NOVEL WEB Chapter 20
After that, we wandered smoothly through the labyrinth.
When a Lizardman appeared, the Poor Girl would explode and explode and explode.
If someone nearby clapped and praised her, the Poor Girl would become even more excited and showcase all sorts of magic.
Thanks to that, I was able to avoid sweating even a drop for quite a long time.
If we got a bit closer, she might even lend me some money.
She looked rude on the outside, but she was a total fool.
“Why are you staring at me like that again?”
“How did I look at you?”
“I don’t know. But it just feels bad.”
This is why I dislike perceptive little brats.
I shrugged my shoulders and moved on.
“You feel that way because you dislike me.”
“Right. I dislike you. Really dislike you.”
“I dislike you too.”
“Why?”
“Why should I like you when you dislike me?”
Her purple eyes rolled around.
Her lips were pouting as if trying to find words.
Then, unable to find them, she squinted and shot back.
“You’re seriously annoying.”
“I know.”
“If you weren’t a noble, a Duke’s daughter to boot, you’d have been beaten up somewhere.”
I heard that a lot in my previous life.
I even got beaten up for real until I died.
“Besides, being short makes it even more infuriating.”
“It doesn’t make much difference, what are you talking about?”
“I’m taller than you! A whole palm taller. You’re looking up at me right now.”
“Others probably think we’re about the same height.”
At a glance, the Poor Girl seems to be in her mid-150 cm range. I think I’m about a palm shorter than her… my own hand’s palm.
So, from above, we probably look the same.
“Different! Height and chest. I’m bigger in every way.”
“Comparing yourself to me is absurd, right? Or maybe it makes sense?”
“Wha-what?! You, you!!”
I covered the Poor Girl’s mouth as her face turned bright red.
“Ugh?! Ugh!”
“Hey.”
I pointed to a corner of the labyrinth.
The shadows were dancing on the wall as if a fire was lit.
It wasn’t the shadow of a person.
Nor was it the shadow of the Lizardmen we had encountered so far.
There were six.
Based on the weapons reflected in the shadows, there were three spears, two bows, and one staff.
I quickly glanced at the Poor Girl’s face.
As I expected, she looked pale.
“Do you know what that is?”
The Poor Girl slowly opened her mouth after cautiously brushing my hand away.
“… They are monsters known as elite Lizardmen. Unlike ordinary Lizardmen, they possess intelligence. And… it seems there’s a mage among them.”
She really knows her stuff.
As the Poor Girl said, those are not ordinary Lizardmen.
To put it simply, they are intelligent monsters.
In other words…
Monsters blessed by the Demon Race.
There are ranks even among Demons, and there are ranks among monsters as well.
If we only consider monsters, they are divided into six ranks: nameless, low-level, mid-level, high-level, top-level, and disaster.
And the ones in front of us are low-level monsters—low-level monsters blessed by low-ranked Demons.
I didn’t expect them to implement low-level monsters, but the deeper I dig, the more serious it gets, and I like it.
Leveling up the standard of the inner Academy.
Though I thought things were getting a bit better, I asked the Poor Girl, who had gone pale again.
“Can you handle them?”
“… I could handle one at a time, but six at once would be tough.”
The Poor Girl, whispering with a trembling voice, glared at me while gnawing her lips.
“I’m not weak; I’m just low on mana. Why are you looking at me like that? You know how many Lizardmen I’ve killed?”
“Like thirty, right?”
“I’ve killed thirty-seven. All head explosions, at once.”
“Yeah. I know. Good job. That was impressive.”
Without a single mistake, the Poor Girl killed thirty-seven Lizardmen.
Well, mid-battle, I did praise her a bit more than usual anyway. Yet still, it was quite a decent fight.
“But why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because I thought you could handle it.”
“… What?”
The Poor Girl’s eyes widened.
“You used Shadow Lance. If you chant while in that state, the mana consumption will drastically decrease, right?”
“… That’s true.”
Kaloso was like that as well.
He also used all his magic with Shadow Lance.
While extreme mana consumption couldn’t be helped, he used high-level magic without chant when he was sure it would be the last spell of the battle.
“But you still can’t do it?”
“I still can’t. It’s too dangerous. If I start chanting, the casting time will inevitably increase, and that means… we could both die.”
I thought to myself, “Why talk about dying when it’s a fake labyrinth?”
But I kept that thought to myself.
I felt like I’d get a response like, “No! You’re the fool! How can this be a fake labyrinth?!”
“I’ll protect you during that casting time.”
“What…?”
“Feel free to use whatever magic you want. I’ll be your guard while you do it. And why do you keep trying to do everything by yourself when you know you’re useless without a front line?”
“Because you’re a chimpanzee.”
“Oh really? Damn.”
“Ew.”
“You’re scared.”
The Poor Girl’s face flushed red.
Then she looked at me with an extremely confused expression.
Was she trying to hit me just now?
This little thing? And I got scared again?
No way…
Her expression was one of disbelief.
It’s funny how she reacts so differently from Yurasia, probably because of her pride.
Well, that’s that.
It was about time to wrap things up.
