Chapter 131 - Chapter 131: The Followers Are Increasing
We are visiting the dungeon to clear Floor 8.
Exhausted from battle, we have arrived at the hot spring on Floor 7.
The troublesome part is that there is a mid-boss battle between Floor 8 and Floor 7, but that is the only floor among all the floors where such a thing exists.
From there on, it is truly a death trap where only those who disregard their lives visit.
While soaking in the hot spring to recover our strength, Tetsuo was performing some sort of Initiation on the mage girls.
It seems that by channeling magic power into the Holy Engraving engraved on the Apostles of Izal, their abilities can be enhanced.
I did the same thing to Sana's Holy Engraving after she begged me, but――.
Surprisingly, it worked.
Furthermore, even for the Princess――.
The abdominal muscles of the Princess wearing a bikini―― a black Holy Engraving floats on her lower abdomen.
When I touch the pattern, magic power flows from within me.
While performing the Initiation on Sana and Kaorulko, the jealous Princess also became an Apostle of Izal.
"Nyaaaaaa!"
Reacting to the magic power flowing into her body, the Princess's body stiffens and spasms violently.
It seems that doing this to a woman is extremely pleasant.
Conversely, doing it to a man brings excruciating pain.
Why did I become able to do such a thing?
Indeed, since I met the God of Izal, even though I am not a follower, I have been able to see Tetsuo's black hole.
According to Tetsuo, perhaps the God wants me to become the Apostle of this world?
――That was what he said.
I don't know why I was liked so much, but if the girls around me receive blessings, it is not a bad thing.
Well, watching Tetsuo, I feel like the God is forcing difficult tasks upon him――.
Rather than me struggling, it would be more painful if something happened to the young girls.
"Darling! Am I the only one left out?!"
While holding the Princess who has fainted with her eyes rolled back, Iroha returned.
"This is something involving the God."
I pointed at Tetsuo.
"Ahaha, so Daisuke has become able to do the same thing as me, huh?"
"Stare." (T/N: Onomatopoeia for staring intently)
Iroha is peering at the Princess lying on her back.
"What's wrong?"
"So, if I believe in the God, I can become part of the group, right?"
"Huh? That's how it turns out――"
"Osh! I will decide to believe in the God too!"
"Is that okay? I thought Iroha wasn't the type to believe in such things――"
"Even the Cherry Princess is doing something that looks so pleasant, that's unfair!"
"No, I don't think it's unfair or anything like that――"
"Iroha-neesan."
Tetsuo entered the scene there.
"Huh?"
"It seems the Princess prayed to the God so she could stay with Daisuke, you know?"
"What?! Is that okay just for that reason?!"
"Well, yes. But selfish wishes are no good, you know?"
"Selfish?"
"In simple terms, it's a bad, forbidden wish. For example―― wanting to monopolize Darling."
We had discussed this a little before, and Sana has a slightly awkward expression on her face.
"If I just pray about Darling, isn't that simple?!"
"Wait, wait, Iroha. Don't you have other things to pray for? Like clearing the dungeon safely, or praying for the safety of everyone in the guild."
"No, this kind of thing is better if it's simple!"
"Well, yes. Greedily wanting many things is not good."
Tetsuo, with his arms crossed, grunts in agreement.
He wants more Apostles of Izal, so he keeps affirming everything Iroha says.
She is completely convinced now.
"The only thing I pray for is Darling!"
If you say it's like her, it is like her.
She is too straightforward.
To be so admired by young girls, it is the pinnacle of an old man's life.
Since Iroha's determination seems firm, I bless her.
Placing my hand over the head of the warrior kneeling before me, words flow into my head again.
As I weave those words, Iroha's body begins to glow faintly.
"This should be fine――"
"Really?!"
When she stands up energetically, a black Holy Engraving emerges on her bikini's lower abdomen.
"Mages, I understand their magic power increases, but warriors and knights are also enhanced?"
"Yes, I have a muscle-brained woman in my party, and their combat power rises."
"Huh?! Really?! It's not just the level in the dungeon! Awesome!"
Since Iroha is happy, this must be fine.
"Is it really okay to just do this so easily...?"
"Since followers are increasing, it is definitely fine."
"Will this Holy Engraving never disappear?"
"Not like that. If faith disappears, it will vanish."
According to his story, if an enemy's follower is forcibly converted using an Apostle's power, they cannot leave by their own will.
"Can such a thing happen?"
"Yes, if you forcibly convert enemy Saintesses or Angels, you can significantly weaken their power."
"Seriously, this is war..."
"They will come with that mindset too, so for us, we have to kill them before they kill us."
