Mirror of Truth - The Judgement

【Category】 

Gloves

【Name】 

King Midas's Gloves

【Description】 

Magic gloves occasionally dropped by Ugallu that turn whatever they touch into gold. Effect duration: 30 minutes.

A gag item that only changes the color.

Hot Midas King roleplay: Turn your daughter into gold and lament! As armor, these are as thin as paper!

【Magical Properties】

 None

【Spirit Blessing】

 None

【Owner】 

Jirou Ayase

"What on earth is this..."

That was the result after appraising the dropped gloves with the Mirror of Truth.

It turned out to be a total joke item.

Well, I suppose in a way it was rarer than something practical.

Is it because the source material for this world was a game called 'Emes-Palette: Find Your Unique Color'? I always knew there was a lot of color-related stuff here, but this was ridiculous.

I felt tempted to put them on and start some Midas roleplay immediately, but I couldn't exactly fool around right after a battle. Instead, I just swung the gloves around while shouting, "I got the loot!" as a substitute for a victory cry.

We had some close calls, but I was deeply relieved to finish the second day safely.

Still, there was one more day. I'll play once the third day is over!

* * *

After finishing the post-battle cleanup and preparing for tomorrow, we started a strategy meeting over a meal.

All the members who had gone to help the other spots had returned safely. We managed to clear the first two days with zero casualties, but the problem was the final day. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the third day was the main event.

Based on the combat so far, one thought occupied my mind.

"Looking at today's Last Monster, I think the other spots probably won't make it tomorrow. Apparently, bosses are going to spawn one after another in rapid succession; there's no way they'll be able to cope."

Everyone looked grim.

The only reason we took today's boss down without too much trouble was because of our specific strength; the others were bound to collapse.

If we were being optimistic, sure, there was a chance they'd be fine, but... realistically, the bosses tomorrow wouldn't be weaker than that lion-head.

At the very least, monsters on the level of the Dullahan that appeared at other spots would spawn continuously. Trying to fight them head-on was likely impossible. It would just result in a senseless increase in casualties.

There were four spots around Erishe. I didn't know the specifics of the others, but it wasn't hard to imagine they were being pushed to their limits.

The Dullahan at the other spots was apparently a formidable foe that threw around curse magic, but they managed to push through because its physical attack patterns were relatively simple.

The former mercenaries also struggled, but with support from the Elves' spirit magic, they managed to subdue it—or so Miyamiya reported upon her return. Even so, it was a close-shave victory.

Regardless, we had to come up with a plan.

"So, I have a proposal."

I spoke up.

I didn't want to do this—honestly, I wanted to run away—but I couldn't say that anymore. Everyone waited in silence for my words.

"Tomorrow, let's have every spot except ours focus entirely on defense, and we'll handle the killing all the way to the Last Monster. I mean... we definitely have the most combat power, right? According to past records, when the 'Archmage of Phantasms' defeated the final Last Monster, the bosses at the other spots vanished too."

It was likely a leftover mechanic from the game era.

The third day was probably a time-attack boss rush; if you defeated the final boss, the others disappeared. That was supposedly how the damage from the "Globe-Trotter" was minimized back then, and it was also how the Archmage's fame skyrocketed.

"Of course, people are fighting the Hitotsuzuki all over the world, so there's a chance someone else might clear it faster than us. But if we can clear up to the penultimate boss quickly, we can go help other locations anyway. Either way, I think it's a solid strategy."

In reality, it was a "wing it" strategy. We didn't know what kind of monsters would appear. If it was something slow like a Cyclops, fine—but if a fast, high-attack monster spawned first, the plan was full of holes. In that case, I'd just have to tell everyone to fight like their lives depended on it.

Still, it was better to focus on defense than to waste away in a losing battle. If they could kill them, great, but against monsters where they could just buy time, playing "keep away" wasn't a bad move.

"To be honest... at this point, this Hitotsuzuki is already on the verge of failure. I know it's a high-stakes gamble, but if it works, I think we can significantly reduce the casualties... Well, if we get wiped out, that's the end of it, so the responsibility on our shoulders is huge."

I didn't want the burden, but we were the ones with the most power and the most preparation. We still had Spirit Stones. We had two Elves. If the others couldn't be relied upon, we just had to end it ourselves.

"Jirou, making such a brave proposal... I never would have imagined it when we first met."

Rebecca-san said with a wry, sentimental smile.

"Wahaha! That's what a man is. Give him a year, and he becomes a different person!"

Shello-san added.

I didn't feel like I had changed, but having trained with a sword every day, I was certainly a different creature than when I was just a "Neo-NEET." I'd heard that a sound mind dwells in a sound body, and right now, I was healthy in every sense of the word.

"Jirou-sama. The monsters spawning this time are more powerful and irregular than any Hitotsuzuki I've ever known. It's just a hunch, but... our chances of fighting through to the end by ourselves are about fifty-fifty. Though, I intend to give it my all."

