5-9. Shadow and Magician (2/2)
While offering the trade to the magician, I smash the shadow whip coiling my body with the magic guns.
I hear Mia's short scream from behind.
I turn just my head, Mia is being restricted by shadow appearing from her feet.
More shadow whips appear from the magician and restrict me.
The magician begins to chant a new magic.
I can't let him casts more magic than this, I fire the magic guns to the magician. His health decreases but immediately recovers before the next shot. Is this guy's unique skill invincibility?
I change my aim to the cane, and fire the magic bullet.
”Help me nodesu!” ”Help~?”
Pochi and Tama seemed to try to do something to the shadow whips but they slipped through it. Even just slipping through the shadow whip seems to give them damage, the two jump back while screaming.
Liza and Arisa are looking here from a cover while waiting for their chance and eluding the magic whips.
All the magic bullets that I fire are blocked by the shadow whips that appear from the magician's feet.
Then, finally the magician's magic, [Shadow Portal], is activated.
Mia's body is sinking into the shadow.
I give up on shooting the magician, and hold Mia's upper body from sinking with brute force.
”I'll have you return this girl. Since it'd trouble me if you're careless, I'll say this, if you try to forcibly pull her, Mia's life will be no more.”
The magician is sinking into shadow too. I still can't see his face.
”You are no match for a transcendent being like me, resign from your unreasonable struggle. If you wish for death then you're free to visit my maze, I expect a show of courage and wisdom to break through it.”
The magician disappears into the shadow while laughing loudly. He didn't see through Mia's sinking until the end, is it because he has allowance to do so or because of carelessness.
My body is almost dragged into the shadow too, but maybe because of my resistance, it stops at 1 cm deep.
The pulling power of the shadow for Mia is strong. My pulling power is even stronger, but Mia's health gradually decreases. If I put more power than this, Mia's body would break.
I have decided.
”Arisa! When morning comes, go ask for assistance at the worker's guild manager.”
After telling her that, I let myself sink into the shadow with Mia.
Arisa and the girls should be able to deal with the shadow stalkers somehow. If possible without injuries I hope.
That manager is unreliable but this time it's a crisis of a person from his tribe, Nadi-san should be able to arrange for it.
◇
After I'm sunk, there is only jet black space around.
There is no sound or light, it truly feels like inside shadow. Of course there is no air too.
It is indeed a bit painful. My health decrease faster than from the coiling shadow whip. Still, probably thanks to self-healing, it comes back up at fixed interval. Perhaps, I've become unable to die by suffocation.
Even with air, a person would go mad if they spend too long in this place.
Thanks to the lack of oxygen, I can't concentrate well.
Yes, how about Mia.
Since I can't even look at my own body, it goes without saying that I can't see her either.
I take out Light Drop from Storage and pour it magic power.
I thought that I could see my body then but it didn't work. The radar shows only me too.
I use [All Map Exploration] after a long time of not using it. But unfortunately, radar display remains as it is. It might really be only me around.
I open the map and see it.
There, something is written-- [It's an area with no map].
”What's this a game!”
I retorted.
And then, as if the voice is echoing back to back, the shadow space with no sound is breaking, like a glass, vanishing into fragments.
◇
I'm in a place like the one nobles use to have audiences with people. It's a vertical room, like a school gymnasium cut in half. The floors are made of stones, fat circular stone pillars are lined up along the wall, and candlesticks attached to the wall are emitting LED-like magical lights. There's a throne in the furthermost of the interior, and in that interior a sphere 2 meter big in diameter is blinking rainbow lights while floating at knee-high height.
Mia who is made to sleep is sitting on the throne. Beside her, an unknown beautiful blond woman is nursing her. Her face looks exactly like Mia, but her breasts are outrageously big. No, such thing doesn't matter now.
The magician who is running his fingers through something that looks like a music stand beside the throne notices me, before I could rush to him.
”Absurd!”
Even while surprised, the guy is not loosening his fingers from playing the music stand.
”Yes, absurd! How did you escape from my prison of shadow! It's something that shouldn't be broken by a group of low level people like you bastards.”
Are you surprised, boasting or looking down, be clear about it.
My feet are a bit unstable, I wonder if it's the effect from the shadow space earlier.
”I have a light amulet with me. Shadow magic isn't going to work.”
Oops, I wasn't going to tell him the true reason but even for deceiving him the detail was too appropriate. Is it thanks to deception skill?
”I see, I cannot permit unfairness. This room is only allowed for people who have captured the maze, those who earn it can come here, that's the rule.”
The magician stops there, and nods to his own words.
”And then, the hero who is able to get here, is the one who is qualified to annihilate me, the King of Immortal.”
What is this guy saying?
Capture the maze, does he want to kill himself?
Furthermore, didn't he say that he's a King of Night initially? He can't decide the name for himself.
But, rather than that, I feel slightly mad at this guy's excuse. He got our girls and Mia in trouble for such reason?
”If you want to die then go do it yourself. Don't involve other people.”
”Fuhahaha, I have received blessing from the god, I am immortal.”
It's unpleasant, but if I continue this stupid talk, my feet will recover soon.
But, the other guy doesn't seem like he intend to continue.
”Well then, I'll have you leave from the master room.”
The door located beside the throne is opening and then--