Ancient City (4)
One. Two. Three.
Even facing three at once, Roy had room to spare. Without calling on Noah’s power, relying solely on mana and swordsmanship, he severed their limbs one after another.
Must be the Dragon’s Breath I got from the Count. I feel like I’m overflowing with strength.
Slash—!
Thud.
One of the monster monkey’s arms hit the floor. Blood poured in torrents from the stump.
But who did this to every last one of them?
While holding the pack at bay, Roy noticed something strange. Every one of these creatures already carried wounds, large and small. One had a hole punched clean through its shoulder. Another was missing a hand and wrist. Some had flanks torn open as if something had bitten them out, still bleeding freely; others dragged themselves along on thick arms alone, one leg hanging in tatters.
What kind of being left wounds like these?
They had been easier to handle than expected precisely because their bodies were no longer whole. Otherwise they would have been far swifter — and far more troublesome.
“Whew… Is that all for this side?”
Roy cut down roughly fifteen of the monkeys, then activated his Golden Eyes and swept the area again. A simple check — were any more monsters closing in? The mana cost stung, but he had no desire to be yanked into another sudden fight.
“Looks like things are wrapping up over there, too.”
“……”
About ten meters behind him, Chloe stood ready with magic prepared for any emergency. Her expression was odd. Her lips were pushed out in a pout, her face full of open discontent.
“What’s wrong?”
“I didn’t get to do anything.”
“That’s a good thing. Would you rather I’d been in danger?”
Afraid the pack might reach the people behind him, Roy had closed several dozen meters of distance and intercepted them himself. Perhaps because of the reek of their packmates’ blood, none of the monkeys tried to circle past him. None went for Chloe either, standing right at his back.
“You’re a real monster.”
“……”
His whole body was already painted in blood. To anyone watching, he might well have looked like a monster. But hearing it from Chloe somehow got under his skin. He had done it to protect people.
“Assistant Chloe. Minus ten points.”
“What? Why all of a sudden!?”
“I don’t need a researcher who fails to appreciate the lab director’s efforts.”
“…What? That’s ridiculous.”
“Someone covers himself in filthy blood fighting monsters to the death, and that’s the thanks he gets. Anyone else would be hurt, you know?”
“You’re not anyone else.”
“Right. I’m not anyone else — I’m a monster.”
They had reached the point where they could trade jokes again; the first crisis had passed. Roy gagged a few times at the reek of dirty blood, then walked over to where the others had gathered. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt.
Haa… This journey is going to be exhausting. I can already tell.
They hadn’t even entered the mana vein yet, and it was already like this. Roy began to worry about what lay ahead.
Day three after entering the dungeon. They left the base camp and established a second outpost.
“All right — good work today. Everyone have a drink.”
As always, a drinking party broke out. They had packed more liquor than water. In summer, water spoiled easily, so they had loaded up on alcohol instead.
“You were incredible again today.”
“Ah, the kid was just flying around.”
The drunken talk started on schedule. The way people looked at Roy had changed completely since the first day. Even without the fights, his height and unusual development had never made him look like an eleven-year-old boy — but after watching him solo more than a dozen monster monkeys, he was treated as a full adult. The commoners Roy had hired and every member of the Golden Knights shared the same view.
“I thought the rumors were exaggerated at first, but I was completely wrong. Beyond imagination. Never dreamed he’d take down alone the monsters we struggled with. No wonder he could beat the Margrave’s son.”
“Heh heh — not son, grandson. I’ve seen plenty of so-called mutants in my forty years, but that boy is the strongest of them all. With talent like that, talk of a hero’s potential makes sense.”
“The lord of Greenhilt is a lucky man. Word is monsters have almost vanished from that territory now.”
“I heard one of that lord’s sons has Margrave blood — maybe they got it backwards? Isn’t this one the Margrave’s bloodline?”
“No, no. That one’s still a newborn who hasn’t even been baptized yet.”
