It's been two months since our Familia accepted the quest to rescue the Xenos, and we had taken quite a few to the Hidden Villages.
Luckily, there was no need to knock them out or chase the Xenos once they realized that we were adventurers, as they become cooperative once they confirmed we weren't attacking them.
A bit naive, perhaps that's how the slavers are capturing them?
Lulling them into a false sense of security?
Maybe.
Unfortunately, we hadn't gotten any leads on the slavers.
On one hand, it meant that there were not that many Xenos being captured, as we had been going around the dungeon constantly.
But on the other, those who had been captured were still, well, in captivity.
It is a bit odd though, to not have seen any signs of them this whole time.
I wonder... do they have a secret entrance or something?
Nah, that'd be ridiculous.
Currently on the 25th floor, I sit on the edge of the water while fiddling with a magic stone in my hand.
Why was I sitting around?
Well, I had sensed a monster heading this way, but without the usual mindless animosity.
An unnatural occurrence that has slowly become more natural these past two months.
A Xenos.
The presence coming into view, I turn to see a Harpy flying past a large stalagmite, while I put my hands in the air in surrender while giving her, it? A smile.
"Hello~"
Just smile and wave.
"Y-You, aren't a monster?"
"As far as I know, no I'm not. But you aren't either, are you?"
Trembling in fear, she raises her wings, as if about to take off.
Jeez, they aren't usually this jumpy.
"Calm down, I'm your ally! I can take you to others like you! A Hidden Village!"
Stopping her take-off, she looks at me hesitantly.
"You won't cage me?"
"Uh, no. No, I won't."
'Cage me?'
Why the hell would I do that?
Didn't I say I was her ally?
Caging her would be something-
"Wait, were people trying to capture you?"
"N-No, it was, another 'Xenos', as you called me. A mermaid. But please! Please help her! She's but a child!"
Hohoho found you~
"Alright, take me there."
----- 1 Hour Later -----
Crouching behind a rock with the Harpy, who is named Fear...
What a weird name.
I'm overlooking a group of seven adventurers, all level 2 save for one level 3, standing around a cage.
A cage that held a tied-up Mermaid, a young one at that.
"Sirius! Why are we hiding!? We have to save her!"
"We're going to. These guys aren't the first to capture one of your kind, and this is the first time we've seen them. I have to follow them so I can rescue the other Xenos, of course, that will include the Mermaid girl."
Seems she's pretty impatient, but that makes sense.
Even looking at the sight is sickening, but I must endure for the others that have suffered this fate or worse...
"Wahoo! I can't believe we got one! And a pretty Mermaid at that!"
"We should celebrate after this."
"Damn right! But man, you really had us running around, didn't ya!? Huh!?"
The man then kicks the cage, causing the Mermaid to jolt in fear.
Wait a sec...
"Fear, are Mermaids fine out of water?"
"They'll live, yes. But their movements become extremely slow."
Well, that's good.
"Haa, I can see why the captain loves terrorizing these things."
The discomfort grows stronger, especially as I see the fear in the Mermaid's eyes.
God dammit, this is why I hate being smart and not a mindless idiot that runs into every situation.
"Oy, you know, we should get a little reward for our hard work, don't you think?"
Huh?
"What are you suggesting, old pal~?"
"I think you know exactly what I'm suggesting! Can't you see how hot this thing's body is!? I bet it's tight as shit too! What do you guys say?"
No.
"I'm for it. I've been eyeing her since she got tied up. Being that defenceless... I am a man, you know!"
God fucking-
"Alright, but as the leader, I get the first go, alright? And no reporting this, a buyer might want it as a virgin."
Unlatching the cage, the level 3 enters the cage with a heated expression.
"S-Sirius! I have a bad feeling about this!"
"I know!"
Undoing the Mermaid's gag, the scum begins to unbuckle his belt as the muffled cries of the poor girl turn into screams.
"Alright missy~ Prepare for some fun~"
"N-No! Help! Please!"
When I see her tearful face, wrought with terror, I can only see flashes of my own daughters.
Alea, Stella, Ellie...
While this Mermaid doesn't have parents like they do, she is still a little girl.
Scared and alone.
A deep, raging flame of fury spreads through my body, its blaze begging for violence and retribution.
