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When Hamel told them to run, Ono asked urgently.

“Where are we going?!”

Hamel didn’t know that either.

But what was certain was that this place was a deathtrap.

Hamel ran toward the rear and shouted.

“This way!”

“That way…”

Ono trailed off for a moment as he followed Hamel.

No wonder; several chimeras were running in the direction Hamel was heading.

“Damn.”

Ono and the others steeled themselves and readjusted their grips on their weapons.

There was no choice.

If not backward, they had to go forward, but there was a gargoyle that way.

The gargoyle was dealing with chimeras now, but if Hamel and the others approached, it would surely attack.

Clearly, breaking through one side was better than being attacked from both.

And if they had to fight, the chimeras would be easier than the gargoyle.

‘But even so, that number of chimeras…’

They were by no means easy opponents.

Depending on the type, chimeras ranged from mid-level to high-level monsters.

And the one Hamel fought before coming down from the spire had been close to high-rank.

‘If we’re unlucky, we might lose an arm or a leg.’

If the fight dragged on, the gargoyle could attack from behind.

This was a battle of time.

Even if they got hurt, quickly subduing the enemies was the priority.

Were Ono and the others thinking the same?

They were all preparing to attack, disregarding defense, when it happened.

“Everyone, fall back!”

Hamel suddenly darted alone into the midst of the chimeras.

Seeing this, the party members froze with wide eyes.

Hamel’s command was almost a conditioned reflex.

They stopped, but unease flickered in their gazes.

But wasn’t it dangerous even for Hamel?

They watched him with worried eyes.

swoosh

Hamel began to scatter something at the enraged chimeras charging at him.

And the next moment.

“…Krrk?”

“Ssssss!”

An unbelievable thing happened.

One chimera suddenly began rolling on the ground, rubbing its body against it.

Another chimera shook its head like mad and hopped up and down in place.

The remaining chimeras leapt back in surprise and then started fleeing.

“…What is this?”

Ono and the others blinked and watched.

Hamel waved his hand urgently.

“It won’t last long! Run!”

“…!”

Only then did the party regain their senses and start running.

The chimeras couldn’t recover their wits even as people ran past them.

Having put several chimeras aside like that, Hamel and the party quickly left the clearing where the spire stood.

It wasn’t over yet.

They rounded an alley and caught their breath, but they couldn’t be careless.

Chimeras’ cries echoed from all directions; who knew how many had been released.

Still, Ono couldn’t help himself; while running he asked Hamel.

“What the hell did you do this time?”

“It’s nothing special.”

Hamel answered calmly and handed something he held to Ono.

A clump of green herbs.

What on earth was this?

Ono took it, tilted his head, and smelled it.

Then he frowned and muttered.

“Isn’t this… mint?”

“More precisely, it’s a mint called catnip.”

Hamel nodded at Ono’s words and replied.

Then he took several things from his bag and tossed them to Daniel, Rupert, and Rena as he spoke.

“And that container with the liquid is ammonia, that powder is sulfur, and the jar contains rats.”

flinch

Rena, who was about to open a box, nodded and closed it again.

Suddenly, what was all this about?

Seeing the party’s expectant faces, Hamel continued.

“A chimera is a monster made of various animals mixed together.”

The animals attached to a chimera retain characteristics from their original species.

So Hamel had been using those traits against chimeras until now.

“This mint is effective against felines and similar beasts. Just being nearby makes them drool and go limp.”

It’s a reaction similar to being intoxicated.

Not only cats, but lions and tigers also can’t keep their wits.

Conversely, there are things beasts hate.

“Animals with keen senses of smell generally detest ammonia. Reptiles like snakes dislike sulfur.”

At that, Rena shook a jar and asked.

“Then what about the rats?”

“Just watch; here they come.”

Hamel looked at a chimera thundering toward them.

A monster with a bear’s body and the head of a great horned owl.

A chimera seemingly modeled after an ‘owl-bear.’

When Rena tossed the jar, a rat inside popped out.

The owl’s neck swung 180 degrees and it lunged toward the rat.

“That’s what it’s for.”

“It’s definitely effective.”

Daniel said, astonished as he watched.

After a moment, Ono, still unconvinced, asked.

“But how did you know to bring all this? Wait, you didn’t…”

Ono then recalled Hamel’s reaction when he saw the chimera earlier.

When Hamel came down from the spire, didn’t he make a face like he’d realized something?

“You knew? That there would be chimeras here?”

Hamel nodded at the question.

“Yes. It was a guess, but still.”

“How?”

“It’s simple.”

