Chapter 40
In the town. The night before the incident.
After finishing her report to Jiryuu, Una decided to spend the night at the inn with Dos.
This was her first time sleeping without Jiryuu or Ann. At first, she was worried she’ll have a hard time sleeping without them. However, she was able to sleep unexpectedly well, thanks to the inn’s comfortable bedding.
I’m sure Dos was feeling lonely on his own, so I made sure he slept with me. The smell of Dos and the comfort of the bedding soaked me like a sponge, making for a very restful sleep.
After finishing breakfast —with seconds, of course— while on the way to the guild for information gathering, I noticed something was strange.
「Dos, don’t you think there are fewer adventurers here than yesterday? Nomnomnomnom」
Asked Una all the while of savoring the skewers she bought from the food stall.
Since the breakfast from this morning was already enough for Dos, he decided to get the skewer to go.
The skewers from the stall are really to her liking.
Nod
At Una’s suggestion, Dos looks around the place.
And he notices something.
The sun has been up for a while now, but the streets are sparse and the only people walking around are townspeople in normal clothes.
There are very few adventurers, or as Una called them, people dressed in dirty clothes.
「No adventurers.」
「I was thinking the same thing… It’s not like they’re invisible or anything. Even with my heightened sense, they are not too many of them right now.」
As we made our way to the guild, we took in as much of the town as we could, but by the time we reached our destination, we had only seen one group of adventurers.
They were a group of rugged looking men with dirty clothes currently surrounding an elderly man. It was clear from their appearance that they were adventurers.
Not wanting to get involved, Una alerts the guards and heads to the guild.
「Empty.」
「I know.」
And the interior of the guild was deserted as we arrived.
The tables in the hall are almost empty as there is only a handful of people.
「Excuse me.」
「Good morning and welcome to the Adventurer Guild Agur branch……Oh, it’s you. You’re that person from yesterday, right……？」
「Yes, thank you for your help.」
The woman sitting at the counter is the same woman who took care of them when they first registered as adventurers.
A young woman in her twenties, with long, blonde hair styled neatly in a ponytail and dressed in subtle makeup.
She wears glasses and black gloves on her hands, giving off the vibe of a receptionist.
Una not only received information from the dirty little red-haired female adventurer, but also from her, an employee of the guild.
Thanks to that, she remembered her—albeit vaguely.
If I’m not mistaken, her name was………
Glasses…… Glasses Blondie. I’m pretty certain that was it.
「Don’t worry, you don’t have to thank me for that. So, what can I do for you today?」
A receptionist with a refreshing smile.
Una asked the receptionist the thing that’s been bothering her since this morning.
「Why are there so few adventurers in the town today?」
「Ah, so that’s what your concern was about.」
Understanding what she meant, she began explaining it to her.
「Actually, there was an urgent quest posted here about a month ago」
「An urgent quest?」
「 Apparently, it was issued by the government. They were looking to hire some people to assemble an army.」
「An army?」
Her gut instinct is telling her something is not right.
「It’s a subjugation mission. 」
The receptionist woman smiles and answers.
A shudder ran up Una’s spine.
「I apologize for not bringing this to your attention earlier, but as you are currently an E-Rank adventurer, I didn’t think it was relevant. However, the country is currently recruiting C-Rank adventurers and above to investigate a newly discovered disaster species that has appeared in the Eld Desert. 」
Una and Dos turned speechless.
As she struggled to keep her composure, Una asked the receptionist once more.
「Please tell me the details.」
I must tell him right away.
Una and Dos could not help but think of nothing else at that moment.
She should have guessed the moment all the adventurers were away from the town suddenly…
The Dead Line, also known as the Boundary of Death, is now teeming with an army of human soldiers!
「All troops, halt! We’ll take a break here!」
It is a troop of ten-thousands.
It does not only compose of regular soldier but also adventurers who were conscripted from the Adventurers Guild.
But their arrival surprised the “soldiers” guarding the Eld Desert.
The guards were left speechless.。
「H- Hey, when did those guys show up?」
「How would I know? They were already there when I saw them……」
「As if! There’s no way a huge army like that would just suddenly appear out of thin air!」
The watchtower was in chaos.
After all, they were keeping watch over the Eld Desert as usual.
When suddenly an army appeared out of nowhere.
It’s hard not to be surprised.
Contrary to the chaos in the watchtower, a certain person with a relaxed expression on his face gazed out into the desert.
「Eclair, your ability to move this large an army to the Eld Desert in just one day is truly impressive. I knew that speed was essential for our operation, but I didn’t think it was possible to accomplish it in such a short amount of time. It’s a remarkable achievement for someone who isn’t a sage, you know that?」
A man with striking blue hair and unusual red eyes.。
The man who speaks in a casual, relaxed tone that contrasts with his fierce appearance is the brave and accomplished dragon slayer, Wald Nored.
