Chapter 81 - Chapter 81: The Harpies Are Reliable
We are attacking the deep layers of the dungeon again, accepting a request from Iroha.
Her only blood relative, her younger sister, has gone missing in the darkness.
The woman who has cut off contact is not an adventurer, but a mole who makes their living by digging holes in dungeons.
They discover new dungeon layers and are the first to arrive, or they run a business with the reward money from the government.
If they find a layer no one knows about, they might be able to monopolize the treasure and rare items.
If they hit the jackpot, it's huge, but you don't know where this twisted dungeon leads.
It can be said to be a business accompanied by considerable risk.
We used bicycles to plow through the monsters and arrived at the 6th layer.
Even the Princess, who usually wants to fight, is reading the air today and avoiding encounters with monsters.
She gave the order to stop the line of vehicles.
"Let's take a break here."
"We blasted through on bicycles, so I'm hungry."
"..."
Usually, Iroha is the first to come for a meal, but she is quiet today.
Is she worried about her younger sister after all?
The attackers who did physical labor are hungry, but the magicians riding in the back only cast one spell.
They might not be that hungry.
"Iroha -- you might not have an appetite, but you should eat."
"No, I'll eat. If I don't eat when I can, I don't know when I'll be able to eat."
"That's right."
The generation that spent 10 years in a frozen world has many children with this kind of thinking.
It means they were that desperate for food.
We made curry in advance for times like this, so we'll have curry.
When a large group eats, there are picky eaters, but I haven't met many people who hate curry.
You get meat, vegetables, and carbohydrates, and the spices are also herbal medicine.
"Daisuke-san."
Sana pulled my clothes.
"Hm? What is it?"
"Can I eat too?"
"Eh, of course."
"I'll eat too..."
"Kaorulko just had dinner, didn't she?"
"I cast a spell just now, so I'm hungry."
I think, "A spell is just one Light Bullet," but well, it's fine if she eats.
As Iroha said, "Eat when you can."
We take the curry out of the Item Box and eat together.
We use paper plates.
If we gather the trash and leave it, it will be absorbed by the dungeon.
"Hug-hug!"
Sana is scooping up the curry with great momentum.
Hasn't she eaten?
Her level has gone up, and she should be earning a decent amount, but...
"Gya-gya!" "Gya-gya!"
"Are those the harpies?"
Did they come down because of the smell of the meal? Two harpies descended.
"What? Chichi is with you after all?"
"Gya."
"Anyway, it's curry today? I thought you were writhing in pain from the spice before..."
"Gyaah!"
It seems they will eat.
They must know what they ate before by smelling it.
I took out what I had prepared for the harpies from the Item Box.
A red stand placed on the ground with a bowl embedded in it -- it's a pet feeding stand.
I think treating them as pets is bad, but I think this is easier for them to eat from.
I served rice and curry onto the feeding stand.
Mixing it would probably make it easier to eat.
"Gya! Gya!"
Sure enough, Gigi is writhing and making a funny shape while eating.
It seems she remembers that spicy food is spicy.
Or maybe the deliciousness outweighs that?
"Gyah!"
Now Chichi started making a fuss.
Sure enough, she is writhing around in a strange shape while eating.
What a funny one.
"They're kind of cute."
Koeda came over and looked at the harpies.
"That's right. They are quite endearing creatures."
"I cannot understand!"
As if denying my words, the Princess spat out.
"Well, the Princess probably doesn't find it funny because she was pooped on..."
"Puff!"
Iroha, who was eating curry steadily, burst out laughing.
"Oga! The poop from these guys is incredibly stinky!"
"Hahaha... I know... pupu."
"Good grief, these beasts..."
"The Princess is pretty foul-mouthed too..."
"If you keep doing this, you'll inevitably become a bit evil!"
"Well, that's true."
"If your uncle and aunt heard this, they would fall off the sofa in shock, right~"
The Princess reacted to Kaorulko's words.
"My parents have nothing to do with this! My parents!"
Well, more importantly --.
"Iroha, we rushed to the 6th layer, but do you know where your sister was digging?"
"I don't know the exact location, but I heard the approximate area."
Usually, she scoops up meals grandly with a big mouth, but today she is eating normally.
-- Though, it is a very large portion.
"It would be nice if we could find it easily."
According to Iroha, since she doesn't want people to know she is digging, she often works in places with little foot traffic.
That makes sense.
If adventurers find out, there's a chance they'll steal the work like a kite stealing fried tofu.
"..."
I thought for a moment.
"Darling, what's wrong?"