Hetty-san said.

Fifty-fifty, huh... I felt the same way.

In other words, nobody knew. It was a life-or-death toss-up.

Even the battle-hardened Hetty-san felt uneasy. I thought it was much better than a war between humans, but maybe that was just because I knew this was a game world.

"It'll be fine. If our team can't do it, nobody can. We'll make it happen. I shouldn't say it myself, but this is the strongest lineup possible."

"That's right! Marina will do her best too, de-arimasu!"

"I vow to do everything within my power." Ion added.

"I... I can't fight, but I'll do a lot of thinking so everyone stays safe!" Etowa chirped.

"I haven't had much to do until today, but please rely on me tomorrow. Since Jirou-san went to the trouble of preparing Spirit Stones, leave the defense and healing to me!"

Priestess-chan was the lynchpin of our support. Having healing, defense, and especially magic defense was huge. Plus, we had Diana, so even if Priestess-chan went down, we had a backup. At other spots, they wouldn't dare put a healer Elf on the front lines.

"We're counting on you, Priestess-sama. Tomorrow is going to be a tough fight, but we're in your hands."

"Yes!"

"...And Diana. Tomorrow, I think we'll end up using your time-reversal healing. We were lucky to get by without it until now, but tomorrow won't be that easy."

"I know. Leave it to me nodesu."

"I'm serious. Don't wait until someone is a step away from death; if it's a heavy injury, just use it. Make sure everyone can maintain their full combat potential at all times."

"I have a feeling tomorrow will be... a very important day for me too, Goshujin-sama. We must overcome this, no matter what."

"I don't quite follow, but I'm counting on you."

I patted Diana's shoulder as she radiated a mysterious resolve. In truth, making sure tomorrow—no, this whole Hitotsuzuki—ended safely was vital.

Everyone agreed to the plan.

Or rather, our actual job didn't change much.

We just had to tell the other spots we'd take care of things so they didn't have to force a kill. The responsibility was heavy. "We failed" wouldn't cut it, but if we couldn't do it, nobody could. Let's do what we can.

After all, I've already proposed to Diana and Marina. I'm going to blow past any death flags and seize this victory!

And so, the second night deepened. The third day of the Hitotsuzuki was coming.

* * *

Day three.

The sky was clear... well, actually, still that same gray. Not just cloudy; the sky color itself had changed from blue to gray.

This apparently lasts throughout Hitotsuzuki. The two moons remained stuck together, floating as one.

The strategy had been relayed to the other four spots through the Priestess-chan. Every single resident living around Erishe, without exception, had completed their evacuation to the city.

Depending on the strength of the bosses, total annihilation was a possibility, and I wasn't joking.

However, rather than dealing with a massive horde of moderately strong monsters, facing a single powerful boss seemed like it would be easier to manage. Buying time and pinning it down would likely be simpler.

Of the four spots, our group would handle two. The selection for the boss-raid party was based simply on attack power determined by their weapons.

Considering the example of the Cyclops, I figured it would be difficult to deal damage efficiently with ordinary weapons, so the roster ended up like this:

The front line consisted of six people: me, Rebecca-san, Shello-san, Hetty-san, Marina, and Shamash-san. Priestess-chan and Diana were on support.

Shello-san's weapon was different from the one he used for his daily hunting; it was a two-handed sword that could best be described as a giant hunk of iron.

Hetty-san used a naginata. According to her, it was a type of spear. By the way, when I secretly appraised them, Shello-san's was a dwarven make, and Hetty-san's was a magic item. When I asked, she said she'd stolen it from her family home long ago.

Now, before the start, I had Shamash-san fly to all four spots to deliver a Monster Torch to each location. The Monster Torch is a torch lit with a black flame that attracts monsters—a low-key "cheat" item. They would use those to lure the monsters skillfully and buy as much time as possible.

The rookie members of the knight order were all evacuated to Erishe for the third day. Elepipi and Ion were sent to join the former mercenary group. Only Etowa remained behind as our commander.

Since we wouldn't have the luxury of using walkie-talkies anymore, Etowa would give instructions using the microphone and speaker system we had used a while back. Well, in a boss fight, there isn't much to do besides fight like hell, but having someone observing the situation from above still makes a difference.

"It's time."

I looked at the clock; it was nearly 9:00 AM.

To ensure this didn't turn into a long, drawn-out battle, we had to hunt each one down swiftly. The problem was the first monster. I prayed for something slow-moving—

The time came, and a pillar of light erupted from the monster spot.

According to Diana, this boss wasn't quite as strong as yesterday's Ugallu, but we couldn't afford to be optimistic. The monster leaped out, crashing through the thicket.

"KIIIIIIIIII!!"

A high-pitched shriek echoed as a massive body vaulted into the air.

Etowa shouted through the microphone:

『The first one is a dragon... it's a flying dragon!』

A colossal, winged predator that dominated the sky—a wyvern.