Chapter 99 - Chapter 99: Restoration Work Begins
The railway inside the dungeon that we overturned -- no, it wasn't us who did it.
We got caught in a dungeon trap and derailed and overturned...
Regardless of the cause of the accident, this railway is an important infrastructure for transporting supplies and personnel inside the dungeon.
It seems they want to restore it urgently, and I received a direct request from the Prime Minister.
I understand that.
If I use my Item Box, it would be finished immediately -- that must have been their expectation.
As for us, if we are paid enough money, there is no reason to refuse.
Besides, if the restoration of the railway inside the dungeon is delayed, it should affect us as well.
This is also for the sake of adventurers like myself.
"Gyuuu..."
A rude official is crouching in front of me.
It seems he fell out of favor with the Princess and had his hand crushed during the handshake.
Apparently, he is a young master from a good family, and he is an insufferable man who is proud of that, but since he was dispatched here, I must treat him.
It would be best if he suffered enough and said "I'm going back" himself, so there would be no lingering issues afterwards.
"Hey, we're going inside the dungeon."
I called out to the official man.
"Inside the dungeon?"
"If it's not inside, healing magic and potions have little effect. Or do you not want to receive treatment from some lowly adventurer?"
"Gyuuu..."
The man stood up.
What happens after I treat him, I wonder.
"Actually, treatment costs money, you know? Since this is a public works project, I'll bill the government for the expenses."
"Well, there's no adventurer who does it for free, is there?"
Iroha clasped her hands above her head and grinned.
"I'll pay Iroha's fee properly too."
"I don't need anything like that for Darling's request."
"You can't say that. If you don't pay what needs to be paid, it will be harder to ask for favors later."
"I owe Darling anyway."
"I'll make sure to get that back properly, so don't worry."
--That said, how exactly am I supposed to get that back from her?
She is a powerful ace card...
No, there's no need to limit it to just an ace card.
While I was thinking about various things, we entered the entrance hall.
"Kaorulko, sorry, but please treat him."
"Yes."
She took the man's hand.
"There's no need to treat someone like that..."
Sana muttered, but there was no choice.
"Uu..."
"Heal."
When Kaorulko cast the spell, blue light seeped into the man's palm.
"As a side note, drink this potion too."
"Ah, is it safe?"
"I'm not forcing you. It's commonly used in dungeons."
"Damn it!"
The man drank all the red liquid in the small bottle.
"Ah! The one I just gave you was poison!"
"Cough! Cough!"
The man panicked.
"Just kidding, it's a lie."
"Ku ku ku!"
Iroha covered her mouth and laughed.
"Don't mock me! I'll report everything about this!"
"With that energy, it looks like you're healed."
"U..."
The man looked at his own hand.
"Please, feel free to report -- so what will you do? Go back here?"
"I won't take your orders!"
"Oh~? You have some guts after all."
"Wahaha! Only that part, I agree with Darling."
Iroha was laughing, but the Princess remained scowling the whole time.
She must really hate that man.
Now, the railway on the first floor is here, but there are many passengers.
Honestly, I don't want to ride a packed train.
"Princess, what will you do? Do you want to ride that?"
"No."
"Then shall we go by bicycle just us?"
"Let's do that."
She readily accepted my proposal.
"Onoda-san."
"Yes."
I explained to her that we would go by bicycle just us.
There are no bicycles for the workers.
"Then, let's meet at the end of the first floor -- that's the plan."
"Yes."
I took two bicycles out of my Item Box.
There are five members, but only two bicycles...
Maybe I should add more bicycles to the Item Box for times like this.
I feel like I use them quite often.
Having 5 or 6 might be good.
"Like usual, Princess, you go with Kaorulko."
"Understood."
"Iroha, carry Sana on the back."
"What about you, Darling?"
"I'll run. Hahaha."
Since I've run around the first floor a few times pretending to be a sprinter, it's no problem.
Besides, even with bicycles, you can't go that fast inside a dungeon, so you can keep up running.
Actually, running might be faster.
Well, my stomach will get hungry though.
"Alright, let's go!"
"Ooh!"
Waving goodbye to Onoda-san and the workers boarding the train -- we ran into the darkness.
"Oraaa!" "Kyaaa!"
Iroha's voice and Sana's screams echoed through the dungeon.
I ran alongside, listening to them with my right ear.
"Iroha! If you go too fast, the bicycle will explode in mid-air?"
No, it's not in mid-air, so "exploding in mid-air" sounds wrong.
Should it just be "explode" or "explode on the ground"?
Riding a bicycle with such a large body makes the size look strange.
She looks like she's having trouble pedaling too, but she's still gaining speed.
