Traces of the Ninjas
"Master! Please head toward the flames!"
Master folded her enormous wings and slowly descended near the wall of fire. In that instant, a wave of frigid chill surged from her body in all directions.
Whooooosh!
The flame barrier vanished in a flash. As the red inferno scattered and dissipated, the magnificent carriage hidden within finally revealed its full, radiant glory.
Thud!
The moment Master's massive talons touched the ground, the earth trembled as if the whole world were shaking. At the same time, dull sounds of something frantically moving echoed around the carriage.
"Wh-what the... A dragon...!"
The quivering voice belonged to none other than the coachman. But it wasn't the coachman I remembered. He'd somehow ballooned up like he'd swallowed a hot air balloon, transformed into a completely different person. His trembling attempt to hide behind the carriage only made him look more ridiculous.
Why'd he get so fat...? He used to have a pretty decent face...?
"Hiiihihiing! Hiiiing!"
The horses let out terrified whinnies one after another. All eight of them succumbed to Master's overwhelming presence at once, slamming their necks to the ground. Their legs gave out completely, and they began collapsing one by one with heavy thuds.
...?
My eyes went wide. The horses had gotten enormously fat too! They used to be majestic steeds pulling the royal carriage with elegance, but now they were so round it was hard to tell if they were pigs or horses.
What happened to you guys! If you turn into pigs too, we're in trouble!
Even the way they flopped down, legs splayed, made cheerful thump-thump sounds that only added to the absurdity.
The silvery light enveloping Master's body began to fade. Her massive draconic form shrank bit by bit until she reverted to the form of a beautiful silver-haired woman.
"Uh... uh...?"
The coachman's eyes bulged even wider. The shock of witnessing a dragon transform into a human etched itself across his plump face. His mouth hung open, words failing him.
Nis glided over to Master's side, her black dress's hem fluttering elegantly. With the two beauties standing side by side, the coachman was utterly dumbfounded.
"H-hup...!"
The coachman gulped heavily, his eyes trembling, body shuddering—yet glued to the pair.
"Hey! Coachman!"
I poked my head out from behind Master's back and waved cheerfully.
"Ah! Lady Ricoris!"
The moment he recognized me, his shoulders slumped in relief. He let out a ragged sigh, though his legs still shook.
"No need to be scared! It's my master and Nis!"
"Rico. Is this carriage yours?"
Master scanned the carriage carefully, her voice tinged with admiration. Her pure white eyes roamed every corner like she was appraising a work of art.
"My, what a luxurious carriage."
Nis's eyes sparkled like she'd spotted a gem as she admired the intricate gold fittings and delicate carvings.
"It's been ages since I've seen such opulence. Something only royalty would use..."
"Hehe! It's the king's carriage from the kingdom! I brought it with me!"
I puffed out my chest proudly, and Master gave a soft smile.
"As expected of my Rico."
Heehee!
"But where are Liandel and Levy?"
"Th-that's..."
The coachman glanced nervously at Master and Nis, stammering.
"About a month ago... while driving the carriage, my head suddenly started hurting. Then I couldn't control my body anymore."
His voice grew quieter.
"My consciousness got fuzzy, and the carriage was heading toward demon territory. It felt like I wasn't driving—it was like something was controlling me."
"So that's how you ended up here?"
"Yes... We arrived here somehow, and Sir Liandel tried to heal me... but I passed out. When I woke up, I was inside this flame barrier."
Ah, got it. Cecilia must've made the flame barrier to protect the coachman and horses.
"So I've been stuck inside, eating the carriage's provisions... It's been about a month, I think."
A month of sitting around stuffing your faces turned you all into pigs!
"Phew... Do you know where the others went?"
"No... I passed out, so I don't know. They were already gone when I woke up."
Well... Abraksas said they went into the great labyrinth, so they're probably there. But wait... a whole month ago? Geez...
I checked the brooch, and it was glowing, pointing in a new direction. Heading that way must lead to the great labyrinth.
"They're safe, right...?"
Blink blink!
When I asked the brooch, it pulsed purple rapidly in response.
Phew...
"Still, why'd they go into the great labyrinth? Without me, what gave them that confidence?"
As I muttered, Miel on my shoulder started fiddling with my hair again.
You're writing something again!
I shot my hand out like lightning to grab her, but she was already soaring high into the sky. And from up there, she began scattering my hair strands in elaborate patterns.
The strands fell perfectly into words mid-air, each stroke as precise as a calligrapher's brush.
Wh-what kind of advanced skill is this...? But what! Contagious idiot plague!?
"If I catch you today, you're becoming a butterfly specimen for real!"
Whoosh! Flap flap!
This time I mobilized roots from the tips, whipping through the air to snag her. My black roots lashed like whips toward Miel, but not a single one grazed her.
Was she always this agile...?
"Um... Lady Ricoris? What should I do now?"
The coachman, who'd been staring slack-jawed at my aerial battle with Miel, timidly interjected.
Phew... You're lucky, Miel...
"...Then you head back to Jenes Kingdom."
I sidled up to the coachman and whispered.
"There should be a lair built for my master by now, so stay there. And slim down you and the horses. My carriage can't look like the Obesity Club."
"Pardon...? Isn't my job done...?"
The coachman blinked in confusion.
"Duh. You came with the carriage, so you're mine too."
"Ah..."
A shadow of sorrow crossed his face.
"Huh...?"
Unhappy? I narrowed my eyes at him, and he quickly switched gears.
"Haha...! No, not at all! I'm thrilled! To serve a legendary being as coachman!"
"Mm. Good attitude."
That's more like it!
"You there."
Nis called to the coachman and began summoning something from deep underground. The earth split, and four Death Knights emerged one by one.
"These will protect you and escort you safely to the kingdom."
"Eek... eugh!"
The coachman and horses trembled even harder, but there was no choice.
"Alright, safe travels!"
"...Y-yes! Haha...! Take care, Lady Ricoris!"
The plump coachman waddled off with his plump horses, escorted by the Death Knights. The horses were so overweight their steps were sluggish.
Master began transforming back into her dragon form.
"Alright, Rico. Hop on."
Nis and I climbed onto Master's back, and she spread her wings. Flying in the direction the brooch indicated, an unexpected sight unfolded in the distance.
A massive pit yawned before us, on a scale beyond imagination—like a colossal blue hole from a documentary. Jagged black rocks lined the rim like the teeth of hell piercing the sky, with dark energy seeping between them, creating an ominous aura.
The pit's depth was impossible to gauge, bottomless, with a spiraling path twisting endlessly into the darkness below.
But near the entrance, where the spiral began, something sparkled.
"Those are... bugs...?"
As Master drew closer, their true nature became clear. They were demon corpses. Several frozen demon bodies, covered head to toe in white frost, faces locked in ultimate terror.
Glessia's ice stinger venom, no doubt.
Beside them lay charred black corpses, reduced to ash as if thrown into a volcano. Cecilia's flame attacks.
And the creepiest: bodies with perfect circular holes drilled through their chests or heads, like precise drill work.
This size... it's exactly Lote... Lote's attacking now!?
"Whoa...!"
Arrows were embedded around the pit's edge, scorch marks of magic circles scarred the ground. Levy and Liandel's handiwork.
But the most astonishing part? Not a drop of our party's blood anywhere. It was a total one-sided victory.
"Whoa... our kids are strong!"
I marveled, and Nis nodded.
"They handled it cleanly."
"Let's hurry in too!"
The brooch glowed brighter toward the pit's interior, mirroring my excitement.