Chapter 40: Scouts
"Three on the ceiling, and two in that deep water area, making a total of five," Shiela's ears twitched, and she occasionally showed gestures of sniffing the air, as if making a prophecy or something.
"Lady Grace, leave the bats to me."
"Then, I'll handle the frogs."
Grace headed towards the depths, while Ashley approached the dark where the bats were hiding, chanting an incantation.
Suddenly, a frog leaped out from the water. Another one extended its tongue with a groan. Grace swiftly swung her left-handed axe, cutting down the one that jumped at her, then skillfully caught the other frog's tongue with the blade of her right-handed axe and pulled it in with force.
Grace nonchalantly swung the arm wrapped in chains toward the frog, pulled out of the water with tremendous force, and it flew straight, sticking flat to the wall.
"――Venom Mist!"
As for the bat that came flying down from the ceiling, it plunged into the purple smoke released by Ashley and suddenly lost altitude, falling to the ground. It was a fourth-rank water magic, which was one of the more challenging spells for Ashley to use, but... if she knew the direction the enemy would come from beforehand, she could easily prepare the magic.
"That's impressive. With no oversight, we won't fall for any surprise attacks," Grace said with a smile.
Indeed, she was right. Despite not being magically enhanced, Shiela's senses were extraordinary. Her vision, smell, and hearing were far beyond human, giving the impression of a living radar. There was a good reason why she sold her skills.
There were also detection magic spells like Life Detection, but the more ways and means of detection they had, the better.
Now then... after that, it was decided to cut the conversation with the recovering Ilmehilt reasonably short and proceed as planned to delve into the labyrinth.
The victims of the kidnapping case were not treated too harshly, seemingly due to the concern for the quality of the "merchandise" – in other words, maintaining their value. As for Ilmehilt herself, she had hidden the fact that she was a Lamia, so it seemed that her condition was not too serious, even though she couldn't eat properly due to her recovery or weakness.
As for why Shiela was accompanying us on the labyrinth exploration... there were two main reasons. First, our interests aligned, and second, Chester's behavior had irritated her significantly concerning Ilmehilt.
That's why Shiela offered to gather information about the Knights by the event five days later, and that's what she told me.
Ilmhirut was in a somewhat delicate position compared to the other two. It had to do with the fact that Ilmhirut was hiding her true race while living in the city, and also because the demon Linette was disguised as a human. Shiela seemed to think that the timing of both revelations was unfortunate. Consequently, the outcome of Ilmhirut's situation appeared rather uncertain.
Ilmhirut had registered as an adventurer and had achieved some accomplishments through various quests and dungeon explorations. She had also encouraged victims who were kidnapped. This led the Adventurer's Guild to be somewhat supportive of her. While there might be some allies among the adventurers, that was a matter within the guild's jurisdiction and did not relate to the kingdom's position.
Therefore, for Shiela, it was quite troublesome to confront someone who was difficult to read in such situations and held a public office. It was even more challenging when dealing with someone who seemed to disregard procedures and protocols.
It was not entirely impossible for Chester to act self-righteously and pass judgment on Ilmhirut, or to spread rumors based on personal bias after returning to the knights' order. Although it hadn't happened, Shiela couldn't dismiss the possibility.
In addition to the animosity towards Chester, Shiela seemed to be considering her current position while trying to establish a connection with me. She believed that having Grace by my side made me trustworthy.
Well... if it was a give-and-take situation, I would welcome it. Having access to more information or means to gather it could become both a powerful weapon and shield.
Personally, I didn't have much fondness for the Thieves' Guild, and I still had few acquaintances here. In the future, if I were to use information brokers and others, it would be more convenient and emotionally reassuring to have Shiela's involvement.
This is where it leads to Shiela's proposal for exploring the dungeon.
Even though it was a give-and-take situation, it wouldn't be enough to just receive information from her and then take advantage of Ilmhirut for my convenience. If I were asked whether it would be sufficient to have Shiela handle the information gathering on her own while I stayed in the background, my answer would be no.
The reason is that if she acted individually and not on my orders, there might be a difference in how she would be treated in case something happened – for instance, if she were to get caught during the information gathering.
At this point, it's not important who came up with the idea. If I accepted it, I should take responsibility for it. Although I don't have an extensive network of connections to act as a significant backing, it should still somewhat contribute to her protection.
