Maou no Hajimekata

Translator: DarkHeartedAlchemist, Editor: Krizzeir

Well everyone, the real deal starts here, so keep your guard up and dont get distracted.

Now that it was turned into a part of the Dungeon, the volcano had a totally different atmosphere about it.

The passages have been laid with cobblestones, the wildly flowing river of lava has been buried, and the road was now a regular passageway.

Walking here seems so easy now.

Truly.

Wanting to check something, Aur took out his cube and transformed it into an extending cane, which he then used to poke at the ceiling and make a hole in it. As soon as he did that, lava began to pour out of the hole and leaked to the floor about ten feet away from where he was standing.

That wasnt the smartest thing to do.

You dont say.

So the traps that he set were alive and kicking. Normally it wouldve been a problem for them, but now Sakuya was regulating the flow of lava according to Aurs instructions.

This is a trap that would take away the intruders life without fail if he were to touch it.

We need to assume that Sofia is also interfering with them, so lets just make sure that none of us gets caught up in this. Also.

The rest of Aurs words was muffled by a harsh and ominous sound.

Run.

However, what was blown at them was not lava, but seawater. There was only one person who could do such a thing, and if Aur was right, staying in one place was a really bad idea.

Excuse me, Aur!

But Aur, the sorcerer, was the slowest one among all of them, so Yunis grabbed him in her arms and run like hell while holding him up. Where such a small body was getting so much strength from remained a mystery to him.

If this is really just water, then I guess its finally time for me to show my true worth!

Hoderi changed his body into his crocodile form and threw himself straight at the muddy stream that was approaching them.

Im going after him!

No Hoseli, dont stop!

For a brief moment Hoseli stopped, wanting to join her brother, but when Aur yelled at her, she obediently ran right after Yunis.

If he really is an aquatic beast like he said he is, then a little water wont be enough to kill him!

Then a loud crushing sound could be heard behind them, from the direction in which Hoderi was going. Now there was a large hole in the ground in there.

Nuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

He swam with all his might against the flow that hit him like a waterfall. But thanks to his burly physique and a strong tail that supported him, he was able to stay afloat without drowning and getting caught by the flowing water.

Before everyone could realize, he already disappeared into the hole that was rapidly being filled with seawater.

Aur, which way?!

As they were running from the still-rushing water, Yunis pointed towards the fork in the road in the distance.

Right!

Yunis ran to the right passage without a shred of hesitation. But when she took a step there, her foot sunk into the floor.

This was another one of Aurs traps.

Damn!

If it was the usual Yunis, she couldve just jump right across the pitfall without much difficulty, but right now she was caring Aur in her arms so her mobility was limited, and there was also that damn water chasing after them. Following after them, Hoseli made a leap of faith.

This is fine! This is the shortest path!

Holding the girls close to his, Aur activated his invisible defenses. This particular pitfall was not made for killing, but for capturing intruders.

Once the potential prey was captured, it would be taken to the back of the labyrinth via a special passage at the back of the pitfall, therefore this route was the best for them at the current moment.

They hit the pool of the freezing cold liquid that served as a cushioning of the fall that was necessary to keep the intruders alive.

What is this?!

But the contents of the pool have been replaced with something else entirely. He prepared a liquid that acted as a strong adhesive. Therefore his invisible defense would have been enough to avoid any damage altogether. But this liquid was much less vicious than it was supposed to be. It was practically no different than water, and as a result, it swallowed them the moment they hit its surface.

WH, what is this?

But the escape was rather easy since its viscosity was so low.

As he crawled forward along the path, Yunis tried to wipe the sticky liquid off her face.

Its not poison, at the very least.

Yeah, if it was poison, then we wouldve already been evaporated.

Both of them send Hoseli a skeptical look.

It was not venomous and lacked any magical properties. It was just a sticky liquid. It was not enough to restrict their movements, and certainly not enough to hinder their ability to fight. So what was the point of it being here?

I hope Hoderi is all right.

He fell along with that seawater, so I highly doubt it that hes harmed. And theres no way for him to drown if he assumed that form.

