Chapter 21 - Chapter 21: The Woman Without Eyebrows
With more guild members, meals are a hassle.
Since we made a guild, we have to look after the members.
Ren, who leveled up, said she learned the Warm magic, so I let her use it for cooking.
It is very useful.
I even want to use magic myself.
I don't need attack magic, but I want Warm and Clean magic.
If anything, I want the Warm magic, which has higher utility value.
Being able to heat things means it can be used to exterminate pests and vermin.
For example, heating the attic to drive out mice, or heating futons and carpets to get rid of mites.
That's not all; magic is useful outside too.
If you heat the ground, you can eradicate weeds that grow back no matter how much you cut them, from the roots.
Well, heating the ground will kill not just weed seeds but even microorganisms, turning it into barren land, though.
It doesn't matter if the area around the house becomes barren land.
Anyway, with Ren's help, we made curry in a large pot and were eating dinner together when――.
Suddenly, that woman barged into the room.
That woman is the mage who had been pestering us.
"Curry! Give me some too!"
"Hah? What are you saying? Don't just barge in."
"Curry! I'm hungry!"
"I don't care. What about your own food? You didn't go into the dungeon without any supplies, did you?"
"On the way there and back, goblins and wolf packs attacked me, so I used magic..."
It seems using magic consumes calories.
So she must have eaten all her stored food.
Normally, the party's frontliners would allow you to save mana, but this time it was practically solo.
We were there, but we had no obligation to help this woman.
"I told you in the dungeon―― if you hate fighting, you could have used the elevator or the train, right?"
"...I have no money..."
The woman looks dejected.
"The fact that you could come all the way here alone means you have a decent level, right? Why aren't you in a guild?"
"...That's none of your business, is it?!"
"Yeah, it's none of my business. So, you leave."
"No way! Let me eat the curry~!"
"Annoying!"
What is this woman?
Sana and Ren are much more aware.
"Daisuke-san―― she's pitiful, why don't you let her eat?"
"Sana, you were bothered too, weren't you?"
"Well, yes..."
I listen to Ren's opinion anyway.
"What do you think, Ren?"
"Well, if it's just curry, maybe it's okay?"
"What about Mio-chan? Is it okay to let this Oba-chan eat curry?"
"I'm not Oba-chan!"
"It's fine."
Mio says that while stuffing her face with curry―― well, she seems completely uninterested.
"Mio-chan is a good girl."
I pat her head.
"The curry is delicious!"
"I see~. Fuh~―― Well, I guess I can't help it."
Since I didn't want to show the Item Box, I went outside the room and took out the dishes.
I served rice and poured curry over it.
"Where's my cutlet?"
"You don't want anything, not even the cutlet―― do you know that phrase?"
"Cutlet~! I want to eat too~!"
She seems to be flailing about.
"Stop it, you're an adult."
"Age has nothing to do with it!"
"Ooari Nagoya is a castle, even if you hold it! Anyway, at your age, shouldn't you be thinking about retiring?"
"If you say that, you're the same, aren't you?! Hug hug..."
The woman is shoveling curry into her mouth.
"I'm a rookie adventurer who just started."
"Really?!"
"Why would I lie? It's true."
"But―― Daisuke-san, you're very strong, right?"
"Hahaha, when I first became an adventurer, I happened to take down a big one."
I'm not lying.
"Oh, there are guys like that... lucky ones..."
The woman is mumbling something with a spoon in her mouth.
"More importantly―― did you get a call from the government office woman? I told you not to follow us, right?"
"...I was told, but..."
"So it's over here now. You can eat the curry, but don't show your face in front of us anymore."
"..."
The woman has a dissatisfied look on her face, but I don't care.
―― If you look at her, she's quite beautiful and seems to have a good figure, but her personality is too bad.
She seems to have skill as a mage and a decent level too.
The fact that she isn't in any guild means there must be a problem with her personally.
Well, with this kind of shamelessness, I suppose she won't have trouble eating.
Since mealtime was over, I kicked the woman out of the room.
