Episode 3-b. Black Mage Subjugation Battle (5)
The long corridor of the ancient ruins had twisted into something like a living creature's intestines, writhing and welcoming us without ever reverting back. Time dragged on as we descended underground. The floor wasn't just damp and sticky—it was downright squelchy, slowing our advance bit by bit.
"S-sorry... The corridor's shape keeps changing, making it hard to spot traces of the magic circles.... I have no choice but to trigger them and then dismantle them...."
"Hmph... Understood. We'll keep the barrier up and push forward for now."
What had been a straightforward process of locating and disarming magic circles in a normal corridor was now utterly useless thanks to this bizarre phenomenon. Strictly speaking, this subjugation was already a failure. They wouldn't reach the deepest chamber. Before they could, the relentless traps of the magic circles and the black mages' spells would wear them down until they collapsed.
However.
"Captain, maybe we should retreat for now...."
"Come on, man, talk sense. If we pull back from the entrance like this, who's going to answer for the honor of our knight order and mage corps?"
"B-but...."
"Who's going to take responsibility for the disgrace of fleeing from black mages?!"
"...."
Humans were such fools, so utterly dim. For the sake of hollow honors and greater wealth, they clung to pointless stubbornness. Nothing was more precious than life itself, yet their base greed—dressed up as honor and riches—teetered it on a knife's edge.
So I chimed in with the one mage who wasn't quite as brainless.
"Retreating to regroup and come back down would be the wiser call."
I just didn't want people dying because of some incompetent superior's pigheadedness. Of course, even my words weren't enough to break his resolve.
The man called captain stormed over with an angry scowl, looming down at me.
"And who the hell are you to open your mouth?"
"The subjugation force notice said there are no ranks or statuses among members, so this is just advice from one member to another."
"Even if there's no hierarchy within the subjugation force itself, you think a knight order captain and some lowly adventurer are equals? Stay in line and follow, adventurer."
His growling posture was almost comical, like a beast warding off a rival eyeing its territory. Blinded by greed, he couldn't even sense the cold blade hovering at his throat.
So I shook my head slowly and spoke again.
"You'll all die at this rate. You and all your men."
"...Heh, my advice to you: don't strut around just because you broke a couple of rookie knights' arms."
Regrettably, the hulking knight captain glared at me once more before returning to the lead.
"Advance. Mages, report your remaining mana whenever I ask. Knights, no hiding injuries."
The subjugation force pressed on like that. Black mages popped up in ant-like swarms of a few at a time, hurling ominous mana clumps before vanishing, repeating the cycle. The mages and knights who'd entered their domain—along with a handful of mercenaries and adventurers—began getting whittled down like prey hunted by patient predators.
Eileen watched the scene, then tugged at my skirt.
"Asha... we're really okay, right...?"
"...."
She'd begged to come along, but her constant fretting was starting to grate.
Smack.
"Gah! Why'd you hit my head out of nowhere...!"
"Eileen."
"Ugh, y-yes...?"
"I've told you it's fine how many times now? Why do you keep asking? We're fine. We are."
They were the ones spiraling deeper into trouble. We could roll around like idiots and still make it out alive. No issue for me and Eileen.
So.
I just kept mulling it over. The fear blooming on their faces. The corridor still pulsating, activating magic circles, growing ever more sinister. In a situation like this, what choice should I make?
I had to ponder that.
"...."
If Ain were here, would he give me the right answer? He'd always solved every problem I faced. He'd surely know even now.
Thinking that, I followed behind the stumbling group.
The right choice. It was too much for someone whose core had rotted away with gray.
Luckily, perhaps, we faced no real issues despite plunging deeper into the squirming, squelching nightmare.
"Ha, see? These black mages are nothing special after all."
The black mages kept nibbling at us but took hits in return. The magic circles mostly triggered the same attacks, which everyone blocked with ease.
"We're getting the hang of this pattern now, Captain! It's starting to feel manageable!"
"See? If we'd retreated rashly, we'd have nothing but shame to show for it."
The captain shot a glance at his subordinate who'd suggested retreat—and at me—before striding ahead full of swagger. My single piece of advice clearly still rankled; he even clicked his tongue at me with a sour look.
So Eileen alternated glances between me and the captain before piping up.
"Asha... can't we just kill him?"
"I've told you a million times I don't kill over something this petty, Eileen."
No matter how books and papers painted gray as harbingers of disaster, we'd been together long enough by now, hadn't we?
And.
"No, no—I mean, can't we just kill the bastard? Zap a lightning bolt right into that insolent skull?"
"...."
"Time it with an incoming black mage spell—boom, lightning to the crown. What do you say, Asha?"
Turns out it wasn't "don't kill" she ignored, but "do kill." I pondered her words for a moment.
Hm.
Hmm.
Sigh.
"...No."
"Tch... You're too damn nice for your own good."
"Yeah, and that's exactly why I have to be needlessly nice. No."
Of course not. Her encouragement tempted me more than it should have—when she was supposed to be the one holding me back—but I had to be a good person. Hurting people over childish provocations wasn't right.
Besides, unlike the puffed-up captain, I was starting to sense something off. Could they really have pushed this deep unscathed on their own strength?
I mean, the fierce assaults and defenses at the start had given way to this sloppiness midway in. It didn't add up to me.
A hundred years. The knights and mages ahead were relaxing into delusion, but the black mages hadn't wasted that time.
No nightfall. No fatigue. Not even dreams. What had they gained from that?
Every spell had clear cause and effect. There had to be consequences lingering from those phenomena.
Shortened lifespans were trivial. Being unable to escape after ten days was just a side effect, barely worth noting.
So.
- Hey! This must be it! All the black mages are dead!
- Run for it!!
- Fuck yeah! Thought we were screwed at first with all that bullshit, but turns out our rewards got fucked instead!
Rumbling voices from the late arrivals finally descending echoed from behind. And.
"Hmph, finally the rest of the subjugation force is catching up. Now the black mages are done for. Right, adventurer trash who wanted to retreat?"
The knight captain with his filthy grudge even sneered at me now.
Perfect timing, then. With their abilities, it was a golden chance to wipe out everyone who'd entered the lair in one go.
And folks whose guts had rotted through probably thought alike.
A low hummm signaled something starting. I muttered softly.
"...Idiots."
"Asha?"
Anyone who could sense and wield mana should at least hear it.
A ominous whummm reverberated from every direction.
"Eileen, stay close. It's coming."
"Y-yes...? What's coming...?"
"The wave."
Foul, pitch-black mana like sewage surged in a massive wave through every twisting corridor of the maze.
I bit my lip and scattered my mana.
「Beyond the fence none dare cross.」
「Wall that blocks the wind.」
「Gentle warmth.」
「I....」
"A-Asha!! It's coming—it's here!!"
Ah.
A little late.
A whoosh engulfed us in sewage-like mana overflowing from every direction. The stench and wave filled the corridor, swallowing us in an instant.
I'd called them idiots.
But getting swept away with them made me an idiot too.