Slayers Special - Volume 1 - Chapter 6

Slayers Excellent 

Villain Fight! 

“Don’t move!” 

Lina froze at the sudden shout. 

The man puts a broadsword to the throat of a short girl wearing a priestess's clothes, while holding her hands behind her back. 

“Don’t even budge! If you value her life, then do as I say!” 

“Kh…” 

Lina spontaneously grit her teeth. 

“Let me go! Let me go, I say!” screams the girl while wriggling around in the man’s arms. 

“Do you think you will get away with doing something like this to a member of the clergy!? Let me go this instant or I’ll send your soul to hell!” 

“Shut up! Is that something a priestess should say!?” 

“It doesn’t matter if I’m a priestess or not right now! How can you ignore me when I tried to reason with you!? It can’t be helped, then. I’ll make you remember me! Lina-san!” 

She turns her eyes to Lina, who was holding a sword and looking for her chance. 

“I don’t care what happens to you, just help me!” Bfu! 

Both Lina and the man blurt at the same time, “Are you… really a priestess…?” 

The man looks at the girl in his arms with a surprised look on his face. 

“Before a priestess, I’m a human being and I’m a number one,” she declared from the bottom of her heart. 

“...Ufu… Ufufufufufu…” Lina started laughing. 

Sensing something really ominous in her laughter, both the girl and the man look at her. 

“That’s precisely so, Mina-san. Firstly, I’m also a human being, before being the person who agreed to escort you, so I’m number one too, right?” 

“W-Wait a second, Lina-san! Don’t do anything hasty! Kindness, helping each other and self-sacrifice is important to humans!” 

Of course, she didn’t listen to those words the girl said in haste. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. ♡” 

As soon as she said that, she started chanting a spell. 

“W-Wait! You don’t care what happens to the hostage!?” 

A shower of offensive spells was the only response Miina’s despairing shouts. 

*** 

Before long, the Sun sets on the desert. Folding her arms for no reason whatsoever, Lina stands at the edge of a cliff, for no reason whatsoever. 

Her black cloak flutters in the wind, and at her feet Mina lies covered with bandages, looking like a caterpillar’s cocoon. 

A leisurely narration starts without notice. 

“Thus, the evil organization Hellmaster disappeared thanks to Lina Inverse’s efforts. However, as long as there’s evil in the world, a second and third Hellmaster will surely appear one day. Don’t lose, Lina! Fight, Lina, until the day you crush all of the evil of the world with your love, courage and truth!” 

And then, a quiet BGM melody starts playing and the names of the staff starts scrolling up the large, glass screen that displayed the movie. 

The hall filled with the storm of applause. 

The now well-lit-up hall is crowded with roughly a few dozen or so strange men. 

They look respectable, but the ‘feeling’ around them is not. 

“Oh man, that was awesome.” 

“Especially the last scene when Mina, the client, shouts and attacks the head of the organization without a care for her own life. 

I know it’s unbecoming to my age, but I cried.” 

“...Was there a scene like that, again…?” 

“Heeey! Stop the clappiiiing!” 

Screaming and hitting the glass panel was a tough man with red hair, the one who’d put a broadsword to Mina’s neck in the movie just now, and the former head of the evil organization Hellmaster, Galls Blader himself. Silence… 

The hall went silent in an instant. 

A board lettered “The 38th Periodical Gathering of the Federation of Coast Countries Evil Organizations” sways under the ceiling. 

“Listen up, guys! Our theme is not a “Fun Movies Contest”! It’s a meeting in response to that wicked sorcerer who’s a threat to our ties! How about you think earnestly how to deal with her a little!?” 

“...Even if you say that…,” says a white-haired old man in a deeply displeased tone. He’s obviously also a boss of some evil organization. 

“She’s second-to-none, pays no heed to anything, and doesn’t hold back even if we take hostages. If we take someone like that head-on, we won’t last. Well, I think it would be wiser if we consider her an earthquake or a typhoon and let her go past quietly...” 

“I agree, though I feel sorry for you, Galls. But you’re still young. It’s not too late for you. You can start over as many times as you need. Put your back into it and show us how you rebuild the ties. As for this time― Well, I sympathize with you, but just think about it as like getting bitten by a stray dog… just forget about it.” 

“That’s one weird way to console a person! You can say that only because it’s got nothing to do with you. Just how much hardship do you think I’ve gone through to build those ties!? I used up every last asset I had while enduring my parents’ cold treatment, and took care of the Caron flowers in wind and rain without missing a day and not a word of complaint… And then they finally bore fruit and I was able to produce a fine drug, which brought sudden tears to my eyes at the time. Just when I thought I would steadily and honestly work every day in prostitution, theft, blackmail and robbery and then, make my underlings work for me and be able to spend the rest of my life playing around from now on, and then― Khuuu! Isn’t it just too vexing…!?” 

Galls indulged himself in extremely selfish memories and before he knew it, the hall filled with the sound of crying. 

“Khuuu, such a tearjerker... “ 

“It was the same when I was a kid…” 

“―Then, it’s simple,” said a clear voice that concealed a strong will. 

It was Dulhan Balzack, the young, black-haired leader of Duos Connections with sharp eyes looking like a falcon’s. 

He was also responsible for the order of the meeting. 

“One way or another, we can’t turn a blind eye to her. If we leave this be, we’ll lose our face and if we leave her at large, there’s no telling when a second or third Lina Inverse will be born.

In any case, we have to send her to oblivion by any means possible.” 

“About those ‘means’...,” spoke up Galls. “No matter how many hostages we take, it won’t work, but what if her own family was taken hostage?” 

“Hmm, frankly speaking―” Dulhan said reluctantly, with his hands behind his back. “Once before, an organization from Saillune came up with the same plan to erase Lina and sent some capable men to her birthplace.” 

“―And how did it go?” 

“None of them came back, and when the local organization was asked about the situation or about her family, nothing was said.” 

“...Her whole family is like a walking psychic phenomenon...” 

“All in all, the organization from Saillune was crushed by Lina and she’s alive to this day. And first of all, even if we sent someone to Zephilia, they will never make it in time. That’s why - are you ready to deal out revenge with your own two hands?”  

He nodded decisively. “Of course.”  

Frankly speaking, he’s unwilling, but he can’t just say “I don’t wanna, I’m scared.” in front of all the bosses of neighboring organizations. 

Dulhan nods with satisfaction… “That makes it easy. Out of everyone present, you’re the only one who’s fought with her. We will leave the plan of assassination of Lina Inverse to Galls, and each and every organization will do what's in their power to assist him. What do you think?” 

Having no other choice, everyone present approved of Dulhan’s words. 

They don’t like the idea of assisting Galls, but it would be unwise to oppose him by carelessly saying something like “Then, get done with her at your place.” 

And so, that day, Galls Blader got the shortest end of the stick in his whole life. 

                                              ***  

“So? What are we gonna do, Lina-san?” asked Mina scornfully as they sat in the first-floor dining room of a small seaside inn. 

There are many customers, but it’s a calm, quiet place. 

An open window lets the night air fill the room with a salty smell and the sound of waves. 