"Kaorulko -- did you figure out the true nature of the Compressed Light Bullet magic that Yuuki used?"
"Yes."
"Oh! As expected, Empress!"
"Please stop that nickname."
Kaorulko has a disgusted look on her face.
I think it's quite a wonderful epithet though.
After all, it means "Empress," right?
Well, setting that aside --.
"Could you teach that magic to Sana? I think it will probably be useful."
"I understand."
"Eh?! Is that okay? I thought you would oppose it..."
She agreed so easily that I was surprised too.
"No, I also thought that there is no time to be stingy with it now that we are here."
"I also agree with Kaorulko's opinion."
The Princess agreed too, so it seems there is no problem.
"Everyone, you are shameless!"
Iroha, who was eating curry, bowed her head.
"Don't worry about it. If we mess up here, our lives will be in danger too."
As the Princess said.
"That is correct."
"How about Koeda learns it too?"
"Eh?! Wait, I don't have much confidence... besides, my Light Bullet magic is just learned..."
It seems that as you use magic, proficiency goes up and power increases.
Well, there is no way the power of a level 1-digit Light Bullet is the same as a top-ranker's Light Bullet.
"Then, assuming we use mana, shall we drink the hot spring water from the mana potion now?"
"Yes. That would be good."
I hand over the bottled water I took out of the Item Box to the three magicians.
Since it's just water, chugging it down might be tough, but they seem to have started drinking it slowly.
"If we served coffee or tea with this, it might taste delicious~"
"We could also make it like lemonade."
"That sounds nice."
Kaorulko's words made me imagine the hot spring water tasting delicious.
More than that -- if we sold the hot spring water that the Princess and Kaorulko bathed in -- cough cough cough.
Of course, it's a joke.
Since the meal is over, we start moving.
I have Iroha run at the front of the bicycle line and head for the place she heard from her sister.
If we move away from places with many adventurers, is it probably in the corner of the dungeon?
We circle around a likely spot, but we can't find it easily.
Well, it's dark inside the dungeon, and there are no marks.
"Damn it!"
I can tell Iroha is irritated.
I understand the feeling, but even if you get annoyed, you can't find what you can't find.
"Hey! Princess!"
"What is it, Darling!"
We stop for a moment.
"Let's have the harpies search again."
"Those beasts?"
"I understand you hate them, but it's better to borrow their eyes and noses here."
Their eyes should be quite high-performance, like birds of prey.
Besides, their nose performance is outstanding, enough to trace my scent from quite deep in the layers.
There is no reason not to use this.
"Darling! Please rely on me too."
Iroha got off the bicycle and bowed her head.
"We've come this far, you don't have to bow -- hey! Harpies!"
"Gya!" "Gya!"
Two harpies descended, spreading their large wings.
"Good, good, I'll give you chocolate."
"Gya!" "Gya!"
It seems they understood what the chocolate I gave them was, and they came with shining eyes.
"Here."
"Hug-hug!"
The two grabbed the chocolate with their feet and ate it.
"I have a small favor to ask."
"Gya!"
"Look from above and find holes on the ground. Find places where air flows up from below."
"Gya" "Gya"
"Do those beasts really understand?"
The Princess's sarcasm is valid, but here we need to borrow even a cat's hand.
There are no cats, so we use harpies.
The harpies, having finished the chocolate, flew into the darkness.
"Well, let's search too."
"I understand."
"Please!"
We spread out within the range where we can confirm each other and search for holes.
If we lose sight of them here, it will be a secondary disaster.
Koeda, who cannot see in the darkness, is with Iroha.
Searching in the darkness for about an hour.
"Gyah!"
"Oh? Maybe you found it?"
"Really?!"
The Princess seems not to believe it, but I want to believe in the harpies' wild instincts and abilities.
"Hey! Gather up~"
I gather everyone.
"Darling, what's wrong?"
Iroha also came to me.
"The harpies are reacting."
"Really?!"
"Let's have her guide us."
"Understood!"
For Iroha, she must feel like she is clinging to a straw.
There is no other way.
Of course, if we search thoroughly we might find it, but we don't have time.
The moles who went missing probably didn't prepare that much food either.
Besides, I am an out-of-spec cheat with something like an Item Box.
"Hey! It's probably Gigi! Guide us to where you found it!"
"Gya!"
Everyone gets on their bicycles and follows the harpy.
I am at the front, and Sana, riding behind me, navigates the direction the harpy is going.
"Daisuke-san, it's to the right."
"Yosoro!"
"What is that?"
"Haha."
Since explaining is troublesome, I just continue forward.
