"You all…"
Just as Parthedro was about to offer further thanks to the two who saved them, she glanced up and suddenly realized—
The equipment style of these two people looked… strikingly similar to that lunatic who had tried to become dungeon master earlier?!
Some of the elves immediately prepared to transform, others to cast spells—only to discover that their staves had somehow been frozen solid without them noticing. The elves who had tried to shift into werewolf form now found themselves staring down the black, gleaming barrel of a Heavy Bowgun.
Meanwhile, Mitsurune—his mana nearly depleted from continuous teleportation—was already being clutched by Kazuma like an octopus, a skinning knife pressed against his throat as he threatened the elves: "Don't move! Or else! We won't be nice!!!"
"!"
The elves hadn't even noticed when Kazuma had gotten close. And now, wrapped tightly around Mitsurune, he was preventing him from using any teleportation magic due to the extensive physical contact...
"Why did these elves end up here, almost wiped out by monsters too..." Naofumi Iwatani muttered with a headache.
He hadn't originally planned to intervene in elf matters, but the monsters had driven them to near-mana depletion, so he had no choice but to temporarily protect them.
"Keep your hostility in check. We're not restoring your magic." Naofumi said coldly to the elves, still aiming his Heavy Bowgun. "A new dungeon master has already been born. You do have a way to notify the surface, don't you?"
"…?"
Seeing that they didn't seem intent on attacking, Parthedro, though still wary, seized the opportunity to use a fairy familiar to relay the situation inside the dungeon to the other Canary units on the surface.
The report covered everything in detail:
The Hunters' appearance, Laios's involvement, Laios's defeat of the Frenzied Mage, and Marcille's rise as the new dungeon master.
After Parthedro finished her report, Naofumi still kept the gun leveled at the elves, his face expressionless: "Marcille became the dungeon master? What about the others?"
"That dwarf and halfling were taken away by her," Parthedro answered honestly. "As for the one fused with monsters… we don't know where she went."
Even as the elves spoke, Kairo Retsu and Kabru's conversation was already coming through the gathering's voice channel.
Naofumi, Joseph, and Kazuma exchanged glances, assessed the situation, then turned to the Canary Squad.
"We're taking your Guildmaster."
"Wait! You—mmpgh—!" Parthedro had just started to protest when a lightbulb-shaped chunk of ice was suddenly jammed into her mouth, and no matter how hard she tugged, she couldn't pull it out.
"Secret Technique! Ice Bulb Gag!" Kazuma's hands moved with chaotic speed, stuffing the mouths of all the elves with ice bulbs before hoisting Mitsurune onto his shoulder and taking off at a run.
"Move move move! Time for the next phase of the plan!" Joseph helped lift Mitsurune from the other side, speeding up their extraction of the mana-drained elf.
"Mmgh!!"
The remaining members of the Canary Squad panicked as their Guildmaster was carried away, but the frozen lightbulbs in their mouths were unremovable, forcing them to watch helplessly.
"You should really rein in that habit of never listening to anyone." Naofumi slowly retreated, still aiming his Heavy Bowgun. "We don't have time to waste on people who think they're too noble to ever be wrong."
After gaining some distance, Naofumi vanished from the elves' field of view.
In the end, one elf dislocated her jaw to remove the ice bulb from her mouth, then used healing magic to reset her jaw.
"What are those Hunters trying to do?! Why did they kidnap Guildmaster Mitsurune?!"
——————
"Where… are you taking me?"
Now lacking the mana or will to resist, Mitsurune simply stared at the three Hunters carrying him and asked.
Once they were far enough from the Canary Squad, Kazuma and Joseph set Mitsurune down.
"You're the only elf left who can cooperate with us," Naofumi stepped forward, now taking on a serious tone. "Do you want revenge on the demon?"
"!"
The moment Naofumi said those words, Mitsurune instinctively tried to get up—but immediately lost his balance and fell over again: "What do I have to do?!"
"Work with us," Naofumi pointed at the three of them. "Our Guildmaster probably already explained it… We're Hunters. Monster Hunters."
"And now... we've already prepared the bait to lure out the demon." Naofumi added, "Work with us, and we can resolve the issue you're dealing with."
"No… that's impossible." Mitsurune shook his head. "My desires were already consumed. There's no way to recover from that..."
Though his desire was gone, his capacity for reason remained: "That kind of thing isn't something you can fix..."
"Don't underestimate the results of our consultation with the Felynes!" Joseph snapped, clearly displeased. "You think we're just using you as a lab rat? Granny Felyne herself said our medicine works on people like you!"
"Granny Felyne? Who's that?" Mitsurune frowned, trying to think—but he had no knowledge of any dungeon expert known as "Granny Felyne."
"In any case…" Naofumi took out a small bottle of Recovery Medicine, poured out a capful, and placed it in front of Mitsurune. "Here. Just… have a lick?"
"..."
......
Amid the chaotic upheaval in the dungeon, the disruption wasn't limited to Laios and the others on the lowest floor.
Even adventurers on the upper floors were affected.
The entire dungeon had become warped and fused together—under Marcille's control, the whole place had turned into one massive, unified space.
"Quick, gather the barrier mages!!"
A black-skinned elf barked orders to her fellow elves, then shouted at the adventurers: "We're sealing the dungeon's entrance! If you want to survive, get out now!!"
This elven decision sparked conflict with the adventurers.
The adventurers refused to abandon the dungeon, which they saw as their only lifeline. But the elves, sensing the danger was growing worse, had unilaterally decided to seal it off.
Among the skirmishes, two of Laios's former teammates and some familiar beastkin were also present.
And not far from all this—
Kairo Retsu stretched and strolled out from the camp.
"Time to get to work!!!"
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