“What do you mean?” Lina said indifferently, while sipping Beio Shark Stew. 

“Didn’t you crush a whole organization, dragging me completely into it the other day?” Mina said with a complaint in her eyes. 

Lina gets a clearly displeased look on her face and says, “...You still hold it against me that I blasted you with my spell along with that guy…?” 

“Of course I do! I put it in my diary, including a picture, and read it out loud in private every night before going to sleep!” 

“...” 

She’s a depressing one. 

“Do you want to take a look at my diary?” 

“No! Thank you! You’ve showed it to me a million times by now!” 

In a panic, Lina stops Mina, who had started going through the contents of her bag. 

The diligently written down complaints, that are pretty much like a black list, are hard to take in themselves, but the thing drawn on top of them is a “picture” only in name. 

Lina got dizzy the moment she first saw that drawing. What might be a drawing of a Poison Crawler (or something completely different) had been drawn in a horribly unskilled manner with a little annotation below it reading “Lina-san”. 

“...That aside, the organization here has an unusually strong sense of comradeship and formed some weird alliance.” declared Mina, tilting her head and leaning forward, as if peering into Lina with her big, reddish-brown eyes. 

Her long golden hair sways. 

She looks younger than Lina, but her attitude is strangely dominant. 

“...So what?” 

“That’s why there’s a chance the entire local organization will come to take revenge! What if something like that happens!?” 

“―Mina-san―” Lina looks at the girl with serious eyes. “In life, you will always encounter the unavoidable sooner or later. 

Our trouble with the organization now is one of those things.” 

“Your job was just to escort me to Roll City, how did you get into the inevitable trouble with a criminal organization!?” 

“I had no other choice in that situation. Just understand it already.” 

Lina takes Mina’s hand and squeezes. 

She might’ve been a bit more convincing If her other hand hadn’t been tightly holding the claws of a fried crab. 

“What the heck do you mean by ‘you had no other choice’, when without a word you kicked down a thug who spoke to you, and robbed him off his money and goods!?” 

“Well, about that… I simply shortened the whole process. In either case, it would have ended like that...” 

The thugs she knocked down were the organization’s pupils and after that, the higher-ups attacked Imojiru Castle and that was the outcome of that. 

“Besides, brooding over the past won’t change anything...” 

“Why are you saying it like it had nothing to do with you!? It’s all your fault!” 

Mina suddenly grabs Lina by the scruff of the neck and starts shaking her back and forth. 

“Whai-Whaith… M-Mina-san…!” 

“You barely ever get to do errands for the temple, y’know! I finally managed to round one up for myself! I got out of that deformed, colorless society and pretended to be an ordinary person because I wanted to play men false and make them buy stuff for me, get myself dead-drunk and babble. I wanted to do those things regular girls do! And you destroyed that! YOU DID IT!” 

“...Whatever… just… lemme… go… afuh...” 

“I can’t spread my wings now! And I had so many things I wanted to do, too! Like go to a casino, eat tasty food all over the country, go to the hot springs…!” 

They attracted the attention of the other customers, but Mina continued to shout and shake Lina with her eyes spinning. 

                                  *** 

Dulhan was hesitating. 

Should I make a move, or not? 

As the result of the afternoon assembly, quite a lot of goods have arrived for Galls. At the moment, he had enough arms to start a war with a small country, had he felt like it. 

However― 

“Galls Blader… Will he be able to defeat Lina Inverse…?” he sighed to himself. 

It’s not that he doesn’t trust his skills. In fact, even amongst all the neighbouring organizations, he’s the most powerful person. 

However, the enemy is the problem. 

According to rumors, Lina Inverse’s real age is a few hundreds years, and she’s able to rain down spells strong enough to demolish a big castle in one try. 

There are other rumors as well, like the one that one of the five trusted retainers of “Ruby Eye”( who controls all of the chaos of this world), Chaos Dragon took a human form to hunt for human souls, and once it receives a certain level of damage, it turns into a giant dragon (laugh). Or, that the being called Lina Inverse is actually a grand sorcerer from The Principality of Letidius that fell five hundred years ago. The sorcerer is dead, but the black bandanna with his lingering will sealed in it is controlling its wearer (hey, hey…). 

They’re all highly probable rumors. 

He doesn’t have a duty or the responsibility to help Galls, however yesterday’s early-morning announcement of Lina Inverse’s predicted route indicated that she’s not too far away and she will be passing close to the headquarters of Dulhan’s organization. 

If everything goes well, Galls may get rid of her even if he doesn’t do anything, however that hope is extremely slim. 

Since it’s certain we can’t avoid the showdown, it’s better to team up with Galls to strike her with more power. However, there’s a chance that as long as they keep their heads low, Lina may pass by without noticing Dulhan’s organization. That would be the best. 

One way or another, he wants to pick the option that will be the least painful for himself, but… 

Should he fight―Or pretend he’s dead― It was truly a fateful choice. 

                                               ***  

The blue light of the full moon illuminates a wharf. 

The only thing disturbing the night was the sound of waves. 

No one aside from the owners knew that this whole block of the warehouses standing next to another belonged to a federation of criminal organizations. 

And in one of them, was Galls. 

It’s filled with the various goods he received from other organizations. 

There are twenty stone-throwing mechanisms for attacking fortifications. Would a grand sorcerer be able to dodge countless rocks suddenly flying at him from a distance? 

Seventy pieces of plate armor and mail. ―There are the same number of warhorses, but they’re elsewhere. Long spears, darts and swords enough for a few hundred men. Of course, there is armor and throwing weapons alike. 

There is even enough food to sustain a whole city for half a month. 

As long as he’s able to come up with an elaborate plan and make the most of those goods, sending Lina Inverse to oblivion is surely not impossible. 

“...This is perfect...” 

Even so, his tiredness showed on Galls’ face as he said that. 

“...That is, if I had men...” 

As he stands by himself, the moon he sees through a skylight feels strangely distant these days. It was a listless summer night for a twenty-seven-year-old Galls Blader. 

                                     *** 

Plan number one: Pretend he’s a passer-by, ask Lina Inverse for directions, get her to let her guard down, and attack her. 

However, she’s seen his face once before, so he will have to hide his face behind some kind of a mask. Flaws - Asking for directions wearing a mask is way too suspicious. 

There’s a high probability she will see through it. 

                                             *** 

Plan number two: Wait for Lina Inverse to fall asleep and set fire to the inn. 

Flaws - High probability that she will easily run away using magic. On top of that, this is Dulhan’s turf, it would be bad if it turned into a huge fire. 

                                             *** 

Plan number three: It’s too scary after all, don’t do anything to Lina. Apologize to everyone later. 

Flaws - This is not the kind of a problem he can get away from by apologizing. 

                                            *** 

“Daaaaah! Not good, not good, not good!” 

Galls scattered the mountain of papers with various plans all over. 

In the dim light of a lamp and holding a feather pen in his hand, he slaps his face. 

As he was writing up plans, he started to get faint-hearted. While at the beginning his projects were “How I can repel Lina Inverse by myself.” around the tenth plan, the contents turned to “How I can spend the rest of my life quietly.” As he was calculating how much it would take to buy a field around Atlas or Crimson that was big enough that he wouldn’t have to worry about food, he suddenly came to his senses. 

