After researching Hiyaan, I formed a hypothesis from the few materials available.
It might be nothing more than a guess, but that didn't make it impossible.
"A mechanism that uses three eggs."
Normally, that would be the end of it.
Alhazard Abramirin, who didn't possess a single one, was presumably forced to give up at that point.
But there was a way to get around it.
It was the witch's technique — the delving techniques the witch had shown me at the Death Tomb.
But those... were they really things I should learn? I agonized over it.
The witch's various techniques were close to what you'd call exploits or glitches in a game.
Was it right to use them? My memories from my past life whispered ethical concerns.
Even so, I decided it was something I should learn.
Making up my mind, I went to ask the witch.
When she asked me why, I explained with my hypothesis.
"Hmm hmm. I see, I see. That does seem possible, doesn't it?"
"...The sacred eggs of the Elixir that were buried in the Junkyard where the Holy Chamber is. That's far too convenient to dismiss as coincidence... That's why I want to learn."
"Indeed, indeed. Even setting that aside, this is something worth learning. But it's all the more difficult, I'm afraid."
"Yes. I understand."
"Mhm mhm. You've got good eyes, you do. Young Wof's straight, silver eyes. I like those."
"Ah, thank you."
She was so blunt that I blushed. The witch smiled.
"So then, I have no objections to teaching you."
"Thank you very much."
"But — I want you to remember one thing. This requires resolve."
"Resolve?"
Resolve... As I looked confused, the witch laughed.
Ah, what a beautiful, wicked smile.
"Now then, do you know what kind of resolve?"
"Resolve..."
"No no, don't overthink it. It's actually quite simple, young Wof."
"...Simple?"
What kind of resolve was simple?
The witch nodded deeply and spoke with evident delight.
"The resolve to destroy the dungeon."
That was not simple at all.
I had no desire whatsoever to destroy a dungeon, but I learned the technique from the witch anyway.
I wasn't perfect at it yet, but I had gotten the hang of several aspects.
Still, I couldn't deny that all of these were underhanded methods for dungeon delving.
Even so, I wanted to know.
"So what are you going to do?"
Mineha asked.
I answered, a bit flustered.
"Well, first I need to investigate."
"Investigate what?"
"Um... let me see your handiwork..."
I wasn't quite at the level Riv would have me be, but I took another look.
A blue altar. It was nearly identical to the white altar in the Holy Chamber. It looked like nothing more than a color swap.
As a pedestal for placing eggs, it felt exactly the same.
But that was all it was — a feeling.
Because this pedestal could distinguish between the Elixir's sacred eggs and the other eggs.
First, I thought. How would this mechanism activate?
Being able to distinguish the Elixir meant it could tell what was inside.
It could tell what was inside — meaning some kind of detection sensor was built into the pedestal.
If the sensor determined the contents didn't match, it wouldn't activate.
In other words, it would activate if the contents matched. I see, I see.
"Hmm..."
"Wof. What's wrong?"
"Ah, think you can manage?"
"Sort of, I think..."
"Riv believes in you... maybe."
"Trust him."
"Na?"
Yeah. No way. I had no idea what to do at all.
Besides, what even was a sensor that detected contents? Activate when they match?
What was this, some third-rate thief story or spy novel?
The mechanism wasn't fantastical at all.
Wait. Maybe there was a Legendary that did exactly that.
If so, that was fantasy enough.
"...Yeah."
I was stumped.
"Wof. What's the deal? Can you do it?"
Mineha asked. No. I could not.
"How about it?"
Axe asked too. No. Nothing was happening.
"Hmm..."
Hmm.
"Na?"
Na.
Sigh — enough messing around. It couldn't be helped.
If it came to this, the final option was to use [Banish] to destroy the pillar and grab the key.
There was nothing else. Yeah, nothing else at all.
I began to conjure [Banish] in my hand.
"—But but, are you really sure you can do that? —"
Suddenly, the witch's words echoed in my head.
"..."
I dispelled [Banish].
Then I took out the sacred egg of the Elixir and placed it on the pedestal.
"Wait, what are you doing?"
"Hey, hey. Wof. Hey, hey."
"All of a sudden... plot twist..."
The black pillar gleamed, splitting into top and bottom halves that rotated apart.
"Wh-what!?"
"Wh-what's going on...?"
"Hmm... young man... that egg is..."
"It's the sacred egg of the Elixir."
When the pillar disappeared, a key was floating in its place.
This one, too, was slender with a ball set into its center.
This time, I was the one who took it.
Axe murmured in disbelief.
"No way..."
"..."
"..."
Mineha and Riv were both stunned.
I took the egg off the pedestal and tucked it deep into my pouch.
The next moment, a section of the left wall slid open, revealing a new passage.
In other words, we could go forward. But nobody moved.
