Chapter 12 (2) - The Academy's Weapon Replicator |
-Eek!
-Aaaaah!
-Mommy!!
While walking, I deliberately triggered traps, handling the incoming attacks myself. Each time, Sybil was visibly startled.
Of course, I didn't activate all the traps. Most of the time, I informed Sybil of their locations, instructed her to avoid them, and disarmed those that could be disarmed.
In doing so, I built up Sybil's trust, and just as she began to feel relief,
Once in a while.
"Aaaaaaaaah! Ugh!!"
I caught her hand as she nearly fell from the edge.
Sybil's body leaned diagonally towards the abyss, her entire balance depending solely on my hand. If I let go, she would fall.
"Phew, that was close."
"Save me, save me, saaave meee!!"
"Calm down, you're safe now."
I pulled her hand. Sybil's body fell into my arms.
Having regained her balance, she trembled as she looked at the vanished floor.
The bottom couldn't be seen with the naked eye. Not knowing what was below was more terrifying for Sybil.
But in reality, there was nothing. Just solid ground.
Even if one fell, staying calm during the landing wouldn't cause any harm.
"Huu, huuu…"
Sybil's wariness and suspicion towards me seemed to have vanished as she clung to me tightly.
That's expected. Sybil herself senses that fate aligns with her, but she can't fully grasp how powerful it is.
Her good fortune isn't about humorously dodging an arrow with a sneeze.
From the start, there's no chance for an arrow to fly at her. She doesn't allow such situations to arise.
Thus, Sybil rarely ever experiences having an arrow laid before her.
It's not about overcoming a crisis with clumsy luck, but about eliminating the crisis altogether with powerful luck.
Ironically, this level of power causes confusion when Sybil faces a true crisis.
"Fr, Frondier..."
She's already on the verge of tears. And she's not even hurt.
If she were alone in this situation, she would have been reassured.
Most traps would be avoided without her even knowing, and even if she triggered any, they would be duds or very trivial, reassuring her instead.
But I step on them myself and deal with them. I keep pushing danger at her, and then I eliminate that danger.
Since I'm doing what her luck should, it doesn't activate.
In other words, my very existence is essentially Sybil's 'luck'.
But Sybil must be utterly confused. From her perspective, it looks like I'm also in danger.
Since it seems like I'm barely managing to block the traps, she doesn't feel the effect of her luck.
'I hope Sybil's desires change like this.'
Turning off her interest in Aster, and changing it to a desire to leave this place. I could help with that as much as needed.
I know about this dungeon.
The path Sybil and I are taking has more traps but is actually closer to reaching the 'sanctuary'.
The sanctuary is the dungeon's final location, so reaching it means we're almost at the exit.
However, Aster's side will likely reach the sanctuary first.
Aster, burning with a sense of justice, will be making his way through using his divine power unsparingly.
Even if we close the distance a bit, we can't catch up to that speed.
"Ah, it's gotten wider."
While walking, I checked our surroundings. We had entered a significantly wider space than before.
"So, what's different if it's wider?"
Sybil, closely following behind me, asked with a frightened voice.
"There are fewer traps."
"Really?"
This is true. Traps aren't set where there is plenty of space to avoid them.
Unless the entire area is a trap.
"Where did you learn all that anyway?"
Sybil asked with suspicion.
"From class."
"…From what I know, you sleep through every class."
"Didn't you hear I've been paying attention lately?"
It feels strange to talk about it as if it's someone else's business.
After all, I'm not really Frondier, so I am talking about someone else.
"So if it's not a trap, what's there?"
"What do you think."
After walking a bit, we saw a group of beasts in the distance.
They had grey fur with red eyes, their backs were quite hunched, but they walked on two legs, and their faces resembled rats.
Ratmen.
"There's that."
"…I see."
Sybil seemed a bit more composed and lightly swung her rapier.
I gripped my dagger again.
"Better than a trap, right?"
"A hundred times, a thousand times better."
The pack of Ratmen charged at us.
About ten or so.
It would have been annoying if they all came at us at once, but seeing them come one by one, I guess they really do have the intelligence of rats.
Sybil knocked down the approaching enemies one by one.
There's a bit of uniqueness to Sybil's swordsmanship; while one would primarily use thrusts with a rapier, Sybil prefers to slash with her thin blade.
Since awakening her aura, the frequency of her slashes has increased even more.
Naturally, a blade wrapped in aura doesn't break easily.
"Hey! You! Aren't you going to fight?!"
While fighting hard, Sybil pressed me.
I shrugged my shoulders.
"Sorry. I'm not good at fighting."
Sybil's face was filled with disbelief.
"Such a person is a Constel student...?"
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