The Simple Job of Only Perishing to the Hero

「……Hmph, just when I was wondering where you were trying to bring me.」

「Gi, gega……」

Ein carefully looked around the place that looked like a dim passageway.

Underneath her foot was the head of a single Alva. There was a creaking sound coming from the Alva’s head, which was being stepped on with enough strength that it was sinking into the floor, and Ein looked down on it with a cold look.

「……I thought that you’d reveal your true identity if I hurt you, but to think you were just the usual type. It can’t be that you were the one who thought of trying to drag me here, right?」

「Ge……gea……」

「Tsk, we can’t even communicate properly. Oi, if you have any companions, call them out. They just might save you, you know?」

For this Alva, it was fine up until it took Ein’s back and grabbed her body.

Through the power of the cracked airspace trying to return to normal, Ein was crammed into this richly-colored airspace while being grabbed by the Alva. As a result, the Alva succeeded in dragging Ein in without any effort.

However, the easy part only lasted up until there. The Alva should have immediately withdrawn after dragging her in, but without being allowed to do that, it was grabbed by the one it thought it had restrained, and was slammed into the floor.

「Gi, gegaa……Geah!?」

「……This is most likely the place called the Dimensional Gap.」

*Gushari* After crushing the Alva’s head under her foot, its body turned into what looked like a black mist and vanished.

Without turning her eyes towards that, Ein touched the wall to her right.

It was neither hot nor cold. Ein lightly struck the wall made of a material she didn’t really get.

「It seems fairly thick, but……」

After Ein drew the dagger at her waist, *suu*, she inhaled.

「O Wind!」

Wind magical power gathered on Ein’s dagger. The aftermath of the Wind magical power that ran wild through the passage blew Ein’s hair.

Taking the Wind Magic Sword that was filled with plenty of magical power, she swung it towards the wall as if to use it all up in one go.

「Sei……yaaAaa!!」

She fired consecutive ultrafast attacks so as to cut up the wall.

Making a *gin gin gin* sound, it was a storm of unleashed slashes, however, Ein’s expression gradually clouded over.

Before long, when her arm came to a complete stop, what was before her eyes was a wall without even a single scratch.

To be unable to make a dent at all with the Magic Sword, which had much more offensive power than a low-level magic, it would be best to think that it would be impossible to destroy it with any of the techniques that Ein could use.

「……」

Ein kept silent, and surveyed the area.

She didn’t know what was at the end of the dim passageway.

However, she was able to imagine that this was most likely the stronghold of the Alva.

After entering once, it was possible to Transfer to it. There was no mistake that Zwei, who was in the skies of the mountain, was making an urgent report to the Zadark Kingdom about now. It would be simple to attack afterwards too.

Thinking that way, Ein tried to Transfer……and her brow twitched.

The magic formation to use Transfer, wasn’t expanding very well.

「The Transfer Magic can’t startup……? What’s the meaning of this?」

Although she tried it several times, there was no sign of the Transfer Magic activating at all.

「There shouldn’t be any problems with the magical power……in that case, is it a lack in the requisites for the magical formation composition? However, what is it that’s lacking? It would be one thing if it was a Transfer accident, but I’ve never heard of being unable to start it up?」

After trying to invoke it several times but failing, Ein breathed out a small sigh.

She didn’t know the reason why, but it was probably impossible to use Transfer here.

In that case, she had no choice but to move around and search for a place where it is possible to Transfer.

And then, as long as it is impossible to destroy the wall, she had no choice but to advance through this dim passageway.

「I don’t like how it’s going as the opponent expects but……there is no helping it.」

What Ein should be doing, was leaving this place.

Furthermore, this place――it would most likely lead to the Alva’s stronghold, and to her allies.

Thinking that, Ein started walking through the dim passageway……however, she immediately stopped.

It was because, *katsun, katsun, katsun……*, she could hear the sound of someone walking from further ahead in the passageway.

When the owner of those footsteps had their figure revealed from the dim light, they called out to Ein with a voice that she recognized.

「Ah, Ein! Thank goodness, you were safe!」

「……Pretty much.」

After Ein sheathed her dagger on her waist, she fixedly stared at Kain’s figure as he walked towards her.

「Now that I’m here, it’s alright now. With the two of us cooperating, let’s get out of here!」

「RIght.」

Having put away the dagger, what appeared in its place in Ein’s hands were several throwing knives.

Ein threw the knives at the startled Kain.

Penetrated by the knives that flew cutting the darkness of the dim passageway, Kain did a somersault and collapsed.

「I don’t know who you are, but if you say that you’re going to cooperate, why don’t we do just that.」

「……Kufuh」

Kain’s face, who was pierced by several knives and was collapsed on the ground, curved into the same of an eerie smile.

