Riv suddenly woke up.
"...Mm..."
"Oh, you're awake, ya see."
"...Mm...
Midair...
Form...
Subaru...
...Maiabu..."
"Wait, wait! I'm not an enemy, ya see!"
"...It talked..."
Riv lowered the blade.
The other party wasn't an enemy. The fact that it could talk was interesting.
"I may not look it, but I'm no monster, ya see."
"Mm... You look like a spider-woman."
"That's because I've changed my shape. I'm a First-Class Delver with the 'Thousand Face Appearance,' ya see."
"...Riv... right..."
"I've heard of the 'Torquetam,' ya see."
"Mm... 'Thousand Face Appearance' too... but... being able to transform into monsters... that's quite something."
"It's quite the big secret of mine, so I'd appreciate it if you kept it quiet, ya see."
"I... was... helped..."
Riv yawned and lay down.
"Mm... let me... sleep a bit more..."
"You've slept plenty already, ya see."
"Because I... used power... I don't normally use..."
"That so, ya see."
"By the way... Gesuo..."
"'Thousand Face Appearance,' please, ya see."
"Gesuo... what are you doing here...?"
"...I came here chasing after the man in the red mask, ya see."
"Mm... the man in the red mask..."
Riv let out a soft laugh from where she lay.
"Do you know about him, ya see?"
"Mm... of course... I don't."
"I see, ya see. Do you know about the Forbidden Land, ya see? I've heard the place the man in the red mask visited is deep in the Heisen Great Forest, ya see."
"That... of course... I know about..."
"I knew it, ya see. You know about it?"
"Mm... I know about... the giant spider... the dungeon anomaly..."
"What on earth are you talking about, ya see?"
"Gesuo... I'll... tell you... so Riv, please... cooperate..."
"……It depends on what I do, y'see."
"Mm… revenge…"
Riv flashed a fearless grin, then lay down. Actually fell asleep.
"………………No, do tell me about it, y'see!?"
I shouted, but it was already too late.
She didn't wake up again for two hours.
True to her word, she told the Thousand-Faced One about it.
"Mm… so-and-so, this-and-that… something like that…"
"Well, that certainly sounds like a complete disaster, y'see. No wonder the air around where I found Riv felt so awful. A giant spider from a dungeon anomaly fused with 'the Broken One'… and a queen at that, y'see? One that also renders Relics unusable. At this rate it's probably gem-grade, y'see. Hold on a moment. What exactly do you plan to do for this revenge?"
"……Rematch…"
"So you want me to help with that, y'see."
"Mm… Class I… I'm super excited…"
"I'm not exactly known for my combat skills, y'see. *Sigh*… Fine, I suppose. I'll help out as much as I can."
"…………Even if you… just take it out… yourself… that's… fine…"
"No way, y'see! My combat power is so low in Class I that it'd be faster to count from the bottom."
"Mm… even so… I'm counting on you."
"I'll help where I can. But what's the plan, y'see? We don't even know where the thing is."
"Mm… that's not a worry… just need to… enter its territory… After that… scan for high-energy reactions… with a sensor… and we're good…"
"A sensor…?"
"Now then… I'm… hungry… those mushrooms… look tasty."
"Oh, that one just came off the fire!"
Riv popped the mushroom into her mouth without hesitation.
"Mm... just the pure taste of the ingredient."
"If you've got complaints, you don't have to eat, ges."
Riv pulled something from her pouch.
A small bottle. Inside were salt, pepper, and shichimi.
"...Seasonings are a must... basics of being a delver..."
"I don't really take dungeon requests, ges."
"Mm... even though you're a delver..."
"That kind of thing exists too, ges."
Riv sprinkled salt and pepper on the mushroom, then added shichimi after it finished grilling.
"Mm... good..."
Thousand Faces also shook salt and pepper onto its mushroom.
After grilling, it ate without adding shichimi.
"...Tasty, ges."
"...Once we've eaten... we head out..."
"Got it, but are you two planning to fight on your own, ges?"
"Mm... no need to worry... Riv has... companions... see... Pakira and Lupinus... are already... on the move..."
"Companions, ges... doesn't concern me, ges..."
"Gesso... you don't... have any friends... do you..."
"I don't need any, ges."
"Mm... being alone is lonely... Riv will... be your friend... friends are... a good thing..."
"...I'll just take the sentiment, ges."
Thousand Faces had finished eating the mushroom, so it stood up.
Riv finished eating her mushroom too.
"...Well then... shall we go..."
"You sure make it sound easy, ges."
Thousand Faces let out a sigh.
Riv strode out of the cave in high spirits.
That was when it happened.
Light fell across various points in the Heizen Great Forest, and explosions erupted.
"What the, ges. What on earth is going on, ges!?"
"...The Mausoleum's light dis... gesu... must hurry, yo."
"Hey, wait, Riv!"
Thousand Faces hurriedly chased after Riv as she broke into a run.
She was heading straight for the Queen.