As a father- no, as a good person, I can't dare to let this go.
"Sirius!"
"Don't worry, Fear."
I am a member of the Familia of Justice after all.
Igniting stellar magic throughout my body, I launch myself toward the collected group just before the leader pulls down his pants.
Unsheathing Infinite Eclipse, I unleash a flurry of slashes as I enter the group's proximity, ending a life with every swipe.
It's as if time is moving in slow motion.
After all, they are only level 2's, and quite weak both in determination and skill.
I, on the other hand, am a mid-level 5 with skills that have skills to even the playing field against level 7's, and a deep, burning need for vengeance.
Suffice it to say, even without me having the element of surprise, they stood no chance.
Time returning to normal, a shockwave erupts from my path as the bodies fall behind me, the wind ruffling at my intense speed.
The level 3, the only one left alive, can only look on in shock as I send four bullets of stellar magic from my fingers to each limb, causing him to collapse in a heap.
"Hey, little Mermaid~ You're gonna be okay now, alright?"
Reaching out for the girl, I draw my dagger, Starlight, to cut the ropes surrounding her while I let the waiting stream of Aqua Corona do its magic on her injuries.
Looking up at me, she soon buries her head into my chest as she begins to sob.
"Shh~ Shh~ It's alright~ Hey, I have a friend, someone like you, to keep you some company, alright~? I'm gonna make sure those bad men can't hurt you anymore~"
Getting a nod, I hand her off to the approaching Fear.
"Fear, take her and hide behind those rocks. Don't come out unless I say so or if someone spots you, okay?"
"O-Okay?"
Well, this is the first time we've seen these bastards, and while following them home isn't an option anymore, there's always 'that'.
Crouching down over the struggling figure of the leader, I grab a fistful of his hair to make him face-to-face with me, my expression clearly showing my anger.
"Now~ Mr. Leader~ Have you ever thought what the scariest magic is~?"
"P-Please just l-let me go!"
"Na-a-a~ That's not a magic~ Now, you might think it's decay, or lightning, or even the Silence's famed sound magic, but you'd be wrong."
Chanting under my breath, I form a stream of Aqua Corona that circles the downed man in wait.
"The scariest magic is in fact healing~"
Taking out Starlight, I thrust it into his right eye, causing him to scream in pain, before sending the stream of Aqua Corona to his injury.
"Now. I'm gonna have you tell me everything, alright?"
This would also serve as a good test.
How does the 'space' element feel to get hit with?
Hmm~ Seems I'll be getting a lot of answers today~
----- 1 Hour Later -----
"-Flamma."
Sending a wave of fire to the pile of bodies, I start heading towards where Fear and the Mermaid girl were hiding.
Having checked all their bodies, I was able to find a few things of value.
That mostly being information.
So the Ikelos Familia, huh?
I'd say I'm surprised, but it's very much like them.
The Astraea Familia know of the Ikelos Familia's illegal dealings, specializing in drug trafficking, but the guild protects them for some reason, citing them as a 'necessary evil'.
We had left them alone as they hadn't harmed any innocents, only fighting with other illegal gangs.
But that changes now.
Not only had they lost the guild's protection by involving themselves with the Xenos, but they had also harmed innocents and dealt in slavery.
Making them our enemy.
A big mistake.
And then there was the other thing.
Dix Perdix, the successor of Knossos.
To think there was such a thing in the dungeon.
A virtually impenetrable artificial dungeon, with each floor spanning the size of Orario, and deep enough to reach the middle floors.
Insane.
While they didn't have a 'key' that they mentioned to get in, we had enough.
Not only did we have a Familia to target, but I was also confident in my 'space' element to render the impenetrable fortress, well, penetrable.
And while they were able to capture Xenos under our noses, and could continue to do so, we now could trap them in Knossos by watching over Daedalus Street, not allowing the enslaved Xenos to leave Orario.
After that, I guess it's a waiting game until they drop a 'key'.
Anyways, for now, I need to take these two to a Hidden Village, then report my findings to Lyra.
"Alright, everything's done! Now those bad men won't hurt you anymore, okay~"
"O-Okay. Where are we going now?"
"To your new home, of course!"