Although it was said that it didn’t matter when clearing as long as we caught the Basilisk, this was dragging on for too long.
“Did you forget what I said I was going to catch?”
“… There’s no way I’d forget such a crazy thing.”
“Then why do you keep trying to protect me? I should be the one protecting you.”
“Why do you say that like it’s a bad thing? And you haven’t once said thank you.”
“Oh, my bad. Thanks for everything so far. And I’m only asking out of pure curiosity. Logically thinking, wouldn’t someone saying they’re going to catch a Basilisk be strong?”
“A chimp, no… a Martial Artist is what, how strong can that be.”
The Poor Girl, who was grumbling at me, eventually grabbed my arm and pulled me.
Her hands were cold.
Her expression was dull and prickly, but her whole body expressed fear.
“Anyway, it’s too dangerous. There’s a sure way, why choose a dangerous method? Are you really a chimpanzee?”
Honestly, I could leave her here and go finish it off myself without any big concerns.
But I was still inducing the Poor Girl to use magic because I wanted to confirm something.
I could check it while facing the Basilisk, but she seemed so scared now that I didn’t think it would work out well in that situation.
I needed to confirm it now.
So I said,
“You were just talking big, but it turns out you’re just a useless coward.”
“Wha-what?!”
“Seriously, you talk about how you’ve been on adventures for over two years in Gebihenum, got lost in a labyrinth, and even caught an Ogre alone, but now you’re trembling at just those six?”
“That’s not true!”
“You’ve been boasting while not doing anything. Who can’t talk tough? Hey, I’m actually Ronan Luzarack from my past life, and I’ve personally taken the heads of two Legion Commanders.”
“What? Hey! Who would believe such childish lies?”
“That’s how I feel right now.”
It’s not just talk; it’s true.
“You, you… seriously…”
The Poor Girl, gnawing her lips tightly and clenching her fists, I said one more thing.
“So, what are you gonna do? A lousy delusional magic user who has run out of mana—what can they do?”
“Ugggh… Ha! Fine. I’ll show you. I don’t need a chimp like you. I’ll do it alone. So shut up and watch.”
The Poor Girl, with her face flaming red, moved forward. A trail of purple mana shimmered in her wake.
“Hoo…”
With her sigh drifting in the nearby space, the scent of milk-flavored macarons filled the air. Her hands trembled, and the dark blue hair, slightly visible through her hood, clung to her sweaty nape.
Even so, her purple eyes shone with a sharp light in search of a solution.
Then, an incomprehensible chant flowed from her lips. It wasn’t a language I didn’t know. I understood it, but the mana tangled up and blurred the sound.
As the chant continued, the colors of the mana infused into each syllable became clearer. The mana formed a shape.
What was drawn was a circle. A total of three circles made of mana spun fiercely, emitting light.
Finally, when the girl opened her eyes, the magic was complete.
“Lightning.”
A deep blue light illuminated the labyrinth.
[KKKKKRRRAAAAAAAAAAA―!]
The monsters’ screams erupted.
Three screams echoed out.
Whether the front line was dead or the rear line, I couldn’t tell. Thus, she continued the new chant.
The mana’s circle, rising behind her, started to spin again. This time, even more violently, it blew off her hood.
Dark blue mixed with purple.
Her dark blue hair, reminiscent of the early dawn sky, cascaded down. Cold sweat trickled down her nape. Just as that sweat flowed down her delicate shoulder.
“… Floral, Spear.”
A fierce wind shot forth.
The screams of the monsters could be heard as the Poor Girl wobbled.
Still, she turned her head, grinning confidently.
“You saw that… Don’t you dare talk to me like that again—”
At the same time.
Psssh-
Amidst the rising dust, a sharp sound cut through.
An arrow, aiming for her chest, hurtled towards her. However, the Poor Girl couldn’t react. Correcting her swaying body seemed to be her utmost priority.
“It was all good, but the ending is a letdown.”
I grabbed the wobbling girl’s shoulder. I held her faltering body in my arms and reached my other hand from below, forming a fist.
Thud-
“Uh…?”
An arrow poked right in front of her chest.
The Poor Girl’s body shook as she looked at the arrow in my hand, now motionless.
“Watch closely. I can shoot arrows well too.”
With a grin, I immediately threw the arrow.
Fwsh—Bang!
Gathering dust around, the fired arrow burst the head of the Lizardman.
“See? If you ever call me a chimpanzee again, your head will end up like that.”
I tapped the eyebrows of the girl nestled in my arms.
Tears started to fill her purple eyes.
Her previously defiant lips trembled.
Sweat trickled down her glistening nape.
“… Wh-what was that just now?”
Her ragged breath. The exhausted sigh was tinged with the sweetness of macarons. A weak soapy scent mixed with sweat wafted from inside her hood.
“What else could it be? I shot an arrow.”
Her lips parted slightly in disbelief.
I slipped a mint candy that I had prepared into her mouth.
The Poor Girl instinctively closed her mouth and wrinkled her face at the minty taste spreading in her mouth.
“I really… dislike you.”
“I dislike you too.”