Chapter 38 - Chapter 38: Bath in a Tank
I was thrown into the deep layers of the dungeon by a woman of the Labyrinth Cult.
There, I saved two women who were being attacked by a Dragon.
They were not just adventurers; they were famous top-rankers.
The three of us decided to cooperate to escape from the deep layers of the dungeon.
We searched the dungeon for two days, but could not find a passage to the upper floors.
When we were in a desperate mood and having a yakiniku party, a Harpy appeared.
When I thought I recognized her, it was the Harpy I had saved before.
Maybe this is a blessing from heaven.
"Princess, this might be a stroke of luck."
"Why?!"
"Gya!"
The Harpy flapped its wings vigorously and flew straight into my arms.
As I thought, it was that girl.
"Why is a monster so familiar with us?!"
"Well, I don't really know, but for some reason, it has become familiar with me... Want something sweet?"
"Gya!"
I took out some sweets from the Item Box and fed them to it.
Maybe it learned its lesson because I was feeding it food?
Besides, it hasn't been hunted much...
"Oh, maybe..."
Maybe it stopped attacking people so much because it could get delicious food from me...
If it doesn't attack adventurers, it won't have to worry about being attacked.
Could this one have lived a long time since it popped out?
It seems to understand my words, and maybe intelligence rises as they live longer.
After finishing the sweets, it rubbed against me.
Is this a request?
I'll try giving it bread too.
"Gya!"
When I gave it the bread, it grabbed it skillfully with its feet and started eating.
"What kind of stroke of luck is this strangely familiar monster?"
"This one is always on the 4th floor... so, does that mean...?"
"Does that mean it's connected from the 4th floor all the way here?"
Kaorulko seemed to understand what I said.
"That's right!"
"In that case, there must be a passage somewhere..."
"We can just have her guide us."
"Her, the Harpy? Can you communicate with a monster?"
"I think you probably can... right? You can, right?"
"Gya!"
Did it understand my words? The Harpy was smiling brightly.
It has surprisingly rich expressions.
"..."
As I was petting her, the Princess started to look unhappy.
"Princess, I don't think getting jealous of a monster is a good idea..."
She argued back at Kaorulko's words.
"I am not jealous! I'm just disgusted by that beast!"
"Hey, Princess, I don't want to associate with someone who abuses their pets just because they don't like them..."
"That's right."
"Grrr!"
At my and Kaorulko's words, the Princess made a face like she had chewed on bitter beans.
"Gya! Gya!"
Sensing the Princess's killing intent, the Harpy seemed to get on guard and emitted a warning sound.
Monsters are sensitive to that kind of thing.
"Shut up! Do you want to be chopped into pieces?!"
The Harpy reacted to the Princess's threat.
"Gyaaah!"
It flew off my shoulder and fired something white at the Princess.
Her white skin and red bikini armor were stained white as if someone had thrown paint at them.
At the same time as the sudden event, a foul odor filled the air.
"It stinks! It stinks!"
"Ugh..."
Kaorulko was also pinching her nose.
"Gyaaaaaa!"
The Princess's scream echoed through the dungeon.
The Harpy's feces had stained her shining beautiful skin white.
I heard this one's poop smells bad, but it really does!
"This is quite..."
"Heh... hehe... hehehe..."
I thought Kaorulko was also disgusted by the smell, but apparently not.
"Kaorulko! You're laughing, aren't you!"
"I-I'm not... hehehe..."
She looked down and was desperately trying to hold back her laughter.
"It's not a laughing matter!"
"Ahaha... I know, but it's the first time I've seen the Princess in such a state, so it's funny... ahaha."
"Damn it! Stupid bird! Where did you go! Come down!"
She was swinging her sword around.
"You can't! You can't! We need to get guided to the top by the Harpy!"
"That's right, Princess. If you don't get along with her... pfft."
She was still laughing.
"As expected, we can't move around in this outfit, so we have to do something about it..."
"Daisuke-san, do you have any water?"
"I do have some... but I don't know what will happen from now on, and consuming water here..."
"Well, yes."
"But bird feces are highly acidic, so if we don't wash it off soon, our skin might get a rash."
"Oh, I see."
That's true, but this is a problem.
Washing the body would require a large amount of water.
"Oh, I got it."
I had a sudden idea using something in the Item Box.
I took out a huge tank containing treated water.
A huge white tank appeared before my eyes.
"Daisuke-san, what is this?!"
"It's a tank I used for work... there's a little water left inside."