“That’s not good! I can’t defeat Lina Inverse like that!” 

There is a bigger problem than if he will defeat her or not, but he promised himself not to mention it. 

“Calm down, Galls. Think. Once she chants a spell, it’s over. So the only option is a surprise attack… Crap! If she was an ordinary, dumb sorcerer, I would be able to hit her with a shot from a bow gun while she was chanting a spell and it would be all settled… But she’s skilled as a warrior as well…,” he mutters to himself. It’s easier for him to gather his thoughts that way. 

Around the time the Moon went down and the sky started to brighten up, his plans have settled. 

“All right!” 

He looks at the piled up mountain of goods. 

“Let’s get rid of these and hire some men!” 

...That’s all he came up with after a night of pondering. You might as well say that his final days were decided at that moment in time. 

                                           *** 

“What is that? You don’t want to get rich quick?” 

Gotton had started a conversation with a man in a certain bar on the outskirts. 

It’s an abnormal and dark shop doing business with stray mercenaries and handymen. 

“―You talking to me?” The man turns sidewise. 

He looks strange, but had that certain vibe to him. 

“Does a name Dulhan ring a bell?” 

“I heard he’s a boss controlling this area.” 

“Exactly.” 

Gotton sits down next to the man with an over-familiar smile on his face. 

In the end, Galls asked Dulhan to help him with gathering men. All the expenses related to that will go to Galls. 

What they’re looking for are stray sorcerers. 

It’s an extremely clear and concise way of thinking; to fight a sorcerer, you need a sorcerer, and it’s also right. 

“By the way, how good of a sorcerer are you?” 

“Fuh… There is no one who can match me, Zelgadis, when it comes to magic.” 

“Ohh, that’s quite something.” 

Galls lowers his voice. “There’s someone I want to get rid of. This is all I can pay in advance. If you kill the target, you will get this much in addition.” 

He sticks his fingers under the table. 

“Ooh… that’s quite a deal… Someone strong?” 

“A sorcerer… who defied our organization. Frankly speaking, we’ve already employed assassins besides you. It’s arranged so that if they kill the target before you, they will receive the rest of money.” 

“I see… Who’s the target?” 

“A little girl.” 

Saying that, Gotton pulls a folded piece of paper from his pocket. 

“Hmmm!?” 

The sorcerer calmly unfolded the paper, then his face contorted uneasily. 

―It goes without saying, but drawn on it was Lina Inverse’s portrait― 

“What’s the matter? Someone you know?” 

“Of course!” 

He fixed his eyes, gleaming with hatred, upon the portrait. 

“She’s the little wench who once humiliated me, Galmut Hannibal!” 

“G-Gal…?” Gotton frowned. “Didn’t you introduce yourself as Zel-something earlier?” 

“It doesn’t matter how I’m called! More importantly, I’m accepting this job!” 

“Y-You do…? Either way, here’s the advance money.” 

He didn’t really understand the thing with his name, but he didn’t care for that. The main point is whether he will accomplish his job or not. 

―And besides, it won’t be all that hard to find him later if something happens― 

Is what Gotton muttered to himself in his mind. 

That’s right. If he asks anyone, “Have you seen a sorcerer wearing a ram’s skull?” he’ll get the answer right away. 

                                          ***  

“I’m not interested,” said the woman bluntly. 

“Hehe, Nee-san, don’t be like that… You won’t get such a great deal ‘nywhere else.” 

The man pulls a piece of paper from his pocket with a halfflattering, half-lustful smile. 

“All ya have to do is get rid of one little girl, ya get all this money. Hmm?” 

“―I don’t accept this kind of work on principle.” 

Losing his temper at the woman who wouldn’t even think about taking the paper, he unfolded it and showed to her. 

“Look, she doesn’t look all that fearful, does she?” 

“Ooh...” 

She squinted after running her eyes across the paper. 

“Right, she does look like an ordinary girl. Indeed, it sounds like a nice deal.” 

The man doesn’t notice the “thorns” all over her words. 

“See?” 

“―So, what's her name?” 

The woman’s words made the look on his face change completely. 

“Well… ‘Bout the name...” 

“Hoo! Ho-ho-ho! If it’s hard for you to say - I, Naga the Serpent - will say it in your place! This “little girl’s” name is Lina Inverse. A sorcerer also known as “Robber Killer”! Picking a fight with her for that little money is indeed a great deal... but only for you.” 

“Y-Ya know her!? Lina Inverse!?” 

“Fuh… I fought with her once and even though I received heavy damage, I made her admit her loss.” 

“Wh-What did’ya just say!?” he asked, unintentionally raising his voice. 

“Is that true!?” 

“Of course it is.” 

What she said wasn’t all truthful, but it certainly wasn’t a lie. 

After thinking for a moment, Naga says, “...If she’s the target, it’s a different deal. I don’t mind accepting this offer, but― it goes without saying that it’s out of question for this amount of money.” 

“I… I get it...” The man stands up, looking like he’s lost the mental battle. “In that case, sorry, but could ya come with me?” Naga quietly stood up with a faint smile. 

                                     *** 

Lina stopped abruptly in the middle of a crowd. 

“Hey, why are you suddenly stopping in the middle of the road?” asks Mina, destroying the mood and everything. 

Regardless of that, without a word, Lina strikes a daunting pose in the middle of the street. 

She looks like she’s waiting for something. 

“Listen to me...” 

Just as Mina was starting to complain again― 

“It’s been a while, girls.” It was the familiar voice of a man. 

Sensing trouble, the crowd spontaneously split apart, letting them see the owner of the voice. 

He’s alone, striking a daunting pose and glaring at them arrogantly. 

He’s close enough to get in range if he draws his sword and take a few steps. 

He’s a red-haired man of fairly regular features with a firm constitution and a long sword slung from his hip. 

But, there’s a different light in his eyes. 

It was no other than the man called Galls Blader. 

“You know him!?” asks Lina. 

...Shooooooossshhh… blows a wind quietly. 

“...Hey.” 

After a moment, Galls finally starts speaking. “Lina Inverse, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten me!?” 

“It’s not that I forgot you, I never knew you from the start!” she declares bluntly. 

Galls is at a loss for words. 

―It’s not a joke. 

It’s not a strategy to dampen the enemy’s spirit either. 

She hadn’t been exaggerating... she’d honestly forgotten him without a trace. 

Or more like, Lina - who had annihilated at least a hundred groups of robbers by now - didn’t think the faces of robbers was something worth bothering about. In her mind, they were being separated into three groups - bearded face, bold face and hackneyed. It would be strange for her to remember the face of the boss of a robber gang she’d defeated before. 

If there was as much as a shred of a memory left somewhere in the corner of her mind, she would probably say something like “I don’t really remember you” or “I forgot about you”. 

“Lina-san, Lina-san.” 

Mina is poking Lina repeatedly. 

“Come on, he’s the boss of an organization you destroyed a while ago. You sent him flying along with me, when he put his sword to my neck. It’s even in my diary.” 

