Mushoku Tensei — Chapter 77 - Action

The formal exploration began today.

Well...... it would be a lie to say I wasn't nervous at all. Just two weeks ago I nearly died in this labyrinth.

But now....... maybe it's because of Rudeus? I feel a sense of security I've never felt before.

Before the exploration officially started, Rudeus and I entered the labyrinth together to get a feel for it. He has truly become even more formidable than I imagined.

No matter where the monsters appeared, he handled them without breaking a sweat.

That confidence also worries me a little, because a mage should be more cautious...... but Rudeus's habits clearly don't belong to a mage. His confidence makes him seem more like a swordsman, as if he fears no ambush. Though perhaps it's precisely because of that confidence that Rudeus is so formidable.

After we assembled, I noticed a new face in the party.

Uh...... he looks a bit like a monkey?

Once everyone had gathered, Paul coughed twice.

"Let me introduce everyone. This is my former comrade, Geese. He'll serve as our scout."

He said this, then looked toward Rudeus.

"This way, Rudeus won't need to keep his detection magic running constantly. He can save some mana for unexpected situations."

Rudeus said nothing, didn't nod. He seemed to accept it without comment.

During previous explorations, Rudeus had never turned his detection magic off. In theory, it shouldn't be draining that much mana anyway.

Hmm...... but since we have a scout now, conserving what we can is the right call.

"But Geese, how did you end up here?"

"Hahaha, divine guidance, maybe? I was already helping you search for your family. Heard there was news here, so I came to take a look. Didn't expect you all to be so far ahead of me."

"Let's hope it truly is divine guidance. That would mean Zenith is definitely here."

"Stay optimistic, Paul! With someone as lucky as me around, Zenith will definitely be here."

"Alright, enough pleasantries. We're entering the labyrinth."

After making our preparations, we went in.

Elinalise and Geese took the front.

Paul held the center.

Rudeus and I covered the party's left rear, while Sylphiette and Talhand covered the right rear.

The exploration went extremely smoothly. We pushed straight through to the fourth floor in one go.

The monsters along the way barely lasted 2 minutes. Honestly, it was more that Rudeus and Sylphiette were simply too powerful.

Having two Voiceless Casting mages in the party really does make a difference.......

"Alright, rest for a bit."

Paul called out from the front, and everyone found somewhere to sit.

Rudeus and I sat together on a boulder, back to back.

Just as I was about to open my mouth to find something to talk about, Sylphiette walked over.

She tilted her head and spoke gently.

"Rudeus, want to eat? There's a share for Miss Roxy too."

She took out two packed lunches as she said it, and handed one to me.

I thanked her and opened mine. The food inside was more generous than I'd expected.

And it seemed she had made everything herself......

"Does everyone have a share?"

Rudeus asked as he opened his.

"Of course~ But Rudeus's and Miss Roxy's lunches were made by me personally. It's the rear guard's meal time right now — Paul and the others are keeping watch. Once we're done, it'll be their turn."

"I see. Thank you."

"You're welcome~"

After this exchange, the easy, unhurried kind that only settled couples manage, Sylphiette headed back to the right rear to eat.

Well....... how nice. Isn't this exactly the kind of ordinary happiness I've always pictured?

I sighed quietly and picked up some food from the lunch box, put it in my mouth.

Delicious!

A model wife and loving mother...... cooking this well...... and so gentle......

If I were Rudeus, I would absolutely choose a girl like this as my partner.

No, no, no! I can't keep thinking about this. We're in a labyrinth right now! I need to focus!

SMACK, SMACK.

I slapped both cheeks with my hands.

"Teacher? What's wrong?"

"Ah...... nothing, nothing. Haha....."

"If you feel any physical discomfort, you need to speak up."

"It's really nothing!"

After the rest break ended, we continued exploring.

Everyone's condition remained excellent. We kept pushing until we reached the sixth floor.

The monsters on the sixth floor were rather uniform — they barely required any adaptive thinking.

But we soon ran into our first real problem.

Teleportation magic circles.

A room with two of them.

Everyone began debating which one to take, while Rudeus sat in front of the circles and seemed to be working something out.

Thinking it over.......? I could sense a faint movement of mana.

Only a faint trace. What magic is he using?

Since I know absolutely nothing about teleportation magic, I kept quiet throughout.

After more than 10 minutes of this, Rudeus stood up.

"Both of these teleportation circles are compromised."

He said this and walked toward the center of the room.

He paced back and forth there for a moment, then suddenly activated magic.

A hollow split open in the center of the floor. Inside it, a hidden staircase.

"As expected of my son! Now that's my boy!"

"Father, I'm just a mage. Not so rough, please."