Since there is a valve on the side, the treated water at the bottom doesn't drain completely, so it remains.
Of course, it's treated water so you can't drink it, but washing your body should be fine.
Even if some radiation remains, adventurers are said to be strong against radiation.
When I opened the huge valve, I could see water inside.
It's been a while, but if it's in the Item Box, there's no worry of the water spoiling.
The pipe is 1m in diameter, so diving in is easy.
"There really is water!"
"This is water that came out of a treatment facility, so it's not for drinking."
I'll leave out that it came from the Nuclear Power Plant Ruins.
"Oh, I see, wastewater from a factory or something..."
The Princess was peering into the pipe.
"That's about it."
"If so, it's perfect for washing off this dirt."
"Hmm, high-level adventurers seem sturdy, so it should be fine..."
"If anything happens, we can heal with the recovery spell [Heal] and recovery potions."
"Probably..."
I even found a lot of recovery potions that didn't spoil where I poured the treated water into the dungeon.
I haven't exchanged those for money either.
Speaking of which, I had recovery potions.
We might need them later, so I'll give them to them too.
I took out the medicine from the Item Box.
"I'll give these to you now. I still have plenty, so use them freely."
"Eh?! Recovery potions, this many?!"
Kaorulko was surprised by the mountain of medicine, but the Princess was about to enter the tank.
"I also have shampoo and body soap. And towels."
"Thanks, Darling."
"I don't think it's toxic, but please don't get water in your mouth or eyes."
"Understood."
After giving her various things, she dove into the tank.
I hope she doesn't suffocate in there?
While the Princess was washing her body, I talked with Kaorulko about the medicine.
"I know red and purple are recovery potions, but what are green and yellow?"
"Green is medicine that works on status ailments."
"Status ailments... does that mean it can cancel out my Rot Knife attacks?"
"Normally, it's things like paralysis or diseases, but maybe..."
"What about yellow?"
"Yellow is probably for status up. I haven't seen it much, so I'm not sure."
It seems to be a rare medicine.
"If status goes up, does magic power increase too?"
"I think it's like using a buff spell, so it should increase."
She hasn't used it either, so she doesn't seem to know.
"Then I should give it to the two of you."
"Thank you."
"There are a lot, so if you feel it's dangerous, don't hold back and use them freely."
"Yes... um, why so many medicines?"
"Hehe... this is between us..."
"Yes."
"When you enter an unprepared dungeon, lots of drops come out."
"Eh?! Did you discover a new dungeon?! That's amazing!"
"It's already under the country's jurisdiction."
"That's a pity."
I didn't discover it myself.
It's a state secret, so I'll keep the details hidden.
While talking with Kaorulko, I heard singing coming from inside the tank.
"Kaorulko~!"
"Yes~!"
"Can you warm up the water a bit?"
"Understood."
Kaorulko stuck her head into the tank and cast a spell.
Steam began to rise from the valve area.
It was completely a bath now.
"Kaorulko, won't you take a bath too?"
"Eh, I really want to..."
"It seems harmless for me to be in it? It has a bit of a smell, but it's better than that stupid bird's poop smell."
"Well, there might be clean water somewhere else."
"Yes, I'll bet on that!"
She put her heart into it with a "Hmph!".
After waiting a while, naked Sakurako came out.
Her body, like a trained athlete, was beautiful.
"Phew... that was good hot water. Even for me, I was starting to smell myself."
"Wrap a towel around you at least."
"That's right, Sakurako-sama! It's indecent!"
"There's only Kaorulko and Darling here, so it's fine."
"But they say even close friends should have etiquette, right? You wouldn't want me to come out with my junk hanging out, would you?"
"Mmph."
My reaction was so indifferent that she was unhappy.
I'm not a kid; I wouldn't lose my composure over a woman's naked body.
After the bath, I stored the tank.
"So, since it's in the Item Box, it will still be warm when I take it out next time... is that right?"
"Well, yes."
My hair was still wet, and Kaorulko was drying it with a towel, but there was no hairdryer here.
It seems the magic learned in the dungeon includes a drying spell, but our mage can't use it.
Putting on the Princess's equipment, we started moving.
"Hey! Harpy!"
"Gya!"
A voice came from the dark above.
"Guide us to where you usually are~!"
"Gya! Gya!"
"I wonder if it understands."
"Can a monster like that really be useful?"
"I caught that one once and sold it outside."
"Oh?"