Mina persistently held her grudge. 

Being fully aware of the sarcasm, Lina pretended not to notice it. 

“...I don’t really get it, but it’s that guy, right?” 

“...You really don’t remember at all?” “Yes.” Lina nodded readily. 

He had carved on his heart the desire to revenge his organization, but when he confronted the enemy, she didn’t even remember his face. 

...H-How can she not take notice of him…? 

Anyway, he cheered his almost-crushed heart and spoke the line he’d prepared earlier, “I… I came to warn you today!” “Warn?” Lina frowned slightly. 

However, that reaction went exactly according to the scenario Galls came up with, however… 

“That’s right. This is a warning. You’ve surely treated me well the other da- Hey… H-Hold up!?” 

Lina steadily closed in on Galls without lending an ear to his words. 

“W-Wait! Listen to…” 

Whack! 

And thus― 

Galls’ scenario has been forced to change drastically beyond his control. 

                                        *** 

...It wasn’t supposed to go like that… 

That’s what Galls was thinking to himself, tied up in the middle of the city street. 

His plan was to inform Lina that the federation had hired sorcerers that are after her life and then leave that spot lightheartedly. And then, Lina being on guard for the sorcerers’ attack and not being able to sleep, would get beaten mentally… 

He never had the slightest idea that he’d get knocked down without a word. 

“So? Since you mentioned something about a warning, I’m sure you had some stupid idea. What did you want to tell us?” 

“Fuh… You wanna know?” 

“You little, you really arrogant...,” said Lina with a stunned expression, blind to her own shortcomings. 

Seems like she doesn’t have something called “self-consciousness.” 

Lina continues, ignoring his teasing. “You want to say it, don’t you?” 

“And what if I… I don’t?” 

“I’ll use that.” 

Lina points to the side of the street, while Galls smiles fearlessly.. 

It’s a small black shape on the street. 

It’s horse crap. 

“I get it! I’m sorry! I’ll tell you anything! I’ll say everything!” 

“Well? What are you scheming?” 

“Th-There was a gathering of organizations around here and they decided to defeat you at all costs. They hired sorcerers and made them attack you!” 

Of course, the one in the command is no other than himself, but saying that right now would be asking for death. 

“And why did you go out of your way to come and tell us that?” 

“I-In other words, this is a retaliation from the organization to make an example to the world!” 

“Huhn…” 

“It’s not the time to hum!” Mina screamed hysterically, grabbing hold of the still tied-up Galls and shakes him back and forth by his shoulders. “I’ve nothing to do with that! I was just one-sidedly dragged into the trouble Lina-san caused! Get it!? You get it, riiiiight!?” 

“Calm down, Mina-san! Your shaking gets to him quite a lot!” 

Lina stops her in haste. There still was some consciousness left in Galls. 

“There’s nothing to worry about, Mina-san. We have a trump card.” 

“A-A trump card, you say?” Galls slightly shakes his still-hazy head and with a faint smile, says, “Don’t make me laugh. What kind of counter-measures are you telling me you have against an army of sorcerers?” 

“Fufufufuhn.” 

Lina makes smiles strangely and, happy from the bottom of her heart, says, “A hos-tage. ♡” 

… 

“Shoooooooot!” Galls’ bitter scream sounded through the noontime hour. 

                                           *** 

“Fuhahahaha! I’ve finally found you, girl! I have nothing against you, but I’ll kill you right here and no―” 

“Mega Brand” 

Kaboooooom! 

“Yeah, yeah. That’s the second today… Just like the first time, he was hit with a spell point-blank in the middle of introductions. 

If that’s not a brutal attack, I don’t know what is… 

Also, what’s the name of that spell, Lina-san?” asks Mina-san while scribbling in the notebook she’d taken from her pocket. 

“‘Mega Brand’. Wait, you’re writing that in your diary as well?” 

Answers Lina with a somewhat fed-up look on her face. 

“The finishing move was Mega Brand. Of course I am.” 

...Uuh… Please no…, Lina muttered to herself in her mind. 

Not being able to spread her wings now, Mina devotedly fills the pages of her diary with her gloomy desires. 

It would be fine if that was all, but she’s reading them aloud in the middle of the night at Lina’s bedside. Because of that, Lina is being haunted by nightmares these days. 

To be honest, it’s a torture to her. 

“Okay, let’s hurry.” 

Mina puts her notebook in a pocket and pulls lightly on the rope in her left hand. 

There’s no need to mention that at the end of it, tied round and round, is Galls. 

“However, you sure are lucky,” says Lina to Galls. “It’s just lousy sorcerers attacking us sporadically, so it’s just fine. If they weren’t this weak, you’d be our shield.” 

“Uuuh...God damn… It’s almost as if I’m being put on public display...” 

“Don’t get the wrong idea.  It’s not “as if”, you are being put on public display. Have some self-awareness and confidence in yourself.” 

“She’s right. I put you in my diary, so cheer up and walk.” 

Their crazy way of cheering him up made him feel better... well, it didn’t, but he started walking unwillingly. 

“Hold it right there.” 

Just as they set off, a man’s voice from behind stopped them. 

Lina nonchalantly looked back and then shock spread over her face. 

“Y-You’re―!?” 

Their eyes moved to a man standing alone. 

A slender, handsome, sorcerer-type of man with a black beard, but the skull of a ram on his head made him look strange. 

Lina had met him when she was helping a girl revenge her older brother. 

But, hadn’t he gotten engulfed by a Fire Ball and died back then? 

Naturally, Mina and Galls don’t know about the encounter between Lina and the man, but perhaps because they were struck by his bizarre appearance, they watched in silence to see how the situation unfolded. 

“Long time no see, girl,” said the man to Lina with a low voice and the fire of hatred flickering in his eyes. 

“You sure made a fool of me, Zelos, in the past...” 

“You were alive!?” 

“Don’t make me laugh!” He waved his black cape for no reason at all. “Did you really think you could kill this Graham Brandala, the sorcerer known under a thousand names, with a little Fire Ball like that!?” 

Mina, taking notes behind Lina, frowns at the different names the man called himself, but it seems like, for now, she doesn’t have the guts to ask him. 

“What do you mean by “a little”? It was you who made that Fire Ball!” 

“Fuh, you always have to have the last word! Don’t you know I’m no good at using Fire Balls?” 

“Why are you proud about that!? ...Well then, I bet you want to settle the score from back then, right?” 

“You have quite good judgement. That saves time!” 

“Hold up! We can’t start raining spells in the middle of a city in broad daylight. Are you paying attention!? Listen to me!” Lina swiftly raises her index finger. “Tonight, when the Sun sinks in the ocean, come to this city’s wharf, okay!? Make sure you do!” Sparks flew as their glances clashed. 

“...Fuh… So be it...” 

“The Thousand” smiled fearlessly and turned back as the wind played with his cape. 

Without turning, he declared, “Make your peace, girl,” and disappeared in the crowd. 

“Y-You were so cool, Lina-san!” Mina raised her shrill voice Mina after a moment. “That moved me! Uuh, I haven’t been so fired up in quite a while! I’m going to witness a duel in the evening. That’s right! That’s the thrill I’ve been longing for!” 