----- 3 Hours Later -----
"-and that's everything."
A deafening silence, that was soon broken by Lyra.
"'Knossos' huh? It's hard to believe... But yes, finally, it makes sense how they always evaded us."
"Yeah, and now we can finally take them down! So? What do we do now, Lyra?"
"Calm down, Alise. First, we'll blacklist the Ikelos Familia from the guild, even if there's more, it's a start. We'll also notify Ganesha Familia to not allow them to go in or out of Orario and to capture them on sight."
I then say my piece.
"Are we going to be watching over Daedelus Street?"
"Yes, but we can't neglect the dungeon either. We'll have a rotating schedule for patrolling the dungeon, Daedelus Street, and resting at home. We'll just ensure that Alise, Ryuu, Kaguya, or Sirius will be at each location."
"To oppose Dix Perdix, right?"
"Exactly. While he's a level 5, we don't want to take any risks. He's also likely to use traps, curses, all that wonderful stuff if he's working with Evilus."
Especially if we end up fighting in Knossos, they probably have that place completely rigged up.
"Anyways, I'll create the teams while Kaguya can inform the guild, or rather, Ouranos directly. With Sirius'... actions, they'll be on guard, so we must be ready for tomorrow."
Yes, finally this will be over, at least this slavery thing.
The Xenos will still need some help.
But we have been giving out magic stones to some Xenos along with some training and weapons so that they can eventually help themselves.
For now, though, we have some slavers to get rid of.
----- 2 Days Later -----
"Haa, I still can't believe that Stella and Ellie didn't want to come!"
Glancing to my side, I see that Haru's tail is sweeping back and forth in slight agitation.
Well, I guess it makes sense.
Haru seems to be quite attached to Stella, even more so than the other three kids.
"And Ariel didn't even join us! Can you believe that!?"
There was also that.
Ever since Ariel and Haru had started being a thing, I quickly noticed that Haru becomes a bit more... troublesome when they aren't together.
Probably abandonment issues, no?
But then again, Ariel has the same trauma...
Haa, I can only pray they'll both grow past that together and not make it worse.
I just hope it doesn't transform her into a Yandere down the line.
And with her growing sword technique...
Yeesh.
"Yeah, well, what can you do?"
We were currently walking through the streets of Orario along with Alea and Leo.
Those two were always happy to see the city, even after the numerous walks we had taken.
It had been two days since our blockade of Daedelus Street, and nothing had come up yet.
But we were hopeful.
I just hope there's not another secret entrance that the guy I tortur- ahem, asked nicely, didn't know about.
"Papa, can we go swimming sometime?"
What?
"Swimming? What's got you so interested in that?"
Hmm, as Orario is landlocked, the closest spots for swimming would either be in the dungeon or the lake an hour out from the city.
Unless you count the various public baths as 'swimming'.
But I wonder... could I build a little pool near the training grounds?
It'd be a good way for people to train their swimming skills, as finding yourself underwater in a fight is a death sentence without Undine Clothe.
I could ask Guibniu to dig a big pit or just fire off some space magic to create one, line it with stone, then fill it up with water and add a magic stone-based filtration system-
"GROOOAAAAH!!"
A roar pierces through the city accompanied by the crashing of a building.
What the fuck?
Sharing a look with Haru, we make our way toward the commotion, with Alea and Leo held in my arms.
"P-Papa? What's happening?"
"I don't know, sweetie. But Papa's gonna go deal with it, okay?"
That was definitely a monster and not a weak one.
And from the simultaneous crashes I could hear, there was more than one.
"Haru, if we make contact, protect the kids, alright?"
Getting closer to the presumed monsters, I notice where we are right now.
Daedelus Street.
It could be a coincidence, but that's extremely wishful thinking.
I mean, there's no way for monsters to leave the dungeon.
At least from what we know.
And the motive for releasing monsters is quite obvious.
A distraction.
They must be getting restless with our blockade, making such a risky move like this.
I believe it was Alise, Ryuu, and Celty watching over today, so I just have to believe that they can intercept the slavers.
My job, on the other hand, is to save as many people as I can.
Entering the plaza, we arrive just in time to see two civilians being cut in half by a Barbarian, blood scattering across the road.
God dammit!
