For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

As soon as we entered the dungeon, the texture of the air touching our faces changed.

Instead of the hot desert wind, it was a cool breeze brushing against our skin. However, the smell it carried was quite foul.

“Ugh… what is this smell?”

I shrugged at Elisha, who was covering her mouth.

“What do you think? It’s the smell of chimeras. You know this from class, right? Chimera-type monsters always repeat necrosis and regeneration, so they stink a lot, and the regenerating ones are even worse.”

“Oh? But I don’t see any monsters around. Maybe it’s just your body odor?”

“Nope. There they are.”

I playfully pressed my index finger on Elisha’s nose, who was sniffing around as if she intended to smell me from the start, and pointed ahead.

A huge valley in a V shape, and black masses filling the path leading to that valley.

Elisha, who had been relaxed knowing that the dungeon entrance was a safe zone, stiffened.

“…Are all those chimeras?”

“Exactly.”

“The ones we have to break through and annihilate?”

“Yep. You know this, so why keep asking?”

“Because there are so many?!”

Elisha tapped my shoulder repeatedly, stamping her feet.

“Is this really possible? Shouldn’t we go back and prepare more thoroughly…?”

“Elisha.”

“Yes?”

“You are an intermediate magician now.”

“…Oh.”

Maybe because she hadn’t tested her skills in actual combat, she seemed worried, thinking back to her days as a lower-level magician.

“I’ve done it before, and what you see now can be handled alone. The problem is the rest that are stretched out further inside.”

“Well, an average intermediate magician wouldn’t be that strong, would they?”

“Well, Elisha, you’re not average either.”

“That’s true!”

Iona chuckled, pressing Elisha’s shoulders, which had been tense, until they relaxed.

Seeing Elisha’s shoulders loosen just enough, Iris flinched momentarily.

Then, she began to knead Elisha’s arm with her small hands.

“Teacher…?”

“Hmph. It’s a teacher’s job to ease their student’s tension. Outsiders, go away. Shoo, shoo.”

“Huh? But isn’t it a professor’s job to encourage students too?”

“She’s been expelled, so she’s no longer a student!”

“Hmm? If we’re talking about that, then being enslaved and erasing all prior relationships applies to you, too, doesn’t it? It’s just lip service to call it a teacher-student relationship; officially, you’re just strangers now.”

“Ugh… But the Master allowed it, so it’s fine! Ei!”

Iris puffed her cheeks and pushed Iona away with her slender hips.

I wondered why she was acting like that suddenly, but it seemed she felt that Iona was stealing Elisha from her.

However, if Elisha continued to relax like this, she might end up melting into her teacher’s cuteness, so it was time to intervene.

Clap, clap.

“It’s time to move, so stop playing with Iris, Professor Iona. Iris, return to your position. Lady Helena seems eager; she’s already holding her weapon.”

“Oh… I’m embarrassed, Brother.”

Helena blushed, gripping her mace and taking a ready-to-charge stance.

Although she said she was embarrassed, Helena neither put away her mace nor relaxed her stance.

Gilbert, perhaps tired of Helena’s behavior, sighed and shook his head.

Even while doing so, he didn’t let go of the greatsword’s handle, showing the true nature of a member of the Church of Righteous Radiance.

Anyway, when it was no longer time for jokes, Iona stepped forward as planned.

“Yes, yes. If Student Yandel says so.”

“Master?! What do you mean by ‘playing around’?!”

Iris added a word but stood properly beside Iona, holding her staff.

The entrance of the dungeon was a safe zone as long as nothing was done, but it was far from where the monsters were, so our attacks couldn’t reach them.

So generally, starting with an attack wasn’t possible. At best, one could cast buffs or detection spells.

However, it was different with high-level magic.

The higher the power, the greater the range and distance of the magic. It was only natural, given that it was akin to siege weapons.

For this reason, the start of this operation was left to Iris and Iona.

First, we would throw the enemy into confusion with powerful and flashy high-level magic, then approach them quickly in the ensuing chaos.

But instead of taking the main path swarming with chimeras, we would use a side path and a secret passage, whose creator was unknown, to skip some sections and join Clara, who would be holding out alone.

After that, we would join forces to sweep away the swarming monsters.

