Mob Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni
Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #124
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 124: The
Longest Day of My Life (8)
"Uh,
listen... I'm saying this knowing it will risk my likability..."
Amidst
everyone glaring at the Dungeon Mart’s automatic doors with grim expression,
It
was Suzuka who muttered that quietly.
"Honestly...
I think giving up is also one of the options. Fighting an A-rank Grim Reaper in
an F-rank dungeon... it's impossible, you know?"
A
heavy silence fell.
Renge,
Athena... all the other cards said nothing. They simply waited quietly for my
response.
Impossible,
huh? She's right, of course. Even the fight against Urashima Taro, where there
were no summoning restrictions or handicaps, was a tough struggle. No, it was
more than just a struggle; if Athena hadn't awakened, it wouldn't be surprising
if we had been completely wiped out.
And
that was against the gimmick-based Urashima Taro. Facing the combat-oriented
Pied Piper of Hamelin, who tests pure strength, with a mere two-card summoning
limit is nothing short of suicide. I know that too.
But...
"........................."
I
quietly closed my eyes, calmly confirming the state of my heart.
...Yeah,
it’s fine. There's no hesitation.
I
looked straight into Suzuka's eyes and said,
"Thank
you, Suzuka. But, I can't do that."
"……………………Even
if it's already too late?"
"Yes."
I
answered immediately.
...I
understand what she's trying to say.
It had been several tens of
minutes since Ai and the children were abducted. To put it bluntly, too much
time has passed.
I tried to defeat Urashima
Taro as quickly as humanly possible... but even those several tens of minutes
were more than enough time for the Pied Piper of Hamelin to slaughter all the
children.
But even so, I had a
conviction that Ai... that at least Ai, was still alive.
————Because
that guy probably intends to kill Ai right before my very eyes.
Otherwise,
he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to meticulously separate me from my
family.
He specifically kidnapped Ai
after observing my actions in Angolmois—or perhaps from much, much earlier.
All in
order to snatch away what's precious to me right in front of me...
As for why he didn't abduct my
mother as well, it's likely due to his preferences.
Therefore,
Ai is probably still unharmed.
Of
course, that might not be the case if I'm too late... but likely, this is still
within an acceptable timeframe.
Rather,
the very moment I give up here is precisely when Ai's death becomes certain.
At that point, even if Ai were
already dead, it would be as if I had killed her myself.
"As
her brother, as long as there's even the slightest possibility that Ai is
alive, I absolutely have to go save her."
"...Of
course, huh. If it's you, I know you'd say that, Master~ I knew it, I knew it,
but still~"
Hearing
my answer, Suzuka's shoulders slumped, and she let out a deep sigh.
"A〜ah, I bet everyone hates me
even more now because of this."
"...No,"
Surprisingly,
it was Athena who shook her head at Suzuka's lament.
"On
the contrary, I've actually reassessed my opinion of you. Presenting a
necessary option, even when you know you'll be disliked for it... that takes
considerable courage."
"You
little brat...!"
"I
shall upgrade my evaluation of you from ‘roadside vomit’ to ‘maggot’."
"You
brat...!"
"...You
guys are surprisingly close, aren't you?"
Renge
muttered, sounding exasperated.
"Still,
what should I do...?"
Only
two summoning slots. Who should I choose?
Purely
in terms of numbers, it would be Renge and the Celtic Trinity Deity. If Renge
is equipped with Dress, the combat power boost will also be shared with
Kokuanten, who shares her combat power.
However,
the trump card, Kishimojin's skill, has already been used, and the Celtic
Trinity Deity's special skill is somewhat incompatible with the Pied Piper of
Hamelin.
Both
skills achieve their maximum effect when synergizing with summoned subordinates.
But looking
at the other members, no card possessed an advantage as significant as the Dual
Deity or the Trinity Deity.
What
to do...
"...If
you're not sure about who to summon, just go with me and Athena for now. You know
that guy's skills, right?"
"You're,
right..."
Considering
that guy's power, Renge and Athena certainly can't be left out, huh?
————*Pipipipi*.
Just
then, my Card Gear received an incoming call.
