Chapter 93: Constable Neko
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 93: Constable Neko
At Blackdog's casino, Neko had seen it.
The wizard's casting ability—summoning a massive cloud in an instant and neutralizing even the Inspector with lightning magic.
If only I had that kind of power, she thought. Then I could truly restore order to Sohen.
That was what Neko had thought at the time.
But at the steel mill, her perspective had shifted slightly.
The most brilliant of the wizard's abilities was something else entirely.
His creative and swift tactical judgment.
Who would have thought that the cheap raincoats, brought as a last resort to block the volcanic ash, would be used as such a surprising tool for an ambush?
If the Golden Golem and the Blacksmith hadn't appeared then, the battle would have ended right there. Ingelam's party, their magic read and their skills exhausted, would have stood no chance, already heavily wounded.
And then there was the Electrostatic Coat.
It was arguably one of the most unpopular defensive spells among wizards due to its poor efficiency.
But who could have known it would withstand the Magic Acid?
Some might say it was only possible because of Caleb's exceptional casting talent. Because of his high-speed and silent casting.
Perhaps.
Caleb had said something before. "You should have gone to Blackdog and borrowed a Watcher."
Now, those words stung with a fresh pain.
That had nothing to do with casting talent, did it?
He even created a Watcher when there was none.
That knowledge also had nothing to do with his casting talent, did it?
And what about when he pretended to be the Blacksmith to kill the Barbarian and corner Ingelam?
The act he pulled off using the Potion Regeneration Belt, an empty Magic Acid bottle, and Lilweed's mass disguise magic.
That, too, had nothing to do with casting talent, did it?
So, to sum it up, it was like this.
When the Public Security Headquarters is poor and lacks magical equipment due to budget cuts, while some people complain, others go get a Watcher from Blackdog or even create one themselves.
While some complain they don't have talents like silent and high-speed casting, others find a way to win with the ingenuity of a disguise, Magic Acid, and a Potion Regeneration Belt.
Stop complaining and think more.
Think about how to make up for what you lack.
That's the only way the Public Security Headquarters can set Sohen right.
This was the realization that echoed deep in Neko's heart this time.
I want to get out of here alive.
More than ever, she yearned to escape the Labyrinth. This time, she desperately wanted to survive.
If I just had one more chance.
I feel like I could become a better constable.
But…
It's not going to happen, is it?
Neko looked at the assembly core with a bitter feeling.
Lava was pouring down from the pipes.
Rumble!
Like a waterfall.
Caleb had instructed the Orc Fighter to throw the Production Settings Box from the Production Control Room into the lava.
The reason, he'd said, was that Ingelam had shattered the ground there, exposing a large pool of lava.
The molds in the Steelmaking Process Room try to create whatever is in the Production Settings Box—golems, magical equipment, and so on.
What if the box was filled with lava?
The molds would try to create lava.
They would create it endlessly. The settings box would have fallen into the immense river of lava flowing beneath the entire 4th floor of the Labyrinth.
All the lava in the blast furnace would probably pour down into this place.
It would fill this cylinder to the brim, swallowing the Blacksmith, Neko, and Caleb—all of them.
Caleb intended for them all to die here together.
Neko wasn't afraid of death, but she did feel a sense of regret.
"Still, thanks to you, we caught the poachers. Thank you. I don't mind dying here."
"What are you talking about? Here, take this."
Caleb abruptly handed her something.
It was the pendant Ingelam had been wearing.
"What's this?"
"With this, both of us can get out of here alive."
"What?"
Clang!
The Blacksmith emerged from beneath the barricade.
A look of alarm was visible on the monster's face. The Blacksmith was unfazed by hot steam, but it had been burned when hit by things like Neko's Scorching Ray.
Just as the Golden Golem was easily deformed by physical blows, the Blacksmith had its own weaknesses.
"Let's kill that bastard by dropping him in the lava, and then we get out of here alive."
*
Aimus didn't hesitate.
If Caleb said so, it must be the best plan.
He trusted the wisdom of his wizard party leader. The moment he received the order, he pushed the box into the lava.
Afterward, a certain secret crossed Aimus's mind.
The pendant.
"Maybe he's planning to use that to get out?" Aimus said as they ran toward the Steelmaking Process Room.
Yernil was on the verge of tears, anxious and restless.
