One after the other, the magic beasts crawl out of the entrance of the dungeon. However, there is a group of high-ranking adventurers nearby, in charge of dispelling any danger.
At that moment, a huge magic beast emerges from the darkness. It had a humanoid appearance, but his body was rather strange as if someone had combined a large number of magic beasts unnaturally. The adventurers are agitated when they see it.
“Disgusting. What is that …?”
“Gross!”
“I suppose the magic beasts merged because of the distorted magical energy. *Cough* But it’s nothing more than a children's toy with low magic power.” Maria directs one of her fingers towards the magic beast in a weary way. “Idiot disciple, help me. We will use the [Thunder Emperor] *Cough*“
“Hmm, you just want to show off∼.” Miriam picks up her wand with a sigh, and both sorceresses begin to chant at the same time.
” “From the ecliptic sky! Are the drops made out of light! One drop awakens the roar! That falls to the ground with flickering might!” “
A translucent geometric design emerges around both of them, and the tips of Maria’s fingers and Miriam’s wand begin to shine. A black cloud swirls over the monster’s head, and moments before the lightning struck, Anessa shoots an iron arrow at its forehead. At the same time, the fierce lightning strikes with a loud noise and concentrates exactly where the arrow is. Just when it seems that the magic beast has not been affected, it crumbles into dust.
“*Cough*. Well done Anessa. That arrow helped a lot.” says Maria, quite impressed by the quick action of the adventurer.
“Haha, I’ve been Miri’s partner for a long time.” Despite her shy response, Anessa fires arrows in rapid succession and knocks down the magic beasts that were trying to ambush some adventurers from a blind spot.
Maria and Miriam continue to cast magic and turn the magic beasts into charcoal one after the other.
“Well, what should I do now…?” says Angeline with her arms folded as she watches the scene.
The magic beasts continue to come out of the dungeon incessantly. For now, the adventurers are overwhelming the opponents, but their victory is not yet certain. Now that the barrier has disappeared the magical energy contained in the dungeon begins to disperse, and there is the possibility that it will attract other magic beasts from outside. If the battle continues, their fatigue will begin to accumulate and if they have to deal with the magic beasts in that state, the chances of victory will decrease.
“This could get complicated if it goes on for too long.” Angeline pulls out her sword and gives instructions to Miriam and Anessa. “You two, cover me.”
Without waiting for an answer, Angeline kicks the floor. She moves around the enemies with incredibly agile maneuvers. Any magic beast that tries to stop her is shot down either by arrows or magic. Finally, she arrives at the entrance in a blink of an eye. Chebolg and Dortos are there, wiping out everything around them. Corpses of A rank magic beasts are piled up everywhere.
“Gramps Silverhead, we can’t go on like this. Let´s leave this place to the others and enter the dungeon” says Angeline as she runs to Dortos.
“You might be right. Hey, you! Cover us!” He yells at his team members, who are fighting in the rear.
As if they were one, they quickly rebuild their formation and eliminate the magic beasts that are clustered at the entrance. It’s a great demonstration of skill. Although there are still plenty of magic beasts, they could now at least enter the dungeon without much trouble.
“These magic beasts are very clumsy, aren’t they?! Here I come! Take this!”
Chebolg strikes with his mighty fist. His tattoos shine again, and his punch generates a huge shockwave that sends a large number of magic beasts flying. Angeline accelerates in a race and jumps into the dungeon entrance. Dortos and Chebolg arrive a little later.
“… What is this?” whispers Angeline.
This dungeon is classified as an E rank and is no different than a cavern perforated in a hill. But now, the walls are covered with a strange black substance, which seemed to be pulsing, as if it were alive. It also emits a faint light.
“Ange! I'll lead the attack!” Chebolg shouts when he sees Angeline running.
“First come first served. Have you become slower, Musclehead General?”
“Ha ha ha ha! I’ve lost some practice, haven’t I?! Interesting!”
“Don’t let your guard down, both of you. Here they come.”
Magic beasts begin to emerge from the holes in the ceiling and walls of the cave. In the blink of an eye, Dortos pierces three of them and then knocks down two others. Chebolg also raises his fist and destroys more magic beasts.
“Where’s the main room?”
Without paying much attention to the magic beasts, Angeline squints her eyes and hastens to follow the signs of magical power. Because the veterans are keeping her safe, she is able to lead the way. However, when she encounters a divided path, she stopped instantly. Dortos and Chebolg continue to keep the magic beasts away, while Angeline is concentrating. But everything around them is quite strange.
Remember what daddy said, thinks Angeline. He said the secret to finding the dungeon boss is through the tingling sensation in your own skin.
