CH 63

Chapter 63

When Peaceful Times Cease To Exist : In The Beginner's Dungeon, Part 11 — The Will Of A Mercenary

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

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On the other hand, Rhine and Kazas. Rhine called Kazas with the proper consideration. In terms of instantaneous thinking ability, perhaps due to experience, Rhine thinks much faster than Kazas.

「Rhine-san, what are you thinking about with explosives? It wouldn’t work on a stone door, because it’s reinforced with magic. And magic was impossible.」

「Sensei’s not as smart as I thought you were! I don’t have to aim for the door, you know?」

「Then, what is it?」

「The walls are coming down. Don’t you think the wall above is getting thinner by that amount? Especially when you hit a seam or something.」

「I see, that might be a good idea. You are a resourceful person after all.」

「I appreciate the compliment, but only if it works. And you said you have a degree in physics, right? I was wondering if you knew the most efficient way to set off a bomb or something.」

「I’m not an expert, but let’s do some good.」

「Let’s do that better!」

Seeing Rhine running like that, Kazas looked at Rhine even more and was thankful that his instincts were correct. He then immediately sets off the bomb and evacuates the people around him. Then he ignites it, but

Boom!

and despite the violent explosions that shook the room, it did not completely disintegrate it. But,

「I see the stairs now!」

The stone door did not collapse, but the upper part of the door collapsed, leaving a gap that one person could manage to pass through.

「Good! We’re going to escape now, but let the younger ones, the ones who are injured, escape in turn, okay?」

In times like this, mercenaries are quick to unite. They all know that unnecessary arguments on the battlefield can kill each other, and Rhine has common knowledge among mercenaries all over the continent.

「When it looked like we were going to be wiped out, we let the youngest escape——」This was the rule and pride of the mercenaries, who, unlike the military, had no common discipline. In addition to that, there was something about the tone of Rhine that made him say whether or not he wanted to. Here, Nia and Miranda, who have battlefield experience, think the same thing inwardly.

「（That guy doesn’t look like just a mercenary. Didn’t he used to be a soldier somewhere?）」

If he had been calm, Alfiris would have thought the same thing, but when it comes to Rhine, frustration stands in the way first. That would have been mostly due to Rhine’s past behavior, rather than anything to do with Alfiris.

Anyway, they are trying to escape through a small gap by pushing each other upward near the door, but the gap is narrow and one of them does not get through. And there are still nearly 80 survivors. It would take nearly a quarter of an hour for all of them to escape. Rhine was thinking of such calculations in his head. Needless to say, similar calculations were beginning to be considered by other mercenaries. The work is slow going. Then one moment,

「Hey, Dark Elf-neesan. How much longer does that magic have to last?」

「I thought it would start to fall apart by now. No guarantee how long it will keep.」

「I see. That’s good, you guys get out of here first. You’ve already done enough to stall us.」

「You can tell that to Alfiris. Because our leader is Alfiris.」

「That person has a strange sense of justice and will try to stay until the end. Drag her out, but take her with you.」

「How about you?」

「I don’t like these things, but I’ve done things like a leader. It wouldn’t look good if the person who started it all ran away first.」

He wonder if another 10 people had already fled during such an exchange. Still ten, perhaps he should say. Kazas left early because he was a non-combatant and is currently pushing out the injured. Next would be the turn of the impotent ones, such as monks and sisters. But then,

「Uooohhh!!?」

Suddenly, they heard a shout from behind the mercenaries. The mercenaries turned around in a panic. Everyone turned around and there was a small army of men being attacked by what looked like black slime. And if they look closely, before they know it, the slime is surrounding the humans who are currently rushing to the exit. And on the outermost side of that group, the same thing is happening one after another.

「What the hell is this!?」

Rhine’s surprise was understandable. The mercenaries who are being attacked do not seem to be in any immediate danger, but it seems that once captured, they will not be able to escape. Looking at the source of the slime, it was coming like a sloshing fountain from the tail that Alfiris had just split in two. It doesn’t look like blood. It is too much for blood.

Its true nature is obsession. It was Man Eater’s obsession with food that would not stop just because she was stopped from moving.

「Shit, I’m gonna help you!」

「Anybody with open hands, get over here!」

A number of mercenaries jumped out of the way when they heard the voice. Alfiris tried to jump out as well, but Rhine and Miranda stopped her by grabbing Alfiris’ arm at the same time.

「Why are you stopping me? We have to help them!」

「You can’t.」

「Was it Rhine? I’m going to put up a defensive ward to protect the stairway area now. Gather those who still look okay inside this ward.」

「Okay.」

「What’s wrong with you two? We have to help those people!」

「……I’m afraid I can’t, Alfie. Take a good look around you.」

Lisa points to the surroundings. What she sees there are mercenaries who are entangled in the slime one after another, saying they are going to help their friends. The slime is clinging to the mercenaries’ faces and choking them. No matter how hard the mercenaries struggled, there was no sign of removing it.

