Dungeon's Final Boss: Banished by My Boss, the Goddess, to Earth—So I'll Continue My Past Life - 65

Chapter 65: Outside the Ring Brawl

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When we left the dungeon, the same group from earlier was still there, but they didn’t make any moves. It seemed the coercive effect of the universal language was still in effect. We ignored them, boarded the waiting boat, and returned to the island. Only the driver and the car were waiting. Claire wasn’t there.

“Where is she?”

“She is waiting at the villa.”

After about ten minutes of driving in the four-wheel-drive vehicle, we arrived at the villa. On the way here, I saw several cottage-like buildings lined up along the coast. Were the Awakened staying there? Even Rock?

Maybe it was just my prejudice, but there weren’t any luxurious hotels that seemed to suit his tastes. There were also numerous private boats—cruisers and yachts—floating on the sea. Some of them might be staying there too.

I hadn’t seen anyone inside, but there were traces left behind by those who had been exploring, likely concluding that there were no magic stone veins to be found. Still, we never encountered anyone. Judging from the dungeon’s structure, the probability of running into other Awakened shouldn’t have been low.

“Please be careful from here on.”

Mio was taken aback by the driver’s sudden words. Just as we entered the mountain road, the driver suddenly stepped on the accelerator.

“Kyah!”

Rather than asking what was wrong, it was faster to see for myself. Shadows flitted about outside the window. They were human. Awakened?

If someone on Earth had the physical ability to leap between trees like an anime ninja and attack a moving car, that was the only possible conclusion.

“What? No way!”

The impact from above made Mio grasp the situation. I was more surprised that the car had withstood the blow. It was disguised as a four-wheel-drive vehicle I’d seen somewhere before, but the interior was likely the work of a production-type Awakened.

“Are Awakened attacking people out there?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“That’s a crime!”

Mio, still in shock, received a composed response from the driver, who seemed used to this.

“It certainly is, but you’d be surprised how many people in this world have no qualms about committing crimes.”

“No way…”

“Are you planning to just outrun them?”

I asked in Mio’s place, as she was too stunned to speak.

“Usually, it’s nothing more than harassment. They usually only throw stones, which poses more damage than a mere gunfire, but this time their movement seems different. They seem to know that you’re inside.”

“I see.”

So, because Claire wasn’t an Awakened, they had kept it at mere harassment. At least they had that much restraint. Or maybe they were being cautious of her family’s influence. Either way, this time, they were coming at us for real.

“Well then, I’ll go quiet them down a bit.”

“Jiro-san!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t kill them.”

Apparently, things were a bit more unruly here than in Japan. Regretting that this might be too much for Mio to handle, I slipped out through the open window. Ordinarily, my shoulders would get caught, making it difficult, but I softened my body for just a moment and landed on the roof.

The figures were leaping between the trees on either side of the mountain road. There were three of them. They were all dressed in black outfits that only revealed their eyes—another ninja-like look. As they silently attacked us, I met them head-on.

Unfortunately for them, they hadn’t managed to equip themselves uniformly; one held a battle axe, another a sword, and the last a spear. If they were going for a ninja aesthetic, they should have gone all in and ordered a custom-made ninja sword.

Blocking their attacks with a barrier shield, I restrained all three of them. Vines appeared. It was the power I had obtained when I transformed into an Alraunos, the male version of an Alraune.

Once they were completely bound and immobilized, I cut the vines and tossed them onto the mountain road. The car continued speeding along. They bounced a few times before rolling across the ground. At most, they’d end up with a few scrapes.

“It’s finished.”

I slipped back inside the car.

“Are we almost at the villa?”

“Yes, we are. As expected of you.”

“Thank you very much.”

The driver spoke in an incredibly polite manner, but the automatic translation rendered it in Marie’s mechanical voice. The four-wheel-drive vehicle arrived at a villa situated on the mountainside. It was a building that had retained the exterior of an old castle.

At its base, a newly added shutter opened to welcome the car inside. The first floor had been largely cleared of walls, creating a spacious open area. Lights were installed throughout, illuminating the object placed in the center. If I remembered correctly, that was the Guardian.

A robot stood there.

“Whoa!”

Seeing it, Mio excitedly grabbed my sleeve.

“Jiro-san, it’s a robot! A robot!”

“Yes, it’s a robot.”

“Oh! That name! So that’s what they were referring to!”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Wow, amazing! Then its name is Guardian?”

“No, it’s not!”

A third voice denied it. It wasn’t Claire. If it were her, she would have spoken Japanese herself. The voice seemed to be speaking English, which the automatic translator converted into a mechanical tone.

“As of today, this one’s name has been changed to Seraphim!”

The voice’s owner appeared from behind the robot. A woman dressed in a gothic lolita outfit.

“I’m borrowing Dungeon Old Man’s idea!”

A woman?

“This is Heaves. She’s a production-type Awakened and has made many things for us, including Seraphim and that car.”

Claire appeared from the back and introduced the gothic-clad figure. Heaves. Yeah, I remembered hearing that name on the ship. But back then, I could have sworn I saw a man…

Well, best to pretend I didn’t notice.

“I don’t really think Seraphim is that great of a name, though?”

“I don’t care! Go complain to him!”

“Well, names don’t really matter, do they?”

“This is your fault, you know.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

I’d rather she not say anything so ominous.

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