Chapter 26
「W-What the hell is this......」
The place where Mars and his group advanced was a pitch-black space.
Even though the lights were on, the space was still completely black.
There were various burned objects there.
Just walking there made the skin feel uncomfortably sticky, as particles of burned oil floated in the air.
It was much more than what one could experience in a yakiniku restaurant or a Chinese kitchen.
It was like the remains of a battlefield.
Mars didn't have any special feelings towards mermaids other than Sion, but even he felt nauseous by the state of the mermaids.
There were dead bodies everywhere.
「These are probably mermaids, right ......?」
「The sound of explosion we heard earlier was here......?」
Lilia and Hazuki watched the burnt corpses while covering their noses.
But what caught Mars's attention wasn't a dead body or a burnt mark.
「A fighter plane......!?」
What was stuck there magnificently was something that had the characteristics of a plane, even though it had collapsed entirely.
Since the place where the cockpit would be was open, Mars realized it was a plane.
If you looked closely, there were things that appeared to be engines at the back.
Although it was completely burnt, it was certainly a shape that could be called a fighter plane.
「A fighter plane?」
「That ...... is a flying machine, in other words.」
「......How do you know about it, Master?」
「I have seen something similar before. Somewhere else, not here.」
Evading Lilia's pursuit, Mars observed the fighter plane and its surroundings.
There were no signs of life. In other words, the person who came on board is no longer here anymore.
「I think this weapon ...... was my husband.」
Sion brought a broken spear.
She points to a dead mermaid. The lower half of the body and the head are missing.
The head had been cut off, and it was impossible to tell where the head was.
Finding a single head in this completely black space and charred was an extremely difficult task.
At this point, Mars was convinced that the person who came in this fighter plane was an enemy.
Although he could not tell Sion, the cut on her husband's body was clearly caused by a blade.
Even though it was blackened, Mars, who uses a sword on a daily basis, recognized it.
At first, he thought it was an accidental death, but when it comes to Sion's husband, it was definitely murder.
If so, why did they go to the trouble of killing him in this situation where he would have died anyway if he was left alone?
Not only did they have no intention of helping him, but they also killed him. There's no way someone like that could be an ally.
「......I don't feel anything. I can only feel the same as the other warriors who died here. I guess I wasn't a good wife either...」
「I think you'll be sad later. Even if only a little.」
Sion's voice sounded deeply sad.
She's the only one who feels heartless.
Even if it's about herself, there are some things you won't understand until someone else tells you.
「Can everyone listen? Until now, it was probably the case, but from now on, there will definitely be enemies. Not in dungeons, but enemies of adventurers. And that guy is stronger than me.」
「Stronger than Mars-san ......」
「First of all, I'm not that strong. I just made do with what little talent I have. But the guy who's coming is different.」
Everyone looks at the wreckage of the fighter plane.
It's not just strength, but even from the conceptual stage, it's clear to everyone that this person is different from the norm.
「"Jet Black"... I guess.」
「Yeah. It's the real one. He's already surpassed me by conquering the Seven Great Dungeons alone.」
Each of the Seven Great Dungeons has its own characteristics, and it's quite difficult to overcome them with just brute force.
Depending on the compatibility, you may be stuck in the dungeon immediately.
The fact that he can conquer the dungeons alone means that he has a wide range of skills and abilities.
It's because he has a rich arsenal of combat methods and maintains high specs that he can choose to go alone.
「What kind of person is he?」
「Of course, he's an extremely vicious person! And he's a cowardly one at that! To think he would make an entrance like that!?」
「It's certain that he's the type of person who will do anything for his own benefit. Even for these mermaids, there's no trace of him trying to help them.」
At least, he doesn't seem to be a good person at all.
Everyone gathered the corpses of the mermaids and decided to hold a memorial service for them.
They could not just leave them like this, and it's even worse since Sion's husband is among them.
During the funeral service, which was managed by Hazuki, Sion didn't change her expression much and continued looking sad.
But it wasn't a special expression for someone in particular, but rather a comprehensive attitude towards the death of her fellow mermaids.
There was a possibility of being beaten to the punch by an intruder, but Mars decided to prioritize his companions. He won't waver anymore. So he sincerely attended Sion's husband's funeral without cutting any corners.
◇
「――Can't we wait until the conclusion between the Sea God and "Jet-Black" before we go?」
「You called him a coward, but isn't that a pretty cowardly proposal!?」
While taking a break a little further ahead, Hazuki speaks up.
She said that they should target them when they're exhausted.
「But actually, I'm thinking of doing that. We don't know their strength... Well, I'm not sure if I can call them two people, but dealing with both of them is tough. They could be opponents that we might lose to even if we fight against just one of them.」
「I agree too. In the worst-case scenario, they might join forces against us... and so it's better than not achieving our goal, even if it's called cowardly.」
「Just winning is enough-nyaa! It was written in the book Nemu read the other day-nya.」
「What kind of book are you reading ......?」
Mars can't help but laugh, even though the situation is not good.
In fact, everyone is right, and it would be foolish to fight both of them seriously.
It's foolish to put up a facade of courage in a place like this, and everyone thinks so.
「Let's take a little break and observe the situation before we head out. We can't hear any sounds yet, but if we hear something and then it stops...」
「Leave it to Nemu-nya. Let's just wait lazily. If "Jet-Black" cheating, then we'll cheating too-nyaa!」
「In that case, let's eat some snacks and recover!」
They can't go inside the [Treasury of Dreams] because they need to listen for any sounds, so they spread out a lunch mat and prepare for a meal outside.
「Depending on the situation, this could be our last supper. So let's eat to our hearts' content with everyone's favorite food.」
「I won't say it's the last supper, though. I've already decided what I'm going to eat for breakfast tomorrow.」
「Either way, I'll eat whatever I want!」
Mars agrees that there's no point in being timid.
Perhaps because he has experienced the end once before, he feels like he's become more accepting of death.
Now is the time to act cheerful.
――As a resident of this world, Mars Irving.
Mars decided to enjoy his meal while containing the other version of himself that emerged in difficult situations.
He had no idea that after this, he would no longer be just Mars.
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