Chapter 11: The Fiends Poured Out

The fiends poured out of the hole one after another. However, as was to be expected of a group of high-ranking adventurers, they managed to mop up the fiends without issue.

It was then that a conspicuously larger one breached the surface. It was vaguely humanoid but boasted a bizarre form, like an unnatural amalgamation of several other fiends. Miasma poured from its mouth with every breath it took.

The adventurers were astir.

“Ugh, the hell’s that...?”

“Wow, disgusting!”

“This distorted mana is melding fiends together, cough...but so be it. It’s a shoddy, low-mana good-for-nothing.” Maria looked at the fiend with irritation, lifting one of her emaciated fingers. “Work with me, stupid apprentice. We’re casting Lightning Emperor.”

“Hmph, so condescending.”

Miriam sullenly held up her staff. The two chanted together, “May the myriad beads of false dawn be as one—raise a wave to call down an earth-shattering bolt.”

Translucent geometric figures materialized around the pair; light burst from Maria’s finger and the tip of Miriam’s staff. All the while, sinister black clouds swiftly formed over the fiend’s head.

The moment it seemed the lightning would fall, Anessa immediately fired an iron arrow, which stuck into the forehead of the grotesque fiend. In a mere split second, a furious flash erupted from the dark clouds, all of its tendrils coalescing on the arrow. After a moment spent trembling, the fiend scattered into dust.

Maria looked at Anessa, pleasantly surprised. “Cough... Not bad at all, girl. Good assist.”

“I’ve hung around Merry long enough,” she replied a bit bashfully. Her diffidence did not stop her from unleashing unending arrows, taking out fiends who were trying to attack the other adventurers from behind. Maria and Miriam followed suit, firing off magic that charred many a fiend to a crisp.

Meanwhile, Angeline observed the scene with folded arms.

“Now what should I do...”

The fiends poured out with no end in sight. While the adventurers were overwhelming them at the moment, they were hardly making any progress. Now that the barrier had been dispelled, the dungeon was emitting a great deal of magic, and perhaps other, outside fiends would be drawn in by it. The adventurers’ movements would dull the more their fatigue piled up, which would lower their chances of victory should they come face to face with a demon.

“We’re at a disadvantage the longer this drags on.” Angeline drew her sword. She turned to Miriam and Anessa. “Cover me.”

Then, she was off before they could reply. She did not confront any fiends, instead slipping straight through them and arriving at the dungeon’s entrance in no time at all. Any fiends that tried attacking her along the way were eliminated by arrows and magic.

Cheborg and Dortos had run amok near the entrance, and the corpses of fiends of A-Rank and higher littered the ground. This was closer to a massacre than a battle.

Angeline spotted Dortos and called out to him. “Old Man Silver, we’re getting nowhere... Let’s leave the small fries to everyone else and get in there.”

“Makes sense. Oi, you lot! You’ve got my back!” Dortos yelled at his party members behind him. It took just a moment for them to swiftly change formation, and they were immediately at work exterminating the fiends around the entrance. They were elites, and it showed—while there were still plenty of fiends to go, a straight path into the dungeon would soon be secured.

“Pushovers, the lot of them! We’re going deeper!” Cheborg thrust out his fist. The symbols covering his arm lit up as a tremendous blast wave swept up every fiend in that general direction.

Angeline immediately accelerated, leaping into the dungeon entrance. Dortos and Cheborg weren’t far behind.

“What’s this...?” she muttered as she touched down.

The dungeon was originally E-Rank and its interior was supposed to be nothing more than hollowed-out earth; now the walls were covered in an ominous black substance, occasionally flickering with pale light and pulsing like a living being. It was as if she had jumped into the mouth of some unknown life-form.

In any case, Angeline raced ahead. She heard Cheborg shouting from behind her, “Ange! Give me the first blow!”

“First come, first served. Have you gotten too old to outpace me?”

“Aha ha ha ha! Looks like I’m becoming the pushover here! Interesting!”

“Don’t let your guard down. They’re coming.”

Fiends gushed forth from the holes to the top and sides of the tunnel. In the blink of an eye, Dortos had skewered three, then bisected two as he swept his spear aside. Cheborg utterly pulverized whatever came at him with his fists.

“Where is the main body...?” Despite the onslaught, Angeline barely took any of them on herself. She squinted her eyes, focusing on the traces of mana, and chased after them. She had two old soldiers defending her, so she could take the lead.

She came to a stop once she reached a fork in the path. Dortos and Cheborg continued mowing down fiends, letting her do her job. Remaining wary, Angeline concentrated. Think back. What did dad tell me? The boss fiend’s presence should feel like needles pricking the skin. Yes, that’s it. I’ve been in enough dungeons to know.

