Book 3: Chapter 14
Book 3: Chapter 14
* Lulusha *
Lulusha had never heard of such an automaton – at the very least, there was no mention of it in any labyrinth-related records that could be studied from her position as “Labyrinth Capture Division Chief”.
『Be Consumed By Fear』— With just those few words from the automaton, everyone in that place went down to their knees.
(W-What is this…!?)
Lulusha was stunned. She simply thought that it was a strange automaton with its four arms being different from the rest, but everyone was forced down to the ground with mere words.
The outburst of emotions hindered her reasoning. She felt chills in the core of her body, unable to stop the trembling.
The wheels started rotating and the automaton approached one of the capture division’s members. It then held its spear-arm over the head of the kneeling member.
「No, stop…」
The three jewels started blinking in a random order, as if sending out a signal. The protruding arm pierced the member’s belly.
「Ugh!? A-Ah… AAAA!」
When the spear was pulled out, blood overflowed. The member, who was holding his stomach while on his back, suffering from pain, looked up at the automaton with his eyes wet with tears. He must have wanted to scream. Must have wanted to cry. However, he held it back and just looked whilst trembling. Lulusha wondered if her subordinate was trying to be brave?
The automaton pierced her friends one after another. The belly, the arms, the thighs, but not the face or the center of the body—as if it had no intention to kill.
「A-Ah…」
Lulusha noticed.
(It is trying to inflict the feeling of “Fear”… If you die, there won’t be any emotions.)
Just wounding without killing. By doing so, it is trying to instill fear and, by extension, bring out the “Fear” of this dungeon.
However, if left untreated, they will all eventually die from the injury.
「Hik!」
In the hall with more than 100 people, half of them have already been stabbed, bleeding and groaning in pain. And now the automaton was in front of Lulusha.
The jewel embedded in the body of the automaton blinked. Lulusha does not know what that means.
And the automaton thrusted its spear towards Lulushaー
「Flame Tornado!」
Lulusha heard such a voice—from the passage behind them.
A tornado of hell fire struck the automaton from the side.
Although it was sudden, the automaton shifted its upper body to avoid the magic.
It was magic. Magic you can rarely see in this country. However, even Lulusha knew that this was not a basic magic but an advanced one.
「It dodged the attack! The distance is a little too far!」
Even so, the voice she heard was young. It didn’t sound like a veteran mage at all.
「Rush in!!!!」
A man’s rough voice echoed, and she heard several people entering the large hall.
However, the automaton did not seem disconcerted by the sudden attack. The three jewels started blinking in response to the new intruders.
「N-No–」Lulusha tried to warn.
Someone is trying to help. I am grateful for that. But this enemy is different. It’s not a normal monster. If nothing is done, you will face the same fate.
『—Be Consumed By Fear—』
But she didn’t make it in time.
「FearFearFearFear! You’re so noisy!」A cat beastman exclaimed.
Eh? Lulusha doubted her eyes. The cat beastman landed a flying kick on the automaton. The upper body of the automaton was greatly tilted, but it had wheels for legs, so it had a sense of stability.
「OOOHHHHH!」
The man who issued the command earlier, slid into from the opposite side and brandished a brutal-looking mace. The automaton tried to defend with its four arms, but the mace smashed its arms.
「Nice, Dante-san!」
Then she heard a boy’s voice. He sprinted towards the automaton—the sprint was deadly silent—which was falling backwards due to the impact of the mace, and leaped onto the automaton’s body with a jumping force that was far beyond ordinary human capability.
From that point onward, he executed a movement that was far from combat.
With deft use of his hand, he inserted the tip of a knife into one of the jewels and pulled it out very easily.
Kiiiiiiii———— ………….
A high-pitched sound echoed, after which the automaton stopped moving.
「They… defeated it?」
What just happened? These guys are obviously not Levs, so are they adventurers? — Just who are they?
「Mimino-san, Non-san! It’s over! Let’s immediately treat the injured!」
「Understood!」
「Yes!」
Lulusha was also surprised at their actions.
「R-Right! Those who can move, treat the injured! Hurry and stop the bleeding!!」Lulusha ordered.
* * * *
It seems that we made it in time, just barely. Some were unconscious due to serious injuries, but no deaths.
「You really saved us. Thank you all. Not only did you take down the automaton, you also treated our injured.」
A woman who seemed to be in charge bowed her head to us.
She had amber eyes. I confirmed her eyes were the same color as old man Hinga and asked.