Lina lets out a little sigh and puts her hands on the girl’s shoulders. 

“Listen carefully, Mina-san...” 

“I know. This is not a game. Well, it’s a battle with your life at stake, so having it turn into an entertainment... ” 

“I didn’t say I’m going there.” 

“However, that’s exactly why...” 

… 

“...Huh?” Mina is utterly surprised. 

“Like I said, I just told him to come to the wharf, I didn’t say that I’d be waiting there, or that we’d settle our score.” 

Mina and Galls turn and look at each other. 

“B-But… Right…?” 

“When you say something like that, you normally...” 

“One way or another, I’m not going there! There would be no end to it if I took each and every one like him seriously.” 

She cuts off the conversation and sets off without a care. 

“Heeeeey! What the heck!? Here I thought I’d found something amusing and now, of all the things, you say you’re not going to fight!? What the heck are you...” 

Mina pulled on Galls’ rope while shouting at her, however, having no other choice, she followed Lina. 

                                               ***  

“We meet again, girl!” 

The next day the sorcerer stood in their way once again. 

It’s a sea-side street. A few kids can be seen frolicking about on the beach. 

The hoarse voice of “The Thousand” resounds under the clear blue sky and in the sea breeze. 

“What’s the matter? Your face is red, you know?” 

“Shut up!” 

Lina’s joke made the sorcerer turn even redder. 

“Because you didn’t show up in that place, the mob gathered there threw trash at me, and I caught a cold, too! Making a fool out of Vine Streiser will cost you plenty!” 

After saying what he had to say, he starts chanting a spell. 

“Stand back, Mina-san!” shouted Lina in an, unusual for her, tense voice. 

The spell “The Thousand” started chanting is one Lina doesn’t know. What’s going to come at her? 

Lina starts chanting her spell as well. 

Completely out of place in the setting of blue skies and the sea, the strange sound of a spell flows from her lips. 

Lina’s spell was completed just a second faster! 

“Elmekia Lance!” 

The lance of light she released should critically damage his astral side and knock him out with ease. 

However― There was a black figure blocking the way, as if protecting “The Thousand”. 

The Elmekia Lance made a direct hit to the figure that shielded the sorcerer and made it crumble. 

But there was more than one figure… Ten, no, twenty humanoid figures arise from the ground one after another. 

“Did you see that, girl!?” “The Thousand” says with great joy in his voice. 

“Golems!” shouted Lina and started to chant another spell. 

“Dug Break!” 

It’s a kind of defensive spell. If Lina’s magical capacity is greater than “The Thousand’s,” the power of Bephimos, the earth spirit, should disappear from this whole area and the golems made out of earth should crumble right away. 

However― 

Oooh… Ooooh… 

Making sounds that are either the shattering of earth or the deep-rooted voices of resentment, the figures that rose up from the ground are approaching her slowly-but-surely.

―Impossible!― 

Lina is shaken. 

In the past, she crushed the instant golems made by “The Thousand” using the same spell that influences Bephimos. And for that not to work this time― 

This isn’t the time to contemplate that. Unlike herself, she panics and starts chanting another spell. 

Actually, what “The Thousand” used wasn’t a spell to create a golem, but a zombie. 

To create a zombie, you either implant a Disworm into a dead body and control it, or you make a wandering ghost possess a body. What “The Thousand” used this time, was the latter technique. 

But he used earth, and not a body. He made ghosts think their bodies are earth and when they take human forms, he controls them. And what’s more, quite a few of them. 

It probably goes without saying that it requires a lot of skill. 

If the figures are controlled by wandering ghosts, then no matter how many times Lina cuts off the influence of Bephimos, it’s only natural that it won’t work. 

“The Thousand”― the power of his Fire Balls is less than nonsensical, but his skill as a necromancer is top-tier. 

The human shapes close in awkwardly, but Lina completed her spell. “Blam Blazer!” 

The shock wave of blue light breaks the humanoids into pieces, but it doesn’t reach the sorcerer. 

The earth and sand material is soft and unstable, but it absorbs shocks well. 

What’s more, after crumbling into clods, the humanoids soon started regaining their forms. 

―There’s no end to it! 

She quickly steps back and grabs Galls by the scruff of his neck. 

“Hey, you! What’d you say your name was!?” “G-Galls Blader,” he responds in confusion. 

“Right. Mina, let the rope go!” Saying that, she binds his arms behind his back. 

The humanoids close in to them. 

A stiff smile shows on Galls’ face. “Don’t make me laugh! There’s no use using me as a shield!” 

“Here it comes! My newest special attack, “Galls Crash”!” Lina said that and starts chanting a spell. 

Galls has a premonition and feels a chill run down his back, “The Thousand” became certain of his win and smiles, Mina keeps taking notes in the back, mumbling to herself. 

“Ray Wing!” 

Lina and Galls’ bodies floated in the air, surrounded by a barrier of wind. 

It’s a high-speed flight spell. They accelerate, moving in the direction of the group of humanoids! 

“Udyawroooooeh!” 

Galls suddenly realized for the first time that he’s literally being used as a shield. 

Clash! Crash! Thub! 

The wind barrier and Galls’ body smash the humanoids and then the two of them― Or more like Galls, crashes into “The Thousand” head-on! 

Crash! 

And then―Lina landed on the ground. 

Galls twitches as he lies all beat up at her feet. His name had been used in a special attack but he doesn’t look too happy about it. 

The sorcerer was sent flying and got knocked out as well. As he’s no longer concentrating on the spell, the humanoids turned into just piles of dirt. 

Judging that the battle is over, Mina runs up to Lina. 

Of course, with her notebook in her hands. 

Lina takes away the short sword hanging at the sorcerer’s hip and then slaps him. 

“Mh… Unh…” 

“The Thousand” sits up with his head spinning. Not wasting a second, Lina puts her short sword against his throat. 

“―Seems like it’s my win.” 

The sorcerer turns his face away with a bitter expression. 

“You were really awesome, Lina-san. That was the first time I ever saw anything like that. I even drew a picture in my notebook without thinking... wanna see?” 

In a panic, Lina turns her eyes away from the notepad Mina presented to her. 

But, just for an instant, she saw the drawing of what looks like a Lesser Demon wrapped up in toilet paper and turned into a sphere. 

It was supposed to be the sorcerer, wasn’t it? Or maybe… 

She decides not to think too deeply about it… 

“Y-You said… Lina?” 

“The Thousand” groans quietly. “Don’t tell me you’re… Lina Inverse!?” 

“...What are you asking about at this point…?” 

That said, she never actually gave “The Thousand” her name. 

“Daaaaarn...” The man grinds his teeth. “Damn you… If I had known that… I’d have apologized at the start!” 

He’s a man with no guts. 

“W-Well, I don’t mind, really… At any rate, you have no intention of fighting me any longer, right?” 

“Forget about fighting… Actually, my wife is a huge fan of yours...” 

“Y-You have a wife!?” Lina asked without thinking. 

(...H-His wife is unlucky… No, no, maybe they have similar tastes...) 

As she had that thought, suddenly an image of Naga crossed Lina’s mind for a second. 

