Fourth chapter. Wow. Chapter 99. So close to 100. Comes with a picture too. Well, enjoy.
The Preceding Hero and the Elf Woman
Even during the next day, the storm didn"t stop.
However, there was a big change in the weather.
「……Are you serious.」
The rain that poured like an overturned bucket stopped, and the winds that shook the windows stopped.
But, as if to wrap up this single island of Nordyord, the winds were coiling around it.
Even though the other side of the wind was dark and had rain falling in waves, this Nordyord had a pleasant breeze and the light of the sun shining down on it.
「It somewhat feels like I"ve come to a last dungeon.」
It was a fairytale-like scene, but I saw it as ominous.
It was because of that, as a person that was about to dive into a Dungeon, I could only think of it as an ill omen.
Taking along Silber, who was fully equipped with things like bedding, a lantern and food, and arriving at the bar, I had Silber, who was delighted from having luggage attached all over his body, wait in front of the bar and then went inside.
「Now then, the two of them are……Oh, there they are. ……Heh?」
When I entered the bar, the two of them were sitting at a table close to the counter. And then, a female Elf that I wasn"t familiar with was also sitting at the same table as Bernadette and Kuon.
The area around her eyes was half hidden with her dull blonde hair, and her eyes that could be seen through the gaps of her hair, maybe because her hair was shading over them, had an unbelievably unpleasant look to them.
With a hunched back, she had a t-shirt and short pants that made her thighs dazzling under her kinked white robe, and black knee socks.
……H, how should I say this, she"s a unique woman.
I guess you could say it had the impression that various components were rolled up together and it all just collapsed?
While thinking such a rude thing, when I get closer while lightly waving my hand, the two wave back looking like they noticed me.
……Elf-san is kind of totally glaring at me. Is this the so-called "that"? That girl complex of how she originally has a mean look in her eyes and only looks like she"s glaring but is actually just really shy
……That"s not how it looks at all!!
「Aniki～!」
「Good morning, Yashiro-san!」
「O, ou. Did I keep you waiting?」
When I tried to sit in the open seat, Elf-san"s look became even stronger.
「We just got here as well. ……Yashiro-san, about the storm, how much did you learn about it?」
Bernadette came asking that question as soon as I took a seat.
She went and asked this kind of question. She"s probably heard about most of it.
「Only to a certain extent. ……It would seem that a scholar said that the cause was in this Dungeon……」
When I reply, Kuon and Bernadette peek over at the sharp-eyed Elf-san.
……I thought it might be possible going by the white robe she wore but……it seems that it was this person.
「I"ll introduce her to you, Yashiro-san. This is Fiona-san, the archeologist. She is the one that ascertained that this Dungeon was the cause.」
……Fiona? ……Ahh, it"s a person with the same name. I was surprised because I have an Elf among the people that I know with the name Fiona.
「h.e.l.lo, I"m called Yuu. Yuu Yashiro.」
When I held out my hand for a handshake, Fiona-san, after alternately looking at me and my hand, breathed a deep sigh.
「That"s quite an att.i.tude to take towards a comrade that pa.s.sed through the points of life and death together with you, isn"t it. ……Yuu」
「……Ha?」
I received a deep shock from her words that was bigger than when she turned her sharp look towards me.
「Are the two of you acquaintances?」
「No, sorry but I don"t know her. ……I do have an Elf I know with the same name but……」
When I denied Bernadette"s question, Fiona-san moved her hand around to her waist, and took something out.
That was a dagger that was sheathed in its scabbard. If I had to mention its characteristics, it would be that its grip was long for a dagger.
「Even after seeing this……will you still say that?」
Fiona-san drew the dagger from its scabbard……That sword was,
「It"s……broken?」
It wasn"t a dagger. That sword that was probably originally a long sword blade was broken up in the middle.
……It was a broken sword.
「If it"s you, you should know the name of this Magic Sword, right?」
「……Magic Sword 『Soulzambar』[1]」
Starting with Maryoku Recovery, it was a Magic Sword that possessed several rare skills……or it was a sword.
Although it was superior because of its abilities, as an illogical result of the sword being broken with prudence, in the end, it became something that was handed over to Fiona who was a Leezelion Imperial Court Magician.
That fact that she has that means that this Fiona-san is the Fiona-san that I know……
No no! I"m sorry for saying this, but their appearances are as different as heaven and earth, you know!?
The Fiona I know, although she had a small chest, she had white skin and gold hair that seemed transparent. Her almond eyes weren"t sharp nor coercive, and the bright green one piece and the hide belt that wrapped around her waist and torso was her only lightweight equipment……with that, she had the appearance of what you could call a standard sample of an Elf.