There are people called the Labyrinth Cult in this dungeon who cannot be reasoned with.
If we don't make up our minds, the girls will become sacrifices.
"Darling!"
Iroha interrupts the conversation between me and Tetsuo.
"What is it?"
"Do the same thing you did to the Cherry Princesses for me too!"
She grabs my hand.
"Is that okay?"
"Of course it is!"
Iroha has a face that says it is natural.
Well, indeed, not doing it here would be like excluding her from the group.
I place my finger on the black Holy Engraving floating above her sturdy abdominal muscles.
"Mun!"
I pour the power swirling within my body into Iroha's body through my fingertips.
"Nn~? It's not that much―― Kyaaaaaan! W-what is this?!"
Iroha seemed fine at first, but soon her body began to tremble.
She squats down right there.
"Oh, Iroha-neesan, usually so bold, but you have a cute voice."
Tetsuo also seems surprised by her cuteness.
"Die, old man!"
"What? Then shall I do it too? I can do the same thing, you know?"
Tetsuo, with both hands ready, approaches Iroha who cannot move.
"S-stooop~!"
"Don't bully her too much."
"Ahaha! She's cute, isn't she?"
"Uuuu..."
Mocked by the old men, Iroha's face turns bright red.
While doing such things, the other girls began to recover.
Tetsuo is teaching the various things to the followers.
He is properly doing the work of an Apostle.
Do I have to do such things too?
Well, in this world, there are various media.
My video site has a huge number of viewers, so utilizing them is an option.
If I start doing religion, some viewers might leave, but I already have enough earnings.
After that, we decided to eat and rest together, but――.
Tetsuo's appearance is strange.
"Tetsuo, what's wrong?"
"I am going toward the dungeon. I have some trivial business, hehe."
He has a lewd smile on his face, but what could it be?
Well, I should not intrude on private matters.
He disappeared into the dungeon.
"Darling, what is that old man of a God planning to do?"
"I don't know."
"If you see that face, you know. It's bound to be something rotten."
The Princess whispers.
As she says, it seems like something bad, but he must have his own reasons.
Besides, we have been helped so much with clearing the dungeon.
Since Tetsuo is not here today, I ended up sleeping with the girls.
Usually, I sleep in the same tent as Tetsuo.
I cannot possibly merge with the girls while he is here.
After setting up the tent, as soon as I lie down, the Harpies come first.
"Gyask!" "Daisuke!"
As usual, they climb on top of me.
"You brats! Why do you climb on Darling as if it is natural?!"
"Gyask!" "Daisuke! Daisuke!"
The fight between the Princess and the Harpies starts again.
"Look, look, don't fight. It's troublesome for Yuuki too."
"Buu~!"
"We need the Harpies' help for Floor 8 and Floor 9 too, so we―― no, we have to keep them in good mood."
In my hometown, we say "benkofuru" in dialect.
"Yes, Sakurako-sama."
Kaorulko, who said that, has already occupied the spot next to me.
"Then, I will take this side today~."
Sana took the opposite side.
"T-that's cheating!"
"It's not cheating~."
Now it is a fight between the Princess and Sana.
"Alright! Then Darling's hand is mine!"
Iroha, who had come without me noticing, takes my hand.
"Oga! You have nothing to do with this!"
"I prayed about Darling, and I became protected by the God as Darling's family, so I'm basically family now, right?"
"Gnnn..."
"Princess, Tetsuo said negative prayers are no good."
"..."
Sana has a slightly awkward expression at my words.
"Darling!"
The Princess seems dissatisfied, but the Harpies don't seem to move.
"Look, look, sleeping, sleeping."
"Uuuu..."
The Princess is pacing around.
It's a bit pitiful, but there is no empty spot.
I urge her to sleep.
――The next day, sleeping in the dungeon hot spring.
Probably morning.
I wake up in the pitch dark.
Girls' bodies, the soft feathers of the Harpies.
It's somehow a mess.
Pushing aside muscular thighs and breasts, I go out of the tent.
"Phew~. I have to prepare breakfast."
While preparing the meal, I sense the presence of people coming from the dungeon.
I take out my weapons and stand on guard――.
"Yo! It's me!"
Tetsuo came out of the darkness, but someone is next to him.
Pale skin and big breasts―― a naked woman.
Without light, I can't tell the hair color exactly, but she seems to be blonde.
She looks like a white person――.
"What is that woman? Where did you bring her from?"
"Ahaha, didn't a woman attack me before entering the dungeon?"
Come to think of it, there was one.
Something about putting her inside Shazam or whatever.
