Chapter 42 - Chapter 42: Breast-Curtain Dress!
We are on our way back, having been thrown deep into the dungeon by the Labyrinth Cult.
Since we are taking the normal reverse route, it seems no events are occurring.
By the way, what exactly is an "event"?
Just because this is a game-like world, there's no need to make it that game-like, is there?
Is it true that I'm being made to accompany someone's bad joke?
Since they are beings that twist physical laws, they must be supernatural beings――that's what I think.
I thought we could skip the event, but the Princess set off the flag.
The popped enemies were undead called Liches or No Life Kings.
Since "No Life King" is long, we decided to call them Liches.
We quickly dispatched them, but with Kaorulko's suggestion, we tried using the Item Box.
Living things can't go into the Item Box, but since undead are dead, maybe they can be stored?
――So, I tried it when she said that.
The result――the enemies vanished from right before my eyes!
As Kaorulko said, since undead are dead, it seems they can be stored in the Item Box.
"Oh! This is amazing! Won't undead battles become more efficient?"
"Normally, such a method is impossible."
"That's true――it's rare to have the skill of an Item Box, let alone one with such a large capacity――"
The Princess nodded in agreement.
"Well, this is a strategy only I can use."
"As Darling says."
That's fine, but what do we do with the undead stored in the Item Box?
Should we just leave them in there?
"But even if we leave them in the Item Box, it doesn't count as defeating them, so it's meaningless……"
"That's true……but it might be useful for emergency evasion."
"For now, take them out of storage and let Kaorulko deliver the finishing blow?"
If we carry them somewhere and dump them into a crack in the underground, I would end up defeating them myself.
Probably, even if I defeat them, it wouldn't matter regarding the level of this layer……
No, before that――since the Lich was floating, maybe it won't fall into the crack.
"Indeed――it was already near death anyway."
We decided to take out the undead and deliver the finishing blow.
The problem is where to take them out.
This monster couldn't come out of the event area, so we could defeat it easily――but.
If we take it out of the area, it might be able to move freely.
We must be careful.
We decided to take out the undead stored in the Item Box after entering the area.
To let Kaorulko deliver the finishing blow, I handed her a recovery potion.
"Um, Niwa Daisuke-san. How many recovery potions do you have?"
"I have quite a lot, but I used a lot of them this time, haha."
With preparations complete, I took out the undead from the Item Box.
"!"
The monster taken out of storage seems not to understand what happened.
Didn't the setting say Liches have quite high intelligence?
Of course, this is within the context of the game……
I took out the camera I had put away earlier and started filming again.
"Heave! Heave! Heave!"
Bottles of recovery potion were thrown one after another from the safe zone toward the undead.
"Gyaahhh!"
The monster screams in pain, but I can't help but feel a little sorry for it.
Kaorulko is a mage, but she is also high-level――it's not a normal girl's throw.
Every time the bottle hits the undead's skull, it shatters, its contents scatter, and white smoke rises.
Soon, the red light in the eyes of the skull gradually weakens――and finally disappears.
At the same time, a somewhat large box fell down.
It had a metal frame and looked very much like a treasure chest.
"Ah!"
At the same time, light began to envelop Kaorulko's body.
Since this is a mid-boss battle, I think enemies won't spawn, but I remain alert to the surroundings.
After a few minutes, the glow from her body ceased.
"You did it, you leveled up, didn't you?"
"Y-yes!"
It seems she is checking her status.
"How is it?"
"Ah! I've learned a new magic."
"That's good. I'm glad I let you deliver the finishing blow."
"Thank you. Um, it says Area Heal and a beam magic……"
"If you had learned that magic, you could have defeated the Lich!"
The Princess is venting her dissatisfaction.
"It doesn't work that smoothly."
"Mou……"
"Area Heal is good, isn't it? It seems you can recover even while fighting."
Maybe defeating this Lich was the flag to learn Area Heal.
"Yes, it seems convenient."
"If you've learned a new magic, you have to try it out!"
As the Princess said.
Unless I check what kind of magic it is and how much power it has, I can't incorporate it into combat.
"But Kaorulko has used magic a few times already, so today might be tough for her, right?"
"I think I'll probably be okay……"
"If you use a new magic, your mana might be drained completely――something like that."
"Ah! That is possible!"
"Hmm――if we are going to test the new magic, it's better to test it in a fully prepared state."
"I tried using it, but if the mana consumption is high and I suddenly run out of mana, it would be terrible."
"The fact that it was learned at this level means it must be a grand magic, so that possibility exists……"
"I see…… hmm."
The Princess crossed her arms and pondered.
She is probably thinking about what to do next.
"Well, what should we do? Since a mid-boss event occurred, I think this is the correct route……"
"I agree with Darling's opinion."
