Chapter 29. Entry
Forcing himself to put the despair of losing a companion behind him, Adam and his subordinates barely managed to reach the entrance leading inside the tree.
“Huff, huff.”
Perhaps because they had sprinted at full speed, every one of them looked exhausted.
The only fortunate part was that no knight other than Wells had been lost.
Meanwhile, the rest of the expedition had gathered in a space off to one side, spread out a map, and begun exchanging opinions.
The sight caused anger to surge within Adam, and he strode toward them.
“Raviata! If you knew something like this could happen, shouldn’t you have warned us beforehand? We just lost one of our men!”
“……Haah. Tell me, did you come here to play?”
“What?”
“We’re inside a Cradle. You’re not children who need looking after. Do you really think we have time to explain every single thing that might happen?”
“But what just happened……!”
“Tsk. This is exactly why I didn’t want knights coming along.”
From a purely human perspective, Raviata could certainly have given them some sort of warning.
Had she done so, Wells might not have been swept away so helplessly.
But Raviata had something to say in her own defense.
“It’s not like I knew what was happening either. Our advisor here suddenly started running, so I ran too. Do you think this is some ordinary dungeon?”
“Ugh…….”
“This is a Cradle. A place where no one knows what might happen. And I clearly shouted for everyone to run. Was that all? Before we entered, didn’t I tell everyone to keep their equipment as light as possible? Who was it that ignored that advice?”
Adam bit his lip at Raviata’s words.
Before entering the Cradle, Raviata had indeed warned everyone to keep their equipment as light as possible.
Adam, however, had only half-listened to the advice.
Knights trained in Mana could run as lightly as feathers even while wearing armor.
But things were different when the ground was soaked and sank beneath every step.
Furthermore, during the Kingdom of Hiel’s previous expeditions, there had almost never been torrential rain this close to the entrance.
That complacency had also contributed to their failure.
“Now, now, Commander Adam. Calm yourself. Naturally, I offer my condolences for what happened. But we are still only at the outskirts of the Great Forest, are we not? There is still a possibility that the knight who was swept away survived. Perhaps he was even thrown outside the Cradle. Fortunately, he had removed most of his heavier equipment, had he not?”
The one who stepped between Raviata and Adam as the atmosphere turned hostile was Dominic, the Imperial Guard Knight.
“Besides, Commander Raviata has a point. We were too excited. If anything was truly at fault, it was that we underestimated the name of one of the Five Great Cradles.”
Dominic and Adam were both knights.
They specialized in fighting humans and monsters.
Rapidly adapting to environmental threats like this was a different matter entirely.
Unlike Adam, however, Dominic was an experienced knight.
He had no hesitation about recognizing his own shortcomings and changing his attitude accordingly.
“I noticed you were the first to begin running earlier, Shane. You can predict the unpredictable weather of this Great Forest to some extent, can’t you?”
And with that, he naturally arrived at his real objective.
“I apologize for my discourteous behavior earlier. Would you be willing to explain the situation to us in greater detail?”
When Dominic bowed his head, the knights behind him reluctantly followed suit.
Shane watched them and smiled coldly inside.
“I accept your apology. However, you seem to be asking something of me as though it were only natural.”
“……Ahem. Was I that obvious?”
Dominic gave an embarrassed smile.
“Indeed. You may be an Academy cadet, but you are also an Adventurer.”
Adventurers were people who worked in exchange for compensation.
Dominic and the others had also concluded agreements that would benefit the Raviata Adventurer Party afterward in return for accompanying them.
Yet before entering the Cradle, Shane had clearly stated that he had no contract with them and would act separately.
“If the information can preserve our lives, there is little I would hesitate to offer. Very well. What do you want? I should warn you beforehand, however, that there are limits to how far I can exercise the authority of the Imperial Family.”
Shane stated his terms without any particular hesitation.
“Very well. Then I ask that the Head of House Clayton be granted an audience with His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Hmm…… Understood. I believe I can arrange that much.”
“There is one condition. The information I provide will be limited strictly to the Raviata Adventurer Party and the Imperial Guard Knights. And Sir Dominic, I recommend leaving this agreement in writing so it can still be fulfilled even if you fail to return.”
“Hmm. Thorough, aren’t you? Very well. I accept that as well.”
The ones who became truly anxious after hearing their conversation were the Lampert Adventurer Party and the Knight Order of the Kingdom of Hiel.
At this rate, they would inevitably be left behind during the expedition.
This time, the torrential rain had not possessed any Attribute Power, so merely running had been enough.
But if they later encountered acidic rain or a disaster that froze the body merely through contact, they might not even be capable of retreating.
“W-Wait. The Lampert Adventurer Party would also like to request a transaction. Before that, I apologize for our earlier discourtesy. I am sorry.”
Ilexa, leader of the Lampert Adventurer Party, was the first to step forward.
“What will you offer?”