Certainly, her taste in clothing is similar to his. 

“I… I hope I’m wrong, but - your wife, does she wear excessively revealing clothes, a necklace of skulls and pointy shoulder guards?” 

“Don’t you talk about another person being an oddball. She doesn’t look weird like that,” he says in a somewhat offended tone. 

He seems to be aware that he has no right to say anything about others’ clothes, but he’s unaware of the fact that he looks the same. 

“Actually, about that―” He pulls parchment and a pen out of his pocket, while getting a bit red on the face. “I was asked to get a signature from you if I ever ran into you on my way. I’m really sorry, but could you do it?” 

“R-Right…” Baffled, she takes his pen. “Err… 

“Lina Inverse”...” 

“My wife’s name is Milienne. And please write today’s date as well.” 

“Yeah, yeah… “for Milienne-san”... And...” 

“If you have a favorite saying...” 

“Evildoers have… no human rights… Well, I guess this will do.” 

“The Thousand” looks at the parchment with a handwritten autograph, nods with satisfaction and, after confirming that the ink has dried, hides it with religious zeal. 

“Sorry and thank you.” Having said that, the sorcerer turns around. 

“N-No problem… Best wishes to your wife...” 

Still confused, Lina stares at the back of the departing sorcerer in blank amazement. 

“Huh, you’re surprising famous,” says Mina in an admiring tone, while staring hard at Lina. 

“...W-Well, yeah...” answered Lina not sounding very happy. 

“But this now… Didn’t he just confuse you to get away?” 

Twitch! Lina’s body shivers slightly. 

She then says with a stiff smile, “O-Oh come on, that’s not how it is.” and gives a hollow laugh for no reason. 

“...Huhn… Ah. Huh?” 

“What’s the matter?” 

Mina looks around. “He’s gone!” 

“What did you say!?” Lina looks around her in a hurry, but Galls, who was supposed to be lying there tied up, is nowhere to be seen. 

“He got away while I was signing my autograph for that guy.” As she said that, Mina grabbed Lina’s shoulders from behind. 

Whoops! 

She turns around timidly and stares into Mina’s scornful face right before her. 

“Don’t you give me a “he got away”!” 

“Wa-Wait, Mina-san. Calm dow- Caaaalm… dooo….” 

“Why did you let him get away, WHY...!? How are we going to escape the assassins now that you let our h-o-s-t-a-g-e get away!? Answer me! A-n-sw-e-r m-e!” 

Mina’s shaking continued that day until Lina was completely unconscious. 

                                      ***  

Galls! You’re alive!” 

Galls showed a feeble smile to Dulhan, who had come to welcome him. 

They were inside the headquarters of an organization controlled by Dulhan, Duos Connections, camouflaged as a multi-tenant building in a certain port city. 

The sea can be seen through an open window. 

It may seem careless, but ever since the creation of the Federation, there hasn’t been a single instance of strife between organizations and besides, if you shut the windows at this time of the year and in this weather, not even passers-by would suspect a thing. 

“Truly, that was terrible… I was totally put on display for those last few days… There goes my honor...” 

“Now, don’t get so down,” Dulhan pats his shoulder lightly. 

―Of course, he’s not saying that out of kindness and it’s definitely not a case of men’s friendship either… it’s a calculated move. 

Because Galls lost his organization, that territory is now available. And now that Lina’s made a mockery of him, it’s going to be impossible for him to make a comeback. No bandit would say something like: “You’re Galls, the one who was put on public display by Lina Inverse, right!? I’ve been your fan ever since then!” 

In that case, the unclaimed territory will be divided during the negotiations of the Federation. However, even if he fell from favor, one word from Galls, the former boss, can change that division greatly. 

Buying Galls’ gratitude while Dulhan has the chance will definitely pay off. 

And― 

Galls saw through Dulhan’s maneuverings. 

However, he couldn’t care less about that right now. 

In any event, he’ll never be able to stand at the top of an organization, so he couldn’t care less about the territory he’s lost. 

Galls’ head was filled with nothing but vengeful thoughts towards Lina Inverse right now. And to achieve that, it’s better to have a partner, someone like Dulhan with the power of an organization behind him. 

Both sides are scheming! 

That’s about the highest level of mutual trust this occupation enjoys. 

“However, I’m glad you’re alright. I’m really sorry to bring this up right after you came back, but that sorcerer called Naga wanted to consult with you about a plan to defeat Lina. ―But if you’re tired, I’ll make her save it for later.” 

“No―Let’s get over with it right now. Call her.” 

Galls lets his body sink into the sofa and waits for Naga. 

He’d met with the woman one of Dulhan’s men had found and heard out the story of how she defeated Lina once before ― Well, it’s a fact that there were some misunderstandings regarding a few nuances ― that built up his confidence, he made a proclamation of war to Lina, and that’s why it all ended like that. 

The first time he heard she’d defeated Lina, he suspected it was a lie, but knowing she had fought her, he figured that she wasn’t the kind of person who bluffs like that. 

Naga is his trump card. He didn’t reveal her existence when he was caught by Lina. 

“...Lina Inverse… You’ll see the next time...” as he mumbled that, the door to the room opened wide. 

“Ho! Ho-Ho-Ho! So you managed to make your way back alive, Galls-san. What I want to discuss with you is nothing other than the plan of obliterating Lina Inverse.” 

“...I’ll hear you out.” 

Naga turns over her cape and sits in front of Galls. 

“I want you to get in touch with all the sorcerers you hired to defeat Lina ASAP.” 

“Let it be,” he nods in agreement. 

The list of the sorcerers is in a safe in the room Dulhan gave him and he always holds the key to it on his body. 

“So, what’s your strategy? Care to explain?” 

“Sure,” said Naga and smiled slightly. 

                                               ***  

“Boy, such nice weather,” Lina stretches her hands up. 

They’re on a road cutting through a forest by a seashore. The unusual blend of clear sky, smell of salt air, and green shades of trees is incredibly comfortable. 

“Nobody’s attacked us ever since that thing yesterday… I like when it’s so peaceful... though there’s nothing worth putting in my diary,” said Mina. “But, seeing how it’s so quiet, don’t you think that group has given up on revenge against you, Lina-san?” 

“Probably… not,” says Lina with a sigh. “That guy, Galls, we let get away yesterday is definitely gonna try something. Regardless of their strength, guys like him have a lot of pride, so if someone shames them once, they never forget it, no matter the reason.” 

“Huh… He’s twisted.” 

“Yeah. Otherwise, he’d go straight… Though, that’s a matter of a character as well. Either way, since nothing’s happened up ‘til now, we should expect that something full-blown is going to happen.” 

Loud laughter resounded through the air, just as Lina finished! 

“Hoo! Ho-Ho-Ho! I’ve finally found you, Lina Inverse!” 

“Gueh! That voice!” 

Just as she expected, the person who appeared from the shade of the trees was, of course, Naga the Serpent! 

“Y-You showed yourself… finally...” said Lina in a most displeased voice, with sweat on her forehead. 

“L-Lina-san! Who’s this weirdo!?” Mina instinctively hid herself in Lina’s shadow and stared cautiously at Naga. 