"But after a while, it returned to the floor where it was... that means it has homing instinct."
"That's exactly what Daisuke-san said."
"I see."
The Princess was lost in thought.
"So, don't bully it."
"That depends on the beast!"
What is this... is this what they call not getting along?
"Don't compete with that kind of girl."
"I'm not competing!"
She denied it, but then isn't it just jealousy?
"I didn't know the Princess had such a jealous personality."
Kaorulko muttered at her words.
"I told you I'm not jealous."
"Did Kaorulko always stay with the Princess?"
"Yes."
"Since she never dated a man, there were parts of her personality you couldn't know, right?"
"Yes... The first condition the Princess set was 'a man stronger than me'."
"That sounds quite difficult."
"Indeed."
"But my power comes from the dungeon I happened to get, so is that okay?"
I asked the Princess about something that bothered me.
"If you say that, my power is like that too."
The Princess said that, but she is the daughter of a super famous corporate group, right?
She has different specs from the start compared to a country bumpkin like me.
While talking and looking up, the Harpy seemed to start moving.
It seems communication worked, so I followed her as she flew.
"By the way, can you see in the dark too?"
"Yes." "Yes."
"So, at high levels, seeing in the dark is a default ability...?"
"I think it's because the overall specs of the body rise."
Kaorulko seems to feel that too.
"Indeed, eyes and ears get better, and senses become sharper."
"Yes."
Our journey to escape began.
--Though saying that, unlike normal clearing, it gets easier the higher you go.
This is the most harsh floor.
I looked up and moved forward, while the two of them kept watch of the surroundings.
The monsters here are Dragon-class, so we can't let our guard down.
We will avoid combat as much as possible.
I don't know what lies ahead.
If we could fly with the Harpy, we could go up quickly, but...
We can't fly.
"Gya! Gya!"
"Hey, something is wrong with her... probably an enemy."
"Let's go around."
"That's right."
It will be a bit of a detour, but we have no choice.
"It's good to have her scout from the sky."
"Thanks to the Harpy."
"Hmph."
The Harpy isn't flying all the time, so it occasionally returns to us to rest or get food.
"Gyu-gyu..."
I tried feeding it grilled dragon meat from the Item Box.
It seems delicious, so it ate happily.
--That means it has a proper sense of taste.
Well, I already knew that since it wanted my sweets and bread.
"Gii~"
I petted her as she sat on my shoulder and rubbed against me.
"Good girl, good girl. Take us to the top, okay?"
"Gii!"
"Grrr..."
Again, the Princess was glaring at us.
"Don't glare at me like that. The Harpy will get scared."
"I'm not glaring!"
"Hehehe... Daisuke-san, the Princess wants to be petted too."
"Oh, I see."
"I-I'm not!"
"Yes, yes, come here."
I took the Harpy off my shoulder and took the Princess's hand, pulling her close.
Since she was in bikini armor, the feeling of her skin was transmitted directly.
"Ch..."
She resisted a little, but once held, she went quiet.
"It was hard, wasn't it? You worked hard to get here."
"..."
I petted her head gently.
"We'll definitely get out, so let's keep working hard a little more."
"Un."
"I have something to ask... does this bikini armor have defense power?"
"It's a drop item, so it has a lot."
"As I thought."
It looks like skin is exposed, but it seems to block normal attacks.
Not even a scratch from a sword.
I thought it was a gag item, but it's high-performance real equipment, though I wonder if you can't wear it without a lot of confidence in your appearance.
If you were weak in this outfit, you'd really be a gag character.
"Oh, Princess, do you want some sweets?"
"Un."
When I fed her, the Harpy got jealous this time.
"Gya! Gya!"
"You just ate, didn't you?"
"Gya!"
After a short break, we started moving again.
We moved endlessly through the darkness.
"Have you seen any other survivors?"
"No."
"On the news, quite a few adventurers have gone missing."
"Maybe everyone was thrown to different places?"
Kaorulko's words have some merit.
"Strong ones are thrown to the lower layers?"
"Yes... whether it's magic or a trap, the more you throw them far, the more mana should be consumed..."
"Oh, probably something like that."
So that woman thought I was a strong enemy.
Indeed, that intuition is correct.
"Oh!"
The Princess, who was slightly ahead, stopped.
"What's wrong?"
"A crack in the ground."
As she said, a pitch-black crack about 10m wide opened before our eyes.
Are there quite a few places like this?
If we could attack from below, we might level up, but there are no more rubble in the Item Box.
