Chapter 39 - Chapter 39: The Border of the Layers?
I was thrown into the depths of the dungeon and was acting together with two women who had been thrown there as well.
Both of them were top-ranking adventurers, famous people.
They were different from a rookie like me, but it seemed they were struggling in this layer.
Even a rookie like me can manage with power if they have levels.
After all, violence -- violence solves everything.
Even with such violence, there is nothing you can do if you are locked up in darkness.
If there is no exit to go up to the upper layers, you will run out of supplies and get into a tight spot.
No matter how high the level, you will starve to death without food.
Heaven's help came to us then.
It was a Harpy that I had caught before and made the 4th layer her bed.
For some reason, she was attached to me, but the fact that she made it here means that the 4th layer and this place are connected.
We were proceeding through the dungeon with her guidance, but when I jumped over a rift that appeared before my eyes, that happened.
An indescribable terror enveloped my body, making the skin on my whole body crawl.
This wasn't just me; the Princess and Kaorulko felt the same thing, so it must not have been my imagination.
Feeling a terror as if a giant hand was crawling out of the darkness -- I picked up the Princess and Kaorulko and started running.
"Uwaaaaaa!"
We ran without stopping.
We ran through the darkness to escape an instinctive terror that we could not resist.
This terror surpassed reason, an overwhelming force that drove our whole bodies.
The darkness fell eerily silent, and that silence amplified the terror even more.
Even though we were high-level and knew no fatigue, our hearts beat so violently they seemed ready to burst from our chests, our breathing became rough, and cold sweat ran down our backs.
We, driven by terror, could not stop.
A sensation of being chased, and a sense of urgency that we had to escape, drove us unconsciously into the darkness.
"Haa... haa..."
It seems we finally managed to escape whatever was targeting us.
"..." "..."
When I put down the two I was carrying, they were trembling, rattling.
Even the Princess, a top-ranking adventurer, seemed paralyzed by that terror.
"You two, it's okay now."
I hugged the two trembling women.
"...Ah..."
"Hm?"
"...What do you think that was...?"
"Well -- perhaps that was the dungeon's final boss..."
"That..."
"If, really, that's true, it's something no human could match..."
I agreed with Kaorulko's opinion.
Just how much would we need to level up to be able to counter that?
Level 99? Is that the MAX?
The trembling Princess wrapped her arms around my neck.
I also embraced her back.
"I'm sorry..."
Her apology was about the scent.
The current tension must have increased her scent again.
"It's okay, it's okay, I like the Princess's scent."
I buried my nose in her armpit and sniffed, sniffing.
"W-wait, wait..."
Maybe she was tickled because I was smelling her scent.
While I was hugging Sakurako, Kaorulko hugged my torso.
So popular -- I couldn't honestly feel happy about that.
Not after experiencing that kind of thing.
Honestly, I want to run away from here too.
There's nowhere to run here anyway.
I'm grateful that they are with me.
In this extreme situation, the two of them are my mental support.
We stayed like that for a while, but what should we do now?
"Have you calmed down?"
"...Yeah."
"..."
The Princess seems to be managing with her usual composure, but Kaorulko still looks like she's suffering.
It would be bad if monsters attacked us at a time like this.
"Hey! Harpy!"
No answer.
Did the monsters get hit by that terror too?
If so, the monsters might be quiet for a while.
They aren't fully recovered either, but we decided to move a little.
For now, we proceed in the direction the Harpy was flying.
Probably, even when we were running away, we were heading that way.
We were so frantic it's a bit suspicious, but...
Well, the Harpy will probably come back soon.
Let's take a short break -- sitting down, I drink milk with sugar.
Sweet things are the best in times like this.
While everyone was drinking milk, a small voice was heard nearby.
Not above, but near the ground.
"Gya"
"Is it a Harpy? Hey!"
As the sound of approaching footsteps came, she appeared.
"Gya"
"Did you get hit by that thing earlier and can't fly anymore?"
She fluttered small wings and landed on my shoulder, but -- I felt like she was shrinking.
