Chapter 25

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Arc 02: Guild and Competition for the cursed sword\nChapter 25: Capturing the dungeon, second half “Goblins are mown down”\nLike this we’d cleared the second floor without any issues and descended to the third floor. According to the map, we were about to enter the area consisting of the abandoned ruins. \n\n

This land was formerly settled by beings from an ancient magic civilization, who could probably be the humankind predecessors. This place, which was built by such beings, was called The Underground Ruins.\n\n

Despite it being located beneath the surface, the stone floor here was smoothly paved, with temple-looking pillars being lined up alongside the spacious corridor.\n\n

“This is where things get serious, huh”?\n\n

The monsters inhabiting this floor were goblins. It’s said among the adventurers that if one could defeat a goblin, they would graduate from being beginners. \n\n

Said goblins were humanoid monsters that would occasionally leave the dungeon and attacks travellers on the roads and people from nearby villages. They’re brutal, and hostile towards humans and those demi-humans that were close to them. It’s also said that those creatures lived in large groups.\n\n

“… here they come”\n\n

Further into the spacious corridor, we heard the footsteps coming from beyond the opened door, accompanied with rough voices. \n

What appeared next were small ogres with green skin. Their height was a little bit under one meter, and they were armed with adze and longswords. It was perhaps stolen from that humans they had killed. \n

Whether it was because they were angry at us for entering their territory, the goblins glared  at us with their yellow eyes as they were slowly approaching this way.\n\n

There were two —— no, three of them.\n\n

“GI-GI-GI… Human……..GYA-GYA”\n

“GI-GI-GI” “Eat them” ““GI-GI-GI-GI-GI!””\n

“[Monster Sweep LV1] !!”\n\n

Aine hit the first goblin who dashed towards us with her broom. However, the others were unperturbed by this.\n\n

“Take this, and this, and this! [Monster Sweep LV1” “Mo-onste-er Sw-e-ep LV1!!”\n

“Not good. Aine, fall back!”\n\n

[Monster Sweep] was useless.\n\n

“Take this! You’re just small ogres, yet you dare to be a hindrance to Na-kun!”\n\n

Aine parried the adze swung by a goblin with the handle of her broom as she kicked the ground and retreated. Taking her place, Rita and Leticia came forward.\n\n

“GI-GI!”\n

“Too slow”\n\n

Rita repelled the goblin’s adze with her fist while using the retracted hand to strike goblins’ neck like a sword. Her strengthened palm teared green skin with its holy power, creating a bloody wound. As the enemy was staggered, she landed an explosive roundhouse kick on it and sent the goblin flying.\n\n

We can do it. Still, there are a lot of them. There is the sound of steps coming from further into the corridor.\n

I really don’t want to spend too much time here. Let’s make a breakthrough.\n\n

“Cecyl, make preparations”\n

“Y-yes, Nagi-sama”\n\n

Tiny Cecyl trembled just a bit. Making two deep breaths, she looked up to me as if she had resolved herself.\n\n

“Let’s do it, the [Fusion Magic]”\n

“Yep. Aine, I’m sorry for asking you, but help us as well” — Aine nodded while putting her brom aside.\n\n

“Fusion Magic” — a magical form in which Cecyl and I connect our magical powers. The preparations for it weren’t that difficult.\n\n

First, I would be carrying Cecyl on my back.\n\n

I crouched down so that Cecyl could place her hands on my shoulder. Her slender brown arms interlocked above my chest. Wow, so soft. It was obvious that my own heart was throbbing hard.\n\n

Then, I would just be holding Cecyl’s legs with my both hands, but… will this really be fine? \n

The one who thought of this strategy was me though.\n\n

Still, it’s world difference between the image I had in my mind, and what I was doing in reality. It’ so different that I wondered whether I’m going to be told off for touching Cecyl carelessly, given how smooth and warm her bare thighs were. Is that really fine? I am Cecyl’s master, and it’s a necessary part of the strategy… Alright. \n\n

I then stood up while carrying Cecyl on my back.\n\n

“Hiyaan”\n

“W-what’s wrong, Cecyl?”\n

“No, it’s just… it’s a bit ticklish”\n\n

I felt a breath touching my back. \n

Once I tried carrying her like that, she turned out… surprisingly light. Yeah, I should be able to even run while we’re like that.\n\n

