Chapter 130: Catch That Container (1)
Chapter 130: Catch That Container (1)
Dawn.
The time when everyone is asleep.
While some are busy preparing for the finals and others are eager to watch the contestants, we have gathered here.
We have taken our positions in a corner of the 20th floor of the Infinite Labyrinth.
[Charlotte. Call me Lewd Man.]
"...Why would anyone's name be Lewd Man?"
I felt my breath hitch at Charlotte's question.
She was asking why it was Lewd Man?
If there were a foreigner named Lewd Man, would she really ask them to their face why their name was like that?
"You have such a fine name, and yet..."
[A fine name?]
"......."
Charlotte winced slightly.
Behind her, a rabbit doll nearly as large as I was bared its sharp teeth, threatening me.
After staring at me for a long while, Charlotte finally gave in.
"Haaa. Fine. Lewd Man."
With a sigh, she surrendered.
[Or you can call me Lewwwwd Man. You have to skew the 'ew' in the middle, you know?]
Lewwwwd Man.
"Why would I roll my—no, never mind. It's my fault for trying to use common sense with you."
Charlotte, who had become a temporary ally for this Succubus raid, pointed to the massive object standing behind her with a look of total resignation.
"This is a puppet I control. Its name is the [Vorpal Rabbit]."
Clatter.
The rabbit doll, which possessed a physique similar to mine, tilted its head from side to side behind Charlotte.
The weapon the Vorpal Rabbit held was a vicious axe that looked like something a woodsman would use.
"It might look like this, but it's not a doll possessed by a soul or anything. I control it using Threads of Magic."
"Is there anything we should be careful of?"
"It'll be a problem if you get between me and my puppet. The Threads of Magic are connected, but if someone gets in the middle, the reaction time becomes incredibly slow."
"Understood."
Charlotte raised her ten fingers and lightly flexed them.
Though invisible to the eyes of 'Lewd Man,' Charlotte's mana was undoubtedly stretching from her fingertips to the Vorpal Rabbit.
'Anyway, the Vorpal Rabbit, huh?'
It wasn't a common name.
It looked like a rabbit mascot costume you'd find at an amusement park, but I knew exactly where the motif for that doll came from.
[It looks like it would be an exemplary employee if it worked at a pizza parlor.]
The name sounded like it came from a place where someone might detonate a Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, but its appearance was the sort that felt like it would suddenly jump out at you on a spooky night.
"What's this about a pizza parlor all of a sudden?"
[Just talking to myself. Let's grab some pizza and beer after the raid is over.]
"...Pizza and beer? That doesn't seem to suit the Young Lord at all."
[I do have quite sophisticated tastes.]
"Ha. I really should just stop talking...."
After brushing off Charlotte's suspicious gaze with a vague excuse, I surveyed the group.
[Captain Laura. Yurdias. Serica. Shiro. And Charlotte. Including me, Lewd Man, that makes six.]
A total of six people.
Three in the vanguard: Lewd Man, Serica, and Shiro.
Two in the mid-guard: Yurdias and Laura.
One in the rear-guard: Charlotte.
The lack of a mage was a bit concerning, but as long as the opponent wasn't a massive beast like a Golem, this was more than enough power.
[Six people will run the raid. Any more than that could make things difficult.]
While more people are generally better for a raid, this one had to be done with a small group.
'There's a reason it's six people.'
In-game, the setting was fixed so that the Infinite Labyrinth was conquered with six people.
Reality was the same.
It wasn't the case for general raids, but when a Boss Mob appeared, the difficulty would increase exponentially starting from the seventh person.
So, even though only six were going in, everyone just nodded without voicing any particular complaints.
However.
Was it really just six people?
No.
[The rest of you, standby here. Control anyone who tries to come this way without knowing any better.]
"Understood, Young Lord."
There were no people from Fermaton here.
Instead, there were thieves from the Thief Guild brought by Yurdias, others involved in this raid, and especially many who had followed behind Charlotte.
[Are those following you the elites of the Nine-Tail?]
"Yes. They are people who would commit suicide if I ordered it. You can trust them."
Several people had followed Charlotte.
Every single one of them wore a black suit and a mask, but Serica gave a nod, vouching for their skills.
[Since Charlotte vouched for them, I'll trust them.]
Since Charlotte had guaranteed their identities, I would leave things to them.
[The same goes for you all. If word of this raid gets out, not only the contest but all of Fermaton could be laid to waste. I assume you haven't told anyone?]
And there, a few more joined as external observers and emergency personnel.