It would be unbearable if she stayed.
Since it got dark, we lit the room with Light magic and lay down together to watch the net.
For some reason, Ren and Mio are lying on my stomach.
"Oh?! It seems the dungeon information has been updated?"
"Is this for real~?"
"Is it a completely new floor?"
Sana seems to be looking at the same site as Ren.
There are creatures called Moles, specialists who dig holes in the dungeon floor and walls.
It seems they discovered a new floor.
It's a layer connecting below the 2nd floor, but it's not the 3rd floor; it seems to be an unknown layer.
This is also where the dungeon is strange.
Since it's layered, you'd think digging a hole below would open a hole to the floor below, but that doesn't happen.
It connects to a completely different place.
We don't even know what monsters are there, so high-level adventurers will probably keep attacking for a while.
It's a chance for undiscovered items and a fortune, and conquering the dungeon for the first time brings honor.
High-level adventurers aren't short on living money.
If the opponent is an undiscovered dungeon, their skills will itch.
"Maybe I'll go check it out."
"Eh?!"
"Daisuke-san, it's dangerous!"
"That's right!"
The two girls are worrying about an old man.
It's the joy of an old man.
No, maybe they're worried that their own lives will be in trouble, hahaha.
"If it's just me, I can handle it."
"Daisuke-san is strong, but..."
"You two should just make money around the 2nd floor. Your levels have gone up, so you should be fine even on the 2nd floor."
"Yes, but..." "..."
The two look uneasy.
"You have to think about what happens when I'm gone, you know? Inside the dungeon, anything can happen."
Just because it's a shallow floor doesn't mean you can let your guard down; you can get your legs swept out from under you.
Even at a comfortable level on the 2nd floor, irregulars like the white wolves we encountered can appear.
"Don't say things like that." "That's right!"
"I know, I know. But if I get a fortune, I plan to retire and go back to my hometown..."
"Is that so?"
"As that woman said, it's not work an old man like me can do forever~."
"Daisuke, you're going to disappear?!"
Mio, who had been listening silently, raised her voice.
"Not right away, but I have my own house too~."
"No way! I want to eat more of Daisuke's curry!"
Stop it―― that attack works on me.
It's nice, but I can't imagine this job lasting forever.
Unless I dive into deep floors and keep hunting big monsters, my level will gradually go down.
"Haha―― well, while I'm here, I'll make it for you."
"..."
Mio doesn't seem convinced and is silently fiddling with the toy I lent her.
It's troublesome even if you say that.
I can't go to the Testing Land with everyone.
Young people won't find it charming at all.
It will really be the Testing Land.
For now, since the food self-sufficiency rate is over 100%, I won't have trouble eating, though.
―― The day after we all ate cutlet curry.
Breakfast was bread and cafe au lait for everyone.
The net is full of talk about the new floor.
It will be noisy for a while, and attackers will swarm, but the entry route shouldn't be set yet.
According to the article―― it seems they appeared directly above a large corridor in the new floor, and they'll need to install stairs to go down, so it seems it will take time.
It looks like it will take a while.
"Oh?! Sana's magic video has over 200,000 views?"
"Yes! I just watched it!"
She is smiling, but the comment section is――.
'Mu!'
'Mu'
'Mu!'
'It's Light Bullet magic. How did they film it inside the dungeon?'
'Mu'
'Mu!'
'Guro warning!'
There are only comments like this, but the viewers are staring at Sana's chest.
Judging by this, Sana's strategy can be said to be successful.
"My side has 100,000 views!"
It's a video of Ren's Heal magic, but the comment section for this one is also――.
'Mu!'
'Mu'
'Mu'
'These thighs are in their teens...'
'The fact that she can use Heal... naturally, she's... ahem ahem'
'Mu!'
This one is also focusing on Ren's thighs, so the plan can be said to be successful.
"But you know... men are really idiots, aren't they?"
But that's fine.
Men who aren't idiots have no value.
Idiotic romance runs the world, or rather the universe―― I think so.