“Alright, please don’t move~”\n\n

Aine gently covered Cecyl’s back with a cloth. Using four strings attached to every corner, she tied them crosswise on my chest. Thus Cecyl was affixed to my back and not fall down. Lastly, a sunshade mantle was tied to my shoulders, hiding her body, and it was completed.\n\n

I couldn’t see it myself very well, but only Cecyl’s head should be seen peeking from the gap of the mantle on my back.\n\n

I tried jolting a bit. Alright, she’s firmly fixed.\n\n

“Next step is to connect our magical powers…. Just like we did in the basement, the streams of our magical power will be attached to each other…”\n

“I-I understand”\n\n

Beneath the mantle, I could feel Cecyl’s fingers brushing against my back and rustling of the clothes. My own armor covered only the frontal part of my body. Should I take off my clothes, my back will be completely naked. As for Cecyl — \n\n

“…Eh, Eii”\n\n

Cecyl made signs of taking off her clothes. Next, I heard the sound of throbbing.\n\n

My and Cecyl’s heartbeats jumped.\n\n

Something soft was now sticking close to my back. I couldn’t see because of the mantle, but it was probably Cecyl’s chest… which was bare now.\n\n

“I think Aine’s master is a genius”\n

“Don’t say it!” “Don’t say it please!”\n\n

I just didn’t think of another way to capture the dungeon fast. We had no other choice but to rely on Cecyl’s magic, but even she had her limits in terms of magical power.\n

Which is why me, who was storing some amount of magical power used in “Ability restructure” would be acting as an external battery for Cecyl. The skill would be used like a cable connecting me and my slave, allowing us to exchange magical power at any time. This was the reason I believed we would be able to pull through.\n

What we’re doing right now was the practical application of what we did in the basement of the magician’s residence. By having our bodies stay in contact, I would connect our magical powers through the “Ability Restructure” skill.\n\n

“Let’s go, Cecyl. [Ability Restructure], Invoke!”\n

“Mn…. Ah…. Haa…. Mn…]\n\n

I summoned the window and had it display Cecyl’s skills. \n

This time our goal wasn’t to restructure our skills, so I would just be touching it. \n

I let my magical power flow through [Ability Restructure] into Cecyl.\n\n

Now the preparations for [Fusion Magic] were completed.\n\n

“Mnn, Ah, Aaah. Mn, Nagi…sama”\n\n

Cecyl’s hot breath touched by back. After I waited for her to calm down, I called out to her.\n\n

“Are you fine to go, Cecyl?”\n

“Mnn… Ah… Y-yes… yes”\n\n

A small body fidgets on my back.\n\n

“I am ok… fine. Let’s do it”\n

“Got it. Aine, please assist us so that Cecyl won’t fall down”\n\n

With a nod, Aine started following behind us.\n\n

I gave Cecyl a signal, and she started chanting.\n\n

“You are my anger. You are the embodiment of my blood. You are a multitude of blades carrying the heat—”\n\n

As I carried Cecyl on my back, I continued pouring magical power into the window moving at the tips of my hands.\n\n

Then, I dashed.\n\n

Two goblins had already been defeated, only one remained. It would’ve been fine for it to just run away, but the goblin had no intention to do so.\n\n

Several more faces appeared from the corridor entrance.\n\n

“We will run through all of them at once! Hang on tight, Cecyl! Aine, prepare a defensive magic if push comes to shove!”\n

“Got it!”\n\n

“[Be destroyed. Be extinguished. Be ruined. Burn all to ashes. In fires of the final blade—]”\n\n

Cecyl was still chanting. I heard it before so I knew it was just about to finish.\n\n

“Take thi-i-i-is!” — Rita landed a kick on her third goblin. The opponent was thrown against the floor and stopped moving. Then she looked at us. With a nod, as if she was amazed but also that she understood everything, she went to my right side. Leticia took my left side, and started to run as well. At the same time as new goblins appeared completely from the entrance, Cecyl finished her magic — [Ancient Language Magic, Flame Arrow]”\n\n

“[Oh the spirits of blaze, destroy my opponents with the millions of breaths] — [Flame! Arro-o-ow]!”\n\n