"Uuuu..."
As I approach, a black pattern is visible on the woman's lower abdomen―― a Holy Engraving.
――So, did she become an Apostle of Izal?
"That woman wasn't an Apostle of Izal, was she?"
"We talked yesterday, didn't we? That you can forcibly convert them."
"Oh, I see."
Well, I decided not to ask how he converted her.
"Hey! Apologize to him for your sins too."
At Tetsuo's words, the woman trembles and kneels down, bowing deeply.
It's a naked dogeza.
"I am terribly sorry."
Her Japanese is a bit hesitant, but did he teach her only this line?
"We have girls here too, so please don't do anything too severe."
"Ahaha! I am the Man Who Absolutely Kills Those Who Come to Kill! The fact that it ended this lightly is great mercy, so you should be grateful."
Tetsuo is slapping the buttocks of the woman bowing on the ground.
He doesn't seem to listen to my advice.
"Others will wake up soon."
"Oh, right. I'll get the white-eyed look again, ahaha!"
No matter how many white-eyed glares he gets from young girls, he probably has no intention of changing himself now.
"Gyask!" "Daisuke!"
The first to wake up are the Harpies.
"Gyaah!"
The white woman who saw the monster is panicking.
Shazam comes out of his black hole, enveloping the naked woman.
"OMG! help!"
"Your God won't help you in times like this, will he?"
"help! help!"
The woman, still wrapped in the black membrane, is pulled into the hole.
"Is it okay inside there?"
"If you are wrapped in Shazam, it is fine."
"Because Tetsuo hides inside, it's safe, right?"
"When you are completely inside, your five senses disappear, so I think it's quite terrifying if you aren't used to it."
It seems you don't even know if you are breathing.
That is certainly scary.
"What will you do with that woman?"
"Well, she's a grunt, so enjoy her and then exile her. Her breasts are big, so it's quite good! Ahaha."
While talking with Tetsuo, the girls wake up.
"Darling, I heard a woman's voice."
The first to arrive is Iroha.
"Haha, it's the Harpies' voices, right?"
"Oh, is that so?"
I certainly can't tell the truth.
"Good morning."
Kaorulko and Sana also wake up.
The Princess seems to still be sleeping.
Well, she is always the last to wake up even in hotels.
She will wake up when she smells the food.
With the help of Kaorulko, I serve the meal.
Yuuki seems to eat their own provisions.
We have some leeway too, but we can't treat them every time.
If it's a joint attack, their food is included, so it's no problem.
"I'm eating!?"
"Gyask!" "Daisuke!"
The Harpies bite into the food first.
Then, as Iroha starts eating, the Princess wakes up.
"..."
Her hair is messy, and she remains silent.
She seems half-asleep.
Eating with her like that, by the time we finish, the Princess's eyes seem to have opened.
We camped at the hot spring and rested for about three days.
During that time, Yuuki used this place as their base and repeated attacks.
With the hot water of this spring, magic power can be recovered.
For a party where mages are the main focus, it is like adding iron to a tiger's claws―― or so they say.
While exchanging information with Yuuki, on the third morning at the hot spring―― we rested sufficiently.
After cleaning up the meal, we start preparing to depart.
Taking off swimsuits and switching to adventurer equipment, I also call out to Yuuki who are preparing nearby.
"Will Yuuki patrol Floor 7 as is?"
"Yes, I think you still lack the level to face the Floor Master of Floor 7."
"The mid-bosses so far have been Lich, Strong Lich, and Lesser Dragon."
"Huh?! Dragons come out too?!"
"Yes, they appeared."
"Uumu..."
He crosses his arms and thinks deeply.
Yuuki only has mages.
If we don't devise a way to fight, we might be wiped out in one shot.
It's late to say this, but adventurers are quite a risky profession.
No, it's only dangerous because we came this far; the shallow layers are reasonably safe.
Still, danger is not zero.
"Then, we are departing. Be careful."
"Thank you."
"Thank you~"
The girls from Yuuki's group all bowed in unison.
I hope they don't get hurt.
――And so, to break through to Floor 8, we have to fight the mid-boss again.
This is a bit troublesome, but this must be the specification.
I wish we could skip it after clearing it once, but the members differ by party, so it can't be done.
"Gyaohon!"
The monster we encountered this time is also a Lesser Dragon.
Probably, if it were a Lich, Sana's Turn Undead would finish it in one shot, so they chose this one, didn't they?
Well, even if the opponent is a Lesser Dragon, this party can finish it in one shot.
"Gyask!" "Daisuke!"
The Harpies are circling around the upper part of the room.