"Greetings. I am Irheui Jurenjok of the Adventurer's Guild, dispatched by order of Guild Leader Bernhard."
"I am Ek Stra, dispatched from the Magic Tower."
[People sent by Sir Bernhard and the Barbas Magic Tower Master. I can trust you, right?]
Their names alone made me uncertain whether to trust them or not.
Because, in my memory, despite what they said, they were actually 'Mob' NPCs who appeared constantly.
What is a Mob?
It refers to the background characters in a manga.
It's a bit rude to say this to real people, but judging by their plain appearances, they were no different from disposable extras.
[Man to man, as males. Without a hint of a lie. Can I trust you?]
"Of course. We only hope this raid ends without any major issues. If only for the sake of the contest."
"Yes. Same here. I want this to be over quickly so I can go watch the finals. I don't want to see the contest end abruptly because of some strange incident."
In gacha game stories, they were the characters with shaggy bangs that hid their eyes, or even if their eyes were drawn, they were drawn very lazily.
However, I could feel the sincerity in their desire for the Breast Festival.
[I see. I'll trust you. Since the two of them sent you, you must be reliable enough.]
Disposable extras.
That said, they were among the trusted confidants of Bernhard and Barbas.
'The fact that they look ordinary is what's scary.'
Even if they looked like this, they were the equivalent of right and left hands—individuals within the organization who could be fully trusted with a task.
If I had progressed further in the game, they might have been 'skilled individuals' who suddenly slicked their hair back and appeared as gacha characters.
[If anything happens, go up immediately and report the situation. Now, Captain Laura.]
"Yes. ...Ahem. We will now begin the raid on the Succubus Queen, 'Desmonica of Spawning'."
Despite her Bunny Girl outfit, Laura had donned a combat coat over it and pulled out her Mythstone bow as she stood before the entrance to the raid site.
"Our goal is to not panic regardless of the situation, and for everyone to survive while capturing the Succubus Queen alive. If we must kill her, we eliminate her. The thing you must keep in mind above all else is..."
Grip.
"That 'Boss' produces Succubi, and those Succubi roam the Infinite Labyrinth trying to kill people. Our ultimate goal is to stop that."
Rustle.
"Begin the raid."
The wall crumbled.
"Lewd Man, Shiro, Serica. Forward."
[Yes.]
As Serica and I stepped forward, the rest of the group followed one by one, slowly heading toward the inner part of the cave where the Succubus Queen was located.
Thud, thud.
"...Let's go a bit further. She hasn't appeared yet."
Killing our footsteps as much as possible, we listened to the sounds coming from within.
Even though we were advancing through Paladin Sonata, I was nervous that the sound of footsteps or the clattering of armor might alert the enemy first.
"Stop."
Laura raised her hand.
We stopped in our tracks immediately, and the sound of the Succubus Queen's breathing, which we had heard before, reached us.
"Ahhhng...."
The sound of moaning.
Whether she was in the middle of laying eggs again, her groans were reaching a peak.
"Wait for a moment."
Laura gave the order with a cold face.
In an instant, the Vorpal Rabbit controlled by Charlotte gripped its axe tightly, and I reached out toward Charlotte.
[Shh.]
Seeing it through a video and seeing, hearing, and smelling it in person are worlds apart.
"Ahhhng, ahhng, haaaahng...!!"
She wasn't saying anything in particular, but it was uncomfortable.
It wasn't like she was masturbating; knowing it was the moan of a Succubus laying eggs made it feel strange.
However.
Just as Laura said, that was a beast of the Infinite Labyrinth.
If left alone, it was a monster that would infinitely send Succubi outside to kill everyone.
Therefore.
[Charlotte. It's just a monster in human form. Right?]
"...Right."
We had to take it down.
Capturing it alive was merely a plan to gain the ultimate advantage; the most important goal was to subjugate it.
"...Then, starting now."
Laura infused her bow with mana.
We all took up our respective weapons and waited for Laura's command.
"Raid, start!"
Dash.
Serica leaped forward, and I ran straight ahead.
"While the Succubus Queen is experiencing a spawning orgasm, we strike her while she's defenseless!"
"Wh-What...?!"
'Desmonica of Spawning' looked at us appearing at the entrance with unfocused eyes, her face filled with panic.
"Hi-Hiiiieee...!!"
She tried to lift her tail in a hurry, but because of the egg that was about to emerge, her tail arched like a bow.
"Commence attack!"
As Laura fired an arrow of light forward, I ran ahead with my weapon raised.
The basics of a raid.
"Y-You cowards... Ohng...?!"
Attacking the enemy boss with everything you've got while they are weakened.