Beside him stands the pale Prime Minister Eclair.
He looks like he was about to collapse any time soon.
Not to mention the several magicians lying limp beside him.。
Clearly, exhausted, by the looks of it.
「Pant…. Pant…. I’ve told you……failure is not an option.………」
There, in Eclair’s hand, is a staff twice as long as him.。
However, it was too bizarre to be a normal staff.
The staff was adorned with a serpent coiled around its elongated handle, with a massive magic stone perched atop. Its size was so grand that it required both hands to wield it comfortably.
『Teleport Staff』
It is what it’s called.
The masterpiece, created by the young and brilliant mage engineer Laurador from Magic City Endymion, is said to have been crafted using the theory of large-scale teleportation technique passed down from the ancestor of Eclair, the sage Elibel.
While it consumed a large amount of magical power to use, it is an extremely powerful magic tool that can teleport numerous people to the desired location.
A powerful tool that can change the course of history.
Despite its impressive capabilities, this magic tool is plagued by several drawbacks. The time required for both production and activation is excessive, it can only be used in locations previously visited by the user, and the sheer amount of magic power consumed renders it unusable for extended periods following its use. Additionally, many areas for improvement remain, and the tool is not viable for mass production.
It also must be returned to the magic city after a use.
He knew it was too much, but the good result made it worth it.
With this magic tool, it is possible to greatly reduce the recruitment of soldiers and the speed of the march.
Eclair selected a location he was familiar with, situated near a watchtower on the Boundary of Death, which was the closest proximity to the Eld Desert, as his destination.
And Eclair achieved that super large-scale teleportation with just a few people, including himself.
Although he is not quite on the same level as Elibel, he holds the position of Prime Minister, but at the same time, he is also a magician with an extraordinary talent.
「You’re really amazing~ Thanks to you, my plan can now work perfectly.」
「Pant…… Pant…… It’s your turn now…… Are you…… Pant… sure it will work? Don’t you dare…… go back on your word now.」
Glare, Eclair’s dark-circled eyes fixed on Wald.
He then gulped down the recovery potion he received from his subordinate.
However, it only recovered a little of the magical power he used.
「Don’t worry, I can still walk. Let us go now.」
With that, he enters the Eld Desert, accompanied by Beldi.
In no time at all, they arrived at the destination.。
Which is a dungeon.
Wald draws an orange-colored sword from its sheath.
The Sacred Sword, Leviathan.
「Let us begin, shall we?」
He then draws the sword.
An orange-colored sword.
Which is undoubtedly the Sacred Sword Leviathan.
The only and absolute weapon he possesses.
The moment it was pulled out, high-density magical power gushed out from the sacred sword.
He sticks his sword into the ground and rests one hand on the ground.
An intricate magic circle emerges from his hands.
「……Scanning……Shape identified………Calculating……………within the expected range………Effect range………………Condition matched…………This dungeon is bigger than I thought, but it’s doable…… This is a piece of cake.」
He chuckled.
At that time, a certain adventurer was asking a nearby knight.
So what’s our mission?
「……Oh, right.」
So the adventurers haven’t been informed of the plan yet, it seems.
The knight pondered.
Even if I tell them, there is no way they are going to believe me.
In fact, even the knights were skeptical about the plan.
Including him.
The knight turned towards the adventurer with a wry smile.。
「Humu, let me ask you a question. What do you think is the best method to quickly subjugate a dungeon?？」
The knight asks the adventurer.
「Ha, what kind of question is that？」
He was perplexed by such a question.
But the knight, unfazed, faced forward.
「―――――The answer is rather simple. You’ll understand once you see it.」
Wald holds the sword towards the ground.
In the next instant, the sacred sword in his hand shines with an exceptionally strong light.
「Is everyone ready?」
He faced towards the earth, and swung the sword.
「SHATTER, LEVIATHAN!」
Soon afterward
GUGUGUGU!!!!!!!! A tremendous roar echoed.
And the ground shook.
An unexpected scene unfolds before them.
The ground――――――cracks open.
On this day, the map of the Eld Desert will be rewritten.
Suddenly appeared, by the bottomless canyon, the Eld Desert was divided in half.
Meanwhile, at the deepest floor of the dungeon, Jiryuu is busy listening to Una’s report.
『Father! It’s an emergency! An army… There’s an army of human in the Eld Desert marching towards you!』
I was stunned by the sudden news.。
An army?
Why would there be a human army here?
「So you have someone from the outside too? What kind of person is sh―――――――!!! 」
In contrast to me, Elibel is listening to Una’s report intently.
Eh, why do you look like that? What’s with that scary face?
But still, she’s a skeleton, she doesn’t suppose to have a face.
『Father, whose voice was just now?』
Oh, right. I haven’t introduced Elibel to her yet.
