Bonus chapter...
"Goshujin-samaaaaaaaaa!"
"Zenon-bocchamaaaaaaa!"
I hear Urza and Levienna screaming from below.
I try to free my legs from the net, but the net is still tight around my ankles and doesn't seem to come off.
I try to slash it with my sword, but to my dismay, the sheath of the sword comes off from my belt when I was hanging upside down and disappears somewhere.
As I dropped my magic bag, the only item I have is the scales of the drop item I was playing with in my hand. Though it was a very valuable item... the situation was such that it was of no use to me.
So, as I was hanging upside down in the air, I shouted out to my companions below.
"The capital! We'll meet up in the capital of this country! I'll find a way to get out of here on my own...!"
"Pyuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"
"So... Just stay alive! Make sure you make it back alive!"
That was all I could say. Soon the Falcon Pharaoh is soaring and I can't see them anymore.
I think they were shouting something to me at the end... but I couldn't hear them.
"Pyuiiiiiiiiiiii, pyuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"
Falcon Pharaoh lets out a cry like the sound of a flute, and flies through the sky.
Its speed is much slower than before... perhaps due to the damage from the battle.
"In the first place...how did this guy come back to life?"
I ask my question as I'm rocked in the air.
There is no doubt in my mind that this monster bird was dead at that time. It is obvious from the fact that the medal, the proof of Dangerous Pop's defeat, was on the ground.
This means that the bird died and then came back to life.
"Is it possible that it had a resurrection item like a 'phoenix egg'...? No way. If so, someone might have used necromancy to bring it back to life as an undead creature... But who is this someone?"
At that time, there must have been no one in that place but me and my companions.
Even if Falcon Pharaoh was brought back to life as the undead by necromancy, there is no sign of any magic being performed by a [Necromancer] like Lin Hua.
"Did that person cast some kind of magic beforehand? Did that person put a curse inside its body so that the necromancy would be activated when the bird died?"
"Pyuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"
"No... That's not important. Right now, I need to figure out a way to get down to the ground."
I'm still in limbo, trying to figure out a way to get out of this pinch.
I've lost my weapons and my item bag... but come to think of it, I can even use magic. It is possible to use magic to cut the net entangling my legs.
"However... if I try that in this situation, I might die from the fall."
I don't know the exact altitude... but I don't think it's 100 meters.
I've heard that the maximum height a human can handle to is about 40 meters. Even if my body is stronger than usual, I don't think I'll be able to get away unscathed.
Besides, I can't even recover from the damage with potions now that I have dropped my magic bag.
I don't even know where I am. Even if I could go down, with no food or water, there is no guarantee that I could escape from the desert safely.
"However... I can't just stay hanging upside down. I don't know where this guy will take me. However, if I stay like this, my head will explode with blood."
The villain of the century, Zenon Baskerville. It's not funny to think that the current head of the Baskerville family died from being hung upside down.
As I'm trying to think of a way out of this, my vision reverses and I see a scene.
"Is that... an oasis!?"
I saw a large puddle of water in the direction the bird traveled. The oasis is about the size of a pond in a large park.
For some reason, the oasis is covered by a curtain like a tent, and around the oasis are tents set up by people who seem to be travelers with sand dragons.
"Caravans... Just in time!"
If the bird continues to fly, it will pass right over the oasis.
If I cut the net above the oasis and falls, I will fall on the water surface to reduce the impact.
If I can negotiate with the peddlers to share food and water with me, and if they guide me to the nearby town... there is a good chance that I will survive.
"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Don't miss it... don't miss it!"
Around the oasis, some peddlers who had noticed the approaching bird are making a lot of noise. It is a natural reaction when a bird as big as a commercial jumbo jet fly toward them.
"Shadow Edge!"
I timed it carefully... and just in time, I fired the magic. The blade of dark magic severed the net binding my legs.
"...!"
I fall head first into the water and land in the oasis with a big splash.
I managed to land in the center of the oasis. It is deep enough to reduce the impact sufficiently.
(All right, I'm okay... I'm alive...!)
As I sink into the water, I strike a gut-punching pose.
I risked breaking my neck by falling on my head... but I didn't feel much pain. I might have whiplash, but it doesn't seem to be a serious injury.
(I won the bet... it's great to be alive!)
I change my position by scratching the water with both hands, and emerges from the water.
"Puhaaaah!"
As soon as I emerge from the water, the scorching sun hits me.
The cool water feels good. All the sweat on my body is washed away.
"It feels good. It's great... it's like coming back to life!"
The central part of the oasis is quite deep, but I find my feet as I swim toward the shallows.
I walk towards the edge of the oasis, feeling alive and exhilarated...
"Eeek...!?"
"Eh...?"
I realized that I was not the only one immersed in the water.
"Ah...?"
There are two people bathing in the oasis. They are young women.
The girls about my age or a little younger than me. One of them is staring at me with a tense face, and the other one has a puzzled expression on her face.
Both of them had been bathing in the water, so they are completely naked.
It seems that the reason why the oasis was surrounded by a tent was to keep their naked bodies from being seen by the people around them.
"W-Where did you come from...!?"
"You're...? No way...!?"
"..."
A tall girl with a slender body.
A small girl with a well-developed body.
They both looked at me in surprise at the same time... and I silently gave up.
I had no excuse, so I tried to show them that I had no hostile intentions toward them.
But still...
"...Why are you here?"
I mumbled in my mouth without saying it out loud.
The two girls had bright jade-colored hair that was wet with water.
One of them is Shakuna Maafern—the heroine of the sub-scenario for which I came to this country.