Chapter 211: Dwarf Hunt
Chapter 211: Dwarf Hunt
Prota woke up with a gasp. Looking around, she found herself in what seemed to be a hospital room.
“...yes, the patient has stabilized, I told you,” she heard a voice from outside the door.
It swung open, revealing a nurse, and behind the nurse, Destiny.
“Ah. It seems you are conscious. Are you feeling all right?”
“...nn. Good,” Prota nodded.
She did feel fine, surprisingly so. Her body was wrapped in bandages, and upon closer inspection, numerous magic circles were drawn on them, likely what had sped up her recovery.
“It seems you took on quite the task. You should be grateful you are even alive,” the nurse sighed. “Then, I suppose you should be fine, seeing how alert you are. Feel free to leave at any time.”
The nurse left, leaving only Destiny behind.
“Hey,” Destiny said quietly. “Don’t do that again.”
“...did it work?”
“Did what work?”
“Power. Activate?”
“Haah… seriously, is dealing with you going to be like this from now on?” Destiny rubbed the back of his neck, looking away. “Yeah. It worked.”
“Nn. Good.”
“Wha- you almost died! Do you know what- wait, did you do that intentionally?! You’re insane!”
“It worked,” Prota shrugged. “Good enough.”
“Don’t do that again, ok? I can grow properly on my own. You don’t need to sacrifice yourself to help me. Really.”
“But it worked,” Prota pointed out. “So it's good.”
“You- I’m not winning this argument, am I?” Destiny sighed. “Fine. Then, I assume you know what else is holding me back?”
“Nn. No control over core. It’s ok. Later.”
“You- fine.”
Suddenly, another figure burst into the room, one that practically engulfed Destiny’s small frame.
“Ah. So you’re the one who’s been causing such a stir, eh?”
Albert Alimbert. It wasn’t Prota’s first time meeting him, but his figure was imposing nevertheless. With his massive muscles and stern expression, he seemed threatening, even now.
“Nn. Hello,” she nodded.
“I heard you took quite the risk. That quest wasn’t supposed to be odd. Still, if you were able to uncover a secret…”
Suddenly, an axe flashed, its edge nearly touching Prota’s throat.
“What is your involvement with this case? No one else knows about this. So who are you?”
“Sir!” Destiny exclaimed. “I told you-”
“I know what you told me. But I have my own things to investigate. Step out of the room.”
“Sir-”
“Just do it, rookie.”
Destiny sighed, casting Prota a worried glance before leaving the room. The door closed with a soft click, leaving Albert and Prota completely isolated. Immediately, the guildmaster let out a powerful killing intent, glaring at Prota fiercely, his axe unwavering.
In her past life, Prota had often cowered to this aura. Now, though, it didn’t mean much. She wasn’t quite sure why this was. Did it have to do with her mental strength? Her physical strength?
Regardless, it didn’t matter. She stared back at Albert calmly, waiting for the trial to finish.
“Hmph. So you’re as strong as the rumours say. So, what are you doing here, dragon?”
For a moment, Prota failed to react. Then, she looked around, as if expecting someone else to be in the room, but there was no one. Finally, she realized what Albert was saying.
He was talking to her.
She pointed to herself in surprise, questioning his words.
“Yes, you. Did you think I wouldn’t have heard?” he snorted. “Apologies if I’m being rude, but I’m not exactly trained in manners. And you are intruding on my turf.”
Prota nodded slowly, but she was incredibly confused. What was Albert talking about?
“Those idiots,” Anta sighed. “Prota. Remember what I told the adventurers in Scholaris?”
Prota’s eyes widened. Right, the excuse they’d used was that she was a dragon. She hadn’t expected that excuse to follow her here, but…
“Wait,” Anta said. “We can use this. Just say what I tell you to say.”
Prota looked at Albert, who had since withdrawn his axe. However, his glare was still present. There was obviously something he didn’t trust about Prota’s presence.
