Volume 7, Chapter 34 – Surrounded

“…I thought you would come back to save your leader, but you’re only running away?”

The fleeing cult members did not turn back for their captured leader. Not only that, but they even quickened their pace, desperately running towards the white worm-like Excavator. The Excavator, as if sensing their thoughts, swayed its upper body that protruded from the ground, opened its giant mouth, and, like a venus flytrap, swallowed the cult members one by one.

Clang!

As Yisi was about to advance, she suddenly felt something hit her calf.

“Hmm?”

Looking down, she saw that the leader she had knocked down was trying to slash her leg with a dagger that reflected a dark green light. The dagger was now broken in two. The dark green reflection was likely due to it being coated in a potent poison.

Yisi frowned slightly. Although she wouldn’t be injured due to her formidable defense, her over-the-knee socks would not become indestructible along with her. The dagger had torn several rips in them.

“This was an expensive item I bought in Mitters Bayer…”

“The Holy Blade actually broke?! M-monster, you’re not human!”

As if seeing something terrifying, the man’s eyes widened, and he tried to get away from Yisi.

“I’d like to teach you how to choose your words when addressing a lady, but you’re too noisy. You should just be quiet for a while.”

With a light tap to the man’s head with the butt of Gungnir, the man’s eyes closed, and he fell unconscious.

Rеаⅾ oո KаtRеaⅾіոgСαfe

Yisi looked up again.

In the time she had been dealing with the man, the Excavator had already swallowed more than half of the cult members. The part of its body protruding from the ground was gradually burrowing underground, as if preparing to escape.

Although it wouldn’t be too difficult to pull them out from underground, it would be a hassle. Yisi weighed Gungnir in her hand and aimed at the worm’s head—if it had something that could be called a head.

[Javelin Throwing Technique – Meteor]

Leaving a long trail of fire in the air, just as the worm was about to disappear into the ground, Gungnir pierced its body completely. But to Yisi’s surprise, the blow that should have pinned the worm to the ground instead passed straight through its boneless, overly soft body, flying out the other side and embedding itself deep into the labyrinth wall, completely transfixing the worm.

“Screeeech—!”

The head, full of fine teeth, let out a shriek. After leaving a pool of dark green blood on the ground, the Excavator completely disappeared underground.

Did I miscalculate?

Although she could probably rush over now and pull the Excavator out like a radish, its disgusting body didn’t inspire any interest. Yisi thought about it for a moment and then dismissed the idea.

“In any case, those underlings couldn’t possibly know more than the leader. Leaving this one is enough,” letting out a long breath, Yisi turned her head. For some reason, Laxy, who was behind her, hadn’t moved since a while ago. “Lax…y?”

In her field of vision, Laxy was lying on the ground like someone who had fainted from dehydration, unconscious.

◇

Reaⅾ οո КαtReαԁiոɡCаfе

“Lady Yisi, I have no way to repay you for saving my life. If there is anything I can do to help you in the future, please do not hesitate to ask. I will do it, even if it costs me my life.”

Nana, her face tired but full of gratitude, said this to Yisi.

After Camilla’s group, having dealt with the Steel-Blade Bees, joined in helping Nana, her party, which had been at a disadvantage, turned the tide with overwhelming force and defeated all the traitors in one go.

Yisi shyly toyed with her silver hair.

“Costing you your life is a bit too much.”

Ignoring the bloodstains on her face, Nana quickly explained.

“No, if you hadn’t intervened, not just me, but all of my followers would have become ghosts under the traitors’ blades. We would have all been killed by them.”

“Nana! We found Chris and the others!”

A companion’s voice made Nana turn her head quickly.

“Where are they?!”

The only answer Nana received was three bodies of adventurers, their faces covered with a white cloth. The [Omniscient Map] showed that these adventurers were already dead. And likely because they had been dead for some time, there were also signs of them having been gnawed on by monsters.

The joy on her face gradually faded. Nana took a deep breath.

