Chapter 20 – [side Hero Party, Oliver] Support Magic

“Were we saved…?”

　Aneri murmurs.

“You think you can say that in this kind of situation!? It’s the worst-case scenario! The Black Dragon has moved to some Boss Area using the ‘Capricious Door’.
Let’s say if it were the 10th floor, what’s going to happen!?”

　Luna dismisses Aneri’s muttering.

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　The explorers who challenge the 10th floor Floor Boss are mostly beginners.
Some of them may have only been explorers for a few days at most. 

　For such explorers to suddenly fight against a deep layer boss. 

　If that happens, I can imagine nothing but a beginner who has no clue about anything, trembling as they are trampled by the Black Dragon. 

　The air floating around us becomes even heavier. 

“To think the ‘Capricious Door’ can be used by Floor Bosses… I should have considered that possibility when it showed up at a place it wasn’t supposed to be in….
For now, we need to immediately return to the surface and request the Guild to use Deportation.”

　Luna has regrets about her suggestion, but quickly refocuses and makes a new suggestion. 

　Guild cards have another function in addition to just being able to register them at the crystals set on every floor.
 

　That function is Deportation.

　Deportation refers to the Guild forcibly transferring people within the labyrinth to outside the labyrinth. 

　However, it is only used when a criminal escapes into the labyrinth or during emergency situations, and the Guild cannot use it unnecessarily. 

　This is definitely an emergency.

　It’s unclear which Boss Area it has moved to, but I don’t think there are any explorers who can defeat the Black Dragon.

“You’re right.
We will probably be punished in some way, but this isn’t the situation to be saying that.”

　Derrick and Aneri look dissatisfied, but they don’t argue. 

“After that, replacing Philly with Orn, we will go around to each and every individual Floor Boss.
Today, he should still be diving together with the newcomers of ‘Night Sky’s Silver Rabbit.
After the Deportation, and when we are all brought outside, I’ll somehow try to catch hold of–”

“Wait, wait up!”

　Derrick cuts into the middle of Luna’s proposal.

　It’s true that what she’s saying makes you want to cut in, but it’s really a bad habit of his to not finish listening to people talk.

“…Injured people should quietly receive their treatment.
Because we will need to run later on.”

“Why do you want Orn to join!? We don’t need him! We’re already in a slump.
And if someone lacking abilities–“

“Treatment is done.
Time is short, so let’s continue while we move.”

“Don’t interrupt when people are talking!!”

　……Derrick, there is not a single person here who will agree with what you are saying. 

“Philly, is it alright for you apply [Agility Up] on everyone?”

“Understood……”

　Luna ignores Derrick’s words and requests Philly to activate support magic.

　As our movement speeds increase, we rush to the entrance of the 92nd floor.

　　◇

“…I missed my chance to speak earlier, regarding the matter of you guys saying you’re in a slump, in fact, nothing has changed about you guys.”

　While Luna runs, she begins to continue talking about what she had been saying before she was cut off by the appearance of the Black Dragon. 

“But, it’s not wrong that our abilities have decreased.
Even my Heavenly Flash… this time I couldn’t even inflict damage on that guy.”

　As I speak, my bitterness surges. 

　Why, why didn’t my strongest technique work!?

“The answer is simple.
It’s because Orn isn’t here.
Without accumulating enough mana, the power of your Heavenly Flash has always only amounted to that much.”

　Not enough mana?

　It’s true that I am spending less time to converge the mana compared to what I normally did in the past.

　But that’s because my proficiency with [Magic Convergence] has improved, and even with a shorter duration, I can exert the same or even more power than what I used to be capable of.

“All this while, Orn had been casting original magic on Oliver’s attacks, Derrick’s defences, and Aneri’s magic.
Before talking about that, I want to confirm that we are on the same page, are you aware of the characteristics shared by all support magic?”

　Derrick and Aneri have a bitter look at Luna’s question.
Apparently they can’t answer.

“The multiplier effect depends on the caster, and the effective buff period changes depending on the person who receives the buff, right? If I’m right, the average time is three minutes.
That’s why the Enchanter needs to recast the buff every three minutes, isn’t it?”

　I check if my answer is correct with the one who actually had the job, Philly. 