“Alright. I’m still waiting for an answer. You beings aren’t supposed to stick your nose into our affairs,” Albert said gruffily. “You can take me out. But I know you won’t, because you’re afraid of the blowback, aren’t you?”
“...I’m not a dragon,” Prota said quietly.
She was just repeating what Anta had told her, of course, but she trusted her soul wholeheartedly.
“Huh? A lie that simple isn’t going to get you out of this. Come on, take me a little seriously,” Albert grumbled. “You’re telling me a little child was able to deal with a group of cultists?”
“No. Not true,” Prota said, stepping out of the bed. “Half dragon.”
“Half… dragon?”
“Nn. Half dragon.”
Those two words stunned Albert so hard he dropped the glare and adopted an expression of genuine confusion.
“But- I- that’s not possible,” Albert muttered. “That’s- no, that’s not something that-”
“Here,” Prota said, activating Soul Steal.
Albert froze as he felt mana draining from his core. If this didn’t work, Anta didn’t know what else would, but there was no way it wouldn’t work. After all, Soul Steal was the unique ability of dragons. No human could possibly use it.
And yet, being a half dragon would explain why Prota was so human in nature, why she seemed so young, and why she wasn’t nearly as strong as one might expect.
Therefore, Albert had to believe it. When offered a very reasonable possibility, there was no way he would think of anything else in this absurd situation.
“...you know what? Fine. Let’s say I believe this absolute insanity,” Albert finally said, sitting down on a chair. “What are you even trying to accomplish here? Surely someone like you has better things to do.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Prota said, shaking her head. “I’m helping you.”
“And how do I know you’re not working for them?”
“Won’t answer. Don’t say anything,” Prota said simply. “I work alone. Just watch.”
“Just…” Albert lowered his head in thought, then burst out laughing rather abruptly. “Good, good! You’re right. What was I thinking? Of course, our actions should speak louder than words. And if I don’t have to officially bring you in, then that’s just less paperwork for me. Right, right.”
He stood up, preparing to leave. Initially, he’d seemed rather bothered, but now, his expression was clear.
“Then, I’ll leave it to you, halfling. It’s good to have someone on our side. I agree wholeheartedly. If we go our separate ways… as long as we’re working toward a common cause, that makes us allies, doesn’t it?”
With that, he opened the door, leaving without another word. As soon as he was out of sight, Prota let out a sigh of relief. She trusted Anta’s strategy, but at the same time, the man was still incredibly imposing.
“Anta,” she said quietly while grabbing her staff and cloak. “Why… why half dragon?”
“Well, it’s kinda true, isn’t it?” Anta said. “Your base is Sofya’s kid. It’s… well, you’re not a dragon, but it’s a pretty plausible excuse. We might use it from now on. Of course, not with Destiny, since he knows the truth, but… I mean, it works pretty well. It helps with you using Soul Steal, and it explains why your magic is so strong.”
“...nn.”
“What, you don’t like it?”
“Just… Sofya’s daughter…”
“This has nothing to do with her. And besides, it’s not like we’re tarnishing her name, right? We’re saving the world. If anything, I think Sofya would be proud. Prota.” Anta sighed. “You can’t feel responsible for everything and everyone. You can only do what you can do, got it?”
“Nn.”
“Great. Come on, let’s go get Danjo.”
“...I don’t remember-”
“I do. Don’t worry. I’ve got a perfect memory, so I’ll guide you if you get lost. Are you scared?”
“No.”
“Then let’s do it.”
~~~
Despite Anta’s words, the rescue mission didn’t begin immediately. Indeed, there were a few things to cover.
The first thing Anta had Prota ask was the whereabouts of the Shadow Order.
“You know about them?” Destiny asked.
“Nn. Last time, at the mansion… one was tracking you.”
“Tracking me… I suppose that makes sense,” the hero sighed. “What are the differences between that time and this?”
After some explaining, Destiny seemed a little more confident.
“Ah. Well, it makes sense we didn’t run into them this time,” he nodded. “If it were a few months in your past life, then they would’ve had the time to send an agent by then. This time, though, it’s been a couple of weeks. I’m sure they’re not that interested in me at the moment.”
