Chapter 161: Summon Senpai to Form the Shadow Garden (Patreon)

The throwing knife in Natsuka's palm vanished without a sound. From within the pillar of golden light, a slender figure slowly stepped out.

It was a white-haired Pallum girl.

When she first appeared, her eyes still held a trace of dazed confusion, as if she'd just been yanked forcibly out of some far-off dream.

But the moment she saw the graveyard before her, her expression changed at once.

The sorrow that surfaced was quiet, yet unmistakable.

[Cunning Rat] Lyra. Former strategist of the Astraea Familia.

This had to be her... right?

Natsuka froze for a moment, frantically digging through fading memories for details.

Only then did he recall that Lyra's hair color had apparently been dyed before.

So it had been white all along, from the very start.

Lyra's eyes swept across the graveyard. She saw no one else there — only the wooden blade she remembered, marking one of the graves.

She let out a small laugh, faint but tinged with relief.

"So she survived after all."

"That's good, then."

Having confirmed that much, she finally turned her head, the corner of her mouth curling back up into her usual careless, sly expression.

"Well now."

"You're the Master who called me back?"

"Are rookies these days really this over the top? To think one could produce a monster like you."

Natsuka downed a bottle of Magic Potion first, then finally looked up to ask her.

"You don't seem surprised at all."

Lyra spread her palms open, as if testing the feel of this body.

"I can sense a bit of it, at least."

"This body of mine right now — it's basically an artificial frame cobbled together from pure magic power, isn't it."

"What an absurd kind of magic."

With that, she stuffed both hands into her pockets and looked at Natsuka with a grin.

"So then."

"Dragging someone as thoroughly dead as me back out — what exactly are you after, kid?"

Natsuka let out a long breath.

That she could accept the situation so readily actually saved him a lot of explaining.

"Good, as long as you understand."

"Keeping you manifested is eating through my magic power fast, so I'll keep this short."

He paused, his tone turning serious.

"Senior, I need your help."

Lyra had been Lv3 in life.

That level happened to fall right at the edge of what Natsuka's summoning magic could currently handle.

The problem was, even just temporarily sustaining Lyra's manifestation was eating up nearly half of Natsuka's spiritual force.

And the longer it dragged on, the cost would only keep climbing.

Without replenishment in between, Lyra could remain manifested in the present world for at most about four hours.

Not to mention permanently summoning an Lv3.

That would cost him six hundred points off each of his fixed ability stats in one go — three stats' worth, all at once.

For Natsuka, currently in a hurry to stockpile stats toward his next level, this was an expense so painful it was simply unacceptable.

When Lyra heard the word 'Senior,' her half-lidded eyes slowly opened wider.

The practiced business smile on her face slowly faded.

That foxlike, calculating look softened considerably too.

"Senior?"

Natsuka didn't bother explaining further, simply pulling out his own long medallion.

It was the very one he'd inherited from Alise.

The instant Lyra saw the medallion, her eyes changed.

"So that's how it is."

"There's already a successor."

She looked Natsuka up and down.

This kid's outline seemed to overlap, bit by bit, with someone else's silhouette in her memory.

Lyra suddenly clicked her tongue.

"You could've said so from the start."

"Here I was keeping up my smile, sounding you out, thinking you were the same breed as me."

Without any hesitation, she lifted her foot and kicked Natsuka.

Natsuka pulled his leg back, his mouth twitching.

"Senior, aren't you the same, though?"

Strangely enough, once Lyra had truly confirmed his identity, Natsuka could clearly feel his own stats climb another notch.

Even the spiritual force needed to sustain Lyra's manifestation suddenly loosened up quite a bit.

Roughly enough to cover another seven hundred points' worth at Lv1.

Something clicked in Natsuka's mind.

Could this summoning method actually carry a same-Familia favorability bonus?

If that were true, once he leveled up later, maybe he should prioritize calling back the other Seniors, one after another.

Just as he was thinking this, Lyra had already reached up, pressed a hand to his head, and rubbed it roughly a couple of times.

Once she finished, she spoke up lazily.

"Go on, then."

"You said you needed my help. What for?"

Natsuka quickly laid out the general situation.

After hearing it, Lyra raised a hand to cover her face, as if she'd been laughed into exasperation.

"That idiot Ryuu."

"Pathetic enough that a junior has to worry over her. What an embarrassment."

After that jab, she snapped straight back into analysis mode, mind racing.

"So you called me out to use me as bait — lure out the hidden Perseus, and use that to pin down Ryuu's location?"

Natsuka nodded.

"Right."

"And we also need to head deep into the Large Tree Labyrinth."

"The terrain there is too complicated, and none of us know it well. Having a Senior who knows the place would make things a lot easier."

Lyra's mouth split into a sly grin.

She casually smacked Natsuka on the backside, her tone as light as if they were heading out on a picnic.

"Don't worry."

"Just leave it to your Senior here."

"Kick up a little noise and that four-eyes will come crawling out on his own."