…………It's Shigeno-san.
"Yes,
this is Kitagawa."
『Kitagawa-san!
Thank goodness, I got through! What's happened since then? Were you able to
rescue the children?』
"No...
actually————"
I
explained that I had encountered Urashima Taro on the way and hadn't been able
to fight the Pied Piper of Hamelin yet.
『I
see... Urashima Taro. To encounter him at this timing, was it bad luck... or
perhaps a coordinated move?』
"Likely
so... he seemed to be waiting precisely along the path indicated by Hamelin's
Flute."
『Too well-timed to be a
coincidence, you mean. By the way... how are you doing with the, uh, aging?』
"That...
fortunately, I'm fine. I managed to clear Phase 1 in just over ten
minutes."
『Is
that so! That's good to hear... Actually, I've also had an encounter with
Urashima Taro before.』
"You
too, Shigeno-san?"
I see,
so that's how it was.
Shigeno-san, no matter how you
look at him, appeared to be approaching old age. When the dungeon first
appeared twenty years ago, he must have been well over thirty. I had thought it
strange that he was so proficient in Linking, enough to achieve Full
Synchronization at that age.
It made sense if he had aged
due to encountering Urashima Taro and was forced to retire.
『Then,
Kitagawa-san. I’m going to the main point...』
"Yes."
『We,
the Guild, have decided not to send any rescue personnel.』
"That's..."
『I am sorry... Normally, we,
who failed to protect the children, should be the first to act, but we are
bound by a rule that prevents us from leaving the shelter. In such cases, the Self-Defense
Forces are supposed to move instead, but for some reason, we can't reach
them...』
"……………………"
So the
SDF is still dysfunctional, after all?
I
guess we should continue to act on the assumption that the Self-Defense Forces
cannot be relied upon in the future either.
『Therefore,
if you, Kitagawa-san, are going to move to defeat the Pied Piper of Hamelin...
this is regarding that,』
"What
is it?"
I
replied, feeling a slight sense of expectation that we were finally getting to
the main point.
There's
no need to contact me if it’s just to say they can't send rescue personnel.
Then...?
And
as expected, Shigeno-san's next words were exactly what I had hoped for.
『We
cannot send personnel, but we can send support supplies such as cards. Of
course, considering the opponent, there's a possibility of Lost, so there's no
need for them to be returned.』
Yosh!
I
pumped my fist mentally.
But
the question is what kind of cards they'll send. C-rank cards or mediocre
B-rank cards wouldn't be much help in this situation with limited slots.
Just
as I was thinking this, a message was sent to my Card Gear.
It
was a list of the support supplies.
The
list included items that would likely be useful in the battle against the Pied
Piper of Hamelin, as well as three B-rank cards.
『In
addition to those magic items, you can choose one of those B-rank cards. That is
the maximum support our Guild can provide... I'm sorry, anything more would be
difficult even with my authority.』
As
Shigeno-san apologized, my attention was fixated on one of those three cards.
This
is, so it's really that... is it, like that?
"……………………"
『……Kitagawa-san?』
My
mind was swirling, and I snapped back to reality, jolted by Shigeno-san's calling.
"I'm
sorry, I was just thinking for a bit."
『No,
no. Have you decided which one you will choose?』
"Yes.
The one I need is ————"
I
nodded and stated the name of that card.
『Then,
you truly don't need any rescue personnel?』
"Yes."
A
few minutes later.
After taking a quick trip to
Hachioji Station to receive the card and supplies, I was talking with Anna via
Card Gear while looking for anything useful at Dungeon Mart.
The
inside of the store was unnaturally untouched, perhaps because the monsters
sensed the presence of a Grim Reaper.
Casually
tossing tear gas sprays and other items that had been useful in our previous
fight into the basket, I replied to Anna.
"Honestly,
what I'm more afraid of is everyone going down together here. I need you all to
protect the school."
I knew that with only two summoning
slots, the more hands available, the better.
However, I had no intention of
dragging the others into this fight.
It was partly because I wanted
their deck's combat power to protect the school, the biggest reason was that
this was an extremely personal battle.
