[Adventurer, Anastasia - 09]
[Adventurer, Anastasia - 09]
"W-what do we do now!? Are we really going to die?"
"Sob, sob, it's my fault."
"Now is not the time to be assigning blame; we have to escape somehow."
......Hmm.
I'm going to get scolded by Ed later.
Since the dungeon progression had been smooth, I must have let my guard down without realizing it.
Ed often said that my true nature was that of an arrogant queen, and I thought I had accepted that, but I ended up getting pricked in an unexpected place. I wasn't joking when I thought that 'complacency' might be my greatest enemy.
Once again, Ed was right.
As expected of my teacher.
To start with the conclusion, due to a suddenly triggered teleportation trap, we all got separated; Ed and Eris flew off somewhere else, and I flew here with these friends.
I couldn't pinpoint our location.
After all, it was just a cave that looked like every other cave, and since the vanguard had only just entered, no one knew what it was like inside.
"Everyone, please don't be too scared. You have me, right? Follow me."
"Saintess-nim......."
For now, I have to protect these kids.
We are the vanguard.
There's no obligation to conquer the dungeon.
Well, it's true that I came with the intention of conquering it, but since things have turned out this way, should I prioritize escaping?
If Ed, or at least Eris, were here, I would try to conquer it, but since I'm alone and have these three greenhorns tagging along behind me, the risk is too high.
Being the vanguard meant that the danger level of this dungeon was merely a prediction; nothing had been determined yet.
In other words, if we keep going and it turns out to be an A-rank dungeon, it would be beyond just annoying—putting aside myself, the lives of the three behind me would be in danger.
I have my Path of Light, so there might not be a big problem, but while I might be fine against a sudden surprise attack, the other three are in danger.
"For now, since the situation has turned out this way, I intend to prioritize escaping. Is that alright?"
"Y-yes, yes. That's fine."
"We've obtained enough magic stones."
"Haa....... Haa....... Saintess-nim, will it be okay? Adrian-nim and Eris-nim aren't here."
"It's true that those two are reliable, but I also have quite a bit of skill. Don't worry and follow me. Stick close to me. If you get too far away, I might not be able to protect you."
"Yes! Understood!"
It felt like I was leading children, but all three were older than me.
In truth, everything I knew about dungeons was what I'd heard from Ed, and if this dungeon had any unique characteristics, it was just as dangerous, but if even I panicked and got anxious, these kids might fall into an even greater panic and end up dying.
Even though I came with the goal of conquering it, I had to prioritize human lives—how annoying.
I had no choice but to walk the path.
Honestly, I had no idea if this was the right way.
"We should be the ones protecting you, Saintess-nim."
"I understand that you are all novices who haven't been adventuring for very long. Regardless of age, it's natural for novices to be protected and to be a nuisance to everyone. Please, don't feel burdened."
"S-Saintess-nim! Behind you!"
The monster charging from behind passed through me and slipped out to the side.
"Kek?"
The monster, too.
And the adventurers.
They were all looking at me with surprised faces.
The attack just now was one I hadn't even perceived.
When I created the magic, I made it so it would activate automatically, but I had never tested it properly, so I was a little worried, but thankfully it seemed to be working correctly.
Since I don't have a very powerful ability to sense an opponent's presence or killing intent like Ed does, I had no choice but to develop an ability that suited me.
With this, the chances of me dying from a surprise attack will be almost zero.
If the opponent surprises me with a weapon that ignores the property of intangibility.
Then, it can't be helped.
There was nothing I could do other than just get hit.
If they put in that much effort, wouldn't it be easier on my mind to just think that I did something to deserve being ambushed?
I was trying my best not to incur any grudges, but no matter what I did, those who hated me hated me, those who were jealous were jealous, and those who looked down on me looked down on me.
"......."
I quietly gestured, and light burst forth, blowing the monster's head off.
Ed had said that the fastest way to deal with a monster is to blow its head off.
However, he said that sometimes monsters with powerful regenerative abilities don't die in one hit even if you blow their heads off. Though he did say you could take them out in one go if you tore their entire bodies to shreds so they couldn't regenerate at all.
'How annoying. It would be easiest to just knock them all unconscious and drag them along, but that's too inhumane.'
What should I say.
Even recently, a 'troublesome thing' is still a troublesome thing, and it's not like I've developed a heart that empathizes with people's pain.
But it felt like something was starting to catch in my heart.
You shouldn't do this action.
You should do that action.
You must never do that action.
As Ed said, a kind of 'common sense'—things I must uphold—began to form inside me, and it acted as a lock on my heart without me having to pretend, and whenever I thought about crossing the line, that common sense seemed to whisper in my ear that I shouldn't do that.
Can this also be called my heart?
I'm sure I wouldn't feel a thing even if I strangled a sleeping young girl to death.
I felt like it wouldn't bother me at all even if I abandoned the adventurers following me now, or used them as bait.
It wouldn't be a problem at all if I killed them just because they were annoying.
My heart would still be calm.
Because they were people unrelated to me.
Whether they lived or died, it didn't matter to me.
But protecting, saving, and treating them kindly was the duty of a Saintess, and at the same time, it was the behavior befitting a Saintess, so I was just doing that.
