Chapter 17

It's already evening. The dungeon always emits a constant amount of light from the ceiling, making it hard to tell the time, but I could tell. It was clear to me, and I knew Miharu could tell too.

Mmm.

"Mii-sama, I'm hungry."

"Yeah, I'm hungry too. Should we go home soon?"

At the signal of dinner coming from Miharu's cute tummy, Yami smiled warmly, and the people around them also smiled at her cuteness.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I pressed my tummy and blushed. This body's timer is accurate. I think it's dinner time. It's about time to go home.

I'm a good boy, so I always follow the curfew. My mother said I could stay until 6 PM today and told me to be careful, so I want to get home on time to reassure her. Family is important. Good boys get home on time and say "I'm home."

"That's right. We had some unexpected interference, so let's go home now."

The weird guy, that kid named Kunitoku Cap. He was indeed a strange boy, especially with his twisted personality. At nine years old, that's just not right.

"Okay! Let's go home!"

With a full smile, Miharu raised her hand and did a little jump. Everyone was healed by her innocent actions.

I inwardly chuckled, thinking my actions were perfect, and started to pack up. The place we used as our hunting base was scattered with various items. I'll help with the cleanup.

As I walked around, trying to carry what I could, a rumbling sound echoed, and the ground shook. The water bottles on the trunk vibrated and toppled over, spilling water. The picket holding up the tarp fell out, and the tarp dropped to the ground.

"What's happening?"

"What is it?"

Yami and I looked around. It didn't seem like an earthquake. Could some dangerous enemy be coming?

Looking over, something was approaching from the other side of the hill, kicking up sand and dust.

"What is it?"

Yami noticed the abnormality and called out. Some adventurers used magic. Their eyes glowed red as they tried to see through the dust.

"Eagle's Eye"

A skill to see several kilometers away. It's a bit cliché, but it seems useful.

While thinking that such magic doesn't exist in games because they had an encounter system and no skills to check the surroundings, I strained my eyes. In games, there were skills to hide, but not to check the surroundings.

The guy next to me was using a mechanical binoculars. They automatically measured the distance to the target, switched to infrared sensors, and night vision. The latest magical binoculars in the world of "Magical Night."

... Maybe that skill isn't necessary. Is this the tragedy of modern fantasy? It's not fair to those using skills when someone is using binoculars. Well, maybe it's useful when there are no binoculars.

I'm a kid, so I want to use the binoculars. It's romantic, you know. Such cool binoculars.

"It's a Stone Golem! Why is it here in this dungeon?"

A scout called out in confusion, alerting everyone. The guard adventurers readied their weapons and braced themselves against the approaching Stone Golem.

Despite their confusion, they remained calm, which was impressive. They were clearly the adventurers hired by the Marquis family.

"Miss Yami, Miss Miharu, please prepare to evacuate."

The butler said this with a serious expression. It didn't seem like a precaution. Is the Stone Golem that strong? It had a high level in the game, but I don't remember it being that strong.

"Is the Stone Golem strong?"

Tilting my head, I asked the butler, who nodded with a grave face.

"It is almost immune to physical attacks. Its stone arms have considerable attack power and reach due to its large size. Be careful, or you'll be killed."

"Then let's all run away!"

It seems like a pretty dangerous monster. If so, running away is the best option. ... No, that's not right. They can't run away.

I realized this. The butler, as expected, shook his head.

"They are guards. In situations like this, they must act as a shield and buy time for Miss Miharu and the others to reach a safe place."

He said this with a heavy heart. That's right. If they ran away with us, it would defeat the purpose of being guards.

In a fantasy world, guards might abandon their charges and run away. But in this modern fantasy, it's different. The guards are registered and hired at a high price, like SPs (Security Personnel) who are prepared to take bullets for their charges. If they lose their resolve, they lose their trust and won't get any more work. Guards have pride and won't run away, even against unexpected strong enemies.

Looking at the Stone Golem, it was surprisingly fast, moving at a speed that was hard to gauge. It felt like a runaway truck. We wouldn't be able to outrun it.

The guards are slightly stronger than Yami. This isn't because the guards are weak, but because Yami is strong. She is the eldest daughter of the prestigious Marquis family.

