NBAA Vol. 7 Chapter 6 Part 4
—A few minutes later, the unconscious Mina was laid down on the sofa at Reito’s house, and everyone except Shizune and Reito looked worriedly at her condition.
“Is she okay? She was blown away spectacularly…”
“The wound has healed, so now she’s just unconscious…I guess.”
Kotomin answered Dain’s anxious words.
“That final blow was brilliant.”
“I never expected that Shizune-dono would pull out the blade… Mina-dono has also improved her skills quite a bit.”
Gonzo and Hanzo praised Mina’s good fight.
“Someone should be worried about me.”
Shizune, who had a wound on her right arm, let out a sigh.
Reito held up his palm and healed her with recovery magic.
“’Ultra Recovery Boost’…that’s it.”
“It’s a relief. I never thought she could attack like that… My right arm almost got ripped off.”
Shizune thanked Reito for treating her wounds and looked at Mina in a cold sweat.
She pulled out The Four Seasons to take Mina’s last blow, resulting in Mina being defeated.
“That last blow was amazing. But I won the match… so I’ll leave her behind.”
“Isn’t that a little harsh?”
“A promise is a promise.”
Shizune acknowledged Mina a little, but she still wasn’t good enough to take her along. Since it was a promise they had made in advance, no one else could interfere.
“Well, even if we can’t help matters with Mina… how are we going to get there? Or rather, why are we moving in the evening?”
Reito asked Shizune something that had been bothering him for a long time.
“Because in order to get to the Tower’s Great Labyrinth, we need to pass through the Rudri Wilderness, which exists in the northern part of this city. You can’t go through this wilderness during the day, so you have to travel by horse-drawn carriage at night.”
“Why? Isn’t it usually more dangerous to travel at night?”
“In the Rudri Wilderness, there is a species of dragon called the Earth Dragon. This species is active during the day, so we cannot pass through the wilderness.”
“What? Wait a minute, you didn’t tell me you were going through the Rudri Wilderness! I thought we were going to bypass the wilderness!”
Dain was shocked to hear her words. However, Shizune let out a disappointed sigh.
“If you bypass the wilderness, it will take you a week to reach the Tower’s Great Labyrinth. If you go through the wilderness, you can get there in less than three days.”
“Just because it’s night doesn’t mean it’s absolutely safe! In fact, some people have been attacked while traveling at night!”
“If you don’t want to, I won’t force you. Just stay here.”
“Ugh…”
“Dain, if you are an adventurer, sometimes you have to take risks.”
Dain fell silent as Shizune spoke coldly, and Gonzo placed a hand on his shoulder. Gonzo also agreed to go through the wilderness.
“I-I understand!! However, even if the earth dragon appears, I will never fight!! Actually, I can’t fight it!! At night, shadow magic is useless against dragons!”
“Why is this man making such a pathetic assertion…?”
“This is our Dain.”
“Why are you so proud too!?”
Shizune was puzzled by Dain’s statement.
However, if you actually encounter a dragon species, of course you have no choice but to flee. Reito knew the power of the dragon species because he had fought against the Rotten Dragon. Even though he had awakened to the power of Sword Demon, his opponent was too formidable.
“Well, that’s fine. After passing through the wilderness, we’ll enter a mountainous area, so monsters that can’t be seen in this region will also appear. Also, make sure you have plenty of food and water for each of you, okay?”
Everyone nodded at Shizune’s confirmation. Then Reito asked a question.
“Are there any villages or towns along the way?”
“There are some villages and towns along the way, but the one we can use as a base is a town called ‘Gaila’, which is surrounded by rocky mountains and near the Tower’s Great Labyrinth. We will re-stock food and water there and leave Ullr-kun and the Slimes-chan there.”
“Ullr-kun?”
“Slimes-chan?”
“I-It doesn’t matter what you call them!”
Shizune raised her voice in embarrassment. She was an animal lover, after all.
Hanzo raised her right hand and asked her a question.
“Shizune, only adventurers can challenge the Great Labyrinth, but in the case of the Tower’s Great Labyrinth, you need a permit from your guild master, that I believe. We don’t have one prepared, but is it okay?”
“If you form a group of adventurers, there won’t be any problems as long as one of them has a permit. This time I have it, so it’s okay.”
Reito tilted his head at the answer.
“Huh? Is Shizune an adventurer too?”
“No, I’m a mercenary. But even a mercenary can challenge the Great Labyrinth if they get permission.”
Shizune said as she took out her guild card exclusively for the mercenary guild from her bag. While the guild cards owned by Reito and the others were made of crystal, Shizune’s cards were made of metal plates like steel plates.
“Is this a mercenary guild card? It just looks like a steel plate…”
“Actually, it’s almost a steel plate. Unlike yours, it’s just something to prove your identity.”
For mercenaries, unlike adventurers, there was no rank, only their name and guild engraved on them. A seal-like pattern was engraved on the edge of the guild card. According to Shizune, this was a seal that could only be given to people with the permission of the guild master.
“If you show them this, you should be able to take on the Great Labyrinth without any problems. By the way, although this guild card looks like a steel plate, it is actually made of a special metal, so it is impossible to forge it. Even if you bring in a steel plate that only looks like a guild card, it will not pass the inspection.”
“Inspection?”
“The Tower’s Great Labyrinth is managed by the kingdom. Only those with permission can enter, and anyone who trespasses will be subject to heavy penalties.”