Perhaps the influence of that vortex of terror earlier was there after all.
Everyone hugs together to form a single mass.
This must be some kind of animal instinct.
We huddle together to endure the terror.
Even the Princess and Harpy, who were a bit on bad terms, don't have time to fight.
There is a common terrifying enemy.
For several hours like that, we remained frozen.
"I'm sorry -- it's okay now."
First, the Princess let go.
"What about Kaorulko?"
"...I'm okay... probably."
"And the Harpy?"
"Gya!"
She also got off my shoulder, took a running start on the ground, and flew off.
She seems fine.
Three people and one creature huddled together, and movement began again.
In the silence dominated by darkness, we proceeded following the guidance of the guide flying in the sky.
Careful of our feet, moving forward as if blindfolded.
Only the faint magical light provided by Kaorulko illuminated our feet.
Beyond that, darkness blocked our vision, but the guide's sure voice led us.
Step by step, we carefully placed our feet.
The cold air pierced our skin, and the faint sounds echoing from below heightened the tension further.
Only her small cries slightly illuminated the path we were advancing on.
"Gya!" the Harpy whispered quietly.
Along the way, small stones and rocks rolled at our feet, so we walked carefully.
The darkness was deep and heavy.
In the darkness, relying on the guide's presence, we advanced as if pulled by invisible threads.
"What is this..."
What appeared before us at the destination was a sheer cliff.
"Gya!"
From above, the Harpy's voice could be heard.
She's probably resting up there.
Well, for her who flies in the sky, it wouldn't be any trouble, but we are different.
"Well, this is tough..."
Looking up from below, I wonder how high it is.
"What do we do, Darling?"
We started planning a strategy to climb the cliff.
Probably, this is the border to the upper layer.
When adventurers reach here, a slope or stairs should be made, but there are none now.
We must find a way up somehow.
"Well..."
"We have no choice but to climb."
She is right, but...
"We can't carry Kaorulko to climb here, can we?"
Well, it's not impossible.
Tie the body up or something.
"If it's just me, I think I can manage -- but do you have a rope?"
"It's in the Item Box, about 10m."
There is a yellow and black rope.
"I see, a little short then..."
"Hmm -- let's use that."
I took out the treated water tank from the Item Box.
"Are you going to use this tank as a stepping stool?"
"This one is 4m high, so if we stack three, it becomes 12m, and four makes 16m."
"I see."
"If we stack them high, we still have to climb eventually."
For now, we stacked three and put a ladder on top.
The ladder extends to 8m, so that makes 20m total.
"Alright, I'll try climbing first."
"Take the rope with you, you might reach the top."
"So you're pulling Kaorulko up with the rope?"
"I'll be holding the ladder from below."
"I'll be in your care."
First, I took out the yellow and black rope from the Item Box and gave it to the Princess.
She took it, slung it over her shoulder, and climbed the ladder as if flying.
It's a good view from below.
Her butt is cute.
"Toh!"
A voice came from above.
"Princess! How is it?"
"I've arrived at the top! It seems safe."
"If this is the border of the layers, it means it's a safe zone."
"That's right -- Kaorulko, go climb!"
"Hieee..."
"I'm holding it from below."
"Y-yes..."
Kaorulko is a bit scared, but she started climbing the ladder.
"It's okay to go slowly."
"A-ah, please don't look up."
"It's too long, I can't see."
"That's not it..."
"Kaorulko!"
Hearing an urgent voice from above, she hurriedly started climbing.
Kaorulko says don't look, but for safety, I must look and confirm.
It's not a lewd perspective.
This is purely for safety, but her big butt has a powerful presence.
"Sakurako-sama!"
"Have you reached the top of the ladder? I'll lower the rope, wrap it around your body."
"Y-yes."
"Are you okay?!"
I check just in case, but I have to hold the ladder.
"I'm fine!"
The Princess is a high-level adventurer; she can lift Kaorulko even if she weighs 100kg.
