Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Vol. 9

by Fujino Omori

  Not only that, the cool night breeze feels amazing.

  “Lilly, about the stink bombs…”

  “Yes, our supply is limited. Lilly would like to save as many as possible for our return journey. Of course, they’re an option in an emergency, but…”

  Lilly answers my question while dropping her backpack down on the grass.

  Our party will be in even worse shape on the return trip, so saving as many Malboro stink bombs as possible makes sense. I also understand that it’s impossible to avoid every battle.

  Lilly’s backpack is so full of weapons and items that it’s practically bursting at the seams. The pieces of equipment that didn’t fit inside clatter against one another as she riffles through the pack to make sure everything is in order. I watch her out of the corner of my eye, but the trip home is the last thing on my mind. It’s the mission that’s important right now.

  “Sir Welf, how many magic swords are in our possession…?”

  “Three. Li’l E, don’t go wasting yours, all right?”

  “Lilly knows already!”

  Welf answers Mikoto’s question before shooting a quick warning in Lilly’s direction.

  Our party brought along three Crozzo Magic Swords. Two of them are the size of daggers and are meant to help protect the rear of our formation. Welf has the third one, a much larger weapon strapped to his back alongside his greatsword. Welf makes magic swords in advance to help out during our regular trips to the Dungeon. This time, we brought every single one he had.

  Without a magic user to balance our party, I hope we can compensate for our lack of firepower with these…

  …But when push comes to shove…

  It all comes down to an adventurer’s strengths, what each of us can do.

  Weapons and items lend us their power, that’s all. We’re going to need quick wits and teamwork to make it through the truly difficult situations.

  The bowels of this merciless Dungeon are going to test our mettle as a party.

  I don’t know what’s going to happen…but I can’t forget where my trust belongs.

  “We should probably get moving.”

  I talk to the group after about thirty minutes of rest.

  As I down the last of the potion in my hand, we walk to the tunnel entrance as one.

  Tree roots carpet the tunnel floor, forming a stairwell. A single moss-covered path reveals itself to us as soon as we reach the bottom. This is the Colossal Tree Labyrinth.

  “Lady Haruhime, if you will.”

  “Y-yes!”

  Haruhime begins casting at Mikoto’s behest.

  It’s important that no one else sees her use sorcery. We split up to keep an eye on the path in front and behind as Haruhime’s beautiful voice echoes around us.

  “—Uchide no Kozuchi.”

  Sorcery is a kind of magic that only renarts can use—this one allows Haruhime to trigger her Level Boost skill.

  A hammer appears out of swirling magic energy, coming down on top of Welf at the head of our formation and enveloping him in light.

  “Good to go!” Welf says as he pumps his fist; sparkles glisten around his body.

  “So pretty…You’re amazing, Haruhime!”

  “N-not at all…This is the most I can do to contribute…!”

  Wiene has never seen Haruhime’s Magic before, and the spell’s glow twinkles in her eyes.

  Haruhime constantly casting Level Boost is our key to progressing deeper into the Colossal Tree Labyrinth. Being on the front lines, Welf must constantly engage monsters in combat. The stronger he is, the better our chances.

  We’ve done some experimenting with Uchide no Kozuchi and learned it can last for fifteen minutes—as long as Haruhime puts enough Mind into it. After the spell runs its course, she’ll have to cast it again. We need to be constantly aware of the remaining time and rely on Haruhime to maintain the effect.

  “Drink a magic potion while you’ve got the chance,” Welf insists. Haruhime responds immediately, saying, “Yes, right away!” Uchide no Kozuchi requires a lot of energy, so it’s better to be on the safe side.

  Bringing the vial to her lips, Haruhime downs half the potion.

  “Good, now we should be all set—Huh? Hey, Li’l E? What are you doing?”

  “Just in case.”

  Welf turns around to face us, raring to go, when he spots Lilly standing next to the Dungeon wall. Scrape, scrape.

  Using one hand, she is sliding a small knife under the moss growing on its surface.

