『Karmic Flame Calamity Meteor』.
By linking the magic 『Karmic Flame Calamity』 with the skill 『Flame Phantasm Transformation』, Margaret had developed her own unique Karmic Flame transformation magic, the magic-form shift she alone could perform.
『Flame Phantasm Transformation』
· allows "chant-shaping" of fire magic
· expands the magic's range, extends its reach, and increases its speed
...
Standing at the heart of the sea of fire, the heat waves whipped her red dress so it streamed and snapped, her waist-length fiery hair dancing in the scorching currents. In that moment, set against this blazing scene, Margaret let every last bit of her charm and presence bloom unreserved.
For a moment, everyone watched, a little dazed.
Laurier looked down at the strands of wind magic coiling around her beloved sword, then looked back at Margaret, dazzling as a queen of flame, and suddenly felt... her own wind magic wasn't quite so "impressive" anymore.
She used to take quiet pride in having the same wind-attribute supplementary magic as that "little princess" of Loki Familia, but seeing Margaret this bold and striking, all that was left in her heart was a thick wave of envy.
"All right, Laurier, stop just standing there being jealous."
Leon laughed and ruffled her hair.
"Fire magic has its strengths... heavy burst, brutal destruction. Wind magic has its own advantages... fast, sharp. Everyone in the familia masters magic with its own character. There's nothing to compare."
He pointed at himself.
"If you really want to be jealous, I'm jealous of you and Aura. Wind magic is nimble, nature magic is versatile. Not like fire... which, as everyone knows, is the classic 'wheelchair magic.'"
Wheelchair type?
Off to the side, Aura's eyebrows couldn't help but twitch, that perpetually tense little face giving the faintest spasm.
Isn't that just a fancy way of saying poor mobility, bad at chasing and moving... "wheelchair magic," what a way to put it...
And the fact that you've mastered ice magic, you're not going to bring that up at all, huh?
Just then, watching Margaret walk slowly toward them, each step leaving a scorched-black footprint hissing faint wisps of smoke behind her, the sea of fire dying out at her back, Persephone pushed up her glasses.
"If you ask me, the one to envy should really be Iri's magic. Gorgeous, refined, elegant... even her fighting looks like a work of art."
Hearing that, Leon glanced at her, a little surprised.
He honestly hadn't expected Persephone to favor Iri's alchemical magic style.
But after thinking back on her everyday dress and bearing, he found himself musing...
If I remember right, Persephone came from the high nobility of some great nation too, with a ducal title, I think? So... I scored myself a duchess?
Put that way, it was kind of a turn-on.
Especially a cool, aloof elder-sister type of a countess...
Rose and Jeanne walked over too, laughing softly in agreement.
"I think Iri's 'Angel's Poem' is the most beautiful too, and it's rare alchemical magic on top of that. Just hearing the name gives you this... mm, high-class feel."
Seeing the topic about to drift off track, Leon hurried to clear his throat and pull it back.
"Anyway, let's hurry up and clean up the field. No telling how many monsters Margaret torched with that fire, and there are 『Magic Stones』 all over the ground. We need to collect them fast. If we leave them, and other monsters swallow them up, the adventurers around here are going to have a real problem."
With the battle over, the "support team" and the "combat team" merged back together.
Everyone had been crowded around Margaret, chattering excitedly about her performance just now, but when they heard Leon's reminder, they quickly dropped the easy talk and turned serious.
Jeanne clapped her hands, her expression severe.
"Leon's right. This is the Dungeon. It may be the 『Middle Floors』, and the danger isn't high for our strength, but we still have to keep our guard up."
She took out Leon's "old brass pocket watch" and checked the time, then went on laying out the plan.
"And it's getting late. Everyone, clean up the field quickly, and after that we'll scout the Monster Rex's room. If Goliath hasn't been born yet, we head straight for the [Under Resort] to rest. But if it's already blocking the way... then we'll have to be ready to take on the Monster Rex."
Monster Rex, the Giant, Goliath!
Hearing that name, different expressions surfaced on everyone's faces.
Some were itching for it, like Laurier, Aura, and Kureha.
The last few times they'd subjugated Monster Rex, the Giant, Goliath, their levels had still been low, so they could only handle support work (odd jobs). A whole battle would go by with hardly any sense of involvement. But today was different from before. The rapid rise in their strength over this period left them all eager to test their growth in this fight.
Others were full of curiosity about the Monster Rex, like Irisviel and Margaret, both joining an 『Expedition』 for the first time. They'd heard the legends of the Monster Rex told and retold by others until their ears had calluses, but no matter how anyone described it, nothing beat experiencing it firsthand.
So they too held high expectations for this possible subjugation battle.
Leon cut in from the side with a laugh.
"I hope it's got some self-awareness. I really don't want the [Under Resort] right there within reach and still be forced to rush through lunch fighting in this crummy stone cave on Floor 17. A nice cookout by the river in the Under Resort is a standing part of the 『Expedition』 I've been looking forward to for ages."
Rose shot him a look and lightly smacked his arm, urging him to get on with cleaning up the field, then narrowed her eyes, her smile gentle but with a hint of mischief, and teased under her breath.
"A cookout by the river? What you're really thinking about... is that pool, isn't it, waiting to sneak a peek at the girls bathing?"
Swish, swish, swish...
Every gaze instantly fixed on Leon.
"..."
His face froze for a beat, but then inspiration struck, and he quickly put on a look of utter scorn and disdain.
"Peeping? As if I'd need to peep?"
"That kind of thing is only for certain repressed types. As for me...?"
"I don't have that sort of hobby."
As he spoke, his expression shifted, and he reached out to gently tip up Rose's chin, making her lift her face to meet his eyes, and smiled wickedly.
"Besides, with you at my side... I don't need to repress anything at all, do I?"
The words left the tips of Rose's ears hot. She slapped away his big greedy paw, then pushed at his back, a touch of bashfulness creeping into her voice.
"Quit running your mouth... go clean up the field already!"
...
"Moo, moooo...!"
The Minotaur's roar was cut off before it could carry far.
Crack!
Leon swung the sturdy Twisted Staff like a sledgehammer, smashing its head open in a single blow. He patiently wiped the filth off the staff, set one hand on his hip, and let out a small sigh.
"I think the plan to have lunch in the [Under Resort] might be going up in smoke..."
By now, they were standing in the one and only passage leading to Floor 18. Gazing at the huge room looming faint and indistinct at the far edge of their sight, then looking around at the many monster corpses they'd slain, they all fell silent for a while.
The monsters were instinctively keeping away from that room.
This kind of anomaly, as veterans, they all knew it far too well.
This was the omen of a "King" about to be born.
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