“Nn,” Prota nodded. “Ok.”
The second order of business was to inform Albert of the existence of souls. Anta wasn’t too happy about that, given how Albert had treated them, but Prota insisted upon it.
“...you’re back,” the guildmaster said gruffily.
Prota had invited herself into his office, but he hadn’t raised any objections.
“Nn. Tell you something,” Prota explained.
“Well? Out with it.”
“The mansion… souls. Lots of souls,” Prota explained. “Enemy can extract souls. Thought you should know.”
“The enemy-” Albert started. “I see. And you know- ah, right. Half dragon. Piss,” he muttered.
“Nn. Ok. I go now,” Prota said, turning to leave.
The conversation was as simple as that. No need for explanation. No need to prove herself.
She was starting to appreciate Anta’s strategy. Her new identity gave her enough credentials when it came to her knowledge of magic and souls. Additionally, refusing to prove herself, and instead saying that she would simply act on her own, meant that she wasn’t forced to explain herself. There was no need to be trustworthy when she had declared that trust wasn’t necessary to begin with.
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Still, staying on path was a necessary thing if they planned on getting through this ordeal properly. Slight deviations were fine, but too many differences, and the whole operation could fall apart.
Regardless, it was time to make their move.
A week later, Destiny and Prota found themselves in front of the dungeon that contained one of Doctor’s labs. Of course, the hero didn’t know it yet.
But he would figure out what was going on soon enough.
After going through the verification steps with the guard, they went on in, with Prota taking the lead.
“Destiny,” she said quietly. “Not a normal dungeon.”
“Yeah, I figured that much,” Destiny nodded. “So, what’s the plan?”
“Go to the bottom. Ignore monsters. I can defeat them. Save your energy.”
“...what?”
Prota remained silent, not answering the question as they headed deeper in. The torches soon stopped appearing, and Prota summoned a ball of light to illuminate their way.
“Faster,” Prota muttered.
She stepped up her pace, forcing Destiny to follow. Although she’d told him to save his energy, they were definitely lacking the normal caution one would exercise in a dungeon.
Of course, that was only applicable to those who didn’t know the future.
The shadow wolves were close. Prota could feel their mana. However, she refused to slow down.
“Prota-” Destiny started, but he didn’t need to say anything.
Immediately, she reached out with Soul Steal, pulling mana from the beasts and forcing them from the shadows. In the next instant, she summoned a massive volley of icicles, almost reminiscent of a storm, piercing through all thirty beasts at once.
“...my bad,” Destiny muttered, sparing the dead monsters a single glance before moving on.
They continued to make good pace, completely ignoring the other monsters and pushing past, heading deeper into the dungeon.
“Prota,” Destiny said at some point. “Are you sure this is ok?”
“Nn. Destiny trained good with the armour and big armour,” Prota said. “And you can use special ability now. Right?”
“Eh… to some extent.”
“Good enough. Then this is ok. If Destiny needs more training, I will train. Or maybe Anta will train.”
“Wha- hey, who said anything about that?!” Anta exclaimed.
“Anta is complaining,” Prota said, seeing as the others hadn’t heard the soul. “So Anta won’t train you.”
“...ok?”
Soon, they ran into the next set of monsters. This time, Prota couldn’t afford to simply run by it, but that was fine.
“Heatwave.”
The caverns turned hot, like the inside of an oven, and the spiders quickly scurried out of whatever hole they’d been hiding in, letting out a terrible screech. In the instant it appeared, Prota had already summoned a Plasma Disk, immediately vaporizing half of them.
The wolves immediately leapt after their aggressor, but Prota was already aware of their movements, responding far before she even needed to. A dozen fireballs took care of them, and a charged fire arrow took care of the orc.
“Prota!” Destiny yelled as the cavern shook from the explosions. “We might have a cave in!”
“Nn. Sorry.”
She turned her domain off, her eyes glowing as she prepared to cast one last spell.
“Absolute Zero.”