"Ahaha! Maybe I went a bit too fast."
"Even if we arrive too early, the train people can't move until they arrive."
"That's true."
There aren't many enemies on the first floor, so we arrived quickly.
On the second floor, there are wolves.
Those guys keep chasing us forever.
It's really troublesome, so it's better to use the railway.
Fewer adventurers go down to the second floor.
Waiting at the end of the first floor while drinking something, the train arrived.
Speaking of which, there's no ATS or anything in the dungeon, so driving is all manual, huh.
Well, maybe steam locomotives can't be equipped with ATS anyway.
When the doors opened manually, many adventurers got off.
It seems there are many tourists on the railway too.
You can tell immediately because their clothes are normal.
"Onoda-san!"
The workers came over.
"Have you already arrived?"
"Haha, in a dungeon, bicycles are faster."
"But you might encounter monsters, right?"
"Yes, yes, that's why we'll use the train from the second floor -- Princess, okay?"
"Understood."
"The second floor is annoying because of the wolves!"
Iroha voiced her dissatisfaction.
"So everyone thinks the same."
"They're just fodder, but they chase us endlessly."
"That's right."
In the end, we ended up getting off the bicycles to fight.
Very troublesome.
While talking with Iroha, that man came over.
I thought he should just go back silently -- but maybe he is loyal to his work.
Well, since there's nothing to talk about, we all boarded the steam elevator.
As expected, fewer adventurers on the second floor.
Tourists who want to experience the dungeon should be satisfied with the first floor.
The danger level increases from the second floor.
Everyone boards the train.
There is no light inside the car, but the colorful light of chemical lights held by many adventurers creates rainbows on the ceiling and walls.
"Real steam locomotives would be smoky running in places like this, but magic doesn't have that, so it's nice."
"That's right."
The Princess nodded.
Since the world stopped, steam engines have revived and are used normally now.
Old steam locomotives ran on coal, but current fuels vary.
There are those running on oil, and some on alcohol fuel.
There are even steam engines running while incinerating garbage.
While talking with the Princess, a woman's scream rose up.
"What's wrong?!"
Running over, it seems the one who screamed was Onoda-san.
"Gojoji-san!"
Looking, she was covered in something transparent, flailing on the floor.
"What is this, a slime?"
"~, in a place like this -- probably slipped in from somewhere."
Iroha was also surprised and observing closely.
"P-please, help quickly!"
"Oh, right, my apologies."
If the opponent were a girl, I would help immediately, but since it's this man...
I had completely forgotten the very word "help."
"Here goes!"
Slimes like this die instantly if you crush the core.
"Cough! Cough!"
The man was coughing, perhaps the slime got into his mouth or nose, but I didn't feel like saying anything.
"Are you okay?"
Onoda-san asked, but...
"Help me sooner! You useless fool! Cough cough!"
See?
The surrounding adventurers were also sending cold glances at the workers.
They might be thinking that tourists came all the way to such a place.
"Setting aside this man, these people came for the restoration work of the railway on the fourth floor."
I explained to the adventurers.
"Oh! Is that so!? "Sorry about that." "Please restore it quickly."
"We plan to restore it soon."
"Ooh~"
As expected, there are many waiting adventurers.
Onoda-san is taking care of the man.
Sorry, but that man is not my job.
He must have been terrified by the monster attack -- he might say he's going back soon.
Contrary to our thoughts, the man came onto the second-floor elevator with a pale face.
It seems the monster attack took its toll.
"Does he have guts or what?"
"No, no, Darling. Even after being attacked by a monster, he keeps following, that's guts, ahaha."
Iroha found it amusing.
Well, let's take it positively that he is risking his life for his work.
But if he's just here to assert dominance as an official, that's another matter.
It just makes me laugh strangely.
Could it be that he has feelings for the Princess and is trying to show off?
Impossible.
She has been making a face like she's chewing bitter paste the whole time.
There might be some family feud or something.
Transferring trains inside the dungeon, we finally reached the fourth floor.
By now, there are few adventurers, mostly for transporting supplies.
"Let's head to the fourth-floor platform."
Guided by Onoda-san, we went to the station, and she greeted the station staff.
It seems they are stationed there even if it's not operating.
"OK!"
After talking, she returned.
"Well, will it go well?"
"It would be a problem if it doesn't..."
Onoda-san looked worried.
"No, just summoning it is easy, but I was wondering if it would land on the rails properly."
After all, we are summoning a real locomotive, not an N-gauge model.
"Oh, yes."
Well, for now, we just have to try.
If it fails, brute force it.
We arrived at the tracks.
"Sana~, sorry, but I need light."
