Vol 1 Chapter 5 (1/2)

Chapter 5: Just to Protect

His vision quickly cleared.

“——Whoa.”

After a couple steps, Yuuki regained his balance.

He gripped one of light fixtures on the wall to steady himself. This was definitely the third floor.

From what he could see of things, he placed himself just in front of the stairway up to the next floor, and close by the teleporter.

Before him was a young boy staring at him in wide-eyed shock.

“Er, wha? Yuuki-sensei…? From where… you…?”

“Get out of the way!”

Yuuki threw himself to the floor, grabbing the boy to his chest as he did so. An enormous snake’s head snapped at the spot the boy’s head had been a moment prior.

If he’d been even a second later, the boy would even now be missing his entire upper body.

“W-what’s going on…?” the boy wailed, looking down the road in fear.

He was looking at an enormous snake with many heads, its body as thick as a tree trunk, slowly slithering over. It didn’t really need to be said that this was no native inhabitant of the third floor.

“Edgar, why are you here?” Yuuki asked the beginning trainee student calmly, making sure to never take his eyes off the enemy.

“Uh, well, today we came to visit the labyrinth, and… um, I saw the stairs for the third floor, and thought I’d come take a look… by myself…”

“So everyone else is still above us, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Head back to the second floor, gather everyone, and get out of here. Find the knights guarding the entrance and tell them Void Beasts are here in number. ——Now go, on the double!”

Edgar ran.

“…Now then, what should I do next?” Yuuki muttered to himself as he studied the large snake.

Raising a disturbance here would draw the attention of the surface. The Oath Legions and even the Duelists would be sure to act. Things were far from irreparable. The problem was… how many sacrifices would there be before things finally came to an end?

If he were to make a simple calculation of costs vs. benefits, then the obvious decision would be to make a break for the surface. Nevertheless, he hesitated.

“——Oh, over there! Master!”

A familiar voice called out from behind him, interrupting his train of thought.

Yuuki turned to look and instantly regretted his actions. Tina was running excitedly toward him – with three energetic Void Beasts in tow. They looked like enormous bulls, except that——

“Uwa! Hyaaaa!”

Tina screamed as she was thrown into the air.

——Bulls didn’t normally breathe fire. Well, they were Void Beasts, after all.

As the pet.i.te young girl fell back down, she was. .h.i.t by the horn of one of the beasts and tossed back into the air.

Yuuki rushed over to where she was falling and caught her.

“Oooh, nice catch!”

“…You know it’s impossible to escape them on foot, right?”

“I saw a party under attack, so I attracted their attention. Tina has the ScutumHoly s.h.i.+eld, so she makes excellent bait!”

It was definitely true that she hadn’t suffered any injuries despite having been attacked countless times.

“…”

Bait, was it?

Helping others was a matter of course to her. She’d do so without a moment’s hesitation. Without a single thought toward what would be gained and at what price it would come.

——Dammit. This feeling, what was it?

“Now then, given the circ.u.mstances, the s.h.i.+nki have to take action… Er, huh?”

Yuuki took Tina in his arms and ran straight forward. The fiery bulls, their prey poached right before their eyes, roared as they angrily gave chase.

“M-Master! There’s more in front! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah——!”

Yuuki paid no heed to the wails coming from the girl in his bosom as he increased his speed.

The many-headed serpent targeted the prey which, for some unknown reason, had decided to run straight at it, and charged toward it.

Its enormous mouth, boasting two venomous, razor-sharp fangs, closed the gap in an instant. Right as it was about to bite him, Yuuki leapt to the side. Jumping off the wall, he pa.s.sed through the extremely narrow gap left by the serpent.

The fire-breathing bulls, chasing at full speed, as well as the serpent which flew past him, failed to take notice of his movements.

With a tremendous crash, they collided into a close-quarters frenzy.

The sound behind him growing ever fainter, Yuuki ran toward safety.

“What amazing dexterity! You’re too cool, Master!”

“…Thanks. Anyway, let’s check out the situation at the teleporter itself.”

Yuuki confirmed that he’d left the Void Beasts far behind before slowing.

The vast majority of Void Beasts weren’t only hostile toward humans. When large Void Beasts such as those collided, a vicious battle would break out.

The two made their way to the stairs to the second floor.

Many people had witnessed the enormous Void Beasts, and were even now making a mad scramble for the stairs. Edgar and the others seemed to have already escaped.

