CHAPTER 4

The Contractors

Part I: Naming

Our one-night stay and adventures in the Islet of Illusion came to a close, so we bade the Guild staff members farewell and left. Our first stop was the Monster Ranch—a few adjustments, and the teleportation door took us directly there from the islet.

We found the ranch manager, William, in the middle of harvesting black thread from the Arachnomage’s spider nest. Since this thread could be collected periodically, I’d decided to sell any leftover on the market to cover the Monster Ranch maintenance costs.

“Why, Mr. Atobe! The newest additions to your monster crew here are doing splendidly. I see you’ve already called on them a few times… I do hope they can continue to play an active role in your seeking.”

“Thank you for all your hard work, William. Actually, I have a few new monsters I’d like to leave in your care…”

“KRAH!”

Jeweled Wings stepped out in front. William stared in wide-eyed wonder at the creature who was easily twice my size. Arachnomage was fairly large as well, and I worried if leaving all these giant monsters would cause too much trouble for William and the ranch.

“Is this…a Named Monster of the Peigo species? I never would have dreamed the day would come when we’d look after one of these at our ranch…”

“Would it be possible to leave him here with you? He’s from an island, so I’m concerned he may find it difficult to adapt to the environment here.”

“We have an area dedicated to caring for aquatic species so that we can provide for monsters who need to live in or around water without causing them stress… However, if he requires a saltwater environment, we would have to ask you to rent a specialized pasture.”

“We found him in the forests, so I don’t think he absolutely needs salt water… But I’d appreciate it if you could let me know should that change.”

“I also think he should be all right here, but I’ll be sure to monitor him… Well now, it looks like you’ve got two regular Coral Peigoes with you as well. I hope they can get along with the Demi-Harpies, seeing as they’re all avian monsters.”

The Demi-Harpies watched us from their perch on a nearby tree, and Jeweled Wings returned their gaze. They seemed curious about one another, based on what I could tell from the Demi-Harpies’ expressions, but we’d have to wait to see.

“In that case, I’ll keep these fellows in the corral over there where there’s a bit of water. Would it be okay with you if I got them started on the standard diet plan? I know this species lays different magic stones depending on the type of food they eat.”

“Yes, please. I am indeed interested in the magic stones, but I didn’t bring them here specifically to lay them.”

“I see… Well, these guys are pretty popular with the ladies. You must really put a lot of thought into keeping your party members happy.”

“Wooow! He’s so fluffy! See ya, Mr. Big Penguin! I’ll come back to visit again soon!”

“Misaki, you really are something… You don’t hold back…”

“Seriously… I wish I could do that, too, but it gets a bit harder as an adult.”

Misaki had thrown her arms around Jeweled Wings without abandon and buried herself in his plumage. Jeweled Wings looked a bit confused about how to react to the Coral Peigoes clamoring around him. Suzuna and Igarashi seemed like they wanted to hug him, too, but they didn’t have it in them to be quite as bold as Misaki.

The caretaker Millith, who we’d met before, came over to us while we talked. She looked the picture of a young farm lass, hoe in hand and wearing a T-shirt, overalls, and straw hat.

“Welcome back, Mr. Atobe. I was just feeding Himiko and the others, but they flew right over as soon as they saw you…”

“Good to see you again, Millith. I’ve brought a few new monsters over today.”

“KRAH!”

“Ooh…I can’t believe we get to take care of Peigoes. These little ones won’t listen to anyone unless the person who drops them off meets certain requirements, you knooow.” Millith apparently had a tendency to drag out words whenever she saw something cute. I had something more important to ask her rather than dwell on that, though. But before I could even get the question out, she asked me something else instead.

“What would you like to do about their names? I’m sure your Arachnomage would appreciate one, too.”

“Good point… Does anyone have any ideas?” I asked the group.

“Jeweled Wings Dancing over Frozen Wasteland… How about Snow?” suggested Igarashi.

“Ooh, I like that!” said Misaki. “Definitely better to go with a simple name than trying to get all fancy. He’s white, too, so it’s perfect for him.”

“KRAH!”

Everyone agreed with Igarashi’s idea, so Jeweled Wings officially became Snow. Next up was the Arachnomage, who turned out to be a little challenging since her name already had magical and spider elements to it. We went through various suggestions, but in the end decided a straightforward name would be best and chose the name Mage. One of the Coral Peigoes that had come along with Snow was male and the other female, so we went with Penta and Rupee. Misaki suggested Penta, and Madoka chose Rupee. She said it had a cute ring to it, but I thought it also sounded like a fitting choice for a Merchant.

“Millith, I wanted to ask you about the Vine Puppeteer seed I brought the other day. How is it doing?”

“Oh…I-I’m so sorry, it actually budded and started growing a vine. You’ve made a contract with it, so I don’t believe it will be dangerous, but I completely forgot to send you our observation journal entries.”

“It’s fine, as long as it’s not dangerous. Thank you for the update.”

“Actually, I have one more thing to apologize for… As it was growing, the first tendril that came out was made of this incredibly strong fiber. I thought it might be useful for something, so I plucked and preserved it,” she continued.

I thought tendrils got stronger the more they grew, but I guess this one was strong enough to turn that bit of common sense on its head… That does sound like it could be useful.

“I think I’ll take that back with me and ask a specialist about how we might use it.”

“Yes, of course. I’m so glad you asked me, or I never would have remembered,” said Millith, breathing a sigh of relief and smiling. William stroked his beard and forced a grim smile, but I thought she’d done just fine with her report.

We made our way back to the teleportation center near Green Hall, and the members of Four Seasons started to head back to their own apartment. Everyone looked sad to see them go, but I was sure we’d meet again someday.

“Mr. Atobe, everyone, I truly enjoyed this trip. It was the most fun I’ve had since coming to the Labyrinth Country,” said Ryouko.

“I’m so happy I got to hang out with you all. I was sure you’d leave for District Six right away…,” added Ibuki.

