Chapter 4
Unexpected Reunion
—Raust—
「…I know it’s a sudden request, but… please . 」
While we were still dumbstruck by his request, Zieg-san earnestly asked us again as he thought he would be refused .
However, his concern was just needless anxiety .
「No, it’s okay! That’s also what we planned to do after all . 」
The moment I said that to Zieg-san, I laughed .
I didn’t think Zieg-san would invite us to phoenix subjugation hence the moment of our silence .
However, I was just surprised, not opposed to his request .
On the contrary, the offer was also something that we wanted as well .
To be honest, Narsena and I had bad compatibility with the phoenix .
……After all, Phoenix was a nightmare for a vanguard, not only it mainly using long-range attacks, it was covered in an armor of flame .
For us who fight at very short range using dagger and fist, it was a difficult opponent to fight against .
「Onii-san and I were planning to challenge it into a sink or swim battle, I will appreciate it if someone like Zieg-san will come too!」
That was why, as Narsena said, if a talented person like Zieg-san came along too, there was nothing more reassuring than this .
Zieg-san was also a vanguard, but considering the great sword he carried, he had a long reach .
If Zieg-san becomes our main attacker, our winning chance against the phoenix would increase considerably .
I hoped so and smiled .
「I see, so both of you are aware of how dangerous that phoenix is…… No, I guess it’s natural for both of you, the people who defeated that hydra, to know 」
Zieg-san who saw my smile also smiled as he said so .
Then, I noticed that from his words that he might have the same concern with us .
「Perhaps, you also notice, Zieg-san……?」
I timidly asked Zieg-san, to which he answered with a nod .
That was the best evidence that Zieg-san had the same concern with us .
The possibility that the phoenix would mutate .
It took a considerable amount of time for super-high difficulty monsters to mutate, it took several months even when it was wounded, which was when it would absorb magic power more rapidly .
Considering that, as this was just a few days after the request, there should be time still before it was mutated .
……But knowing the exception that was the hydra that mutated in less than a month, I couldn’t help but worry .
Perhaps that hydra was just an exception, still, that didn’t mean we could just leave the phoenix alone .
If that happened again and a mutated phoenix showed up aboveground, I didn’t know how much damage it would cause .
Narsena and I knew the danger precisely because we fought against the mutated hydra .
……We only won against the hydra because of a miracle happened, that miracle was the kind that would never happen again .
I knew that we were at a disadvantage, even so, we still decided to fight the phoenix .
No matter how much of a threat the phoenix is, if we don’t defeat it before it’s mutated, then we won’t be able to do anything .
Because I had my determination, I was much more heartened than I imagined when cooperation with Zieg-san was decided .
Seemingly understanding that from my atmosphere, Zieg-san let out a smile .
「There is…… something I have to say . 」
However, the next moment, Zieg-san opened his mouth with a cloudy expression .
He was going to say something difficult to convey .
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「Actually, my party’s magician isn’t in a good condition, so the one that will come is me and……」
「Zieg-san! I finally found you!」
……But his words were interrupted by a voice from a girl in the distance .
That voice made me dumbfounded for a second .
Realizing that voice sounded familiar, I looked at the source of the voice .
「……Ehh?」
…Seeing the appearance of the former magician of Sword of Lightning, Armia, standing at that place, I was surprised .
「Didn’t I say I’m alright?! I will also come along in the phoenix subjugation!」
She raised her voice against Zieg-san, completely unaware of us .
「If you don’t have a magician, how much do you think the difficulty of subjugating a phoenix would increase?!」
It seemed that Armia was too emotional as she screamed toward Zieg-san, she wasn’t aware of her surroundings at all .
However, I didn’t feel the feeling of discomfort I had against her before from her current behavior .
…I believed the sense of discomfort I felt came from trivial things .
Armia kept speaking emotionally toward Zieg-san .
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She had changed from what I remembered .
Armia, when she was still in Sword of Lightning, really took care of her appearance .
She had many kinds of clothes, she wore makeup too .
Her doing that at that time, when she was still pretty much a child, made me uncomfortable .
However, I also felt a different sense of discomfort with Armia’s current state, comparable to what I felt when I was still in Sword of Lightning .
Currently, her hair ragged, and she wore wrinkled cheap clothes, a look that was unthinkable compared to when she was still in Sword of Lightning .
……In addition, it was her eyes that shocked me the most .
Despite her emotional outbursts, her eyes remained empty .
It was impassive as if she wasn’t even here .
The disparity between her behavior and her emotion was enough to make me have a mismatched image of her .
「Ugh!」
I couldn’t be indifferent to her situation .
To be honest, I didn’t have a very good feeling for her .
Armia, compared to Margulus and Sarveria, treated me pretty well .
But still, I felt an unpleasant feeling by her blind faith toward Margulus and Sarveria .
I didn’t hate it .
However, I couldn’t help but feel she was a hard person to deal with .
…But even when I felt like that, I still felt pity for her .
All the more so when I knew more or less the reason she became like this .
The end of the former first-class party, Sword of Lightning was now known throughout the Labyrinth city .
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After a failed attempt to sell one of their party members, everyone in Sword of Lightning became mine slaves .
With that much information, I was able to understand what transpired .
Most likely, Margulus and Sarveria were trying to sell Armia .
Understanding that, my face contorted despite myself .
…I didn’t have any interest in Sword of Lightning, but Armia was too miserable .
「No matter how strong Zieg-san is…… Huh?」
Just when Narsena noticed what was in my mind, Armia who was trying to appeal further to Zieg-san who looked troubled, finally noticed our presence, interrupting her speech .
At that moment, Armia stiffened as she stared at me .
「………Fe?」
Seeing Armia’s unexpected reaction, I let out a stupid sounding voice .
「——!」
…Hearing my voice, Armia came back to her sense, blood rapidly drained from her face .
In her eyes, unconcealed turmoil could be seen .
「… I’m sorry for disturbing you . 」
At the next moment, she turned around and then started running .
I stared in blank amazement at the running away Armia’s back, not understanding what just happened .
「What the……」
Nobody answered the words my dumbfounded self murmured .