Whether a 'conscience' had formed inside me, or if I had just become able to mimic a conscience, the answer hadn't come out yet.
'Ed is saying that goodness has started to seep into me.'
Since it's Ed's words, I'm sure there's some basis for it, but for me, it still doesn't resonate.
Goodness is a person's nobility and loftiness; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it's the highest quality a person can obtain.
The fact that such a thing has seeped into me and is shining, even if faintly, is somewhat hard for me to accept.
'Is that really so? I still don't know; I probably can't become a good person. The goodness in my head that exists merely as common sense is something I can break at any time. I truly can't become a good person.'
Truly regrettable.
I wanted to be someone who does good things instinctively.
Because Ed would probably like such a person more.
Jingle.
"......!"
I opened my eyes wide.
I thought I heard something just now.
'The sound of a bell?'
I instinctively tried to protect the adventurers behind me, but I couldn't see anything, as if it were covered in fog.
I couldn't see the adventurers either, so I couldn't help but frown without realizing it.
Jingle.
As the bell sound rang out again, I could clearly feel my fingertips trembling.
Ah, this is.
I see.
At the same time as I grasped it, Swaang! the space was slashed, and the fog disappeared.
Looking back, the adventurers were lying on the floor, groaning.
A monster was visible in front of me.
It was a pitch-black monster bird with something like a bell tied around its neck.
"Akjo."
Among the training I received from Ed, there was occasionally training on monsters, and I had heard of the Akjo.
The Akjo is a bird-type monster that wears a bell.
Characteristically, it uses the sound of the bell to induce hallucinations and stimulate the evil in people's hearts.
The desire to kill.
The desire to take.
The desire to hit.
Whatever it is, it inflates things that would normally be easily suppressed, leading people into evil.
If they cross the line within the hallucination, there are cases where they wake up in that state, so if I don't deal with it quickly, by the time those adventurers open their eyes, their hearts might already be stolen by the Akjo.
When the Akjo charged, I stood still.
I timed it to the Akjo, which was flustered by the attack passing through me, and pierced a hole right through one of its wings.
The Akjo made a strange sound and moved quickly, and I could see its wing regenerating.
'I didn't hear anything about regenerative abilities, but since it's said to be a fairly high-ranked monster, I guess it's plausible.'
It's a bit annoying, but it's not a problem.
It was a bit annoying that I had to control my power because if I went too strong, this cave might collapse.
However, the Akjo doesn't use any techniques that can pierce my Path of Light, like using earth power or ignoring magic power.
In other words, it meant it was impossible for it to pierce my defense no matter what it did.
But it's also true that time is limited, so quickly.......
Kuung!
"......."
I opened my eyes wide at the shadow that suddenly appeared.
When I turned my head, a golem with a brownish hue was standing there.
If I had known this would happen, I would have refined my Path of Light a bit more before coming.
Ppaak!!
I thought about it, and maybe I shouldn't think things like 'it's fine' or 'I'm much stronger.'
Back when that kidnapper was around, I thought I could handle it, and he neutralized me by tying me up with a rope I didn't know about, and this time, I was only looking at the Akjo and didn't see the golem approaching from behind.
Kwaang!!
As I hit the wall, I used light magic to minimize the impact as much as possible.
The bones in both my arms were broken, and they were in a strange shape.
'Let's calm down.'
While healing my arms, I stood up.
The wounds, including the bleeding all over my body, were quickly healing.
The golem could pierce through my magic, but its movement itself wasn't that fast.
Above all, if it can't kill me in one hit, I won't die.
Since the Akjo can't hurt me, I just need to take care of the golem first and then deal with the Akjo.
"Kieeeek!"
"......."
I frowned without realizing it.
-Monsters have heads. They have eyes and intuition. They often do things you'll hate. Just as we accumulate information by analyzing monsters, monsters do the same.
Ed's words came to mind.
The Akjo, having confirmed that its attacks didn't work on me, immediately rushed toward the fallen adventurers.
When I gestured, the remotely generated Path of Light let the Akjo pass right through.
A few more golems appeared, and the Akjo continued to target the fallen adventurers.
'Is this really a B-rank dungeon? Even so, there are a bit too many high-level monsters.'
If I abandon the adventurers, I can solve this easily.
Even if those adventurers die, I have no legal responsibility, and as I am also young, I have no moral responsibility either. Since it was an accident caused by a teleportation trap in the first place, everyone would say it couldn't be helped.
I might die at this rate.
Again.
In my head.
In my heart.
Something felt like it was catching.
"Tsk."
I clicked my tongue and quickly stepped back.
And I kept gesturing, using it to prevent the Akjo from targeting the fallen adventurers.
I'm not yet used to the long-range Path of Light, and if I try to suppress everything with firepower, it feels like the cave will collapse.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the Path of Light, which hasn't finished being adjusted yet, has no means to block earth magic.
'If I had known this, I would have made it more thoroughly; since I made it half as a hobby, it's sloppy.'
I just made it to give an impressive effect to everyone, so I didn't pay much attention to the practical side, and it ended up like this.
Tweh, I spat out blood-mixed saliva and smiled.
"Let's do this, Saintess act."
Only then.
I felt as if the something that was catching in my heart had disappeared.