Chapter 271
I watched the shadowy forest zoom past us as we raced through the sky . Well, I was doing all the running . The rest were kept in the air with Daniela’s wind magic as they were pulled along for the ride .
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“‘Fly Float’ has existed for a long time . It is a fairly simple spell that allows you to move in the air . However, it is usually very slow . It is mostly something used to teach children wind magic in the early stages . ”
“But you can move quickly with the aid of Legs of the God Wolf . ”
“Yes, it is all about how you use it . ”
Daniela nodded . Lemon and Manager had been very loud and excited about it at first, but now they seemed to be quietly enjoying the unusual view . It was a good thing too, because this was not likely to happen again…
Once we had crossed the forest, the circular town came into view . A town that was surrounded in a round wall . There should have been a charming town within . Well, perhaps it was more a town of greed that had fed off of the labyrinth . However, there was nothing of that now .
There was a castle instead of a town, and it was tightly pressing against the walls . A fortress, maybe . This thing was apparently the inverted dungeon . And since it had once been a town, there were occasional houses sticking out in odd places, which made the whole thing look even more disturbing .
“So, this is what they call a Labyrinth Disaster . ”
Manager muttered .
“I can hardly believe it was a town… You’d think that this dungeon was always here . ”
Lemon added . Indeed, it was not the kind of thing that most people would easily believe .
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“Everyone, look down . ”
Daniela was the only one not looking at the town, and so we followed her gaze . It seemed like a vast field that spread out on and on, but the sunlight was now casting shadows, which showed some small hills . A Minotaur was walking on one of them . And there was something else . Something that was half human and half snake . A Lamia? It slithered speedily through the grass and towards the forest .
“Monsters…”
“Aye . They must be from the dungeon . I was quite sure that our little Minotaur was from there, and it seems like it was not alone . The town has completely inverted . ”
I gulped . So it was finished then . But, what did that mean for us? Should we help the residents escape? Exterminate the monsters? Try and destroy the dungeon? I wasn’t sure at all . The thing to do…was to get information .
“Let’s go inside . ”
There was no other option . However, we should probably deal with those monsters first .
“There will be other Adventurers headed here as well . And those monsters will not be a problem for them . Besides, it will help them understand the situation here . They are like living sacks of information . ”
That was uh, severe . But I wasn’t going to argue with Daniela on this . And the Adventurers from the capital were particularly confident . This wasn’t the kind of quest that would get stone classes sent . So it was probably a good idea to leave the monsters .
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We descended to the town’s entrance, but all we could see were walls . This was because another wall was behind the gate, blocking it . But I suppose none of us had actually expected the dungeon’s entrance to match up perfectly with the town’s . However, where were the monsters coming out from?
“Asagi . The wall is broken over there . ”
Manager pointed to a part of the wall that had crumbled . I hadn’t been able to see it from above because there was a watchtower covering it . The tower was jutting out of the parapet and there was a crack below that spread out towards the ground . It seemed that the smallest impact could cause the whole tower to come down . And so we were careful as we approached it .
Once we were closer, it became clear that this was where the monsters had come from .
“This trail here…it is the Lamia . ”
Lemon said as she crouched low and traced the ground with her finger . While it did wind from side to side a little, the trail was clearly leading towards the forest . Perhaps it was instinct that drove the monsters to a place that they could hide .
“Let’s go inside then . ”
We all unsheathed our weapons and held them ready . And then we stepped foot into the fissure . The ceiling was falling away in several places… Not only that, but there were gaps all over the place, which let in a decent amount of sunlight . It was made of stone . But not just any stone . These were polished bricks that were stacked on top of each other . The fact that it suggested delicate human craftsmanship made it feel even eerier . It reminded me a little of the ancient elven ruins .
I expanded the reach of Presence Detection . There were a few monsters and also humans nearby . The closest was a small group of humans . But due to there being monsters near them, it was likely they would be fighting very soon . It would be ideal if we could reach them in time to help, but we had no map for this dungeon, which would make it difficult . And so after discussing it with the others, it was decided that we would instead try to minimize casualties by luring the monsters towards us .
“I can do mapping!”
“Will you do it for us?”
“Of course!”
Due to Lemon’s hidden ability, we would be able to map out the place as well . I had muttered about not having a map, and Lemon had raised her hand . It was nice having a capable junior with us…even though she was older . And so we switched directions a little . Manager would scout in the lead, I would be the middle guard, Daniela would be the leader and rear guard . Lemon would also support from the rear . And so I handed Lemon the hollow bag .
“Hey, wait a minute . ”
“Huh?”
I took off the small figure that was strapped to the bag .
“That’s very cute . ”
“Yeah . It’s important to me . ”
It was ‘Gumi . ’ A present from Merica, back in Senka village . I’d been carrying it for quite a while now, but it was in good shape . The string was durable too . But it would be better to put it away in the dungeon . I didn’t want to lose it…
“There are writing materials in the bag, so you can take them out . ”
“Alright . …Hmm…this? Ah, there!”
“Yeah, that’s it . ”
“I want this . ”
“You can’t have it . ”
Lemon had become enchanted by the bag very quickly . But this was something that Russell had given me . And I would not be giving it up .
After we were fully prepared, Presence Detection alerted me of a monster approaching . Daniela gave the order, and I moved behind Manager .
“I’m the scout here . So I’ll mostly take a supporting role during the fight . ”
“Uh, but aren’t I the middle guard…”
“Do your best, part-timer . ”
“Hey!”
Manager grinned and then disappeared into the shadows . Before I could try and stop her, the monster turned the corner and showed itself . It was a Lamia . The torso of a human and the bottom half of a snake . It held a spear with a stone head . It immediately hissed menacingly upon seeing us .
“Alright, Asagi . Rindo will likely take it from the back . So you are free to attack it head on . ”
“Ugh…”
I suppose I was . Not only was this thing in our way, but it seemed very happy to fight us . The fact that it was so human-like above the waist made me feel a little uneasy, but it was a monster . It would definitely kill us . And so I sighed and then grunted with determination . And with the black emperor sword in hand, I charged forward .