Chapter 179: Cooperating Combat and Beyond the Underground Passage

[A/N: Posting two extra bonus Chapters today because we reached a weekly milestone!]

"Alright, let’s go!"

Heinz called out and started advancing together with Ovnil.

Behind them Fine and Il, then I passed through the door and followed.

From behind us there is a sense of Rita and Beata following.

In the pitch dark we advanced relying on the light Heinz held.

Not only the vanguard Heinz and Ovnil but we also have to be vigilant in the visible range.

But it is this dark.

There is a limit even to being vigilant.

"Mu, they are ahead."

Ovnil cautioned in a low voice.

Ovnil apparently has good eyes.

I strained my eyes looking ahead but saw nothing.

But there is certainly a presence.

"Be careful!"

I called further attention.

Someone made a goku sound swallowing.

Heinz and Ovnil prepared their respective weapons.

"They’re coming!"

Ovnil shouted.

At the same time Giant Rats appeared.

"Ku, fast!"

Heinz immediately received the charging Giant Rat with his sword.

"Mu, mumumu!"

Beside him Ovnil was also fighting a Giant Rat.

"Water that is the source of life. Come forth from my fingertip and strike my enemy!"

"Water Arrow!"

"Ha!"

Fine supported Heinz with magic and Il released an arrow supporting Ovnil.

"Thanks."

"You’re welcome."

Fine answered Heinz’s thanks.

Awkward but well it’s fine I guess.

"Don’t let your guard down! There are still more."

Ovnil after stopping the breath of the Giant Rat weakened by Il’s magic cautioned again.

But he can see well in this darkness.

I can only see about several meters ahead brightened by Illumination magic.

When I strained my eyes trying to see beyond that I saw a gray shadow attacking.

"Ku, no good!"

Heinz’s movement was one breath late, he prepared his sword again and immediately received a charge from a Giant Rat.

He somehow parried with his sword but could not make the next move.

"Ovnil!"

"Handle it yourself!"

Ovnil cut down Heinz’s request for support.

Looking Ovnil was also facing a Giant Rat.

Il was also supporting Ovnil.

Fine was...

"Water Arrow!"

She was checking Giant Rats heading from further behind with magic.

Can’t be helped.

"Sorry a bit!"

I slipped between Fine who finished chanting magic and Il and cut down the Giant Rat biting Heinz’s sword with the broadsword in my right hand.

"Dowa!"

With excess momentum I hit Heinz’s sword.

Heinz dropped his sword.

"Sorry."

I apologized to Heinz while peering at the presence around.

But the Giant Rats will not wait.

They attack one after another.

"I’ll take over!"

I switched with Heinz who had no weapon and went to the vanguard.

Then I cut a Giant Rat in two with one stroke.

"You, you’re good."

"No no."

Receiving words of praise from Ovnil who smiled inappropriately I answered while cutting down Giant Rats attacking one after another.

...

"In the way!"

Ovnil cursed.

Giant Rat corpses piled up in front of my eyes.

The footing is also bad and visibility is also bad.

On top of that they attack from on top of Giant Rat corpses.

I am still better but from Ovnil who is lower than my chest it is hard to fight I suppose.

We have only advanced several meters from the door.

Where are they coming from?

I thought most died in that explosion.

Can’t be helped.

"Water that is the source of life. Come forth from my fingertip and strike my enemy."

While finishing the Giant Rat in front with the broadsword in my right hand I drew a magic circle with my left hand while chanting the Water Arrow spell.

"Water Arrow!"

Then I pointed my left finger in front.

Previously when I practiced Water Arrow with Sophia it did not seem useful at all but in this situation it might go well.

I also put in a bit more magic power.

As a result the next Giant Rat that leaped was blasted apart.

Then from the shockwave the rats at my feet also flew into the depths.

"Guwa!" "Kyaa!" "Uo!"

Not as much as the shockwave that sent the rats flying but a strong wind blew this way too.

"Sorry, are you okay?"

It was stronger than I thought.

"「「「「「「...」」」」」」"

But no one answered my apology and there was no sense of movement.

Because it was sudden are they quite angry?

"Nn?"

While being careful of the presence in front I glanced to the side.

"..."

Ovnil was frozen looking at me with round eyes.

"Ovnil! Front! Look front! Be vigilant!"

"O-ou..."

If Ovnil who can see through the darkness is not vigilant we will be ambushed.

As expected I had no leeway to turn around so I kept my face forward as is.

The passage also became clean.

"Alright, let’s advance."

"O-ou."

The only one who answered was Ovnil.

While thinking it suspicious I advanced and after one beat there was a sense of them following from behind.

There are footsteps and armor sounds so it should be correct.

Anyway let’s advance ahead.

...

"But Hiiro was a skilled adventurer huh."

After advancing a while Heinz called out from behind.

While lightly parrying Giant Rats that appeared singly from time to time we advanced ahead.

"Nn? I’m not an adventurer though."

"...Eh? But you came to that shop right."

"Aa, because I wanted to eat breakfast... nn?"

Come to think of it that master first asked something strange.

"I-I see. Then we brought an amateur."

"S-seems so. But you look stronger than us."

Heinz muttered and Fine answered.

"I-I’m sorry. I thought for sure you were an adventurer..."

From the very back Beata apologized.

"No, it’s fine. I heard the content of the job."

Though I did not think the Giant Rats to exterminate would be this giant.

But it is nostalgic.

I remember Kuno, Thomas, Lilli.

They are the adventurers who protected us when I could not put out my usual power from a curse long ago.

They seem to have been killed on that day we became stone.

I want to visit that village once.

And I want to hold a memorial.

"...What’s wrong? You fell silent."

Fine called out to me.

"No, a little. More than that, don’t you hear the sound of water?"

It is not something to talk about so I tried diverting the talk.

That said there really is a goo sound of flowing water from the depths.

This is an underground passage so sewage is probably flowing.

If so the smell should get stronger but thanks to Il’s magic there is no smell at all.

Then when we went to the dead end there was a waterway and dirty water turbid brown flowed from right to left.

The Giant Rat corpses I brushed away were scattered here and there.

Many were probably washed away by the water.

"How far do we have to go?"

I asked Heinz.

It is troublesome if it gets too late.

In the end I agreed it would finish within today but...

"Let’s see... the right side should be the direction of the castle so let’s advance to the right. When time comes I think we will end it there."

Instead of Heinz with a troubled expression Beata answered from the very back.

Come to think of it Beata was holding the map.

"Got it."

We advanced upstream along the underground waterway.