David was expelled from the Colorless Mage Tower for studying chimeras.

Specifically, he was researching how to revive chimeras.

At the mansion they used shadows to manipulate the dead like puppets, and at Lonelybirch Vinea was used to control the dead, wasn’t it?

And in the north they ultimately summoned undead.

Given that, it wasn’t a guess but a certainty that he would prepare chimeras, his specialty.

That’s why Hamel had earlier asked Rupert to prepare them.

“Honestly, what would we have done without the chimeras?”

Ono asked, incredulous.

Hamel tilted his head and replied.

“Wouldn’t it have been better if we didn’t have them?”

“…I suppose that’s true.”

Hamel once again tossed a sprig of catnip and bound the leg of an oncoming chimera.

The chimera with a lion’s head rubbed its body against the fallen sprig and collapsed.

“Seen like this, it’s kinda cute.”

At Rena’s murmured remark, everyone fell silent.

‘Is that cute?’

They were puzzled but soon shook their heads and dismissed the thought.

After all, Rena’s mind being peculiar was nothing new.

How long they ran like that, no one could say.

After a long while avoiding or knocking down the sporadically appearing chimeras.

Seizing a lull in the silence, the party hid themselves in a shrine.

Inside the shrine, only the party’s breathing filled the air.

“Quiet.”

No more sounds of battle came from outside.

Ono spoke with a faintly hopeful expression.

“There were a lot of chimeras; maybe that gargoyle’s dead by now?”

“No.”

Hamel shook his head.

It wasn’t the sort of thing that would die easily.

Even if dozens of chimeras attacked, it would have killed them all and survived.

He had that feeling.

“Let’s summarize the situation.”

Hamel drew the attention of the resting party members.

They needed to make a plan moving forward.

“Currently, only one spire has been lit. Thanks to that, about one-third of the path up the mountain is open.”

“I see.”

Those waiting for Hamel and Rena at the base of the spire nodded at the unfamiliar news.

Hamel continued speaking.

“However, the problem is that the situation is far more dangerous than expected.”

Two spires remained.

By day, they only had to watch out for shadows.

Normally, they’d move during the day and climb when the spire’s path opened at night.

Carry a torch lit during the day up the spire at night and quietly set it aflame.

That would be the usual way to bypass this dungeon.

But now they couldn’t do that.

Because of…

“Chimeras.”

At Hamel’s mutter, everyone frowned and nodded.

The chimeras David created reacted to light.

They hid quietly during the day and swarmed toward any light at night.

That would inevitably cause a commotion, and the noise would draw the gargoyle.

Of all things, facing the gargoyle would be a life-risking task.

They had to avoid that at all costs.

In short, it was a huge problem for Hamel and the others, who had to climb the spire at night to light it.

If David had prepared these chimeras, he clearly knew this dungeon very well.

“Isn’t this hopeless?”

Ono muttered irritably.

The chimeras had rendered the standard countermeasures useless.

So what should they do?

They pondered for a moment when suddenly.

Rena spoke calmly.

“How about this?”

“Tell us.”

Hamel nodded and listened attentively.

Rena raised two fingers and said.

“Split the party.”

“Split them?”

“Yes.”

Rena nodded and continued her explanation.

“The real problem is time. If we could light one spire per day, there’d be many options. But we’re short on people. So split into two groups and each climb a different spire.”

“And then?”

“Wait for morning.”

Rena said as if it were obvious.

At night, they can climb the spire like they did tonight.

But don’t light it at night; wait.

Then when the sun rises and morning comes, light it.

The chimeras won’t swarm toward light, and the method of ascending the spires is solved.

“Oh.”

Everyone admired the plausible solution.

Ono suddenly raised his hand, something occurring to him.

“Wait, but won’t it be daytime when you come down? You won’t be able to see the path, will you?”

Rena shrugged at Ono’s question.

“You’ll have to feel your way down the path you came up.”

“…”

They didn’t have time to wait for night again, and they’d be picked off by chimeras drawn to a lit spire.

Once more, the party sank into silence.

Only Hamel calmly nodded.

“There is no other way.”

“…Brutal.”

Ono grumbled but had to agree.

There simply was no better option.

The plan was decided.

On the third day’s sunrise, light the spires and rendezvous at the mountain’s foothill.

Then proceed up the mountain and assault the dungeon.

There were roughly two hours left before sunrise.

Hamel checked the time and said calmly.

“Everyone, rest as much as you can.”

They didn’t say it aloud, but everyone knew the unspoken follow-up.

Hamel closed his eyes and quietly rehearsed the unsaid words.

‘The next two days will be exhausting.’