Adventuring party is on short break.
Green Adventurer Kazuma kneel down, next to fainted Aqua. He intent to re-awake the Goddess of Waterby feeding her with water, from create water spell that force water stream to sprout from his palm. Then by controlling that flow by how much is his palm open or closed like it was a wale on a kitchen sing, he gently feed that stream into wide open mouth of blue girl. It worked like a charm.
Stunned white-black succubus Albedo, with eyes wide open in shock… No!; with Eyes fully widened, pulled out, big like marbles in clear (What was that?? Whats going on?); stared at skeleton-Lich Ainz as he was cheeking that Lip bug worm in his jaw, that he actually used to produce a proper human like voice, when his base artificial voice, created by magic, lack the proper tone and emotions. But now, for some reason, his voice had an unusual high pitch, like if the Lip bug was high on something. He was not sure about whats wrong with the buddy, or if he imagined it. Even if he ask her, how it sounded to her, that woman just shake and sweated a lot, staring at him like a stature; unable to spoke up. So he realize that some tricks, is on play here.
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They all waited for the map bearer to get back to them. After some coughing her green teammate helped her on feet. Megumin the petite explosive red mage got into strange level of nervous when she want to say something, but was hesitating. Kazuma and Aqua actually notice it and turn they attention to her.
Boy was like a big bro/brother to her. "What it is Megumin? Do you actually want to help you best best friend a lot? But you don't want spoil all the work she made, in her way to make actual friends by her own effort?"
Megumin, holding her black kitty Chomusuke in her arms like a doll had a nervous smile as she stare down. "Hm…" The critter look curious as it glanced up at her care taker face, making a soft (Whats up?) meow.
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Blue priestess was on spot crazy positive, excited to help, as she address her younger teammate. "Don't worry Megumin, whit me on you side, we will save Yunyun in no time. And whoever rascal is responsible for this, will be punished by the fist of god!"
Yet Kazuma bark in response at the goddess. "Hey!! Don't even try to raise that dam flag! I can actually see, that this will turn into giant mess the moment you step in." He dint oppose the idea, but the method. "We must approach the hart of maiden with at last some kind of plan. Its a Yunyun for the sake of love. If we let you go lose, that pure hatred girl will be cringe/cringing so hard, that we will have a completely different problem at hand." Then he stomp the floor. "More importantly, where is the third class?; damn it!"
Little Chomusuke, with focused expression meow as she point her paw toward the ultra boring corridor where was nothing, as if it wanted direct they attention on something there.
Puck the fluffy spirit squeak like he was caught doing a prank. "He, he. So you noticed that to? There is something that want to push us from even paying attention to it. Like: (Go away! Go away!) Just how many of you noticed, that I already, fix my air-bornposition twice, from how much it pushing me away mid-flight?"
As response, pure snow-white elf Emilia, followed red mage example and offered her fluffy companion her warm arms, on which he accepted to be carried like a pet or child.
And yet, it was the little blonde soldier Tania, who was thinking aloud. "Hmm… A conceal spells, then? A one, that is too good to be just a coincidence. Like a secret door hidden in plain sight, that leads to a secret society. On contrast, it was a clever move to bring a specialist in mage. I praise you for that Megumin." As she praised the red mage, she look up at Lich face, with a gentle smile, pointing toward that corridor. "Can you do something about it?"
A clear embarrassing moment erupted in Ainz as he was caught of guard, while still hesitating to use the Lip bug. He stop himself from (Hmm) responding. And if he use his original undead voice, the third voice can create a confusion, so he just raise his glance toward the corridor, pretending to thinking.
Of course Albedo, quickly awake from her stunned state, as she had a jealousy moment, from how those two were bonding. "Please, where is the party element if we solve everything?" Then she point toward that corridor. "More importantly: Why you all looking into a wall?"
Cursed boy Subaru in black, responded to that. "So that's what you perceive as it is. Ainz, are you trying to tell me, that If you don't pick Albedo to accompany you;She will be running around like a heedless chicken? Causing pointless troubles as she will randomly crashing onto a things?"
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Because the skeleton mage agreed to that, clearly avoiding the betting gig; ("Hmm, lets go with this version!"); it triggered a quick maiden like whine reaction from the succubus; "Why is this (Headless chicken stuff) a thing?!"; clearly don't getting the (Hot chick = chicken = hen = winged sexy female person in love sick) reference.
That's why Visha asked Tania about it and the short girl tried to explain, that is a case of muscle memory. That chickens actually don't need its brain to walk around and act like one. As it happen they can run away from butcher knife, if the slash is clean to point that it don't cause a shock that will kill the animal. Ironically, the presented case of the one who continued to live on farm even without the head, when caretaker helped to feed it, got stuck on something narrow and suffocated.