“Everything is okay, Mina-san. She may look extremely suspicious, but despite her looks, she’s still a human.” 

“I… I can’t believe it! I’m gonna put her in my diary!” and saying that, Mina pulled her notebook from her pocket and started to draw a picture of Naga in it. 

“...How dare you… say that about me...” 

“However, there sure are a lot of people wearing weird clothes amongst your acquaintances, Linasan. Do you suppose that’s because of your conduct?” 

“...Buzz off...” 

“Hey, Lina, who’s that goddamn insolent priestess?” 

“...I work as her bodyguard right now...” answered Lina in a depressed tone. 

“...Ummm… I was suddenly called “goddamn insolent” by Lina-san’s friend - an older woman in weird clothes who looks like nobody would want her for wife. I’m going to hold it against her for the rest of my life...” 

Hearing Mina mumbling while taking notes, Naga’s face stiffened, but she probably decided it was better not to get involved with her, because she turned back to Lina. 

“On another note, I have an interesting piece of info for you today,” said Naga and smiled a little.                                  

*** 

A bit East of the seashore road, there are the remains of a quarry. 

In the past, it was a place where people collected black marbles, but now, it’s just a large crater. The instant Lina reached the center of it― The air starts buzzing. 

The sorcerers hidden in the shadows of the trees, in thickets or behind the rocks started chanting offensive spells all at once. 

A weak defensive spell won’t work on that many sorcerers. It would be possible to get rid of all your surrounding enemies in one clean sweep with a powerful offensive spell, however, no matter how you think about it, the sorcerers are going to finish chanting their spells earlier. 

As expected, even the great Lina Inverse stands no chance against that many enemies. 

The only option left is to run away. 

She uses the levitation spell and raises up in the air in panic― 

She gets knocked back and falls to the ground in an unsightly manner due to the wind barrier that Naga extended over the whole area. 

Faster than Lina could get to her feet― Came the first wave of attacks. 

The “Flame Arrow” that half the sorcerers cast comes at Lina like a rain of fire. 

―Even though the wind barrier Lina cast protected her body from the heat of the flames, right after that came a barrage of “Fire Balls” cast by the other half of the sorcerers. 

Even if she tries to defend herself from a direct hit with a wind barrier, there’s no way to isolate herself from the thousands of degrees of blazing heat. 

She faints soon after and her concentration on the spell is lost. 

The moment the wind barrier breaks off, the tongues of flame cover Lina’s body. 

Galls snickered to himself as he imagined Lina being turned into charcoal, and not even having the time to scream in agony. 

―It’s perfect! The strategy that the woman called Naga came up with is just perfect!― 

He’s been living in that fantasy all day. 

An old man sitting alone in a corner of a gloomy room, sunk deep in doubtful fantasies and grinning to himself, is in no way a comfortable sight. 

“B-Boss… Please do something about that guy...” 

Dulhan looks troubled when the man he’d told to bring Galls food clung to him in tears. 

“Y-Yeah… It does look bizarre… 

B-But, well, I understand him too. We gotta endure it until that Naga sorceress comes with a report.” 

The truth is, Galls wanted to see Lina’s final moments with his two own eyes, but when Naga asked him if he wants to become a hostage again, he decided to stay put and wait. 

Naga left in the morning. If she found her fast, right about now, for sure… 

“Ufu… Ufufu… Ufuhiha...” Galls smiled openly. 

He’s an unsteady person. 

“...Th-That does look scary enough...” Dulhan involuntarily turns his eyes away. He was afraid it’d show up in his dreams if he stared for too long. 

“I hope that sorceress Naga returns soon...” 

SLAM! 

The door crashed open and a panting man ran into the room. 

“What’s going on!?” 

“Th-This is bad, Boss! Naga, that sorceress...” 

“Did she lose!?” 

“N-No! She’s here!” 

“Then what’s the big deal!?” 

“She’s with Lina Inverse!” 

“Whaaaaaaaaaaat!?” 

Everyone in the headquarters fell into a panic. 

                                   *** 

It was already like an offensive magic exhibit. 

“Elmekia Lance!”, “Freeze Brid!”, “Flare Arrow”, “Dam Brass!”, “Blam Blazer!” 

Because it’s inside the building, they can’t use really impressive spells, but Lina and Naga chant spells as if they’re competing on the types they can use, and each spell raises fires and scatters blasts. Mina takes notes behind them. 

“...Lina-san’s spell sends men flying...  Right, right! That’s it! This is the thrill I longed for! I have to read it to everyone in the temple once I’m back!” 

Mina screams to herself, right in the midst of the battle. 

She shouldn’t have, but she tagged along with them saying she wants the thrills. 

She calls it something different every time, but simply put - she’s being selfish. 

“...Hey, Lina...” says Naga quietly, so Mina won’t hear her. “Let’s take advantage of the confusion and blast her a little with a spell just this once.” 

“...I did it once already. She put it down in her diary and reads it to me every night...” 

At that moment a man yelled, “Y-Y-Y-Ya bitch! Wuzza big idea!?” 

The man who appeared in front of them was the same one that had scouted-out Naga. 

His eyes are bloodshot, and he somehow manages to hold a sword in his hands, but he’s ready to run away any second now. 

“Oh, my. That’s simple.” replied Naga with a dominant attitude. 

“Actually, I hate bandits and evil organizations just like Lina!” 

“Y-You fooled meeeee! In that case, what about the other sorcerers…?” 

“Once I leveled with them that your target was Lina Inverse, they fled with their tails between their legs.” 

“Yaaaa weeench!” 

Lina easily sends the man flying as he charges at them in desperation. 

“The bosses are above!” 

“OK!” 

They run up the stairs. 

Most of the men lost the will to fight and ran away, however there are some guys who charged at them every now and then, as if they just remembered their duty. Beating them down, they reach the top floor. 

“They’re not here!” 

“Lina-san, over there!” 

The large mirror Mina points at looks odd, as if it hangs in the air by the wall. 

It shatters with a clean sound under Naga’s kick. 

There’s a dark hole behind the cracked mirror. 

“An escape route!? That’s classic!” 

Naga throws “Lighting” down the hole and Lina slides into it. 

“Let’s go!” 

“I-I’m good, you go without me. It looks kinda scary, I’ll wait here...” 

“Don’t be selfish. Just go in!” 

It’s a mystery what part of it was “selfish,” but Naga kicked the backing-off Mina without hesitation. 

“N-n-n-n-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!” 

This is the first time that Mina’s regretted tagging along with them. 

                                      *** 

Galls and Dulhan were running frantically. 

The escape route from the headquarters leads to an underground cave. Only Dulhan and a few of his most trusted men know about it. The entrance is dark, but the passageway is unobstructed and a luminous moss grows thickly on the walls around here. 

For now, there’s no other choice than to make escape, get help from the Federation and plan a comeback. 

That’s an opinion of both of them. 

―However, who’d think they would have to use this route― Dulhan mentally grit his teeth. 