"Kyaaa!"
Kaorulko's scream could be heard.
Probably, she's scared because she's hanging in mid-air.
"Are you okay?!"
"I-I'm okay... res."
She seems quite shaken.
After a while, there was a reply from the Princess.
"Kaorulko has climbed, Darling!"
"Understood!"
Well, she climbed, but the ladder didn't become unstable.
It should be fine to climb like this.
I also started climbing the ladder.
Placing one foot after another, I reached the very top.
Looking down, it is indeed high -- this might be scary.
"Princess! Lower the rope!"
"Darling, you'd be fine without the rope, right?"
"No, I want to retrieve the ladder."
"I see! Understood!"
The rope came down smoothly, so I tied it firmly to the ladder.
Since we can't retrieve the tanks, let's just discard them here.
You can't have your belly at the expense of your back.
We might use them further ahead, but that will be that time, and there are still tanks in stock in the Item Box.
Unlike normal clearing, it gets easier the further you go.
I climbed the cliff using a combination of jumps and gripping the rock face.
Good grief, I never thought I could do such acrobatics so easily.
Truly omnipotent -- a superhuman.
It wouldn't be strange if someone mistook me for omniscient and omnipotent.
"Yoit!"
Taking the rope from the Princess, I pulled up the ladder.
The silver ladder came up, bumping against the cliff.
"Are the tanks left as they are?"
Kaorulko was looking down.
"I can't store them in the Item Box from here."
If I force it, I might be able to retrieve them -- well, there's no need to force it.
There is still the job of discarding treated water, but if I explain the situation to Hareyama-san, she should understand.
For now, the cliff is cleared, and if this corresponds to the passage between layers, it seems like a safe zone.
I'm hungry, so let's have a proper meal.
The magical light seems to be fading, so I'll ask her to produce it again.
"Are you hungry? Want curry?"
"I'll eat!"
The first to answer was Kaorulko.
Naturally, the Princess seems to eat too.
"It's potato curry I made?"
"Potato curry?"
"Eat curry poured over potatoes instead of rice."
"Why such a curry?"
I ended up explaining that we grow potatoes in our potato field again.
Since she seems to eat potato curry, I'll serve it.
Everyone eats, but with light, it feels more like a meal.
With color, it feels delicious too.
"Don't you grow other crops?"
"Continuous cropping causes problems, so we rotate them."
"~, you don't seem to worry about food."
"That's right. My hometown already had a food self-sufficiency rate over 100%."
"Gya! Gya!"
Did she smell the food? The Harpy came.
Walking with a waddle, she sat on my knee and begged for curry.
"Hey hey -- this one is spicy, you know?"
"Gya!"
It's fine, give it to me! That kind of feeling.
Well, I'll let her try once, and if she gets the hang of it, she won't beg anymore, so I fed her.
"Hugu hugu!"
She was eating deliciously, but something was wrong.
She used her legs to scratch her mouth.
Basically, it was spicy.
"See? I told you so."
I took out milk from the Item Box and put a little on a disposable paper plate.
"Lick lick lick lick..."
She was licking it desperately.
"Stop it already."
"Gya! Gya!"
After finishing the milk, she wanted to eat my curry again.
"Since she has a human-like head, I thought her brain was full, but is she an ostrich?"
Ostriches have brains that are too small, and they seem to forget things instantly.
Chickens forget after walking three steps, is it like that?
"Gya!"
She wanted to eat the curry again, so I fed her -- gradually she got used to it and ate normally.
Was the first time just a shock?
"Muu!"
For some reason, the Princess suddenly headbutted me and stole my knee.
"Gya! Gya!"
The surprised Harpy flew off.
"Muu!"
"Ahh, yes yes -- I was getting along with the Harpy, so she's jealous?"
"She's not jealous of that!"
"Then, what is it?"
I stroked the Princess's head.
"Darling, who is more important to you, me or that beast?!"
"Eh~? Comparing it with a monster?"
"Sakurako-sama is such a troublesome woman."