However, with so many powerful fiends around, the presence was feeble. She couldn’t focus enough in the midst of battle.

“This isn’t good enough... Dad will laugh at me.”

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She stopped thinking about it, and strangely enough, it was as if the surrounding clamor had grown very distant. Her senses sharpened to compensate, and from the surges of mana, the prickling sensation came from...

“This way!” Angeline’s eyes shot open and she burst off.

It seemed to be the right way, as the presence grew thicker the further she pressed on. There were a few small chambers on the sides, but no major branches. Luckily, this was a former E-Rank dungeon, and its structure wasn’t so complex.

“Just a little more...” Angeline muttered.

It was then that she felt an intense wave of mana from the wall beside her. She immediately readied her sword to defend herself. Not a second later, a massive fiend burst through it. It looked similar to a lizard, yet its hind limbs were far bigger and it stood much taller than Angeline. Its fangs and claws appeared to be incredibly sharp, and its scales had a tough-looking black luster. Though it had no wings to fly, she wondered if it might be a subspecies of dragon.

Angeline managed to catch its charge but was thrown back by its momentum. She twisted in the air and landed without difficulty.

“Grr... Get out of the way...”

“Aha ha ha ha ha! A surprise attack, eh?! This lizard knows its stuff!” Cheborg laughed and pummeled the dragon. However, the fiend was only pushed back a bit, glaring at him unharmed. Its large, goggling eyes seemed to have trouble focusing—something was driving it mad. A faint veil of miasma leaked from its mouth.

With a heroic smile on his lips, Cheborg straightened his cap. “Oh! Not too shabby, are you?! Hey! Let me have him! Okay?! How about it?!”

“Do whatever you want! Let’s go, Ange.”

“Be careful, General...”

Leaving Cheborg with the large dragon, Angeline followed Dortos further down the corridor. She heard panting and looked to the side. Dortos was growing a little winded. He massaged his chest, soothing his aching lungs.

“Tsk... Why did I have to grow old...”

“Are you all right, Silver...?”

“This is nothing. No need to worry, Ange,” Dortos said, grinning.

Ange, on the other hand, furrowed her brow. “Old man... That’s apparently what they call a ‘death flag.’”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It was in a book I read.”

“I don’t understand these youngsters and their newfangled words...” Dortos sighed.

They mowed through many more fiends on their way down. The presence grew thicker and thicker, and Ange could feel the prickling sensation growing stronger alongside it. She had fought many S-Rank fiends before, but none of them felt like this.

This will be a first for me. She trembled with excitement. She felt no fear—rather, she found herself hopeful to fight a formidable foe.

“Heh...” She renewed her grip on her sword, and cut straight through an encroaching fiend. Her blood boiled.

She soon found herself in a vast chamber, where she came to a stop. The ceiling was round, like a dome, but every surface was still covered with that sickly substance, flickering and pulsing. The fiends were suddenly gone the moment she entered that space. It was filled with a peculiar atmosphere, and the needles of mana were practically digging into her flesh now.

There was something in the center. It was like a black shadow but had a humanlike form. It was small, crouching on the floor like an infant, rocking left and right.

“Is that...a demon?”

“Be on your toes, Ange. Something feels off.” Dortos quickly took a stance with his spear.

The shadow muttered as it rocked. Angeline honed her ears to pick it up.

“Master... Master... Where did you go...? I’m lonely... So lonely,” it repeated under its breath with a childlike voice.

Angeline cocked her head. Whatever it was, it was certainly the center of the distortion. Yet, as far as she could tell, it didn’t mean any harm. It gave off a terrifyingly innocent impression, which only made it uncannier.

Angeline, as though in a trance, stepped nearer and found herself talking to it. “Hey...what are you so sad about...? Who is your master?”

“Ange?!” Dortos cried out to her.

A chill raced down her spine, and she immediately leaped to one side. The creature was now standing where she had been an instant before.

“Lonely... So lonely... If I kill more...can I see him again...?”

Eyes sprouted in what was presumably its face, staring at Ange. Its pupils were pitch black, filled with madness; it was as if she would be sucked in if her gaze lingered.

Dortos’s spear sallied forth like the wind. The thing took the blow head-on and was sent flying back.

However, Dortos clicked his tongue. “I can’t pierce it... It seems it’s not called a demon for nothing.”

At the end of its flight, the thing splattered to the ground, then slowly, unsteadily got to its feet. It held its arms out front like an innocent child reaching for its mother, as if it wanted to be held.