By the time they returned to the center of Rivira, Natsuka arrived at the agreed meeting point with Lyra, now wrapped in a cloak, beside him.

Kuroneko was already there waiting.

She spotted the short stranger beside Natsuka at a glance, and her eyes immediately turned wary.

"And who's this?"

Natsuka explained offhandedly.

"A helper I found."

"Lv3, a veteran adventurer."

Beneath her hood, the corner of Lyra's mouth curled up slightly.

"You can call me [Cunning Rat]."

At the sound of her voice, Kuroneko narrowed her eyes slightly.

A woman?

He'd gone off on one trip and come back with yet another woman?

She shot Natsuka a glare.

Natsuka could only laugh awkwardly and pretend not to notice.

Not long after, Yuuki returned as well, bringing Kaori Miyazono and Lefiya with her.

Natsuka asked directly.

"Find anything out?"

When Yuuki came back, she too glanced at Lyra first, but didn't ask further, only shook her head.

"Not much."

"We only know [Perseus] was spotted on the twentieth floor today."

"As for Senior Gale... people only mentioned seeing a masked elf enter the eighteenth floor. Nothing else was clear."

Natsuka repeated it under his breath.

"Entered the eighteenth floor, huh…"

He had a rough idea now.

Asfi had probably gotten hold of the same information, and that was why she kept tracking further down.

For now, it seemed the best plan was to find her first, then pool together whatever information each of them had.

A while later, the last missing member of the party finally showed up.

But once Natsuka got a clear look at the newcomer's outfit, he froze on the spot.

Minoru Kageno was wrapped head to toe in a pitch-black cloak, his face impossible to make out.

The cape trailing behind him seemed to writhe like some ominous, squirming slime — from a distance, he looked exactly like some evil villain boss making his grand entrance.

Natsuka's mouth twitched.

Lord Shadow.

What skin have you swapped into this time?

Lyra reacted faster, already drawing her weapon and stepping in front of Natsuka to block.

"Who are you?"

Shadow shot her a cold glance, his voice dripping with disdain.

"Trash. You're not worthy of knowing my name."

A vein throbbed on Lyra's forehead.

"Huh?"

Lefiya, however, suddenly seemed to remember something, and let out a muffled cry of surprise, hand over her mouth.

"Ahhh, it's you!"

"It really is you!"

"The one who saved me before... Mr. Trash?"

"You're still alive!"

Beneath his hood, the corner of Shadow's mouth visibly stiffened for an instant.

In the end, he only gave a cold snort.

Natsuka, at a loss for words, could only reach out and press a hand on Lyra's shoulder.

"Relax, he's on our side."

Still not entirely convinced, Lyra looked Shadow up and down again, head to toe.

However she looked at it, this guy didn't fit the vibe an Astraea Familia member should have.

If you actually threw him into Evilus, he'd probably fit right in as some executive.

Natsuka had no choice but to lean in close to her ear and explain quietly.

"He's also a helper I found on short notice."

As Natsuka gave a brief rundown of the situation, Lyra's expression grew more and more complicated.

"Justice that hides in the shadows to hunt down evil?"

"There are still kids this weird running around in the world?"

Natsuka let out a dry laugh.

"Justice is like the stars in the sky — it comes in all shapes."

Lyra thought it over and actually nodded.

After all, her own Familia had once had its share of people who believed 'beauty is justice' too.

Compared to that, Shadow's whole shtick didn't seem so unbearably absurd.

At that moment, Shadow slowly stepped in front of the group, tipping his chin up, and launched into a self-introduction with full theatrical flair.

"My name is Shadow."

"Leader of [Shadow Garden], the special unit under the Astraea Familia."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Natsuka silently rolled his eyes internally, but played along smoothly out loud.

"Shadow Garden is an assassination organization dedicated to hunting Evilus."

"[Gale] is one of Shadow Garden's executives."

"And so is [Cunning Rat] here."

The rest of the group listened, dazed — they didn't fully understand, but it all sounded impressive somehow.

Lyra, however, suddenly found herself intrigued by the whole setup.

"Dwelling in shadow, hunting darkness, is that it?"

"Hm. Actually sounds about right."

Her eyes curved into a smile, her tone carrying a note of approval.

"Compared to Ryuu, my hands aren't exactly clean either."

"Having a cover identity like this isn't bad, actually."

But right as she said this, she suddenly turned her head and, with a touch of curiosity, asked Natsuka.

"Oh, right."

"So then, what's your justice?"

Natsuka's expression froze on the spot.

His gaze darted about, and he coughed once, forcibly changing the subject.

"Oh, hey, where's Minoru Kageno?"

"How come I don't see him in person? Don't tell me some thug kidnapped him on the way here."

Lyra immediately shot him a displeased glare.

"Hey, you still haven't answered me."

"Don't tell me your reason is weird too?"

[Author's Note: Requesting flowers/votes.]