Ai is my only precious sister
in the world, but to everyone else, she's just a friend's sister they've barely
spoken to. The same goes for the other children.
To save them, I simply
couldn't involve everyone in a battle against an Irregular Encounter equivalent
to an A-rank.
Especially
considering the Pied Piper of Hamelin's skills.
Therefore,
I needed to settle this fight on my own.
...And
the opponent probably wants it that way too.
"The
only help I need is for you to send what I asked for. ...Besides, my mom's over
there with you."
『Is that so...? Understood. The
things you requested should be arriving there soon.』
"Thanks."
『...Please,
come back safely.』
Almost simultaneously with the
call from Anna ending, a horse with wings gently descended outside the Dungeon
Mart.
Straddling its back was Tanya,
a beautiful elven female knight equipped with a Dunamis.
As I stepped out of the store,
Tanya took the trouble to dismount from the Pegasus and handed me the backpack
I had left behind in the club room, the one I use for dungeon explorations.
"...May
fortune be with you in battle."
"Thank
you."
After
that brief exchange, she mounted Pegasus and flew off.
I
watched her go for a few seconds...
"Alright,
let's go!"
I slapped my cheeks to refocus
and headed back inside the store.
I packed the various items I
had put in the basket into my bag and headed towards the back.
Standing
before the door that separated the shop from the gate, Yuki sniffed the air and
warned me,
"Master,
I sense monsters beyond the door..."
I
nodded in response, and after confirming that everyone was ready, I opened the
door.
The
instant I did, an avalanche of monsters that had been clinging to the door came
crashing into the store.
Goblins,
Wild Wolves, Slimes, Almirajs1, Kobolds ----
What
the????
As
I questioned the lineup of monsters, a torrent of lightning unleashed from
Renge's hand swept them all away.
"...Did
you guys see that?"
I asked my cards as magic
stones and cards clattered to the ground.
"Yeah,
E-rank monsters were mixed in,"
Renge replied, nodding.
Simultaneously, new monsters overflowed from the dungeon gate.
Among them, mixed with F-rank
Goblins, were E-rank monsters like Kobolds and Hellhounds.
"It
grew...!"
I didn't know the exact
reason, but I'd heard that some dungeons expand in scale during Angolmois.
If
this dungeon has grown from F-rank to E-rank, then...!
We
kicked aside the swarming monsters and charged into the dungeon.
Due to the intrusion of cards
exceeding the summoning limit, cards beyond the allowed slots were randomly
unsummoned.
The
ones who remained were Eliza, Suzuka, Athena, and the Celtic Trinity Deities.
"Good!
It really has become four slots!"
I clenched my fist, then a thought
suddenly occurred to me.
That
guy must also have realized that this dungeon has grown...
If he simply wanted to reduce
my summoning slots, he could have just chosen another F-rank dungeon.
The
fact that he chose this place despite that... did he insist on fighting in this
dungeon, or was it meant as some kind of consideration for us?
Probably
the former, though. This place is memorable in a lot of ways.
Among
the Irregular Encounters, he seemed like the type to be particular to such
staging.
In any
case, it's a good thing for us.
This
makes things much easier. I can see a slight chance of victory now.
Without
hesitation, I swapped out the members for Renge, Athena, the Celtic Trinity
Deity, and Yuki.
The
reason I summoned Yuki instead of Eliza, who was more of a bodyguard, was for
mobility and reconnaissance within the dungeon.
From this point on, we'd
operate under the assumption that we could encounter the Pied Piper of Hamelin
at any moment.
Activating
Yuki's [Lord of The Territory] skill to ward off monsters, I climbed onto her
back and we dashed through the route to the lowest floor.
With
a speed that literally surpassed wind, creating craters in the ground with each
step, we moved faster than any triggered traps could activate.
With the help of Dress's
equipping ability, Yuki bypassed floor after floor, each taking less than ten
seconds.
At
this point, we could traverse a path that once took us a week in just a few
minutes.
"Hmm...!?"
On
the twelfth or thirteenth floor... I wasn't counting the exact floor, so I
didn't know, but the moment we stepped onto that floor, we braked abruptly, noticing
a distinctly different atmosphere.