Angeline took in a deep breath and readied her sword.

“Sorry Silver... I let my guard down.”

“Glad to have you back... Here it comes.”

The two of them ran in different directions. The shadow was dead set on pouncing at Angeline, springing at her far faster than a wolf. The eyes were gone from its apparent face, and all that remained was a large, red gash of a mouth, lined with several rows of sharp fangs.

Nevertheless, she was still an S-Rank adventurer; as long as she wasn’t taken by surprise, its speed was hardly threatening at all. She found the distorted mana coiling around her to be rather irritating, but it wasn’t enough to dull her movements.

Angeline lowered her stance and slashed as it came at her. Her blade connected with surprising ease; it didn’t even feign dodging. However, it was simply knocked back without being sliced through once again.

“Hrah!” As the shadowy figure flew, Dortos circled around and thrust his spear through it with monstrous momentum. He thrust again, and again, his flurry falling upon it with the force of a meteor shower.

Even the shadowy being struggled to bear it, blasting off and colliding with the wall with a grating sound. It slopped to the ground, yet still tottered to its feet.

“Ma...ster... So lonely...”

“Begone!” Dortos twisted, coiling his entire body like a spring, and used that force in his next thrust. Rarely had this move failed to spell certain death for his past foes.

Once again, the shadow took the brunt of the spear—or so it seemed.

“Hmm?!” Dortos’s eyes widened in surprise. It had caught his spear with its fangs and bit into the tip, exerting more and more strength. His silver spear made a noise as though it was crying out.

Angeline used its immobility as a chance to kick it square in the abdomen, sending it somersaulting along the floor until it smacked into the wall.

“You okay, Silver...?”

“Sorry for that, Ange. To think it could crack a magic-coated spear...”

There were fissures and nicks running down the blade. Dortos grimaced at these unforeseen wounds adorning the comrade that had gotten him through thick and thin for many long years.

“I’ll handle it.” Angeline stepped out. “Stand back.”

“Fine... How pathetic of me.” Dortos fell back, gathering his frenzied breath.

It leaped again, and with its mouth wide open, chomped down on Angeline’s sword. She took aim at its stomach and kicked it upward. As it let go of her sword, reeling at the impact, she coiled her body and thrust.

Dortos had to doubt his eyes for a moment. What she had done was nearly identical to his own attack, splendidly utilizing the spring of her entire body. However, even that was unable to pierce it.

Angeline clicked her tongue. It crashed into the wall, where it staggered to its feet again. However, while it looked like it had taken a bit of damage, the next instant it was coming at Angeline just as fast as before. Its movements were gradually growing more precise as if fighting Angeline was causing it to remember how to fight.

Angeline accelerated to match it. Their clash slowly grew so intense that Dortos himself would have hesitated to step into it, even if his spear was in a usable state.

Approaching, withdrawing, approaching again... Angeline felt a chill each time its sharp fangs grazed her body. Its hands were scary as well. It had no claws or nails on its flat, featureless arms, yet she would get goosebumps each time she evaded a swipe. This thing was like a highly dense mass of mana, and presumably, a clean blow would completely erase her arm.

How long had it been since she felt her life was in danger? On the contrary, this lit a fire in her soul. Her sword arm and her legs were moving before her thoughts reached them. Each time she sped up, it was as if the world had slowed down. Only the thing she fought seemed to move as she did.

After several dozen more exchanges, Angeline sent it flying with her sword. She couldn’t cut it no matter how many times she sliced it. This seemed wholly unproductive.

Does it even feel fatigue? She didn’t know.

However, it seemed to be unsteady every time it took an attack, so her efforts must have been doing something. Angeline was a bit winded, and blood seeped from her shallow wounds. However, she couldn’t give up—not to mention, this was the very being preventing her from going home.

This thing stands between me and my father. The thought was enough to ignite her rage.

It was still muttering even as they fought, as if it didn’t see Angeline at all. “I want to...see you...Master... Where did you go...? Ba’al has been good for you...”

“I don’t know who you want to meet...but I have someone I want to see too.”

Angeline calmly took her stance and concentrated. The mana within her body coiled and swirled, and she could feel it circulate like blood all through her with each breath. Through her fingertips, through her sword—the mana bound her blade and hand as one. Her sword responded to this with an intense radiance.

“If you want to see him so badly...quit dawdling around here, and find him already!”

Angeline kicked off the ground. It came at her, its fangs bared.

They met—and her sword cleaved through it.

“Mas...ter...”