Yuuki noticed Natsuka's slight embarrassment, pressed her lips together in a small smile, and smoothly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Big Brother Kageno mentioned it earlier."

"He said his strength still isn't enough and his weapon broke, so he's planning to stay behind in Rivira and run his stall to earn back the repair money first. That's why he's not coming with us this time."

Natsuka glanced over at Lord Shadow, standing off to the side, silent as an ice sculpture.

So this was the game he was playing.

But the next moment, Lyra suddenly seemed to remember something, her eyes lighting up.

"Fried potato balls?"

"Someone sells fried potato balls here in Rivira too?"

"It's been ages since I've had Jaga Maru Kun. Can you take me to try some first?"

The moment she finished speaking, Shadow's whole body went rigid.

Beneath his hood, his eyes bored into Lyra with a cold stare, killing intent nearly turning tangible.

Natsuka nearly couldn't hold back a laugh.

Uh oh.

Lord Shadow, major crisis incoming.

"Fried potato balls, my ass."

Shadow cut Lyra off flatly, his tone cold and dead serious.

"I smell the scent of darkness."

"Evilus has a hand in this incident."

"Move out immediately. No unrelated business."

In his own mind, Minoru Kageno had already filed this rescue mission under 'main storyline.'

And since it felt like the main story, it was naturally the perfect moment for [Shadow Garden]'s grand entrance.

Natsuka caught his meaning the instant he heard it and played along flawlessly on the spot.

"Yes, Lord Shadow."

Shadow nodded, satisfied.

"X, take everyone to change into uniforms."

"We have a mission to carry out."

"Everyone else is temporarily folded into [Shadow Garden] as well."

The codename "X" symbolized the unknown and the mysterious.

...That was a name Natsuka had used back when he used to play along with Shadow's roleplaying.

In a certain sense, he really was one of [Shadow Garden]'s earliest members.

"Uniforms?"

Natsuka caught the bundle Shadow tossed his way and opened it to find several black combat suits neatly folded inside.

None of them looked cheap.

He reached out to touch one and immediately felt how exceptional the fabric was.

"Sprite loincloth?"

"With low-grade magic resistance built in too?"

"It even has a bit of mental fortitude recovery effect?"

Natsuka was genuinely startled.

"Boss, where on earth did you get the money for gear like this?"

This kind of loadout was already approaching third-tier adventurer standards.

Shadow's expression was matter-of-fact.

"Contribution Points, obviously."

"Also, let me remind you again."

"I leveled up."

Natsuka snapped right into character, eyes brimming with exaggerated worship.

"As expected of Lord Shadow!"

In his mind, though, he quickly did the math.

Shadow had basically dumped his entire level-up reward plus all the Contribution Points he'd saved up into this.

Good thing they'd won the War Game.

Otherwise Astraea's side might not have been able to come up with money like this at all.

A rough estimate put it at well over ten thousand valis.

It hurt just to think about.

Very much hurt.

What surprised Natsuka most, though, was that Shadow had actually held back this time, not spending it on some flashy, impractical classic outfit.

Instead, he'd genuinely poured it into boosting the Familia's combat strength.

For the sake of those ten-thousand-plus valis...

Fine, then.

He'd play along all the way today.

Natsuka clapped his hands.

"Let's go. We'll rent a room and change."

"From now on, our identity is [Shadow Garden], the ones who cleanse the darkness."

Yuuki caught the teasing note in his tone, but still smiled and took the combat suit into her arms.

Kuroneko had always been fond of this dark-abyss aesthetic, and naturally raised no objection.

In the end, everyone changed and reappeared.

Even Lyra was given a suit.

That one had originally been meant for Lili — clearly, Shadow had already worked out the roster from the very start.

After changing, Natsuka gave his cape a flourish and struck a showy pose in front of Shadow.

"Boss, how do I look?"

Shadow gave him a once-over, terse and to the point.

"Not bad."

Before long, a group clad in black slipped mysteriously into the nineteenth floor, under the odd, wary stares of Rivira's residents.

The entrance to the nineteenth floor was a natural passage formed by countless massive, branching tree roots.

Thick roots coiled and spread all the way down, as if an entire living forest had been crammed underground.

This was what adventurers called the natural medicine storehouse.

The Large Tree Labyrinth.

As the name suggested, this floor was a paradise of plants.

Everywhere the eye could see were tree trunks, vines, strange flowers, and unusual fruit.

They grew on the walls, hung from the ceiling, sprouted from every crack — there was almost no open ground left.

Of course, aside from medicinal herbs, the most common things here were poisonous plants and venomous insects.

No wonder most adventurers prioritized [Abnormal Resistance] when developing their abilities.

So — Natsuka turned his head to look at Kuroneko, his tone as solemn as if issuing an order.

"Kuroneko... no, I should call you [Fallen Saint]."

"I'm counting on you for support."

Kuroneko's expression stayed calm as she reached up to smooth the hem of her outfit.

"No problem."

"I'll handle it."

Poison and curses were never much of an issue for her to begin with.