  This plant—often called Lamp Moss—is the only source of light on this floor. Is she collecting some?

  “Lady Lilly, are you…? Surely you aren’t planning to sell that on the surface…?”

  “Are you so concerned with our familia’s finances that you must take measures even at times like this?”

  “Of course not! Lilly knows there is a time and a place!!”

  The combination of Mikoto’s groan of disbelief and Haruhime’s genuine surprise draws a snappish retort from Lilly, her face suddenly bright red.

  Well, I’ve heard that Lamp Moss sells for about the same price as the crystals from the eighteenth floor, but…

  I want to believe that Lilly has something else in mind.

  “There’s no pleasing some people…Lilly’s finished. Let’s go.”

  Gathering the Lamp Moss in a small pouch and pulling the drawstring shut, Lilly tucks it into her robe.

  Welf and I nod to each other as she stands up. It’s time to press on.

  “Bell…”

  “Miss Wiene, please stay in formation. You don’t need to worry about Mr. Bell.”

  Lilly gives Wiene a sharp warning from a different part of our formation, though her voice is dampened by the moss and tree bark covering the walls around us.

  Welf and I lead the formation, a simple column with no middle rank, where Lilly, Haruhime, and Wiene bring up the rear. Mikoto is at the tail end.

  Normally, Mikoto would be occupying the middle, but this floor is filled with monsters we’ve never encountered before. Yatano Black Crow won’t fully protect us from those monsters, so she’s in the back to respond to ambushes as quickly as possible. That way, Lilly can immediately provide her with whatever weapon she needs. Although Mikoto prefers to fight with a katana, she’s just as good with a bow and arrow. Her ability to adjust to any situation and any position has often proved invaluable.

  Lilly and Haruhime serve as our middle ranks in the formation, providing support with fresh weapons and items as necessary and, of course, Haruhime’s Level Boost. Despite nominally being the weakest among us, they are the party’s core. With Wiene between them, I can’t allow any attacks to get through.

  As the only Level 3 adventurers, Welf and I have the most difficult job—engaging monsters head-on or breaking past them.

  All this is to protect the one at the very center of our party: Wiene.

  “…Bell.”

  “I know.”

  Welf whispers to me, the lights surrounding him catching the corner of my eye. I keep my gaze trained on the path and nod.

  Several enemies are already lurking in the darkness ahead of us. I bet we’ve got only ten seconds or so before they show themselves, so I tighten my grip on the Hestia Knife and Ushiwakamaru-Nishiki.

  …Focus on what’s important. No matter what shows up, I will protect Wiene.

  A quick glance over my shoulder and I make eye contact with her. Her anxiety is written all over her face.

  —What if the monsters we encounter start talking just like her?

  —What if they possess the same feelings we do and can shed tears just like us?

  I tamp down those questions with the determination coursing through my mind. Those excuses that once held me back are gone.

  My heart is set; my eyes are focused. I am determined.

  Ready for battle, our party ventures deeper into the expansive wooden labyrinth.

  Clouds passed in front of the moon high in the ni
ght sky.

  Hestia looked up at the lines of gray clouds traveling across the heavens as she crossed the city streets. Her familia had just ventured into the Dungeon, their mission under way.

  The date might have changed, but the few people still in the bars and restaurants along Northwest Main Street—Adventurers Way—were still loud enough to be heard. Hestia traveled among flickering pockets of light around the magic-stone lamps, catching bits and pieces of their conversations as she passed by.

  “Fourth block of the seventh district.” That was the address on the document that detailed her familia’s mission and where she was supposed to wait.

  In truth, the place she once called home, the “hidden room under the church,” was in the same neighborhood.

  Simply put, it was inside a poor residential area.

  “……”

  Hestia arrived at the location and examined her surroundings.

  With no streetlamps, the clouds in the sky hampered what little moonlight reached the dim alleyway. Hardly a sound came from the houses that lined the narrow street, almost as if no one lived there. The only identification she could find was a sign that read FOURTH BLOCK nailed to a wooden stake at the corner.