Whenever they rested, the knights traded talk about Roy. Since it wasn’t slander, they didn’t care whether commoners or Roy himself overheard. So Roy simply stayed away. If he went near, they would force him to drink, and his body still couldn’t handle it. If he got drunk and started blabbing about Dragon’s Breath, it could be a real disaster. Avoiding the knights and seeking out Freddy had become routine.
“Roy. The place you’re after — this is the right direction?”
“Yes, sir. If we head this way tomorrow, we should reach the destination by evening.”
On day three they finally entered the outer fringe of the mana vein. The mana Roy had sensed from the surface grew steadily denser. Compared to what he had felt in the Witch’s Forest, it was no less — perhaps even denser — a concentration of mana packed tight. And this was still the far outer edge.
We still have another full day to the center, and it’s already like this. What is this place?
Roy and Noah both trembled, bodies shuddering with awe at the mana. The mana here defied imagination. Not only density, but range — vast. It felt like stepping into a boundless sea of mana.
“Another one spotted!”
A knight’s shout carried in from outside the temporary tents — a patrol. Another monster, it seemed. In the past three days they hadn’t faced many monsters beyond that first day’s monkeys. But—
“This one’s the strongest we’ve fought so far!”
As the surrounding mana concentration rose, so did the monsters’ strength. And one peculiar detail: every monster that appeared had holes punched through its body without fail.
Again?
Three days here had taught Roy one thing. The being that punched holes in every monster was the same one. And that being would be nestled at the very center of the mana vein.
“What kind of creature drills holes in everything and then doesn’t even eat them?”
Another day passed. Today’s goal: reach the heart of the mana vein, clear the surrounding monsters, and establish the final base. Whether the knights shared it or not, that was Roy’s objective.
During a short rest, Freddy approached.
“Looks like you were right. The farther we go this way, the stronger the monsters that appear.”
“The place I want to reach is the center of the mana vein, after all. If you summon a spirit, you’ll feel it yourself, Sir Freddy.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Because of the dense mana here, the mana cost of maintaining a spirit summon drops dramatically. That’s also why powerful monsters gather.”
“I see.”
The monsters grew stronger, but their numbers dropped sharply. With many knights of Count bloodlines who could hunt ogres solo, nothing so far had been harder than the first day’s monkey swarm. At least not yet.
We should be able to arrive today, right?
The endless underground city lay shrouded in darkness, radiating a desolate atmosphere. Their march, relying on small magical lights, was painfully slow. What would have been a two-hour ride on horseback aboveground had taken three days here. Any more delay and he might have to revise the plan.
“Move out!”
At Freddy’s signal, the halted march resumed. Knight scouts took the lead, checking the surroundings. If no sign of monsters, straight ahead; if they spotted anything, stop immediately. Noah could sense nearby monsters, but Roy could not always rely on him alone. He stayed quiet so the knights could do their jobs. Unless it was truly urgent, he intended to trust their judgment and follow it. The expedition’s commander was Knight Captain Freddy. Roy bossing people around would not look good either.
Beep—!
The advance scouts’ signal. The entire column stopped as one.
“Battle stations, everyone!”
They moved with practiced speed as agreed. Non-combatants to the center; knights formed a ring around them.
“Let’s go, Roy!”
“Yes!”
Ever since defeating the monster monkeys, Roy and Noah’s roles had changed. They were not knights, but they had been allowed to fight alongside them — by pure skill alone.
—Squeeeal! Oink! Oink!
As they neared the source of the signal, the sound of a pig having its throat cut rang out. They hastily cast light magic.
“What happened here?”
Freddy asked the scout on duty. The man’s face was openly shaken. Roy felt the same. The monster before their eyes was already dying.
“Looks like something else got to it.”
Then Noah, who had been watching the dying creature beside Roy, suddenly yanked his arm.
“What?”
“There. Look over there.”
“What is it?”
“The thing thou favourest remains intact.”
“The thing I like?”
Not understanding, Roy quickly focused mana into his eyes. The previously invisible flow of mana became clear.
“A mana stone?”
At Roy’s voice, Freddy and the knight reacted.
“They did this much damage… and didn’t even take the mana stone?”