Yeah, that’s what it was. She’s had that feeling every time she went into a dungeon. However, since the magic beasts that surrounded them also have a high level, the magic trail of the dungeon boss is concealed. In addition, it is difficult to concentrate during combat.
“It’s no use. Daddy would laugh at me if he were here.” Angeline takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. She clears her mind of all thoughts. All the hustle and bustle around her begins to fade. As a result, all her senses sharpen and she is now able to perceive more clearly the flow of magical power, until…
“There!” Angeline opens her eyes and starts running.
That road seems to be the right one. For, as they go, the tingling sensation becomes more and more intense. There are many small holes but no other secondary path. Fortunately, this dungeon was originally an E rank, so there are no secret passageways or labyrinth-shaped tunnels.
“Just a little bit more,” mutters Angeline.
But at that moment, she feels signs of intense magical power from the side wall. She lifts her sword immediately and takes a defensive stance. Seconds later, a big magic beast emerges from the wall. It has the appearance of a lizard, but the hind legs are very developed, and their fangs and claws are very sharp. Its scales are black and seem very resilient. But despite being larger than Angeline, it has no wings. This magic beast is a subspecies of the Dragons.
Angeline receives the attack from the magic beast, but the blow is so strong that she is thrown back a few meters. But she makes an elegant turn in the air and lands without any problem.
“Hahaha! Surprise attacks are no fun, you gecko!” says Chebolg as he laughs and hits the magic beast.
However, the quasi-dragon simply recedes back a bit and quickly turns to see Chebolg. The reptile’s huge eyes focus intensely on its new enemy. The veteran smiles broadly and fixes his military cap.
“Oh! This one appears to have some backbone! Hey! I’ll take care of this one! What do you say? It’ll be great!”
“Do what you want! Ange, let’s go.”
“Musclehead General, please be careful.” Angeline follows Dortos, letting Chebolg fight a magic beast that is much bigger than himself.
“Damn… age is catching up to me,” says Dortos with his somewhat agitated breathing.
“Gramps Silverhead, are you all right?”
“You don’t have to worry about something like that, Ange,” Dortos says with a smile.
“Don’t you think that phrase is a death flag, Gramps?” Angeline frowns.
“What are you talking about?”
“It was written in a book I read recently.”
“I don’t understand the lexicon of young people,” says Dortos with a sigh.
The two keep advancing to the deep end of the dungeon as they defeat the magic beasts on their way. Gradually the magical energy becomes denser and the tingling sensation in the skin actually becomes painful. Dortos and Angeline have faced S rank magic beasts in the past. However, the presence they feel now is completely different from anything they had experienced. For the first time since she’d become an adventurer, Angeline feels a shiver. It’s not of fear, though, but the thrill of having such a powerful enemy right in front of her.
“Fufu.” Angeline prepares her sword and walks in the direction where the magic beast is. Her blood is boiling.
Unexpectedly, the two adventurers enter a fairly large chamber. The round ceiling extends like a dome. But the wall is still covered with the foreign substance, pulsating while a pale light flashes. As soon as they enter this space, the other magic beasts stop chasing them. An unusual atmosphere filled that place and the magical energy now seems to penetrate the skin as if they were small knives. In the center of the chamber, there is something.
'It' seems to be made up of black shadows, but its appearance is human. It’s as small as a child and is sitting on the floor, rocking from side to side.
“Is that… the Demon King?”
“Ange, don’t let your guard down. I have a strange feeling.” Dortos lifts his spear without hesitation. The Shadow Being murmurs something while he sways. Angeline squints her eyes and listens attentively.
“Master… Where are you…? I feel lonely… Lonely…” says 'It' over and over again.
Angeline tilts her head. It is clear that ‘It’ is the source of the distorted magical energy. But from what she can see, it doesn’t seem to be that dangerous. In fact, it gives an incredibly innocent impression. To the extent that the whole scene seems abnormal.
“Hey, why are you so sad…? Who's your Master?” says Angeline as she takes a step closer to 'It'.
“Ange!” howls Dortos in his furious voice.
A chilling sensation runs down their backs. Everything happens in an instant. 'It' jumps to the place where both adventurers are standing.
“Lonely… lonely… Should I keep killing more…?“
Eyes appear on the face of the Shadow Being and look directly at Angeline. Its eyes are black, full of madness, and it seems that they would absorb her soul if they were given the opportunity. Right then, Dortos moves fearlessly and thrusts his spear with tremendous momentum. 'It' receives the full blow of the spear and is launched backward.
