I was dumbfounded.
"Agaro...?"
"Yo. You in one piece?"
"Y-Yes. What are you doing here?"
"We'll talk later. We're surrounded."
When I came to my senses, mimics had surrounded us.
And a massive mimic, so large you had to look up at it, was lying in wait.
This was the worst.
How had the Junkyard turned into such a battlefield?
"Big brother..."
"It's going to be okay."
I gave the anxious-looking little girl a smile and patted her head.
"Wof. Can you protect her?"
"Yes. I will."
"Good answer."
Agaro grinned, hooked the sake flask to his hip, and drew the saber from the small of his back.
It was a simple, unadorned saber with a basic knuckle guard.
The grip was roughly wrapped in cloth. A simple knuckle guard and a curved blade.
It was a dull iron color. The closest thing to it in shape would probably be a kitchen knife.
"Well then, let's do this. Flametongue."
When Agaro called out, the blade turned red and a faint wisp of smoke rose from it.
Maybe it sensed something. The mimics all rushed at us at once.
I readied Banish while Agaro swung Flametongue.
The mimics were cut apart and vanished.
"Strong...!"
So this is what a Relic of Doom—the Doom Sword—really is.
And that was Agaro's saber.
No, an OOPArt. Flametongue... I see.
It really was a saber shaped like a tongue.
And this was the power of a Class II delver. Incredible strength.
Now only that giant mimic remained.
"Man, I gotta say. Everything going exactly like she predicted—she really is a witch..."
The giant mimic closed its mouth—its lid.
Then, after shaking, it opened the lid and tipped itself over on its side.
"What the...?"
Puppets came pouring out of the mimic, one after another after another.
They were the wooden frames known as puppet bodies.
They had no faces and were simple in construction, but they wore equipment and carried weapons.
The equipment and weapons were all mismatched, with no coherence to them.
"Puppets, huh?"
"Are they monsters?"
"They're past that. Puppet Box. Anyone eaten by that thing becomes a puppet."
"Eaten by it..."
So those puppets were former delvers, then.
Still.
"Aren't there a lot of them?"
Countless puppets had seized the Junkyard.
Every last one of them, a victim.
"Wof. I'll make you an escape route. Grab that kid and run."
"What about you, Agaro?"
"Don't worry about me. This is still better than fighting a dragon."
Agaro extended his arm. Flametongue smoldered.
The flame tongue
stretched out and swelled to a massive size.
"When I give the signal, run for the exit."
"Got it."
Agaro swung Flametongue.
With tremendous force, he obliterated dozens of puppets in a single sweep where Flametongue made contact.
A gap opened in the Junkyard.
"Now, go!"
"Right!"
I clutched the little girl and ran for the exit.
Puppets were swarming toward us. Everything was already bright red — I couldn't see a thing.
"Tch!"
I deactivated my Relic, Danger Discernment.
Agaro raised Flametongue high overhead once more.
That swept the crowd of puppets aside, and the little girl and I escaped the Junkyard.
We went straight through the dungeon.
A whole crowd of people had gathered at the dungeon entrance.
Delvers, guards, and gatekeepers.
"Enny!?"
"Oh, big sis!"
The little girl slipped from my arms and ran toward the girl.
They embraced, crying.
"Thank goodness…"
I was exhausted. Without thinking, I dropped right down onto the ground.
In the end, I didn't get anything.
Actually, forget that — I wonder if Agaro's okay.
"Good."
I should go help.
Just as I stood up, there was movement.
"Hey, fall back, fall back! Wof, get away from here too. It's dangerous!"
Gauro and the gatekeepers and guards were chasing away the delvers and onlookers gathered around the dungeon.
At this rate, I can't get into the dungeon.
Can I do nothing but pray for their safety?
Just then, someone emerged through the dungeon entrance.
"Haaah, so that was the warm-up... Makes me wanna drink, dammit."
It was Agaro.
He had cuts and bruises here and there, but he was unharmed.
"Agaro!"
"Yo. You guys all right over there?"
"Yes! But Agaro, you've got blood running down your head..."
"This ain't nothing serious."
I thought I could see a crack in his horn.
I don't know much about Fawn, but can something like that heal?
"Anyway, I'm glad you're safe. What about that mimic?"
"The puppet box? I took it down."
"T-that's amazing."
He soloed that giant mimic. This is what a Rank II delver looks like.
"Still, if something like that showed up at the Junkyard, then it's getting shut down for good."
"I suppose so…"
"Don't make that face. I'll take care of the anomaly."
"Y-yes. Please do."
"Yeah. You can count on it."
Agaro flashed a reassuring smile and gently ruffled my hair.
And just like that, the dungeon was closed.