Betrayal
“He, help me!”
The one who appeared alongside such a scream around the three hours mark since we entered this dungeon was, Regul-dono, the personnel dispatched by the Guild. Regan and I kept our guards up, but looking at it closely, he’s wounded all over the place. Moreover, his two followers weren’t around either.
“What happened?”
We head towards Regul-dono while keeping an eye out on the surroundings. It’s because, for all that we know, monsters might come because of Regul-dono’s scream earlier. I have Regan, Sylphe, Eira keep an eye out on the surroundings, and entrust the treatment to Legins.
When I hand over the water bottle that I had, Regur-dono snatched the water bottle and started drinking vigorously. Eira frowned at the sight of that, but she didn’t say anything.
“Don’t drink that hastily. There are no enemies now. So what happened?”
I ask while calming him down with my words, and perhaps he finally calmed down because he drank the water and we are around, he raises his face and looks at us. And then
“……sorry”
, the moment I thought he briefly apologised, he took out a peddle-like object from his bosom and threw it at our feet. Eira was the first to notice that. I suppose it’s because she’s learned Magic that she noticed it.
However, before she says anything to us, the peddle shined and enveloped us.
……when my vision returns to normal, Regul-dono, who was before my eyes, was running away, trying to get away from us. Regan tried to go after him, but before that, it’s the location we’re currently at.
I thought for an instant that perhaps we’re at the same location, but looking around closely, I can tell that it’s different. We were near the center of a passage, so that we can move at any time, but this place is surrounded by walls.
“Shit! You guys, please cast more Support Magic on me!”
“Tsk! To think that my axe isn’t getting through!”
And then, intense battle sounds were audible around. The moment I was about to look in the direction where I can hear the sounds, an object passed through the gap between Legins and me.
It crashed into the wall at the back and made a splat. I turn around, and one of the men of the four-people group had been thrown into the wall. It looks like he died instantly with that single blow; the man wasn’t moving an inch.
“……no, no wayy……wha, what’s that……”
All of us turned towards the direction with the battle sounds in response to Sylphe’s trembling voice. And then, what was over there was a Dragon with bones dyed in black.
Its size is about 6 meters, and it has no wings, but it has a pair of incomparably thick hind legs. I think it’s an Earth Dragon from its appearances, but it feels different from an ordinary Earth Dragon from the pressure it gives out.
Furthermore, I survey the room, and the only entrance is behind that Earth Dragon. We won’t be able to leave this place if we don’t defeat it.
“……I wonder if that means we were set up by the Guild?”
Legins smiles self-mockingly. It’s true that the only ones currently fighting the Earth Dragon are, Dori-san and company, and the gathered Adventurers. The other groups were probably also sent here like us. Furthermore, they were set up by Regul-dono……no, Regul and company.
“In any case, let’s help Dori-san and the others. We won’t be able to get out of here unless we do something about that fellow. We can’t get far with just”
“Gyaa”
The moment I was about to give my orders to everybody, I heard a scream. And then, a drop of water wets my cheek. When I turn around, there was a clump of black bones over there, and in front of it, Eira was caught in between and covered in blood.
“Eiraaaaaa!!!”
Regan brandishes his axe, trying to save Eira. The moment Regan’s axe struck the black bones, along with a heavy sound, his axe broke. And then, he ended up being sent flying by an arm that darted out from the ground.
……another Earth Dragon appeared behind us. Regan, who was struck flying by the Earth Dragon, had all four limbs pointing in directions they rightfully wouldn’t, and bleeding all over his body. Eira, who was crunched by the Earth Dragon is already long dead.
“Yo, youー!!!”
Sylphe shoots her arrows at that Earth Dragon. Furthermore, they’re not regular arrows; they’re specially-made Magic Power arrows. Magic Crystal that explodes has been attached to the tip. Several of it land on the Earth Dragon……but, the figure that appeared when the dust cleared was unscathed. And then, it swings its tail.
Sylphe ended up being struck by the tail before I even have the time to go and help. And then, the Earth Dragon carries on to spin. Legins and I ended up being blown away without being able to do anything.
……the last thing that came to my mind were the smiles of my comrades.
◇◇◇
“Gahah! Fuckin’……shit! The Guild……betrayed us huhh!!!”
Before me is the man who’s the leader of this time’s investigation who’s pressed down by the Skeleton Land Dragon and cannot move. If I’m not wrong, Dori or something, was it. That fellow was looking at Regul and us and shouting.
“You, you’re wrong. We, we……I, didn’t have such intention……”
And then, Regul, who was the cause of this, was escaping from reality. A yelling man and a mumbling man. Ahー, how noisy. I give my order to the Skeleton Land Dragon with my eyes, and the Skeleton Land Dragon crushed the man underfoot.
I grab the hair of Regul who saw that and tries to avert his face and show him the corpse. Making sure that he can’t escape from reality.
“By the way, Regul’s dream was to leave your name in history, right? I’ll help you with that. As the arrant scoundrel who sold his country that is”
Until this country perishes, I won’t let you die, Regul.
