The five-man veteran adventuring party is pretty well known in Seiris and
is called [Gale Thunder].
Two warriors, an archer, a mage, and an assassin. This team of five people
grouped up together and explore dungeons conservatively contrary to their
ferocious name.
They say true experts know the ways how to be successful… But it is more
accurate to say that they are the kind of people who knows when to back off
in moments that will lead to their failure.
It's what Sybilla had taught to me before.
These experts who were able to make the Seiris' Third Dungeon their
hunting ground went and explore down to the fifth floor like they usually
do. Rather, that's what they were supposed to do.
An unusual development had occurred.
A surprise attack was launched behind their backs.
They've ran for their lives until all of them jumped on to the giant door…
That's then where a blue giganto appeared in front of them.
What's more is that faint lights are being emitted from that giganto's hands.
[That seems a floor boss specializing in long range attacks.]
[…Really?]
[Why don't you hear it from them yourself?]
Just as Sybilla blatantly replied the obvious, the five-man party all averted
their gazes while the female archer used her hand to cover her mouth.
Sybilla used her chin to urge them to continue the story and the leader
hesitated a bit before opening speaking once again.
[There appeared to be something like a… dark shadow…. It seems to be a
man and… it was the one who killed the floor boss.]
Sybilla then turned her eyes to me while keeping her hands crossed.
I can see how surprise Sybilla is with her wide eyes upon hearing such
information.
[That thing then talked to me all of a sudden.]
–it's been kind of boring these days, ain't it? Now that the floor boss is
gone, proceed to the middle levels. (Shadow)
–But we don't want to?
–Then, could you just play with me?…. Ah, but your existences just seem
too nominal. Aaah, I don't really want to deal with plebeians… You've
even bought an assassin which embodies nothing but filth… Ahhh~~ so
irritating… Just when will those proud beings called the Orichalcum Sword
Hero or the Mythril Sword Holy Knight appear.
[He said those things all of a sudden but… Our fears got the best out of us
so we ran for our lives. Someone who can defeat that floor boss alone is
something we don't want to fight even in our dreams. We can't do anything
but just listen to that man's disgusting laughter as we–]
Sybilla then interrupted and raised her voice as she confirms something.
[That's enough. Instead of a dark shadow, isn't it like a person whose whole
body is being covered by a black mist, no?]
[…! Yo-you're right! That's exactly how it looked! How did you know!?]
[That's a Demon Lord, you know? We… Rather, it's the saint and the holy
knight with me's true target all this time.]
It really is a Demon Lord as I thought…!
The veteran party looks dumbfounded after hearing about the existence of
the Demon Lord and our objective for the first time.
However… Unlike earlier, traces of fear from their faces have been
alleviated.
I wonder when was it.
It was around the time when Jannet introduced a book of some sort to me.
I find the things being taught in the book interesting and like usual, I asked
Jannet a question.
[Why do you read so many books, Jannet?]
Her answers were like she's having fun learning something new, she enjoys
reading stories, and she loves the feeling of knowing something other
people don't, and other stuff like that.
Ofcourse, there's also the fact that she just loves books.
She also said this in the middle of everything.
[I find the thought of my lack of knowledge, void of any information, or
things similar to that scary…]
[Why?]
[…Because there's this chance that I could make an unforgivable mistake
because of my own ignorance. For instance, if there's something that I don't
know anything about appeared before my eyes, I'll be finding myself lost
on what to do and how to deal with it…]
It was probably Jannet's true feelings.
What's driving her more than the satisfaction from sense of superiority is
that fear. It's the fear of falling into a situation where we could have survive
if we have the needed information but ultimately lost our lives because of
our ignorance.
That's… probably her biggest fear on not knowing how to react in unknown
situations.
I know Demon Lords are strong. I don't think I have to say this but I still
have fears fighting them.
However, compare to other people who don't have any idea about Demon
Lords, my fear is more tolerable.
[You're true target… I see. You must have the abilities to stand toe to toe
against a Demon Lord that's why you can say things like that.]
[Ofcourse. How can someone who's always keeping an eye from behind
won't keep one or two things hidden in her hand… right?]
The veteran party let out a small chuckle for the first time after hearing
Sybilla took their words in just a light hearted manner.
[Anyway, why don't you guys let us accompany you first.]
[Sorry for troubling you like this. Thanks.]
We've accompanied the other party together to return to the floor above
after exchanging some information.
There were no monsters and floor boss that had appeared so we were able
to safely return to the fifth floor.
[The path from here onward has no detours and is just straight ahead so it'll
be alright for us to separate from here, no?]
[That's what I thought before as well. But it seems to be a bit wrong since
there were four monsters that were able to sneak from our backs earlier.
That's why I believe it can still be dangerous.]
[Ara, is that so? Ma… that's fine.]
Sybilla didn't say anything else and with that, the five people from Gale
Thunder started making their way back to the surface.
Emmy then let out a breather in relief.
[Ha….. I was really nervous all along so I'm glad everything turned out
fine…]
[Yeah. They'll probably be alright from here… Sybilla?]
As me and Emmy are talking how things went out safely, Sybilla has her
hand to her chin all this time deeply thinking about something.
It's rare for her to be like this.
[…Is it really just attack from their backs? In our case, we've encountered a
similar situation in the upper level as we were under a pincer attack of two
monsters but is it really just a one-time thing?]
[Is there anything wrong with that?]
[How do I put it… It seems to me that the Demon Lord used four monsters
to lead the party towards the floor boss' area. At the very least, four
monsters attacking at the same time are impossible for them to deal with.]
I can feel myself shuddering at the thought of facing off four of those
monsters as if I'm actually with Gale Thunder.
Then Sybilla speaks again.
[On top of it… even I don't know of an existence of a Demon Lord that can
walk freely outside Hell.]
The end of her words started an uncomfortable chill crept on me and made
me shiver down to my spine.
Realizing that the most knowledgeable person I know will be facing off
something she hasn't even heard for the first time made my body react in
such a manner.
–I get it now.
This must be what Jannet feels.
For a person who's able to know lots of things and get superior knowledge,
the fear of dealing something you don't know anything about must be more
aggravated. This also implies that there is no other source of information
people can rely on.
Did she perhaps accumulated all those knowledge for the sake of not letting
us feel like this?
…She really is amazing.
Maybe the reason my body reacted like that is because… I've been relying
too much on Sybilla's knowledge without me knowing.
This time, even if both of us know nothing, we can overcome this fear.
It'll be fine… We're strong and we have each other.
I listen to Sybilla while conditioning myself to the foreboding fight against
the Demon Lord I have never seen.