Chapter 222 — Part 2
「They’re pretty skilled, aren’t they? But, I don’t think Mr. Luskrow should be undervalued compared to them」
「Nah, come on. I’ve been slacking and my skills got rusty, so don’t even try comparing me to someone among the top high ranking adventurers in Mazelinth」
「I’m just giving you high praise as your student, so I hope you’ll just honestly accept it」
「Fine, fine」
「So, are we going to just stay here and wait? Our current position is almost the same as the medical encampment in the rearguard, but won’t we be late for the Harvest Festival from here? 」
「If you want to stand on the frontlines of the Harvest Festival, then yeah, this isn’t a good place to be, but if you guys go on ahead, you’ll end up stealing all the spotlight and the other adventurers will get jealous.
You probably don’t want to make your lives in Mazelinth harder. Besides, I’m sure you all aren’t all that interested in the rewards of the Harvest Festival itself.
From here, you can see the movements of the other adventurers, and also the movements of the temple priests and the knights supporting them, so you can see how they’re coordinating. What you guys want isn’t to watch the people on the frontlines, but to see the people in the back who are supporting them, to get a broader picture, isn’t that right?」
「Fumu, you have sharp eyes. You’ve come to understand us very well in this short time we’ve known each other」
「Haha, it’s because you guys didn’t try particularly hard to hide your goals, so it was really easy to understand from how you were acting. When the time comes for me to leave Mazelinth, I’m thinking it’ll probably be because of a labyrinth or city that I’ve never even heard of」
「Thank you for taking on the role of our mentor, and understanding us. Now then, it’s not much, but here’s a few pieces of information for you. The place we have to go home to is a long way away from here. It’s not a matter of crossing from one island to another, but rather, we’re separated by a whole ocean」
When he understood that Dreissen was not lying, Luskrow was a little bit surprised, which showed in how his left eyebrow twitched.
He knew that they would answer him with sincerity, but this was the first time they had spoken about their home, although it was in a vague way.
「I see, so it’s a place out of the eyes of your business rivals. I guess the guild union will feel a little better about this in that case. But, then, that doesn’t give me much room to stretch my legs though」
「Well, if you’d like, we can prepare a ship or two specially for you」
「Hahaha, well, that would be a big help. I’ve never been given such special treatment before in my life. I’m looking forward to it. I planned on keeping my roots grounded in Mazelinth, but it’s not bad to taste the fresh water and air of foreign lands as well」
While Dreissen and Luskrow were talking, Beginala was enthusiastically writing in her notebook, looking around in all directions while listening to conversations, completely concentrated on gathering information.
Dowben and Quinn showed no interest in the excitement in the air around them. Dowben was like a calm investigator watching over the flow of time, while Quinn, already bored with the situation, laid out a blanket on the ground and began to take a nap.
As the above-standard newcomers who were rumored to be in Mazelinth, they were gathering curious looks from the people around them, but none of them seemed to be paying it any mind.
「Dreissen, Mr. Luskrow, may I have a bit of your time?」
The one who called out to them was Hanma. Of all the people in Dreissen’s group, Hanma was definitely the one most accepted by the citizens of Mazelinth.
The compassionate and benevolent woman, a model follower and believer of Mairahl, was called upon often by not just the people of the city, but also by the temples and churches of the Mairahl Order, of which there were many in Mazelinth. She had left a deep and good impression on not just the followers of the religion, but also the priests and the leaders of the temples.
「What is it, Hanma?」
「I am aware of the reasons why you are all not going to the frontlines, but would you allow me to go forward alone? I want to help heal the injured as quickly as possible」
「Hmm, so you’d be a passing healer, instead of a passing evil. That kind of compassion and fortitude is so like you. I see that there are priests and medics among the guardians on the frontlines, but if you were to join them, you could save them from fatal wounds. As for me, I think you should do as you like, but what do you think, Mr. Instructor?」
「Hmm, let’s see. Hanma’s miraculous healing skills are well known, and her supporting holy magic is also rumored to be amazing. I’m sure you’ll get a lot of calls from people trying to recruit you, but sure, why not? It wouldn’t be in line with your beliefs if you were to just stand back and watch」
「Thank you very much. I shall head toward the frontlines now」
When Hanma breathed out a sigh of relief, Luskrow looked a little worried, but he quickly wiped the expression off his face.
Hanma may give off the impression of a support class who helps from the rear, but Luskrow knew for a fact that her prowess in close quarters combat was no lesser than Dowben’s or Dreissen’s.
Besides, due to Hanma’s natural virtue, adventurers around her wouldn’t treat her unkindly, and if she healed skillfully, she would be thanked honestly without being misunderstood.
「Please wait. If you are going, then I, Dowben, shall accompany you. I understand very well that you don’t need protection from me, but I will not let you go alone」
Those were the words of Dowben, whose calmness made it seem like time had stopped. In response to Dowben’s words that showed her usual intense respect for Hanma, no one said anything, except for Hanma, whose smile deepened a little.
As a warrior priest of the Goddess of Time, Chrono Maze, which was rare to see in Mazelinth, though not as rare as Hanma, Dowben has gained a certain amount of fame along with her abilities.
If she, who is definitely not an ordinary person based on her manner of acting, was standing by Hanma’s side, there is no one who would even think insolently toward them, and besides, the two of them also look really good together.
「Dowben, thank you for your offer. I graciously accept. Let us go then. The labyrinth should be overflowing with monsters by now」
Luskrow might have wondered how she could possibly know that, but by then, Hanma and Dowben were already walking toward the frontlines, and Dreissen was smiling wryly at their backs in a way that was probably difficult to understand without being a Dragonian like him.
However, just as Hanma had said, the monsters that were overflowing from inside of the three labyrinths appeared one after another, and began to run wild toward their own respective targets of priority.
The labyrinth monsters, whose core is the spiritual power overflowing from Vasharkan’s Mercy, were baited out by the aura of the fire spirit stones prepared by Mazelinth, and they came out, aiming for Mazelinth in a straight line.
The Great Fire Wall and the Purple Flame Disaster labyrinths were also both overflowing with monsters that were both holy and evil, but since their superiors were enemies of each other, they were fighting each other on their way to Mazelinth.
The direction of advancement of the monsters from the Great Fire Wall labyrinth are controlled to a certain extent by the prayers of the Jambordai group, and they were colliding with the monsters of the Purple Flame Disaster labyrinth, in order to kill as many of them as possible.
When there is a labyrinth under the control of a god who is on the side of the humans, as is the case here, it’s possible to control the direction of the monsters’ wild charge to some extent, a discovery that could have only been made through the long accumulation of history in Mazelinth.
After seeing off Hanma and Dowben, Dreissen stroked his chin in thought as he looked out at the horde of monsters kicking up a large cloud of dust in the distance.
Unlike here in the labyrinth controlled by Dreissen and his friends, it was almost impossible to let out the monsters that were inside.
In that case, then the events of the Harvest Festival would have to take place and be completed from inside the labyrinth.
If that happens, then it would be necessary to ensure that there are people inside the labyrinth who are ready to make trades, heal, and make other preparations in advance, but that problem was already half resolved. So the main job now was to spread the word to the people in the surrounding areas.
The problem was that this was exactly the kind of work that Dreissen and Beginala were not very good at.
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