“…It was such a pleasure to be able to show you all what I could do with the racket you helped create. And I shall never forget fighting by your side, Arihito.”

We would be forced to part once we moved up to the next district no matter what. It seemed this fact weighed heavily on the minds of the Four Seasons ladies.

“…Listen up, guys, we’re gonna do whatever we can do so one day we can see y’all again with our heads held high,” said Kaede, but it looked like even she knew her voice lacked conviction. Her face flashed with the realization, and she shook her hands in denial. “Wh-what the hell, I sound hella sappy. Just wait, we’re gonna catch up so quick, you won’t even have time to miss us…”

“We know. We’ll be waiting for you, too. You’re the first group we’ve gotten this close to since we came here.”

“Let’s meet again soon. Even if we’re in another district, we’ll always…”

Suzuna spoke after Igarashi and stepped up to Kaede, who smiled easily and offered out her right hand; Suzuna met it with hers, and the two tightly shook hands.

“Thanks. I feel like you haven’t exactly let your guard down enough to call me your friend, but…”

“That’s why I promise you we’ll meet again, just like this time… Right, everyone?” said Suzuna, turning to the group.

“Certainly. There are so many things I’d love to discuss with Kyouka and Louisa…and Seraphina, things we can only talk about among adults.”

“…I agree. Ms. Ryouko, I have every faith you four have what it takes to meet the requirements for progressing to the next district. However, even if you don’t, it would be my pleasure to join you again the next time we meet,” replied Seraphina.

We needed to move up as quickly as possible. But we’d risk wearing ourselves out mentally and physically if all we did was rush, and we couldn’t afford that. We’d found a way to share precious time together, and that was going to help push us forward once more. That was as fast as we could go.

After we returned to the suite, we received a report from Rikerton on the dissection of the Merciless Guillotine. However, it would take him a few more days to update our equipment, so I decided to hold on to whatever materials we got for the time being. Ceres and Steiner had finished the work we’d requested them to do. They gave me a pair of what looked like shin guards made from Hannya’s Greaves, and the other members tried on the equipment the two had upgraded with Translucent Wings and other materials. Parts of the resulting armor were indeed see-through, though much to the ladies’ relief, not in a way that would make it uncomfortable to walk around town in them.

“You’ve really outdone yourself, Steiner… These are incredibly well made,” I said.

“Hearing you say that really is the best part. It makes me so glad I became a blacksmith.”

“I know you lot took a day off, but knowing you, I’d have thought you’d bring back some new materials… Wait, you actually have some?” asked Ceres.

“I’m sorry, I do actually have a few things I’d like to ask you about… Would that be all right?”

“Certainly. There may be some things we can use right away, after all. If it looks like it’ll take a few days, we might wind up delaying your move, though.”

I took the materials out from my pouch one by one. I could almost see question marks hanging above both Ceres and Steiner as they looked at each item.

♦Materials Presented to Ceres♦

We could apparently obtain another White Jeweled Feather from Snow once it grew back, but I decided to hold on to it for the time being since we only had the one.

“Wh-what in heaven’s name is this vine…? Is it part of a monster?” asked Ceres incredulously. “It’s dormant now, but this is without a doubt alive.”

“The vine-type Named Monster we fought left a seed behind. We made a contract with it and are having the Monster Ranch raise it for us…”

“H-hmph… I see, quite. In monsters of the vine variety, there are materials you can only harvest in each stage of growth. Medicinal herbs are much the same; their vitality is most concentrated in young buds.”

“This vine looks amazingly strong. It’s also got excellent elasticity when pulled… It’s a bit too short for a bow, so perhaps we could use it on the slingshot you have, Mr. Atobe?”

“You were meant to visit a place that required you to wear swimsuits, so how did you come by a snow quartz…? I do believe you’ll need to regale us with your exploits.”

“Well, what happened was…,” I began, then summarized what we went through on the Islet of Illusion.

“What?! You solved a mystery in the Guild health resort? You truly are a roaming band of curiosity itself…”

“I wish I could go there, too… I’d love to see the beautiful sandy beaches and natural forests…but I know, it’s only there to reward hardworking Seekers.”

“Oh, um…I think you could go, from what I saw.”

“Wh-what?! You knew that and left us behind? Not that I would hold a grudge over that. I’m sure you’ll take us one day.”

“I-I’m sorry; I’ll make sure not to submit any orders before we go next time.”

“No, no, it’s okay. We’ve gotten to experience a lot of new things thanks to you.”

Still, the two looked disappointed. Given our different roles, it would be difficult to schedule a shared day off for both Seekers and support staff, but since they’d agreed to work exclusively for us, I decided I should try to create an opportunity where we could all take a breather together.

“Heh-heh… You’re a diligent one, but it’s good to see that’s not all there is to you. All work and no play can make leaders such a bore to eligible young ladies, you see.”

“W-well…I’m really straitlaced, so I’m sure I can be pretty boring.”

“She’s saying you’re good at balancing being both a serious and easygoing boss. Just like she is.”

“Don’t try to butter me up—you won’t be getting a raise… Although we do essentially run this business together. Anyhow, what did you want to do with this magic stone? You can add magic stones to your boots now, so would you like to put one on? That won’t take more than a minute.”

“Actually…could you please replace the ricochet stone with the frost stone on my slingshot? The ricochet stone has proved useful, but I’d like to try out attacks with this new attribute.”

“Snow quartz has many uses, but it does take some time to apply, so we’ll keep it for now, if that’s all right.”

I’d already explained we planned to go to the treasure labyrinth that day, so I had them change the band on my slingshot after hearing it would be quick.

♦Black Magical Slingshot +4♦

♦Upgraded Hannya’s Greaves +3♦

“Hmm, not too shabby, if I do say so myself. I can’t say I know what the vine bullets are, but give it a try next time you have a chance. I doubt it’ll hurt in any event,” recommended Ceres.

“I will, thank you very much.”

“I’ve never seen leg armor this strong before… But do you think everybody has something like this in the upper districts?”