Paul clapped Rudeus on the back, beaming. I watched from where I stood, and somehow felt that Rudeus was impossibly far out of reach.

Then Rudeus turned his head, and our eyes met.

I reached out and touched his back.

"Good work."

Rudeus smiled and gave me a small nod. He didn't say anything.

"Alright, we press on! Everyone, stay sharp!"

"Yeah!"

At Paul's word, the whole party nodded and moved.

At the bottom of the staircase was a transfer magic circle.

Not a trap. A genuine circle that led to other rooms.

And it was crimson red.

A crimson magic circle. That meant exceptional danger.

Whatever lay beyond this circle was surely the deepest part of the labyrinth.......

The party members exchanged glances with each other.

"Alright. Let's go!"

Without hesitation, we stepped onto it.

Beyond the magic circle was an astonishingly vast space.

One word came to mind: solemn.

A palace hall, rectangular, roughly the size of a noble's horse arena. Thick pillars stood in its corners. The ceiling was so high you had to crane your neck to see it. The floor was laid with something like ceramic tiles, each one carved with complex reliefs.

In the depths of this gray palace, there was a monster.

An enormous monster.

"A Nine-Headed Dragon, huh...... first time seeing one......"

That came from Geese.

It was my first time too...... a giant dragon with nine heads, like something that had walked straight out of legend.

Just as I was about to say something, I noticed the atmosphere had shifted.

Paul wasn't stunned. He was staring hard at something behind the Nine-Headed Dragon. Rudeus was doing the same.

I followed their gaze and saw it. A mana crystal.

About 2 meters across, shaped like a cluster of natural crystal.

No...... the shape didn't matter...... because inside the mana crystal, there was a face I knew very well.

Zenith.

Miss Zenith is inside there!

"Zenith!"

Before I could even react, Paul had already roared and charged forward with his sword drawn.

Rudeus immediately went after him, completely forgetting that he was supposed to be a mage.

"Idiot! You're being way too reckless!"

That shout came from Geese.

"Tsk......"

Elinalise clicked her tongue and sprinted after them.

Talhand followed.

"Miss Roxy, let's provide support!"

Sylphiette's voice snapped me back entirely. I raised my staff and aimed it at the Nine-Headed Dragon.

I wasn't certain my attack power would be enough, but what needed to be done was obvious: impair its mobility.

"Silent Iceman's Fist — 'Frost Strike'!"

My magic shot out and overtook Paul, striking the Nine-Headed Dragon directly.

Just before impact, a sound rang out like nails dragged across glass.

"What......."

That was not the effect of magic hitting a monster. My spell had done nothing to it at all.

Resistant to ice magic?

The question had barely formed when Rudeus activated lightning magic. The bolt that fell looked like something summoned from nature itself.

Even so, the Nine-Headed Dragon was completely unharmed.

Sylphiette launched a fire spell almost simultaneously. Still no effect.

No......

Something is wrong.......

"OOOOOOOOOOHHHHH AAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Paul's hoarse battle cry carried all the way to where I stood.

The Nine-Headed Dragon flexed its snake-like necks and moved to meet Paul's attack.

In the next instant, one of its heads flew through the air.

Severed by Paul's sword.

So strong......

Another head lunged forward.

The next instant, another severed head.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Two heads lost in moments.

Rudeus stood at the front, watching Paul fight.

I pulled myself together and turned my full attention to my teammates. If magic couldn't affect the Nine-Headed Dragon, then I needed to focus on supporting the others.

"Father! Calm down — the Nine-Headed Dragon is regenerating!"

Regenerating?

Rudeus's words made me look at the severed heads.

They were growing back...... no, not slowly at all. One head had already fully regrown.

His warning didn't calm Paul down. He kept swinging with reckless abandon.

"Geese!"

Talhand shouted.

Geese broke into a run. He passed Talhand, moved in behind Paul, and hurled something at the Nine-Headed Dragon.

I heard a CRACK as something shattered.

Then, centered on the Nine-Headed Dragon, smoke billowed upward.

A smoke bomb.

"Calm down! At this rate, everyone dies!"

Geese shouted as he grabbed Paul's arms from behind.

But he couldn't hold Paul. He was about to be shaken off.

In the next instant, Rudeus activated magic and shifted the ground beneath the entire group back by several meters.

Paul calmed down considerably after Elinalise slapped him across the face.

"Retreat! Back to the previous magic circle!"

"Yes!"

Everyone escaped through the magic circle safely.

The most severely injured was Elinalise.

Blood dripped steadily from near her shoulder.

I was about to step forward to apply healing magic when Miss Sylphiette beat me to it.

And then......