"Yes, light! Light."
The black-and-white vision turned to color, and the tracks appeared in the darkness.
Curious onlookers gathered, wondering what we were doing.
Some adventurers were equipped, but there were also merchants.
"Alright! Let's try it! Okay, everyone step back~ step back~"
"Rustle rustle..."
Compared to before, I can control the position where I take things out of the Item Box to some extent.
"Locomotive Summon!"
"Oooooo~"
A brand new locomotive dropped at a position off the tracks.
"Did it fail?! Store it! Summon again!"
The aim missed again.
If I keep repeating this, the rails and sleepers will break and become unusable.
Locomotives are heavy.
"Iroha, Princess, can you help a little?"
"Alright! Leave it to me!" "Understood."
"Niwa-san! I'll help!"
Onoda-san rushed over in a panic.
"For now, let us try it ourselves."
"O-okay... b-but, is it okay?"
"Well, probably -- Iroha and the Princess hold the back. I'll hold the front."
"Got it!"
The three of us took our positions.
"Alright, let's go -- ready, set -- Oraaa!"
It was quite heavy, so I put my spirit into it.
A black iron block floated up several tens of centimeters and landed on the long rails with a metallic sound.
"Was that side okay?"
"Phew, this is heavy." "Yeah."
The Princess looks a bit relaxed.
"Oooooo~!" "Amazing!" "What's that!" "As expected of a high-level adventurer!"
"Niwa-san! Y-you're amazing!"
"This one is the heaviest, so the passenger cars and freight cars should be a breeze."
"How to mount the locomotive was the issue."
"It worked out somehow, right?"
"Yes! If human power wasn't enough, we planned to bring in steam power."
"If it goes well, the work will be finished in one day."
"Amazing!"
Onoda-san is happy, but this isn't the end.
For now, we moved the installed locomotive and placed it in a slightly distant spot.
"Passenger Car Summon!"
With a loud noise, the passenger car dropped.
Looking, this time it landed on the rails in one shot.
"Oh! Amazing! As expected, Darling!"
The Princess praised me.
"Just a coincidence."
We moved the passenger car behind the locomotive.
"Niwa-san, we will do the coupling work here."
"Okay! Do you still need tools or anything?"
"Yes, the coupling work can be done manually."
It seems they can be automatically coupled just by sticking them together, even without power.
The remaining one is the freight car, but it didn't land on the rails in one shot, so I put it on the rails.
This one is light, so I can handle it alone.
We pushed the freight car to where the coupling work was happening.
"Onoda-san, connect this one too~"
"Understood! Niwa-san and the others, please take a break."
"Okay!"
My stomach is empty from running here and carrying heavy things.
I took out blue sheets and air cushions from the Item Box.
I also lined up snacks and drinks.
"I'll have a light meal, how about the rest of you?"
"I'll eat too." "W-well, me too..."
Iroha and Sana seem to be eating with me.
The Princess and Kaorulko are drinking snacks and canned coffee.
"Actually, I brought something I wanted to feed Iroha and Sana."
I took out a large rice ball from my Item Box.
It's an Adventurer Special.
"Rice ball? Haha~, I see there's a secret inside."
"Iroha is sharp."
"Let's eat~"
"Alright! I'll eat too~ Munch munch -- so delicious!"
"Delicious! Is the filling braised pork?"
"Yes, yes -- it's actually Orc braised pork."
"Wow! So if I take an Orc to Darling, I can eat this?"
Iroha's eyes shone.
"Meat has to be ribs, not the rib meat! The rib cage part."
"Right! This is the fourth floor, so it's perfect. Let's hunt Orcs!"
"Yes, yes!"
Sana nodded seriously at Iroha's words.
"Or rather, grilled meat was delicious too."
"What~ Darling! Call me too~!" "Please call me too!"
"Hahaha."
"Damn it! I just need to take down an Orc."
"Don't mess with the internal organs."
"I know."
They really seem to want to eat Orcs.
"I hope an Orc spawns by luck."
"We have no choice but to do it!"
Iroha cracked her knuckles.
After waiting a while, it seems the train coupling work is complete.
We backed the train up a bit and filled it with water from the water supply.
This water is from a spring inside the dungeon.
"Oooo~!" "Already done?" "Must be thanks to the Item Box old man?"
The adventurers watching cheered.
"Item Box is nice..." "I want one too."
"She's a companion of Cherry Princess and Empress..." "It's a harem."
I've become somewhat famous too.
I can hear some of it, but I ignore it.
From the moment we started filling water, a female mage began heating the water.
It will take a little time to boil.
Onoda-san came over.
"Niwa-san, could you take out the workers' personal belongings?"