There were also discussions with Heather about forming a party with Shiela, so exploring the dungeon together would help clarify the connection between me and Shiela.
Grace and the others discussed these matters together, reaching the conclusion that it would be beneficial to have a thief and a scout in the party for their labyrinth exploration. Now, they have arrived at this point.
Though there were some uncertainties about Sheila's abilities, if it's within this level of the dungeon, there shouldn't be much of a problem or concern about taking her into the labyrinth. They already knew about her excellent information-gathering skills and sharp senses.
"Now, what if I take the lead this time?"
"Are you sure about that?"
"I'm confident. Since you're hiring me for my skills, I want to show what I can do."
"Understood."
With Sheila at the forefront, they began exploring the cave area. After a while, she stopped in her tracks.
"I found something. Let's go."
Saying that, Sheila grasped the dagger in a reverse grip. Without making any sound despite running at a considerable speed, she ran towards an empty wall. Climbing up the wall and leaping high into the air, she swung her dagger towards the empty space. As if being sucked in, two bats came flying out and were torn apart as they fell. She executed a mid-air turn and landed on the ground.
"Well done, Sheila-san."
"Thank you."
I see. She grasps the opponent's position and predicts their movements, allowing her to launch an attack faster than the opponent's actual movement.
Her martial arts skills are impressive, but if she were to fight, her opponent would likely feel that she moves faster than she actually does. Her agility and lightweight weapons complement each other, but it's not like her role is to be a front-line fighter.
Well, never mind. It seems unlikely that Sheila will become a burden.
At this rate, they should be able to progress more efficiently than before.
"Next. They're coming."
From the depths of the cave, sluggish pig-headed monsters appeared.
They were orcs. Four of them. They possessed great strength and were tough warriors, but not very intelligent.
They had started coming out from the 17th floor. Orcs are known for their strong reproductive abilities and chasing after females of other races, but the orcs appearing in the labyrinth seemed to be different. ...Well, they did seem to be moving towards Grace and the others more than me.
"Bugii!!"
Swinging their battle axes towards Grace, she met the attack head-on. The orc's battle axe clashed with Grace's labrys, creating a metallic sound.
However, there was no contest. Grace emerged victorious. She bent the iron-hilted battle axe like a heated candy sculpture and, with the same momentum, mowed down the orc. Without killing her centrifugal force, she spun like a tornado, crushing another orc. It was as if she was treating the orcs like mere infants.
An Orc was captivated by Grace's distraction, and Sheila, who descended from above without making a sound, cut off its head. Before the blood splattered, Sheila kicked the orc's shoulder and leaped backward, disengaging from the scene.
One more to go. Ashley stayed back while I, no longer the target, stepped forward.
With my wand spinning like a windmill, I engulfed the orc and slammed it to the ground headfirst.
At the same time, I pinned its throat down and deployed a magic circle, delivering the finishing blow with a lightning strike from my foot.
Now then, the orc, huh? Although some parts of it can be harvested for food, I don't feel much appetite for humanoid monsters that I know personally.
Having found the staircase to the 18th underground floor and the stone monument, we decided to retreat. While we may have finished here, Sheila likely has plenty more to do afterward.
"I knew Theodore was strong, but... now I'm starting to feel less confident," Sheila said as we returned to the temple.
Grace has some special qualities, and Ashley is exceptionally talented compared to other kids his age. Though Sheila probably thinks she still needs to impress... I don't really expect her to meet any specific standards. Still, I can't help but wonder what she thinks of me.
"No, it's more than enough. Please continue to support us."
"Yeah, I will. Count on me."
Sheila nodded.
"Alright then, starting today, we'll begin our investigation."
"For now, please refrain from crossing dangerous bridges alone. When faced with such situations, let's discuss and make decisions together. I'll lend you my familiar at that time. It's enough if you can gather information about the individuals we should be wary of within five days. Also, it would be reassuring for us if you could check in with us once a day to confirm your safety."
"Understood."
After conveying the plan to Sheila, she smiled a little happily.
There's no need for Sheila to push herself too much because of me. Even if she understands who to be cautious of and who to trust to some extent, it'll make our actions easier.
Well, what will happen in five days? I wonder.