Taking in the surroundings, I see that there are other monsters from varying floors, all coming this way.
Although I was too late for the people who have already been killed, at the very least there are no others between me and the monsters.
"A-A-Ahhh!"
Noticing Alea break out into screams at the sight, I inwardly curse at myself for my stupidity in not hiding the view from the kids.
"Haru! Take them!"
Unsheathing both short swords, I step toward the approaching monsters.
I don't know if it was the death she had witnessed or the terror of the monsters themselves, but either way, they had made my sweet Alea cry.
Unforgivable.
"Don't worry, baby. Papa will make everything alright."
This burning rage.
Oh, Ikelos Familia... I will have a blast cutting you all down.
Flooding myself with stellar magic, I set myself into a crouching position.
I can only hope Alea is scared of the monsters rather than the gruesome deaths she had witnessed, as with a display of power, I could wipe away all of her fear.
So watch me.
The tension increases within my stance as my sword becomes engulfed in gold light.
Just as the Barbarian is about to hit me, I release.
After reaching level 5, alongside my constant increase in stellar magic control, this technique had gotten quite powerful.
The colour and sound drain from the surroundings, and in a moment, I'm at the other end of the street.
A slight ringing in my ears begins, which slowly gets quieter as the surroundings regain their colour.
An echoing sonic boom follows, accompanied by a powerful gale that sweeps through the street.
Looking back, I can see the corpses of the monsters all turning to ash, as well as the shocked faces of Haru, Leo, and Alea.
Leo especially seems extremely stunned.
As for Alea, I can see an assortment of emotions on her face.
Surprise, awe, amazement...
And above all, trust.
It seems that my improved Longsword of Light had wiped away the fear she had before.
Well, at least I can only hope so.
I'll have to snuggle with her a lot tonight to make sure no nightmares happen.
Hearing the final distant roar of the monster be cut off, I relax my guard.
It seems the Ikelos Familia had underestimated us... unless they only needed that short time of distraction.
Either way, those bastards have added more and more reasons for me to hate them.
And if Alise and Ryuu were able to perform their task properly, it's gonna be payback time very soon.
It's been two months since our Familia accepted the quest to rescue the Xenos, and we had taken quite a few to the Hidden Villages.
Luckily, there was no need to knock them out or chase the Xenos once they realized that we were adventurers, as they become cooperative once they confirmed we weren't attacking them.
A bit naive, perhaps that's how the slavers are capturing them?
Lulling them into a false sense of security?
Maybe.
Unfortunately, we hadn't gotten any leads on the slavers.
On one hand, it meant that there were not that many Xenos being captured, as we had been going around the dungeon constantly.
But on the other, those who had been captured were still, well, in captivity.
It is a bit odd though, to not have seen any signs of them this whole time.
I wonder... do they have a secret entrance or something?
Nah, that'd be ridiculous.
Currently on the 25th floor, I sit on the edge of the water while fiddling with a magic stone in my hand.
Why was I sitting around?
Well, I had sensed a monster heading this way, but without the usual mindless animosity.
An unnatural occurrence that has slowly become more natural these past two months.
A Xenos.
The presence coming into view, I turn to see a Harpy flying past a large stalagmite, while I put my hands in the air in surrender while giving her, it? A smile.
"Hello~"
Just smile and wave.
"Y-You, aren't a monster?"
"As far as I know, no I'm not. But you aren't either, are you?"
Trembling in fear, she raises her wings, as if about to take off.
Jeez, they aren't usually this jumpy.
"Calm down, I'm your ally! I can take you to others like you! A Hidden Village!"
Stopping her take-off, she looks at me hesitantly.
"You won't cage me?"
"Uh, no. No, I won't."
'Cage me?'
Why the hell would I do that?
Didn't I say I was her ally?
Caging her would be something-
"Wait, were people trying to capture you?"
"N-No, it was, another 'Xenos', as you called me. A mermaid. But please! Please help her! She's but a child!"
Hohoho found you~
"Alright, take me there."
----- 1 Hour Later -----
Crouching behind a rock with the Harpy, who is named Fear...
What a weird name.
I'm overlooking a group of seven adventurers, all level 2 save for one level 3, standing around a cage.