“I have heard tell armor with special features can sell for mind-bogglingly high prices,” said Ceres. “I couldn’t even begin to guess how much these greaves with Yoshitsune’s Leap could be worth.” I’d gotten the chance to acquire an incredibly valuable set of equipment. Now I needed to make sure I put it to good use and did not simply take comfort in the safety it provided.

I’d just finished putting on the greaves when Misaki came out of the fitting room. She’d finally gotten a matching set of Magician’s armor, but it seemed she hadn’t been able to take the plunge and strutted out in her normal outfit. I didn’t want to force her into anything; it would be better if she could make her up mind to wear it on her own.

“Ah! …Please don’t—don’t look at me. You might be asking, Why aren’t you putting on the armor that’ll make you stronger?—but all I can say is, these are very delicate matters for a lady.”

“It’s a pretty eye-catching outfit, so I can understand it takes a bit of courage to wear it. But I think you’d be safer with it on,” I told her.

“Ugh, I knew you’d say that. But I’ve never even worn black tights before, you knooow? They’re only for more matuuure ladies like Kyouka.”

“She’s going to hear you if you keep talking about her… Oh! Hi, Igarashi.”

“Eeeek…!”

Misaki jumped up in surprise. She hurriedly sat down and pretended to drink tea with Ceres, but that only made her seem more suspicious, and Igarashi saw the whole thing.

Soon enough, all the others who had tried on their new items came out as well. Igarashi, Theresia, Suzuna, and Elitia all wore armor newly enhanced with Translucent Wings, which made it see-through in different areas. But the armor didn’t expose more skin than usual or anything, so the ladies looked comfortable.

“…Misaki, what happened?” asked Igarashi.

“Oh, uh, I was just saying I need a bit more courage before I can wear my new armor.”

“I mean, it does look a little mature…and it is kind of bold. But I think it’d look good on you, Misaki,” Igarashi said, reassuring her.

“Ohhh, easy for you to say! Don’t think for a second I’ll hand it over, even if it ends up having superstrong powers. But I’m still not gonna wear it juuust yet,” said Misaki with pouted lips. Igarashi smiled back awkwardly as if in a tough spot. Then she looked over at me again and studied me from head to toe. It put me on edge.

“Those greaves go with that suit better than I’d thought,” she commented.

“You all look great, too. It’s also a little curious to think those come with Shock Reduction 1,” I replied.

“I think it’s a really lovely material, though I can imagine we might exchange it for something even better at some point…and the design makes it easy to move in,” added Elitia.

“You say that now, Ellie, but weren’t you also complaining about how it’d be see-through?”

“I-I’ll admit I was nervous before I saw it…but it looks fine, doesn’t it?” replied Elitia, before twirling around to show us. I froze unintentionally when I caught a glimpse of her back.

“Very well made, I say. Your skills really shine through, Steiner,” noted Ceres.

“Ha-ha-ha… You designed it after all, Master. All I did was follow the pattern you made.”

I was sure Elitia’s armor used to cover her back like most do, but you could now see through to her skin in the area where the Translucent Wings material had been added. It definitely surprised me since I hadn’t expected it at all, but many people wore that style of clothing, so it was probably fine. It was a little odd she hadn’t noticed, but it looked like she’d been a little nervous when she tried it on.

“…My knife got sharper with the blade edge stone.”

“G-great… Try it out next time it seems right.”

A smile crept over Melissa’s usually expressionless face as she appraised her knife and sent a slight chill down my spine. But maybe her love of blades was fine as long as she didn’t use them in a dangerous way? That felt like a tricky question to me.

“All right, now that we’ve all changed, shall we head off?” I asked the group.

“Arihito, since Cion is off today, won’t we be a bit short-handed in the vanguard?” asked Misaki.

“I asked Seraphina yesterday if she’d join us, so let’s go meet up with her.”

Cion had fully recovered from the injuries she got in the battle against Jeweled Wings, but I had her rest for a day just to be on the safe side. Madoka was also holding down the fort at the suite. I’d asked her to negotiate with the construction company to see if she could get a good price for the materials we couldn’t use from the Merciless Guillotine and told her she could spend the rest of the day as she saw fit. I trusted her judgment and knew I could leave everything to her.

Seraphina had readily agreed to come along once I told her about our goals for the treasure labyrinth. We never knew if we’d come across something like Murakumo, so having her and her shield on our side would be an enormous help.

“In that case, maybe I’ll pay you folks a visit for lunch,” said Ceres.

“After that, we’re going to head back to District Eight to check on our shop. If anything comes up, just call us, and we’ll come right away.”

I could imagine they were starting to get a little worried about their shop; some clients might have visited while they were gone, and above all else, that was their home. Even we were starting to want somewhere to settle down, something more permanent than a leased apartment. But until the right time came, we needed to focus on the seeking ahead of us.

Part II: The Treasure Labyrinth

Seraphina met us outside the rented workshop, still equipped with her Mirrored Shell Pavis. We’d returned her Shuddering Tower Shield, which she’d apparently put away in storage. She told us the Guild recommended Seekers borrow one of their designated rooms whenever attempting to use a trap cube to teleport to a treasure labyrinth. We headed over to the teleportation center by the Green Hall to do so and on the way caught a glimpse of the members of Four Seasons. They were pretty far away, so we quickly lost sight of them, but it looked like they were also en route to a labyrinth.

“Seraphina, do you know what’s over in that direction?” I asked.

“Yes, that road leads to the entrance of the Plateau of Primary Colors. The monsters that appear there are on the peculiar side for District Seven, although I believe the first floor of the labyrinth should be safe enough for hunting.”

“I see… Then I don’t suppose we need to worry about them.”

“I don’t think they’d do anything rash, but if you’re worried, do you want to go with them?” asked Igarashi.

“Don’t you think we’d put them in an awkward position if we changed our plans to go after them?” Misaki pointed out.

Both Igarashi and Misaki were exactly right. Plus, it would be rude to the ladies of Four Seasons to worry about them too much. They’d also proven themselves capable Seekers time and time again.