With a thud, three simultaneous flame arrows let loose from the magic formation floating above Cecyl.\n

The incoming goblins were sent flying. \n

Furthermore, it’s the rapid fire. Next were five arrows. Burning the arm of the second goblin, it’s face become consumed with flames thus rendering it unfit for battle.  \n\n

We proceed forward as I rely on the map in my head to lead the way. \n

The third floors continues into a spacious pathway. In addition to that, there are lots of room where goblins living here apparently were locked in power struggles. As for the safe spaces, the spring of magical power we were heading to was on of those places. That’s one of the reasons why it takes time to conquer the dungeon the usual way.\n\n

“Gya? Gya-gya?!”\n\n

*swoosh* *swoosh* *swoosh*\n\n

“—G-Gyaa?! GIAAAAAAA!!”\n\n

*swoosh* — *boom* *boom*\n\n

The goblins crowding on the hallways got hit with the torrent of flame arrows and were sent flying. Several shots onto those standing, tens of arrows onto those in the air. Even if they were down, they were still hit with more flames. It was as if 3D dungeon-capturing RPG suddenly turned into FPS where a player is armed with heavy ordnance.\n\n

“GIAA (six goblins were prepping up their weapons our way)”\n\n

*swoosh* *boom* *boom*  (Extermination)\n\n

“GI, Giya-giya! Gya! (four goblins shot some arrows as they thought it was dangerous to get closer)”\n\n

*swoosh* *boom* *boom* *boom*  (All arrows became engulfed and destroyed)\n\n

“…GI-GI-GI-I ! GI-GI-I! (Taking a different perspective, twelve goblins rushed en masse)” \n\n

*swoosh* *swoosh* *boom* *boom* *boom* (Destruction caused from a concentrated power of flames)\n\n

The enemies were intercepted and had their numbers decreased in a blink of an eye.\n

In a couple of minutes we dashed through the distance that would usually take a couple of hours to traverse while constantly fighting. \n\n

… Just, a little more.\n\n

My breathing was getting rough. The power in my body was getting drained bit by bit.\n\n

So that’s what happens when your magical power decreases, huh?\n\n

“Keep up that it, Na-kun. Once we pass the next large room, we will reach the spring!”\n

“I am… I am okay”\n

“You too, Cecyl. We need just a bit more”\n

“Y-Yes. A-ahn. Ah, ah, y-yes, okay”\n\n

I can see it, the hall which serves as a gathering spot for goblins nesting on this level. \n

The entrance was a large wooden door. Our destination, the spring of magical power, is on the other side— \n\n

“[Building Smash LV1]!”\n\n

*Bang*\n\n

Unceremoniously, I tore down the door and jumped into the room ahead of the vanguard! At the same time, Cecyl sent the barrage of arrows in all directions a couple of times.\n\n

*swoosh* *boom* *boom*  *swoosh* *boom* *boom* *swoosh* *boom* *boom* *swoosh* *boom* *boom*  *boom* *boom* *boom* *boom* *boom*\n\n

The arrows travel through the whole room in rapid fire!\n\n

Those goblins who were in the middle of their battle preparations fluttered through the air at the force of multitude of incoming arrows. It’s a queer dance in the air, like they’re being pummeled by a machine gun. \n

A noticeably large goblin had a necklace made of human bones on its head. It’s probably the remains of adventurers who died in this dungeons, or what’s left of the villagers. Either way, it makes things easy for us. Cecyl and I send forth flame arrows with our full power and no reservation. The enemy crumbled once it received 26 arrows into it.\n

All that’s left of it now was only a charcoaled corpse.\n\n

There was a large table in the room, so we used it to replace the door I had broken, and then opened the door leading into the room’s inner part.\n\n

What laid ahead was a spacious passage. No monsters in sight. The place was filled with crystal clear air.\n\n

So this is the spring of magical power, huh?\n\n

“…Good. Cecyl, we’ve arrived”\n

“Y-yes… fuwa… a-aa-n…. y-ye….s”\n\n

With Cecyl still on my back, I lowered my knees to the ground.\n\n

So tired…. It’s probably the first time since I’d come to this world that I used so much strength.\n\n

Apparently it was the effect of [Fusion Magic] that allowed Cecyl not to run out of the magical power.\n\n

