“Of course not,” responded Isuka. “Bloodpool is a special being. There is none other like her. She probably had a reason to show herself in the first battle. In my eyes, it was a strong message for Arilai and its allied countries, warning them not to interfere with their efforts to take over the ancient labyrinth. It certainly left a powerful impression on them, I’m sure. Now they won’t be able to make a move against Gedovar so easily.”
Isuka sighed, then turned her gaze back toward the black screen.
I nodded in agreement. Unlike our raid team, the mercenaries probably hadn’t faced a monster as powerful as a floor master. A regular soldier wouldn’t even be able to approach such an opponent due to their overwhelming destructive power and magical prowess, as with the first floor master. Shirley’s ability to drain energy from others characterized her as the second floor master. The raid team was forced to retreat once because of it, and we would’ve struggled greatly if we hadn’t been able to end the fight quickly.
“Personally, I’m curious whether this Bloodpool is stronger than Kartina. She appeared really strong once she applied the temporary buff from draining blood, so we probably won’t know unless they fight. It probably comes down to compatibility when both are that powerful.”
Although Kartina was from Gedovar, I doubted they would ever go head-to-head. I was more curious about the fact that Arilai had somehow produced pseudo-Demon Arms. I had underestimated their technology, though it seemed inferior to the freak― I mean, real Demon Arms that could surpass the speed of sound. I couldn’t imagine how that fight would have turned out if Wridra hadn’t damaged her.
“I really can’t stand war...”
The comment originated from the elf girl lying face down on the table. Looking at her face, I noticed she looked rather pale and disheartened. I couldn’t blame her. Despite its heavy editing, seeing such a gruesome battle was mentally taxing. I touched her cheek and asked her if she was okay, and she looked up at me with a sad expression.
“I’m scared. I couldn’t keep casting magic in the midst of all of that,” she said.
“I can’t blame you. Unlike in the labyrinth, we’d be fighting with flesh and blood on both sides of the battle,” I told her.
“Well, it’s not just that...”
Marie was usually so talkative and cheerful, but it seemed like the color in her eyes had faded. She blinked slowly, then her eyes moved side to side as if she couldn’t make up her mind. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak again.
“It’s not just the fighting on the battlefield. If the other side loses, the people of their country are going to suffer terribly. Their lives will be ruined. That battle will decide the fate of the citizens too. That’s what scares me.”
Eve, Isuka, and I nodded because she was right. Maybe the other two had looked so down earlier for the same reason. They each placed a hand on Marie’s back.
“Zarish was in the country where I lived, and we lost a war right away. Everyone was running away, and a cavalry came after us. I got scared, so I took Zarish with me and fled. I’ll never forget that sight,” related Eve.
“Gedovar is my home,” said Isuka. “My feelings of resentment come out on top because I was sold into slavery, but I’m sure the people I saw there when I was younger feel differently. I care more about minimizing the damage done rather than which side ends up winning.”
Marie finally rose from the table, although I could tell from looking at her that she wasn’t feeling like herself yet. But her expression had changed into that of determination, and she had recovered some of her vigor.
“Let’s destroy this monster-controlling device that’s said to be on the third floor. Maybe then, Gedovar’s army will give up on the ancient labyrinth. At the very least, we should be able to stop unnecessary harm,” she said.
“Yeah, let’s do that,” I agreed. “We aren’t Arilai’s soldiers and can’t fight for them on the battlefield, but we should be free to fight in our way. That also goes for Team Diamond. Let’s do what we think will be for the best, and maybe our actions will end up helping more than anyone.”
Even though Marie was small, she nodded firmly because she was a capable Spirit Sorceress undaunted by fearsome monsters. Emboldened by her bravery, the two members of Team Diamond nodded, raised their clenched fists toward us, and said, “We’re in.”
Unbeknownst to us, Hakam and Aja overheard our conversation at their table away from ours. They had been silent and dumbstruck until then by the horrors they had seen, but Hakam said, “We can’t let the children get the better of us.”
“Right,” replied Aja, and they both stood up.
“We know which route the enemy is expected to come in from. Let’s check in on the defensive force and your ‘bombardment,’” said Hakam.