A
dimly lit black forest... that reeked of decay.
Looking
back, the stairs were gone.
『We've
arrived, huh... Yuki, can you sense where Ai and the others are?』
In
response to my question, Yuki sniffed the air a few times, then made a sour
face and shook her head.
『I'm
sorry, there are so many other strong smells...』
『I
see. It can't be helped. ... Alright, return for now.』
I
returned Yuki and summoned Suzuka in her place.
『Suzuka,
track Ai and the others for me.』
『Ooh,
got it,』
Suzuka
grinned at me as I said it while handing her the Daitōren and Shōtōren.
Among
the Divine Power skills, Shukumei-tō is the ability to see the past.
While it was limited to
psychometry, reading the memories of objects, intermediate class allowed one to
see images from the near past.
Suzuka, who possessed
[Tracking] skill, should be able to mark Ai and the others even from past
images and follow them.
And so, we began to move, chasing
Ai and the others' traces...
『……Master, there's another one.』
『Damn
it...!』
I
clicked my tongue at Suzuka's report.
But
at that moment, what filled my chest wasn't rage, but impatience, fear... and
guilt. Even this attitude of mine was close to bravado.
Before
our eyes, there was a 'message' from the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
The corpse of a boy, skewered
from his buttocks to his mouth like a shrike's
larder2.
The
signs of him clawing at his face and throat, along with his agonizing
expression, suggested he had been impaled alive.
It
was a death too gruesome, clearly intended not just to kill, but to inflict as
much suffering as possible.
If
that were all, however, my chest wouldn't be so violently churned to this
extent, although I would feel sympathy.
I
had already witnessed similar 'art' during my previous encounter with him after
all.
The
problem was... this boy was clearly one of the children who had been kidnapped
along with Ai.
...I
had considered the possibility that the kidnapped children were being toyed
with by him to pass the time, in place of Ai.
For
him, the only hostage he truly needs is Ai.
The others are just bonuses. If that's the case, then their treatment
would be akin to easily disposable snacks... no, more like the free toys that
come with snacks.
I had tried my best not to
think about that possibility... but having this reality thrust before my eyes,
it felt like my chest was being squeezed in a vise.
If I
hadn't delivered this child to the Guild, wouldn't he have avoided catching the
Pied Piper of Hamelin's attention...?
I
knew it was a pointless hypothesis, but I can't help but think that way.
I
had found several of these morbid 'objets d'art' before, and each one was
clearly placed as signposts leading to where Ai and the others were.
That fact was relentlessly grating
away at my sanity.
And what was cornering me
further was ————
『Tsk! Master, they're coming
again!』
『...!』
Turning
towards where Suzuka's warning indicated, a section of the forest was stirring
like a living thing.
A
beat later, a faint vibration traveled up my legs.
The
vibration gradually intensified... and then, *bam!*, a brownish mass
burst forth.
As
Renge and the others unleashed a barrage of magic, the mass disintegrated
slightly.
Looking
closely at the parts being blown away, scattering blood and entrails, I could
see that it was a sewer rat.
The
true form of the mass was an aggregation of countless Sewer Rats...
————And
that mass, composed of thousands of Rats, each possessed B-rank combat power.
Faced
with the tsunami of attacking Rats, my cards formed a phalanx to protect me.
Suzuka and Morrigan became the wall, with the rear-guard providing support.
Gravitational
waves, meteor showers, rain of lightning, and torrents of magma – various
attack spells were unleashed, but the Rats' momentum showed no signs of waning.
The strength of each
individual Rat wasn't particularly high. Their combat power was at the lowest
end of B-rank.
Normally, they wouldn't stand
a chance against my cards using [Feast of Destruction, Slaughter, and Victory].
...That
is, if they were coming in small numbers, with intervals.
But with the ceaseless assault
by a swarm of thousands, the life force of Suzuka and the other vanguards was
steadily, gradually, being chipped away...
『Ugh,
kuh...! Master, I am reaching my limit!』
『Kuk! Hold on thirty more seconds!
Twenty seconds, ten seconds... Athena!』
『Understood!
