Random Encounter (6)
While Luna fought the Flesh Golem, Faye didn't just stand around watching. Even setting the most threatening Flesh Golem aside, the zombies and skeletons forming the encirclement were still there. Faye had to hold the line until her companions could drink the potions Luna had given them and rejoin the fight.
“U-urgh! I can't drink any more…”
“Hey. Drink it! Even if you have to puke it back up, drink! We can't just die here like this!”
Faye's noble companions also forced themselves to gulp down the potions one after another. They had already finished every potion they originally brought. Trying to force more down now made their stomachs protest in agony, but if they didn't want to die, they had to drink. If only they had assessed the situation properly earlier, things wouldn't have come to this. Faye thought with quiet pity as she turned an approaching zombie into a proper corpse.
She cleaved through zombie bodies and shattered skeleton skulls. Fortunately, the baby crocodiles that originally ruled this swamp had fled in terror the moment the Flesh Golem appeared, so she didn't have to worry about them.
“It's easier to fight like this.”
Faye muttered without thinking, then startled herself and looked around. The undead encirclement remained, and her companions were still recovering, so they weren't any help. The baby crocodiles were gone, but they hadn't been much of an issue to begin with. The situation wasn't much different from before Luna arrived. Yet fighting felt noticeably easier. Why?
Even as the question lingered in her mind, her swinging sword and moving feet never stopped. Then, just as Luna had the Flesh Golem half-destroyed, one more person joined the fray.
“Freeze and bind them! Ice Field!”
—Crack-crack-crack!
Mana flowed across the swamp's surface, and the entire area froze solid. The barrier, Faye, and even the Flesh Golem had their ankles locked in ice. Still, their feet weren't completely immobilized. With a sharp crack, Faye lifted her leg and easily pulled free. The zombies and skeletons, lacking even that much strength, could only flail their upper bodies while stuck in place.
Smashing the immobilized undead was simple. She had a sword, after all. She could walk right up and strike; the reach difference meant her attacks landed while theirs didn't. It turned into simple labor.
While Faye caught her breath and dispatched the undead with minimal movement, Theo approached her side.
“Faye, you okay?”
Faye turned to look at him. He was breathing hard, clearly having rushed over in a hurry, and his face was pale after casting a large-scale spell. Seeing him like that, Faye finally understood why fighting had felt easier. Because a comrade had arrived. Because she had a reliable ally who could cover her back even if she made a mistake. That was why it felt easier to fight.
The noble young ladies' party might have been fine in ordinary circumstances, but they weren't trustworthy enough to rely on in an emergency like this. Faye realized that the only people she could truly entrust her back to were here.
“Faye?”
“Huh?! Oh. Yeah. I'm fine!”
When her dazed staring went on too long, Theo called her name in confusion. Faye jolted and answered quickly. Why had she been staring like that? One question had been answered, but another had taken its place—an answer she couldn't find right now.
“Hey! Theo!!”
Luna's voice rang out from a distance. Beside her lay the completely destroyed remains of the Flesh Golem. The once-bleeding mass of flesh was now half-roasted a deep brown, unable to regenerate any further.
“What were you thinking, suddenly freezing the ground like that?! What if I got frozen too?!”
“I saw the enchantment on you, didn't I? If it has a fire attribute, you won't freeze anyway, so it's fine!”
“You still startled me! My delicate rabbit heart skipped a beat!”
“What kind of nonsense is that now?”
Watching the two of them bicker like always made the moment when they'd been prepared to die feel like a lie. Huh? But like always? Something felt missing.
“Theo. By the way, where's Cl—”
“Shh.”
Theo covered Faye's mouth before she could ask where Claire had gone. There was a reason.
“More importantly, let's send these girls off first. You guys okay?”
Theo turned to the noble young ladies. Their leader, the count's daughter, answered on their behalf.
“Yes, we're fine. Thank you.”
