第四十八話 屍将のドロップアイテム
〈嘆きの墓所〉の主......ナイトボーン改め、スカルロードを倒した。
通路が大きく揺れ、床や壁に亀裂が走る。
〉の崩壊が始まったのだ。
俺はスカルロードの魔石を拾い上げる。
こんな状況だが、回収を忘れるわけには行かない。
「【Lv:85】の魔石なんて初めて見たぜ......いくらになるんだか」
ケルトが歩み寄って来る。
魔石の値段はレベルで決まる。
綺麗に比例しているわけではないが、だいたい何レベルでいくつなのかは覚えている。
「いっ、一千万......!?」
驚きのあまり、ケルトの声が裏返っていた。
「こいつだけで一人頭二百五十万ゴルドって......パッチワークの魔石も二つあるのに。
「えへへへ......」
ルーチェが誤魔化すように笑う。
正直、一千万ゴルド程度のドロップは、俺達は慣れているのだ。
本当にルーチェ様様である。
崩れてほとんど粉になっていくスカルロードの死体を傍らに、盾が残っていることに気が付いた。
いや、そのままではなく、少しばかり小さくなっている。
削った骨を組んで作られ、中央に頭蓋骨の添えられた、不気味なデザインをしていた。
〈屍将の盾〉《推奨装備Lv:85》
【防御力:+88】
【市場価値:五千五百万ゴルド】
屍の将軍の盾。
強い怨念を帯びており、生半可な攻撃を通さない。
拾い上げて確認し、思わず「おっ」と声が出た。
ヒルデから巻き上げ......正当な決闘の対価としていただいた金額を、僅かに上回っている。
何なら上手く捌けば、これ一つで〈燻り狂う牙〉の〈
「〈夢の主〉はドロップしやすいにしろ、あっさりと出してくれやがるな......。さすが〈豪運〉持ちがいるだけはある」
「強引にトドメ刺しておけばよかったって思ってるんよ?」
ケルトの言葉に、メアベルが皮肉を刺す。
「あの化け物相手にんなもん狙ってたら、俺は今頃ここに立ってねぇよ......」
ケルトが気まずげに下唇を噛んでいた。
「だが、パッチワークのドロップも持ってったんだ。エルマには、酒くらいは奢ってもらわねぇとな」
「今確認したが、五千万ゴルドだった」
「ごごごっ、五千万ゴルドォ!?」
冗談めかして笑っていたケルトも、顔の色を変えていた。
「そっ、その悪趣味な盾っ! そんなにするんですか!?」
高額ドロップには慣れていたはずのルーチェも大慌てしている。
「できれば売りたくはないがな。さすがにレベル上過ぎて少し重いが......それでもこの防御力は魅力的だ。これで〈狂鬼の盾〉も卒業できる」
何せあちらは【防御力:+25】である。
いい加減に性能不足でせいぜい攻撃を受け流すのが限度だったが、これなら正面から受け止めてもダメージを大幅に軽減できるはずだ。
この世界では、レベルが足りない武器は重く感じ、扱い難くなる。
だが、それでもこの性能は魅力的だ。
一応ルーチェに相談はするが、できればこんなアイテム、絶対に手放したくないというのが本音だ。
「しかし、さすがに俺ばかり申し訳ないな。ラストアタックを取ったとはいえ......。いくらか分配しようか?」
「そういうの込みで回復役には手当てが出てるんよ。それにウチなんて、スカルロードとの戦いではMP不足でほぼ手助けもできなかったのに、レベルが四つも上がってしまったし......むしろ申し訳ないくらいなんよ。あの狩人さんには、恵んであげる義理なんてないし」
メアベルがまたばっさりとケルトを刺した。
す、少しくらいは労ってやってもいいと思うんだが......。
周囲が白い光に包まれて、壁や床が消えていく。
そろそろ外に飛ばされる時間だ。
「また分配のためにギルドで集まることにはなるけど、外に出たら、ひとまずこのパーティーはここまでなんよ。色々あったけど、お二人さんと組めてよかったんよ」
最後の最後までケルトを刺していく。
ケルトも立場上何も言えず、苦々しげな表情を浮かべていた。
「冗談なんよ。ケルトさんとも組めてよかった。もしも他の人だったら、きっと今頃スカルロードも倒し切れてなかったんよ」
メアベルがくすりと笑い、そう口にする。
「けっ、心にもねぇことを、腹黒僧侶が」
