Act 2: Chapter 3: Shadow Spider, Ragno
「Something… is coming.」
I looked around as I unsheathed the 《Hero Sword; Gilgamesh》.
It was then that a pitch black spider suddenly shot up from underground. It was as big as a dog and its eyes shone an ominous red.
I closed in immediately, bissecting it in a single slash of my sword.
That single slash split the ground beneath the spider, the shockwave sending a spray of soil up in the air. The spider that had just been split in two had already died and turned to sand.
「Just weak monster huh…」
The reason that the corpse of the pitch black spider crumbled to sand was simply because its body couldn’t withstand the attack from the 《Hero Sword; Gilgamesh》’s powerful magical power.
The reason that I’d used this sword to attack was because I’d felt a strange sign.
「Kanata, as expected!」
Philia merrily commented from her spot on my back, as carefree as ever.「W-what’s happened, Kanata-san? It’s rare for you to unsheathe that sword outside of that mirror…」
Pomera asked as she walked towards our direction.
「No idea… just instinct, I guess.」
I returned the 《Hero Sword; Gilgamesh》 back into its sheath and took out a knife from my magic pouch.
Since using the 《Hero Sword; Gilgamesh》 against normal monsters was an overkill, I used another weapon in fighting against normal enemies. Fighting bare-handed would just make me stand out even more so I was refraining from doing so.
Though my weapon was a simple polished dismantling knife, it was enough for me as a weapon.
「Instinct? It looks like a monster that came out from under the ground but… such thing is…」
「Comes from… no, they’re living underground to be exact. Another one is coming.」
As soon as I said that, a deafening scream resounded around us.
The spider monsters from before leapt out from the ground all at once as if trying to surround the gathered adventurers. Though there was some open space in between them, there were still easily fifty of them.
「《Monster Parade》!? S-such thing is…」
They’re clearly the kind of monsters that attacked in flocks.
Though the monsters that lived in flocks of more than fifty were supposed to be a big threat in this world, this was the first time that Pomera was also experiencing this kind of scene.
I used 《Status Check》 on them.
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Race :Ragno
Lv :24
HP :91/91
MP :84/84
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Level 24… as strong as D-rank adventurers, huh.
Majority of the escorts this time around should be D-ranked adventurers. But, the difference in numbers between the two sides was too overwhelming.
If I’m being too conspicuous by helping them now, I’m afraid that the people will start to see me as one of the 《JinMaRyuu》 or a transferee.
But, I can’t just let them die without doing anything just to protect my identity.
「Let’s get a bit more serious. It’ll be bad if we don’t decrease their numbers.」
「U-Understood!」
Pomera raised her big cane.
It seems that she’s prepared with a wide range of spirit magic.
Right now, firepower is our second priority. I have to decrease the number of the Ragnos as much as possible… and as plainly as possible.
Twenty of them headed straight towards me.
Maybe they’d raised their vigilance knowing that I’d defeated their vanguard in a single slash.
Well, I have to thank them for doing this, though.
「Leave this place to me, you go and assist the other adventurers!」
The moment I said so, Philia, who I was carrying on my back, suddenly raised her hands high in the air. The next moment, a dragon appeared out of nowhere along with seven prismatic lights.
The green and red swirling pattern became the theme for its scales as it formed. It grew a pair of giant winds on its back and sinister claws on its limbs.
I’d seen that dragon before. Though its head was no longer covered with a mask, I’m a hundred percent sure that dragon is the same one that Zorophilia had used in a fight against me before.
If my memories serve me right, its name is 《Progenitor Dragon; Drigvesha》.
Another scream resounded through the area after the appearance of the large number of Ragnos. Even Pomera ended up stiffening up when she saw the dragon that appeared out of nowhere.
「C-Calm down, Philia-chan! Wait a minute! Make that dragon disappear for the time being!」
「Progenitor Dragon, Boom!」
Philia swung down her arms.
The dragon then swooped down towards the crowd of Ragnos. The ground quaked as that heavy mass smashed to the ground, leaving a giant crater behind.
「Philia is strong, right? Praise Philia! Praise Philia!」
Philia swung her arms around merrily as she said so.
I stood still in place, covering my face with my hands.
Philia… she might’ve misunderstood the order I’d given to Pomera as an order for her as well.
The figure of the dragon slowly faded away before it disappeared completely. The other Ragnos, sensing the danger, stopped fighting at once and quickly dove back underground.
Though everything was fine until now… I realized that the other adventurers had started to lose their composure too.
「W-… What happened just now!?」
「I saw a dragon! Let’s get out of this place immediately!」
At this rate, those adventurers will escape alone to save their own lives while leaving behind the ordinary people and merchants.
「C-Calm down, everyone! Look carefully… the dragon has gone!」
Despite my attempts to calm down the adventurers, they were still restless.
Just when I was racking my brain to calm down the matter at hand, a man that looked like a high-ranking adventurer walked towards us and bowed his head to us.
「Could it be, that dragon is your summoned being! Saint Pomera-sama!」
「… FWWEEH?」
The attention of the people around us then focused entirely on Pomera who was currently still stiff from the first experience of seeing the dragon.
Due to the previous case in Aarburg, the man seems to have mistaken that dragon as Pomera’s summon since the moment that the dragon appeared also coincided with the moment that Pomera had raised her big cane.
「E-E-EH, W-W-What… Sorry! Pomera… Eh…」
The sounds of cheering and applause broke out from the people around us.
Pomera, who had yet to get used to being surrounded by so many people, had immediately flushed bright red.
Sorry, Pomera… I have no choice but to play along with them in order to prevent the chaos that would happen otherwise.
I steeled my heart and killed my expression as I followed the lead of the other people and clapped my hands to praise Pomera. Sorry Pomera, I’ve no choice but to use you as a sacrifice.
Philia, who had no idea what was happening around us, followed my example too and clapped her hands with a big smile on her face.
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TN : What do you think of Philia? She’s strong and adorable right? More Philia next week!!