Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (21 page)

I can’t breathe.

Why is there a monster here? What is happening? I’ve asked those questions before…

I’m facing something that shouldn’t be here. It’s the Minotaur all over again. I’m sweating, shaking just as hard as last time.

One of us is going to get overrun!

“—Do your best.”

Where did that voice come from…?

Chapter
6

“Ganesha! Ganesha! We have a major problem! Emergency!!”

Commotion erupted in a corner of the sunlit stadium.

Monsterphilia was still in progress. A tamer was currently riding a small, long-necked dragon like a bull at a rodeo on the main stage. The audience was too involved in the action below to notice what was going on above them.

“—What you hiding? I am Ganesha!”

“I know that, sir! Why are you introducing yourself now?!?”

Ganesha watched the fair from a great spot on the rim of the upper deck where he could see everything at once. When a member of his
Familia
rushed up to him, he thrust out his elephant mask and struck a bizarre pose.

Trying very hard to ignore his painfully awkward god, the man quickly spelled out what had happened below the stadium floor.

“Monsters have escaped! There are open cages in the holding room!”

“… Huh? That is a problem…”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!”

Ganesha straightened up so fast that spit flew out of his subordinate’s mouth. The man continued to give his report. This time he had Ganesha’s full attention.

He explained that all of the guards, including Guild employees, were incapacitated in the holding room. All theories pointed to someone outside the Guild as the perpetrator.

Ganesha listened to the tidings with a very calm face and waited until the man had finished before asking his own questions in a controlled, low voice.

“How many monsters escaped… were released?”

“N-nine, sir! Including some that are particularly dangerous…”

Ganesha grunted, slowly nodding his head. His elephant mask shifted along with him.

High-pitched voices rose up from the main stage. The tamer opened his palm in front of the dragon’s eyes, a signal to stop in place. A deep growl bellowed out from the dragon’s gut, but it obeyed. Plopping its body to the ground, it licked the tamer’s hand.

The crowd drew a collective breath. Turning to face the audience, the tamer waved to them. Moments later, he received a chorus of cheers and thunderous applause.

“All right, pursue the monsters at large! Also, contact other
Familias
! Ask all of the gods in the stadium for their cooperation!”

“Wait a minute, sir! It’s our fault the monsters escaped! If we ask for help, our reputation will be compromised! Other groups might see this as an opportunity…”

“I am Ganesha, God of the Masses! I cannot allow any of the citizens to be harmed! Our treasure is the children’s smiles. Throw away your ambition!”

“Y-yes, sir! My apologies!”

“Continue the fair as planned! Don’t tell anyone else about this, and don’t let the audience leave the stands! There will be panic if word gets out!”

“Understood! What about the perpetrator?”

“Let him go. He didn’t release all of the monsters, so he was most likely trying to cause problems. He was after something. This could be a diversion, or perhaps he wanted to see the fair turn to chaos… I hate to say it, but I have to play along with his game. Our first priority is the safety of the people. Priority number one, understood? Now go!”

The man nodded and dashed off to spread the instructions.

Ganesha Familia
sprung into action only five minutes after the incident was discovered.

“Monsters escaped?!”

At about the same time Ganesha was being informed of the situation, word got around to Eina and her group outside the stadium.

“Yeah… The west team manager saw them come out of the stadium’s west gate.
Ganesha Familia
is running around in a frenzy… Eina, what do we do…?”

Eina got over the shock of this information quickly, switching into high gear.

“Get ahold of any
Familias
in the area, I don’t care which ones!”

“Can we do something like that? The bosses will get angry if we go over their heads…”

Every Guild employee with decision-making power left their post to investigate the west gate when trouble was first reported. Only basic secretaries, like Eina, and assistants were still there.

Eina looked around at the group. All of them had reservations about overstepping their bounds. She could see it in their eyes.

“That’s better than someone getting hurt! On top of that, Ganesha has put safety as the top priority. He shouldn’t get angry if other
Familias
are involved. We have to act now before the injuries start piling up!”

“You’re right. I couldn’t live with myself knowing I could have done more…”

Eina coaxed the rest of her coworkers into action by drawing on Ganesha’s wishes to make people happy. He and his
Familia
had spared no expense to help the Guild set up Monsterphilia.

The Guild employees looked at one another. Eina’s words had moved them. They all nodded in agreement and started to discuss who would do what to get the word out.

Suddenly, a voice. “… Excuse me. Did something happen?”

Suddenly, a voice.

Someone was walking up to the group of guild employees.

Each of them lost his or her voice on seeing who was approaching them.

“A-Aiz Wallenstein…”

Eina herself was taken aback. Her eyes widened in amazement as the girl came up to them.

Aiz’s supple thighs were only half hidden by a miniskirt. Her
midriff was revealed by a short top. Despite not having any armor, her sword hung from her waist in its sheath.

A member of Orario’s top-class adventurers stood before the bewildered Guild members. She was exactly what they had been praying for.

