Chapter 146 (1/2)

Volume 2

The Simple Job of Only Perishing to the Hero Volume 4 Chapter 27

– 107.167.229.84

「……Next, is this way.」

Nino chose the path, and Nefas would map it out.

The division of their roles naturally ended up like that.

Or rather, since Nino would advance as she pleased, Nefas would do the mapping so that he would be able to follow up with her.

As of right now, they hadn’t come across any dead-ends, and as long as they were mapping it out, they wouldn’t end up going around in circles in the same spot.

In other words, they should be advancing favorably, but they had yet to come across anything that seemed like an exit.

In this place where the area overhead was covered by trees and the sky couldn’t be seen, they had no way of knowing what the current time was, but a considerable amount of time should have passed.

Nefas thought “the fact that there hasn’t been an exit despite us walking about this much, it means that this labyrinth is too vast”.

According to the Hero legends, there seemed to be many labyrinths in the Dark Continent, but this tree labyrinth is most likely more complex than any labyrinth in the Dark Continent.

He tried calling it a trial of the Gods to Nino, but it wouldn’t be strange if that really was the case.

Nefas noticed that that Nino came to a stop, and stop his hands that were mapping.

「What’s wrong? Could it be……is it an enemy!?」

As he rushed over to Nino’s side, Nino suddenly put one hand out in front of Nefas.

That was a sign telling him not to move any further than that.

As for why Nino had stopped……He came to understand after looking at what was at the end of Nino’s gaze.

What could be seen at the far end of the path that they were currently advancing down, there was a single spear Alva, and the figure of a single Clay Golem.

When speaking of Golems, they were famous as puppets that didn’t possess consciousnesses of their own, and were made from things like earth, trees, stone, or metal……that is what Nefas remembered.

They were sometimes mistaken for Elements, but unlike the Elements which were natural occurrences, Golems were created by someone’s hands.

Incidentally, Golems that possessed their own consciousnesses and were classified as Mazoku were a distinct species from created Golems, but it was said that this was because puppet Golems were created with Mazoku Golems as the hint to making them.

And then, right now, the Clay Golem that was at the end of Nino’s groups gaze had a figure that was like two peas in a pod with the spear Alva.

The Clay Golem held a spear similar to the Alva’s, and was exchanging blows with the Alva.

「Is that……the Alva’s enemy?」

「Dunno.」

There was no meaning to thinking about whether or not the Clay Golem was the Alva’s enemy.

It’s because even if it was, there was no guarantee that it would be an ally to Nino’s group.

After their exchange of blows continued for a while, maybe because the Alva tried to cast magic, it expanded its wings and tried to fly. However, aiming for that opening, the spear that the Clay Golem threw pierced through the Alva’s chest.

「Gi……Gegogagagagaa!」

Unable to bear it, the Alva fell to the ground.

After extracting the spear from the Alva’s body, the Clay Golem tread on its body even more and repeatedly stabbed it.

Receiving the attack that was merciless to the point that Nefas reflexively averted his eyes, the Alva turned into black fog and vanished.

And then, after confirming that, the Clay Golem returned to the ground as if melting.

「It vanished……?」

Nefas was unable to understand what kind of theory was behind it at all.

However, he was positive of the fact that the Clay Golem had disappeared.

「What should we do……Keep going?」

Hearing Nefas’s words, Nino pondered here for the first time.

It was easy to keep advancing.

However, Nino’s intuition was giving off a weak warning.

That it was dangerous up ahead, and that they shouldn’t advance this way.

Simultaneously, Nino’s intuition was also saying that they should be passing head this way.

「……Let’s keep going.」

Having finished thinking, Nino decided to advance forward.

Even if a somewhat dangerous enemy were to appear, Nino judged that it would be fine if she just cut them down as they advanced.

What was at the end of the passageway they were advancing down that was surrounded by trees was a space that seemed like a slightly wide room.

It was the place that the Alva and the Clay Golem were fighting at not too long ago.

Coming into the room, they found three passageways other than the one that they came through.

Most likely, the earlier spear Alva had probably come out from one of them.

「A room, huh.」

Nefas surveyed the surroundings, and started searching to see if there were any hints to how they should advance.

However, there was nothing within the room.

Nino thought about how they should advance from beyond this point……and approached the right hand passage from the perspective of the path they came from.

The moment she left the room and tried to enter the passageway, the earth at Nino’s feet swelled.

A figure appeared from within the ground as if gushing out, and in the blink of an eye, a mound of earth that was about the same height as Nino was created.

「Uwah!?」

When Nino turned around to that voice, a mound of earth was also created in front of Nefas.

The mound of earth that was in front of Nino contracted, and a Clay Golem with a figure that was exactly like Nino’s physique was created.

Moreover, maybe it was some sort of harassment, but it was gripping weapons with the exact same form as Nino’s curved blades in both of its hands.

It was an enemy no matter how she thought about it.

That is what she thought as she readied her curved blades and glared at the Clay Golem.

However, at the same time, Nino also thought “how strange……”.

When it came to Golems, she had seen various ones in the Zadark Kingdom.

She had seen the Golems that were in the southern region, and Gordy the Central General was also a Golem.

They had distinct wills, and even possessed emotions.

However, in the Clay Golem before her eyes, it had neither a will nor emotions.

It was because this Golem was a 「puppet」 Golem, but Nino had no way of knowing that fact.

[]

The Clay Golem readied its curved blades in a way identical to Nino.

Nefas was most likely in a similar situation, but she didn’t have the leisure of being able to mind him.

Focusing on the Clay Golem that mutely came charging in, Nino swung her curved blade.