"Big sister! You're cool!"
"Ehehe"
Praised by her little sister, the big sister seems happy too.
Well, being able to earn money this way is only possible when you're young...
"If you keep uploading videos like this, a Silver Medal will be yours soon?"
When certain conditions are met, the company operating the video site sends a silver medal.
Above that is the Gold Medal.
Of course, it's not real silver or gold.
The headquarters is in America, but it seems medals made in Japan are sent.
While everyone was making a racket, someone knocked on the door.
"Yes?"
When I opened it, a woman with messy hair was right in front of me.
She had no eyebrows and was wearing something like black pajamas.
"I'm hungry."
"Hah?"
The woman pushed past me, barged into the room, and sat down.
"I'm hungry!"
The woman was banging on the floor.
"You there..."
It was that mage woman who came in.
The lack of eyebrows is probably because she's bare-faced.
Is this her natural face?
"Here, it's delicious!"
Mio handed the woman bread and cafe au lait.
"Thank you~"
"Don't take kids' food."
"I didn't take it!"
She took out her smartphone and showed it to me.
"Huh? What is it?"
"This is you guys, right?!"
What she showed me was our video channel.
"So what?"
"How are you filming videos?"
"That's a secret."
"You could tell me!"
"Why do I have to tell an outsider?"
"Stingy! Then let me join the guild too."
"Hah? Why?"
"Munch munch―― I'm this beautiful and capable, right?"
"All I see in front of my eyes is a woman without eyebrows..."
"!"
She quickly covered her forehead.
"Oba-chan, why don't you have eyebrows?"
It was Mio's innocent question.
"I'm not Oba-chan!"
"Wah!"
Mio, startled, hid behind her big sister.
"People who bully children don't want to join my guild."
"Uu..."
The woman looked a bit dejected.
"You're a mage, right? What's your level? Roughly is fine."
"Above 20."
"Heh."
"My magic is Magic Missile, Fireball, Lightning, and Protection."
Protection is defensive magic.
"It feels like attack specialization."
There is such a bias.
Personally, I'd prefer Warm and Clean magic.
Heal and Purification, like the cleric class in games――.
It seems there are also support magic like Buffs and Debuffs.
"That's right."
"With that level and the ability to use magic, any guild would hire you, right?"
"..."
She has a face like she's chewing on a bitter fruit.
"So it's not like that?"
"They just fawn over young girls!"
"They" must refer to the previous guilds and parties.
"Well―― if it's as a mascot, young girls are good, but for a serious conquest guild, they'd want a man they can rely on when things get tough."
In other words―― she's solo because she's unhappy that young girls are fawned over in guilds and parties.
Didn't you used to be like that when you were young?
In the dawn period when the adventurer profession began, there were few women.
You must have been very popular, but now there are so many young people that it's one of the top popular careers kids want to be.
"You can't do this kind of work forever, can you? Shouldn't you consider retiring?"
"Stop saying things like my mom!"
"Then just go solo?"
"If I'm alone, I can only dive into shallow layers..."
"With that level, you should be able to earn enough for food, right?"
"..."
The woman looked down and muttered something.
"Is there some reason?"
"...I have a debt..."
"Hah? Then work! That's it!"
"Why! Ugh!"
"A grown woman has no choice but to dive into the dungeon steadily to earn money, right?"
However, limited to safe floors.
When trying to turn things around with one shot, you'll fail 100% of the time.
Turning things around with all your money is only possible in stories.
"Uuuu..."
"Anyway, with that level, you should be earning a decent amount, right? What are you wasting money on?"
"To polish myself as a woman, it costs money! It's different from men."
"I don't care―― probably, you're spending it all on esthetics, beauty salons, brand goods, and things like that, right?"
If you spend money like that, no matter how much money you have, it won't be enough.
"That's right! I have to show that I succeeded as an adventurer!"
Basically, she just wants to say "Ta-da!" to other women in the same profession.
"I don't think others matter."
"Skinny Adventurer Girls!―― I was even featured on the net."