  Everything about this dark street gave her the sense that something was about to appear.

  —And she was right.

  “…I suppose it would be foolish to ask where you came from?”

  A ripple passed through the darkness on the other side of the street as a figure silently entered her line of sight.

  The mysterious, human-shaped shadow was swathed entirely in black.

  The figure came to a stop about five meders away from Hestia, midnight-colored gloves creaking at its sides as the person flexed their fingers.

  Hestia forced herself to smile at this person’s unexpected arrival and slightly unnerving aura. The corners of her mouth curled upward.

  “It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Goddess Hestia. Thank you for traveling all this way.”

  “The pleasure’s all mine. So, mind telling me who you are?”

  The black-robed figure’s voice was so indistinctive that it was impossible to discern the gender of its owner.

  Was the cloak that masked his or her identity a way to counter deities, who could see through the lies of those who lived in the mortal realm?

  Hestia’s eyes narrowed as she carefully observed this newcomer. There was nothing to suggest anything about their identity as she pressed for answers.

  “You don’t strike me as a Guild employee. So why would you drag me all the way out here—”

  Hestia held up the mission document in one hand as she spoke, waving it from side to side before words suddenly left her.

  She froze in stunned silence.

  Divine eyes quivering, she peered deep into the darkness under the figure’s hood.

  “Are you really one of our children…a human? Something tells me you are…”

  “…My, my. No disguise can truly fool a deity.”

  The robe shifted as if its wearer was laughing drily at Hestia’s dumbfounded expression.

  The hooded figure’s leisurely demeanor was in stark contrast to the trembling goddess’s forced calm.

  “What in the world are you…?”

  “I would be more than happy to answer that and any other questions you have. However…”

  The hooded figure raised its gaze to a spot well behind Hestia, the top of a nearby building.

  “…it’s difficult to have a meaningful conversation while being targeted.”

  Hestia’s eyes flew open. With those words, the hooded figure spread both arms slightly.

  “I suggest a change of scenery.”

  Thick black fumes poured from the robe’s sleeves a heartbeat later.

  “—A smoke screen!”

  Miach leaned in for a closer look.

  He was on the roof of a building overlooking the fourth block of Orario’s seventh district. At the handsome deity’s side was an equally surprised chienthrope, Nahza, her longbow set and arrow nocked, who also watched in disbelief.

  Hestia had requested their “protection” only a few hours earlier during the previous day’s evening. The goddess came to Miach and his followers after her own children were assigned their mission. She told him that the same message had summoned her to that spot.

  Since Hestia had personally come to his home on her own, Miach accepted her request. He told his followers that it was a mission from the Guild but kept the information about talking monsters a secret from them.

  Nahza, Daphne, and Cassandra had taken up positions around the appointed meeting place and watched over Hestia from afar. If the goddess ever appeared to be in danger, Nahza would use her Sniper skills to eliminate the threat. She had been standing by, ready to loose an arrow at the first hint of suspicious movement.

  “…?!”

  Nahza, eyes trembling, was stunned that the mysterious hooded figure was able to sense her.

  The ever-expanding cloud obscured Hestia in a matter of moments and blocked the entire alley from view. Miach watched the smoke screen—no, the black fog—inundate the area from his perch on the roof.

  He could also see the other deities who had answered Hestia’s call for help—Hephaistos, and Takemikazuchi with his familia—dart out from their hiding places…However, the alley was empty by the time the haze lifted.

  The hooded figure and Hestia were gone.

  “Lord Miach!”

  “…They saw right through our plan.”

  Miach donned a sour expression as Nahza raised her head toward him from her kneeling position on the rooftop.

  With Hestia gone, regret overwhelmed him.

  “O-ooooh! That was the ghost! The ghost, Daphne…!”

  “Ghost? The heck is that?”