I need to introduce her first.
『Ah right, about that. That was actually Eli―――』
「JIRYUU! PLACE A BARRIER NOW!」
『Eh?』
However, my speech was cut short.
As it was drowned by Elibel’s hurried voice.
She sounds desperate.
What do you mean?
「――――Tsk! Hey, let me borrow your headline (hotline) for a sec!！」
Then she grabs my head.
Ugh! My brains are being shaken!
WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO MEEEE!!! YOU’RE HURTING MY BRAIN!
However, despite my confusion, Elibel forcibly connect herself to my thought transmission.
『To everyone inside the dungeon! Put up some kind of barrier now and prepare for an impact! If you don’t want to die, do as I say! Hurry!』
Then she takes her hand off my head.
What was that for?
「Tsk, how can this be. I never thought there was someone in this country who could use that thing…… And out of all possible times, why now――――」
Muttering, Elibel talks to herself.
『Oioi, Elibel… Are you okay―――』
「LISTEN, PUT UP THE BARRIERS NOW OR YOU’LL DIE!」
It was the next moment.
For a moment, I felt cold and frightened.
And right in front of me ――――――It cracked.
Even the knights, who had been informed of the plan in advance, gasped at the sight.
It was unbelievable.
The ground suddenly cracked open.
It cracked and fissures the entire Eld Desert.
Contrary to everyone, Wald however looks calm.
「―――――I found it… Wow, her information is no joke… Rias is right, it was here.」
Step
Beldi, the one-eyed adventurer, walked up to him.
「Wald, I think I found what I’m looking for. I’ll be going now. I got a business to take care of on the top floor. 」
Beldi’s hand holding the spear is full of strength.
Despite that, he can see uncertainty in her eyes.
「If that what you want. Hey, Beldi.」
「What is it?」
「Always be on your guard, alright? Once the mapping is done and sent to Eclair, we’ll crush the boss and send the knights to sweep the rest. Remember what we planned, okay?」
「Who do you take me for?」
With an annoyed smile on her face, Beldi looks at Wald.
「Even then…. I guess you’re right.」
Without hesitation, they immediately jump into the hole.
And he heads straight down to the deepest part of the dungeon.
An adventurer slumped to the ground at the sight of the scene.
Impossible, barely a murmur from his mouth.
I heard rumors.
A sacred sword that can split the continent with just a swing.
But never I imagine I would someday see it with my own eyes.
It is completely different from the straightforward or surprise attack in a dungeon attack.
A truly out-of-the-box tactic that makes use of the power of the sacred sword.
The ultimate 『Dungeon Skip』
With it, you can skip the entire dungeon and head straight to the deepest part of it.
This is the power of the sacred sword.
And the power of the great hero.
The adventurers couldn’t move from their spot for a while.
Not until two minutes later when they were given instructions by their commander.
And there’s someone at the deepest floor of the dungeon who’s still in shock.
『What is the meaning of this…』
I couldn’t believe what just happened.
What is the meaning of this!? How could’ve this happened!?
To put it simply: —– the earth suddenly cracked open right before my eyes.
The dungeon has collapsed.
There is a faint glimpse of sunlight.
Why’s there light suddenly down here?
This is the deepest of the dungeon, right? It’s like hundreds of meters under the ground.
『FATHER! WHAT HAPPENED! WHAT WAS THAT SOUND JUST NOW?! PLEASE REPLY, FATHER!』
Una’s voice falls on deaf ears.
That’s how confused I was.
Who?
Where is this?
This can’t be happening.
What on earth happened?
「JIRYUU, GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF! I NEED YOUR HELP, NOW!」
That’s when I finally came to my senses.
I look towards the direction of the voice.
It was Elibel.
She is about to fall off a cliff.
「I just evolved, and I don’t have any magical power left! Sorry, but I need you to pull me up!」
Shouts her desperately.
Right, I need to save Elibel first.
『O― Ok, hang on there! I’m coming right―――――』
But then, more chaos descended upon me.
It was a man in fancy clothes.
He even landed on his two feet.
In his hand is an orange sword.
That sword. Isn’t that the Sacred Sword Leviathan?
Is that the real one? Where did he get that?
I thought it was sealed ？
Wait, that’s not important. What is happening right now?
More importantly, why must this happen to me?
Who is this guy?
Where did he come from?
I have no idea at all.
But the man in front of me just laughed.
The bracelet on his left hand shattered and fell to the ground.
Slowly, the man opened his mouth.
「So, this is how a living earth dragon looks like…. It truly is remarkable.」
He looked at me and laughs.
It gives me the chills.
What’s the deal?
No, before we get to that……… is he really a human?
「Nice to meet you, earth dragon.」
That’s how he met the great dragon-slaying hero, Wald Nored.