"Since Yaegashi Sakurako-sama said so, we didn't have to break the door with magic, which was nice."
"Haha."
"Kaorulko! Since Darling came, you've been harsh with me?!"
"But――Yaegashi Sakurako-sama and I were in trouble continuously……"
"Gnnn……"
"She seems to be charging headlong."
"That's right, already……"
It seems Kaorulko is being led around by the Princess.
Despite everything, I think they are a good pair.
Anyway, I rummaged through the Lich's corpse.
Since it was an interesting scene, I decided to film it.
The robe was tattered, but it had gems attached.
Red is probably ruby, green is probably emerald?
Since there's no cutting technique, they are just in the state of raw stones.
"Are these real gems?"
"Probably――since the gems that drop as items seem to be real raw stones, it's likely correct."
"Wow, they are quite large……"
"If cut nicely, their value will increase."
"Dungeon-grown gems seem to have some characteristics and are said to be valuable."
"Oh, for now, I'll put them in my Item Box, and we'll divide them when we get to the surface."
"No objection." "Yes."
I found a large black stone on the Lich's corpse――a Magic Stone.
"Oh! Magic stone found! It's big!"
It's about the size of a volleyball.
"I've never seen a Magic Stone this big!"
Kaorulko is excited.
It seems no one has reached this layer yet.
"Probably, if we dismantle the Dragon or that monster with the old man's face stored in the Item Box, even bigger Magic Stones will drop."
"That would raise our reputation even further!"
The Princess puffed out her chest.
"Can I fit in there?"
"What are you saying! Darling is stronger than us, so it's natural!"
"That's right."
"We'll be talked about again……"
Feeling a bit depressed, I checked the treasure chest.
I was wary of traps, but it opened easily, filled with many bottles.
"Huh? We defeated them with potions, so the drop items are a set of potions?"
"It's good that the consumed amount is returned, isn't it?"
Well, as the Princess said.
You can never have too many potions.
They can also serve as currency.
It seems there are people who collect chests with items inside.
There are collectors everywhere.
While rummaging through the Lich's robe, I noticed a blue cloth layered on top of it.
When I lifted it, it seemed to be a blue dress for women.
"Is this――perhaps a drop item?"
The Princess peered into the cloth.
"Since Kaorulko defeated it, it might have dropped for her."
"Ah."
I handed the dress to Kaorulko.
It is a long dress, but the design of the chest part is a mystery.
Is it widely open?
"Eh?! Does this part open at the chest?"
"It seems so."
"It would fit Kaorulko perfectly since her chest is big. Why don't you try it on?"
Did I imagine it, or did the Princess's words sound a bit sarcastic?
"Eh?! Here?!"
"No one is here, and it's just right? Maybe it's a super drop item like my armor."
"W-well, that is possible……"
It seems she is interested in the design, but the Princess has a point.
If it's super performance, it would indeed be a shame.
"Uuuu……"
Kaorulko seems resistant, but she has been caught by the Princess who is enjoying it.
Since she always wears embarrassing outfits, she probably wants to drag someone else into it.
"I will turn my back."
"See, Darling said so too, right?"
"Hey, Yaegashi Sakurako-sama!"
Behind me, two beautiful women are giggling.
No, they aren't giggling.
They were flustered, but then it went quiet.
"Darling, you can turn around now."
"OK?"
When I turned around, Kaorulko was there, wrapped in a blue long dress embroidered with gold thread.
"Uuu……"
Shy, she turned her face bright red and hid her chest.
For now, her chest is hidden, but her thick, plump thighs are visible, and her figure is good, so the destructive power is amazing.
Glasses, big breasts, plump――just that, it seems many men would be hit hard.
"Oh, it suits you very well."
"See, Darling said so too."
"But, the chest part is like this!"
When she spread her hands, so-called lower breasts were visible.
"Is this the so-called Breast-Curtain Dress?"
"This is definitely something that will show!"
"No, since it's a drop item, no matter how wildly you move, it will guard properly――or something like that, right?"
"W-was it really……?"
Kaorulko looked suspicious at my words.
"No, we won't know unless we try."
"Try……"
"Just jump a little."
At the Princess's suggestion, Kaorulko started jumping.
As she bounced up and down, naturally, her chest bounced up and down too.
Wonderful.
"Mou?!"
If it were normal cloth, it would flip up, but the parts that shouldn't be shown are guarded firmly.
――Or rather, it looks like the cloth is sticking to her……
"Isn't this sticking?"
Since the movement is physically unnatural, the Princess must have thought the same thing as me.
The Princess pinched the Breast-Curtain with her finger and lifted it.
"Kyaa!"
A pink thing that shouldn't be seen became visible.
"So――it's not sticking to the skin, but it's a magical cloth that doesn't shift even when moving."