“They’re doing their best… It’s on us to do the same,” said Elitia.

“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s keep our eyes peeled,” I replied. At Elitia’s words, we all started walking. I decided I’d ask Melissa about her skills on our way.

“Melissa, if it’s all right with you, I’d like to look over your new skills while we have a moment…”

“…Okay. Feel free to ask me anytime.” She pulled her license out of her apron pocket, toggled over to her skills page, and showed it to me.

♦Acquired Skills♦

♦Available Skills♦

Melissa had a wide range of skills available to her through her job as a Dissector and her werecat lineage.

“We did talk about Groom earlier, so how about you take that one first?”

“Okay. And I’m a Dissector, so I need Dissection Mastery 2.”

She didn’t have her eyes set on any others, meaning she had two skill points left. Awl looked like it’d require a pointed weapon, so she wouldn’t even be able to use it now. Cat Whisperer could prove enormously effective in certain situations; still, Moonsault, Silent Mew, Thorn Removal, and the attack skills could also be useful.

♦Melissa’s Newly Acquired Skills♦

“Let’s take these two for now, and you can take any others whenever you need to,” I suggested. “It’s so hard to tell which of these battle-type skills could be better than the others.”

“…I wish I could take them all, but it’d be a waste if I don’t use them, so I think that’s a good idea.”

It can’t be easy to pick up a skill at the eleventh hour, though it would give us some options in a pinch. Still, we could have an advantage if we got the skills ahead of time, so it’s a tricky choice.

We finished going over her skills just as we reached the teleportation center. Seraphina set our destination on the door for us, and we stepped into a large, bright room without any lights, much like the rooms we’d used to open boxes.

I took out the trap cube, placed it on the floor, and had everyone stand in a circle around it. Then I activated it; all I had to do was wish for it to happen. The crystal balls embedded in the metal frame began to shine, and we were once again greeted by the familiar feeling of being whisked away, just like when teleporting.

…No, something’s different… What is this feeling…?

Whenever we teleported, I got this feeling we were all being swept away in a single direction. But now, it felt oddly like we were floating aimlessly.

“—Your destination is shifting. There has been some sort of causal interference… It is reacting to your contract with me for divine protection…”

“Master, this place you are heading is unlike most. When the time comes, do not hesitate to use me.”

Ariadne and Murakumo called out to me, but no one else had noticed yet. They had no idea the trap cube had reacted to our contract with Ariadne and overwritten our destination, sending us not to a normal treasure labyrinth but to some entirely different place.

“…Is this the treasure labyrinth…?”

“Wait… Really? I mean, this place is…”

It looked just like the floor where we’d found Ariadne—not a natural labyrinth, but a place constructed by something definitely not human. The walls and floor were made of materials similar to what we’d seen there, though it was much brighter here. I looked up and saw there was no ceiling. Was that sheet of blue I saw the sky? Something about it felt fake.

“A-Arihito…there are some really rusty coins here, too, but look…,” said Misaki.

A pile of completely bleached bones sat in one corner of the large room we now found ourselves in. How did they get there? Had they used a trap cube like us? We could see nothing in the way of their armor. Was it locked away in a box belonging to what you might call the master of this floor, like we’d seen before? The bones hinted at the decimation of not just a single person, but at least one whole party.

“This space… It looks like decomposition happens quicker here than outside,” I said.

“Perhaps time flows more quickly here?” speculated Igarashi. “…Maybe the longer we stay here, the more time passes outside? Or…”

If time passed many times more quickly here than it did outside, we needed to find a way out fast. Even a few hours here could mean several days in the outside world. I prayed we were wrong, but we’d known for a while that time flows differently inside the labyrinths.

“In any case, if we don’t get a move on, we’ll never get out…”

“Yeah, that’s true. Let’s just be very careful,” agreed Igarashi.

“……”

I wanted to believe Theresia would catch anything that awaited us with her Scout Range Extension 1 or Trap Detection 1. She brought up the midguard now, but her senses should be able to extend past Seraphina in the vanguard.

“Arihito, those things on the other side of the wall… Are they clouds?” asked Misaki. We were walking down a hallway with thin slits widely interspaced throughout the walls. They didn’t seem to let any air in but did afford us a view of the outside scenery.

“They do…look like clouds. I think we’re way past trying to use common sense to explain anything we see…but it looks like we’re in an enormous, box-shaped maze floating in the air. That, or what we see outside is some kind of illusion…”

“But…it looks very much like the labyrinth where we found Ariadne. I can also feel wandering spirits, just like I did there…,” said Suzuna.

“…I knew it, ghosts really do haunt their final resting place, don’t they?” said Igarashi, trembling with fright. She could sometimes get easily spooked. It’s not like it didn’t get to me at all, but when I thought about the regrets those Seekers must still feel, I felt more moved to bring my hands together in prayer like Suzuna.

We eventually reached a room larger than the one we’d first arrived in. Even after all the barren sights we’d just passed, this room was undeniably strange.

“Is that…ivy all over the place…?” asked Igarashi dubiously. She sounded so unsure because the vines that looked like ivy had completely dried out and turned as hard as stone. The sinuous ivy snaked out from the center of the room and wounds its way over the floor and up the walls. Up overhead where there should have been no ceiling, it entwined and wove itself into a kind of net through which a few streaks of light filtered into the room.

“…Are those…cogs…? No, a carriage…?” I wondered aloud.

“This ivy’s suuuper tangled all over it and turned to stone…”

“If we want to keep moving, we’ll need to do something about the ivy that’s blocking the path. Looks like we’ll have to borrow Arihito’s strength and slice through them.”

“Elitia, hold on a second. There’s something off in this room…”

I called out to Elitia—just as she stepped on some dry ivy on the floor.

“……?!”

Instantly, a breathtaking light filled the room. It was a different color than the one we’d seen before, but this light was definitely—

Stellar Vehicle awakens; Self-Defense Mode activated.