ケルトは顔を逸らし、頭を掻きながらそう口にした。
和やかな空気だが......大きな懸念点があった。
〈夢の主〉であるスカルロードを討伐し、〈嘆きの墓所〉は無事に消滅している。
〉の異変の連続の正体も見えてきた。
だが......この事件を悪意的に仕組んだ人間が、まだ近くにいるはずなのだ。
俺達の身体も薄れていく。
気が付けば......俺達は、〈嘆きの墓所〉の入り口のあった、朽ちた墓場の跡に立っていた。
「どういうことだ......?」
「おいおい、先行して〈夢の主〉を倒しやがった奴がいるのかよ!? ルール違反だろ!」
状況を全く掴めていない冒険者がいるようだ。
「た......助かったのか? とんでもねぇ化け物が出てきて......全滅寸前まで追い込まれていたんだが。ア、アレを倒した奴がいるのか?」
直接スカルロードとぶつかったらしい。
俺は周囲を見回す。
六人......いなくなっている。
二十人だった冒険者が、十四人しかいない。
〉の中で死んだ者は、外へと出て来られない。
遺体も〈
〉を引き起こした人間がいれば、この場にいるはずだと考えていた。
レイドメンバーの中に紛れ込んでいるのか、スカルロード討伐前に外へ逃げてしまったのか、途中で命を落としたのか......。
「有り得ない......あの進化個体を、倒せた冒険者がいるのか......? そんな、一体誰が......」
カロスは狼狽えるように周囲を見回していた。
「俺のパーティーが倒した」
俺はカロスの背へと近づき、声を掛けた。
周囲の冒険者からどよめきが上がった。
「君達が......! いや、君が、か! エルマ、君には特別なものがあるような気がしていたんだ。でも......まさか、私がどうにもできなかった魔物を、君が倒してしまうとは」
俺一人でやったような言い方はとんでもない買い被りだ。
他の三人が一人でも欠けていれば、手も足も出なかった。
「カロスもスカルロードと対峙していたのか」
「ああ......姿が見えてすぐ、他の三人ではどうにもならない相手だと踏んで、私一人で向かったんだ。ただ、恥ずかしながら、まるで敵わなくてね。逃げて他の冒険者に状況を伝えるべく動いていたんだが......急に〈嘆きの墓所〉が消えて、本当に驚いていたよ」
俺はちらりとヒルデへ目を向ける。
「師匠......本当に無事でよかった。オレ、師匠が死んだら、どうすればって......!」
「ヒルデは大袈裟だ......と言いたいけれど、今回ばかりは危ないところだった。本当にありがとう、エルマ。私の命は......いや、ここにいる全員の命は、君が救ったも同然だ」
カロスが俺の手を握る。
カロスはそこまで言って、俺に顔を近づけ、声を潜めた。
「......今回の件ではっきりした。〈
カロスはそれだけ伝えると、俺の傍から離れていった。
......これは、都市に戻ってから、またこの件について相談させてほしい、というメッセージだろう。
カロスも俺と同じ結論に到達していたらしい。
俺は改めて残ったメンバーを一瞥する。
〉を悪意的に起こした人間が、この中に紛れ込んでいる可能性がある。
全体に喚起しようかと考えたが、俺は口を閉ざした。
相手のクラス、レベル......HPやMPの状態もわからないのだ。
対して、この場に残っている大半の冒険者は既に疲弊している。
この場で〈哀哭するトラペゾヘドロン〉の話を持ち出し、犯人捜しを行うのは危険すぎる。
Volume 2 - Ch 48
We managed to defeat the Dream Lord of the Graveyard of Sorrows, the Knight Bone turned Skull Lord.
The corridor shook greatly, cracks appearing on the floor and walls.
The Dungeon was starting to break down.
I picked up the Skull Lord's magic stone.