  “A black shadow that patrols the halls of the Guild Headquarters in the dead of night…! The spirit of an adventurer killed by a monster long ago, unable to pass on…!!”

  “Let me guess, another dream of yours? Like I’m going to believe that.”

  “N-no, it’s nooot! I didn’t dream it! My old adviser at the Guild, Misha, told me about it…!”

  “Quiet down, you two!”

  The bickering of Miach Familia’s new additions irritated Nahza, who was well within earshot.

  Miach took a deep breath before issuing orders to his followers.

  “We’re going. Staying here any longer would be pointless. For starters, we need to meet up with Hephaistos and the others.”

  Nahza, Daphne, and Cassandra nodded before taking their leave.

  Miach was about to join them, but he cast his gaze over the deserted alley once more and watched the last of the fog evaporate.

  “Hestia…”

  More clouds rolled in overhead, completely blocking the moon from view.

  “GRAHHHHHH!!”

  Welf roared as he brought his greatsword down on top of the mad beetle, cleaving it in two.

  No sooner did the bug monster fall in a spray of blood than a new monster trampled the corpse to take its place in the front line.

  It was a fierce battle.

  Bell’s party encountered a mob of particularly aggressive monsters in a room located along the main route through the nineteenth floor.

  “YAAAAA!!”

  “GAH!”

  In addition to mad beetles, Welf sliced into waves of bugbears on the ground as several gun libellulas swarmed overhead.

  A monster fell with each swing of his greatsword: instant kills.

  There were no exceptions. Haruhime’s Level Boost gave Welf Level 3 strength and speed, allowing him to send enemies flying with ease. His thick blade tore through their bodies with no room for resistance. Filling the dual role of attacker and wall, the High Smith single-handedly stopped the horde in its tracks.

  “!!”

  Meanwhile, Bell engaged the monsters at an even faster pace, leaving a trail of corpses behind him.

  Arcs
of violet and crimson light cut through the air and vanished. With movements surpassing those of a normal attacker, more on par with finishers, Bell fought side by side with Welf to reduce their enemies one by one.

  After sending a bugbear flying with a single spinning kick, Bell unleashed an electrifying inferno into the air.

  “Firebolt!”

  The gun libellulas unfortunate enough to be directly in the spell’s line of fire were incinerated on the spot. Others in the area of effect caught fire from the intense heat and crashed to the ground.

  The surviving aerial enemies came around for another pass.

  Bang! Bang! The monsters launched a volley of the metal projectiles that grew naturally inside their bodies.

  Bell dodged the first round before using his Swift-Strike Magic to counterattack. Although he kept an eye on Welf’s battle with the mad beetles and bugbears, Bell prioritized the dragonfly monsters because of their long-distance attacks.

  Lilly, Haruhime, and Wiene crouched down in a tight circle behind Welf and Bell, who stood on the front line. Lilly’s and Haruhime’s Goliath Robes deflected every one of the missiles but did little to protect them from the impacts. Gritting their teeth, the two desperately held their ground to avoid getting knocked down.

  Their party had never experienced simultaneous ground and air attacks of this magnitude on previous levels in the Dungeon.

  Mikoto stood farther behind them, providing cover fire with a bow. Her main objective might have been to protect the supporters, but she also found time to assist Bell and Welf from the rear ranks.

  …Wiene! They’re going after her!

  The metallic rounds descended on them like rain. However, it was easy to see that most were aimed in Wiene’s direction.

  Cold sweat rolled down Bell’s face.

  Monsters, not much different from Wiene, pursued her with the same murderous intention as people above. It wasn’t just the howling bugbears that had her in their sights, but the mad beetles’ and gun libellulas’ insect-like, multifaceted eyes were clearly focused on the vouivre girl.

  The gun libellulas launched another volley. Wiene’s amber eyes trembled as she watched from beneath Haruhime’s embrace the missiles intended to kill zip toward her.

  Bell flipped through the air, landing in front of her like a knight to the rescue, and knocked down each of the projectiles with his knives.