「Are you Lulusha-san?」
「Yes, that’s right. I am Lulusha, the Chief of Labyrinth Capture Division 4. However, since there are so many injured, the capture cannot be continued… So, we will retreat for the time being.」
Just as I thought. This person is Lulusha-san. The granddaughter of old man Hinga.
Ahh, her face does hold a slight resemblance to old man Hingaーa rational look.
「Um, I actually need to talk to you.」
「I am sorry. I wish to ask you many things too, but I want to leave this place as soon as possible to treat my subordinates.」
「Ah…」
Lulusha-san said so with an apologetic look. …Thinking about it, of course, that is the most important thing right now.
「Once things have settled down, I will make some time to meet. Is that okay?」
「Yes… of course. That’s fine.」I said.
「We will help with the retreat as well.」Dante-san said.
Since the group numbered over a 100, and they have injured too, it will take some to prepare to retreat.
Meanwhile, Muge-san was negotiating with the other merchants who said they wanted to “buy” the automaton we had defeated — the merchants referred to Muge-san as “shabby company,” like the merchants earlier, so Muge-san started rolling up his sleeves, as if getting fired up.
「Well then, I don’t mind selling the automaton, so let’s do a bid for it.」
「No way, Muge-san. Are you trying to rip us off? You came late, you know.」
「Oh, so would you have preferred I waited for everyone to die before arriving?」
「G-Guh… Okay, let’s make it an auction format with only one bid.」
「Let’s do that. Please write the price on a piece of paper and hand it to me. Oh, and of course, you can’t discuss the amount! Write down the price right now! If you don’t write it, you’re out of the game!」
Muge-san seemed to have somewhat become stronger as a merchant.
「…Guh… in spite of being a shabby company.」
「…Endure it. That automaton had a ridiculous ability.」
「…This is of immense value.」
My ears perked up as【Hearing Enhancement】picked up the mumbling.
After a while, I saw that one company was overjoyed and celebrating, while the other companies looked disappointed. It seems that the company had offered a considerable amount of money and the payment will be made after returning to the Empire.
「I-Is this… r-r-really okay!? This is a lot of money!」
Muge-san, who had been acting cool until a while ago, seemed to be really tense now.
「Calm down, Muge-san. An automaton of this kind is definitely worth the price.」
「B-B-But 1000 imperial gold coins!?」
Let’s see… Imperial gold coins should be worth about 300,000 to 500,000 yen each. That means… more than 300 million yen(3million usd)!? Wow, that’s definitely amazing!
The automaton we defeated was smaller than the dozens we saw on the way here, but it was mostly intact except for the broken arms. I heard that it was the first time they encountered an automaton that used “emotion trap”ーthe first time an automaton instilled the fear of “annihilation”, so it’s no wonder the merchant wishes to acquire it no matter the cost.
(But, the automaton alone can’t control “emotions”.)
There were not that many materials loaded onto Neko-chan’s load-carrying tray. The eye-like jewels would sell at a high price as magic stones, it seems, so we collected them all. Muge-san did disassemble the rest of the magic tools, but he said it doesn’t amount to much.
The company that bought the automaton was loading up the automaton with great care.
「Dante, Reiji-kun, you should take this medicine.」
「Is it time already?」
「Not yet, but it could run out on the way back, so it’s better to be safe~」
Mimino-san gave us a medicine called “Mana Neutralizer”, which has the effect of adjusting the mana in the body. If my guess that the “emotion trap” uses the mana that circulates in the dungeon is correct, the “emotion trap” will not work if the mana inhaled into the body is neutralized. And, in fact, this turned out to be correct. It was possible to neutralize the “emotion trap” that the four-spear automaton unleashed.
Though, I would probably have to come up with a different method if other traps appeared.
By the way, Mana Neutralizer is for taking when mana sickness occurs due to excessive accumulation of mana in the body, and it is not a medicine which is used generally. Even so, Mimino-san made it by combining the herbs she had on hand.
Our party members truly are amazing.
No one asked how we nullified that automaton’s attack. Probably because the highest priority is to withdraw safely for now.
Mimino-san’s remedy and Non-san’s mana were limited, so providing emergency first aid to everyone was the best they could do.
After that point, there were no more battles with automatons, and we were able to get out of the “Labyrinth of Fear”ーit seems that a whole day had passed, and the injured members were taken down the elevator while basking in the morning sunlight.
「Farewell, Silver Balance. I will contact you soon. You really saved us all.」
Lulusha-san bowed to us and left dashingly.
However, even after a day and two passed, Lulusha-san still did not contact us.