Even in a situation like this, we shouldn't forget to gather up the loot.
"This is the first time I've seen a [(Lv:85)]  magic stone....I wonder how much that will be."
Celt walked closer.
The value of a magic stone is determined by its level.
There is no exact ratio for it, but I can more or less remember what level is worth how much.
"T-ten million gold......!?"
Celt's voice went into falsetto from surprise.
"Even though just this one means at least 2 million gold per person.....we also have two magic stones from the Patchworks. The reward we will get for the Raid Quest pales in comparison. And yet neither you nor Luce look too fazed by getting a lot of money like this."
"Eheheheh....."
Luce was trying to avoid the implied question by laughing it away.
To be honest, for Luce and me, a 10 million gold drop is pretty common.
Much gratitude to Luce for that.
I noticed that the shield remained next to the Skull Lord's remnants that almost entirely turned into dust by now.
Well, not entirely the same as it was; a somewhat smaller version.
It was made of carved bone, with a creepy skull design in its center.
<The Corpse General's Shield> <<Recommended Level: 85>> 
[(Defense:+88)] 
[(Market Value: 55 million gold)] 
The shield of the Corpse General.
It carries with itself a strong sense of malice, not letting through all but the most serious hits.
I picked it up to check it from closer, unintentionally letting a quiet sound of exclamation escape from my lips.
It's worth just above what I managed to rip off....I mean, acquire, as the result of a perfectly legal duel with Hilde.
Selling this for a good price could cover the price of the [Smoldering Fang of Madness] Skill Book in one go even.
"Even though Dream Lords do tend to drop items more easily, it really left something so conveniently.... As expected of a party with someone with the [Great Fortune] present."
"Are you thinking that you should've tried to force yourself to get the last hit?"
Mabel said with sarcasm after hearing what Celt said.
"If I tried something like that against a damn monster like that, then I would not be standing here right now...."
Celt bit his lip in an uncomfortable manner.
"However, you took the drop from the Patchwork too. At least buy me a drink of something in turn, Elma."
"I just checked its value, it was 50 million gold."
"F-f-f-fifty million gold!?"
Even Celt's mood has suddenly changed from his joking tone just now.
"That creepy looking shield!? It's really worth that much!?"
Even Luce, who should be used to valuable drops by now, looked pretty startled.
"Though I don't really want to sell it if I can help it. It's somewhat above my level, so it's a bit heavy, but....this Defense bonus is really attractive. With this I can retire my Mad Demon Shield."
Since that one only has a [(Defense:+25)]  bonus.
It was already starting to get too difficult to even divert the attacks due to its limited performance, but with this I should be able take those straight on and block most of the damage anyway.
In this word, weapons above my level feel heavy, making them harder to use.
However, even so, its abilities are very attractive.
I will check with Luce to make sure, but I really don't want to let an item like this out of my hands if I can help it.
"However, I really feel bad if I end up getting everything like this. Even though I had the last hit, should we split its value somehow.....?"
"Us healers get our rewards with all that calculated in. What's more, during the Skull Lord battle I was out of MP, so I couldn't even really help out and my level went up by four even so.....I almost feel bad to take advantage like that instead. And you have no obligation to give anything to the Hunter-san either."
Mabel delivered another figurative stab into Celt.
I-I think it wouldn't be so bad to show some appreciation still.....
Our surroundings were enveloped in a white light and the walls and floor were starting to disappear.
It's almost time for us to get booted outside.
"We will meet up one more time to distribute our shares, but once we exit here, this is it for this party for now. Many things have happened, but I'm glad to have teamed up with you two."
She kept sending those metaphorical stabs at Celt right until the end.
Celt couldn't really say anything after all that happened, so he just had a sour expression on his face.
"I'm kidding. I'm also happy about teaming up with Celt-san. If it was anyone else, then we most likely couldn't have defeated that Skull Lord at the end."
Mabel said after chuckling a bit.
"Tsk, saying things you don't even mean, you black-hearted Priestess."
Celt just turned away, scratching at his head.
It was a very amicable atmosphere, but....there is a worrying point.
