The Shaman can't become a Hero
Act 4: Two-Headed Hound
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Chapter 29: Transfer Circle
After Futaba-san brought down the Great Frog with her overwhelming Berserker strength, we thought to waste no time and aim ahead.
The Magic Compass went like, Over there! and pointed to the middle of the lake, in other words, the circular plaza-like area we reached upon arriving at the end of the Waterline.
“But like, there’s nothing here...”
The trouble is, it’s just a plain old open space here. Like the Waterline, it was 30 cm deep under water, and spread out like a stone-paved floor. Structurally, it had the feeling of a giant pillar rising from the bottom of the lake with us standing right on top.
“Hmm”
I let out useless groans as I try to search for a gimmick or something. From the fact that Natsukawa Minami was making use of traps, we can pretty much conclude that this dungeon is riddled with contraptions of all sorts. Since the Compass was so obstinately directing us here, there’s just got to be something.
I say that, but we’ve got zero hints here. Neither is there some switch-like thing to slide open some hidden door, nor some kind of epitaph telling us to solve a riddle.
If forced to say, there’s the point that the stone floor has a Magic Circle-like thing drawn over it, which would be the only clue-ish detail. But, that may as well be a part of its decoration too.
I roll up my sleeves, and plunge my hands into the water, touching my fingers to the Magic Circle spreading out below my feet.
“Yeah, no use after all”
The sensation on my fingertips, was that of hard stone, and of slippery moss growing on top. I don’t know how long this place has been underwater, but this environment is perfect for the moss to culture.
Thinking as such, I was gliding my hand over the surface, when an sudden feeling of tenderness caught on my finger.
“Hm?”
Raising my arm out from the water— it felt as if my heart stopped.
“NuwaAAAAAAAA!?”
On my fingertip was, an elliptical black creature dangling down. Like a powerful suction cup, its mouth-ish part was clutching onto the tip of my index finger.
Yup, it was a leech. A big fat leech. It’s a whole frickin’ 15 cm leech dammit.
“Aaa!?”
I started flailing around my arm like half crazy, but it wasn’t only big, but had quite the suction power as well, and wouldn’t come off so easy. During which, the leech was increasingly sucking out more of my blood, in its semi-transparent, I saw red fluid collecting from the outside.
| Black Bloodline | Blood that—[1] |
(TN: 黒の血脈 — Kuro no Kechimyaku — Black Bloodline. Eh... I don’t know~ )
“GyaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
Just now, I think I saw something like a Curse description, but right now I’m busy with a giant leech gulping away at my blood, so I wasn’t in a state to read into it. There’s no feeling of pain, but getting such a gratuitous display of my blood draining into its half transparent body, it was frankly so disgusting I want to cry. No wait, I’m crying a little already.
“Haa... haa... g-got it off...”
In the end, I succeeded in detaching it from my finger by trampling it underfoot. It wasn’t my intention, but I kinda put too much weight on it and it got squashed under my shoes. Like a red haze, my sucked-out blood dispersed into the water.
“Mo-Momokawa-kun! Are you alright!?”
As I finished making my one-man commotion, my partner, the Berserker Futaba-san stomped in with her large body and swinging breasts.[2]
(TN: Berserker is said in Engrish here, like Baa-zaa-kaa )
“I’m f-fine... or rather, looks like there’s some big leeches on the floor, so be careful okay”
“E-Eeeh!?”
Her eyes rolling around, Futaba-san splashed around her feet in the water. Making sure there aren’t any icky blood-sucking organisms around and on her legs, she ended her dance.
“More importantly, what about the core?”
“Yup, I have it here!”
While I was checking out the circular plaza, I had requested Futaba-san to go collect the core from the Great Frog. As expected of Shiramine Academy’s cooking club ace, it was child’s play.
She was displaying a full-faced smile as she held out the red crystal. No doubt, it’s the core. It’s the 2nd time I’m seeing it. First being the stolen one from the Armor Bear.
Thinking back, it feels like the Great Frog’s one looks somewhat smaller than the Armor Bear’s. Is it related to the Monsters overall strength after all? Both are pretty similar in size, but the Armor Bear has to be stronger in terms of battle prowess.