It sounded simple when said, but we had many trial and error experiences to figure out this strategy…

Though less efficient than the standard strategy commonly referred to on strategy sites, it was much safer.

There was a time limit, but it wasn’t tight, so there was no need to take unnecessary risks.

Standing at an appropriate distance, Iris and Iona extended their staffs and arms. Then, they began to draw mana.

Boom.

The waves of mana spread out instantly. The concentration was so thick that even the aftermath could be seen with the naked eye.

Blue and red mana swirled together but did not mix, creating their own spells in a peculiar manner.

However, the incantations were different. Despite using different spells, their voices intertwined in a mysterious harmony.

It felt like listening to a choir.

How long did I stand there, focusing on their incantations and mana?

The incantations ended, leaving only the activation words, and the mana took on different forms according to their wills.

Iris, activating the shadows of the elements inscribed with all five elements, floated a giant incandescent sphere.

Iona, within the blood-red mist created by her mana, held a massive blood spear.

I could tell Iona was using the spell called Cepheus. But what about Iris?

When considering that it was Iris who taught me the elemental combination, I realized it must be some kind of combination magic.

Well, I’ll see soon enough.

The two glanced in my direction. When I nodded to indicate they should continue, Iona spoke first.

“Cepheus!”

Swaaah!

The blood spear, emitting a fierce tearing sound, struck the center of the chimera horde in an instant.

Thunk.

One chimera, pierced by the spear, collapsed. Still alive, it struggled to pull out the spear, and other creatures began to look around at the sudden commotion.

But it was already too late. It was time for Cepheus to reveal its true form.

Slaaash!!

Like a dam bursting, a torrent of blood erupted from within the spear.

But it wasn’t in its usual form. From daggers to long spears, various sized spikes began to engulf the area.

A giant forest of thorn vines arose.

-Screeeech!!!

-Eek! Screeeech!!

Even from a distance, the collective screams were loud enough to reach us.

Chimeras, covered in thorns, disappeared in an instant. They must have been tattered and decomposed by Cepheus’s power by now.

Normally, all that power would be concentrated on one person, but exploding it like this turned it into an area attack.

Iona had caused a crack in what seemed like an impenetrable horde of chimeras with just one spell.

But it wasn’t over yet. There was still Iris left.

As Iona, exhausted from using both teleportation and Cepheus in quick succession, exposed her neck, Iris finally spoke.

“Elemental Burst.”

In a low voice, Iris’s incandescent sphere shot forward rapidly.

Its target was the center of the thorny forest created by Iona.

Ignoring inertia, the sphere halted in place, then fell as if it were a droplet.

Plop.

The moment the white flame touched the blood-red thorns.

Boom!!!

It turned into a massive storm, sweeping everything away, accompanied by white flames and blood thorns.

“Ah.”

At first glance, I understood why this magic was called Elemental Burst.

Fire, wind, and water.

Although I was also learning elemental combinations, I had no idea how this was done.

Without clearly separating essence and form, they just mixed. Three of them, even combining attributes that were mutually beneficial or antagonistic.

No. Was that why it was possible?

Using fire as the base, wind to increase power and range, and water for precise control?

Though complex, its inherent power would fall short compared to Iona’s Cepheus.

That’s why Iris used Iona’s thorns.

Despite being blood magic, which involved drawing blood, it left a clear substance, like earth magic.

The physical destructive power was impressive, and Iona was controlling her thorns as well.

Iona, biting my neck, waved her fingers here and there. Each time, a thorn would shoot out, piercing a chimera and absorbing its vitality, growing even larger.

With their life force drained and burnt by clinging flames, even creatures specialized in regeneration would die.

When two high-level magicians joined forces, this was possible…

The power exceeded expectations. The incantation time was too long to use consecutively, but the objective was more than achieved.

Instead of just clearing a path to the side road, it pushed much further, like an artificial natural disaster.

After the magic duration ended, I stood dazedly, watching the scene.

Helena was the first to snap out of it, raising her mace and shouting.

“This isn’t the time for this! We need to run before the path is blocked!”

“Well, the path is longer than expected, so it won’t be blocked immediately, but we shouldn’t dawdle.”

I dropped Iona’s head lightly and downed a potion.

Then I hoisted the short-legged Iris onto my back and pushed off the ground.

“Let’s go!”

Next, it was my turn.

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