A Hidden God part… So that’s what it was…!

When Ariadne called out in warning before we teleported, she’d tried to tell us we were being sent to a different destination because of our contract with her. This must be the kind of place devotees were drawn to when they used a trap cube. It was easy enough to imagine anything you’d find in such places would have something to do with those same Hidden Gods.

“Everyone, stay away from the vines on the floor! They’re—!”

The dried ivy husks crumbled away to reveal dazzling green vines beneath. No mistake about it: The vines had not actually grown around and out from the wheels. Rather, the ivy and the wheels were one sentient being that moved of its own free will.

♦Monster Encountered♦

Sections of the ivy sprawled across the floor pulled up and gathered around the wheels in the center of the room. Then cracks spread over the surface of the vehicle and unveiled…a black chariot. The two-wheeled carriage had an area above the axle binding it together where a person could ride. A half-translucent feminine figure much like the manifestation of Murakumo’s sentience appeared on the spot—a queen crowned with a thorny diadem at the helm of her chariot.

“We are the Stellar Vehicle that races across the heavens. All those who stand before us shall endure our trials.”

“Mr. Atobe, it’s coming—!” cried Seraphina.

♦Current Status♦

Thorny vines wrapped around our enemy almost like a defensive wall. The ghostly apparition stood calmly behind it and looked over at us with what appeared to be a smirk on her face.

“—Everyone, don’t even try to hit her with physical attacks! Only nonlightning magic attacks will get through!” I called out in warning.

“…But that means—!”

We could only either hit it with a bomb blast from Misaki’s cards or Suzuna’s violent winds. However, both combined physical and magical attacks, meaning our enemy could just absorb any direct hits.

The magic probably outweighs the physical power in those attacks, so we might be able to use them to chip away at its vitality. But I can’t imagine it’ll go down that easy… We’ve got to do something to take those vines out of the picture.

“All those who rebel against the crown of thorns shall writhe and dance in agony—wither and die.”

“—Oh no you don’t…!” I yelled.

♦Current Status♦

I aimed my strike at the enemy’s core through the gaps in its thorny barrier. It was a good thing I’d used the frost stone; without it, the Force Shot would have been the driving force behind a purely magical attack that almost surely would not have packed enough punch.

“Don’t, it’s still—!”

But I’d failed to realize something pivotal—the enemy had seemed to recoil but had actually forced the attack I interrupted to resume.

“Everyone, dodge it!”

♦Current Status♦

This time, the vines creeping along the floor and the walls, not those on the chariot’s defensive barrier, sprang to life. They instantly ensnared all my party members without evasion skills by the legs.

“Agh—!!”

“Eeeek…!”

“D-don’t, not my legs, not my legs—!”

“……!!”

♦Current Status♦

Support Defense 1 can’t block this binding attack…!

It wasn’t omnipotent; I’d known that all along, but I’d placed too much faith in my own skills. Our chances of winning would become infinitesimally small if I got caught here, too. I could hear Ariadne’s and Murakumo’s voices ringing in my ears—but I saw something else to do first.

“—Come on…!”

♦Current Status♦

I leaped and dodged the vines flying toward me in attack, but they turned in midair and followed after me, determined not to let me escape. Under ordinary circumstances, I’d have been powerless to elude them, but with Hannya’s Greaves, these were no ordinary circumstances. I suddenly got a strong sense I could fly and followed that instinct—

“—Whoaaa…!!”

The greaves activated, and I “jumped” again in midair. In an almost out-of-body experience, I found I could move around in the air at will.

Come after me… That’ll at least buy us some time…!

“Arihito! Run! If you keep using that, you’re going to run out of magic—!” shouted Elitia. She was exactly right; each jump through the air with Yoshitsune’s Leap clearly drained my magic.

As long as the enemy could absorb physical attacks, we’d face the threat of Dancing Rose over and over again. Should I use the gaze stone to try to interfere? No, even if I did Stun it, the enemy would power through with that same trick and complete the attack. It was a plant and a chariot: a monster made of metal components. Did we even have anything that could hit both parts in their weak spot…?

Yes! That’s right, we have that stone…!

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a little magic stone we’d picked up in the Islet of Illusion—the tide stone laid by the Coral Peigoes.

Part III: Weak Spot

I flew around the ghostly apparition at the helm of the chariot, loaded the tide stone in my magic gun, and aimed at its back.

“—!”

♦Current Status♦

The gun recoiled as it shot out the bullets. Power drawn from the magic stone hit the apparition standing on the chariot’s litter and immediately swelled into spheres of water that rose up overhead and burst open, raining down over the enemy.

“This…this should not exist here… This salt water…,” protested the chariot.

Normally, a little salt water wouldn’t be enough to dry a plant out on the spot. But salt damage can harm many kinds of plants and eventually cause them to wither. And in this place where everything degraded rapidly, those effects should take hold more quickly than in the outside world.

“—Mr. Atobe!” Seraphina cried out.

“All those…who defile the crown of thorns…shall be punished…”

♦Current Status♦

Its movements had been slowed, but the enemy shaped its thorns into a javelin and struck back. I caught a glimpse of Seraphina, realized I was in front of her, and teleported behind her to escape.

“—Gak—!”

“Mr. Atobe…you’re meant to be the rearguard, and yet you put yourself in such danger…”

“Ow, ow! —Pant, it finally let go… That’s not even a little bit funny, you know, going around sucking a young lady’s blood…!”

“Arihito, thank you so much…!” cried Suzuna.

With my friends finally free, I once again checked my license.

♦Current Status♦

“Arihito, now can we go after it…?!” asked Elitia.

“No, wait—!

♦Current Status♦

The thorny vines had trapped the four and drained their blood—blood that was now dyeing it red.

“—Through this offering of maiden blood, the crown of thorns regains its glory.”

The crimson thorns converted that blood into energy and began to power the chariot. Its wheels started turning and glowing with a pale light, and the rust that had formed peeled off and disappeared piece by piece. Normally, even if you remove the rust from a wheel, it will never be the same again. However, these looked completely restored.