“——Oh, that reminds me: after we and the Void Beasts were teleported, it seems we were all split up?”

“About that, well, it seems to be a built-in precaution. In order to ensure that objects don’t materialize into one another, the teleported bodies seem to be divided up when they’re reformed. That way you won’t end up in a wall or something. That said, I’m not entirely sure on the details,” Tina answered from her spot on Yuuki’s shoulders.

“Because there were so many targets to be teleported this time, the range of dispersal was quite large.”

In other words, Franka and Stefan were around here somewhere.

Continuing on to the stairs, they finally arrived at the stele that was the teleportation device, now covered by a large piece of cloth. It looked to be there to prevent people from coming into contact with the device. Strangely, there weren’t any Void Beasts or people standing guard in the vicinity.

Tina climbed down from Yuuki’s shoulders, and lifting up the piece of cloth, patted the stone to survey it.

“How is it? Is it possible to send just the Void Beasts back to the 64th floor?”

“Sorry, no can do. Although it’s still activated and the flow of divine energy is still going, it seems like this device can only receive, and not transmit.”

“So it really is a one-way trip. Guess it’s going to have to come down to humans taking them down after all.”

“Our first priority is the survivors. I’m worried about Franka and the others.”

“Right.”

Yuuki sighed.

“——Ok, let’s get things sorted out before we take action. First up, Tina, I want you to consume the device.”

“Eh…?”

Tina blinked, seemingly confused by his command.

“What use is a s.h.i.+nki without any divine energy? If the teleporter has divine energy flowing through it still, then it’s the same as a Reliquia, is it not?”

“Ohhhh… You know, you’re right! You’re so smart, Master!”

As the s.h.i.+nki laid her hands atop its form, the stele turned into particles of light and faded.

“Hmm, it’d spent a lot of its energy on teleportation, but I should still be able to do some stuff. I feel positively full of power! Now what’s next, Master?”

“Can you trace the flows of divine energy throughout the floor?”

Yuuki picked up the cloth that had covered the teleporter and rent it in two.

“If you’re asking whether I can, then I can, but… what am I looking for? Adventurers carrying Reliquia, the light fixtures on the walls – Tina counts numberless sources of divine energy. Don’t tell me you want to take this opportunity to collect all those things for money——”

“Don’t be stupid. Well, it’s not like I wouldn’t, given the chance. ——No, what we’re looking for are ma.s.sive batteries of divine energy. There ought to be two sources of overwhelming energy.”

“Hmm…”

Tina closed her eyes and began to focus.

“Y-You’re right. Ah. One is Stefan’s celestial Dragon Fang weapon. The other——”

“The Snow-white Void Dragon. That’s the distinctive signature of a Dragon Fang Gem, after all.”

Yuuki handed one piece of the torn fabric to Tina. It was large enough to wrap her body in.

“First, find Franka. It’s more than likely that the Snow-white Void Dragon is beyond the abilities of the Oath Legions to handle, so we’ll need to figure out a way to deal with it. We can’t allow it to go up any farther than this.”

This feeling was terribly nostalgic; he’d thought he’d long since forgotten such things.

He felt completely at peace. Franka and the others, his students, and the unable – this was all just to protect them.

Please forgive me, he whispered to the one who had taught him how to live a normal life, and who at the very end, had freed him. “Her.”

——Just this once, I must again be who I once was.

Bertolt gritted his teeth and leaning against the wall for support, slowly advanced.

Though he’d just barely managed to avoid being crushed to death, his right leg had been stepped on and shattered. If he gave up on the Dragon Fang Gem now, he not only wouldn’t have a weapon left, but he’d have to forego his right arm as well.

“s.h.i.+t! IthurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsG.o.ddammitjustdiediediediedie…”

Bertolt cursed endlessly as he slowly made his way forward. The current situation did not allow for him to simply leisurely await rescue.

Dangerous Void Beasts were everywhere.

Just a moment ago, he’d been on the 64th floor. He was certain of that.

And now he was on one of the uppermost levels. A quick glance told him he was more than likely on the third floor. He didn’t know why, but something had apparently teleported him and all the Void Beasts here.

There’s no way I’m going to die here, Bertolt vowed to himself.

There was still money to earn, food to eat, wine to drink, and women to hold.

Right, he was one of this city’s precious few elite. Like h.e.l.l he’d die in a place like this.

Encouraging himself to press on, he continued around the corner bend – only to come face-to-face with an enormous centipede.