In the corner of his mind Aur hoped that he didnt cross paths with Tatsuki, but there was no use thinking about it now.

And speaking of Tatsuki, he wondered whether or not she was aware of what was going on or was she just playing around?

Yes, youre right. My brother is a stubborn idiot that doesnt know when to quit, so hes probably all right.

Im not worrying about his life, but I do wonder is hes not depressed that hes all alone out there somewhere.

Now that she mentioned it, he might be upset that he has been separated from his master shortly after he vowed his loyalty to him.

I have an older brother myself, so I know that men who are physically strong tend to be mentally brittle.

Cant say that I disagree with that.

Aur, an orphan, had some difficulty with listening to the conversation about siblings and their bonds.

If you have the time for such an idle chatter, save it for being vigilant. See? Weve got company!

When she saw monsters rushing at them from the back of the corridor, Yunis expression changed from a younger sister to that of a first-class warrior. Seeing that made Aurs heart feel somewhat at ease. Hoseli was still as expressionless as ever, so he wasnt so sure about her.

Leading the way was a strange monster with a body of a tiger, serpents tail and a human head.

This must be a Manticore. Be on your guard, its tail contains a powerful poison.

This is clearly a Nue. His poison is very potent, so watch out.

Aur and Hoseli said almost the same thing at the same time and glanced at each other.

So which one is it? Can you please decide?

She said in a light tone before diving straight into the flock of monsters and flashing her sword left and right as she cut the beasts heads off their necks. But when their bodies fell to the ground, they erupted into a storm of leafs without any warning, covering most of Yunis body.

This is one of Yutsus techniques!

Aaargh, so annoying! Sorry Aur, but one of them got through!

Aur had finally realized what the purpose of that liquid back there was. It was not to hinder their movements, but to make leaves stick to them.

Yunis had her whole body covered with leafs now, and with every defeated monster, she had more leaves stick to her body. They obstructed her vision, dulled her movements, and generally felt very unpleasant.

It was a clever and very effective trap.

Not everyone should be made of leaves! Find him and cut him down!

Even if you say that, its easier said than DONE!

Yunis screams as leafs stick to her face. If it was normal illusion spell then things would be simple, but Yutsus leaf-based illusions were very hard to see through. Even Aur had some problems with breaking through them in a moment.

Ill burn those leaves in just a moment.

There was no easy method to cope with it either. Aur joined his hands in front of his chest and cast a spell. It created a swirling torrent of flame that quickly expanded and enveloped all of the enemies. In and out of itself it was not enough to kill them, but since their essence was made of leafs, it was that much more effective. Hoseli dropped from the ceiling and inserted her sword into the neck of the last remaining monster. This mustve been the genuine article, because once it was defeated, the rest soon fell to the ground, lifeless.

Aur couldnt help it but to be impressed with Hoselis skill as an assassin. Making her his ally was definitely a good move.

Thats my Aur for you, making such precise magical attacks in such limited spaces!

Aurs flames filled the entire corridor, but Yunis and Hoseli didnt have a single burn on their skin. His strength might have been not that high, but Aur was definitely one of the best sorcerers of our time when it came to aim and precision.

I hope you realize how difficult it was.

Aur sights as he takes the leaf off of Yunis cheek. Since she was fighting in the vanguard, she was covered in them almost entirely. So much in fact that removing them all just with simple wiping might be impossible.

Yeah, it might be a good idea to take a bath to rid ourselves of those blasted leafs.

Then I shall also accompany you.

Aur sighted again, and bonked Hoseli on the head. The speed at which her alertness level dropped to zero was truly astounding. But this whole situation was more or less his fault, since he did not anticipated that Sofia might prepare a trap that he had no knowledge of. It pained him to admit this even in his heart, but he had to praise his daughter for such ingenuity.

Ah!

Going further down the aisles, Yunis soon raised an overjoyed voice.

What was in front of her eyes was

Hot spring, Aur! Its a hot spring!

. A natural cavern filled with steam-emitting hot springs.

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