“Thanks. But on my end, I’m not too far from where I start—”
I attempted to report the results of my unfruitful investigation, but then, a sudden change came about.
“Uwah, what the, the Circle’s shining!”
As if it was waiting for Futaba-san to get here, the engraving spreading around our feet radiated red. Seems it wasn’t just a design choice, but a real Magic Circle.
“Wh, wha-wah, what do we do Momokawa-kun!?”
You’re asking me, but I know exactly zilch about magic, so I don’t know any countermeasures either.
However, I noticed that the core in Futaba-san’s hand is also glowing as if matching the Magic Circle’s luminance.
“Look, the core! Whatever, just throw it!”
“Eei!”
And then, Futaba-san quickly threw away the all important core. Drawing a clean arc, just before plopping into the water, as if it was literally a flashbang, the core released dazzling red light.
“Uwah—”
Vision instantly lost. I reflexively closed my eyes, and sensed the flash of intense light on the other side of my eyelids. Makes you think, if I open my eyes now I’ll definitely become blind.
As reasoned, the time I next opened my eyes, would be after another 30 seconds passed. Only after I made sure that at least those intense rays had gone.
“Mm... Futaba-san, you okay?”
“O-ok—”
Turning to the voice, Futaba-san’s large figure blurrily enters my view. I confirm that we’re both alright, but right after, I notice the change.
“Huh, wait... It’s not the lake”
As my flickering vision adapts to the surroundings and returns to normal, I notice the complete change in scenery.
“Ah, it’s a Fairy Square... right?”
Yup, I could agree immediately, since right in front of me, there stood the very symbol of security and relief in this dungeon, the cute statue of miss Fairy on the fountain.
However, both me and the one who raised question, Futaba-san too perhaps, were bewildered by the slight change we saw in the Square as a whole.
The size is around the same. But, how should I say it... the green is lacking. It used to feel like a nature-filled public park, but this place completely feels indoorsy. There’s only a pair of Fairy Walnut trees on both sides, and the blooming flowerbed isn’t to be found. Instead, there’s a few planters poised around the fountain as if to compensate.
It’s kinda, really dreary looking.
“Oi oi, this for real, we’re set Nishiyama, somebody came!”
“Hold it, careful Hirano, what’re we gonna do if it’s Higuchi or something?”
As I heard voices, my pulse immediately increased from tension.
Shit, there’s someone— no, from the voices and words, it’s a guy and a girl, 2 people; there’s Hirano-kun and Nishiyama-san here!
“Ooh, it’s, Momokawa huh... and also, Uooh, Futaba-san?”
“Ah, them? That’s good, it wasn’t someone weird”
I look to find, unmistakeably, the figures of my two classmates.
The one laughing wildly, standing tall in his gym clothing, was Hirano-kun. My seat number is 19 and his being 18, he sat in front of me right from the very start of 2nd year, and though we’re not really friends, I at least know his name and face. Incidentally, because of that wide back of his, I had quite a bit of trouble following the blackboard.
The other, in sailor fashion, Nishiyama-san, also isn’t someone I’m particularly close with. More like, I have literally nil close relations with any girl, but let’s leave that matter aside right now.
Nishiyama-san is of average build and height, not of any outstanding appearance, and wears glasses. She could be considered a plain girl, and wasn’t particularly a loner either. She had her friends in class, and I recall seeing her in a chatting normally with her group during breaks.
They’re harmless students who had been living ordinary school lives. But now, in this severe dungeon survival scenario, we can’t let our guard down with anyone.
Anyway, these two don’t look like they’re going to start indiscriminately attacking like Higuchi— but, I’m still on alert.
Reason being, they’re a 2 person team, and here’s the me and Futaba-san combo. In other words, right here once again, there came that cursed number, the number 4.
“S-sup, hello there...”
I desperately try to cover up my vigilance with a wry smile, and return a greeting.
Now, will these two become ally, or else, enemy. I personally would prefer it not to devolve into killing each other, but I can only pray my thoughts are answered.