Chapter 61 - Chapter 61: Guild Atmosphere
A joint attack on the deep layers of the dungeon has been decided upon by the top guilds.
I have an important job to do.
It is to store the massive amount of luggage brought in by each guild into my Item Box.
Of course, it is not free work.
I will receive a 10% fee from the guilds' earnings within the dungeon.
That being said, I cannot manage the fine details of such a massive amount of luggage.
Each guild's luggage will be placed on large crates or pallets and managed by them individually.
I just take them out.
The fine management of the luggage is left to each guild.
At first, we came to a guild called the Golden Path.
The leader here is a man like a Gorilla.
It seems he has his eyes on the Princess, and I was once challenged by him to a fight—but my Princess's condition is that she wants a man stronger than herself.
It seems he is weaker than the Princess.
The Princess's level has risen further while she was sent to the deep layers of the dungeon and fought alongside me.
Aside from me, she is likely in the strongest class of humanity.
There is no one among ordinary adventurers who can match her.
As I chatted while storing luggage into the Item Box, a loud voice came.
The voice was loud, and the body was big.
The source of the voice was Oga-san.
"You're at it!"
"Oga, what did you come here for?"
Gorilla and Oga seem to not get along very well.
Well, they look like kindred spirits, perhaps it is that thing called "in-group aversion"?
"I heard Darling was putting luggage into the Item Box, so I came to check it out."
"Hah? Darling? And what about that outfit of yours?"
The usual Oga-san wore denim and a T-shirt, but today is different.
A black mini-skirt with mesh on the sides, and a bold leather jacket that exposes the center line of the body and the navel.
"Heh~, Oga-san, you look cool. Just like a heroine in an action movie."
"Eh?! Eh? Is, is that so?"
Oga-san is blushing at my words.
"Yeah, seriously. Won't any movies or stories come your way as the protagonist?"
"Haha, that could never happen."
"Is that so? That's such a waste."
With her physical beauty, she could naturally fight with swords, guns, and even bare hands.
After all, since she is tall, her appearance and invincibility are amazing.
An invincible heroine who protects a shota boy and fights—won't that work?
Well, it's just my own taste.
"Ehehe..."
Oga-san is blushing.
This part is nice because she acts like a girl.
"Calling this Oga a heroine... isn't your eye rotting, old man?"
Gorilla is complaining about my words.
"Haa~, I don't understand Oga-san's goodness..."
"And besides, what is this 'Darling' thing?"
"Darling is obviously Darling."
Those were Oga-san's words, but I have a slight objection to that too.
"Why is Oga-san calling me Darling too?"
"Eh? Isn't that fine!"
"No, I'm fine with it, though."
Naturally, a complaint comes from another person.
"She is my Darling!"
"What, you could share a little bit, couldn't you!"
"If you share it, it will decrease!"
"Gununu..."
Gorilla sighed at the two glaring at each other.
"Why am I with such an old man..."
That is something I want to know too.
Anyway, it seems this Gorilla still has his eyes on the Princess.
The one diligently taking care of this Gorilla is the vice-leader of this guild.
"You seem to get along well with the vice-leader, don't you?"
At my words, the vice-leader turns red.
"With this guy, it's just childhood friends—that thing called a 'rotten bond'."
At those words, her expression darkens.
Childhood friends! That is the sweet-and-sour taste of a losing heroine like fruit.
So, the Princess would be playing the role of a thief cat stealing a lover from the childhood friend—but of course, that is not the case.
As I said before, the condition the Princess seeks in a partner is "a man stronger than herself."
"What is it, Gorilla? Are you still targeting Cherry Princess? Give up already. You can't even reach her feet, wahahaha!"
At Oga-san's words, he refutes.
"Damn! You won't know unless you try!"
"Wahahaha!"
Oga-san is laughing hysterically.
"Oga-san, we took down a big one again the other day. Haven't you heard the rumors?"
"Did you hear that a giant worm monster was brought in? Is that it?"
"Yes, yes, that big worm."
That thing is still inside my Item Box, though.
"Where did you take that down?"
"That is a secret."
"Tch!"
"At that time, the Princess delivered the finishing blow, so her level went up even more."
"Ah~, now I can never catch up in my life."
She has a face as if she has half-given up.
The same goes for Gorilla, who was listening to the conversation from the side.
"Well, since we are attacking together, if you take down the big guy and Oga-san delivers the finishing blow, your level will go up, won't it?"
"That is true, but..."