"I don't know about the real one, but in the case of the replica my wife was scammed with…"
Aimus reassured Yernil.
"You said it contained a Tier 3 defensive magic, right?"
"Yes…"
"The genuine one probably really has it. He must be planning to use it to escape."
"…"
The two of them recalled the same scene simultaneously.
When they were about to kill Ingelam and the Barbarian, Ingelam had suddenly grabbed the Barbarian's wrist and teleported, just like a rogue's Shadow Leap.
Couldn't he use that to get out?
Please, Caleb!
With a desperate heart, Yernil sprinted toward the Steelmaking Process Room.
*
The Blacksmith didn't attack us rashly.
Lava was already sloshing ankle-deep on the floor between us and it.
Of course, the terrain was uneven, so there were plenty of safe footholds. It wouldn't be impossible for it to reach us by jumping between them, but it still didn't move carelessly.
It knew we could read its movements. It was trying to avoid being intercepted.
I didn't make a rash move either.
[Turn-Based Hourglass]
The cooldown had been over for a while, but I needed time to share the tactical plan with Neko.
"Actually, the way out of here is simple. We just have to kill the Blacksmith."
Then the steel mill's structural transformation will be released, and the walls surrounding us will disappear. The Steelmaking Process Room has a good drainage system, so all the lava will flow out through the drains.
So how do we achieve this goal?
Let's review a few options.
1. Since we're on higher ground, we just wait for the Blacksmith to fall into the lava and die.
This is very likely to fail. If the Blacksmith is cornered by the lava, it might decide to make a desperate attack on us. And there's an even worse possibility.
Once the cooldown for the steel mill's structural transformation is up.
The Blacksmith doesn't need to get to higher ground than us. It just has to hold out until its cooldown is over. Once the skill activates, it'll just slip away.
And we'll be boiled alive here.
2. Intercept and kill the Blacksmith with magic.
Not easy. The power of our strongest spell, the High-Speed Cast Hailstorm, has dropped significantly.
Why? Because of the intense heat rising from the lava. In fact, it's already quite hot in here. It's becoming a sauna, as if a heatwave spell had been cast. Hailstorm won't be effective in a place like this.
What if I summon a Cumulonimbus? The massive amount of rainwater would instantly boil, creating high-temperature steam. The Blacksmith might be fine, but we'd be steamed alive.
Therefore, the only spells we can use are, at best, Dust Explosion, Scorching Ray, and Psychokinetic Fist, but those don't have enough damage output.
The Blacksmith can also attack us from a distance by throwing its hammer, throwing Magic Acid, or casting Lava Surge.
So, a ranged magic battle without Hailstorm and Cumulonimbus is out of the question.
Nevertheless, I summoned the lava because the next method has a higher chance of success. Better than two wizards fighting the Blacksmith head-on in the open field without a vanguard.
3. With me providing magical backup, Neko charges in and slams into the Blacksmith with her body.
Winning a physical fight is obviously impossible, but there's no need to even try.
"Magic Acid won't work, Lava Surge won't work, so the Blacksmith will have no choice but to swing its hammer. Then, Neko's Electrostatic Coat will discharge and stun it."
Neko's face turned pale.
"A-are you telling me… to sacrifice myself…?"
The Orc Fighter could take a few hammer blows with sheer grit, but one direct hit would send Neko straight to the afterlife.
It's no wonder she's panicking.
But hear me out, Neko.
"This pendant contains a Tier 3 defensive magic: Ethereal Departure."
It's a spell that teleports you a short distance, like Shadow Leap.
But why is it a defensive spell and not a movement spell?
Because it functions defensively.
Yernil said that before, when he shot an arrow at the Barbarian, Ingelam jumped in front of it, they held hands, and then suddenly teleported.
Without even chanting.
The spell auto-casts in moments of crisis, which is why it's a defensive spell, not a movement one.
"So, when you get hit, Ethereal Departure will automatically activate, allowing you to evade the attack."
And there's another good thing.
Ethereal Departure can be cast with two people, like Shadow Leap, but it can also be used alone.
In that case… "You can pass through obstacles."
Neko will automatically pass through the wall of this cylinder.
"After that, I'll take care of the electrocuted and stunned Blacksmith, so don't worry."
So, all Neko has to do is get right next to the Blacksmith, take one hit from its hammer, and escape first.
That's all.
Of course, there's an even better scenario.
