Unlike their all-out fight against Andares, a rescue effort could not be waged without restraint. They had to worry not only about injuring the people buried inside, but also about the whole mound collapsing if they hacked and smashed at it too recklessly. Even though all four of them were Second-Class Adventurers, their progress was nowhere near as fast as they had hoped.
Fortunately, the gaps between the stone spikes were wide enough that they did not have to fear the people trapped inside suffocating from lack of air. And since Rixia had been buried along with the others, as long as her injuries were not fatal, her healing magic should be enough to keep things from turning disastrous. That, too, was one reason Letsa had chosen not to start digging immediately, but instead to stake everything on killing Andares first.
If they did not deal with the monster, then even if their goddess and the others made it out alive, they would still be doomed. In a sense, Duncan and Letsa's desperate stand had served as bait, drawing Andares's attention away from Artemis.
"Sorry, Alise, Ryuu," Letsa said as she watched Alise hammering away at the rock with her weapon, a trace of apology crossing her face. Even so, her hands never slowed, despite her injuries and despite speaking. Though Ryuu had tried more than once to heal her again, Letsa had refused, insisting that Ryuu conserve her mind and magic for the other companions whose fates were still uncertain.
The two of them had not brought many potions. Their desperate battle just now had drained Alise heavily, both physically and mentally, and Ryuu had spent no small amount of energy herself. In order to preserve what little they had left, even with exhaustion plain on her face, Alise refrained from using the potions she carried. At this point, Ryuu was everyone's greatest hope. Not a single scrap of strength or mental energy could be wasted.
"Letsa, when did you start being so formal with us?" Alise waved the apology off with a grin. "If you really feel that bad about it, then next time we get back to Orario, just treat us to a meal at the Hostess of Fertility."
"No problem. Even if Liya starts complaining about the Familia's finances, I'll sell off one of her weapons if I have to. And I doubt she'll have much room to argue after this."
Letsa answered with a laugh.
No one knew how long the work went on. At last, from the motionless stone wall came a faint answering knock. A little later, the two sides finally broke through and opened a path. The instant light and fresh air spilled into the darkness within, the people trapped inside narrowed their eyes against the sudden brightness.
"Lady Artemis?! Are you all right?! What about everyone else?!"
Letsa immediately dropped her weapon and caught Artemis as she emerged, then turned hopeful eyes toward the pitch-black opening.
"Letsa?! Liya and Noel are badly hurt from protecting the others. Rixia's healing magic could only just keep their wounds from getting worse. What about Andares?! How is Duncan?!"
As she stepped aside to let the others through, Artemis looked around frantically. Relief flickered over her face when she spotted Duncan—only for her attention to be caught at once by Alise and Ryuu standing beside him.
"You are… Alise and Ryuu of the Astraea Familia?"
"It's been a while, Lady Artemis. I'm just glad you're safe," Alise replied.
"It has been too long, Lady Artemis," Ryuu said with a formal bow. "I also use healing magic, and I still have a few potions left. Leave the treatment to me."
After exchanging greetings, both Alise and Ryuu turned their eyes back to the dark tunnel. One by one, the members of the Artemis Familia stumbled out, leaning on each other for support.
Their reunion after escaping death moved even the less badly injured girls to tears. With Ryuu's magic and the aid of potions, they finally managed to stabilize the worst cases. Thankfully, the second squad had been farther away from Andares, so they had not all been buried in the disaster.
"This is no place to talk," Duncan said. "That fight made the cavern unstable. We need to find a way out first."
"That's easy to say…" Alise looked up at the towering rock walls, then at the wounded party, where almost everyone was injured to some degree. "Ryuu and I can climb out, no problem. But with everyone else in this condition…"
"We go around," Duncan said, pointing toward an inconspicuous tunnel in the distance. He had spotted it while retrieving the item Andares had dropped. For so huge a monster, all that remained after its death was a palm-sized blue crystal core. It resembled a magic stone, but it was unmistakably different from the ones he had seen before.
Following Duncan's lead, the group reorganized. Those too badly hurt to walk were supported by the less injured. Alise and Ryuu took point, while Letsa and Duncan guarded the rear. No one knew why the temple had such a deep shaft carved beneath it, but thanks to that strange structure, they at least had a route that might lead them back to the surface.
"Ugh. That's disgusting."
The tunnel was filled with the same fleshy carpeting and clusters of eggs Duncan and the others had passed on the way in. Most of the eggs had already burst open; whatever monsters had been incubating inside had long since hatched. Time had left both the flesh and the shells withered and blackened, but the sight still unsettled the two leading the way. For all that they were Second-Class Adventurers, they were still girls in the full bloom of youth.
"What? You didn't see this before?" Letsa asked, then immediately caught herself. "Ah—right. I forgot. You two jumped straight down from the top of the temple."
"The temple roof was open, with a direct drop into the depths," Ryuu explained wearily. "While we were still on the wyvern, Alise said someone needed help and jumped down immediately. Thanks to that, we didn't even have time to bring our luggage with us."
"Heh. That's just what it means to be an adventurer—follow your instincts."
Alise replied with a proud grin.
"That was not a compliment! The wyvern belongs to the Ganesha Familia. If it goes missing, we'll owe them an enormous sum. Don't think Lyra and Kaguya are going to let you off the hook."
Ryuu's voice rose despite herself.
"It'll be fine, it'll be fine. Since this was an emergency Guild request, any losses should be covered by the Guild anyway."
"I do not believe the Guild's misers are going to be nearly that generous…"
"But you really did save us," Duncan said, trying to smooth things over. "If you hadn't arrived when you did, we'd all be dead."
"Speaking of which," Alise said, peering curiously at him, "Lady Artemis— is he a new member of your Familia? I thought your Familia only accepted women."
"No," Artemis replied, shaking her head first. Then she turned to Duncan, having noticed the unmistakable lightness in his expression. After a moment's thought, she asked, "Duncan isn't part of my Familia. We were simply searching the Elsos Ruins together. You found what you were looking for, didn't you?"
"Yeah," Duncan answered, the long-lost smile finally returning to his face as he looked at the exchange icon now lit within the shop. "I found it."
"I see. That's good."
Artemis smiled, genuinely relieved.
Despite all the twists and dangers along the way, they had survived. They had accomplished what each of them set out to do—and made it out alive, every last one of them.
....
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