A cage that held a tied-up Mermaid, a young one at that.
"Sirius! Why are we hiding!? We have to save her!"
"We're going to. These guys aren't the first to capture one of your kind, and this is the first time we've seen them. I have to follow them so I can rescue the other Xenos, of course, that will include the Mermaid girl."
Seems she's pretty impatient, but that makes sense.
Even looking at the sight is sickening, but I must endure for the others that have suffered this fate or worse...
"Wahoo! I can't believe we got one! And a pretty Mermaid at that!"
"We should celebrate after this."
"Damn right! But man, you really had us running around, didn't ya!? Huh!?"
The man then kicks the cage, causing the Mermaid to jolt in fear.
Wait a sec...
"Fear, are Mermaids fine out of water?"
"They'll live, yes. But their movements become extremely slow."
Well, that's good.
"Haa, I can see why the captain loves terrorizing these things."
The discomfort grows stronger, especially as I see the fear in the Mermaid's eyes.
God dammit, this is why I hate being smart and not a mindless idiot that runs into every situation.
"Oy, you know, we should get a little reward for our hard work, don't you think?"
Huh?
"What are you suggesting, old pal~?"
"I think you know exactly what I'm suggesting! Can't you see how hot this thing's body is!? I bet it's tight as shit too! What do you guys say?"
No.
"I'm for it. I've been eyeing her since she got tied up. Being that defenceless... I am a man, you know!"
God fucking-
"Alright, but as the leader, I get the first go, alright? And no reporting this, a buyer might want it as a virgin."
Unlatching the cage, the level 3 enters the cage with a heated expression.
"S-Sirius! I have a bad feeling about this!"
"I know!"
Undoing the Mermaid's gag, the scum begins to unbuckle his belt as the muffled cries of the poor girl turn into screams.
"Alright missy~ Prepare for some fun~"
"N-No! Help! Please!"
When I see her tearful face, wrought with terror, I can only see flashes of my own daughters.
Alea, Stella, Ellie...
While this Mermaid doesn't have parents like they do, she is still a little girl.
Scared and alone.
A deep, raging flame of fury spreads through my body, its blaze begging for violence and retribution.
As a father- no, as a good person, I can't dare to let this go.
"Sirius!"
"Don't worry, Fear."
I am a member of the Familia of Justice after all.
Igniting stellar magic throughout my body, I launch myself toward the collected group just before the leader pulls down his pants.
Unsheathing Infinite Eclipse, I unleash a flurry of slashes as I enter the group's proximity, ending a life with every swipe.
It's as if time is moving in slow motion.
After all, they are only level 2's, and quite weak both in determination and skill.
I, on the other hand, am a mid-level 5 with skills that have skills to even the playing field against level 7's, and a deep, burning need for vengeance.
Suffice it to say, even without me having the element of surprise, they stood no chance.
Time returning to normal, a shockwave erupts from my path as the bodies fall behind me, the wind ruffling at my intense speed.
The level 3, the only one left alive, can only look on in shock as I send four bullets of stellar magic from my fingers to each limb, causing him to collapse in a heap.
"Hey, little Mermaid~ You're gonna be okay now, alright?"
Reaching out for the girl, I draw my dagger, Starlight, to cut the ropes surrounding her while I let the waiting stream of Aqua Corona do its magic on her injuries.
Looking up at me, she soon buries her head into my chest as she begins to sob.
"Shh~ Shh~ It's alright~ Hey, I have a friend, someone like you, to keep you some company, alright~? I'm gonna make sure those bad men can't hurt you anymore~"
Getting a nod, I hand her off to the approaching Fear.
"Fear, take her and hide behind those rocks. Don't come out unless I say so or if someone spots you, okay?"
"O-Okay?"
Well, this is the first time we've seen these bastards, and while following them home isn't an option anymore, there's always 'that'.
Crouching down over the struggling figure of the leader, I grab a fistful of his hair to make him face-to-face with me, my expression clearly showing my anger.
"Now~ Mr. Leader~ Have you ever thought what the scariest magic is~?"
"P-Please just l-let me go!"
"Na-a-a~ That's not a magic~ Now, you might think it's decay, or lightning, or even the Silence's famed sound magic, but you'd be wrong."