If that chariot is a Hidden God part, then it’s alive and sentient…which must mean it can heal…

“I-is that red…from us…?”

Elitia’s expression clouded over at Misaki’s words. If she struck the thorns now, she’d risk getting splashed with blood.

“…I’ll never let myself…lose control from my friends’ blood again… No matter what… I—!”

“Elitia…”

I remembered what Elitia said not long after she joined the party: “I’m not a murderer!” She still hadn’t completely gotten over what had happened in the past.

“I just have to make sure I don’t get any on me… But if I fail…”

“I will hold you back, Ellie. By any means necessary.”

“…Suzuna…” Elitia and Suzuna shared a look. It was risky, but even so, we needed Elitia to assume her role and attack.

“And so the wheels begin to turn. All will thrash in pain as they race down the trials of the thorny road—and long for salvation.”

“—Here it comes!”

♦Current Status♦

Light engulfed the two wheels. It not only strengthened them but formed into needles imbued with physical power, which lifted the chariot and its litter into the air. I couldn’t decide whether to evade or have Seraphina block the hit. But as soon as the wheels began to turn, I instinctively knew the latter was not an option.

“—Seraphina, please dodge this attack!”

“…?!”

♦Current Status♦

It all happened in the blink of an eye—the thorns embedded in the wall behind us suddenly shot out and drew the chariot in the middle of the room toward them.

“Gah—!”

“Whoaaa—!”

Seraphina and I stood smack-dab in the path of the oncoming chariot. We flung ourselves out to the sides as it barreled toward us, narrowly dodging the attack. The chariot slid past us through the air and continued racing up the wall.

“The crown of thorns looks down on its subjects.”

“—Misaki! Suzuna!”

♦Current Status♦

“Eeeek—!”

“Misaki! Suzuna!” cried Igarashi.

“…We’re okay! But look—!”

The spikes of light emitting from the chariot had pierced the ceiling from where the apparition at the helm now stood looking down at us. Red thorns spun from the chariot and reached out to intertwine with the vines around the room.

They’re not just making the wheels spin… Those thorns are what give it speed—!

“—Suzuna! Aim for those red thorns!”

“—Okay! Strike your target!”

We’d need Suzuna to activate her powerful Auto-Hit to shoot through those thorns with exact precision and anchor them to the ceiling. And with my Cooperation Support, we could make that the first link in a chain of blows.

“Fall to your death!”

♦Current Status♦

Suzuna’s arrows pierced through the red thorns, and the ensuing windstorm stopped the chariot in its tracks. Elitia leaped up to meet it there, unleashing strike after strike in midair.

“Me too—!”

But it wasn’t over yet. Melissa took her butcher’s knife and jumped into the fray, adding on to the combined attack. Normally, if you tried to hit an enemy hanging down from the ceiling just by jumping, you’d only ever get in a shallow hit. But one of Melissa’s unclaimed available skills had the power to flip the power balance with an airborne enemy—Moonsault.

♦Current Status♦

I’d gone with Attack Support 1 to make sure our attacks got through the metal chariot, like when we battled Murakumo, and the gamble paid off far better than I could have imagined.

“External forces…and foreign winds…impede our chariot.”

“Eeeek! I-it’s coming dooown—!” cried Misaki.

“—Hyaaaaa!”

♦Current Status♦

Seraphina rushed madly ahead and hurled herself at the enemy as it fell to save her friends from the crash, then pushed on and cornered the chariot against the wall.

“—Seraphina, get back!” screamed Igarashi.

“…!”

“Igarashi, Theresia… Misaki, I’m counting on you!”

“Eeeek! Y-you got it! I can help, too, you know—!”

♦Current Status♦

Attack Support 1 didn’t cover the additional attack Lightning Rage activated, but the three-part combination attacks landed one right after the other and took a real toll on the enemy.

“D-did we get it…?!”

“—Don’t let down your guard, Misaki!” Elitia cautioned. Hidden behind the explosive winds, our enemy had already turned itself back around to face us.

“…The lightning disturbs our gears… And yet, it also…”

Powers them. A flash of lightning enveloped the chariot as the apparition said those final words, then shot out into the mangled vines scattered about the room.

“Everyone, get behind me—!” screamed Seraphina.

♦Current Status♦

“Seraphina—!”

“It’s okay… I’m all right—!”

Seraphina gave us a close-up view of just how strong her shield could be against magical attacks: She completely intercepted the powerful electric shock the thorns shot out at her and protected all of us who’d jumped behind her.

“I’m sorry, Atobe… I thought it was a weak spot, so I went for it…”

“No, I was about to ask you to do the same… Plus, take a look. It looks like that counterattack also caused a recoil effect.”

“…It’s down to its last dregs of strength, too. We had to push it to this point or we’d never have a chance… Here it comes—!”

♦Current Status♦

“The crown of thorns has fulfilled our duty. The chariots’ wheels spin and wander across the stars.”

♦Current Status♦

I’d thought the thorns were weapons and fuel needed to accelerate the chariot’s speed, but I was wrong. They were mere trifles the chariot used to determine whether we deserved to undertake the real “trials” ahead. And now, the chariot had decided we were worthy of witnessing its true power. However, that meant the attacks we’d borne so far would be nothing compared to those we were about to see.

We all fell silent. The thorns strewn about the room transformed into tracks on which the chariot could run; along the walls, the floor, the ceiling, in any direction all at breakneck speed.

“Oh no… We can’t—!”

None of us could find our mark, not even Elitia at her top speed or Suzuna with her Auto-Hit. We had to find a way to stop it, or sooner or later, we’d all bear the brunt of its attacks.

“I-if it comes this way, we’re doomed—!”

“—Catch me if you can—!”

“Igarashi—!”

♦Current Status♦

“I’m not done yet—!”

Igarashi used Force Target on herself and drew the enemy’s attack toward her. She dodged, but it chased after and threw itself at her relentlessly.