Ilexa briefly checked the gazes around them before lowering her voice.
“I do not want the details of our transaction becoming public. If you agree to a confidentiality pledge, I will tell you my terms immediately.”
“Understood.”
Shane and Ilexa moved to a corner and spoke privately.
Before long, Ilexa returned with a satisfied expression.
That left Adam of Hiel in the most difficult position.
He had been the one who antagonized Shane the most before their departure.
And now, after losing one of his men because of it, his pride made it almost impossible to bow his head.
In the end, however, Adam had no choice but to think of his remaining subordinates.
“……Please forgive my earlier discourtesy. If you state your desired terms, I will accommodate them within my authority.”
That was the moment the hierarchy of the expedition was settled.
—
“Haha, don’t you think he’s more capable than expected?”
Raviata spoke while watching Shane explain the expedition’s next steps to the dispatched groups.
“His ability to negotiate is honestly remarkable. To think he could turn people we considered little more than baggage into a source of profit like that.”
“……Of course the money demon only notices people like himself.”
“If you personally handled the Adventurer Party’s finances, you would stop saying such things immediately. I’m the one earning money like a dog while everyone else spends it without restraint. How am I supposed to stay quiet?”
“All right, all right. Stop. My ears are going to bleed.”
“Yes. There is only one person who actually needs to hear more of this, so I will stop here.”
Raviata let out a relieved sigh before continuing.
“You squeezed quite a lot out of them too, though.”
“That is true, but we have the value of your name behind us, Miss. House Clayton is hardly insignificant, but for someone his age to remain completely unfazed against people like them—and instead corner them like that—is a talent in itself.”
James’s evaluation of Shane had improved considerably compared with their first meeting.
Raviata could not help laughing in disbelief.
“You really are a money demon.”
“And whose fault do you think that is?”
“Enough!”
—
The expedition did not remain still for very long.
Shane examined the Weather Observation Orb he had taken out and spoke quietly.
“We should begin moving soon.”
This Magic Tool had been created before the expedition through Shane and a Magic Tower Elder working together, specifically for navigating the Great Forest.
“We have fifteen minutes. We will move to the next checkpoint.”
The strategy for traversing the Great Forest relied on one fact in addition to the Magic Tool.
The terrain of the Great Forest changed constantly because of the Great Rainy Season.
Yet there was one thing that never changed.
The enormous trees like the one where Shane and the others were currently sheltering.
For some unknown reason, these gigantic trees were never washed away by the tremendous floods and remained firmly rooted in place.
As a result, most movement through the Great Forest would consist of traveling from one such tree to another.
Ilexa, leader of the Lampert Adventurer Party, encouraged her members and ran after the group at the front.
As she did, she thought back on her earlier decision and once again praised herself for having made the right choice.
Half a day had already passed since they entered the Great Forest.
Without the Weather Observation Orb Shane had brought, Ilexa and her companions would never even have made it this far.
By the time one noticed an ominous change in the Mana overhead, it was already too late.
Whenever they looked skyward after noticing it, the torrential rain had already begun falling.
Ilexa took considerable pride in being the leader of a veteran Adventurer Party.
Yet for the sake of her members’ lives, she had willingly swallowed that pride.
‘There is still a chance to make up for it.’
When it came to battle, Ilexa remained confident.
She and her companions had spent their lives fighting monsters.
They would survive here to the very end.
Perhaps it was because she entertained that very thought.
The crisis came without warning.
“Three minutes remaining! Break through quickly!”
A group of monsters had appeared on their way toward the next destination.
Each was an enormous insect roughly the size of a small child.
Great Wood Parasites.
As though mocking the expedition, whose movements were hindered by the soft ground sinking beneath their feet, the creatures raced across the earth as freely as though it were their own home.
Worse still, the acidic fluid sprayed from their mouths was strong enough to dissolve even tree roots.
But the expedition responded calmly.
“Square Formation! Block!”
With Ilexa at their center, her party members stepped forward and raised their shields.
The Mana layered over those shields reacted and formed something resembling a small fortress wall across the front.
“So this is the strength of the northern people!”
The northern regions of the Empire suffered Monster Waves so extreme that they surpassed ordinary standards every year.
True to their origins, Ilexa and her companions possessed exceptional defensive abilities.
Dominic loudly praised them, drew his own sword, and gathered Mana into the blade.
“Everyone, show them the strength of the Imperial Family!”
“““Yes!”””
“It is time to avenge Wells! Knight Order, draw your swords!”
While the larvae paused after spraying acidic fluid and prepared their next attack, the Imperial Knights and the Knight Order of the Kingdom of Hiel charged.
The monsters possessed sharp teeth and hard outer shells.
But neither proved particularly useful against the Aura of the knights.
The larvae were slaughtered in moments.
Those that survived, however, quickly realized they were at a disadvantage and began burrowing underground.