"Here it comes."
From the pile of luggage that came out, each person found their own things.
It seems there are food and water in canteens.
"Um, Daisuke-san."
Sana came to me.
"What? Not full yet?"
"No, should I help heat the locomotive?"
"Hmm, that might finish the work faster, but magic doesn't pay money, you know?"
"Heating magic is fine."
"Oh~, high-level adventurers have plenty of time~"
"That way of speaking is kind of annoying..."
Sana pouted at my words.
"Oh, sorry."
Was I a bit sarcastic?
Old men are no good.
She headed towards the locomotive.
I wondered if she would be wary of women taking work, but it seems she isn't.
Well, once this route opens, they can get work again.
Just for today.
As expected, with two people, the water boiled quickly and we could depart.
Steam began to hiss from the brand new locomotive.
"Oh, by the way, who is driving? There was no engineer..."
"I'll drive!"
A young man raised his hand.
"You got a license at such a young age?"
"There are various jobs, you know~"
According to him, there is something called the Class A Steam Vehicle Operator Exam.
"There will be a need to move them at the construction site anyway."
"That's right. Also, I got the Boiler License too~"
"Seriously, that's tough."
He boarded the driver's seat.
The workers also boarded the passenger car.
"Then, I'll go ahead to the site and light the markers."
"Please take care of it!"
I'm impressed he's so young.
Kids these days grew up with nothing, so they must have struggled.
"The Princess and the others can ride too."
"I'd rather not be with that man."
"Ahaha, I'll hold back too~"
"Then, I'll run again by bicycle."
Taking two bicycles out of the Item Box, we ran with the same combination as on the first floor.
The driving of the locomotive that hasn't even been broken in is slow.
Although it seems they have confirmed the track conditions at least.
Running through the darkness, we arrived at the site.
The tracks were cut, and the overturned locomotive and passenger car remained as they were.
Fortunately, it seems no monsters have spawned.
"They're not here today."
"Those bastards?"
Yes, the Harpies.
Their monster radar is reliable.
Well, there are five of us this time, so I don't think there are any blind spots...
"Kaorulko, please give me light."
"Yes."
With her magic, blue light floated above the tracks.
With this, you should be able to see it from a slightly distant place.
"Now, we were talking about recovering the locomotive, but it would be bad to do it on our own..."
While I was wondering what to do, the locomotive arrived making a loud noise.
It stopped with a shrill sound of grinding metal.
The workers got off the passenger car.
"~, I heard about it, but it's quite a mess..."
"Indeed, without the Item Box person, I wonder how long it would have taken."
I went to the workers.
"Shall we take out all the luggage?"
"Yes!"
We took out tools, materials, rails, and sleepers from storage and lined them up.
"Thank you."
Just when I thought the work was finally starting, they were setting up a signboard with group photos and work details, and taking photos of the site.
This is also a public works project.
It's tough.
After that, the workers started stretching strings on the ground.
Probably preparation for lining up the sleepers.
Analog, huh -- no electronic devices can be used, so it can't be helped.
"Onoda-san~"
"Yes."
"For now, is it okay to store the broken locomotive?"
"Yes, please!"
They will probably repair and reuse it.
It's almost like a handmade thing.
"Locomotive recovered."
After that, I watched the workers' figures.
I placed five high-level adventurers around to prepare for monster spawns.
Thinking it was unusually quiet, a cry came from above.
"Gya gya!" "Gya!"
"They're here."
"What?! Stop work!"
Due to the sudden occurrence, the workers were shaken.
"A, wait a minute, stay there! Stay there!"
When it became quiet, Harpies jumped out of the darkness.
"Gya!" "Gya!"
"They're here. Want some chocolate?"
"Gya!"
When I tore off calorie bars for them, something behind them got noisy.
"That monster seems to be used to Niwa-san, so it should be fine."
"There's no way! Those are monsters!"
Onoda-san and that man were arguing.
That would be fine, but the man started throwing stones at the Harpies.
"Hey, hey! Stop! They look like birds, but they are monsters of the fourth floor."
"Gya!" "Gya!"
Even though they are used to people, if you throw stones at them, they will get angry.
The Harpies spread their wings and started attacking the man.
I don't intend to save him, but it looks interesting, so I'll record a video.
"Gyaaaaa!"
Sharp hooked claws attacked the man.
"Gya!" "Gyaa!"
That would be fine, but a large amount of white stuff was splashed on the man.
"Uwaaaaaa!"
The man ended up being covered in paint from head to toe.
If it were paint, it would have been better.
"Ahh, that's not something I wanted to say..."
The Princess also got hit. It was the Harpy's poop attack.