“The spear didn’t pierce… They don’t call it the Demon King for nothing,” says Dortos clicking his tongue.
After 'It' falls passively to the ground, it slowly rises and rocks from right to left. Then, it raises its arms with the same innocence with which a child would ask their mother to embrace them.
“Sorry, Gramps… I wasn’t focused.” Angeline sighs and lifts her sword.
“Mmm… Come on.”
The two adventurers rush forward at the same time, one on the right and the other on the left. The Shadow Being lunges at Angeline. It is much faster than a demonic wolf. This time, instead of seeing one of its eyes, she sees huge open jaws and several sharp fangs. However, unless they let their guard down completely, the speed of an S rank adventurer would not lose to that. While the distorted magic energy was annoying, it didn’t slow Angeline’s movements.
Angeline lowers her posture a little and strikes with her sword. To her surprise, 'It' receives the attack without even trying to dodge it. But instead of being cut in half, he just flies backward.
“What…?”
Dortos appears at that moment and again strikes 'It' with a resounding impact from his spear. The force can only be compared to that of a meteor falling to the ground. As expected, 'It' is launched into the wall of the chamber and crashes into it with a thunderous explosion.
The Shadow Being precipitates towards the ground, but once again, it stands up.
“Master… I am lonely…“
“Disappear!”
Dortos twists his whole body and, with frightening strength, strikes again with his spear. It is undoubtedly his deadliest attack. 'It' receives the attack of the spear…or so it seems.
“Mmm?” Dortos is surprised and opens his eyes wide. 'It' catches the strike with its fangs and bites the tip of the spear with incredible force. The platinum spear begins to crack. At that moment, Angeline kicks it hard on one side. 'It' separates from the spear, rolls on the floor and hits the other wall.
“Gramps Silverhear, are you okay?”
“Thank you, Ange. But, to damage a spear reinforced with magic…” There’s a fissure at the tip of the weapon. Dortos frowned at that battle wound, for he had not received such a thing in a long time.
“I’ll take care of it. You stay back,” says Angelina stepping forward.
“All right… I’m pitiful,” Dortos mutters as he drops to the floor and tries to calm his breathing.
'It' pounces on them again, with its mouth open, and aims directly at Angeline’s sword. But, she kicks it in the belly. After the kick, Angeline twists her whole body and, with remarkable power, throws a lunge. Dortos opens his eyes in surprise. That attack uses all the power and speed of Angeline’s entire body, just like Dortos used to do in his prime. However, she was still unable to penetrate its skin. Angeline clicks her tongue.
'It' hits the wall due to the power of the lunge and rises up in a staggering manner. But even though it appears to have suffered damage, it jumps back to Angeline only moments later. Little by little the movements of 'It' become sharper. It’s like it remembers Angeline’s fighting style and adapts to it. In response, the adventurer accelerates her movements again. Even though his spear is battered, Dortos can barely prevent himself from joining that fierce fight once again.
They approached, separated and approached once more. Every time a sharp tusk passes close to her body, Angeline feels a shiver down her spine. The attack of its hands also causes dread. Even though it has no claws, every time one of its hands grazes Angeline’s skin, she gets goosebumps. It is likely that one of these attacks could cut her arm off.
How many times has she felt her life in imminent danger so far?
That’s when Angeline’s fighting spirit is ignited. Before she knew it, her arms began to wield her sword and her feet kicked the ground out of pure instinct. After dozens of clashes, Angeline has hit 'It' several times with her sword. But no matter how many times she strikes it, she just can’t cut it. Nothing seems to work.
Is that thing even tired? thinks Angeline to herself. There’s no way of knowing. But from the way it moves, it doesn’t seem to have received much damage. Angeline calms her breathing. Her blood is pouring through the cuts in her skin. But she can’t quit now. She cannot turn around and let the being responsible for this catastrophe escape. When she thinks of this, her anger is unleashed immediately.
“It hurts… Master… Where did you go…? Baal has been a good boy…” mumbles 'It'. It’s like it's not paying attention to Angeline, even though until a few moments ago, they were fighting.
“I do not know who you want to see, but I have people waiting for me.” Angeline holds the sword calmly and concentrates. The magical power swirls all over her body, she can feel it circulate throughout her whole being as if it were blood pumped by her heart. When the power reaches her fingertips, she also transfers it to the sword. The magical power binds her hands and her sword. The sword begins to shine brightly.
“If you want to see him so much… Then I’ll send you to him at once! Ha!”
Angeline kicks the ground and at the same time the fangs of 'It' head towards her. Both attacks collide… The fangs pierce, and the sword is swung.