She is not a member of our guild, so it won't work that way.
Even if it is a joint attack, unless something extraordinary happens, there is an unspoken understanding not to touch the prey of other guilds.
"Regardless of the guild, if it is Oga-san, I can share the prey personally."
"R, really?!"
"Yes, isn't it because of our relationship?"
"Eh? Ehehe, is, is that so? Then it was worth wearing this outfit."
"No, that outfit really suits you."
"U, uh—thank you..."
She is blushing and fidgeting, but this part is just like a girl.
Just then, a complaint comes from the Princess.
"This is my Darling!"
"What, you could share a little bit, couldn't you?"
"If you share it, it will decrease!"
"Gununu..."
Isn't this looping?
"But, our power-up is also thanks to Kaorulko's big magic."
"But, that magic can only be used once. If you use that, your mana runs out and you can't use any other magic."
If the target is just one big monster, it can be used if that's all it takes to take it down—but.
If multiple strong enemies appear—for example, if two dragons appear—it becomes a bit difficult to use.
Even so, there will be situations where it must be used to whittle down the enemy's combat power.
"I cannot let that pass without hearing."
While everyone was talking, a man's voice cut in.
Looking over there, a slim, tall man, not as big as Oga.
Long hair, looking like a model at first glance.
Black leather fashion with silver accessories.
He has piercings in his ears—and his outfit is hard to tell if he is young or old.
Well, looking only at his face, there are no wrinkles, so he is probably young.
"What is it—Yuuki, you came too?"
He seems to be an acquaintance of Oga.
"I am not a ghost. I have said this many times, right?"
"Your name has the same kanji as 'ghost', doesn't it?"
"Just because the kanji is the same doesn't mean I am a ghost."
"Oga-san, who is this person?"
"This guy is a Magus."
"Magus—Ah, I heard there is a guild centered around Magus, is he from there?"
"Yes. I am Yuuki—nice to meet you."
He bowed.
Yuuki isn't "courage", right?
Since Oga was talking about the kanji for ghost, maybe it is Yuuki (Ghost)?
If it is his real name, that is an amazing name.
"Well, how do you do—Niwa. The old man with the Item Box."
"Yes, it was you."
"I think I will be taking care of the luggage of your guild too, so please."
"Thank you very much."
He is very polite.
"More importantly, what was that 'cannot let it pass' about just now?"
"It is about the magic that Empress acquired."
"Oh, um... is it okay with Kaorulko?"
"Yes, there is no problem in telling you."
"It is a super powerful beam magic like a Hadouhou."
"Ha-dou-hou?"
Ah, since it is an old anime, some people might not know.
"Well, let's just say it is a super powerful beam magic."
"So, you can slay huge monsters in one hit with it?"
"It is certainly powerful, but I don't know how far it will work. We haven't tried it on dragons yet."
"I see..."
He puts his hand to his chin and thinks deeply.
"But, it is certain that only those with a very high level can acquire it."
"So, that means Empress is at that level too, right?"
"That is right."
Normally, you should go down the dungeon and gradually encounter stronger enemies, but in our case, it was exactly the opposite.
We were sent to the deepest layer of the dungeon first and then climbed up.
"U~mu"
If he is a Magus, he would be interested in unknown powerful magic.
In the first place, he might just like magic itself.
Otherwise, he wouldn't make a guild of only Magus.
"Isn't it inconvenient to dive with a party of only Magus?"
"Well, certainly there are enemies I am not good at—but in those cases, I just run away."
He seems to be cutting it off without being stubborn about that part.
That is amazing.
"But, what about magic against dragons in the deep layers? Kaorulko's Explosion magic didn't work either..."
"Eh?! Seriously?! Even Explosion magic doesn't work?!"
At my words, Oga is surprised.
"He just stood there after taking it."
"U~mu—probably, that large scale is attenuating the magic."
"I didn't hear the details—but how did Darling take that guy down?"
"It is this."
I took out a dagger from the Item Box.
"That dagger—is it a drop item?"
The Magus man seems to have noticed it is not a normal dagger.
"This is a dagger that has the effect of rotting the target."
"So—you peeled off the dragon's scale with that and attacked?"
"That is what Oga-san said. If you peel off the scale, the sword can pass through."
"Eh? Does that mean you can't win unless you do that?"
"I don't know. There might be some weakness—but the classics are the mouth or the butt..."
"Hahaha, indeed, there are no scales in the butt hole."