Kazuma must ask a rhetorical question (Why this trivia is so important for them to know?). Bet he just redirected his attention on Megumin, asking her if its okay, for so many students to be absent. Because even if it they go with a method to rely that message (Don't worry, I told Darkness, to say to Roswal, that I am tailing you.); then our crusader will hand that responsibility to another person, because she too decided to follow them into the dungeon; this can quickly escalate into a situation; when somebody tailing somebody, who tailing somebody and so on.
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Because Puck like to tease, he must ask a tricky question. "Was that an explanation of a school trip in basis?"
Before Emilia had a chance to do anything more that cute expression of realization, Subaru turn to the empty hall that seemed to go for infinity as far as light disappear in far distance and shout. "He~~y!! If anybody is behind us, hurry to join the main team!!"
But it was Kazuma who drop the cold truth. "Hey! What if some bad-ass monster will show up?"
Redirected to this theme was even a Tanya. "Maybe a level boss? Next time, you will tell me that, we are speed running." Visha next to her was not sure what that is about, but trauma memory kick in, and she quickly fix and check her posture and uniform, to be on spot combat ready.
Missing that reference to games Albedo make a proudly pose. "Directly to the source, I see. It will be best to address a floor guardian, for a guidance. At all, we have a supreme being here." [Ainz, according the Point of view from NPC, in old Igrassil game.]Yet the man, was embarrassed to heard to be said so proudly.
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The discussion lose its direction as they start talking about; (Who wants to make a tip, of who got lost here and had been forgotten?) But because many of them, one after other, spoke the same name (Darkness…), they look around, as if they expect to saw that crusader, leaning out from some hole, or be half-way stuck in wall, as if she they look for a wall-clip glitch. They really questioned if she actually, did go to the class room, or if she use this opportunity to gallop into unexplored dungeon, to heroically face the unknown.
Meanwhile and elsewhere, this blonde shivered in cold, heavy blushing stating that someone, somewhere, is intensively talking about her. And she got excited about what is going to happen to her in near future.
In contrast the Succubus got a sour expression, that as head of floor guardians [Chief of floor bosses, and (not)last before BIG boss of dungeon. [Ainz]], shes admit that for some reason that blonde woman is a nuisance to deal. Then she step closer toward her lord, having a pure intention, to keep him safe, to protect him against that crusader's (impure attacks?).
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Green advent, nervous of not having a sight on that noble lady, but still having a responsibility as a party leader, sighed. "Is there any other, topic to delay us from the thing we come here to do?"
Because that white woman was already flirting with the skeleton, making him nervous as she lean on him, red mage drop a little thing, regard Albedo's yapping. "Also, Albedo san, you shall not be so cruel to that poor lizard."
Albedo got cocky, throwing a warning glance at the party. "Anybody, who dare to challenge me, in front of my lord; will get the full of me. That creature shall be lucky, that I give it a mercy of a swift death, for daring to stand in front of my and my lord." And she clenched her fist, while looking nihilistic. It was (I crushed them!) expression.
Because Megumin noted; that the second one died, just from watching what happened to the previous one: that woman make a proudly stand, with her hands on her hip and nose risen high. "I know answer to this question. As Mare mentioned it, I was;-- aura farming!" [Mare, sibling to Aura, is a book worm elf child. A mage controlling nature, from Ainz group.]
Also Lich had a though, as he still struggle with his voice worm. (("We do talking about a palm sized Salamandra lizard, yes? Then why it sound, like she slayed a golden dragon and treat it like a pest found in granary."))
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Kazuma Sato, scratched back of his head as he was ready to move on. "Okay, its time to address an elephant in the room. And, No! Its a figurative speech, of a situation; where we all on purpose evading a certain topic or truth." He turn his head toward the blue priestess who was once again studying the damn adventurer diary map. "Aqua~a, you had been silent this entire time. Did you figure it out? Or do we give you an another minute? Where,-- is,-- the Third class?"
Map holder was already nervous trying to solve some kind of brain puzzle, when she got tick off from that question. So she bark back. "I keep telling you, that the class room is right there! The only problem in our way, is this space-bending barrier, from which I don't have a password to it. It is even written in this Atlas, but the line is: (The password is:…) Except, the line of actually password is missing, because (The password is:…) line is already at the end bottomof the paper. There was no space to write it down!" She glared at that corridor greeting angry teeth at it. "Its kind of ticking me off, on how effective that simple spelling concept is, in comparison to my refined techniques. Oh, and don't start about the meaning of the barrier! The malice signature is written all over it. Who ever raised it, Its not for protection, it was for preventing a randoms to reach that place, clearly by spite."
As she talk, other too tried to look onto the corridor; glaring, making a frown, or adjusting theirs eye sight; in hope to see at last something there. And truly, when they give it a second look, that place really look, like its literally asking to have a door somewhere there.