“Mas…ter…”
Her shoulder’s warm. She can feel the blood gushing out, and even though she hasn’t lost her arms, she doesn’t have any strength left. She has apparently used all her power in a single blow. Angeline’s knees are shaking, but before collapsing, Dortos appears beside her and supports her. She concentrates on her breathing and strives to stay conscious. Somehow, she manages to lift her face.
“Gramps Silverhead… The Demon…?”
Dortos smiles gently and makes a nod. Angeline turns a little and looks over her shoulder. 'It' is split right in half and is collapsed on the ground. When it seems to be moving again, the body begins to dissolve. At the same time, the ominous magical power that covers the surroundings begins to disperse. The foreign substance covering the wall also crumbles, stops shining and vanishes.
“Did we win?” says Angeline as she turns to see Dortos.
“Yes, victory is ours. Well done, Ange.”
Angeline lets out a sigh of relief. At that moment, she collapses. Dortos hurries and hugs her before she falls to the ground. The 'Black Haired Valkyrie' is sleeping peacefully.
○
The adventurers are gone and the abandoned dungeon is silent.
Someone stands next to the remains of 'It'. He wears a white hooded robe and gives the impression that he is floating in the darkness. Seeing that 'It' has melted and turned into a black puddle, the being in the white robe clicks his tongue.
“What a miserable sight…” says the man with a deep voice.
The man in the robe places his hand over the puddle and begins a chant. A light is lit at the tip of his hand, and it is reflected in the puddle that also begins to shine. The strange Shadow Being begins to emerge from within the puddle. Gradually the puddle disappears, absorbed to create the dark body. 'It' sways from side to side again until it notices the presence of the man in the white robe.
“Master…? Master!” With its arms outstretched forward, 'It' approaches the man in the robe. However, the man seems frustrated and kicks it violently.
“You fool! Do I look like Solomon to you?!”
“Master… Where is…? Baal… hasn’t moved from here…“
The man in the robe clicks his tongue again.
“Enough. Remain silent until your power returns.” says the man as he reaches out his hand. At that moment, 'It' floats in the air, becomes a small black gem and falls into the palm of the man’s hand.
“Were we a bit impatient? No, we underestimated Orphen's Guild. I thought there were only incompetents, but they must have skilled individuals to be able to discover this place… especially that ‘Black Haired Valkyrie’… Anyway, this has just begun.” mutters the man as he puts the gem in his pocket.
The man in the white robe then turns around and walks away from the place.
○
Angeline wakes up inside one of the Guild’s hospital rooms. Anessa and Miriam sit next to her, their faces reflect concern. When Angeline gets up, Miriam cries and embraces her right away.
“Ange! What a relief∼! Waah! I thought you were dead∼! Waaah!”
“You’re exaggerating Miri… Wait, my shoulder hurts. It hurts!”
“Hey Miri, you’re hurting her.” Listening to Anessa, Miriam continues to cry but lets Angeline go. “I’m glad you’re okay… You really defeated the Demon King.” Even though Anessa is smiling, tear marks can be seen in her eyes.
How long have I slept? thinks Angeline. Her clothes have not been changed, with the exception of bandages that cover her shoulder wound. Apparently, she has slept in the carriage all the way home from the dungeon. Although the sun has already set, it is still the same day, and the lobby next to her room is quite noisy. It seems that other adventurers are still discussing something.
“Are they all still here…?”
“Yeah. But Maria said her throat was sore and went home.”
“She’s so heartless∼!” says Miriam quite angry.
Angeline starts laughing. She knows that Maria trusts her enough to know that she will recover completely, despite everything. It’s true that her shoulder hurts, but it’s something she can handle. She stands up with the help of Anessa and Miriam and leaves the hospital room.
In the lobby, some adventurers sit around a table while others lean against the walls, and are talking to each other. Apparently, they are exchanging opinions about the future of the Guild. When they see Angeline approaching, the adventurers immediately get up, raise their weapons and cheer with loud voices.
“Angeline! The Black Haired Valkyrie!”
“The Demon King Slayer!”
“The Guardian Goddess of Orphen!”
“That’s enough, it’s embarrassing.” Angeline’s cheeks turn red and she looks away awkwardly.
“Ha ha ha ha! Defeating the Demon King is not something that happens every day, Ange! I won’t be so careless as to let you miss this experience!” Chebolg says as he smiles and pats Angeline’s head.
“Musclehead General… Maybe some other time, my shoulder hurts…”
“What?! Did I say something, Ange?!”