"Wait, you shouldn't talk about a woman's butt hole."
"Haha, isn't it because of our relationship, Darling and I?"
That is not what I mean.
Well, I am fine with it though.
"Hey, Oga! I admit you can compete with Darling, but show some restraint! She is my Darling!"
"What, you said you could steal her if you could, didn't you?"
"I won't let you steal her!"
"Gununu..."
The two are glaring at each other.
"Oga-san, don't provoke the Princess too much."
"Oga-san, could you stop it for a bit..."
"Then, Oga? Or is it okay to call you by your name?"
"Th, then... Iroha..."
She looks shy.
"Oga-san, your name is Iroha? That is a nice name. Well, then I will be Daisuke too."
"Can't I call you Darling?"
"Eh? It's fine, but... why is Iroha calling you Darling too?"
"That's right! She is my Darling!"
It seems like it is looping again, so I cut it off.
"Alright, Kaorulko, whose guild luggage are we putting in next?"
"Mine!"
It seems we are heading to Iroha's guild next.
I greet the vice-leader here and head to the next destination.
The leader, Gorilla, seems to dislike the fact that I am getting along with the girls.
Even if you say that.
I don't understand why I am getting popularity either.
Well, if you think simply, I am a high-level adventurer, strong, and have money.
It does seem like elements that make one popular.
Sadly—I have never been popular as an old man until now.
The leader of the next guild is Iroha standing right in front of me.
The guild name seems to be Goriki.
It is a name fitting for her, but guild names must have some reason, I suppose.
Cherry Princess, the Princess, is probably from the name Sakurako.
My guild, Forty-Niner, was taken from level 49.
"Was there a reason for the previous guild, Golden Path, too?"
"Haha, that is because that Gorilla's surname is Ogai, Darling."
Iroha told me, but she chose Darling instead of Daisuke again.
"What, is that so?"
"Yes, it is."
The Magus Yuuki is following behind us.
If I hear the kanji, it is probably Yuuki (Ghost) after all.
That is an amazing name.
I can't ask if it is his real name.
"What is the name of Yuuki-san's guild?"
"The Ghost place is Rolling Stone."
"I am not a ghost."
"Is that taken from a proverb, or are you a fan of the Rolling Stones?"
"Both."
"It is songs and bands from my parents' generation. I only know Satisfaction..."
"Umu..."
Well, there must be something that touched this young man's heartstrings.
"I heard Aerosmith..."
While talking about old rock with Yuuki, we arrived at Iroha's guild—Goriki.
Here too, a concrete building with exposed walls seems to be the headquarters, like a barracks.
"Miss! How was it?!"
"Yeah!"
Iroha gives a thumbs up.
Is it because the leader is a woman?—it seems there are many female members.
Half of the clothing is casual wear, and half is adventurer equipment.
In front of the guild, there is a pile of luggage stacked on pallets.
Are we going to put that into the Item Box?
As I am thinking about my job, I am surrounded by the girls.
"I was asked by Miss to think about clothes, but is the partner such an old man?"
"I thought the fashion matched quite well, so did you borrow help from them?"
"B, but—I don't know about clothes..."
Seeing Iroha fidgeting, the girls started making a fuss.
"Wow, Miss is serious!" "Why with such an old man..."
"Hey hey, what a big greeting. Well, it can't be helped since he is an old man."
"Is this old man really stronger than Miss?"
"Yes, no doubt. I can't even move a finger against him."
"Hee~"
Surrounded by girls staring at the old man.
"Anyway, it seems spring has finally come to Miss!"
"Waaaa!"
It seems to be getting very lively, but just by looking at this, you can see that Iroha is admired by the guild members.
"You guys, she is my Darling!"
At the Princess's loud voice, the girls jumped up.
"Eh?!" "W, who?!" "I don't know"
Maybe you can't tell since it is casual wear today.
Speaking of Cherry Princess, she wears bikini armor.
"Cherry Princess."
At Iroha's short words, the girls raised their voices.
"Eeeee~!?"
"Cherry Princess Miss, excuse me!" "Nice to meet you!" "Our Miss is always being taken care of!"
Everyone bowed to the Princess at once.
They are very polite.
Well, the Princess is a top ranker looked up to by adventurers.
She must be an object of admiration even to female adventurers.
"..."
Since everyone is polite and good children, the Princess with her arms crossed cannot bring herself to get angry.
She has no bad intentions.
"But, Miss! I thought spring had finally come to you, but suddenly a love triangle?!"