Besides, we don't have time to do that anyway.
"Well, how to cross this..."
I thought for a while.
There is a ladder in the Item Box, but it feels a bit too short.
"Shall we go around again?"
"No, we can jump over this."
The Princess intends to clear it with a jump.
"Have you jumped before?"
"Yes."
"If the Princess can jump, I might be able to too..."
I cleared it by wall-running, but with that leg power, I could probably jump to the other side.
If I did a double jump with the tank I used against the Dragon, I could jump even further.
Since I have no experience, I don't know if I can really do it.
"I see... maybe I should try on flat ground..."
Instead of jumping over a crack where I might die, I should try jumping on flat ground of the same distance.
I marked a spot at a distance similar to the crack, took a running start, and jumped.
I dashed and leaped... describing a parabola, I landed comfortably on the mark.
I don't really know how capable I am.
Anyway, I just became an adventurer, and my inside is still that of a beginner.
"Um, I don't think I can jump that far..."
Kaorulko has a high level, but she's a mage, so she might not be able to fight like a combat class.
Still, her abilities are much higher than an ordinary person.
"It's fine. I'll carry you and jump."
"..."
Kaorulko looked worried, so I gave a demonstration.
I took out three sandbags from the Item Box and carried them.
"If I can jump while holding these, you'll be convinced, right?"
"W-well, I don't think I'm that heavy..."
She denied it, but I don't think her estimation of the weight is wrong.
--But, I have to stand up for the ladies here.
"If I can jump carrying a bit more, it should be easy, right?"
"W-well, yes..."
Proof is better than words; if I show it, she should be convinced.
Holding three sandbags, I took a running start and jumped again... easily crossing the mark.
Normally, this is absolutely impossible.
First of all, you can't even carry three sandbags.
No, I might be able to carry them on my shoulder and walk a bit, but jumping with that is impossible.
"See, it's fine, right?"
"I'm not that heavy..."
She's still saying that.
"Kaorulko is heavy by the amount of her breasts, so it can't be helped."
"I-I'm not that heavy!"
"Sigh... let's go ahead."
The exasperated Princess jumped over the crack.
Her supple, leopard-like body danced in the darkness... as confident as she said, she cleared it easily.
"Well, let's go too."
"Y-yes."
Carrying on the shoulder seems best, but visually, it should be a princess carry.
She wrapped her arms tightly around my neck.
As I prepared to jump, the Princess seemed to be panicking about something on the opposite bank.
What is it?
"It's okay? Don't let go."
When she put her hands around my neck, a big and soft thing was pressed against me.
If I were in light clothes or bare skin, it would be more pleasant.
I am wearing armor, of course.
"I-I'm okay."
"Then let's go! Oryaaaa! Tou!"
I accelerated with all my might and jumped just before the crack.
There's a possibility it might collapse if it's too close.
"Kyaaaaa!"
I was surprised by the loud scream right next to my ear, but as I described a parabola and danced in the air...
I felt an unknown presence, and my spine froze.
"What is it?!"
I was confused for a moment, but landed without any trouble.
The combined weight was over 100kg.
Normally, my knees would break, but nothing happened.
It seems not just muscle strength, but even the skeletal structure is fundamentally strengthened.
But more than that...
"Princess, did you feel anything when you jumped?"
"Yes, it felt like something terrible was watching us..."
"I felt it too... Kaorulko?"
"I definitely felt a bad sensation..."
If all three of us felt it, it must be true.
Something might be lurking in the depths of that crack.
"Gya! Gya!"
The Harpy was calling while circling above.
I'm curious about the source of that presence, but I only have a bad premonition.
"Hey! Guide us again!"
"Gyagya!"
We tried to move forward again with the Harpy's guidance, but the Harpy's condition was strange.
It was emitting warning sounds.
I too felt an ominous presence, and the hair on my whole body stood up.
"What is this?!"
"Darling!" "Waaa!"
The Princess and Kaorulko clung to me.
I understood the source of that presence... the crack we had just jumped over.
It was terrifying, as if something was crawling out of it, freezing my back.
It wasn't my imagination; a giant hand reached out into the darkness.
"Uwaaaaaa!"
I carried the Princess and Kaorulko and ran like a fleeing rabbit.
I don't know what it was, but it was definitely a dangerous thing.
Something was there that I didn't think even my level could handle.
Running through the darkness with both of them in my arms at full speed.
This is an instinctive terror that cannot be resisted.
What on earth was that?