We defeated the Dream Lord of the Graveyard of Sorrows, the Skull Lord, and cleared the Dungeon.
We've found evidence of what caused the numerous abnormalities in the Dungeons in the area.
However..... the person who set up all this with malicious intentions should still be around here.
Our bodies were starting to go see-through as well.
Before we noticed, we were already at the entrance of the Graveyard of Sorrows, within the remnants of the ruined cemetery.
"What happened.....?"
"Hey hey, somebody took down the Dream Lord first!? That's against the rules!"
It seems there was an adventurer who really didn't know what was going on.
"Are....are we saved? A terrifying monster came out of nowhere....we were almost wiped out. T-there is someone who managed to take that thing down?"
It seems he had a direct run in with the Skull Lord.
I glanced around the area.
Six people have disappeared....
Out of the twenty adventurers, only fourteen were present now.
Those who die in the Dungeon don't get transported outside.
Their corpses also disappear together with the Dungeon.
I was thinking that if there was a person who brought about the Wandering Lord, they should've been here right now.
They could be hiding among the Raid members, or they could've escaped outside before we took down the Skull Lord, or perhaps they lost their lives somewhere along the way....
"Impossible....Some adventurer was able to take down an Evolved monster like that....? No way, who could've....."
Kalos kept looking around in a panic.
"It was my party that took it down."
I walked up to Kalos's back and called out to him.
A commotion broke out among the adventurers around us.
"You all....! No, so it was you! Elma, I knew there was something special about you. But...I didn't think that you would be able to defeat the monster I was helpless against."
He is talking me up like it was me alone that defeated it.
If even one person was missing from the other three in my party, I couldn't have done anything against it.
"So you fought against the Skull Lord too, Kalos?"
"Indeed....once I caught a glimpse of it, I knew immediately that the other three in my party could not hope to stand up to it, so I tried going against it alone. However, to my embarrassment, I couldn't measure up to it. I ran away to notify other adventurers, but....when suddenly the Graveyard of Sorrows disappeared, I was really shocked."
I glanced at Hilde.
"Teacher.....I'm really glad that you're alright. I wouldn't know what to do if Teacher had died all of a sudden....!"
"You're exaggerating....is what I would like to say, but it was pretty close this time. Really, thank you, Elma. You have as good as saved my life....no, everyone's lives here."
Kalos shook my hand.
After saying that Kalos leaned closer and continued with a more quiet voice.
".....it became clear with how this ended up. The Dungeon calamities were caused by human hands....and the Howlod Family.....or at least the Guild had to have had a hand in it too."
Saying no more, Kalos walked away from me.
....he was probably trying to say that he wants to talk again once we are back in the city.
It seems Kalos came to the same conclusion as me.
I carefully looked through the remaining members.
.....there is a chance that the person that caused the Wandering Lord incident was among us here and now.
I thought about bringing this up to everyone, but I kept my mouth shut.
I don't know the opponent's Class, level....or how much HP or MP they currently had.
In contrast, most adventurers here were already exhausted.
It would be too dangerous to bring up the Mourning Trapezohedron and try to look for a culprit at this current time.
The Reincarnated Heavy Knight Who Was Exiled After A Supposed Big Miss Is Unparalleled With His Game Knowledge
大ハズレだと追放された転生重騎士はゲーム知識で無双する
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-reincarnated-heavy-knight-who-was-exiled-after-a-supposed-big-miss-is-unparalleled-with-his-game-knowledge/
Action Adventure Fantasy Romance Shounen
Abandoned Children Adapted to Manga Adventurers Alchemy Arrogant Characters Artifacts Blacksmith Calm Protagonist Clever Protagonist Determined Protagonist Dungeons Fallen Nobility Fantasy World Game Elements Guilds Hot-blooded Protagonist Level System Love Interest Falls in Love First Lucky Protagonist Male Protagonist Mystery Solving Naive Protagonist Nobles Poor to Rich Previous Life Talent Reincarnated in a Game World Romantic Subplot Skill Books Strategic Battles Strong Love Interests Strong to Stronger Sword Wielder Underestimated Protagonist Weak to Strong
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n8465gx/
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