The Princess analyzed the item, ignoring Kaorulko's screams.
"What is this?!"
"That unreasonable part seems to be characteristic of drop items, right?"
As the Princess said.
The bikini armor she is wearing is also nonsense like that, high exposure but maximum defense.
"And, the fact that we don't know what performance it has at all is troubling."
"You'll know if you actually use it in combat."
"D-do I have to wear this forever?!"
"If you say that, what about my this?!"
Well, it is bikini armor, after all.
"Uuuu……"
It seems Kaorulko is unwilling, but she can't disobey the Princess.
Equipped with the blue dress of the Breast-Curtain, we decided to check what effect it has.
"Normally, that Lich should have been a strong enemy, so if it's an item dropped from it――I think it's probably high performance."
"I hope so……"
"That guy used a blue robe to attenuate――or invalidate magic, right? The fact that a similar blue dress appeared means――"
"I think Darling's estimation is correct."
"That's right――I had something I wanted to ask……"
"What is it?"
I decided to ask the veteran mage about magic.
"If you have an item that invalidates magic, won't the light of the hall's magic or the light magic also disappear?"
"It doesn't affect your own magic."
"Ah, is that so."
That is also game-like.
It's like the anime's breaking barrier that blocks enemy attacks but allows you to attack yourself.
While talking with Kaorulko, I couldn't help but look at her large breasts.
For me, it's eye candy, so if it stays like this, it's lucky.
A beautiful woman in bikini armor and a big-breasted woman in a Breast-Curtain dress――truly a man's romance.
I was deeply captivated by the romance that men across time and space have pursued right before my eyes.
That feeling is carved into a grand story that continues from the distant past to the future.
Resonating deeply with the romance that men have pursued from the past to the future, I placed myself within that history. Courage, challenge, love, invention, adventure, and the pursuit of a sustainable future.
All of that connects in my heart and becomes a great goal in life.
Why do men pursue romance?
The answer is now right before my eyes.
"Phew……"
The scene was so wonderful that I almost lost my senses, but I barely held on.
"Darling?"
"Well then, Kaorulko's dress will remain as is, and we will continue to clear the dungeon, right?"
"That's right!"
"Uuuu……"
The mage of the Breast-Curtain doesn't seem enthusiastic……
"Well, how long will it take to clear this dungeon?"
Kaorulko reacted to my words.
"There is a way to climb the shortcut that the Harpy passed……"
As she said, climbing there is too difficult.
Even if we climb, is there a hole we can pass through?――there is that problem too.
"It might be a hole only her small body can pass through."
"That's true, just looking from below, it didn't look like a large hole."
The Princess seems to have the same opinion as me.
"Then, shall we clear this dungeon by the orthodox method after all?"
"There is also a saying 'Haste makes waste'."
"Niiwa Daisuke-san――you want to hurry for the sake of the missing girls and children, don't you?"
I thought a little about Kaorulko's words.
I know very well that this is not the time to be giggling over a Breast-Curtain dress……
"I want to hurry, but I can't force it. As I said before, if we are all wiped out here, we won't be able to expose the Dancing Darkness or the Labyrinth Cult."
"Yes."
"Well, young people might want to rush due to blood and fire, but at this age, you learn to distinguish what can and cannot be done――things that are impossible are impossible."
I can't involve them in my private matters.
"As safely and surely as possible――is that it?"
"That's right."
With the policy decided, we set off.
Before everyone's eyes stretched a huge labyrinth composed of complex, winding passages.
In the light of the magic chanted by the mage, the stone walls were cold and hard, and the maze that stretched on forever drifted with an eerie silence.
Just when I thought it was a completely silent world, faint sounds echoing from beyond the walls made me feel the vastness of the labyrinth and the unknown existence lurking within.
Every time we advanced on a single path, a new branching point appeared, and the endless dungeon stood before us.
I took out a notebook and writing utensils from the Item Box to map it.
This feels like a dungeon, but now I don't have the leisure to enjoy the labyrinth.
In my usual routine, excitement would come first.
"This will also become valuable data."
As the Princess said.
Since this part hasn't been cleared, it is a completely unknown dungeon.
If someone reaches it by themselves, it will become a foothold for adventure.
Clearing is based on the basics――using the left-hand rule.
Since we are doing such a dull and time-consuming thing, we want to hurry to the surface――
I realize that rushing is impossible, but it's not a place we can clear by moving aimlessly.
"There seems to be a trap there."
"Understood."
I took out a rock from the Item Box and used it as bait.
The weight of the large rock triggered the trap, and a spear flew out from the wall.
I'll take the spear.
I stored it in the Item Box.
"If you weren't here, Niiwa Daisuke-san, returning to the surface would have been impossible."