Like the pioneer "my waifu" D○edl○t-san from ○doss War!
「It seems like you still don"t believe me. ……In that case, I"ll put out my trump card.」
「T, trump card?」
It"s probably not my place to say this since I don"t believe her but, to be frank, there isn"t any more proof other than this, is there?
When I put myself on guard, Fiona put up three fingers.
「The number of, my panties that you ruined.」
「So you"re Fiona!? It"s been a whi-oaahh!?」
With that conversation of a kind of secret that only I and Fiona herself would know about, I finally understood that it was her herself, but at that instant, I felt a forceful bloodl.u.s.t that resembled an explosion coming from the side.
「That story, ……Could you tell me about it in detail?」
Bernadette stood up wearing an aura that went *gogogogogogo*. That look wouldn"t separate from me.
Eh? Did I step on some kind of landmine?
「I somehow understand that Fiona-san is Yashiro-san"s, former "comrade". Even in the Hero Biography series, a female Elf comrade appears after all. ……The problem is, Yashiro-san, could it be that you also know about what happened to my panties?」
Ah, I see. I forgot to return them.
Not good, I"m gonna be killed.
「Yuu has a habit of hiding things that he really treasures at the back of his collar.」
「Wah! My underwear really did come out from a place like this!」
With Fiona"s advice, Bernadette took out underwear from my back collar.
「……Yashiro-san. The next time you do something like this, I"m going to get mad, got it?」
「Ue? ……Y, yeah. ……I"m sorry.」
Seeing as how I had resolved myself to getting a gun muzzle pointed at me and getting shot by that, Bernadette"s reaction was anticlimactic, or rather, something gentle.
「……Haa. Would it be alright, if we talk about the Dungeon?」
Fiona began talking with an amazed sounding voice.
「Yeah, if you would. How much do you know about it?」
Changing the stuff going on in my head, I turned around to Fiona.
「The capturing of it is unbelievably difficult. ……And then, this Dungeon being something that was man-made is all I have.」
「Man-made? ……And then, what you meant by difficult is……」
Although Fiona"s strength is also in her simple physical strength, her true strength is that of a scout.
Moreover, it was the investigation type that flourished in places like Dungeons.
In a place like this Dungeon, she surpa.s.sed anyone in the group.
As long as that Fiona to a.s.sert that it was difficult, it meant it wasn"t for the half-hearted.
How it hasn"t been conquered is proof of that.
「Yuu, the problem is the latter……It being man-made is a serious matter.」
「Eh? Is it?」
I thought that the things called Dungeons were things where monsters started to live in places that people built but……
「Hold on a second, Elf-nee-chan. ……Are you saying that someone made a "labyrinth"!?」
Believing in what she heard, an astonished voice was leaked out by Kuon.
「What do you mean by that?」
「Bernadette-nee-chan, labyrinths originally have two patterns. One is when many monsters gather in buildings created by people, resulting in a monster nest that produces monsters. And then the other is when monsters settle down in something like a cave, resulting in a natural labyrinth. Both result in the same thing, but whether it was a place naturally made or if it was a place built by people, their respective foundations are different. ……However, what this Elf-nee-chan is trying to say is that this labyrinth is neither of those. It means that someone intentionally made a "labyrinth".」
I see, so that"s why it"s a man-made labyrinth.
「So? Does that mean that the reason this labyrinth is the cause of the storm is because it"s man-made?」
「Yes. ……Once, there was an evil deity that tried to conquer the world with this island as its headquarters. This labyrinth is a sealing apparatus for that evil deity.」
「Evil deity? ……Does that mean, that it"s stronger than the Demon Lord?」
Going by the kanji, an evil deity does seem stronger that the Demon Lord.
Rather, is it possible to seal something like a guy that"s stronger than the Demon Lord?
「That"s impossible. The evil deity is just what the people called it on their own out of fear. And for argument"s sake, if the evil deity were stronger than the Demon Lord, a sealing apparatus like this wouldn’t be able to hold it. ……However, since it"s confined in something like this, it"s definite that it is something troublesome……」
Fiona folded her arms and groaned.
Troublesome, huh……Speaking of troublesome……
「H, hey. Is it alright if I just bust my way straight down with the Sacred Sword?」
Personally, that was the most troublesome thing of all.
「You can"t, fool. Isn"t that obvious? These are historic ruins, you know? It"s making use of technology of the past, you know? I"m amazed that you would dare say such a stupid thing in front of me, got that? Aren"t you just an idiot?」
Ahahaha. ……That"s what I thought.
Translator’s Notes:
[1] Can"t think of a good spelling for this: ソウルザンバー