「How did you know? My acting should have been perfect.」

The knives fell from the body that didn’t shed even a single drop of blood, and made a *gashari gashari* sound as they hit the floor.

Ein mocked the one who looked just like Kain, who didn’t have a single injury on him.

「Ha……What part of you was perfect. You were a clump of artificialness.」

「Is that so? Both my voice and my appearance were the same and I should have copied his personality though……Is this the power of bonds that I’ve heard abou-buh!?」

Countless knives pierced into the face of that someone who looked just like Kain in the middle of his line.

「Don’t say something so disgusting.」

「How scary……Just how many knives do you carry concealed?」

Once again, the knives fell out, and Kain’s imposter made an amazed looking face while being uninjured.

While calmly looking at him, Ein tried to ascertain his true identity.

Although they were throwing knives that didn’t have any magical power loaded into them, he shouldn’t have remained uninjured.

However, the reality of it was that the Kain imposter in front of her didn’t have a single injury on him at all.

「Nevertheless, you sure don’t hold back. I thought that you would have hesitated just from resembling an acquaintance of yours.」

「I see. That’s too bad for you then.」

「Seriously. Even though I went through the trouble of planning it out, to think that I would end up with someone with such a sharp intuition.」

The Kain imposter placed his hand on the sword on his waist while saying “good grief”.

「But still……it can’t be helped that I’ve been exposed. For the time being, why don’t I just try killing you?」

「You say some interesting things. For the time being, is it?」

「Yup. You seem like you’ll be interesting to leave alive after all. It’s fine for you to be full of skepticism, but I can’t have you having such sharp intuition. Someone like you needs to be killed, or else the stage that went through great lengths to be prepared will be spoiled.」

The imposter, who drew a sword that looked exactly like Kain’s sword, made a smile that really did make him look just like Kain.

「And so. Die, Ein.」

At the same time as those words, Ein threw knives from both of her hands.

The knives made direct hits on the fake Kain’s face one after another, however, he laughed while being pierced by those.

「Ahahah! Do you still not understand that those won’t work……WHA!?」

*Hitari* The fake Kain’s expression stiffened from the sensation of a blade hitting his neck.

He realized that all of that just now was merely a diversionary action to obstruct his view――a decoy in order to earn a moment for her to get close.

「You die.」

With the flash of her short sword, the fake Kain’s head flew in midair.

And then, the knives fell out from the head that flew up high, and laughter resounded.

「Ahaha……haha, ha! How scary, how scary! I thought that I was going to die from that just now!」

At the end of the laughing fake Kain’s gaze, there was Ein’s figure with the palm of the hand that didn’t hold the short sword pointed towards him.

Seeing the amount of magical power that was gathering in that hand, the fake Kain’s mouth, who had been oozing composure, cramped up.

「Eh, wait a sec. W, wait, wait! That amount of magical power is bad! Hey, wait! I’ll tell you something good!」

「O Light, gather. Play a gallant gong. The battlefield exists here, the enemy exists here. Therefore, display the principle of crushing lightning here. O burning and annihilating end that pulverizes what is beyond this guiding hand, exist!」

Radiance congregated in Ein’s hand.

「Voltenix!」

「GAAAAAAH!?」

The lightning strike that filled the passageway created a daytime-like brightness.

The fake Kain’s head, as well as his body, were scorched, but as if to say that that wasn’t enough, the lightning strike crushed even his bones.

「Impossible, such……This is! I -buah……」

After the lightning vanished, nothing remained.

Only Ein alone remained within the passageway that regained its quietness.

After lowering the hand that was turned towards the fake Kain, she sheathed the short sword in its scabbard.

「……As expected of Fainell-sama’s favorite technique. What wonderful power.」

Muttering that, she supported her slowly swaying body with spirit.

Due to losing her magical power all at once, Ein fell into a condition similar to anemia.

「That being said……It looks like it’s a bit tough for me.」

After shaking her wavering head to clear her thoughts, Ein looked beyond where the Voltenix ran through.

She had slightly expected that the passageway would break while she destroyed the fake Kain, but that didn’t happen.

「……Plan, huh.」

Remembering what the fake Kain said earlier, Ein muttered.

「First, I need to find the real one……huh?」

At that moment, Ein’s ears heard something that seemed like the sound of an explosion.

It sounded like it was distant from here, but someone was probably fighting.

Finding the place she should be heading towards, Ein turned her eyes to the end of the passageway.

However, when the passageway was clogged by Alva that came gushing forth from within the darkness, she clicked her tongue.

「So you’re saying that you won’t let me interrupt……? Fine, if that’s what you’re planning……why don’t I barge in on them no matter what the cost!」

Declaring that, Ein drew her short sword and plunged towards the swarm of Alva.