Reαԁ оո KatRеaԁіngCаfе

“Hmph—there’s nothing to be done. We should have expected this. This is the consequence of leaving the party in the labyrinth… Damn traitors.”

According to Nana, their team had a total of fifty people. Their purpose was to transport the guardian’s body. After a guardian died, its remaining body parts were a considerable fortune. But a guardian’s massive size was often difficult for an exhausted subjugation party to carry, so they had to hire other adventurer teams to help. Of the fifty people dispatched this time, more than half were unfamiliar adventurers from out of town. The traitors were one of those teams, with over twenty members.

As for the cause and course of events, the traitorous party had suddenly turned on them after obtaining the guardian’s body. They had set their sights not only on the reward but also on the weapons and equipment of the other adventurers, planning to make a big score and then flee to the Empire to start anew. Thus, they had allied with the Divine Religion and cornered Nana. Although Nana’s group had fought desperately to escape along the way, they had still lost several members.

As a result, the traitors and the cult members would be taken to the surface by Nana to face judgment.

“I saw that you have injured members in your team. Do you need our help? We have a healer here.”

Although the idea of a slime using holy magic was strange, Tiffany just happened to have an aptitude for it.

“A healer? That’s wonderful!” Yisi’s words brought a look of pleasant surprise to Nana’s face. “Healers are an invaluable profession. And if she’s a healer under you, Cardinal Yisi, she must be quite skilled… but please just have her heal the ones who are seriously injured and have difficulty moving. We don’t have that much money… to pay the fee…”

“No, no, the healing is free.”

“F-free? Thank you so much! Lady Yisi!!!”

Overjoyed, Nana suddenly rushed forward and hugged Yisi tightly. Perhaps because she could finally let go of her tense nerves, Nana began to sob. But even so, Camilla and Pepe, with perfect tacit understanding, inserted a staff between Yisi and Nana, and the other forcefully pulled Yisi away.

“Such a sentimental woman,” Edith clicked her tongue and pointed at Laxy, who was being cared for by Mary. “What about the angel over there?”

“She fainted from magic power depletion. She’ll wake up in a little while. If you give her a magic potion, Pepe, she’ll probably wake up right away.”

Rеаⅾ oո KatRеαdiոɡСαfe

“How could I use a life-saving item like a magic potion on something so trivial? If there’s nothing else, let’s hurry and find that deadly pollen. I’m very interested in it.”

“Yes, yes, my lady of Pescia,” after waving her hand with a wry smile, Yisi turned to the teary-eyed elf Nana. “Well then, we’ll be heading to a deeper place after Tiffany finishes her healing. Will you all be alright returning to the surface?”

“Eh? What about the spoils? You don’t want the spoils, Lady Yisi? The bodies of those Steel-Blade Bees can be sold for a lot of money. The wings can be used to make blades, and the internal organs are good for medicine…”

“It’s fine. You can have them, Nana.”

Although it was true, as Nana said, that the bodies of the Steel-Blade Bees could be used for many things, they were no longer useful for people at her and her companions’ stage. Camilla’s and Tiffany’s staves were made entirely of earth dragon bone, and Mary’s metal shield was of the highest quality.

“Then at least take the magic cores. Please, you must accept this.”

Magic cores?

If she continued to refuse Nana, it would seem too arrogant. It was better to accept them here. She would need low-level magic cores when mixing various magic liquids.

After Tiffany finished her healing, Yisi accepted the magic cores Nana had collected, and the group left the battle site.

It was worth noting that because Tiffany’s magic power was insufficient and she had to stop frequently to replenish it, Yisi also joined in the healing midway. As a result, because the healing effect was so astonishing—a person with a broken bone one second could be jumping around the next—the surrounding people all cast looks of reverence at her. Therefore, after healing the most seriously injured adventurers, Yisi consciously stopped.

If it weren’t for her status as a Cardinal, her cover would have been blown by now. It would be better to switch to using magic potions for healing in the future.

Making a mental note, Yisi led her companions straight to the location of the deadly pollen.