Chanting under my breath, I form a stream of Aqua Corona that circles the downed man in wait.
"The scariest magic is in fact healing~"
Taking out Starlight, I thrust it into his right eye, causing him to scream in pain, before sending the stream of Aqua Corona to his injury.
"Now. I'm gonna have you tell me everything, alright?"
This would also serve as a good test.
How does the 'space' element feel to get hit with?
Hmm~ Seems I'll be getting a lot of answers today~
----- 1 Hour Later -----
"-Flamma."
Sending a wave of fire to the pile of bodies, I start heading towards where Fear and the Mermaid girl were hiding.
Having checked all their bodies, I was able to find a few things of value.
That mostly being information.
So the Ikelos Familia, huh?
I'd say I'm surprised, but it's very much like them.
The Astraea Familia know of the Ikelos Familia's illegal dealings, specializing in drug trafficking, but the guild protects them for some reason, citing them as a 'necessary evil'.
We had left them alone as they hadn't harmed any innocents, only fighting with other illegal gangs.
But that changes now.
Not only had they lost the guild's protection by involving themselves with the Xenos, but they had also harmed innocents and dealt in slavery.
Making them our enemy.
A big mistake.
And then there was the other thing.
Dix Perdix, the successor of Knossos.
To think there was such a thing in the dungeon.
A virtually impenetrable artificial dungeon, with each floor spanning the size of Orario, and deep enough to reach the middle floors.
Insane.
While they didn't have a 'key' that they mentioned to get in, we had enough.
Not only did we have a Familia to target, but I was also confident in my 'space' element to render the impenetrable fortress, well, penetrable.
And while they were able to capture Xenos under our noses, and could continue to do so, we now could trap them in Knossos by watching over Daedalus Street, not allowing the enslaved Xenos to leave Orario.
After that, I guess it's a waiting game until they drop a 'key'.
Anyways, for now, I need to take these two to a Hidden Village, then report my findings to Lyra.
"Alright, everything's done! Now those bad men won't hurt you anymore, okay~"
"O-Okay. Where are we going now?"
"To your new home, of course!"
----- 3 Hours Later -----
"-and that's everything."
A deafening silence, that was soon broken by Lyra.
"'Knossos' huh? It's hard to believe... But yes, finally, it makes sense how they always evaded us."
"Yeah, and now we can finally take them down! So? What do we do now, Lyra?"
"Calm down, Alise. First, we'll blacklist the Ikelos Familia from the guild, even if there's more, it's a start. We'll also notify Ganesha Familia to not allow them to go in or out of Orario and to capture them on sight."
I then say my piece.
"Are we going to be watching over Daedelus Street?"
"Yes, but we can't neglect the dungeon either. We'll have a rotating schedule for patrolling the dungeon, Daedelus Street, and resting at home. We'll just ensure that Alise, Ryuu, Kaguya, or Sirius will be at each location."
"To oppose Dix Perdix, right?"
"Exactly. While he's a level 5, we don't want to take any risks. He's also likely to use traps, curses, all that wonderful stuff if he's working with Evilus."
Especially if we end up fighting in Knossos, they probably have that place completely rigged up.
"Anyways, I'll create the teams while Kaguya can inform the guild, or rather, Ouranos directly. With Sirius'... actions, they'll be on guard, so we must be ready for tomorrow."
Yes, finally this will be over, at least this slavery thing.
The Xenos will still need some help.
But we have been giving out magic stones to some Xenos along with some training and weapons so that they can eventually help themselves.
For now, though, we have some slavers to get rid of.
----- 2 Days Later -----
"Haa, I still can't believe that Stella and Ellie didn't want to come!"
Glancing to my side, I see that Haru's tail is sweeping back and forth in slight agitation.
Well, I guess it makes sense.
Haru seems to be quite attached to Stella, even more so than the other three kids.
"And Ariel didn't even join us! Can you believe that!?"
There was also that.
Ever since Ariel and Haru had started being a thing, I quickly noticed that Haru becomes a bit more... troublesome when they aren't together.
Probably abandonment issues, no?
But then again, Ariel has the same trauma...
Haa, I can only pray they'll both grow past that together and not make it worse.
I just hope it doesn't transform her into a Yandere down the line.