The man closest to her quickly explained what had happened.

The moment she understood the situation, she spun on her heel to face the person behind her.

“Loki.”

“Yeah, I heard. Can’t be datin’ at a time like this. I’ll let Ganesha borrow ya for a bit.”

The Guild members saw Loki smile. Their prayers had been answered.

Eina and the others let out a collective sigh of relief, but she couldn’t relax just yet.

“Any idea where the monsters are at?”

“Y-yes! A group of them was seen heading toward East Main!”

Eina’s heart jumped. East Main. That’s where Bell was looking for that girl.

He could be caught up in the worst of it.

“Misha, what species of monsters escaped?”

“Eh? Ummm. I think a swordstag, a troll, a silverback… maybe some others…”

Silverbacks appeared on the lower eleventh. Swordstags and trolls were born on Level Twenty and below.

Bell wouldn’t stand a chance against any of them. He’d nearly died on the lower fifth…

Please, Bell, get out of there alive, okay?

Eina looked in the direction of East Main.

She had one more prayer, for Bell’s safety.

My ears are ringing from all the commotion.

“Ruguguu…!”

The sun is shining through all the flags on East Main. They look so out of place in this chaos.

I feel like an island in this torrent of panicked screams.

Now that I got a better look at the howling monster, it doesn’t have a tail. It’s just a thick stripe of long silver hair on its back. Chains are still shackled to its wrists, but they look like they were torn apart. Metal being dragged across stone—I hate that sound.

Silverback…

Eina has told me about many types of monsters. This is one of them for sure.

She also told me it’s born far below the lower fifth—way out of my league.

It really is the Minotaur all over again. I won’t be able to lay a finger on this thing!

Warning bells are going off in my head. It’s time to go.

“Gyaa…!”

It’s moving again!

It bends its knees, turning its body right toward me and the goddess!

—It’s coming!

Here comes a massive fist! I have to move!

“!!”

“Uwaaaa!!!”

Dive to the side! Grab the goddess and launch!

I got her, but there’s no time to make sure she’s safely tucked in my arms. I feel her screams against my chest.
Bam!
My shoulder into the stone road. Roll, now!

Two, three rolls and stop! That should be far enough, the monster already flew by. Get up and protect the goddess, now!

Okay, she’s behind me. The beast has to go through me if it wants her.

“Urrrrnnnn…!”

It’s back up and coming this way!

Its eyes are fixed on me! Here comes another charge!

Why?!?

It didn’t even hesitate! Just found me again and charged! The goddess will get trampled! I yank her hard to the right and out of the beast’s path.

Huh? It changed direction?! In mid-charge?!?! So the silverback isn’t locked onto me…

Oh shit…

It’s after the goddess! And now it’s airborne!

My legs move on their own. I have to get in its way, since the goddess is helpless. Before I know it, I’m between the two of them, but the monster doesn’t even glance my way.

It does, however, send an arm.

“—Gwahhhh?!”

“Gugooooooo!!!”

I succeed in getting the goddess out of the way of a wrecking ball. Unfortunately, I take that wrecking ball square in the ribs.

It hits my armor, but it isn’t strong enough to stop the crushing blow from coursing through my body. I… I can’t breathe!

Oh, the punch sent me flying… That’s why everything’s upside down and blurry…

… Ah!

I fly through a food stall! Shattering a hole in it on impact, by the looks of things; splinters of wood are all over the place.

Oh wow… Here comes the pain… Come on, body, I need you. Okay, legs are still outside the stall, get on your elbow… Dah! Ribs… Slow and steady. That’s got it…

“Ekkkkkkkk!!!!”

East Main has fallen into pandemonium.

I hear people screaming. I see blurs of them running away.

It kind of looks like that time all those spiders hatched at once, all scurrying away. The fairgoers are all disappearing into buildings and down side roads.

Why is no one helping the goddess??

“…!”

“Fhaa… haaa…!”

There she is, standing frozen in front of the monster.

She’s cornered!!!

“Gh…! NOOOOO!!!!”

I ignore the pain pulsing through my body and charge straight for the silverback with tears pouring out of my eyes.

The chains! If I can just grab onto the chains!

“Gahh!”

The metal pulls taut as I grab the end, stopping the beast in its tracks.

The monster looks back with its sharp eyes and pulls its arm forward.

I can’t hold it long! My arms are numb, fingers are on fire!

“Ugh…!”

“Gigyaaa!!!”

This isn’t even a contest. I may as well not even be pulling; it’s too strong.

But I have to try! Every ounce of strength—! Lost it!

“Gyaaahhh!!!”

Its arm shoots backward, the chain flying over its head! Now’s my chance!

His back is turned to the goddess!! Run! Got her hand!

“This way!”

—We are sitting ducks on the main street!

I pull the goddess behind me and make a break for the back roads.

It’s coming after us! I can hear its howls!