“H-Huh? It ran away,” Sumire said. She was still holding on to her shield as she stared, open-mouthed, after the fleeing Gray Wolf.
For real? She chased away an entire monster just by showing off her mana! “Wow, you lucked out.”
“Y-Yeah.” Sumire tilted her head, looking unconvinced by my explanation.
That was when I noticed something. “Uh, Sumire? Is your shield on fire?”
“Huh? E-Eek! It really is! Oh no, I have to extinguish it!”
Sumire’s shield was glowing a bright red. But now that I was paying it closer attention, it didn’t look right. Despite the crimson light radiating from the shield, it wasn’t actually burning or turning black. Was this...? Was it really...?
“It’s been Enchanted with magical fire?” I murmured.
“Enchanted?”
“Enchantment is a spell that imbues weapons or armor with elemental properties,” I explained. “Normally, though, there’s a specific spell you have to cast if you want to Enchant something.” Apparently, Sumire’s Ifrit mana could passively Enchant items. The shield, now bearing the properties of magical fire, continued to glow red for a while. “It’s amazing you can do this just by channeling your mana through something.”
“It is?” Sumire still didn’t seem to understand what an extraordinary feat she’d pulled off.
Enchant was a high-level spell. People valued mages who knew how to cast it, and hiring one cost an arm and a leg. If the other explorers found out Sumire could do this, many parties would clamor to have her enter Babel with them. I had the feeling that my time as her guardian would be a lot shorter than I’d expected.
“Eugene?”
“It’s nothing. Let’s keep going.”
As if to ignore the wave of loneliness that washed over me at the thought, I led Sumire higher into the dungeon. I wanted her to experience at least a few actual battles, but I’d underestimated just how powerful an Ifrit’s mana was. On the 7th Level, we ran into a pack of Great Wolves, which were known for their aggressive nature. On the 8th Level, we entered the territory of the Great Black Bear. These were giant and vicious creatures, each twice the size of a normal humanoid. And then, on the 9th Level, we came across a Crimson Lion. Despite its bestial and frightening form, it was capable of using fire magic. However, no matter what monsters we encountered, they refused to attack us.
They huddled together in fear, practically saying, “We mean you no harm, so please, just keep walking.” The Crimson Lion, in particular, jumped the moment it laid eyes on Sumire the Ifrit. Before we could even get ready for battle, it raced away until it was a quivering speck in the distance.
You little furball... The last time I’d made it to the 9th Level, a Crimson Lion had rushed me, practically salivating at the thought of dining on human flesh! Apparently, monsters of the fire element viewed Ifrits as a much higher species, one they refused to attack. In the end, we made the trek from the 6th to the 9th Level without a single enemy encounter. Seriously? She matched my record in a single day!
“Eugene, what should we do? The floor above us is the Boss’s territory, right?” Sumire asked.
“Yeah, it is...”
“We reached the 10th Level so much earlier than I thought we would.” She looked innocently confused.
The 10th Level of Babel... I never imagined we would reach this place on our first day. I’d never even been there before. However, I’d seen it on the Satellite System, and so I knew that was the floor Babel’s first Boss had claimed as its territory. Not that I’d ever challenged it myself...
I glanced at Sumire’s face. The nervousness that had been clouding her expression when we first entered Babel had cleared up, and she looked far more relaxed. This wasn’t good. Of course, it wouldn’t do for her to be overly anxious either, but an explorer who didn’t understand the dangers wouldn’t last long in here.
Sumire had the talent to make it all the way to the 9th Level without breaking a sweat. I was sure she would soon surpass me and become an excellent explorer in her own right. But she’d reached the 9th Level on her first exploration without fighting a single monster. It was too dangerous for her to keep exploring while under the impression that the dungeon was no big deal. As her guardian, I wanted her to experience some kind of challenge before leaving Babel.
“Do you want to go check out the Boss?” I suggested.
When she heard that, her expression tensed. “Th-The Boss?! Is that really a good idea?”
“We’ll be safe as long as we don’t enter its territory.” And if push comes to shove, I’ll just protect Sumire with all my might. I can’t protect a large group of people, but I’m more than confident in my ability to protect a single person.
A conversation I’d once had in the Seventh Sealed Prison came to mind.
“Even I, a Demon Queen, would have trouble leaving a scratch on you, Eugene.”
“Really, Eri?”
“Really. You should have more confidence in yourself.”
“Huh...”
The words Eri had once spoken to me echoed in my mind. The Demon Queen herself had given me her stamp of approval, so we would be okay. I think.
“O-Oh, I see,” Sumire stammered. “All right, if you think that’s what we should do, then let’s go for it, Eugene!” She gave me a trusting smile.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay!”
I sucked in a small breath before we slowly made our way up the stairs to the 10th Level.