This time, though, the range of the spell was the largest she’d ever attempted, freezing the remaining enemies in one go. That was it. Just like that, it was over. The battle had been completely underwhelming, with no tension or risk of loss whatsoever.
“Ok,” Prota nodded, preparing to depart once more.
However, instead of moving like she wanted to, she tripped over her own feet and planted face first into the ground.
“Prota!” Destiny cried out nervously. “What…”
“She tired herself out,” Kit sighed, appearing in her human form.
With a disapproving tone, she clicked her tongue while stepping forward to take a look.
“You can’t push yourself like that. Not with a core of that size,” the Mystic sighed. “I don’t know what you were like in your past life, but that’s a young body. You’re doing too much. A practical domain… seriously, you shouldn’t even be able to cast that. How efficient are your spells?”
“It’s… ok…” Prota wheezed, but she was definitely not alright.
“We’re stopping here,” Kit announced.
Prota struggled to sit up, but she could barely manage. She hadn’t realized just how much of a toll fighting had taken on her body.
Destiny handed her a bottle of water as she crawled over to a cavern wall, leaning against it. Now that she was resting, she could feel the exhaustion seeping through her body. They were right. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t push herself this much. It wouldn’t do anybody any good.
“...Destiny,” Prota said suddenly. “Do you have food?”
“What, for you?”
“No. For Dan- Um. Never mind.”
“...ok?”
The conversation ended there as Prota took a sip of water.
“That’s quite the fascinating fighting style, Prota,” Kit said after a bit. “If I don’t mind… who taught you? I know you said I taught you magic, but… I’m going to be honest, I’m not too much of a fighter, at least not in the way you are. I don’t think I was the one who taught you how to fight like that. And I definitely didn’t teach you how to use a domain, let alone an applied one.”
“Kit can’t-”
“No, I can, but I can’t teach it. I’m not a teacher.”
“...you taught Destiny?”
“That’s- that’s different.”
“It is,” Destiny chimed in. “She taught me the basics. But to be honest, being a good teacher and understanding the fundamentals are two different things.”
“Tch. He’s… not wrong,” Kit sighed. “But then, my point remains.”
“...which part?” Prota said quietly.
Kit and Destiny looked at each other.
“What do you mean, which part?” Kit said slowly.
“Which part of fighting? Lots of teachers. So…”
“Ah. I… that makes sense,” Kit laughed. “How much can you tell me?”
“Nn. Um… had a teacher to learn mana. Then Kit taught me more magic. How to control mana. How to make spells. Someone else taught me even more magic. Other teacher taught me domains.”
“And… how to move?”
“Brother,” Prota said simply. “John.”
“Ah. The one…”
“Nn. Was good teacher. Taught me how to fight by dying.”
Kit’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “By dying?!”
“Mm. Fought strong opponents until I could win. Was hard. But I’m ok. So it’s ok.”
Prota didn’t quite smile, but she gave two thumbs up, which was almost comedic given how dark her statements had been.
“I- I see,” Kit said nervously. “That’s…”
“It was ok. Really. It made me stronger. Being strong… more important than being comfortable. Because being weak was worse.”
At that, neither the hero nor the Mystic questioned her words. There was clearly something more than they knew, and it wasn’t their place to question it.
“...one more question.” This one came from Destiny, who seemed hesitant to speak. “Don’t answer if you don’t want to, but… is there a reason you’re pushing yourself so hard? I get it’s to save the world and all that, but you could just… you know. Not do it. What’s… what’s pushing you so hard?”
For a moment, Prota thought about it.
“A long time ago, you said you’d be my protector. That was… kind of a joke back then. But this time, I’m serious. It’s not about my life anymore. Prota. I want to spend time with you. I really want to be able to keep you by my side. But I don’t know if that’s possible for me to do. So it has to be you. Do you understand?”
“...I made a promise.”
Destiny nodded. “I see.”
The rest of Prota’s recovery was filled with silence. In due time, she got up, prepared to head out once more.