Her shoulder was ablaze; she could feel blood pouring from it. She hadn’t lost her arm, but she couldn’t exert any strength with it. Did I put too much into that attack?

Angeline fell to her knees, and Dortos propped her up before she collapsed onto the ground. She tried to focus but was too winded after putting her all into that final clash. Still, she managed to lift her face.

“Old Man Silver... How does it look...?”

Dortos gently smiled and nudged her in its direction. She looked over her shoulder. It was on the ground in two pieces. Its body seethed and bubbled until finally, it began to melt away. She could feel the distorted mana dispersing. The sinister substance covering the walls faded, lost its light, and crumbled away.

Angeline looked at Dortos. “Did we win...?” she asked after a moment.

“Yes, it is our victory. Nicely done, Ange.”

The energy drained from her in her relief, and she nearly collapsed. Dortos frantically caught her once more, as the Black-Haired Valkyrie fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

○

As the adventurers packed up, the abandoned dungeon was left in silence. Behind the remnants of the creature stood someone hooded and tall, wearing pure-white robes in stark contrast to the darkness.

The figure looked at the thing, now a melted, black puddle of liquid, and clicked its tongue.

“What a pathetic state I’ve found you in...” The figure spoke in low tones—seemingly a man’s voice. The robed person held his hand over the puddle and began to chant. His fingertips glowed, the pool sparkling in its light. Soon, a small shadow stood in the puddle, drawing the liquid into itself like a sponge. The thing teetered left and right before noticing the man.

“Master... Master?”

It staggered towards him, holding out its arms. However, the man violently kicked it in frustration.

“Fool! Do I look like Solomon to you?!”

The shadow rolled along the ground before wobbling to its feet.

“Mas...ter...? Where...? Ba’al is...right here...”

The robed man clicked his tongue again. “Enough. Just lay low until you regain your power.” He waved his hand; the thing floated in the air, before condensing into a small, black gemstone and settling in his palm.

The robed man stuffed it into his pocket and muttered, “Was I too hasty...? No, I misjudged Orphen’s guild. I thought they were incompetent, but they managed to sniff this place out... Worse yet is the Black-Haired Valkyrie...but whatever. We haven’t even started yet.”

He turned on his heel and walked off.

○

Angeline opened her eyes and found herself in the guild’s sickroom. Anessa and Miriam sat there beside her with anxious looks on their faces. When she awakened, Miriam’s eyes filled with tears, and she clung to her.

“Ange! Thank the gods! I thought you were dead!”

“You’re making a big deal out of it, Merry... And wait, my shoulder hurts... It hurts, I’m telling you!”

“C’mon Merry, she said it hurts.”

On Anessa’s prompting, Miriam parted with a sob.

“But I’m glad you’re all right... You really defeated a demon.” Despite Anessa’s wry smile, her eyes were still a bit bleary.

How long have I been out? Angeline cocked her head. While her shoulder was bandaged, the rest of her clothing had been left untouched. Her shoulder throbbed, and she had not recovered from her fatigue. According to her friends, she had slept through the entire carriage ride back. It had grown dark, but the day hadn’t ended, and the lobby by the sickroom was in a hubbub. The other adventurers seemed to be discussing something there.

“Is everyone still here...?”

“Yeah, though Maria left, saying her throat hurt.”

“She sure is coldhearted, that hag-in-teen’s-clothing!”

Miriam pouted. Angeline laughed. While the woman could be quite caustic, it was easy to imagine her worrying about Angeline in secret.

Her shoulder hurt, but she could still stand. She wobbled to her feet, leaving with Anessa and Miriam’s assistance.

In the lobby, the adventurers who took part in the demon hunt crowded around the tables and leaned against the walls, talking about this and that. They seemed to be exchanging their frank opinions on where the guild was headed from there on out.

The clamor was replaced by cheers as soon as they spotted Angeline. Everybody stood, holding up their weapons, and raised their voices.

“Angeline! The Black-Haired Valkyrie!”

“The Demon Slaying Hero!”

“Guardian of Orphen!”

“Quit it... You’re making me feel funny...” Angeline bashfully fidgeted, her cheeks touched with red.

Cheborg roughly patted her head with a laugh. “Aha ha ha ha! A demon slayer! I knew you had it in you, Ange! Can’t believe I let you get one up on me!”

“Muscle General... My shoulder hurts, please let me off today...”

“Eh?! What?! You say something, Ange?!”

