Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria, Vol. 3

by Fujino Omori, Kiyotaka Haimura

  Every face in the room became deadly serious.

  “Riveria, are you certain?”

  “I am. The first time was immediately after she saw Aiz’s Airiel. It happened repeatedly after that.” Riveria added that the woman had acted as if her search had come to an end.

  Loki and Finn closed their mouths, gulping in reaction to the news that “Airiel” had triggered the name “Aria.”

  —Was Aiz one of the enemy’s targets?

  Everyone in the room had the same thought.

  “…Can’t think of anyone other than us who knows ’bout Aiz’s past.”

  “Then how could it be that a stranger knows her mother’s name?”

  Gareth frowned as Riveria countered his assertion. Finn watched their exchange from the corner of his eye before facing Loki.

  “Loki, are any other deities familiar with Aiz’s situation?”

  “…Ouranos is probably the only one who’s noticed.”

  The three mortals looked sharply at their goddess after hearing that. The Guild was suddenly back on the list of suspects, and their expressions said as much.

  Beads of sweat rolled down Loki’s face under the pressure of their stares. “Wait, hold up,” she said with her hands raised.

  They decided to leave coming to a verdict on the Guild’s possible involvement for another time.

  “But still, she called Aiz ‘Aria’…Maybe she confused her for her mother?” Finn thought the mysterious tamer might not know all the details of Aiz’s past. “Any thoughts?” He glanced at his allies in turn to see if his guess held any merit.

  Riveria had a new question. “…On the other hand, even if the enemy knows who Aiz is, what are they trying to achieve?”

  No one had an answer. They had only bits and pieces of information, making it impossible to draw connections between anything. Since they also had Aiz’s circumstances to consider, they couldn’t afford to rush to conclusions.

  Silence descended upon the room.

  “The tamer didn’t seem to know who we were.”

  “What do ya mean by that?”

  At Gareth’s question, Finn turned his attention to Riveria.

  “Do you remember, Riveria? What she said when our fight came to a standstill.”

  “…Ah, I believe so.”

  Riveria searched her memories of the battle more than ten days ago.

  “First tier…Level Five—no, Six.”

  After holding off Riveria and Finn’s tandem attack, the tamer had said that. She was certain.

  Judging by that statement, the tamer woman had assessed from their clash that Finn and Riveria were Level Six—and by extension, she had no knowledge of their abilities or identities before exchanging blows.

  She had never heard of the two top-class adventurers who were known throughout the city.

  “Ahh, I gotcha now. My familia’s famous far an’ wide, over mountains and seas, around the world. Especially Finn.”

  “Yes. I’m not trying to brag, but we’re household names both inside and outside this city’s walls. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t know us.”

  Loki and Finn nodded.

  Information about Orario, often referred to as the “center of the world,” quickly traveled all over the globe. The name of a famous adventurer in Orario, especially a Level Six—the highest position with the exception of the “apex”—would be known the world over.

  “Braver” Finn Deimne. “Nine Hell” Riveria Ljos Alf. The fact that anyone didn’t know their names was unbelievable, especially an adventurer. The explanation that she had no interest in what was going on in the world would have been painfully inadequate.

  “Able to bend hordes of monsters to her will and lacking even the most common sense about adventurers…It’s as if—”

  Finn voiced his train of thought to that point and suddenly stopped.

  “As if what?”

  “…Nothing. Please forget it.”

  Riveria pressed him to finish the thought, but Finn shook his head. He said it was nothing more than his imagination and seemed to discard the idea entirely. Sighing lightly to himself, Finn leaned back into his chair.

  “…Even with Loki’s trip underground, we can’t make out anythin’ ’bout this enemy.”

  “True.”

  The wooden stool creaked as Gareth shifted his weight while Finn nodded in acknowledgment. “Hmmm,” mumbled Loki, scratching her chin.

  The meeting paused. Some time passed before Finn spoke up.

  “…I’d like to hear what Aiz has to say.”

  He opened one of the drawers in his desk and took out a small handbell.

  A large, gaudy bow was tied around its red handle. Finn held the bell in his right hand and gave it a quick shake. Ding-ding-ding. The high-pitched metallic sound rang through the air. After a few moments…

  Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump!

