Leave a comment

The Knight Ghost groups they encountered began numbering more than ten members when Mira took particular attention to Sasori’s mobility. The corridor was only three meters wide, with a stone golem and a Dark Lord covered in blades fighting in it already, but she easily jumped amongst them moving from one place to another. Her movements were swift like a spider’s on its web, and the precise attacks she performed like that were accurate like a scorpion’s.

「By the way, Sasori. Where did you learn to move like that?」

They had progressed well past half the maze, their combined attacks were getting more elaborate and Sasori’s speed kept increasing. Now she was not only running on the walls, but her feet could even stick to the ceiling as she ran. She did not remember any skill like that during the game period, so Mira was the most interested in this skill out of all the newly developed ones.

「Back in Karasawa, my village. It’s a tradition there to teach that skill to everyone when they turn a certain age.」

Sasori was in the frontline, but she jumped to the ceiling, walked a few steps back and landed beside Mira as she replied.

「So you’re telling me that everyone in your village can jump and run like you?」

Another Knight Ghost could be seen fading into nothing after being slain further ahead, as Mira turned to Sasori and asked another question.

「Mmm, not quite. Everyone can walk on walls or ceilings, but everything after that needs more specialized training. Depending how much talent someone has also dictates if they get to learn more advanced skills. Also, apparently I’m the most talented person in the village.」

Sasori smiled pridefully after adding the last bit, then jumped back to the ceiling and walked forward. Mira watched her with deep interest, feigning calmness as she finally asked what she really wanted to know.

「That’s amazing. I’d like to try doing that too, could you teach me?」

Mira’s eyes continuously peeped at Sasori..

「Mmm, since I was the best in the village they gave me a lot more liberty with things like this, but they told me, or rather begged me to never teach anyone this skill, so I’m really sorry.」

Sasori jumped down to the ground again and patted Mira’s head as she apologized.

「Hm, that’s too bad.」

Mira ignored her disarranged hair that covered her eyes as she muttered that while pouting. But Sasori looked happy seeing Mira like that, the person Uzume had recognized as a wiseman’s pupil was showing interest in her personal skills.

「But maybe if you go visit Karasawa they might teach you there. As long as you prove yourself to the elder. I think I remember exceptions like that happening before.」
「Oh, ohhh! Are you sure?!」

It was very rare, but there had been times their secret skills had been taught to outsiders. As soon as Sasori recalled and mentioned that, Mira showed an instant reaction.

「Yeah, at least I was told so. Though being approved is rather hard.」
「As long as there’s a possibility it’s best to attempt it. So anyway, where’s this Karasawa village?」

Mira smiled happily as she continued making questions.

「Err, it’s in the very middle of the western Grimdart forest. The continental train station of Foresthide is probably closest to it.」
「In the middle of the forest, huh. I remember that place being really remote, but I guess the train gets even there now.」
「Long ago it was a small and hard to find village, though they also treated it as a hidden village, but now it’s a rather modern place. I’ll show you where it is when we’re done with the mission.」

The railroads had been laid almost throughout all of the Earth continent. There had obviously been deep forests and mountain ranges in the way of its construction, but after many hardships they succeeded in passing through them, eventually reaching places like the Karasawa village and allowing easier transit with the rest of the world. At first the people there had a couple of problems with that, but in the present everything had calmed down.

「A hidden village? That sounds interesting.」

Mira added visiting the Karasawa village to her list of plans for after her mission was complete, even though she had no way of knowing when that would be. At the same time, she began pouring more mana into Dark Lord, which activated a special ability in him that made the blades throughout its body emit a black mist that was quickly sucked into its main body before it charged into a large group of Ghost Knights and defeated all of them in an instant.

Mira already had a huge pile of plans she left for later, so she figured it was best if she finished her current work as soon as possible, not holding back anything anymore. As a result, that lump of raging darkness went crazy as if devouring the many monsters appearing in front of them. Sasori and Hebi had no way of inserting their attacks in combination with that overwhelmingly brutal creature, so they stood dumbfounded there, while Arlon stood further back while happily muttering 「So this are the kind of people still hidden out in the world.」

After that, with all limits holding Dark Lord back gone, as soon as a monster showed itself in front of them, it was gone. Sasori’s face seemed to have a constant cramp seeing how crazy that was, having attempted to beat Mira in a fight before, while Hebi realized she would be of no use fighting so she focused all her attention on guiding them through the maze.

Thanks to their overwhelming fighting power and swift guidance, they quickly got out of the maze and reached a crossroads outside of it. That was the place where most of the different sections of the Libra Fortress came together, the path splitting into one leading up, other down, and two to the sides.

If they made no turn, they would reach the middle floor, which was also the place the fortress’ main gate led to. To the left was a place where monsters named Legion Ghouls would spawn during a certain quest. The right would lead them to the cliff side the fortress was built on. With the correct equipment, it was possible to descend from there to an underground field. Going down the stairs and then taking a right turn would take them to the shrine on the right side of the Libra scale shape. Though as far as Mira knew, that place was only used for certain quests.

(The control room is up these stairs, if I remember correctly.)

An unreliable light illuminated all the paths. Mira looked at the stairs leading up. Their objective there was to capture an influential member of Chimera Clauzen. But they had no idea when the enemy would show up, or where, though they had already hatched a plan for that while they traveled in the wagon. Since they were trying to get to the Spirit King, it was best to wait in the place most related to him. In other words, the control room upstairs. The four did not even look at the other paths before they took the stairs.