And with her growing sword technique...
Yeesh.
"Yeah, well, what can you do?"
We were currently walking through the streets of Orario along with Alea and Leo.
Those two were always happy to see the city, even after the numerous walks we had taken.
It had been two days since our blockade of Daedelus Street, and nothing had come up yet.
But we were hopeful.
I just hope there's not another secret entrance that the guy I tortur- ahem, asked nicely, didn't know about.
"Papa, can we go swimming sometime?"
What?
"Swimming? What's got you so interested in that?"
Hmm, as Orario is landlocked, the closest spots for swimming would either be in the dungeon or the lake an hour out from the city.
Unless you count the various public baths as 'swimming'.
But I wonder... could I build a little pool near the training grounds?
It'd be a good way for people to train their swimming skills, as finding yourself underwater in a fight is a death sentence without Undine Clothe.
I could ask Guibniu to dig a big pit or just fire off some space magic to create one, line it with stone, then fill it up with water and add a magic stone-based filtration system-
"GROOOAAAAH!!"
A roar pierces through the city accompanied by the crashing of a building.
What the fuck?
Sharing a look with Haru, we make our way toward the commotion, with Alea and Leo held in my arms.
"P-Papa? What's happening?"
"I don't know, sweetie. But Papa's gonna go deal with it, okay?"
That was definitely a monster and not a weak one.
And from the simultaneous crashes I could hear, there was more than one.
"Haru, if we make contact, protect the kids, alright?"
Getting closer to the presumed monsters, I notice where we are right now.
Daedelus Street.
It could be a coincidence, but that's extremely wishful thinking.
I mean, there's no way for monsters to leave the dungeon.
At least from what we know.
And the motive for releasing monsters is quite obvious.
A distraction.
They must be getting restless with our blockade, making such a risky move like this.
I believe it was Alise, Ryuu, and Celty watching over today, so I just have to believe that they can intercept the slavers.
My job, on the other hand, is to save as many people as I can.
Entering the plaza, we arrive just in time to see two civilians being cut in half by a Barbarian, blood scattering across the road.
God dammit!
Taking in the surroundings, I see that there are other monsters from varying floors, all coming this way.
Although I was too late for the people who have already been killed, at the very least there are no others between me and the monsters.
"A-A-Ahhh!"
Noticing Alea break out into screams at the sight, I inwardly curse at myself for my stupidity in not hiding the view from the kids.
"Haru! Take them!"
Unsheathing both short swords, I step toward the approaching monsters.
I don't know if it was the death she had witnessed or the terror of the monsters themselves, but either way, they had made my sweet Alea cry.
Unforgivable.
"Don't worry, baby. Papa will make everything alright."
This burning rage.
Oh, Ikelos Familia... I will have a blast cutting you all down.
Flooding myself with stellar magic, I set myself into a crouching position.
I can only hope Alea is scared of the monsters rather than the gruesome deaths she had witnessed, as with a display of power, I could wipe away all of her fear.
So watch me.
The tension increases within my stance as my sword becomes engulfed in gold light.
Just as the Barbarian is about to hit me, I release.
After reaching level 5, alongside my constant increase in stellar magic control, this technique had gotten quite powerful.
The colour and sound drain from the surroundings, and in a moment, I'm at the other end of the street.
A slight ringing in my ears begins, which slowly gets quieter as the surroundings regain their colour.
An echoing sonic boom follows, accompanied by a powerful gale that sweeps through the street.
Looking back, I can see the corpses of the monsters all turning to ash, as well as the shocked faces of Haru, Leo, and Alea.
Leo especially seems extremely stunned.
As for Alea, I can see an assortment of emotions on her face.
Surprise, awe, amazement...
And above all, trust.
It seems that my improved Longsword of Light had wiped away the fear she had before.
Well, at least I can only hope so.
I'll have to snuggle with her a lot tonight to make sure no nightmares happen.
Hearing the final distant roar of the monster be cut off, I relax my guard.
It seems the Ikelos Familia had underestimated us... unless they only needed that short time of distraction.
Either way, those bastards have added more and more reasons for me to hate them.
And if Alise and Ryuu were able to perform their task properly, it's gonna be payback time very soon.