「That’s not just slime…… It is a kind of evil spirit. Only sacred magic will be able to exterminate them. And the only user of sacred magic who can exterminate that thing is Miranda here and now. You know what this means, don’t you?」

「…I know that well, but!」

In other words, she was told to give up. No matter how much it costs, the amount is too much for Miranda alone to deal with. Alfiris is helpless in the face of people dying before her eyes. Before this commission began, she had said that if push came to shove, she would sacrifice the mercenaries around her, but as she thought, Alfiris, who has a kind heart, could not effectively abandon others for the sake of her own people. Lisa can say that she is traveling with her because that is the kind of Alfiris she was looking for. Lisa couldn’t find the right words to say to Alfieres, who was gnashing her teeth, but instead Rhine had what could be called the final word.

「Alfiris, watch carefully. If you don’t have the power, you’ll see this kind of ending again and again. It’s even more so if they have a strong sense of justice like you do. If you don’t want to do that, you’ll have to give up your sense of useless justice or become strong enough to save them all.」

「…That’s why you ran away, you coward!」

「Alfie, that’s an exaggeration. Rhine’s judgment is correct here. Even if I don’t agree with it.」

Nia unintentionally stops Alfiris. Alfiris turned her irritation into words and hit Rhine, which made her unintentionally spit out a terrible line. Alfiris braced herself, expecting Rhine to say something back to her as usual, but Rhine just looked forlorn.

「……Ahh, you’re correct. I am a coward. I am not strong enough…」

「What are you…」

The honest admission of the Rhine made Alfiris wonder if this made her the bad guy, but for some reason that didn’t make her feel like apologizing. For some reason, she was always hesitant to bow to Rhine. To avoid unnecessary conflict, Alfiris was relatively straightforward in her apologies, but he was the only one with whom she always argued.

「（I wonder why…?）」

It would be a long time before Alfiris would realize the reason for this. While they were arguing, Miranda finished putting up the wards, but outside there was already no one who could help.

「Now then… Now the slime can’t get in, but if that body can move, a ward like this will be instantaneous. We need to get out while we still can.」

「Good. Hey, how many just passed through!?」

「Just 22 people!」

「Crap, it’s only 22 people.」

「There are still at least 40 of us left…」

「The body will be moving soon.」

「Are we ready for it?」

Outside the warding, the situation was terrible. The slime was writhing in large numbers just outside, trying to get inside the warding. And eventually, the slime that took the form of the one child… two… three… and the number increased one after another, finally exceeding 20 in number, and they began to bang on the wards with their hands.

「Open this……」

「I’m so hungry.」

「Let me eat yooooouuu…」

「What a sight… I’m going to dream about this for a while.」

The number of child-shaped slimes is still increasing, although the words were muttered by no one. It was a bizarre sight that would have terrified any human being. As Alfiris and the others were all about to pick up their weapons, the oldest of the mercenaries let out a loud voice.

「Hey, bastards! Don’t let this young lady and her little boy out first!」

「Ojī-san, what are you saying?」

「You little bitch, you’re the one who’s talking to me like I’m an adult! Go home and go to bed, you little brat!」

「How could I do that… Mhmm!?」

When Alfiris tries to say more, Rhine grabs her by the face and replies instead.

「Thanks for the favors you guys do! Is there anything I can do?」

「Then I’ll let you keep this in case you need it.」

The older mercenary hands his guild rank insignia to Rhine. The mercenaries around him follow suit. While all military personnel have identification to identify themselves in the event of death in battle, mercenaries have only a simple name engraved on the back of their rank insignia. That is how they could confirm most of the deaths. Unlike military personnel, however, they rarely returned safely to their families or guilds.

「Give it back later, okay?」

「Ahh… I swear.」

「Heh.」

All of them knew that there were few who could be saved any longer. But if it weren’t for Alfiris and Rhine, the mercenaries would have been wiped out anyway. They thought it was a good thing that they had saved some of them. When they fought, Alfiris and her group took the lead and led the fight. Many of the mercenaries were ashamed that they had let a female, a woman who was old enough to be their daughter, take the lead. Although they, too, had taken on the job of mercenaries, a job in which they would do anything for money, few of them had given up their pride as human beings.

In addition, everyone here saw that Alfiris tried to help a mercenary who was not a friend of hers and had no regard for her own safety. When mercenaries are hired by an army to fight in a war, many are treated as pawns to be discarded. That is why mercenaries have a strong sense of camaraderie. But it is rare to find someone like Alfiris who would go to the aid of anyone other than her own people for nothing in return.

Some mercenaries will extort, kidnap, or even assassinate others as long as they receive money. They don’t not know that Alfiris’ behavior was the kind of behavior that struck them very much when placed in that context. Rhine was somewhat in the imaginary line, though. But without the series of actions by Alfiris, the mercenaries would not have given up their lives.

In the meantime, Alfiris and her group escaped over the door, and just as Rhine was about to continue,

「Buooohhnn!!」

With a roar of the Man Eater’s body, the wards were broken. Rhine rushed out and grabbed the hand of the next mercenary who tried to come out, but that person was pulled back with a scream, perhaps by slime from behind.

As soon as Rhine determines that it cannot be saved, he immediately run up the stairs at full speed. Rhine glanced behind him as he ascended the 50 steps, but the slime had already climbed over the stone door and was coming this way.

「Tch, you’re not letting me off easy, huh!」

There is no longer time to look back. Rhine runs up the stairs at full speed, followed by Alfiris and the others. And from behind they they could hear the sound of Man Eater’s body hitting the stone door.