When the Stone Golem, with its stone arms, attacked the lead adventurer, it raised its arm and struck.

"Everyone, focus on evasion!"

"Conversion Defense"

The lead adventurer used a martial skill, raising a shield. The stone fist, wrapped in a beam-like field, hit the shield, and the adventurer almost fell to his knees. However, the Stone Golem stopped just before crushing him and was pushed back.

The Stone Golem retreated, dragging its feet. Despite its massive size, it was pushed back.

"Wow, that's amazing! Maybe we can win!"

I had never seen such a skill before. There was a magic in the game that could block a physical attack once, but it wasn't a martial skill. I had seen it in a novel, but I couldn't remember the name.

In the original story, everyone used different skills, and the family techniques were unique. The game had to force them into a standard format, but in the novel, it was necessary to make the battles look good. Living in this world of novels, it feels strange.

But if that skill is used, the battle can be advantageous. However, the butler shook his head. I understood.

"That is his ultimate skill. It converts the enemy's attack into his defense, but it consumes a lot of mana."

"I see."

Indeed, the adventurer who used the skill

"Ugh. Sorry, my mana is depleted."

said regretfully while returning his "Magical Armor" to its original form. His mana was probably depleted. But the goal was to stop the Stone Golem's movement. Taking advantage of this, another adventurer moved.

"Leave the rest to me!"

"Wind Formation"

An adventurer used a spell, wrapping his body in a wind aura. A magic circle appeared at the Stone Golem's feet, and a tornado tried to blow it away. The Stone Golem stopped, making a creaking sound. The other adventurers then created light chains and threw them at the Stone Golem.

"Light Chain Capture"

"Wow! This time, it's stopped, Yami-chan!"

I clenched my fists, impressed by the coordinated movements of the adventurers. Indeed, the well-trained soldiers' techniques are more impressive than unique skills. I prefer the battles of the generic foot soldiers to the white demons.

"No, while it's immobilized, we must escape now!"

"If we stay, they won't be able to run away."

Yami echoed the butler's words. Looking closely, the Stone Golem was trying to break the chains. The light chains were being pulled, and the adventurers were struggling to hold them.

The light chains were holding it by consuming mana?

... The adventurer who used the martial skill first was staggering and could only move like a civilian. The one using "Wind Formation" was also in the same state.

If we stay and wait for them to hold the Stone Golem until we reach a safe place, they will run out of mana and be unable to move.

"Let's run away quickly. Our job is to run away honestly!"

Yami grabbed my arm and urged me to run with a serious face. The instructor, butler, and maid were preparing to protect us and run away. ... But that's not possible.

"... Yami, I'm sorry, but we can't run away."

"Mii-sama, you can't even hurt that Stone Golem."

Yami's serious face. I gently released my arm from her grip.

"It's bad for education."

"Bad for education?"

Yami tilted her head in confusion at my whispered words, but it is bad for education.

"At nine years old, if I let the guards die, it will become a trauma! I'm sorry, but I'm a healthy and good boy!"

Creating such a trauma in childhood will leave lingering anxiety in the future. If my parents see me become gloomy, our relationship might worsen. Family is important.

Baring my teeth, I showed a ferocious smile like a wild beast. Yami and the others were surprised by my change.

"Besides, this is our only chance."

"A chance?"

For some reason, Yami blushed as she asked, but that's right. It's a chance.

Because,

"Check"

Stone Golem Level 33

It's quite strong. When I secretly checked the instructor before, he was Level 21. Yami is Level 18. This is calculated based on the game's standards, but if it's based on pure combat power, the difference is overwhelming. In the game, a 10-level difference was hard to overcome. I don't know about the novel world, though.

And I'm Level 4. One-hit kill is easy.

But, however,

"Fight"

"Mine"

"Run"

What are these commands?

"Mining sounds interesting."

It was in the game. If this scenario is applied, it will definitely be the same.

"Alright, I'll knock it down! Drop plenty of materials!"

Raising my mace, I charged at the Stone Golem.

Running and charging at the Stone Golem.

"Wait, Mii-sama!"

"Miss Miharu, it's dangerous!"

No one can stop me. The "Magical Armor" can't activate, so I have the physical abilities of a nine-year-old.

If anyone tries to stop me, I'll cry my heart out.