160 Those Who Advance

 

「…And that, I suspect, is what my master would do.」

As we walked through the snowy plains, I considered our options. The changing scenery made it clear that we had passed the thirtieth floor of the dungeon The Vigil’s End, and were now entering the lower-mid layers. The blizzard grew ever fiercer, the temperature still falling. Without protection from skills or magic, the intense cold would damage the brain and cause a searing headache before knocking someone unconscious.

There were tales of adventurer parties venturing into snowbound mountains where only those who protected their heads survived—the rest died just like that.

While trudging through that lethal environment, I reevaluated what actions the enemy might take if Altora successfully stalled the monsters and Remonde’s group began their escape.

「Poisoning the well, huh… But wouldn’t that make Fathie uninhabitable? Wouldn’t they be held responsible for that?」

「They’ll just pin it on the Elves—call it their parting shot and blame them for everything. After that, it’s a job for politicians and doctors. Master probably doesn’t have many soldiers at his disposal, but that makes it easier to keep secrets and destroy evidence.」

「I seeee.」

「Especially with Altora’s group—what they see as a mysterious and overwhelming force—holding off the monsters, they can exploit that. If a few soldiers go missing, it won’t raise suspicion. Then they just have to torture or bribe a captured Elf into saying ‘I poisoned the well,’ and the truth disappears into the dark.」

「I seeee.」

「And while they’re at it, they might recover evidence of the Elves-government deal. Hold on to that secretly, and it could be useful later. That’s why, if I were Master, I’d act now—while the backstreets are empty and untouched.」

「Skill Lender-san, Skill Lender-san.」

「What?」

「Gelli just wants to say she’s really glad you have just enough common decency not to actually do something like that.」

「’Just enough,’ huh…」

I had no argument—I knew I wasn’t a good or moral person. Still, it was Koe-san beside me who looked more indignant.

「Master acts according to his own sense of justice.」

「Thanks, Koe-san. But really, I’m not bothered.」

「The line between good and evil is vague and ever-shifting…」

「Still, why does your Meister go that far in the first place, Skill Lender-san?」

「There’s nothing strange about wanting to live fully until the very end, or wanting to leave your mark on the world. Just look at Altora.」

「His obsession feels pretty deranged, but… yeah, Gelli gets it.」

Back to the issue at hand: how to respond to the enemy’s actions.

「So, Skill Lender-san, you predicted all this, right? Poisoning the well was just one possibility—we still don’t know how they’ll actually try to kill us. How do we deal with that?」

「Koe-san, did you do what I asked?」

「I compiled Master’s predictions and delivered written instructions to Remonde-sama and Altora. Hopefully, it’ll let them outmaneuver the enemy.」

「As expected of Skill Lender-san and Koe-san—always one step ahead.」

‘Then Gelli’s job is on this side’, Angelina said, turning her gaze forward. Visibility was poor in the blizzard, but the danger sense skill, [Scout’s Intuition], suddenly began to blare an intense warning.

Before long, we came upon a massive stone door. The engraved relief depicted a bird of prey—likely an eagle.

「The second General, huh.」

「If this is anything like Vita Tama’s Golden Land of Crimson Luxury, it’ll be several times bigger and stronger than the first one.」

「It’s safe to assume it won’t go down all squishy and easy like the last one.」

Eagles came in many forms, making it hard to predict the nature of this one. Which meant speculation was pointless.

「I’m opening it.」

「Understood.」

Just like before, there was always the chance of an immediate attack the moment the door opened. We moved with utmost caution. The instant the heavy stone door creaked open—

A white blur shot out from the gap. A beat later, a violent wind roared forth, blinding our vision and stealing our hearing. Koe-san and I had already covered ourselves with invisible arms, and Angelina had shielded herself with a golem—but we quickly realized something: the monster in the room wasn’t attacking us. It was fleeing—rushing toward the outside.

KIIIIIIAAAAAAHH!!

A piercing cry split the air from somewhere beyond the storm. My eyes, having lost the support of [God’s Eye Drive], couldn’t track the flying creature.

「Angelina.」

「On it!」

But not being able to see the enemy was routine in monster battles. You just deal twith it.

「Rage, Storm Wind Magic, [Aeolus]」

「[Mud Infant], reactivate! [Roll All the Binder of Fates]! Papa, grab it and bring it down!」

Flying things couldn’t ignore the wind. The violent gusts halted the creature’s motion, just long enough for a golem in the shape of a chain to snake forward and entangle it.

But only for a moment. It slipped away like mist, evading capture. What I caught was a glimpse of something with enormous white wings. I’d seen something like it before. And for it to evade even our best binding spell…

「A giant white eagle that lives in freezing lands… the divine bird of Kapalaciri!」

「Didn’t seem interested in us, but what kind of monster is it?」

「I’ve read about it. That thing refuses to live in captivity. It probably cares more about the outside world than us.」

Born within the dungeon, and likely stationed here as a General, it had waited all this time—for someone to open that door.

Normally, no monster would leave a dungeon except during a Dungeon Break, but—

「That means… it has enough rank and power to defy the dungeon’s very nature.」

「So what now? We could ignore it and move on quickly.」

Letting it roam free would be far too dangerous. But fighting such a fast-flying creature in this blizzard would drain time and stamina. We couldn’t afford to hesitate.

I was about to decide—when I realized I didn’t need to.

「…No, it’s fine. We don’t need to do anything.」

「Because its target is Pervert-san, and it wouldn’t be a great loss if he died?」

「Not that. It’s just that it can’t leave this dungeon.」

[Scout’s Intuition] blared louder than ever before.

But not from the eagle above. From behind. From the same path we’d taken to get here, came a colossal mass of mana, charging straight toward us.

Through the snowy veil, a golden flash flickered—like a tiny star.

And in the next instant, it materialized into a giant wolf above us.

「[Garou]!」