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Aqua once again glared at her green companion as it was her who stomp the floor this time. "But because dam gate to the sanctuary, is a sacred related, I just can use Sacred breaker on it. I muss open it regularly. So the moment, I have the password key, we can enter. Its somewhere here, written down, I can feel it. And don't bother, with just trying to walk in and hoping to found the door. You will just slip around it, like a soap bubble, without noticing. Because the place itself we seek, was subtracted from the dimension formula."
With all seriousness on his face, Kazuma placed his palm on blue girl shoulder as he look deep into her eyes. "Who are you?; and what you do to Aqua? On second though; newer mind! Welcome to the party!" He do ride a (God job!) thumb, as he often complain for her, calling her useless and menace to his health. He even once put on message board in their gild; a (Party, searching for a priest.) request post. But as tears rose into her eyes, she puffed her cheeks, holding her breath, as she wanna scream at him, throwing a tantrum.
Meanwhile, Subaru tested what blue girl said, by folding a paper plane from a sheet of paper and throwing it lose onto the corridor. It flies and flies into a distance, until it suddenly appear in front of them. It flew right to them, so the black-cursed boy, catch it on reflex, before it hit him. It surprised him to point he declare that this door mechanic is above his skill. Entire group saw that.
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Yet, fearless leader Kazuma (self proclaimed), turn to the Red mage. "Hey Megumin! Can you do me a solid one? Can you scream at the entire corridor: A Fireball? While pretending to cast a fire spell?" That girl, frown at him, asking why she shall do it. She was obviously playing hard to get, as the boy knew, that she know only one spell, the giant explosion. Except he just respond with question: "So, you don't want?; to yap at the full lungs, while be on a spotlight?"
Black kitten Chomusuke in her hands, look at him for a second confused.Then she smiled, making a mischievous grin; because it know, that this line was a selling point for crazy girl. She stand up in front of the party, in a cool pose and a spark in eye. Still holding her familiar in one arm, she flip her cape to flow (in wind) while making a too emotional chanting. No she shout: "Hear the roar of my soul coated in the crimson flame!:" She reach out her open palm shouting: "Fireball!" Even cat join, making loud meow, as if she to was changing a spell.
We shall not forget that there was in they party an expert in magic. An undead wizard, a Lich lord who was somehow silent this entire time, as if that voice change was a too embarrassing for him. So when the red mage was shouting her fake chanting, Ainz rise his hand. Whoever cool he look, he was unable to wispier, so once againhe release that high pinch during chanting. "Greater spell break!" It was as if his open palm press on something invisible in distance.
That (squeak) caused other to hold they giggle. Especially Albedo was shaking, once again having the big marble ball eyes, as she was in great internal conflict. Then when nobody was looking, she averted herself from her lord putting a hand on her chest, the other on mouth, as if she was trying to manage her breathing. Did she resisted to laugh or giggle, so hard, that it take a burden on her?
Luckily for her, they all heard a sound of something made of glass, breaking into a shards. It was a sound of something supernatural, been canceled. Then as some kind of spell broke apart, they saw dispersing some kind of Mirage Illusion, revealing that the hall is actually filled by the doors to individual classes. This was indeed, an actual school hallway. Plus Megumin was so happy from the collaboration, that she was sparkling with a smile.
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Just as question rose as why there is so many doors, and which of them is the correct one; it was Subaru, who confidently stand in front of the party. "Leave this to me! I had a match with a mage who switch the entry to its domain across all doors in mansion, and I nailed it correctly, every time."
Kazuma put his hand on Subaru shoulder. "Then I have and unbroken luck, of always wining a scissor, stone, paper. Let me hand you my lucky hand." They had a quick bro talk exchange as the first one though something else when the second said lucky hand. Except the second frown stating its the other one, clearly catching on whats the problem with that punch line.
Others were curious of where this lottery can lead them, clearly not touching the simplest solution of trying every door, one by one. They dint even bother to look at the sign, hanging above the door, for what is written on it.
Then Aqua join the initiative, supporting them by casting a blessing spell on the duo. She make a little dance pose and sparkling from above descended to them.
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Cursed boy, quite soon chose a door that even if they look same as the rest, had this boring aura to it, and put his hand on the handle. Yet he wait as he glanced back with a grin, as the rest of the party, group around to watch. "Its show time!"
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[notes:] About that Lip bug. Its interesting that after I write down the beta version of this chapter; I learn some trivia about his worm, that make me to go back to my text and make slight edit, to be accurate. At first when I learn about that trivia, I was (Oh no! Do I need to heavy alter the gig? Or shall I ignore it?) But it was not so threatening as it seem to be.
-Act of cringing; Causing feelings of acute embarrassment or awkwardness. "learning about sex and sexuality can be seriously cringe" [Google]