“Damn it!”
Their sharp teeth were not merely tools for chewing through wood.
Once underground, the larvae moved through the earth like fish in water and erupted unexpectedly to attack the expedition’s ankles.
Fortunately, the knights possessed sensitive Instinctive Perception and were not caught by the attacks.
But—
“One minute! Delilah!”
“Okay!”
Time did not permit the battle to continue.
At Shane’s shout, Delilah responded and stomped her foot with Mana.
A wave of Mana spread outward from her, and the surrounding ground began shaking as though an earthquake had struck.
Then—
-SCREEECH!
Horrific cries came from underground.
The earth the larvae had previously moved through like their own home had suddenly transformed into spears that pierced their bodies from every direction and extinguished their lives.
“Heheh. You dared go underground in front of me? You must have been desperate to die.”
“Enough pointless chatter. Run!”
“Seriously?! You could at least praise me when I do something well!”
Shane’s group ran ahead first.
After hurriedly finishing off the remaining monsters, the rest of the expedition also succeeded in reaching the interior of the tree.
But then—
“W-Wow…….”
“Oh, you made it? Good. Looks like no one fell behind. Whew~ Look at it pouring again already. I was feeling filthy anyway. Maybe I should go wash up?”
Raviata, who had arrived ahead of them, greeted everyone with a radiant smile.
Around her lay several hundred larvae—
All charred pitch-black and still giving off trails of smoke.
The sight made Ilexa feel embarrassed about the resolve she had made only moments earlier.
—
Three days had already passed since they entered the Great Forest.
Fortunately, they had yet to encounter rain mixed with different attributes.
But conversely, that meant they were still far from the central region where such weather occurred.
They could move only after the rain stopped and the accumulated water drained enough for them to walk.
Even then, most periods of movement lasted no more than ten or twenty minutes.
Naturally, the expedition’s progress was painfully slow.
During one of the permitted rest periods, Delilah checked the condition of her Mana before dropping flat onto the ground.
“Ugh. This is seriously exhausting.”
Unlike the others, Delilah did not possess particularly great endurance.
The reason she could maintain such a fast pace despite that was the abundant Mana saturating the ground.
In that respect, Delilah had it somewhat easier than the others.
Unlike the rest of the expedition, who had to be extremely cautious when replenishing their Mana because of the Mana Instability, Delilah could absorb Mana from the earth regardless of its exact nature.
But there was nothing she could do about mental exhaustion.
No one complained about Delilah lying on the ground.
Some people nearby had already closed their eyes for a brief nap.
Whenever they had nothing to do, they needed to rest as much as possible.
Delilah turned her gaze toward Aneis and Klein, who were maintaining their equipment with oil-soaked cloths nearby.
“Is it because you’re warriors? You two look a lot more relaxed than I expected.”
“Haha. We have not actually fought all that much.”
“You just have low endurance. Exercise more.”
Klein, who had begun speaking casually with her over the past two weeks, answered with a laugh.
Aneis, meanwhile, bluntly criticized Delilah’s poor stamina.
“Hey! I’m better than plenty of people! Do you know how many are worse than me?”
“That is not entirely wrong. Most Department of Magic cadets spend their time sitting down.”
“Do not use people below a reasonable standard to define the average.”
“Oh, come on.”
Sulking, Delilah looked through an opening in the tree.
Rain poured down as though the sky itself were collapsing.
Delilah had usually enjoyed the atmosphere of rainy days, so she had never particularly disliked rain.
After coming here, however, she thought she might start hating it.
“Haah. Still, this isn’t as intense as I expected.”
At first, because of the conflict with the dispatched groups, Delilah had expected the expedition to become an unbearably tense journey.
But after Shane forced them to back down on the first day, they had not shown any particularly troublesome behavior.
If anything, Dominic from the Imperial contingent and Ilexa of the Lampert Adventurer Party had provided Shane with considerable assistance and even sought his advice.
Delilah was just thinking that she hoped the expedition would continue this peacefully when Shane approached.
“You need to develop better eyes.”
“Huh? What? Are you going to start nagging me like her?”
“Rather than nagging, consider it advice. Learn to look at the world more broadly.”
“What does that mean?”
“The people involved here are not nearly as innocent as they appear to you. I will not criticize you for resting, but do not lower your guard around them.”
“……?”
Delilah did not entirely understand, but she nodded anyway.
She had heard that crimes committed while exploring dungeons like this were far from uncommon.
Moreover, Delilah herself had already been kidnapped by humans once.
She straightened her awkward reclining posture and turned so that she was lying toward the rest of the expedition instead.
“Ahem. Right. I should be careful.”
‘Still, with the Imperial Family, a kingdom, and even Raviata involved in this expedition, surely no one would try anything foolish?’
Thinking that, Delilah pushed aside the uneasy feeling that had arisen for no reason and forced herself to close her eyes.