Kaorulko looked somewhat stunned.
Even she, who has known me for a long time, seems to have many things she doesn't know.
"Don't call me troublesome!"
"Which one -- well, it's obviously the Princess. Here, want some curry? Ahn."
I switched to a spoon taken from the Item Box.
"..."
"Ahn."
When I urged her again, she opened her mouth.
"...Ahn."
I fed the Princess curry, opening her mouth like a chick.
"Here, good girl~ good girl."
"...Munch munch."
While stroking her head, I fed her the curry.
"Being with Daisuke-san, I can see a side of the Princess I didn't know, it's very interesting."
Kaorulko was staring at me intently.
It seems she is really looking with curiosity.
The Princess's face is bright red, but she doesn't deny it and just munches on the curry.
Even though it's a critical situation, did she gain some composure?
Well, since we came to the upper layer, it should be a bit easier.
While feeding the Princess curry, I also got full.
It's a problem that my stomach gets hungry again immediately after fighting or something.
Really, if I didn't have the Item Box, could I even clear the dungeon?
Or maybe stockpiling preserved food in the safe zones of each layer and preparing thoroughly before attacking --
It's like climbing to the highest peak, but even then, the opponent is a strong enemy.
There is a risk to life, but the reward isn't high.
Well, if we take down a Dragon, we'll get a decent amount of money, but I don't think it matches the danger level.
In that case, if we could relay images from inside the dungeon, there would be a way to broadcast the clearing process and monetize it...
But that's impossible too.
I can do it, though.
Thinking about it, I'm a cheat again.
After cleaning up the meal, I proposed to them.
"It's pitch black and I don't know the time, but shall we spend the night here today?"
I haven't camped in the dungeon before.
There is no preparation at all.
Kaorulko took something out of her bag at my words.
"Oh, it's really nighttime outside~"
She seems to be looking at a pocket watch.
If it works inside the dungeon, it must be mechanical.
"The flow of time inside and outside seems different, but I feel like it's time to rest."
"Phew -- that's right. You're right, Darling."
"If we rest, I'd want to take off equipment, but even if it's a safe zone, that's a bit reckless."
"We haven't proven this is truly a safe area yet."
That's what the Princess said.
I might just be thinking that on my own.
I took out an air mat from the Item Box.
This was bought as a spare.
You don't know what's in the dungeon.
Preparation eliminates worry, just in case -- that kind of thing.
While I was preparing to sleep, the Harpy that ran away came back.
"Gya!"
"We're staying here tonight. Rely on me again tomorrow."
"Gya."
"It really seems like you're conversing."
Kaorulko said that -- but doesn't the Harpy understand our words to some extent?
The Harpy spread her wings with a flap and jumped onto my shoulder.
Since I'm wearing armor, it's fine, but if I was in normal clothes, her claws would dig in and it would hurt quite a bit.
While carrying her on my shoulder, I prepared the air mat.
The women were removing their makeup, and it seems those tools are in Kaorulko's Item Box.
"Gya, Gya"
When the Harpy landed on the air mat, she was walking strangely, probably due to the mat's strange texture.
"Don't stick your claws in and tear it."
I bought a slightly larger mat, so the three of us can somehow sleep on it.
The Princess dove onto it.
"Gya!"
The mat bounced, and the Harpy was thrown off, flipping over on the ground.
"Darling's Item Box is truly a cheat."
"Hahaha, I think so too. With this, I feel like I can go anywhere. Even in another world, OK, hahaha."
"..." "..."
At my words, the two fell silent.
"What's wrong?"
"Before Darling appeared -- no, until that damn bird appeared, we might have thought we were thrown into another world..."
"Ah, that's true. If there was magic to throw humans somewhere -- it wouldn't be strange if we were thrown to another world."
"So, Kaorulko and I were trembling inside."
"That's right! The two of us were worried about what to do from now on."
"So, you came to a good place with me and the Harpy."
"Ah" "Yes"
The two had solemn faces.