“Mr. Cheborg, Ange has injured her shoulder. Please do not be so violent with her.” Lionel pulled back Cheborg’s hand. Then he turned to Angeline and bowed his head. “Ange, dear Ange, you have my utmost gratitude. I offer my thanks as the guild master of Orphen. I am truly sorry for my incompetence. It is thanks to you that the city—and by extension, our guild—is safe. I cannot thank you enough. I will offer something proper once things have calmed down, so—”

“Guild Master,” Angeline interrupted, looking quite displeased. “You’re creepy when you act respectable... Stop.”

“O-Of course.” The adventurers laughed and prodded Lionel teasingly. Lionel scratched his head with a bitter smile. “Fine, well, same as usual then... In any case, it should be mostly over after we clean up the remaining Calamity-Class fiends. It’s all thanks to you taking care of the demon. Thank you.”

“I see... Then, there’s a bit more work to do?”

“No, about that...”

Lionel looked at the other adventurers. Dortos nodded to him in encouragement, arms akimbo. “We will take care of it. So Ange, take the vacation you always dreamed of. No one will hold you back. In fact, there will be no need to take a holiday anymore, you should be free to take whatever jobs you want,” the guildmaster pronounced.

“But...”

“Aha ha ha ha! Don’t worry about it, Ange! Just goes to show we’ve still got some rampaging left in us! Real embarrassing when I say it out loud!” Cheborg said, eliciting laughter and nodding from the retired adventurers.

“Then you’ll be back for the time being?” Ange asked.

Lionel nodded and shrugged. “It’s worked out that way. With their assistance, I’m thinking of conducting a fundamental restructuring of the guild... This experience really hammered home that we need to do away with all the pointless red tape and formalities. We’ll need to set Orphen up as an independent regional guild with its own system or else... So this is no time to slack off.”

“Naturally. There’s no telling when this will happen again. Lionel, you let it get this bad, so it makes sense that you should rebuild it properly. I will have my eye on you to ensure that.”

“Then how about swapping with me, Mr. Dortos? There’s really no point in an incompetent like me putting in the work...”

“You’ve passed the point of no return—take responsibility to the end. As long as you don’t foolishly take everything upon yourself, you won’t fail too badly.”

Hearing that, Cheborg burst into a grand smile. “What are you putting on an act for, Dortos?! You just want to swing up a storm because you’re frustrated about that demon breaking your spear! I can tell, I can!”

“Ah, shut it, you meathead...”

“Aha...ha... Sigh... But it’s going to get busy. I need to have a proper talk with our lord about the city’s defenses... Rather, we’ve completely run out of money. First, I’ll need a plan to raise some... Ah, man. You know, guild master was supposed to be the sort of figurehead position for incompetents... I’m really counting on you guys, okay?” Lionel sighed.

Angeline smiled, satisfied.

Once she had relaxed, her stomach began grumbling. She needed to eat something. I’ll go to the usual pub, she thought. She turned to leave and started walking when Cheborg stopped her.

“Come to think of it, Ange!”

“What’s up, General?”

“I heard from Lionel! I’m surprised you put up with this situation! It was a huge burden on you, right?! Any normal adventurer would have grown sick of it and stormed off to another guild long ago! Hell, that’s what I’d have done!”

Dortos nodded. “Indeed. Hunt after hunt, every waking hour of the day. No free-spirited adventurer should have to endure that. What’s more, you want to see your father, don’t you? You could have ignored your requests and gone anyway. While the guild was faced head-on with an unprecedented situation, they were a bit too overbearing. Your reputation as an adventurer would not have suffered if you left.”

Lionel awkwardly scratched his head. “I know, right... My hands were full, but it was completely my fault.”

Angeline looked at them with a blank look on her face. “I mean...if I did that, it would be the civilians who suffered. Not the guild. Like the pub master, and the children at the orphanage, and the bakers at the cake shop... My dad told me it’s only natural for strong adventurers to help the weak... He wouldn’t be proud of me if I abandoned Orphen to go home.”

Dortos, Cheborg, and the other adventurers were momentarily stunned before erupting into sudden laughter. Each and every one of them laughed from the depths of their hearts with such force the building shook from its foundations.

“That’s a riot! Ange! You’ve got a great dad there!”

“My thoughts exactly... Good grief. I’m so old, but I’ve still got some growing up to do...”

“So you didn’t leave the guild because of your father... That’s one more person this old man is indebted to...”

The old hands guffawed at the guild master.

Anessa ruffled up Angeline’s hair, looking moved to the core, while Miriam clung to her in tears. Seeing all the excited adventurers, Angeline proudly stuck out her chest and declared, “That’s right! My dad is amazing! People call him the Red Ogre Belgrieve! The Red Ogre! Remember the name!”