"Anyway, by the time we fought the Dragon, we were running out of food, weren't we?"
"That's right……"
"If I were to clear the dungeon and return to the surface alone, silently――just thinking about it makes me feel dark."
We map the dungeon with the left-hand strategy.
It's a hard task, but there's no other way.
Soon, we found a small room with a door.
Using the Item Box strategy, we erased the door and got the treasure chest inside.
"No, no, this isn't the time to be doing this……"
"Y-yes!"
"――And yet, Kaorulko is enjoying it too, isn't she!"
"B-but, since Niiwa Daisuke-san opens doors so easily……"
I understand the feeling.
It's a rare dungeon, and as long as I am here, there is no worry about food.
If there are treasure chests, it's human nature to want to open them.
Normally, I would want to map everything and explore every corner, but I decided to explore only the rooms on the way.
After walking for a while, we came out to a somewhat large room.
"This is――it looks like enemies will pop here……"
"That's right……"
"Shall we go back?"
"No――it's a good chance to see the ability of Kaorulko's new equipment."
The Princess denied my suggestion.
"Then, let's do it……"
I took out weapons from the Item Box.
The Princess held a sword, and I held a missile――we stepped into the room fully equipped.
When a shrill sound echoed in the room, a monster appeared with dazzling light.
"Kyeaaaaah!"
"Eagle?!"
Yellow beak, sharp eyes, brown giant wings.
I started filming with the camera I took out of the Item Box.
"The body is a beast, isn't it?!"
As the Princess said, the lower body is a lion-like body.
"Um, what was this called? Hippopotamus? Griffon?"
"Hippopotamus is a hippo!"
"I see, then um――since I don't know, let's call it a Griffon."
"Understood!"
We split into two with a tacit understanding and surrounded it.
Even though it's a wide room, there isn't enough space to fly around freely using wings.
My ranged weapon should be effective.
"Please distract it! I will try the new magic!"
By the way, Kaorulko said she learned a new magic.
"Is it okay to try it suddenly? We said we would test it in a fully prepared state, right?"
"Either way, we have to test it somewhere."
"I leave it to your judgment."
"Yes! Blade of Light!"
The mage's chant began.
It seems she decided to use magic.
If so, I must draw the enemy's attention to me.
"Ora ora, over here! Orya!"
I threw one missile, but it was dodged.
The flying missile collided with the wall and scattered sparks.
It seems the enemy has surprising mobility even in a narrow room.
"Yaaaah!"
Since the enemy was facing me, the Princess attacked from a blind spot.
"Kye!"
At the same time as the enemy's shrill scream, red blood splashed.
Her blade tip seemed to have torn the monster's fur.
At that moment, Kaorulko's chant just finished.
"Pierce my enemy! 《Gamma Ray》"
A dazzling flash pierced the monster's body, and with too much momentum, it even blew away the dungeon wall.
Debris flew around in pieces.
"Whoa! This is bad!"
"Kaorulko!"
After casting the magic, Kaorulko collapsed, so the Princess ran over.
I faced the Griffon to provide support――but.
"……Gye……"
The monster's huge body collapsed while spitting blood.
It seems its body was pierced by a single magic strike.
What an amazing magic.
With this, maybe even a Dragon can be taken out in one shot.
"Kaorulko!"
"Are you okay!?"
I finished filming, retrieved the missile, and ran over to the two, but Kaorulko was unconscious.
Her posture was broken while being held by the Princess, but the large breasts of the Breast-Curtain didn't shift.
As expected of a magic item.
No, no, more than that, I am worried about the mage's condition.
"What happened?"
"I think it's probably mana depletion."
"Ah, as I thought――we should have tested it after getting our condition fully prepared."
"But, the power of that magic was wonderful."
"That's true, with that, it might work on a Dragon too."
"Hmm."
The Griffon's corpse seems to sell for a high price.
I stored it in the Item Box.
There seem to be drop items.
Many small bottles of medicine and a long sword.
"Shall the Princess try the weapon?"
"That's true――we won't know what performance it has until we try it."
We decided to swap it with the sword she was using.
Since Kaorulko is down, I put it in my Item Box.
Since the enemy was defeated, I decided to carry Kaorulko on my back and move.
As we continued down the passage, we felt some heat.
The humidity was also great.
The passage was covered with glowing moss and shining.
This could be used as light.
While carrying Kaorulko, I collected it and put it in the Item Box.
"What is this? Is there a spring?"
"Maybe it's a lava zone?"
The Princess objected to my words.
Ah, certainly, in games, there are places like that.
As we advanced, the heat and humidity became intense.
Soon, we came out to a plaza.
Steam made everything in front of our eyes white.
There seems to be a spring ahead, but with this heat and steam, is it a hot spring?