Aegis!』
The
light of Aegis's Absolute Defense enveloped our bodies, and the attacking Rats
petrified one after another.
Without
even a moment to exhale in relief, we quickly healed our wounds with recovery
magic and set up a simple encampment using [Simple Temple] and a recovery magic
circle.
Just barely managing to form
the encampment in time, the light of Aegis's Absolute Defense faded.
Thanks
to the [Simple Temple] and the recovery magic circle, the vanguard's wall
finally managed to stabilize somewhat.
The
tsunami of Rats continued for well over several minutes. And after enduring
what seemed like an eternity, our stamina and magic power were nearly depleted,
and we were surrounded by a mountain of corpses.
Crouching
on the ground, clutching my throbbing head from the Link's strain, I slammed my
fist against the ground.
『Damn
it! This is just too unfair...!』
The
strength of each individual Rat isn't the problem.
The
problem lies in their numbers... no, in their proliferation speed.
The Rats summoned by the Pied
Piper of Hamelin, instead of possessing specific combat skills, had the ability
of self-multiplication... a skill to summon an identical individual of
themselves.
Their proliferation rate was
twenty bodies per minute. The summoned subordinates would summon more
subordinates, increasing literally like a mouse
offspring calculation3.
Fortunately,
there seemed to be an upper limit to their total number, stopping at around ten
thousand, but even that many were practically infinite, and no matter how many
we reduced, they would quickly replenish back to the maximum.
Even
if each one was a mere minion (though still B-rank class), their sheer number
was so threatening, and we were forced to use [Rain of Amrita] after each
assault to recover our stamina and magic power.
I
returned Athena and took out a card.
It was another card of
Kisshouten, which I had kept in reserve until now to revive Renge if she ever
Lost.
Unlike
Renge, a bewitching goddess exuding mature sensuality appeared.
Ignoring
Renge's complicated expression as she looked at her, I spoke to this
Kisshouten,
"Kisshouten,
please use [Rain of Amrita]."
"Good
grief, again?... Honestly, I am not just a recovery item, you know."
While
grumbling, Kisshouten used [Rain of Amrita] and then returned to her card.
...It
was truly a blessing that this Kisshouten didn't have [Pride of Deity].
Thanks
to her, we've been able to minimize the number of times we use [True Rain of
Amrita] through a cycle of Kisshouten's normal [Rain of Amrita] use →→ Renge's
[True Rain of Amrita] → Kisshouten's skill usage recovery → normal [Rain of
Amrita] use → and so on.
It
was a little trick: normal [Rain of Amrita] doesn't have a skill usage recovery
effect, but that's precisely why its uses can be recovered by [True Rain of
Amrita].
Even
so, the fact that we had already used Renge's [True Rain of Amrita] five times
spoke volumes about the fierce battle we had faced since entering this floor...
『……I never knew the Pied Piper of
Hamelin's subordinate summoning was this troublesome.』
Perhaps
because the main body of the Pied Piper of Hamelin had low combat power in our
previous battle, the Rats' upper limit was also low, around a hundred, and
their status ailment resistance was low, so they weren't much of a threat.
We could easily incapacitate
them with things like tear gas spray.
But the B-rank Rats, whose
status ailment resistance had risen accordingly, were, of course, unaffected by
the tear gas spray and other items I had brought from the Dungeon Mart on the
off chance they could work.
Advanced status ailment magic
and Aegis's petrification counter did work, but the affected Rats were
immediately disposed of by other Rats (or rather, trampled and destroyed by the
pursuing horde), so it didn't lead to a complete suppression.
I
also considered holing up in Mayoiga or Athena's Pseudo-Safe Zone to ride out
the assaults without using Amrita, or taking our time to recover.
However, with that approach,
the enemy would recover their numbers while we were recuperating. It was easy
to foresee how we'd fall into an endless loop of combat followed by recovery,
where they'd simply ambush us once we emerged.
Ultimately, our only option
was to whittle down the enemy's numbers as much as possible during each
assault, then advance a little further while they recovered.
Right now, all I could do was
pray that I would have enough use of [True Rain of Amrita] left to reach Ai.