“Yes, you’re more or less there.
However, in this party, especially Oliver, magic resistances are rather high, so I must redo the buff around every minute, Oliver has a body that makes Enchanters cry…!”

“Don’t say it in such a weird way! Is that so? Philly, you have a higher multiplier effect than Orn, that’s excellent.
There’s no need for you to change anything.”

“Certainly Oliver, there’s truth to what you are saying.  However, that’s only if Orn is merely an ordinary Enchanter.
To avoid misunderstandings in advance, I will say that I do also think Philly is an excellent Enchanter.
When only looking at the multiplier effect of your support magic, it is at a level where you can compete with Selma from ‘Night Sky’s Silver Rabbit’.”

“That’s why that jack of all trades is un–“

“I should have already said it.
That’s only if Orn was an ordinary Enchanter.
Derrick, please stay silent.
The conversation can’t progress otherwise.”

“What!? ――! ―― !!”

　Perhaps Luna used some kind of magic, Derrick looks like he’s yelling, but his voice doesn’t come out. 

　In this party, only Luna and I have Talents. 

　Combining her magic with her Talent, there are many mysteries in the magic she can use.
I have asked about her Talent in the past, but I couldn’t understand even half of it. 

“Orn understood very well that he would be inferior to other Enchanters if he were to only use his own abilities in the normal way.
For that reason, to not fall behind Enchanters, and to work towards differentiating himself, he developed a series of original magic to make up for his shortcomings.
Among those magics, there’s one.
One magic that can raise abilities by around fifty times.”

“That’s impossible!! That… that… assuming if something like that can be used…”

　Philly desperately denies it.

　What’s making her this shocked?

“Even Selma, known as ‘the best Enchanter on the continent’, is said to have support magic with a ten times multiplier effect.
Among such top Enchanters, although it only lasts for an instant less than a second, Orn is the only one who can use a magic that increases abilities by fifty times.”

　–What!?

　Isn’t that guy’s support magic multipier effect supposed to be low? 

“You seem to finally understand.
Oliver’s Heavenly Flash, when you attack while shouting ‘now’, Aneri’s magic, everyone benefited from this fifty-fold increase.
Oliver, you had been getting a leg up from Orn’s support magic to compensate for a shorter convergence time.
If you had properly performed the convergence, I think you could have been able to inflict sufficient damage to that wing.”

　My Heavenly Flash is an attack that goes hand in hand together with Orn’s support magic.

　That’s, a lie.

“Aneri too, mistook the strength of the attacks supported by Orn’s magic for her own power, didn’t she? You never had an ear for when Orn or I would warn you.
As a result, you ended up with the habit of activating magic as fast as possible in exchange for it becoming weaker.
With Orn’s support, even your intermediate-grade attack magic was sufficient, so now you can no longer activate special-grade magic, no?”

“If that’s so, then you shouldn’t have just used words, for example, it would have been better if you didn’t use that ability increasing magic, and teach me by making me feel the effects! Why didn’t you that for me!?”

“By the time Aneri joined the party, we had already reached the 86th floor.
It was not a floor where we could cut corners.
I remember Orn also anguished over the decision.
Even so, as long as Orn was present, your activation speed was desirable.
Besides, Orn did try to bring you along to the middle layers, but the one who said it was troublesome and rejected him was you, wasn’t it?”

“…Does that mean my defence was also supported by that guy…?”

“Yes.
Despite the effect time only lasting for an instant, in that instant, you will gain tremendous ability.
To say more, that magic is something activated on equipment or other magic, so when the buff expires, there is none of that feeling associated with your body suddenly becoming heavier.
–All these, are reasons why I was so against Orn leaving.
Well, I’ve said this much but… have I been able to help you understand?”

　Whether I liked it or not, I was made to understand. 

　The fact is that despite facing a Black Dragon we had previously been able to defeat, we were now completely paralyzed against it.

　Were we a party held together by Orn…?

　No one can speak any further, only the sounds of footsteps continues.

　About twenty minutes after the Black Dragon was transported to another floor, we finally return to the entrance of the Great Labyrinth. 

　Philly had been casting [Agility Up] on everyone every minute, so she is out of breath and sweating an unusual amount. 

　Perhaps all this while waiting for our return, the people who notice us start cheering. 

　We throw a glance backwards at those cheering people as we head to the Explorer’s Guild.