I looked up at Widow Suhardu, standing behind me.
She looked down at me in return.
"P-please take care of me."
Widow Suhardu gave a small bow.
Then she sank into my shadow—
—with
a
soft
*plop*—
and
took
me
right
down
with
her.
"—?!"
Wh-where is this...? I was underwhelmed.
The place she'd sunk me into was just a room.
There was a fireplace, a reclining chair, and paintings hanging on the walls.
It was just like the parlor of a mansion.
She gave a quick gesture upward, and outside came into view.
We were in shadow, that much was certain—but what exactly was this room?
"No, forget all that—what do I do now?"
Huh, the scenery outside was moving.
It glided along smoothly, passing through the gate of the ruins.
We were... moving? But if it went like this, no one would notice.
I could only see my feet, but the stairs going down told me we were heading underground.
Well, that made sense—this was all underground.
I looked around the dungeon-like place and spotted several injured men and women locked in cells.
No doubt about it. They were Kika's companions.
I stepped out of the shadow and used Banish to dissolve their shackles.
I asked the man closest to me how he was doing. He looked quite haggard.
"A-are you alright?"
"Oh... oh... who are you..."
"Drink this, please."
I had them drink the elixir.
Fortunately, while they had various injuries, none were fatal.
I explained about Kika to the bewildered group and had them use the forced teleportation stone to return.
Alright, that's one less thing to worry about.
Now all that's left is to take my time with the trash cleanup.
Widow Suhadoo stands beside me.
This widow is a Relic, isn't she...?
In my mind, Relics fall into categories like skills or gifts.
Now, are the others alive?
Just because you got permission to play with them until they're dead, don't get too carried away.
You're looking forward to it too, aren't you?
We can do whatever we want with that bratty girl!
Trash incoming. Oh, Widow Suhadoo moved.
In an instant, she enveloped the men who descended in shadows and sank them.
I know at least they weren't sent to the room I'm in.
And they're probably not alive either.
When I look with Danger Discernment, Widow Suhadoo is pitch black.
I don't want to make her an enemy.
After that, it was Widow Suhadoo's solo show.
She demonstrated overwhelming suppression power against multiple opponents.
I deal with the ones that slip through.
Her triumphant advance came to a sudden halt.
A massive shockwave sent her flying.
"Huh? Not much of a punch."
The one who said that was a Fawn male standing nearly two meters tall.
White horns, wild black hair. Sharp pale-green eyes. Hard-set features.
His battered upper body was on full display, and he wore rough white pants.
His left arm was... a prosthetic, wasn't it?
He held a single-edged greatsword in his right hand, and a vertical scar ran straight down the center of his face.
"Banish."
"Shock."
Two Relics fired by gaze collide midair.
"So you're the boss."
"What business does a brat have with my clan?"
"Trash duty. Seems like your clan doesn't have a trash can."
This guy. Strong.
I ready my knife. Its blade was a pale, LCD-like glow — Agaro's knife, Mark II.
"Big talk, kid."
His other hand held a Banish Chakram... The man leveled the greatsword at me.
"Why would you do this?"
"Because it pays."
"...So you'll do anything for money. Are you some kind of bandit?"
"You're a loud brat. There's another reason too. Revenge."
"Revenge?"
"Kill Alverd."
I blinked. Oh, right. These guys.
They must've been cut out by Alverd's Kuun Hunt reforms.
Well, if you're gonna pull stuff like this, getting cut is only natural.
Still, what an interesting thing to say.
"You're going to kill Alverd?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"There's absolutely no way you can."
"Huh?"
"Because you're gonna die here."
Having said that, I thought to myself. I gave a wry laugh, realizing I sounded like some kind of villain.
Some sort of flag was getting triggered, but I wasn't gonna lose.
"Die, you bastard! [Break]!"
The man swung his greatsword down. I felt the pressure.
I dodged, and a shockwave hit me. I defended with the Blue Saint's gauntlet and closed the distance with [One Step].
"[One Blade Severs the Demon]!"
"Whoa!"
The man blocked with his greatsword and stumbled back.
Impressive. This guy really wasn't a pushover.
[Vibration]
[Shock]
Negated again.
I'd learned a thing or two from fighting all sorts of people.
It seemed that once you reached a certain level of strength, you could negate Relics.
"You... You're not just some kid, are you."
"And you don't seem like just some bottom feeder, either."
I already knew this man had the Break and Shock Relics.
I didn't know if he had more, but—I'd take him down with everything I had.
"Shut it! I'm Gouba, sub-master of the clan 'Neburaborn.'"
"Sub, huh."
So he wasn't the clan master after all.
Gouba smirked unpleasantly.
"I'll show you. I'm the type who goes all out, even when hunting rabbits."
"What a coincidence. I'm the same way."
Then Gouba's body swelled up violently, ripping his pants apart.
His skin turned black as Gouba continued to transform with grotesque sounds.
"NUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWW!!"
"………………"
"NUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWW!!!"
"…………"
"NUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWW!!"
Noisy. During his transformation — he was completely wide open.
I could attack here, but even I think that would be going too far.
If I did something like that, people would think I was heartless.
So I wait. Attacking mid-transformation is a no-go — it's just basic manners.
And when Gouba finally finished transforming, I was left speechless.
It was a Caucasus Giant Beetle.
"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWW!!"
No matter how you looked at it, it was a Caucasus Giant Beetle.
"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWW!!"
A very, very large Caucasus Giant Beetle.
"WHYYYYYYY!?"
In an instant, I activate [Generous] and use [Rev Move] to change my form.
Then I slam [Deep Banish Roar] into the Caucasus Giant Beetle with all my might.
The Caucasus Giant Beetle vanishes without a trace.
Needless to say, the ruin fortress is obliterated in the aftermath.
I think I went a little overboard.
But it's his fault for suddenly turning into a Caucasus Giant Beetle.
Still, even if it had been a Hercules Giant Beetle, the result would've been the same.
Ah, but if it were a giant stag beetle, I'd hesitate a little.
What about a giraffe stag beetle or a mandibulate two-horned stag beetle?
Right, I like stag beetles more than rhinoceros beetles.
Most people would pick rhinoceros beetles, I'm sure.
I know. The stag beetle crowd is the minority.
But I still like stag beetles.
What was I even talking about again?
Oh right. What happened to the Widow Shardu that got blown away by the impact?
"………………"
It's sitting in my shadow without a scratch. Probably took zero damage from that blast.
Oh right. Gather Sun Grass.
Phew. Quest complete.