Volume 10, Chapter 06 “Erika and Mia”
Volume 10, Chapter 06 “Erika and Mia”
Part 1
At a time when Leon and his team are engaged in fierce battles.
Finn and his partner Brave were walking with Mia and Erika near the ground floor of the old castle.
Thanks to Leon and his team’s efforts to defeat the monsters, it was quiet inside the old castle.
The four of them went out into the sunlit courtyard, where they observed an unfamiliar plant.
“Knight-sama, what is the name of this?”
Finn was dazzled by the sight of Mia bent over looking at the plants.
Not only the sunshine that pours down, but also the presence of Mia is dazzling to Finn.
(If only she could have spent her days playing in the sun like this)
Finn, who sees Mia as his sister in a previous life, looks at the plant and tells her in a gentle tone that he doesn’t know it either.
“I don’t know this plant. This area was isolated, so maybe there are some new species of plants?”
“New species?! Isn’t it a great discovery?”
“That’s right. It’s the result of Mia’s adventure.”
“Ehehe”
Brave was a little dumbfounded when Finn patted Mia’s head, who seemed happy.
[My buddy dotes on Mia. You can give me more love, too.]
“Hmm? Next time for Kurosuke”
Brave was in tears as Finn gave a curt reply.
[That’s how my buddy always chooses Mia over me. I’m just a magical creature who is conveniently used only when it comes to fighting!]
Mia smiled bitterly at Brave, who began to cry.
“Buu-kun, you liked the stage play we saw before.”
Apparently, he was impressed by a stage play that took place in the kingdom.
Brave sticks out two small hands and makes a gesture with his chest.
[It’s a line of love-hate drama]
Finn had no idea that his partner liked to watch stage plays.
“You remember a lot of weird stuff.”
[It’s a story about one man who gets his hands on two women and gets stabbed. It was interesting to watch the cornered man act.]
Upon hearing that, Finn murmured what he thought.
“He’s like Bartfalt.”
Mia may have felt that as well, so she cautions Finn because Leon is a nobleman from another country.
“Knight-sama, that’s an overstatement.”
“It’s all right. He understands.”
Mia looks at Finn curiously, then she starts to smile gradually.
“Knight-sama, you seem to be having some fun. I feel like you are friends with the Duke.”
“Eh?”
Finn was surprised to be told something unexpected, but when he thought about it, he thought it was natural.
(Because we are the same, we have the previous life and experience the hardships?)
Do people see them as friends? While Finn was thinking about this, he saw Erica in pain in his field of vision.
“! Erika-sama!”
When he rushed over to her, Erika was sweating as she held her chest with both hands.
In such a state, she smiled and tried not to make Finn and the others uneasy.
“I’m fine. I just get tired easily from lack of exercise.”
“I see. But I guess we better go back.”
He is concerned about Erika’s body and suggests that they go back.
Then Erika turned her gaze toward Mia.
“Is Mia-chan okay?”
When she asks, Mia replies hurriedly.
“Y-Yes! I’m feeling good today, I’m not in pain, I’m fine!”
Brave looks around.
[There are a lot of magical elements in this area. The concentration of magical elements is increasing because of the monsters they are killing. Isn’t this the best environment for Mia?]
Finn’s eyes changed color when he heard that.
“Is that true? So if we get this floating island, Mia won’t have to suffer.”
“K-Knight-sama? It’s impossible to buy a floating island.”
“No, if it’s for you I will earn as much money as I can!”
Finn seriously considers getting this floating island, but Brave looks down and says that is not recommended.
[It is useless. It’s thanks to the presence of the monsters. If we defeat them and they stop appearing, this place will be just like any other floating island.]
You cannot live your daily life in an old castle where monsters exist.
However, even if you exterminate them and create an environment, the concentration of magical elements will decrease and it will be meaningless.
Finn’s shoulders dropped.
“――I see”
Holding Finn’s hands when he was down, Mia smiled at the proud knight who was pushing himself too hard for her own good.
“Don’t worry about it. If I have Knight-sama, it is good enough for Mia. Also, Buu-kun.”
“I’m treated like a bonus?!”
While the three were smiling, Erika was also smiling and holding her chest.
Then, she looks down and has a serious expression.
.
Part 2
Dang! The sound of gunfire echoed through the room.
When a bullet fired from the muzzle hits the four-armed skeleton’s head, it explodes and flames appear.
A rampaging four-armed skeleton tries to escape the flames, but it clings to the body and does not let go.
As it was, the body collapsed and turned to smoke, and the flames disappeared.
Ange ejects a rifle shell casing, which makes a metallic noise as it hits the floor.
A magic circle engraved on a rolling cartridge case.
It is a special bullet called a magic bullet, but its power had increased, perhaps because it was compatible with Ange.
“Is this the innermost room?”
In the room that the four-armed skeleton was guarding, there is a box that looks like a treasure chest.
The wood is rotting and the contents are exposed.
When Noel approached and picked up a piece, it was a gold coin.
“Look, it’s a gold coin!! We hit the jackpot, didn’t we?”
Noel was pleased, but the reaction of the other two was subtle.
Livia lit the walls with lantern light and looked intently at the murals and paintings with a serious expression.
“It’s not well preserved. But this alone is a big discovery. If the research team is dispatched, we may know more details.”
Ange let out a small sigh when she saw the size of the treasure chest and the amount of treasure.
She may not be trying to show her disappointment, but to Noel, she seemed disappointed.
“We got the treasure. But is this really all there is? I thought there would be a lot more, since it’s called a golden hand.”
If the treasures they obtained were cashed in, the average person would have enough money to live on for the rest of their life.
Still, it certainly loses credibility in name from the dungeon that was called the Old Castle of the Golden Hand.
As Noel played with the gold coins with her fingertips, Creare approached.
[We’ve explored every passage and room. We’ve got the treasure, so I think it’s safe to say our adventure was a success, right?]
“I think so, but Angelica-san doesn’t seem to like it.”
For Ange, she would have liked to have achieved something greater.
But when she removed the lid of the treasure chest and looked at its contents, she smiled.
“――It’s not bad for the last memory.”
Noel hears a murmur of “last,” and approaches Ange to confirm it.
“What does it mean? What is the last?”
When confronted, Ange forced herself to smile and Noel has a troubled look.
“I’m still a busy person. I won’t get a chance to tackle the dungeon many times.”
It sounds reasonable, but Noel, who remembers Ange’s excitement at the prospect of challenging the dungeon, had her doubts.
This is the last time and will give up are not like Ange.
“It’s a lie”
When Noel says so, Ange turns her head away.
“You have a sharper intuition than I expected.”
“Answer me properly! Also, Livia-chan, say something――”
She asked Livia for help, but it was Creare who spoke up first.
[Ah?! Master and his team have discovered a second underground entrance.]
Hearing that, Ange’s face changed and a powerful light returned to the depths of her eyes.
The fragile appearance she had earlier had vanished, and the treasure would not be found before she could get to it.
“We’ll be heading there too!”