After moving through the darkness for about 10 minutes, the Princess finally started to get anxious.
"Darling, are you okay?!"
"Well, let's leave it to me."
I know the harpies have the ability to navigate us to safe zones.
Actually, we returned from hell with their guidance.
Even if we get lost here, we can return with the harpies' power, so there is no need to worry.
"Gyah!"
"Ah, Daisuke-san! She is spinning around up there."
"It seems we have arrived at the destination."
"How about it..."
Everyone arrived at the place designated by the harpy.
"It seems to be around here, but can't you see it?"
"Umm."
"It might be easier if we make it a bit brighter."
If we shine a light where there is a hole, it will appear as a black shadow.
"Then, I will --"
It seems Koeda will use magic.
"Please."
"Hmm, light! [Light]".
She creates a light at a slightly high position.
Deep in the dungeon, a space dominated by silence and darkness.
The air is cold and damp, and the darkness spreading at our feet is like the bottom of a deep sea.
A single ray of light broke that darkness.
A small magical light floating in the air.
The light is pale blue and sharp, illuminating the surroundings brightly.
It brings out the unevenness of the walls and ground, vividly reflecting the shaped things hidden in the darkness.
"Ah! Is that it!"
It seems Sana found something.
A black shadow, with some rocks slightly raised around it.
We ran over there.
"This is it!"
Iroha, seeing the hole, raised her voice.
The diameter is about 2m -- there is a place dug up nearby, and a rope is tied there.
It seems they dug a pillar-like part laid on its side to make it, and tied it there.
It looks like a stone carving.
They probably use things found in the dungeon so they don't carry extra luggage, but can they make something with such a shape easily?
Besides, how did they dig this hole?
Is there some special magic?
More than that, we found the hole.
"Great! Look, Princess! It was right to rely on the harpies, wasn't it?"
"Umm."
She doesn't seem convinced, but I called the harpies.
"Hey! Come here."
"Gya!"
Only Gigi came down, but I picked her up and stroked her.
"Good, good, good! You did well!"
"Gyu."
Being stroked on the head, the harpy seems happy with its eyes narrowed.
"Hahaha."
"Thump!"
Suddenly, the Princess body-checked us.
Since the impact was considerable, we fell over as is.
"Gya!"
The harpy was also startled and escaped to the sky above.
Well, that's natural.
"Princess! That's terrible."
"Hmph."
It seems she is jealous because she was doting on Gigi.
Even though she calls them beasts herself...
"Gyah!"
A white substance was splashed on the Princess by the harpy that suddenly dove down.
"Gyah!"
The Princess is furious again at the harpy's sudden dive bombing.
"Since the Princess attacked first, it's the Princess's fault..."
"Darling, aren't you on my side!"
"No, well, that was..."
"Pu, pupu..." "Uhuhu..."
Seeing the Princess, Iroha and Koeda covered their mouths.
"Princess, this isn't the time to be doing such things to find Iroha's sister!"
"I know! Cleanse (Clean)!"
She has become able to use the cleansing magic herself, so the harpy's attack no longer works.
"Sana can also use the Cleanse (Clean) magic."
"Yes, I'm fine."
"I can use it too."
Koeda raised her hand.
"Oh, this time we won't have to suffer from dirt."
"When diving for a long time, that really becomes difficult, doesn't it."
Kaorulko muttered deeply.
She was sent to the deep layers by the Labyrinth Cult and suffered quite a bit.
"Alright! Then let's go!"
"Iroha, sorry. You want to meet your sister quickly, right?"
"I'm fine, Darling. Normally, things don't go this smoothly, so it's all thanks to everyone, Darling."
"It's thanks to everyone working together."
"If my sister is saved, I'll do anything for you..."
"Oh? Anything, huh~"
"Ugh..."
"Well, don't worry about it too much."
"But!"
Since she made a serious face, I changed the topic.
"Oh, by the way -- she, Sana, also has no parents and is working hard in the Special District with her younger sister."
"Is that so?!"
"Yes, she has a grandfather in Tokyo, but..."
"Actually, I should have taken care of Sana and the others, but sorry~"
"N-no! It's fine! Daisuke-san, you are such an amazing person, yet we were being carried on your back... even Mio's illness was cured..."
"I wasn't thinking about that, but I ended up meeting the Princess in hell..."
The Princess interrupted our conversation.
"People have a stage suitable for them. Darling is not a person to be with you."
"...Should I just raise my level to that stage?"
"What did you say?!"
The Princess's face becomes stern.
"Should I raise my level until I stand alongside Cherry Princess?"
