and saw him looking away embarrassed… I truly sympathized with that. This older sister was simply too poisonous to a boy of his age.
“…Uh, leaving Hayato aside, I don’t think I’ve been introduced to you.”
“Actually, I’m here to talk with you about that… This location is unsuitable, so first let’s move to where we can meet up with everyone else. Please follow me.”
With that, she turned on her heel and began to move, killing the sound of her footsteps… If Hayato called her “Nee-chan”, and her appearance matched that of her game NPC self, she must be Aini-san, the person we were looking for.
And she mentioned “everyone else”. This could probably be Iris and Reiji.
…I see, those two should be safe now.
With this assurance, I breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that I have no choice but to follow her.
“Ah, Gantz-san?… Yes… I’ve found the other two, they seem to be unharmed… Okay, see you there.”
She was putting her hand over her ear and talking to someone as she went along. Perhaps it’s a magical tool of some kind to talk to people in a faraway place.
Back in the game, it could be rented in towns and were often used to make secret contacts, but in this world, no such store existed.
When I was still traveling with the merchants, I was the first to ask if I could somehow get my hand on such an item because of its usefulness, but I did not receive a favorable response. So why did this woman possess something that wasn’t sold on the market?
…There must be more to this woman than the kind and beautiful lady I once knew back in the game.
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