A way for Neko to get close and trigger the Electrostatic Coat's discharge herself, instead of getting hit.
She just has to poke her own side with the tip of her wand. It will register as a 'physical hit' and trigger the discharge, but since it's not a crisis situation, Ethereal Departure won't activate.
And it would be even simpler if she helped me push the stunned Blacksmith into the lava with a Psychokinetic Fist.
"But that would be too difficult."
Neko's face was ashen.
"Just focus on getting next to it and triggering the Electrostatic Coat's discharge."
Neko was frozen stiff by the insane plan.
Is she going to be okay?
"The lightning charges will fade one by one as time passes. If we're going to do this, it has to be now."
I folded and unfolded a scroll.
[Watcher]
I sent the eyeball floating and sent Neko on her way.
"I'll cover you with magic. I'll block the Blacksmith's vision and mark its position. Don't worry."
Go! Neko!
"Dense Fog."
I shrouded the Blacksmith in fog.
Neko still looked bewildered, but she set off nonetheless.
With the monster at the center, Neko ran to the right, and I to the left.
*
There's something they always stress when teaching combat methods to wizards at the Magic University.
'A wizard must never be on the front line.'
Because they have the strongest firepower on the team, and at the same time, are the most fragile.
What should you do if there are only two wizards?
She had never been taught about such a scenario at the Magic University.
But one thing was certain: Caleb was the one staying behind. Like a proper wizard.
Neko had taken on the role of the vanguard, charging in like an Orc Fighter.
It was a strange feeling.
Caleb's order for a wizard to run at the Blacksmith and crash into it felt utterly insane.
Is this really the right thing to do?
The question wouldn't leave Neko's mind.
If any other wizard had suggested this, Neko would have thought they were trying to trick her.
The existence of such magic in the pendant was just Caleb's claim; it had never been proven to Neko, had it?
For example, what if the pendant was actually a powerful magical explosive, and he was planning to use Neko as a sacrifice to blow up the stunned Blacksmith?
Such a possibility was entirely plausible.
Does this pendant really contain Ethereal Departure?
It wasn't that she suspected Caleb, but frankly, when you were gambling with your own life, such doubts were inevitable.
What if he made a mistake? What if he was wrong about something? What if the pendant was broken?
And even if this pendant was real, was this really the right course of action?
If the pendant is real, shouldn't I give it to Caleb?
The thought occurred to her.
He said you could pass through obstacles and escape alone with Ethereal Departure, right? Then shouldn't Caleb be the one to leave?
Neko was a constable.
To be honest, she was a lesser wizard than Caleb. Caleb was far smarter, his casting ability was superior, and he had better leadership.
Still, Caleb was a citizen, and Neko was a constable who had to protect citizens.
Between that sense of duty and the insane mission Caleb had proposed…
Neko couldn't figure out which choice to make.
Her feelings were incredibly complex.
A whirlwind of thoughts flooded her mind. Maybe Caleb had lied, designing this plan for his own survival. Even so, a part of her wanted to be deceived. She had already accepted death when the lava began to rise; sacrificing her life to save a citizen felt right. But if she was going to die like a constable, she wanted it to be her own choice, not a part of his scheme. Then again, if it was all true, she wanted to give the pendant to Caleb and let him escape—that felt like the proper duty of a constable. And yet, amidst it all, if there was even a slim chance this tactic could work and they could both survive, she desperately, desperately wanted to live.
As all these thoughts surfaced at once, Neko had no time to hesitate.
The lightning charges were fading one by one.
Tap! Tatak!
Regardless, Neko was sprinting across the bedrock.
She was almost at her destination. Beyond this point was the fog. The Blacksmith would be somewhere inside.
Boom!
A Dust Explosion went off above the Blacksmith's head. The sparks were visible even through the fog.
It didn't matter how much of what Caleb said was true.
Triggering the Electrostatic Coat's discharge.
Neko wasn't satisfied with such a simple goal.
If she was going to take on this role, she wanted to do it properly.
I will drop this monster into the lava.
Whether the discharge happens or not, whether she can stun it or not, whether Ethereal Departure activates or not.
None of it mattered.
Her final decision was one befitting a constable.
If killing the Blacksmith would allow Caleb to survive, then it was her duty to accomplish that, even if it cost her life.
CRASH!
Neko slammed her body into the Blacksmith with all her might.