"Isn't that a bit dangerous?"
"That's right!"
I have to deny it for now.
"No, no, it's not a love triangle."
"So, is it just playing around?!" "Terrible!" "Our Miss is such a good person!"
"No, no, it's not playing around or anything like that... Iroha has already agreed."
"Well, that is so."
She turns red and blushes.
"Eeeee~!" "Is Miss okay with that?!"
"Well—if a kid is born, I will raise it..."
"Eeeee~!" "Is it already that kind of relationship?!" "It's just a relationship! It's just a relationship!"
I am not blaming them.
Everyone is just giggling and having fun.
"..."
Thinking that, the girls are staring at me intently.
"Not just our Miss, even Cherry Princess..." "How amazing is this old man?" "Seriously?"
"Wait, wait."
She is pushing them back as they all rush toward the Princess.
"Miss, is she that amazing?!"
"...Y, yes, amazing..."
"Kyaaaaaaa!"
With so many girls giggling and having fun, it is noisy as expected.
"Then, we want a share too..." "What should we do?" "...I'm interested..."
They are pressing closer to me, but the Princess stands in front of them.
"If you want to compete with Darling, you must defeat me!"
"S, such a thing is impossible!" "Impossible, snail~"
That is impossible, of course.
Even if all the female adventurers here band together, they cannot match the Princess.
"Oops, rather than that, I must do my job."
I store the piled luggage along with the pallets.
"Amazing!" "It's so convenient." "I want one too!"
"There might be people operating it quietly. If it is a very small Item Box, I don't think anyone would notice."
For example, even an Item Box the size of one backpack would be useful enough.
You don't have to carry unnecessary luggage.
Putting only important things in the Item Box has infinite uses.
"Please take care of Miss!" "Don't make her sad!"
"O, okay."
I am swarmed by the guild girls.
The job is done, so I leave Iroha's guild and head to the last place.
The guild of the man named Yuuki who has been following us.
It seems to be a guild centered around Magus, but what is it like?
I am a little interested.
We arrived at a building covered in ivy.
It looks like a haunted house—but a haunted house where Yuuki lives.
The image fits perfectly.
Iroha calls him "Ghost".
The leader's name is Yuuki too.
"Welcome back."
The Magus are welcoming the leader, but it seems there are many women here too.
Unlike Iroha's guild, these Magus are almost entirely in adventurer equipment.
Everyone looks like a Magus at first glance.
"Kya~!"
Yellow voices came from the women, so I thought they were fans of the Princess—but no.
"A, ah! You are Empress, right?!"
"Y, yes."
Kaorulko is surrounded by women in Magus equipment emphasizing their chests.
If the object of admiration for ordinary adventurers is the Princess, then the object of admiration for Magus must be Empress.
Kaorulko was also in casual wear, but it seems she was spotted immediately.
Maybe her chest?
I thought that, but her casual wear is loose and not designed to emphasize her chest.
If so, they might have just remembered her face normally.
I stored the luggage on the pallets here too, and my job is over.
—I want to think that, but actually, there is still more.
The last place I go to is the weapon shop I always use.
I have placed an order for something with the old man here.
"Hi~ I heard the ordered thing has arrived."
"Welcome. It is here, but it is in the warehouse in Haneda."
"It is troublesome to bring it all the way here."
"I apologize, but that is correct..."
What I ordered is a somewhat large item, necessary for this dungeon raid.
It is faster for me to go get it rather than paying shipping fees to bring it to the Special District.
After all, since it is big, the shipping fees must be ridiculous.
"Then, let's go to Haneda."
At that time, a message came to my smartphone.
'The buyer for that worm monster has been found. Can you bring it tomorrow?'
The recipient of the message is the old man who always buys things.
If so, that is perfect.
I am going to Haneda anyway.
"It's fine."
—I replied.
'Then, I'm counting on you.'
It is grateful that someone will buy that.
I thought I had to throw it away in the dungeon.
"Princess, it seems that monster worm will be bought."
"I'm glad it won't become fertilizer for the Item Box."
"Before that, I will throw it in the dungeon."
"As we discussed before, only the teeth part?"
Kaorulko looks a little tired.
She was questioned by the Magus at Yuuki's guild.
The Magus were very interested in magic they didn't know.
On the contrary, since that guild has many Magus, it seems there are magic we don't know either.
They are supposed to show that magic in the dungeon.
Anyway—shall I go to Haneda tomorrow?