Fighting Side-by-Side

"I'll take the front. Rudeus, you cover me from the back."

"No problem. Be careful, Hilde."

"Hmph. Who do you think I am?"

"...You really haven't changed at all."

Maybe it was his imagination.

Rudeus kept feeling that Hilde, whom he had not seen for more than half a month, had become more dependable.

Tch...

As her older brother, he could only rely on his little sister at a time like this.

How embarrassing.

Still, this feeling wasn't bad.

Fighting side by side and all that.

It felt a little like a real otherworld experience.

The pitch-black passage was not exactly spacious.

The two of them lightened their steps and advanced along the wall.

Although they could not see anything, neither of them chose to use fire magic for illumination. After all, in a dark environment, firelight had a limited range, but it would make it easier for any enemies that might exist to discover them. The cost outweighed the gain.

After walking roughly twenty or thirty meters, Hilde lowered her voice and said, "We should be heading underground."

"Underground? But this passage feels pretty flat to me," Rudeus said in confusion.

"The capital's overall structure was built along the mountain. The closer you get to the central area, the higher the terrain, and the very center is built entirely on the mountain. But the road we're walking now is flat. It might even not be that flat. That means we're gradually entering an underground area."

Hilde had Rudeus test it with water magic.

The Water Ball dripped onto the ground, paused briefly, then spread toward the front of the passage.

"No wonder we've walked so far and still haven't seen the end."

Rudeus shivered subconsciously.

In the largest and most prosperous city in human history, there was actually such an unknown passage hidden beneath the city, leading to a secret underground space.

What was even more thought-provoking was whether this passage was known only to the mastermind behind the scenes, or to all the royalty and nobles.

"All right, stop thinking about pointless things."

Hilde's steps gradually slowed.

"Stay close to me, Rudeus."

"Oh? What, are you afraid of the dark?"

"What nonsense are you spouting? Is your brain broken?"

"..."

Fine. Thinking about it, there was no way.

Rudeus sighed.

Once, he too had fantasized about having a cute little sister who would cling to his side while tugging at his clothes and calling him Onii-chan, and crawl out from under the blankets every morning to wake him up.

But by now, that fantasy had completely shattered.

Maybe it had started the first time Hilde beat his head full of lumps...

It wasn't like this in Galgame.

If only Hilde could be a little softer and cuter...

The instant that thought arose, Hilde whipped her head back as if she had heard his inner voice.

His heart gave a violent jump, and before he could even open his mouth, he saw Hilde swing her sword without hesitation toward his neck...

"Eek!"

Rudeus's legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the ground on the spot.

The blade swept past almost right against his scalp. Rudeus could even feel the cool gust it brought with it.

Immediately after, he heard a crisp, chilling clash of metal.

Clang—!

Sword blade and dagger collided, scattering sparks in midair.

By the fleeting sparks, Hilde saw the attacker's appearance clearly. Their whole body was shrouded in black robes, making them practically invisible in this passage that had almost no light. They held a short dagger and had nearly cut through Rudeus's neck.

So there really was one...

Thinking about it carefully, that made sense. No matter how well hidden the entrance was, those big shots would never ignore a possible danger.

This assassin had been stationed here specifically to deal with intruders.

When his first strike missed, the assassin immediately tried to pull back and retreat.

"Hmph, trying to run?"

Hilde naturally would not give him another chance to slip back into the darkness.

She strode forward, grabbed Rudeus by the collar, and threw him behind her.

At the same time, she pressed forward without yielding an inch.

"Clang, clang, clang—"

The sound of metal striking metal rang out without end.

Each collision between dagger and sword sent brief sparks flaring in midair. Using that faint light, Hilde caught the exact movements of her opponent. Her swordsmanship poured from her wrist as if by instinct, each slash following the last almost without thought.

The assassin retreated while hurriedly parrying the attacks.

Hilde turned her wrist, the blade flowing with force like a whirlpool, then suddenly drove in, releasing explosive power at close range.

Her sword thrust out, its edge like a shooting star.

Aimed straight at the assassin's chest.

In his panic, the assassin held his dagger horizontally before his chest, using its side to block the thrust.

But in the next instant, an astonishing force like a battering ram swept through the dagger, sending his entire body flying backward like a cannonball.

"Rudeus!" Hilde cried.

Snapping back to himself at Hilde's call, Rudeus did not hesitate at all. He immediately threw magic in the direction the enemy had been sent flying, at the fastest speed possible without sacrificing power...

Rapid-fire!

Bang, bang, bang, bang—

Rock Shells howled out, covering every corner of the narrow passage.

Rudeus kept casting magic without pause.

Even with his fingers trembling, he still did not stop.

It was not until Hilde pressed a hand to his shoulder that he finally slowly lowered his arm.

"Fire Ball."

Hilde threw a fireball down the passage ahead.

The firelight illuminated the passage along the way, as well as a corpse on the ground that had already been riddled like a sieve by Rock Shells.

By the firelight, Hilde carefully inspected the corpse.

Then she cut off his head.

The importance of finishing the job went without saying.

On the other side, Rudeus had collapsed to the ground, constantly panting for breath.

He had also seen the corpse illuminated by the firelight just now. Without a doubt, that was someone he had killed with his own hands.

He had taken a living life with his own hands.

Whether in this life or the previous one, this was his first time.

And compared to the unease of killing someone, the emotion spreading through his heart at this moment was even more...

Fear.

He had been a hair's breadth away.

In that instant just now, if either he or Hilde had reacted even a little slower...

His head and body would already have been separated.

The feeling of brushing past death was not pleasant.

"Do you want to give up?"

Hilde asked casually while dealing with the corpse.

"...We've already come this far. There's no reason to give up now, is there?" Rudeus clenched his teeth.

He supported himself against the wall and staggered to his feet.

After coming this far...

How could he give up so easily?

"Well, as long as you decide. I don't really care either way."

As Hilde spoke, she tossed something to Rudeus's hand.

Rudeus was startled by the body heat still clinging to the thing.

But he quickly realized that what Hilde had thrown over was not a severed limb, but a key.

"Where did this key come from?"

"You don't know? The final boss drops the key to the next floor. Isn't that common knowledge?"

"..."

It did seem like common knowledge.

But what kind of common knowledge was that?