It was, of course, another of the Void Beasts from the 64th floor. It was roughly three meters long.

“AH——”

Bertolt tried to retreat, only to trip and fall on his rear.

The centipede confirmed its target. Lifting its huge body into the air, it came cras.h.i.+ng down. Bertolt struggled with all his might, but the centipede’s innumerable legs held him bound.

“AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

As its venomous mandibles drew ever nearer, Bertolt loosed a horrible scream—— Suddenly, their surroundings were hit with a deep chill.

The centipede’s main body was frozen solid, its movement stopped. The force it had exerted with its legs had ceased.

“Hurry up!” a female voice cried.

By the time she finished her words, Bertolt had already scrambled away.

The Void Beast suddenly burst into flame and swiftly turned to charcoal.

“Are you alright?——”

His savior approached three steps, and then suddenly stopped talking as she stared at him.

“Yeah, thanks. You’re a cleric? If you could, would you mind healing…”

Bertolt was struck by a sudden realization. The light from the fixtures on the wall had illuminated her face – it was her.

His heart twisted within him.

He was unarmed and defenseless and, caught on his rear as he was, a literal sitting duck. Moreover, the girl was but a mere ten steps away from him, watching him.

She could burn him alive, break his neck, cut off his limbs… At this range, Orisons made any of those things a mere triviality.

“Ah, um, your name was Franka?”

“…”

“W-Why don’t you calm down, and we’ll talk? L-Look, I-I’m hurt.”

“…Shut your mouth.”

“I, I regret my actions! I just got a bit overexcited, that’s all! Right! You wanted me to stand trial, right? I-I promise I’ll turn myself in the second we get out——”

“I TOLD YOU TO SHUT YOUR MOUTH!”

Bertolt fell silent.

Franka ground her teeth and glared murderously at Bertolt before finally lifting her head——

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

She wailed as if weeping, as if to give release the emotions that raged within her.

After a moment had pa.s.sed, she again spoke.

“…Your wounds?”

“Eh, huh?”

“I asked where you were wounded. Where are you hurt?”

“M-my arm and my leg.”

Franka took out a Divine Pearl and strode toward him. He panicked for a moment but she simply healed his wounds as normal.

“…I’ve stopped the bleeding and cut off the pain. This is just emergency first-aid, but you ought to be able to move now. Please head to the stairs and escape.”

“Uhhhh, c-could you lend me your shoulder? I can’t feel my leg; I can’t stand. I’m unarmed too, so I can’t defend myself against the Void Beasts; I’ll die. If that happened, then all you’ve done here would be a waste, am I right?”

“…”

“Just as far as the stairs. Please, I’m begging you.”

He bowed at the waist and clasped his arms, pleading exaggeratedly. He knew his current situation was an advantageous one, but to travel alone was simply too dangerous. Unacceptable, really.

Franka didn’t speak. Finally, she sighed.

“…I understand it. Here, hold on tight.”

“Eh? Er, sorry for the trouble.”

Even if he’d been the one to ask, he couldn’t believe his ears – was she stupid or something? Had she seriously forgotten that he’d been about to kill her down below? With the two of them positioned as they were, it would be a simple matter for him to snap her neck with his left arm. She was too defenseless.

——No, better hold that thought. Escape’s the first priority.

He’d better wait until his survival was ensured before settling things with this girl.

The two walked in silence.

The light fixtures had all been wrecked, and so the path was dark. Judging by the fact that they hadn’t seen anyone else around, it seemed the other adventurers had safely made it out. Before long, they arrived at an intersection.

“…Hold up,” Franka said.

Bertolt had noticed as well. Something lurked around the corner.

The noises it made, the sound of its footsteps, its presence – all these things bore witness that it wasn’t human, but rather a Void Beast. Perhaps a large one.

Can this girl’s Orisons really deal with something like that? Bertolt flashed the girl a quick glance out of the corner of his eye.

The girl wasn’t weak by any means, but if she failed to kill the beast in a single blow, he’d be the one to suffer the consequences. Perhaps it was best he left her here as bait while he made a run for it. With any luck, the Void Beast would be hungry too; that’d give him some extra time.

“…I’ll stall for time. You should go.”

Franka drew her short sword.

Bertolt couldn’t believe his ears; surely he’d misheard? How could such a person possibly exist?

“You can’t fight right? Then this is the only way.”

“A-Are you sure?”