  A crescendo of hurried footsteps approached until they halted in front of the office and the double doors loudly swung open.

  “—You called, General?”

  Tione stood in the doorframe, her face aglow.

  She had given the bell to Finn—rather aggressively—as a way to summon her. The prum wasted no time making his request.

  “Would you find Aiz for me? I’d like you to ask Lefiya and your sister for help to bring her here.”

  “Leave it to me!!”

  The four inside the office caught a glimpse of the joy on Tione’s face before she rushed off at a dead sprint. The doors were still wide open. Riveria quietly walked over and closed them.

  “Ain’t that convenient…” muttered Gareth as he eyed the bell with the power to call an Amazonian warrior to Finn’s side at any time.

  “It can be…” the prum quipped with a dry smile.

  “Looks like we got some time to kill before Aiz gets here. How ’bout updatin’ me on the next expedition?”

  Loki grunted as she hopped off the desk and onto the floor.

  The planned departure date for the expedition—Loki Familia’s next trip into the unexplored Deep Levels of the Dungeon—was already less than two weeks away. Eleven days, to be exact.

  No one objected to their goddess’s suggestion to discuss the arrangements.

  While confirming what equipment to take on the expedition, Finn posed a question to his goddess. “Loki, have terms been reached with Goddess Hephaistos?”

  “Ah, right, ya wanted to take smiths with ya this time. Yer all good to go. She wouldn’t agree to it unless her kids had first dibs on drop items in the Deep Levels, but she got on board in the end.” The goddess made a circle with her thumb and forefinger to signal there was no problem.

  On their previous excursion, they had encountered caterpillar monsters that spat acid, and a great deal of their weapons, armor, and spares ended up melting. Although they managed to defeat them in the end, their losses were so great that continuing the expedition was impossible and they were forced to return to the surface.

  Finn wanted to use that experience to avoid making the same mistake. His solution was to bring smiths capable of repairing their equipment into the Dungeon as part of the group, though he had needed Loki’s help to recruit them from another familia.

  Thus he had requested the assistance of Hephaistos Familia, the largest group of smiths and artisans.

  It went without saying that Hephaistos Familia’s High Smiths were masters of their craft, but they were also stronger in battle than most high-level adventurers. Should members of that familia agree to accompany them on the expedition, Finn was confident they could take care of themselves even if one or two unforeseen challenges occurred during their journey through the Deep Levels.

  “We can use the same weapons the entire time if we have smiths there to repair them…The need for spares all but disappears.”

  “Yes, and all that free space will be used to carry magic swords. Gareth, how is that coming along?”

  “Done. We’re all good t
o go. I made the rounds to different weapon shops in the city an’ got us thirty, all top o’ the line. Pickin’ ’em up today.”

  The magic swords were a safeguard against the corrosive attacks of the caterpillars, allowing the adventurers to avoid risking their regular equipment in a direct assault. These specialized weapons could produce the same effect as spells, allowing their users to engage enemies at a safe distance.

  There was no guarantee they would encounter the caterpillar monsters again this time around, but Finn prepared for the worst. The plan was to equip the lower-ranking members with magic swords and put them to work guarding the base camp.

  “Lastly…Durandal weapons must be prepared for our core fighters, apart from Riveria and Aiz.”

  The only weapon that could stay whole after coming in contact with the acid-spewing monsters during their previous expedition had been Aiz’s Desperate, which contained the Durandal trait. Finn wanted every high-level adventurer besides the magic user Riveria to have a Superior weapon that shared this trait.

  This was another tactic to counter the new breed of monsters. Finn believed it was impossible to press into uncharted territory if they were unable to slay those strange creatures in close combat.

  “Magic swords and Superiors fer everybody…Hee-hee, I knew the cost was gonna be up there, but valis are flyin’ right out the door.”

  Magic swords didn’t come cheap, and Superiors were some of the most expensive weapons an adventurer could buy.

  Even with Riveria and Aiz taken care of, that still left Finn, Gareth, Bete, Tiona, and Tione. Ordering those five weapons alone would burn through all the profits from the last expedition entirely. If they bought magic swords on top of that, the familia’s savings would be in jeopardy.

  “Sorry about this, Loki.”