♦Current Status♦

Igarashi… Every time she dodges, she’s getting faster and faster… This must be the true power of Evasion Step—!

“—I won’t let you lay a finger on them—!” Kyouka yelled.

♦Current Status♦

“Kyouka, stop! If you keep using that—!” shouted Elitia.

“It’s okay… I can still—!”

Her dodge rate increased with every attack she avoided while activating Evasion Step. But even that did not provide any guarantees, and each evasion drained her magic. She wasn’t going to have enough for the next one. In that case—

“—Use Mirage Step, Igarashi!”

“……!”

♦Current Status♦

“Igarashi, use Mirage Step once more!”

“Arihito, wha—?!”

“—Everyone, the next time she dodges, aim for exactly where I tell you!”

♦Current Status♦

Focus… You’ve already seen it run through those tracks so many times. Which track will it take to attack her next…?!

“Master, use my powers. This chariot has abandoned its defenses to intensify its attacks. My slash attack should prove effective against it.”

I could hear Murakumo’s voice. This would be my one and only chance, and it’d be over in a split second. I gripped the sword on my back and got ready to strike as hard as I possibly could.

“Please… Do it one more time—!”

♦Current Status♦

“—There!”

“—Hit your mark!”

♦Current Status♦

Suzuna fired the first two shots with Auto-Hit. The chariot ran past where Igarashi had been, up along the wall, and sped over the roof to attack once more—but Suzuna was waiting for it. The arrow she loosed shot toward what should have been an empty target and flawlessly met its mark.

Part IV: Northern Sky

“—Scatter like flower petals! Blossom Blade!”

♦Current Status♦

“It’s my turn next—! Take that!”

“……!”

♦Current Status♦

“No one…can stop…the wheel…of fate…”

“Me too—!

Theresia’s attacked unleashed powerful winds that pushed the enemy back to where Melissa lay in wait with her enormous butcher’s knife.

♦Current Status♦

“……!”

Her blade failed to cut through the metal chariot and bounced back with a loud clang, but Melissa still stood in the enemy’s blind spot. And her attack gave Murakumo just enough time to deliver her knockout blow.

“—The same power our holy Mechanical God wields to protect her beloved devotee flows through me. And just as my master and his retinue garner new skills, so too do I grow in strength. One day, all will fall before my blade.”

Murakumo began to materialize, powered not only by my magic but also by Ariadne’s, which now coursed through me to unloose Murakumo’s true strength.

“Through the vehicle of my devotee’s flesh, the Stellar Sword and I are joined as one. In accordance with our holy union, I hereby release the second stage of bonds on thy power—,” Ariadne chanted.

♦Current Status♦

I activated Rear Stance and teleported behind Melissa. The next instant, Murakumo in her corporeal form took the blade from my hands—and unleashed an attack I’d never seen before.

“—Your power, Master, is the key to my strength. My very own Blade of Heaven and Earth propels my attack.”

♦Current Status♦

“The forgotten…crown of the northern skies…oh, Hidden God…”

The chariot pressed on even after that powerful string of attacks as if to say, I must keep going.

“…Time to put an end to this. I will stop you—!” cried Seraphina.

♦Current Status♦

“Grr…ugh…uaaagh—!”

Seraphina met the chariot’s attack head-on with her shield. She activated a skill to ensure she would not be pushed backward, but the powerful blunt force very nearly broke through. Yet she stood her ground—as if forcing the chariot to a halt would in itself seal our victory.

“Seraphina—!”

“—Haaaaaah—!”

♦Current Status♦

The chariot powered round and round by an infinite magic supply, the one that seemed it would never stop, screeched at last to a halt.

“Haaah, haaah…” Seraphina hung on to her shield and caught her breath. We’d all given everything we had to the battle, and none of us could speak right away. The spikes of light that had radiated from the chariot began to disappear. I cautiously approached, but the chariot showed no signs of moving again.

♦?Intelligent Vehicle♦

The apparition driving the chariot had also disappeared, though I imagined it still resided within the chariot itself. Up close, it seemed quite large for a chariot and was about my height in diameter. Still in her material form, Murakumo gripped her sword and pointed it at me. She walked closer and disappeared just as she was about to make contact.

“…I must rest. Master, this place…it leads to Mechanical God Ariadne’s Sanctuary.”

“It what…? Murakumo, what do you—?” But Murakumo fell asleep before she could answer my question. Her new attack had probably depleted all her strength.

“All devotees of a Hidden God will be called to wherever armaments for that god lie. I have never before been blessed with a devotee, so I was unable to predict this would happen,” said Ariadne, taking over for Murakumo. Her dispassionate voice seemed to lack some of its usual strength; she must have been trying to apologize. If so, I could only say she owed us nothing. We’d chosen to bind ourselves to her and had only gotten this far because she’d saved us time and time again.

“I can sense the armament controller is near. Once you find it, it will react to the chariot, and you will be able to clear the path now sealed by thorns. You may choose to destroy the chariot, but I advise you place it under your control.”

“All right, I’ll look for it. Hey, everyone, could you rest here for a minute?”

“Sure… Arihito, where are you going?” asked Elitia.

“There’s apparently something like the sacred operation crystal we used when we had Murakumo join our group around here somewhere. We can use it to remove these thorns blocking our path.”

“In that case, we’ll all help you look. Ah—!” Igarashi lost her balance as she walked toward me. She seemed a little unsteady after putting such a strain on her magic.

“Please take a breather, Igarashi. You worked so hard to draw the chariot’s fire.”

“…I guess it’s easy to faint all of a sudden when you lose magic that quickly… But I’m glad I did it. I managed to do my part.”

“I think you went a little overboard… You’ve got some luck, and it sounds like you’ve always been pretty athletic, so you didn’t get caught this time, but that skill doesn’t guarantee you’ll be able to dodge anything, you knooow,” Misaki pointed out.

Igarashi clutched my arm to steady herself, then painfully shifted her weight to stand on her own. I went around behind her and used Charge Assist once more, but only after taking a sip of a mana potion since my magic was running dangerously low, too.