Paul leaned against the wall, breathing in ragged gulps.

Whether he still hadn't calmed down or something else, I couldn't tell. Rudeus sat in front of the magic circle with his eyes closed, seemingly deep in thought.

"Father."

"......That is definitely Zenith."

"I know. There's no way I could mistake her."

"True......"

"We've confirmed Mother's location. Next, we need to formulate a plan. Rest and reorganize, then search for information on the Nine-Headed Dragon."

Rudeus's reasoning was sound. No question about that.

But how would those words land in Paul's heart?

The atmosphere sat heavy.

"I have an idea. We halt the exploration and seek reinforcements. I know where Ghislaine is — I can get her here. Half a year at most......"

Before Rudeus could finish, Paul cut him off with a shout, grabbing him by the collar.

"What are you saying?! Your mother..... Zenith is right there in front of you, and you're telling me we should wait half a year before we act?!"

"Father...... you still haven't calmed down."

"How do you expect me to calm down?! My most beloved wife is behind that monster, and the son I'm most proud of is actually scared? Huh?!"

Rudeus activated magic.

Fast enough that no one in the room could react.

Paul was frozen solid.

2 seconds. Then Rudeus released the spell.

"Father, magic several times stronger and several times faster than that was completely ineffective against the Nine-Headed Dragon. There are 4 mages in this party. Do you honestly think your output alone can handle it?"

Paul gasped for breath as if he had only just surfaced from underwater.

"I can do it. As long as you all can find a way to suppress its regeneration, I can definitely......"

Nine-Headed Dragon..... regeneration.....

I felt like I had read something about this in a book somewhere.

Ah......

"Um...... I read in a book about a demonic dragon whose entire body is covered with magic-absorbing magic-stone scales. The book said it was sighted during the Second Human-Demon War and later went extinct when the continent was destroyed. I always assumed it was a fabricated story...... Apparently it actually exists."

"What about the regeneration? Did the book describe it?" Rudeus asked, then saw my expression and understood. He didn't press further.

The book said nothing about regeneration. The magic absorption alone was troublesome enough.

"But...... if we fire at close range, magic should be effective."

"Is that so? That's good news......"

"Rudeus? You're not planning to cast spells right in front of the Nine-Headed Dragon, are you? Your positioning earlier was already dangerous enough......"

"It depends on the situation. Since Father can't accept waiting, the next step is planning."

.......

Rudeus's plan was straightforward.

Two mages on rear guard, ready to support at any time. Talhand, setting aside magic entirely, would take the same frontline role as Elinalise. Rudeus would hold a position roughly level with Paul and deal damage directly.

Rudeus said that applying ice magic or fire magic continuously to the wound cross-sections should stop regeneration, he had once hunted an ogre with a similar healing ability.

And to deal damage with magic, you had to get close. That range was deeply hostile to any mage, so Rudeus would handle it himself.

I wanted to say I could do it too, but even Miss Sylphiette had already been turned down when she volunteered for the front line. I couldn't very well shamelessly argue that my casting speed was fast enough either......

"Rudeus...... be careful. At that range, you have to see clearly before you cast. There's no second chance......"

"Don't worry, Teacher. The Nine-Headed Dragon doesn't move that fast. I should still be able to react in time."

"Mm......"

As we prepared to step onto the magic circle again, I saw Paul say something to Rudeus.

Both of them smiled. It looked like a father acknowledging his son, or something close to that.

"Alright, heading out again!"

.......

The battle started.

This time, we didn't fall apart at the opening. Everything moved according to plan.

Sever the first head. If it still regenerated after being covered with fire magic, we retreat.

"AAAAAAAHHH!"

Paul shifted, one motion, and the first head came off.

Rudeus, just behind him, immediately activated fire magic.

After the flames covered the stump, it stopped regenerating.

The whole party felt it. That surge when a plan actually works.

"OOOOOOHH! Stay right behind me, Rudeus!"

"Understood."

The Nine-Headed Dragon roared, and 3 heads attacked simultaneously.

Is it incapable of controlling more than 3 at once?

Elinalise parried one head. Talhand blocked another.

Then Paul's sword came down fast and lopped off a third. Rudeus was right there with fire magic, cauterizing the wound before anything could grow back.

Hmm?

Talhand took a hit from the block.

"Divine power is the rich, fragrant harvest — [Healing]!"

I sent healing magic to Talhand. Sylphiette kept up a continuous stream of healing on Elinalise.

I genuinely have no idea how much mana she has.

"Rudeus, next one's the third!"

Paul called out and swung.

That's 3 heads now....... at this rate, we can actually do this!

Paul and Rudeus's coordination was flawless. The sequence, sever head then apply fire, was happening almost as one motion.