“Mr. Chebolg, Ms. Ange’s shoulder is injured, please don’t be too harsh∼.” Lionel pulls Chebolg’s arm. Then he makes a deep bow to Angeline. “Thank you so much for everything you did, Ms. Ange. As Orphen’s Guild Master, I appreciate all your help and again apologize for my ineptitude. Thanks to you, the adventurers of the Guild, and the city of Orphen are safe. No matter how much I thank you, I know it’s not enough. I will give you the appropriate reward when everything has calmed down∼.”
“It’s creepy for you to behave like that, Guild Master. So stop it.” Angeline interrupts Lionel’s words with an uncomfortable face.
“Y-Yes…”
The adventurers laugh and start teasing Lionel. He just scratches his head with a bitter smile.
“Well, it’s as usual∼… Anyway, not counting the few high-level magic beasts left, we’re done. All thanks to Ms. Ange defeating the Demon King.”
“So there’s still work to be done?”
“No, not for you.” Lionel looks back at the adventurers. Dortos, who had his arms crossed, nods. “We’ll take care of the rest. So, Ms. Ange, take all the time you want and go on that vacation you so much wanted∼. No one will get in the way. After all, you need to take a vacation after an experience like this.”
“But…”
“Ha, ha, ha! Don’t worry, Ange! We can still wreck things! We can’t embarrass ourselves even more and ask you to keep working!” The group of retired adventurers smile and nod to Chebolg’s words.
“All right, I’ll be back in no time” at Angeline’s words, Lionel nods.
“By the way, I would like the cooperation of the rest of you to make certain changes to the Guild… The methods of the Central Guild are completely useless. If we do not devise new reforms for the Guild of Orphen, we could live another unpleasant experience. But I’m not asking you because I’m lazy and don’t want to do it alone∼.”
“It’s only natural. We don’t know when something like this will happen again. Lionel, now that you’ve reached this point, you have to keep your head up and can't run away as you did in the past. So I’ll keep an eye on you myself.”
“In that case, I appreciate your help, Mr. Dortos. Even someone as incompetent as me knows something must be done.”
“Once you begin your journey, you must continue and assume responsibility until the end. Also, if we leave you alone, you may lead us to disaster.”
Chebolg laughs amazingly when I hear that. “What are you talking about, Dortos?! You only want revenge because the Demon King broke your spear! I know you too well!”
Oh, shut up, Musclehead Daruma…”
“Haha… Anyway, I’ll still be quite busy∼. I have to talk properly with the Lords and with the soldiers in the city… As the resources of the Guild are exhausted, first we have to raise funds… Ah, even an incompetent was supposed to be able to be Guild Master… Everyone, can you help me, please∼?” sighs Lionel.
Angeline smiles satisfactorily and since she hasn’t eaten in a while, she decides to go for something to eat first.
“By the way, Ange!” Chebolg calls Angeline when she gets ready to go to her usual bar.
“What’s the matter, Musclehead General?”
“Lionel told me! That you had some problems this time around! It was a very dangerous burden! Any other adventurer would have hated the situation and would have left the Guild! Even me!”
Dortos nods solemnly.
“Mmm, no adventurer would endure doing so many subjugations day after day. You had to talk to the Guild Master on several occasions instead of visiting your father. You could have refused the request. Although the Guild faced an unprecedented situation, your reputation would not be affected if you ignored it.”
When he hears the words of the veterans, Lionel scratches his head seriously. “True∼… even though the catastrophe far outweighed me, I handled it poorly.”
“Well, I did it because on this occasion it was not only the Guild that was in danger but also the rest of the city. The tavern and its owner, the orphanage where Anessa and Miriam used to live, the sweet shop employee, and everyone else. My daddy always says it’s normal for adventurers to help other people. If I were to abandon someone who needed me just to go home, my daddy wouldn’t be happy.” Angeline says with an innocent expression.
The adventurers, including Dortos and Chebolg, were quite nervous awaiting Angeline’s response. But in the end, they all explode in laughter, making the building tremble from its foundations.
“Then he’s a good fellow! You have a good father, Ange!”
“That’s true. Ahh, that makes me realize how much I can still grow.”
It was thanks to her father that Ms. Ange came to this Guild. This old man doesn’t know how to thank Ms. Angeline and her father∼…”
The adventurers, the veterans and the Guild Master laugh again. Anessa caresses Angeline’s head with a touched expression, and Miriam hugs her again while crying.
Seeing the high spirits of everyone, Angeline proudly lifts her face and says aloud.
“That’s right! My dad is amazing! His name is the ‘Red Ogre’ Belgriff! The incredible ‘Red Ogre’ Belgriff! Remember him!”