“Can I have a look?”
“Sure, but…”
Reito took her guild card and memorized the material and markings on the steel plate, just in case. He then handed her the guild card back and immediately began preparing to move.
“It’s getting pretty dark. Well then, let’s head over to rent a carriage now.”
“Eh? I have a carriage at my house too…”
“Really? But there are no horses anywhere.”
“Woof!!”
“Ah, now that I think about it, you were there.”
Ullr barked as if he was telling her to leave it to him. For the first time in a long time, the “wolf-carriage”, not the horse-drawn carriage, was on the move.
However, with such a large number of people and baggage, it would be a heavy burden for Ullr. Reito became concerned and asked Ullr.
“Ullr, can you carry this many people? Even if you turn into a giant wolf, wouldn’t it be tough?”
“*whine*…”
Ullr suddenly turned around and cried out anxiously. Shizune also had a worried look on her face.
“Shall we rent a new carriage?”
“If you want to lighten the weight, why don’t you use a Levitation Stone, that you can use?”
Hanzo suggested this.
According to her explanation, there was a magic stone called “Levitation Stone” that could lighten the weight of an object, and if the magic stone was attached to an object, it would lighten the weight of the luggage.
“The country where I used to live has a number of mines where Levitation Stones can be found, that I know of. I have some of them with me to sell when I am in need of money, that I do.”
“I have never heard of such a magic stone.”
“Levitation Stones are not distributed in this kingdom. It is also the first time for me to see it.”
“This is it!!”
Hanzo took out a spherical magic stone from a storage stone’s different space. It looked like a brown balloon.
When Reito received the Levitation Stone from Hanzo to try it out, he noticed that it had almost no weight.
“Wow, what is this? It’s extremely light…and it’s soft like clay.”
“Just attach it to the object you want to make lighter, that it will be effective. But be careful, that the effect is not permanent, that it will be restored when the effect wears off, that it will.”
“I see, that I do.”
“There are some useful things…ah, that there are.”
“Why are you all imitating my endings, that you are?”
““Purupuru.””
After understanding the nature of the Levitation Stone, Reito approached the wolf carriage that was placed behind his house, cut the soft, clay-like Levitation Stone into strips, and attached them to various places. This alone seemed to have an effect.
Reito pulled the wolf cart with both hands to see the effect. Then, he was able to carry it out easily.
“Wow, this is very convenient. I can pull it with just one arm.”
“The effect of the Levitation Stone lasts about three days, that it does. I think it will last until the Tower’s Great Labyrinth, that I think.”
“That’s good enough. Ullr is faster than a normal horse, so we can get there faster, right?”
“Woof!!”
After confirming that Ullr answered cheerfully, Reito and the others boarded the wolf carriage. Gonzo, by the way, got into the cart attached to the back of the wolf carriage as usual. Of course, Hanzo’s Levitation Stone was attached to this one as well.
“I’m sorry, Han-chan. For sharing such a precious magic stone with me…”
“No, no, it is a common thing in my country, so you don’t need to worry about it, that you don’t.”
“Then let’s go!!”
“Wow!!”
As Reito gave the order, Ullr’s body swelled up, doubling in size. “Giant Wolf Transformation,” which could only be used by White Wolves, slowed down the speed slightly but greatly increased power.
Ullr, in his giant wolf form, moved his wolf carriage with ease. The speed was unmatched by ordinary horses, and the vehicle sped through the streets in a single bound.
Due to the late departure time, it was already nightfall when the wolf carriage carried by Ullr left the city. However, in less than an hour, Reito and his friends arrived at the “Rudri Wilderness”.
“Is this the Rudri Wilderness?”
“That’s right. From here on out, you’ll need to be careful about the noise you make. Let’s move as quietly as possible.”
“Woof!!”
Ullr replied cheerfully while Reito stared at him with half-open eyes.
“Did you hear what she said? That kind of thing is no good.”
“Woof (whisper).”
“Okay, okay, good boy.”
The Rudri Wilderness was an ordinary wasteland with no distinctive features. However, this place was inhabited by a species of dragon known as the “Earth Dragon,” which could be dangerous if you don’t proceed with caution.
However, the main thing you needed to be careful about was the sound. Reito, who was holding Ullr’s reins in the driver’s seat, invoked his “Photosphere” magic to illuminate the surroundings, as he was told that there would be no problem as long as the lights were not too noticeable.
“…There really aren’t any monsters here. Considering that the number of monsters in this area has decreased because of the Rotten Dragon, it’s…amazing that we haven’t encountered any at all.”
Reito muttered, and Shizune in the cabin responded.
“That’s the fear of dragon species. Weak monsters can’t even approach the areas where they live.”
“But wouldn’t dragons be in trouble if they don’t have food?”
“That’s why they never let their prey escape when it enters their territory. They will kill us if we are not careful.”
“Don’t say scary things.”
Dain made a sound of fear at Shizune’s comment.
“Don’t worry, Suramin and Hitomin will let us know if anything comes near.”
““Purupuru.””
“I am confident in my sensing ability too, that I am.”
The slimes and Hanzo, who have excellent sensing abilities, said this to reassure Dain.
In fact, if the slimes were accompanying them, they would probably notice the existence of the dragon species in advance. Furthermore, it was reassuring that Hanzo, who possessed sensing-related skills, was also accompanying them.