"Miss Elinalise, watch out!"

Sylphiette shouted and threw up an earth wall, blocking a lunging head.

Elinalise recovered and parried her head. But the remaining 3 charged straight for Talhand.

"OOOOOOHH! Bring it on!"

Talhand raised his shield and took one head. The head Sylphiette's earth wall had deflected came around for a second pass, also aimed straight at Talhand.

2 heads at once was too much. He was sent flying.

Mid-flight, one of the heads clamped down on Talhand's leg and whipped him into the air.

"OOOOOOHH!"

"Talhand!"

Paul rushed over and severed the head biting Talhand's leg.

Rudeus activated magic and burned the wound cross-section immediately.

"Much obliged. You saved me."

"Divine power is the rich, fragrant harvest — [Healing]!"

I activated healing magic and got Talhand back on his feet.

Then the Nine-Headed Dragon's behavior changed.

It swayed and began to retreat, something almost like fear in its movement.

"Rudeus, what do we do next?"

Paul asked, calm now.

"Hold on....... something feels off......"

Rudeus answered without taking his eyes off the Nine-Headed Dragon.

Seeing that none of us were pursuing, the Nine-Headed Dragon suddenly raised its remaining heads, looking down on us like it was measuring us.

Something was building in its mouths...... a final trump card?

"Breath attack incoming! Everyone, get behind me!"

Rudeus shouted it. Everyone moved fast and took cover at his back.

Before the Nine-Headed Dragon's flames could even leave its throat, Rudeus activated magic.

Ice magic. Ice magic with such immense mana that it stopped my breath just sensing it.

The ice froze the fire-charging head solid, and simultaneously a wall of ice rose in front of Rudeus.

"Misfire and blow yourself up, you beast!"

Rudeus cursed. First time I had ever heard him do that.

But there was no misfire. The breath attack held for 2 full minutes before it ended. It had melted most of Rudeus's ice wall along with it.

Water vapor filled the space. The heat was almost unbearable. Visibility dropped to nearly nothing in the mist.

"Father, now!"

"Right!"

The Nine-Headed Dragon seemed to have lost some strength after expending that breath. Paul charged straight at it.

Our formation had barely changed from before, but now almost everyone was right in front of the Nine-Headed Dragon.

Another head. After Rudeus cauterized the stump, only 2 heads remained.

"Nobody drops their guard! Until this thing is dead, we keep to the same tactic!"

"OOOH!"

The remaining 2 heads looked left, then right.

Then something that made no sense happened.

Both heads lunged simultaneously — toward Geese.

"What the hell!"

Geese panicked, hurled a smoke bomb at his feet, and ran.

The smoke spread instantly.

Wait, isn't this too much? Did he just throw every smoke bomb he had in a panic?

"Geese!"

Paul shouted and charged into the smoke. The wet, heavy sound of flesh and blood cutting through the air reached me.

Then the sound of fire magic.

That should leave only 1 head.

I was inside the smoke and couldn't see anything.

Experience said: stay still.

I could hear the Nine-Headed Dragon's roars. I could hear 3 sets of running footsteps.

Geese, Paul, Rudeus....... Right!

"Rudeus, use detection magic!"

I shouted it. The response came immediately.

But the Rudeus who responded sounded less than certain.

"I've had it active the whole time......"

Rudeus's voice was close. But the sounds of the Nine-Headed Dragon were close too.

So their positions right now are......

I was still working through it when someone ran past me.

Geese.......

Which means...... the Nine-Headed Dragon.......

"Teacher!"

Rudeus's shout came from right beside me.

On my left......

So directly in front of me.......

Ah...... this is very bad.......

Not just bad. This is catastrophic!

The smoke thinned, barely. I saw a dragon head with a gaping, bloodthirsty maw.

Ah...... I'm going to die.

The thought echoed in my mind.

Then I felt a hand hit my left side hard, shoving me.

My whole body pitched to the right. The Nine-Headed Dragon's charge sailed past..... did it miss?

When I came back to myself, the Nine-Headed Dragon's last head had already been severed.

Not by Paul. By Rudeus.

That ice magic, the one that had bisected the Nine-Headed Dragon, was not something a human being should have been able to produce. It had nearly filled the entire labyrinth room.

The one who pushed me was Rudeus?

A thought was echoing in my mind. A terrible one.

"Rudeus!"

I shouted it out loud and activated wind magic to scatter the smoke.

The smoke cleared.

Rudeus was still standing.

"That's...... great......?"

Looking at him, I felt my eyes lose their focus. Everything went soft and blurred.

➤ Next: Aftermath, Confession — Heartbreak