“We’ve even called in the old soldier looking for a place to die. Even Gedovar’s main forces won’t stand a chance. They’ll watch their soldiers die one by one in their futile efforts,” said Aja, laughing out loud.
The peculiar aura of those who knew battle intimately radiated around them. No one knew that we, women and children, had ignited their passion. Well, except Wridra, who was quietly smiling to herself.
Once the military higher-ups and Eve’s group had left their seats, the black-haired beauty turned to us as if we were finally moving on to the main topic. She stood before the black screen and stared directly at us as.
“Kitase,” started Wridra. “I thoroughly enjoy when a movie makes it appear as if it had ended and there is more to it. It does not happen every time, but I always look forward to it. So, I watch the credits roll until the end. I feel it would be quite a waste if I missed out on an extra scene.”
She spoke as if she were performing, and I wondered what this was all about. But I got my answer right away. A blue sky suddenly appeared on the black screen, and we all squinted at the sudden brightness. Dunes appeared, followed by a brown, jagged mountain range. This scenery was the postcredits scene she was referring to in her speech.
“Hah, hah, only those who have stayed until the end get to enjoy this footage,” she added.
Despite her cheerful tone, there was a dangerous gleam in her eye. Her lips curved into a smile, yet her hand gripping her glass revealed the tension she felt.
Marie and I exchanged looks, and the scene changed once again. What we had assumed to be mountain ranges suddenly moved, and we realized we were actually looking at dorsal plates. A silver-white eyeball looked toward us, and the shock wave from its roar dispersed every cloud in the vicinity, leaving us in awe. The shock wave reached the dunes, flooding the screen with white noise akin to the destruction of the camera. I stared, eyes wide.
“Don’t tell me that was a dragon just now?! A dragon that big has to be a legendary class! Wridra, where was that footage from? Let’s go, let’s go take a look!” I said excitedly.
“You really can’t help yourself with massive creatures like that,” pointed out Marie. “I’d bet you would have taken time off tomorrow if you had work.”
She was right, of course. You wouldn’t see a legendary dragon in person every day, and if I missed that chance, I might have never― Actually, I had been seeing Wridra practically every day. Not that I didn’t appreciate her, but, well... Yeah, maybe I didn’t appreciate her enough.
Normally, I would have expected Wridra to allude to the fact that she was a legendary being, but she said nothing. Being curious, I looked at her and how she smiled. It wasn’t her usual joyous display, instead having anger seething deep within her.
“Wh-What’s wrong, Wridra?” I asked.
“Hah, hah, oh, it is nothing... I simply find it amusing. We, the ancient dragons, had once agreed to stay neutral in this world of gods, monsters, and humans. Yet this one has decided to side with Gedovar!”
We were shocked as a myriad of cracks appeared in Wridra’s glass, and a dark aura emanated from her. The Arkdragon had been protecting Marie while she stayed neutral, as she had mentioned. She mainly used her powers for entertainment, to make the mansion and hot springs. One would have considered it a waste of her abilities, though it was perhaps a deliberate effort on her part to stay neutral. No, this probably resulted from her doing whatever she felt like.
I couldn’t help but wonder about the giant dragon who should have been a neutral entity like Wridra. Judging by her reaction, there was no way they were completely unrelated. Marie thought the same thing and hesitantly asked, “Wridra, do you know that dragon?”
“Hah, hah. Not only do I know him, but so do these children,” she said, lifting her babies. It could only mean one thing...
“That’s your husband?!” we stood and shouted simultaneously.
I had never seen her husband before, and she had never spoken about him from what I could remember. Since she had children, it stood to reason that she would have a husband, even if she had always been a free spirit and seemingly single.
As a lover of romance novels, Marie couldn’t hide her excitement from this revelation. Her purple eyes lit up with curiosity, but just as she opened her mouth to speak, Wridra muttered with a ferocious grimace, “I will put down that scum myself.”
Those words immediately shut Marie’s mouth. Wridra was furious, and this clearly wasn’t the time for the kind of romance talk she had hoped for.
Based on the footage we had seen earlier, the war with Gedovar wouldn’t be easy. Still, I never would have imagined a marital quarrel would end up being an even bigger problem.
Marie and I thought like that as we watched Wridra smiling grimly.