And
then.
After
repeated assaults, when the uses of [True Rain of Amrita] finally dwindled to
the last one, and despair truly began to consume my heart...
『Master! Here! We've arrived!
They're here!』
『What!?』
We
had finally reached Ai and the children's location.
It was a small clearing in the
forest, seemingly empty at first glance.
But .......
I pulled out a stone with a
hole in the middle—an Adderstone4 —from my
pocket and peered through the hole, looking around.
Sure
enough, an old-fashioned Japanese-style house stood there all by itself.
"Bingo!"
I
had left a Mayoiga card with Ai.
She
must have holed up inside it to ride out the Rats' assaults.
In
other words, Ai is still alive ......!
Quickly
switching Suzuka for Athena, we rushed into Mayoiga.
『Athena! Pseudo-Safe Zone, now!』
If the Pied Piper of Hamelin
were to attack Ai, this was his only chance!
He would surely warp in the
moment I reunited with Ai, trying to kill her right in front of me.
Therefore, I had to deploy the
Pseudo-Safe Zone at this exact moment!
Athena
nodded, and as she raised her great shield, a wave of power spread across the
area.
————……Tch!
At
that instant, I thought I heard the Pied Piper of Hamelin click his tongue in
annoyance.
Simultaneously,
his presence that I had felt continuously ever since entering this dungeon,
began to recede...
But
it's still too early to relax. That will be after I confirm Ai’s safety.
"Ai!
Where are you?! I've come to get you!"
I shouted loudly as I entered
the mansion, and immediately there was a response.
The scenery inside the
building warped, and a grand hall's sliding doors appeared directly in front of
the entrance.
They burst open violently and…!
"Onii-chan!"
Ai
flew out with great momentum.
I
spread my arms wide to catch her and held her in a tight embrace.
"Waaaaahhhhh!
I was so scared! I was so scareddd!"
"Yeah...
you’re safe now."
Grateful
from the bottom of my heart that this small, frail body was still warm, I
continued to stroke my sobbing little sister's head.
[Tips] Authority of
the Deity of Knowledge5
The
Authority of the Deity of Knowledge grants access to the collective knowledge/wisdom
of humanity and the 'records' of their lost counterparts.
The
collective knowledge/wisdom is the accumulation of knowledge from all the
deceased since the birth of humanity to the present day, commonly known as the
Akashic Record.
Due
to its nature, the Akashic Record accessible via the Authority of Knowledge is
easier to search for older, widely known information, but takes longer for
newer, lesser-known knowledge. Furthermore, as it's based purely on a human perspective,
the information isn't always guaranteed to be correct.
To
compensate for this flaw, the Authority of the Deity of Knowledge also shares
the 'records' of their lost counterparts.
This
allows for a comprehensive scrutiny of information from a perspective beyond
human understanding—that of a Deity of Knowledge—and enables the sharing of
relatively newer information.
Therefore,
as time progresses, the Authority of the Deity of Knowledge tends to deepen in
capabilities.
In
a sense, it can be called a 'growing authority'.
***
Notes:
1 Almiraj ( Arabic : المعراج, al - Miʿrāj) is a mythical creature resembling a horned rabbit, said to inhabit the 'Island of the Dragons' ( جزيرة التنين , Jazīrat al -Tinnīn) in the Indian Ocean. All animals are described as terrified of Almiraj and flee from at the first sight. The well-known source is Qazvini 's Cosmology (13th century), although the name of this horned rabbit is not specifically mentioned in medieval manuscripts. Names such as this one seemed to be added by later scribes. ↩
2 Food storage. Shrikes impale their prey on thorns, barbed wire, or forked branches. ↩
3 The raw is 鼠算式的. It is a calculation created as an example of mice reproducing continuously with their young over a certain period, increasing geometrically. It is also a metaphor for numbers increasing rapidly. ↩
4 It has the power to see through illusions and hidden presences; looking through the hole allows you to see through skills like Invisibility and Cross-Space skills. Single-use.↩
5 Throwback to ch. 121, Athena possesses this because she is a goddess of wisdom and knowledge ↩
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