"In that case, don't call it a damn bird, and pamper the Harpy a little more."
"No, that one is fine as a damn bird."
"Gyaah! Gya!"
"What?! Do you want to fight?! I was caught off guard before, but I won't take that attack again!"
"Stop it already."
"..."
The Princess and Harpy, who were glaring at each other, turned their backs away with a pout.
"Hehe, it seems they are actually very close."
"There's no way!""Gya!"
Both denied Kaorulko's laughing words.
I was tired too, so I lay down on the air mat, but the Princess climbed on top.
"When we get back up, I want to sleep together without armor."
"Yeah..."
Kaorulko also snuggled up there.
"Kaorulko too?"
"I-I'm lonely too."
"Sorry, sorry, you can hug me as much as you want."
"Stare"
The Princess was giving a silent warning.
"If we're sleeping in a place like this, it's pitiful to exclude someone, right?"
"W-well, that's true..."
"..."
Kaorulko also silently hugged me.
Well, she's probably scared and lonely.
Looking up, I can see the ceiling.
We came to the upper layer, but the ceiling height is the same, so it feels like the ground rose.
As a result, the ceiling became low.
"Princess, I have something I want to ask..."
While hugging, I asked her.
"What is it?"
"If you don't want to say, you don't have to answer -- why are you an adventurer? You're a young lady from a good place, right?"
"That is -- it's more like finding myself, and I was also interested in something beyond human intelligence like a dungeon..."
It sounds like a made-up reason.
"Hey, do you remember the Princess's ideal man?"
A chuckling voice from Kaorulko came from the side.
"Ah, a man stronger than me?"
"Yes. If it's here, you might find it quickly, right?"
"So, are you really looking for Darling?"
"That's right."
"N-no! Kaorulko! Here, men and women are not distinguished, and superiority and inferiority are decided by the number of monsters defeated!"
"So, you thought you could show your abilities without distinction between men and women?"
"That's right!"
"Sorry ~ for being such an old man. You would have preferred a younger, cooler man, right?"
"N-no, that's not it! Look, surprisingly you have a chest plate, and you're quite sturdy..."
She was stroking my chest area.
"I see... you wanted to be stroked by a man with overwhelming strength even stronger than yourself."
"That's right. I always talked about that."
"Kaorulko! That was a secret between the two of us?!"
"If you are really considering making her your partner, you must know everything about Sakurako-sama."
"W-well, that's true..."
Since we are at this point, I think I should tell you my thoughts.
If you are really considering being with me, I think what Kaorulko said is right.
"At a wedding, they only say pretty things like 'eternal love' or 'until death do us part', don't they?"
"N-normally, that's what they say?"
"My view on marriage is, 'Can you take care of the other person's lower (shimo)?' By the way, I intend to take care of the Princess's lower (shimo), but how about you?"
"U?! Uuuu..."
She was at a loss for words.
"Of course, when you are healthy, you won't do such things, but sudden illness, major injuries, or eventually both of you become old, such scenes might come."
"...I see..."
"If you are to be with me, I want you to think about such things rather than a sparkling wedding."
"...I understand."
"That's right. Becoming husband and wife means you have to know all the good and bad points."
Kaorulko seemed to understand.
"Of course, I don't mean 'show everything all at once at the beginning' -- there is also 'courtesy among close friends'. There are rules for couples too."
"I understand."
-- We talked like that while lying down, the next day.
It is always pitch black, so I don't know if it really became the next day -- but after breakfast, the Princess and Kaorulko were putting on makeup.
Was what Kirara said something that female adventurers do as a matter of course?
When their preparations were done, we set out into the darkness.
"Gyeeeeee!"
As soon as we started moving, we immediately encountered a huge monster.
The enemy was a large bird body with a snake tail.
"Eh~! What was this? Basilisk? Cockatrice?!"
The Princess answered my words.
"I don't know which one, but we are completely captured! Let's go!"
"Can't be helped! Alright, come on!"
"Magic is coming!"
We entered combat formation in the darkness of the dungeon.