Well, that might be the safest place.
"There are no undead monsters, so Sana doesn't have much of a turn, so let's have her cast it."
"No, I don't mind――"
"No, no, if we are leveling up, wouldn't it be better for everyone to rise evenly as combat power? Right, Princess."
"Gugu..."
The Princess seems to want to say something, but the battle starts as is.
"So, what will Daisuke do?"
"Sorry, but flip the dragon over with Shazam."
"Alright! And then Sana-chan's magic into the butt hole!"
"W-well, you don't have to do that!"
It seems Sana is not very enthusiastic, but ignoring that, a black shadow like the night itself quietly extends from Tetsuo.
Wriggling, it crawls along the floor, sneaking up to the feet of the giant dragon.
By the time the monster notices, it is too late.
The shadow instantly splits, becoming countless belts that entangle the dragon's limbs, tail, and even the base of its wings.
"Gyaan!"
The dragon roars and tries to struggle, but the shadow is as strong as iron chains and does not budge.
When lifted up entirely, its massive body stumbles and eventually falls, turning upside down.
A boom resonates on the ground, and the dragon's abdomen is exposed.
"Look! Sana! Now!"
"Um, uuu..."
"Quickly!"
"Compressed Light Bullet! Strike my enemy! 《Magic Missile》"
A thin needle-like light heads toward the dragon's exposed mucous membranes.
Penetrating the soft parts of the monster, the internal fluids must have evaporated.
An explosion occurs from the inside.
"Gyaohon!"
The dragon's scream echoes in the sealed mid-boss room.
It must be that the dragon never thought it would be summoned suddenly, then restrained, and finally blown up from its butt hole.
Even the dragon, it seems, could not withstand the shock of its internal organs exploding from the inside.
Its massive body twitches, and a terrible death rattle gushes from the back of its throat with wide-open eyes.
Along with a piercing scream that seems to burst the eardrums, dark blood vomits forcefully from its throat.
Hot liquid tinged with a foul odor is slammed onto the ground, and steam rises with a sound like burning soil.
That scream gradually becomes hoarse, and soon the dragon's long neck droops heavily while its throat trembles as if foaming.
The light in its pupils is already gone, and finally, its massive body collapses.
"Alright! As expected, it was decided in one shot."
"How is this possible?!"
Iroha complains about the absurd monster clearing.
Well, with this, there is no room for adventurers to shine.
All of this is thanks to Tetsuo's Shazam, so other adventurers cannot imitate it.
"Ah!"
At the same time the dragon falls, Sana's body begins to glow.
Level up.
It takes a little time.
"Next time a dragon appears, maybe Kaorulko?"
"Is it really that easy?!"
Iroha complains.
"Well, it's a feat only possible because Tetsuo is here. Just level up while he is around, right?"
"That's true, but―― isn't there something like a life-and-death exchange in being an adventurer?"
"I think it's better to be safe――"
Maybe because I am an old man, I think that way.
――No, my way of thinking hasn't changed since I was young, so maybe it's just my personality?
"You don't have to force Shazam. If someone really wants to do it hard, just let them."
"Well, Tetsuo is right."
While talking, Sana's level up finishes.
"Did you learn any new magic?"
"No."
"I see~"
Right, she doesn't learn any interesting magic.
"Gnnn..."
Is Sana unhappy because she leveled up with no interesting magic, or is the Princess making a bitter face?
It seems the Princess also leveled up while touring Floor 8 and surpassed Sana, but maybe she was tied up now.
Still, we can't just not level up Sana.
Undead monsters haven't appeared on Floor 8 yet, but there is a possibility of encountering them from now on.
After defeating the mid-boss, we stepped into Floor 8 again.
Wandering through the vast floor, we repeat battles with monsters.
Everyone's level has exceeded 50.
"Darling! With this level, isn't it okay to go to Floor 9?!"
"I think it's probably fine―― What about the Princess?"
"Previously, when we encountered a dragon, I couldn't find a single element to win―― but now it's different."
"I think so too."
Kaorulko also seems to agree with stepping into Floor 9.
"What about the others?"
"I don't care either way."
"I will follow everyone."
Tetsuo and Sana also seem fine.
"Alright!"
I thought I would triumphantly return to Floor 9!
――But――.
A foul smell began to drift around us.
"Oeeeeee!"
Unable to hold back, Iroha vomits profusely.
"It stinks so much!"
Tetsuo hides inside Shazam.
"Seriously?!"
Appearing before us on the 9th floor is a giant undead.
It is rotting and dripping―― but it is probably a dragon.
Dragons can become undead too?