“I already said there was no other way!” Franka half-sobbed, half-shrieked.

“I can’t forgive you, but if I just let you die here, then what right would I have to talk to Nii-san as I have? ——Leave. I hope you keep your promise to turn yourself in.”

Keep his promise? What was she, stupid? Although Bertolt was just about to scorn her foolishness, he found himself hesitating.

For as long as he could remember, Bertolt had always been alone. He’d eaten dirt in back alleys because it’d meant survival. In this bleak world of gray, his existence was the only one of importance. To protect himself, he would do – and had done –anything. That was simply the way of things – a truth he’d never once doubted.

But this Franka girl was different. She’d grown up in a world of many brilliant colors, under the care of many who loved her. This much he understood. The worlds seen through their eyes were simply different.

Suddenly, he felt a strange pain in his heart, a deep unease. Could he perhaps have committed sins that simply could not be forgiven? ——This feeling of doubt and fear snared his heart in a vice-like grip.

“What’re you doing?! GO!”

As Franka urged him on once more, Bertolt finally began to move——

“Guaaaaa!”

A terrible death cry sounded followed by the maddened thras.h.i.+ng of an enormous object.

As the two stood rooted to the spot, the blob of flesh, having already lost its shape, shuddered and dropped to the ground.

“Nii-san…”

Catching sight of the newly appearing figure, Franka finally relaxed. It was Stefan, holding his spear.

Stefan watched the two expressionlessly.

Bertolt felt his body tense up before coming to the realization that Stefan would not need to approach him if he meant him ill. Feelings of shame and humiliation ran through him.

“——You’re in the way. Hurry up and leave.”

“A-And you, Nii-san?”

“I’ll be helping adventurers escape, as well as suppressing any rampant Void Beasts. This is the duty of the Oath Legions.”

“But you’re hurt! And alone! You’re being too reckless; I’ll go with you!”

“You’d only be a hindrance.”

Stefan’s response was frigid.

“You’ve already used up your supply of Divine Pearls, correct? Your bag looks empty.”

Bertolt stared at Franka in shock.

Indeed, the bag at her waist appeared empty, shrunken as it was, and swaying as if weightless.

“You… Did you really use your last Divine Pearl to heal me?”

Moreover, she’d thought to stall the Void Beast without any Divine Pearls to do so with?

All to give her father’s murderer a chance to escape?

Her silence was all the answer he needed.

——Just how naïve could a person possibly be? Bertolt wasn’t someone who understood the meaning of grat.i.tude. For her to act in this way was just asking to be exploited; did she really not understand such a simple thing?

This girl wouldn’t live long. No way, no how.

“You should try and meet up with the owner of that junk shop. Even with you getting in the way, he’ll protect you.”

“But, Nii-san——”

Franka tried to rebut him when suddenly Stefan’s eyes opened wide in surprise.

“Behind you! Get down!”

Franka’s mouth gaped open wordlessly as she froze.

Bertolt moved first. This was the practiced motion of a reflex instilled through countless hours of training and numerous life-and-death battles – a skill which could be honed only through experience.

——I don’t want to die.

That thought flashed through his mind.

——I don’t care what happens, or who I have to sacrifice – I don’t want to die.

Or so he had always thought, but now…

Reaching out with his only remaining arm, he pushed the girl at his side out of harm’s way, with all the strength he had left in him.

At long last, he understood. So that’s why… You know, I rather like this feeling.

The last scene to pa.s.s before his eyes in mortality was awash with vivid color.

“——Ow!”

Franka crashed into the floor, having been shoved with great force.

A moment later, a gust of wind blew by her followed by a sound reminiscent of a large canteen of water being punctured. Bertolt was gone.

To be precise, he hadn’t exactly disappeared per se. Rather, attacked by the tail of a gigantic Void Beast, his body had been tossed into the air. It carved out a long arc before slamming into the floor and bouncing three times – with accompanying crunches – before coming to a halt, unmoving.

Had he intended to push Franka in the way of the monster, as bait, while he alone escaped? ——Or had he, perhaps, intended to save her? Whichever was the case, it was too late to worry about such things now.

“M-May his name be written in the Book of Life——”

Franka raised her upper body and unconsciously whispered a prayer. A wrathful roar shook the room.

“On your feet! Get up, and get out of here!”

“Ah…”

Along with an earsplitting burst of violent wind, an enormous claw came rus.h.i.+ng down toward her head before being deflected off-course by Stefan’s spear.