It doesn't matter, but please stop calling yourself "girls" after 20.
"Skinny―― is it okay to cling to past glory forever?"
"Shut up! Everyone fawned over me like that, but no one talked to me anymore! Why!"
I'm thinking "Why? Because of your age," but I don't say it out loud.
"Girls―― this is a bad example of an adult without eyebrows."
"Yes." "Yeah."
"It's not 'Yes'!"
"Hey, hey, don't take it out on others."
"You guys will get old too! You'll end up like this someday!"
"Hey, hey, don't lump us together. If you save without spending recklessly and earn steadily, you won't end up like that."
"That goes against my pride as a woman..."
The woman was muttering something.
I don't care.
"So, the decision to join this guild was unanimously rejected, so please understand."
"What do you mean by 'so'―― why!"
"Huh? Are you still pushing? I have no benefit at all."
"Look! My body? You can do whatever you want with it."
"Stop doing that kind of thing in front of the children."
"Look, look!"
The woman is pushing her chest forward to show it.
"Even if a woman without eyebrows approaches me..."
"I'm not Oba-chan!"
"Besides, these drooping breasts are worse than these pointy-pointy breasts."
I pointed to Sana's chest.
"What about legs?! I'm a bit confident in them."
"There are white, stain-free thighs right there..."
I pointed to Ren's legs.
"What is this lolicon!"
"Hahaha, that's quite a thing to say. It's just an honest third-party opinion."
"Waaaaah!"
The woman started crying, depressed.
"Annoying."
"Daisuke-san, she's pitiful." "I think so too."
"Huh? Really? Both of you, since you have no life experience, you say that, but this is the kind of person you shouldn't get involved with."
"I don't think so..."
Sana smiles bitterly.
"Umm, then here―― let's bet on the innocent girl's intuition. Mio-chan, this woman without eyebrows says she wants to be friends. Do you think it's okay to be friends?"
"Yeah!"
"Really?"
"Yeah! It's okay!"
"I see―― what do you think, Ren?"
"I think it's okay too."
"Then, by the word of the shadow supreme commander of Guild Forty-Niner, we will add the woman as a guild member."
"Thank you~"
She bowed deeply to Mio―― she's easygoing.
"By the way, I don't even know your name."
"Yamada Kirara."
"Is that your real name?"
"Yes."
"Kirara~. Here comes Kirara."
"What! If you have a problem with my name, let's go outside for a bit?"
"No, I don't."
"Hmph!"
"Mio-chan, call this Oba-chan Kirara-chan."
"Yeah, I got it."
Well, since she became a guild member... there's something I have to tell her.
"Then―― since Kirara has become a guild member, I have to tell you our secret."
"What is this secret――"
"More importantly, don't betray a little girl?"
"It's okay? So what? Don't beat around the bush, tell me quickly."
"This."
I took out a dagger from the Item Box and showed it.
"…! Is that maybe―― Item Box?!"
"Yes."
"No wonder―― I thought there was nothing here for a guild headquarters."
"I haven't seen other guilds, but are they more cluttered?"
"Yes, everywhere is full of luggage. It shouldn't fit in a single room."
"I see."
Maybe I should put some luggage here as a dummy.
Well, I don't think anyone will visit here anymore.
"Then, your movement being so fast is also――"
"It's this."
I took out the bicycle.
"Ugh! Stop cheating!"
"This is my skill. It's not cheating."
"Buu~"
The woman is sulking.
"Well, but since Kirara is a member, I need a bike. Do you have one?"
"I don't have one."
When she earned money, she must have looked down on adventurers walking while using the train.
If you do that, you can't lower your living standards even if your income drops.
Eventually, you run out of money.
"Then I'll buy a bike and lend it to you..."
"...I'm wearing a skirt..."
"Then wear denim or pants."
"A mage in that outfit won't look good, will it?!"
"Do you have time to say that?"
"Of course!"
"Then try a super mini?"
"Pervert! Hentai!"
"What, you said