"Hahaha! Try it!"
The Princess is making a terrifying face that she has never shown even to me.
She doesn't make this face even when facing monsters, right?
"I will try!"
Sana does not back down even from the terrifying Cherry Princess.
"Gnnn..."
The two glare at each other.
"Wait, wait -- don't you think it's strange for young women to fight over such an old man?"
"Darling, shut up!" "Daisuke-san, please be quiet!"
"Y-yes."
Intimidated by the two women's tremendous pressure.
"Besides! Daisuke-san likes girls with big breasts!"
"Kiss!"
The Princess glares at me.
"I didn't say it, I didn't say it."
"Hah! This woman is low-level and a liar. Darling looks at me and praises my butt as cute -- therefore, Darling likes butts!"
"That was -- I did say that..."
"I was praised for my butt too."
Now that I think about it, I remember praising Iroha's toned butt.
"Kiss!"
Now I was glared at by Sana.
"Besides -- in terms of breast size, no one can beat our Kaorulko, right?"
"...Rather than those sagging breasts, mine..."
Sana muttered in a low voice, but -- in a speed that seemed like teleportation, Kaorulko approached the mage who boasted about her breasts.
"They are not sagging."
"Hic!"
Kaorulko's smile makes Sana's face twitch.
"They are not sagging."
"Hii!"
"Yes, yes, Kaorulko, calm down."
I pull her away from Sana, who looks like horns are about to sprout from her head.
While we were doing foolish things, we heard the sound of harpies.
"Gya-gya!"
"Is that Chichi's voice?"
Looking up, a harpy descended nearby.
"Gya."
"Oh~ thank you. You searched for us too, didn't you."
I picked up the harpy that came hopping nearby.
"Gya."
"Good, good, thank you~ stroke stroke."
"Gyu."
"You have big breasts too~ hahaha."
"Moo! Thump!"
Thinking about what, Sana body-checked me this time.
Since her level has gone up, it hurts quite a bit.
Just like with Gigi, the harpy was startled and flew up.
"Sana! You shouldn't imitate the Princess."
"Umm."
For some reason, she is glaring at me.
"It was the harpies who found the hole."
"Yes, but... bum."
Sana is sulking.
"Gyah!"
"Protection [Protection]!"
Sana blocked the harpy's attack that dove down with magic.
"Gya?!"
Chichi, whose attack was avoided, panicked and fled to the sky above.
She probably judged it was dangerous.
"Oh? Sana can also use defensive magic now?"
"Yes..."
"Still -- this is quite a power-up."
"It means Darling's eyes were not mistaken."
Iroha welcomes Sana, but the Princess seems unhappy.
"Hmph."
Is it my imagination that something like lightning is flying between the Princess and Sana?
Setting that aside -- we can't play here forever.
We lined up with the Princess at the front and plunged into the hole.
"Princess, shall I go to the front?"
"No, I'm fine."
"There might be bugs again."
"U... i-it's fine! I have the Cleanse (Clean) magic now."
Well, if the messy and disgusting stuff can be cleaned up immediately, the psychological burden might be reduced.
The hole continues endlessly at an angle of about 30 degrees in the darkness.
It is a quite steep angle, but holding onto the rope hung down inside, we turn around and carefully descend.
The only light is the magical light chanted by Kaorulko.
We can only see nearby; the front is pitch black.
It feels like it continues to the bottom of hell.
After entering, I realized that wind seems to be blowing up from below.
The harpies might have sensed this.
"Iroha, how was this hole dug? The place where the rope was tied had a complicated structure, didn't it?"
"Yeah, we used the Drop Item Pickaxe."
In the darkness, her voice echoed sharply in the hole.
"Hey~ so there is such a thing."
In games, it comes out under the name Mattock.
An item that digs a hole in the ground with one swing, or something like that.
"It seems that using it allows you to dig holes and mine easily."
"You can also mine. Can you get minerals in the dungeon?"
"It seems there are dungeons where ore veins can be found. We haven't found any in this Special District dungeon yet."
"Then, maybe we can find metals like Orichalcum or Adamantite, hahaha."
"Daisuke-san! There is also Mithril Silver."
Koeda's voice comes over.
"That's right! There is."
"Daisuke-san -- why does everyone call you Darling?"
"Eh? Since the Princess calls me Darling, everyone finds it funny and calls me Darling."
"S-so that's how it is."
"But, I wish men wouldn't call me Darling."
It's not happy at all.
"Kusukusu."
Koeda's laughter comes over.
"No, seriously."
While exchanging jokes, we descended into the hole.