If he knew this was gonna happen, he wouldn’t have helped Galls… 

Once we get out of the cave, I’m gonna feed him a big one… 

―Of course, the fact that out of his own interest, he’d happily helped Galls, or that it was his man who’d scouted-out Naga has already been buried beyond the depths of Hades in his mind. 

...However, even Galls has thoughts like: “...It’s all because of his man… I’m gonna knock him down once we get out of this cave!”, so deserve each other. 

Had they been able to simply leave the cave, it would inevitably have turned into a kids fight, however Fate decreed otherwise. 

“...Hold it right theeeeeere...!” came a voice from far behind them. 

“Geh!” sounded their voices in a perfect harmony. 

“What now, Dulhan!? They found this route!” 

“I-Impossible! That camouflage was perfect…! 

Somebody must’ve spilled the beans!” 

Of course, it didn’t occur to Dulhan that the reason was that he forgot to close it off. 

“Don’t worry! It may be a single passageway, but there are traps set up here and there! Though, you’re gonna be fine as long as you’re with me! Besides, I still have a trump card!” said Dulhan and a fearless smile showed on his face. 

They ran along the twisty tunnel for a little while and then Dulhan stopped. 

There was an enormous cage against the wall, shrouded in darkness, that not even luminous moss grew on. And there was something in that darkness. 

Their noses were attacked by the offensive smells of corpse and monsters mixed together. 

When Dulhan fiddled with a switch on the wall, the cell opened slowly. 

And from there― 

“!” Galls froze with terror. 

It appeared in its full glory in the light, breathing out a raw stench. 

...Fuuu… Fuuu… 

“Go, Vusebam! Tear to pieces all the fools who’re chasing us!” 

It gave off a war cry as if in agreement to Dulhan’s joyful shout and dashed in the direction the men came from. 

“―What’s the matter? You look pale, Galls.” 

Dulhan sends a creepy smile in the direction of Galls, who’s standing still, overcome with surprise. 

“...Th-That now, what in the Hell… what was that…!?” 

“Fuh… I had a sorcerer make one for me at some point… It’s a war chimera… It’s a ferocious one and it only listens to me. I kept it just in case and it seems like it’s finally come in handy.” 

“...You really are… a scary guy...” 

Galls stares at Dulhan with a scared look and a pale face. 

After a little while, they hear screams and howls alike back down in the tunnel. 

...Rgwoooo… Ghoauuu! 

“Eeek! Ack!” 

“Wh-What is this thing!? It’s gross!” 

“Ah, damn! There’s no other way than fight it!” 

WHAPP, WHUDD, BIFF, THHUD! WHUMP, SQUASH, SKRAAM! THOMP, THOMP! 

“...WAAAAAAAIT...!” 

“Aaah! Weak! It’s terribly weak!” 

“AAAACK! Could it be it lacks exercise!?” 

“Damn you, Dulhan! It was all looks!” 

“Keep your complaints for the later! Let’s get away from here!” 

And they resumed their dash. 

                                       *** 

All three women left the cave which was close to the large mouth of a river leading to the seashore. 

After defeating the terribly weak chimera, and ignoring the fact that Mina fell into every single trap there was, they reached the mouth of the cave without a problem (laugh). 

“Over there!” said Mina and pointed. 

The two men had just disappeared into the shadow of a building by the riverbank. 

“After them!” said Naga and started chanting a spell. 

“Th-That’s...!?” 

Lina’s eyes bulged open for a second, but she also started chanting a spell in panic. 

They each grab one of Mina’s hands― “Raywing!” their voices sounded in unison. 

                               *** 

“But, how do you know that move!?” asked Lina inside a wind barrier. 

They must’ve grabbed Mina’s hands wrong because she’s panicking, laying face up as they pull her, but they don’t care about her at all. 

“You used it in front of me once before! It looked interesting, so I learned it!” 

Lina was astonished by Naga’s answer. 

It’s not like “Sleeping” or some other simple spell. It’s not the kind of move you can master with ease after hearing and seeing it once and finding it interesting. 

―Could it be that Naga has greater talent than me…? wondered Lina 

“There they are, Lina!” 

When she looked ahead, the two men were just starting to head different directions right in front of them. 

“I’ll go right! You take care of the left, Naga!” 

“OK!” 

“Eek! Nooo!” 

Her scream made them remember of the existence of the other girl. 

“Mina-san!?” 

Their voices sounded in harmony and they both released their hands. 

THOK. 

“Oops.” 

“That sound just now… Do you think she’s alive…? She slammed right into a log...” 

“It’s okay! She’s alive!” 

“Wow! She’s quite tough for an amateur!” 

“I’ll take Mina-san and go to the right, you go to the left, Naga!” 

“Roger!” 

They float back in the air again. Following Galls and Dulhan, they flew past a road, travel a back lane and eventually reached the riverbank again. 

There are countless logs tied with ropes drifting towards the mouth of the river. The men jump on some of them. 

“They’re planning to cross the river!” 

Lina landed, left the unconscious Mina on the ground and ran towards the river. “I won’t let you!” So did Naga. 

They touch the surface of the water with the palms of their hands at the same moment, look at each other and exchange smiles. 

They just knew the other one was going to use the same spell. 

The spell coming from Lina and Naga’s mouths was in such perfect harmony that it could be called beautiful. 

“Sea Blast!” 

The waves turned furious and pursued Galls and Dulhan. Then the stormy waves bared white fangs and swallowed them! 

“...We did it...” said Naga, standing up and smiling gently at Lina. 

Lina’s face turned red for some reason and she turned her eyes away involuntarily. 

It was the first time Lina’s had seen Naga smiling like that. “...Y-Yeah...” 

“...What’s the matter?” 

“No… Nothing, really… Hm?” 

She looks around in confusion and suddenly realizes something. 

“...Mina-san… Isn’t here...” 

“Could she have been hit with a by-blow and swept away…?” 

“Eeep! Look for her!” 

                                      ***  

The Sun sinks in the sea― 

Lina folds her arms and pointlessly stares at the sea. 

A single beat of sweat runs down her cheek. 

Behind her, Naga performs CPR on a senseless Mina. 

“...Now...that… I think… about… it… Lina...” 

“...What?” 

“We should… have left… her… behind… when we… got out… of that… cave.” 

“...I was just thinking the same thing...” 

And a leisurely narration starts flowing! 

“Thus, the evil organization, Deus Connections, disappeared thanks to Lina and Naga’s efforts. However, as long as there’s evil in the world, a third or fourth evil organization will surely appear one day. Good luck, Lina... fight, Naga... until the day you crush all of the evil of the world with your justice, love and unity!” 

The usual BGM and ending credits brought forth a storm of applause in the Hall. 

“Oh man, it was fun.” 

“Especially at the end, when the client ETC” 

“Dhaaaaaa! Stop clapping! This time! This time for sure - we’re gonna bring death to Lina Inverse and Naga the Serpent with the power of our federation!” 

No matter how much he screamed and cried, the hearts of all the present in the hall were one. 

―We don’t want to repeat Dulhan’s mistakes all over again― 

They ignored Dulhan kicking up a fuss next to the screen as the applause wasn’t subsiding at all. 

And they lived happily ever after. 

(Slayers Excellent Villain Fight! The End)