“No need for thanks… Actually, save it for later. Your mana recovered, right?”
“Enough for a spell or two…”
“That's plenty. Then get up and get out of here.”
“Excuse me? You're not coming with us?”
“We're not done yet. These are just summoned creatures, after all.”
The zombies and skeletons were nothing more than undead summoned by a black mage. The real enemy, the black mage, was probably still hiding somewhere and watching. In the best-case scenario, they might have retreated after seeing the party's strength increase, but it was unlikely that someone bold enough to attack the Academy Dungeon would back off so easily.
“Ah, I understand. Faye, come here.”
“Huh?”
When the count's daughter stood and called for her, Faye reflexively voiced her confusion. Fortunately, her usual behavior kept the noble party from finding it strange.
“Faye. I know you like fighting. But this time it's really dangerous. Let's go.”
The count's daughter's words carried genuine concern for Faye. There might have been a selfish reason—she felt safer moving with Faye—but that wasn't the main motivation.
“……”
Faye looked at Theo. She didn't know why her gaze went to him. Theo met her eyes and nodded.
“Yeah. Faye. I'd feel uneasy sending them off alone, so escort them to the exit.”
“…Got it!”
Receiving orders put her mind at ease. I'm not cut out to be a leader, Faye thought vaguely.
“Ah. Right.”
Theo suddenly remembered something important and called the noble party back.
“Can you give me the recording artifact? It's a secret that we're here.”
“Excuse me? …Alright.”
The count's daughter responded with mild reluctance but obediently handed over the recording artifact.
“But is this enough? What if we tell people we saw you?”
“That won't happen. You'll keep our secret, won't you?”
“…Yes.”
The count's daughter answered with a slightly dazed expression before returning to her group.
“Theo. Are you sure this is okay? We didn't even make a magical contract, just a verbal promise.”
“It's fine. I've already taken the necessary measures.”
“…?”
Faye tilted her head but accepted Theo's assurance. Just then, a streak of light shot into the sky from far away. Seeing it, Theo moved quickly.
“Anyway, I already said it, right? Get her party safely to the exit. We've got places to be!”
With those final words, Theo ran toward Luna.
“What took you so long? The baby crocodiles came back!”
“Still, we couldn't just leave them. If we freeze the swamp while running, we can get out before the crocodiles catch up.”
Faye watched Theo and Luna's retreating figures as they ran side by side, even while raising her voice. “Her party,” and “we.” A certain resolve began to sprout in her chest. But that could wait. Right now, there was work to do.
“Everyone! Let's go too! Save your mana as much as possible!”
Faye left the swamp with the noble young ladies' party.
…….
To escape the dungeon, one either had to use an expensive single-use artifact or find an escape point leading outside. Escape points appeared randomly inside the dungeon. There were only two fixed escape points: the entrance where they had entered and the boss room.
The place Faye and the noble party headed for was, of course, the entrance. For them, it was the spot where they had ascended from the fifth floor to the sixth. Since they had promised to turn back immediately if things got dangerous, they remembered the way back clearly. Thanks to running desperately despite their injuries not being fully healed, they reached the escape point safely.
However, just a dozen meters from the escape point, Faye stopped.
“Faye? Are you hurt after all? Just hold on a little longer. The professors will be there once we get out.”
“…No.”
Even at the count's daughter's worried words, Faye stood still and shook her head. Then she turned her back on the path they had taken.
“I'm going to fight with Luna's group! You guys go ahead!”
“Huh?! Faye!”
Ignoring the voices calling after her, she ran. Her heart was urgent. Luna's party was strong. Maybe everything would already be over by the time she arrived, and she'd just end up laughing awkwardly. Even so, she didn't want to be the only one to leave while everyone else was still fighting.
She didn't know how much help one more person like her would be. But Theo had said having Faye around would help. She had felt how reassuring it was to have reliable comrades. Believing that she could truly be of use, Faye ran.