“No more monsters,” she said quietly.
She thought about it for a moment.
“...one more monster.”
Another pause.
“Two more monsters.”
“Make up your mind,” Kit muttered as she hopped back into fox form.
They moved quickly once more, quickly making their way to the end of the dungeon. As before, a giant crystal crab filled the room, resting quietly.
“I’m assuming that’s one of the monsters,” Destiny said quietly.
“Nn.”
“...are you going to ask me to kill it?”
Prota remained suspiciously quiet.
“I should’ve seen this coming. This is why you had me learn God Slaying Sword, isn’t it? Because you couldn’t kill this thing?”
To Destiny’s surprise, Prota shook her head.
“I can kill. Probably,” Prota shrugged. “But Destiny needs to be stronger. Things going too fast.”
“Too… fast?”
“Destiny would be stronger because things take more time,” Prota explained. “But… too fast. So Destiny needs to go fast too.”
“I… I see.”
“Nn. Go.”
Hesitantly, Destiny dropped down into the large cavern, Kit following behind. He looked up at Prota one more time before turning back to the crab.
“Destiny!” Prota called out.
The hero flinched, but thankfully, the crab didn’t respond.
“Under is softer. If you can’t use ability. I’ll help if it’s too hard.”
Without a word, Destiny flashed her a thumbs up, then turned to the giant beast.
Then, in this life, it wasn’t her job to fight the beast.
This time, she would simply sit back and watch.
From here, she could truly appreciate Destiny’s fighting style. She’d fought many opponents in her past life, but none quite matched the hero’s. His sword flashed, not like the practiced swings of a knight or the wild attacks of a mercenary, but with pure killing intent and measured practice.
It was almost like the perfect blend of a knight and mercenary. The swings were practiced but not rigid, his movements clean yet unpredictable. Most of all, however, he didn’t fight like he was used to a sword. He moved like someone who was practiced in hand-to-hand combat, someone who was used to getting up close and personal.
Even his casting style was strange for this world. He either moved while firing a spell, as if trying to take advantage of small range gaps, or stood still from afar while channeling more powerful spells. Granted, Prota hadn’t seen any battle mages, but it was odd that his style was so inconsistent for what it was.
The only explanation could be the training he’d gotten in his other life.
Prota knew that, at this point in time, Destiny wasn’t all that capable of fighting in this world. He was primarily being carried by his talents given to him by the goddess, and wouldn’t learn proper swordsmanship until he went to Scholaris.
Then, his skill at the moment was quite commendable.
At the very least, his fundamentals in movement were solid. His situational awareness was top notch, and although it wasn’t quite on Prota’s level, his ability to risk his life without fear was exceptional.
From what she knew of his backstory, though, all of this made sense.
“Go,” she found herself whispering.
This was the man who would grow up to be the hero. The one who would save the world. Of course, that responsibility had been shifted to her in part, but there was something inspiring about watching someone with so much potential grow in real time.
She watched as he cried out, slashing away, barely making a dent with every cut. But, with every cut, the dents grew larger. Deeper. His slashes grew heavier, the golden light surrounding the sword growing brighter.
“Go.”
Suddenly, a set of boulders fell from the ceiling, threatening to crush him. Prota could see it from here. There would be no escape.
Then, should she trust the [Plot]? Assume that he would live no matter what?
“...no.”
She didn’t care if this was a [Story]. Destiny had trusted her, despite all the oddities surrounding her.
Then, she would pay him back in full.
Leaping down, she summoned two giant hands of earth, shoving the boulders out of the way just in time. The giant crab, however, was coming down on them simultaneously. There was no way out of this.
No way out but to defeat the beast.
“Go!” Prota yelled.
“Wha- what if I fail?!” Destiny yelled back.
“Go!”
There was an audible gulp, and it hadn’t come from Prota.
With a ferocious cry, Destiny raised his blade, and it began to glow bright.
“Destiny. You are the hero. Don’t forget,” Prota said quietly.
With that, there was a blinding flash of light.
Then, the cave went silent.