I was too stunned to move myself.
So that was how it worked.
Distinguishing it from other eggs? Detection? Yeah, right. It opened when the weight matched. Ha ha ha!
I wanted to scream "HIYAAAAAAAN" but held back.
No doubt about it. This alchemist was on the witch's side. And he was a devious one.
Even though he was already dead, I felt like he was the enemy.
If he were still alive, I would have punched him with [Banish Knuckles].
"Uh, well... talk about lucky. Or... how should I put it. Right. Yeah. Let's just press on for now..."
Axe wove his words together with a complicated expression, doing his best to smooth things over.
Even the ever-experienced Axe must have been facing this kind of situation for the first time.
"Hmm..."
"Yep."
"Yeah."
Somehow, I was exhausted for no good reason.
We made our way down a passage of faded red floors and walls.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
We fell silent.
We'd been silent before too, but the air felt different now.
Before, it had been tense and on edge. Now it was something more — indescribable.
"No monsters appearing."
"Yeah."
"Hmm..."
"Na."
"I've been wondering this whole time, Riv."
"Hmm... what?"
"That creature you're carrying — what is it, some kind of monster?"
Dagaa had been cradled in Riv's arms this whole time for some reason.
And then there was Mineha, who was still in her enlarged form. Was she okay?
More importantly, I tilted my head.
Come to think of it, I still hadn't explained. Nope, I hadn't.
Mineha elbowed me.
"Hey, you. Wof. You haven't explained this one yet."
"I haven't..."
"Haven't listened?"
Axe shot me a flat look. I gave a wry smile.
"Axe, this is Dagaa. She's my pet — and my weapon."
"A pet and a weapon?"
"Na!"
"Yeah. A pet and a weapon... She can turn into a knife. She has a Relic [Blade Transformation]."
"...This kid... has a Relic..."
"She does."
Axe was visibly shaken.
Well, fair enough. Relic holders were a complicated matter.
Axe collected himself.
"She really... turns into a knife? This one?"
"She does."
"Well, well..."
"Na!"
Dagaa twirled around and became a knife. Riv took her in hand.
"Smooth... silky smooth."
"Whoa, she really turned into a knife!"
And when she changed back, she went over to Mineha next.
"What do you want?" Mineha muttered, but she still gently gathered Dagaa into her chest.
Seeing this, Axe smiled.
"I gotta say, hanging around with you never gets boring, Wof."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
That didn't sound like a compliment. He just laughed it off, telling me not to worry about it.
Just as the atmosphere had started to shift, we suddenly emerged into a wide, bright space.
Faded white walls curved around in a wide arc.
A semicircular space. Unusually spacious.
"Hey. What is this place?"
"The other two didn't have this."
Axe and Mineha looked around in puzzlement.
"In the back... there's a black door... I think."
"That black — yeah, it really does look like a door."
Looking more closely, I could indeed see something door-like on the far side.
"...Riv... has good eyes... nya."
Smug face. Cute. But still.
"Why all the way over there?"
"If you look closely, there's a strange hole in the middle... I wonder what it is."
Mineha squinted and said.
Axe squinted too.
"A hole? Oh yeah, there is. Looks like something could fall through it."
"Don't even. As if something could fall out of there."
"Who knows."
"..."
Looking up at the hole above, I got a bad feeling.
And those kinds of feelings were always right.
We decided it was suspicious, drew our weapons, and entered the space on guard.
The instant we did, something fell from the hole in the ceiling. As it fell, it shifted and changed shape.
It became a four-armed, four-eyed minotaur.
And it was enormous — roughly twice the size of a normal minotaur.
It was a dark, coppery color.
All four arms held weapons.
They were all axes, but each one looked different.
"Another variant, seriously?"
Axe drew his sword.
"Doesn't look like they're made of metal."
"Ugh, what a pain."
"Hmm... the scent... of a strong one."
Then a voice echoed through the space.
"Foolish ones who would advance with only a single egg — receive the wrath of the guardian deity."
"Who said that?"
"Hey. I think we've been found out."
"Hmm... can't... do anything bad."
"..."
Then don't let us through in the first place.
Hiyaan. He was already dead, but I wanted to punch him. Long dead, and I still wanted to punch him.
The guardian deity — the minotaur variant — saw us and roared furiously.
That roar alone was enough to send tremors through the entire semicircular space.
"Here it comes!"
"Hmm... exciting."
"No joke — watch out!"
The minotaur vanished. For that massive frame, its speed was extraordinary.
An instant later, something shoved me hard.
It was Mineha, her face set in desperation.
In that same instant, the longest of the minotaur variant's axes... cleaved through her spear.
Fragments of the spear clattered against the floor with a dry, sharp sound. And then —
"Mineha!"
I screamed.