“…Th-thank you. Just when I thought I was almost out of magic, you restored it for me… I knew I could count on you to back me up while I fought.”

“Well, that’s me doing my part, so don’t worry about it. I may need to ask you to take on that role and draw enemy attacks again in the future…but if possible, I want to find a way that doesn’t put you at such risk.”

“Thanks. But we all put ourselves at risk, so you don’t have to concern yourself with that too much.”

“You showed up right behind me out of nowhere. That’s the only reason we made it through…,” said Misaki.

“I think that rubble would have trapped us if it weren’t for you, Arihito,” added Suzuna.

My skills wouldn’t necessarily stop working even if we fell out of formation since I could still technically be “behind” someone depending on where we stood. But it was definitely good experience fighting an enemy that stood directly above us; it forced me to analyze the situation in three dimensions.

“I’d like Igarashi and everyone else who’s out of magic to rest here. Theresia, are you all right?”

“……”

“Hmm… You mean the mana potion’s enough for you? All right.”

I handed Theresia the potion in my hand, which she’d been looking at. I could restore my own magic, too, if I used Charge Assist, but we didn’t really need to worry about that then.

“…Ngh…”

Theresia took a sip of the potion. She’d never give away how badly it tasted—or so I’d thought, but she did stick out her tongue a bit for one second.

“…Too bitter?”

“……!”

She shook her head. Maybe she thought she shouldn’t complain about the taste, or maybe all demi-humans felt that way. I could just be partial, but I didn’t think it was the former. Melissa was also running low, so she took the potion next and drank a sip.

“Wooow, Arihito you’re sooo… I’d have to reeeally work myself up before I shared an indirect kiss with someone like that, you knooow?”

“…I don’t think Theresia sees it like that… Actually, m-maybe she does a little…?” said Melissa.

“We have exhausted our magic, but none of us has lost hardly any vitality. This is yet another indication of how peculiar your party is, Mr. Atobe… Of course, in a wonderful way.”

“…Seraphina, you have the least magic left. Here,” said Melissa as she handed over the bottle.

“Thank you. But I have my own potion, so I should be fine. It’s very difficult to find a second during battle to drink them, though. That’s the biggest drawback to these kinds of potable medicines,” replied Seraphina and took out the bottle she’d brought with her…only to find the glass had shattered in battle.

“…Here.”

“…Thank you kindly.”

Seraphina blushed a bit, took the potion from Melissa once more, and brought it to her lips. She had a point; the fact we had all come out virtually unscathed from an intense battle with a surprisingly fierce enemy was truly exceptional.

I doubled back to the weathered Seeker skeletons we’d passed before and found a stone buried beneath them.

♦Alioth Crystal♦

It had a different name than the alkaid crystal, but I could tell from one look that it was made of the same material. It had the same shape and only slightly differed in color. This was still just a theory, but I was pretty sure some of the Seekers in the party who’d come here first had brought this armament controller with them. The chariot put them through the test—and cost them their lives.

Who created the Hidden Gods and their parts? Speculation surrounding those mysteries could at times tantalize Seekers who ventured to investigate and even drive them to their deaths. Other times, that search could reward Seekers who withstood trying crucibles with phenomenal powers. At any rate, we were only getting closer to the truth behind these Hidden Gods, behind Ariadne, because we’d managed to survive. We needed to persevere until we found the truth, no matter what it took.

These armament controllers revealed no secrets through appraisal and displayed no information on our licenses; not even the Guild fully understood them. Yet we’d already surpassed by far what most Seekers would ever experience. We needed to keep that fact close to the chest and tread very carefully.

I returned to the room where the chariot stood and told the others I’d found the alioth crystal. Then I inserted it into a depression on the chariot and—

♦Current Status♦

“Alphecca… Is that this chariot’s name?”

“She looked like a princess or a queen… Do you think she’ll materialize once again like Murakumo?” wondered Igarashi.

“Mr. Atobe, the thorns are shifting…,” said Seraphina. “We should be able to proceed in that direction.”

“Arihito, I found this while I was looking around this room…,” started Misaki.

“This Black Box was lying on the ground. What do you think this means…?” asked Suzuna. We’d disabled the trap on a Black Box to reveal the trap cube—and found another Black Box within it. Something definitely didn’t add up. We still hadn’t found many possessions the defeated Seekers had lost, so there was a chance they could be inside this Black Box. But then why wasn’t the alioth crystal in there, too? Could it be the armament controller wouldn’t go in a Black Box while it lay on the same floor as the chariot?

“Armaments must long for Hidden God devotees to find them… It doesn’t really make sense they’d then put those devotees through the wringer, but I’ll bet that’s what happened here.”

“I did get the feeling she was kinda like, if you want me, you gotta beat me fiiirst! Maybe they’re only supposed to obey really strong people?” suggested Misaki.

“Possibly… They’re definitely powerful enough to have that choice. I think even we would have had a hard time defeating this one without Murakumo,” added Igarashi. In other words, we’d need one armament to obtain another. But I didn’t think it’d necessarily get easier as we collected more armaments. The whole situation reaffirmed my belief there really were no shortcuts here.

“In any case, we need to get out of here… Shall we?”

We headed for the pathway once sealed off by a thorny blockade. I didn’t even have a chance to wonder how I’d carry the chariot back with me before it started to fade away and eventually disappeared from sight.

“I have the power to summon armaments to my side. They can also materialize as an ether apparition and accompany you…as can Murakumo. I’d like you all to come to me. I can create a teleportation pathway from there to my chambers,” Ariadne whispered in my ear.

It’d been a long time since I’d last seen Ariadne, and now we’d found a way to teleport to her. While I had spoken to her through Suzuna’s Medium, I hadn’t expected to return to District Eight for a long time still. Teleporting would make the trip much easier.

I told everyone the gist of what Ariadne had said. I was excited to introduce our newest members to her, our protective deity who always came to our rescue.