The Guide Played Her Role as a Stand-in a Little Too Well - Chapter 55
It was around noon, so the surroundings should have been bright.
Supposedly, that was the case.
But the surroundings were dark, as if the sky was covered by thick clouds. But that wasn’t it.
It was due to the ever-increasing flock of birds.
We found the highest cliff.
Esban stood at the edge of the cliff first.
Pheon began to fervently create flames near the cliff.
Small flames, like will-o’-the-wisps, gathered to form what seemed like the flames of hell, hot enough to ignite upon touch.
“Rodite.”
As Shaelock finished speaking, Rodite, whom we had seen before, was summoned.
‘Everyone is using a tremendous amount of power.’
I wonder if their mental state is still okay.
“I’ll receive the guiding after we take care of this one.”
Is it that my face is an open book, or is Pheon just good at timing?
I wasn’t sure, but I nodded.
I nodded with a puzzled look, but Pheon didn’t mind at all.
“Good.”
He even murmured softly with a smirk.
Esban, standing in his place, drew his sword from its sheath.
Esban’s slender sword transformed into a weapon that exceeded the size of his body.
The sword, glowing with a blue light, exuded an oppressive presence just by existing. It felt like one could receive divine punishment just by holding it.
It was hard to believe that Esban, holding that sword, and I were of the same kind.
…Is that what they call sword energy?
Seeing Esban standing solemnly with the sword, the realization that he was a swordsman hit me.
‘To think he could hold that with one hand.’
It was a moment that gave at least a slight measure of how extraordinary Esban’s physical abilities were.
Seeing Espers use their abilities in dungeons reminded me again that this world is a place where Espers and Guides exist.
“Are you ready?”
At Pheon’s words, Esban nodded.
“Then jump.”
“Yeah.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Esban threw himself off the cliff.
Whenever he moved, a cool breeze always blew.
The moment his black hair fluttered, there was a massive explosion, and Esban’s body shot up into the sky.
It was an incredible sound, enough to burst one’s ears.
Grimacing, I covered my ears with my hands and watched Esban glide smoothly through the sky.
“Rodite.”
“I’ll go right away.”
As soon as Shaelock finished speaking, Rodite, summoned, soared into the sky just as Esban had.
However, her movements were quick, proving she was not human.
‘She really is a summon.’
To the naked eye, she seemed no different from a human.
Then, from Rodite’s hand, a huge whirlwind flowed.
Moving the long whirlwind around like a staff, Rodite lifted it from below to above with force.
A booming sound, entirely different from the earlier explosion, rang out, and like the first blackbird, Esban became a tiny dot.
Esban, now reduced to a speck, completely vanished from our sight.
I watched the sky with a nervous heart.
A blue light appeared in the sky, drawing a massive blue trajectory.
Then, feathers began fluttering down.
Afterward, the head of the Blackbird fell with a thud, not far from where we were.
“It’s over.”
With Rodite’s power, Esban landed softly on the head of the Blackbird and muttered as he slid his sword back into its sheath.
Around us, jewels that the Blackbird had been carrying fell with a rustling sound.
Among the jewels, which appeared to be white pearls, there was one that shone exceptionally with iridescent light.
Rather than being round like a pearl, it had a concave shape, resembling a raindrop…
“Fairy’s Tears. To think that thing had something like this, it’s quite something for a monster.”
Pheon, who approached next to me, said as he picked up the jewels.
“Fairy’s Tears?”
Of course, realizing this fact, Shaelock sparkled her eyes and came closer to us.
“Indeed, it’s real.”
She scanned the surroundings with her hawk-like eyes and began picking up the Fairy’s Tears, one by one.
Have I ever seen Shaelock so passionate?
‘Surely, Fairy’s Tears are needed.’
It seemed like Fairy’s Tears would be perfect for lowering her guard.
Since I coincidentally entered this dungeon with them, I became entitled to demand my share of the rewards.
While we were picking up the jewels, the corpse of the Blackbird gradually vanished.
Afterward, only a rolled-up parchment paper remained in its place.
“That parchment…”
“It’s the only thing that can help us escape from here.”
Shaelock, who was picking up the remaining Fairy’s Tears, held the parchment in her hand and answered my question.
“After we’ve collected everything we want from this dungeon, we’ll tear this. Is there anything you want?”
I pondered for a moment at Shaelock’s question.
Though I guided Shaelock, in truth, my role as a guide was limited to just that.
I couldn’t properly guide Pheon either, because Hedonia interfered.
But this time, I have a substantial reason.
“Everyone, I would like to receive all the Fairy’s Tears as my compensation for this dungeon.”