“As I suspected, conquering a dungeon is a serious deal, right?”\n\n

I untied the strings affixing Cecyl. \n\n

It looked like Cecyl was about to fall down behind me so I instinctively turned around. When I did, Cecyl just finished wrapping the mantle around herself. \n\n

“T-thank you for your great work, Nagi-sama” — Cecyl looked at me with  puffed red cheeks. \n\n

“Y-you too, Cecyl”\n\n

Somehow, it sounded like we’re in a marriage interview. Both us sit down on the floor and bowed to each other. It was awkward to look face to face.\n\n

Although we had an emergency plan, we ended up running through the dungeon while her naked body was stuck to my back.\n\n

What to do? When I look at things calmly, it was quite embarrassing endeavour.\n\n

“I-I am fine. Even if I had the privilege of receiving the flow of magical power, we didn’t make children!” — Cecyl closed her eyes and shouted, she was likely could bear it any longer.\n

“N-no, that’s not it. It’s too bad we cannot make children by using magical power… Wait, that’s not it either!”\n

“Wait! Cecyl, let’s calm down and talk this through”\n

“Yes-yes. Let’s leave this kind of talk for later”\n\n

Suddenly, I was lifted under arms by Rita and Cecyl.\n\n

“Nagi, Cecyl-chan, you need to rest. Once you recover your magical power, we will perform the summoning of the cursed sword”\n

“Don’t you want to rest as well, Rita?”\n

“Not at all. I was just running next you, that’s all. It’s all thanks to my over excellent senior slave and my dear husband. Oh no…”\n\n

Rita quickly brought our shoulders close.\n\n

“I wonder if I should switch my occupation to a magician as well?” — \n

she whispered in my ears in somewhat lonely voice.\n

“What for?”\n

“Doesn’t it sound cool to battle as an Arcane Martialist while receiving magical power from the esteemed master?”\n\n

Rita’s divine power has a bit different wavelength from a magical power. Rather than that, wouldn’t it be impossible to act as battery in her case since the magical power inside her body would be automatically transformed into divine power and used for support magic?\n\n

But she is making such an awfully dissatisfied face. She’s even doing it right now.\n\n

“Well, doesn’t Rita cherish the divine power that she spent so much time tempering?”\n

“When choosing between divine power and the esteemed husband, what is it that you think is more important?!”\n

“Wouldn’t it be divine power?! You should value the fruits of multiple years of training!”\n

“I cannot agree to that! U-u, wa-wa-wa!”\n

“Rita is excellent, very excellent” — I gently brushed Rita’s golden hair. Taking this opportunity I also caressed her flapping ears as well.\n

“Rita fighting for us as a vanguard allowed me and Cecyl to rest easy and use fusion magic”\n

“Uuu—.Waa—-.Uu—… E-he-he”\n\n

*brush* *brush*\n\n

*flap* *flap*\n\n

Rita’s swelling tail began to shake left and right.\n\n

What’s this, this creature is so cute.\n\n

For the time being, I entrusted Leticia and Aine with keeping watch as we proceeded through the corridor. \n

What we found next was a gushing fountain and an onsen full of magical power. The overflowing onsen produced thin rivers flowing in every direction of the room.\n

The basement of the magician’s residence was the same— no, the [accumulation of magical power] was even bigger here.\n\n

Sitting down on the bank, we submerged out feet into the warm stream. Just by doing this, it looked like we could recover our consumed magical power. This might be one of the mysteries of a fantasy world.\n\n

“It’s possible that the stream also flows into the residence’s basement as well…”\n\n

Time to decide what to do.\n\n

We will use [Cursed Sword Summon Scroll] and summon Cursed Sword Reginablus here. Should we succeed, we will put it in a bag and seal it in the basement of the magician’s residence. Should we fail, we will back off and go back.\n\n

“I am sorry, for dragging with my whims”\n\n

“The one who caused troubles by summoning the cursed sword is one of my family after all. This concerns me as well”\n

“I am okay with it. This time incident involves the Iturna Cult, so it’s not like this is someone else’s problem. Moreover, I was able to see such a rare scenery”\n\n

We are resting with our feet submerged in the onsen. It’s embarrassing how much it feels similar to coming to an onsen with a family.\n