  “I’m leavin’ everythin’ up to you, so do what ya feel…Plus, I’m a bit of a gambler, so high stakes are more fun.”

  One of the perks of being a Dungeon-crawling familia was the “high risk, high reward” nature of the job. The dangers that came with an expedition were part of the thrill for Loki. Finn oversaw all the familia’s activities concerning the Dungeon and felt guilty for putting their livelihoods at risk. But his goddess just grinned, laughing off his concern.

  “However…the looming presence of that tamer concerns me.”

  Riveria entered the conversation.

  Their mysterious enemy had shown interest in Aiz, which meant her involvement in the expedition could draw unwanted attention.

  All the high elf’s worries boiled down to a single fact—if their party was ambushed by the tamer and a swarm of hungry plant monsters during the journey, it would be impossible to protect everyone.

  “Hmm…The option of canceling this expedition is still on the table.”

  “Callin’ it off now after all this prep? Bete an’ Tiona would be groanin’ for weeks…”

  Immediately after Gareth, Finn added that Aiz had just leveled up as well. The dwarf sighed.

  “There’s one other thing. We might be able to learn more about the monsters with those colorful magic stones during this expedition.”

  “Mm-hmm…”

  “For now, let’s continue with the preparations as planned. Agreed?”

  While the origin of the man-eating plants was still a mystery, they knew the caterpillars resided around floor fifty. Even Riveria had to agree that launching an expedition right now would be worth it even if only to collect new information.

  Then, just as they’d reached that conclusion, there came a knock at the door.

  “General, it’s Tione. Is now a good time?”

  “Oh? Looks like they’re here.”

  A muffled voice came from the other side, and Finn granted his permission.

  The heavy office doors creaked open to reveal Tione, Tiona, and Lefiya.

  However, the all-important Aiz wasn’t among them.

  “Eh? Where’d Aizuu get to?”

  “Well, um…”

  Tiona broke off eye contact as she started to answer Loki’s question.

  The three girls had searched the manor top to bottom, but guilt still shadowed their expressions.

  It wasn’t until Lefiya spoke for the three of them that the truth came out.

  “From what we can tell, she went to the Dungeon…alone.”

  “““……”””

  The young elf sounded extremely apologetic after bringing the heavy silence to an end. Finn and the other leaders stayed quiet.

  After sharing a few glances, the four of them let out a long sigh.

  “But we just got home after spending all that time in the Dungeon…”

  “She seemed kinda down in the dumps since we got back. Maybe she went to cheer herself up?”

  Less than a day had passed since Aiz defeated Udaeus and returned from her long sojourn in the Dungeon.

  Riveria looked at the floor, clearly disappointed by the news. Gareth was tired of hearing the same thing over and over. Finn smiled wanly, knowing there was nothing they could do.

  “It might just be because of what we were talking about, but I’m a little worried.”

  “Ye’re worryin’ ’bout nothin’…She’s Level Six now.”

  “Even if we did pursue her, there’s no guarantee we’ll be able to find her in the vast Dungeon. This is Aiz we are talking about. She has no qualms about going to the middle levels on her own…I cannot believe that girl.”

  The tamer was still on everyone’s minds due to their earlier conversation. They were well aware they were especially on edge right now, but even so, the leaders were slightly worried about her.

  “Well, if y’all are gettin’ bent out of shape, Bete could track her down pretty easily. He was plannin’ on goin’ to the Dungeon an’ hates losin’ just as much as she does.” Loki offered her advice from her spot off to the side.

  Bete hadn’t been able to stand still ever since he heard about Aiz’s level-up. The leaders seriously considered Loki’s suggestion as a viable option. Being a werewolf, Bete had an extraordinary sense of smell. It might be difficult in the Dungeon, where the stench of all kinds of monsters pervaded, but it was possible he could follow Aiz’s faint scent.

  “Ah, one more thing, Finn. Can I ask ya to have a look through the sewer system without the Guild noticin’?”

  “By that do you mean the place you mentioned earlier?”

  “Yep. Couldn’t exactly check every nook an’ cranny last time.” Finn glanced up at the goddess as she continued. “It’s no fun to go lookin’ fer clues when they fall right in yer lap, right? Plus, I’d get in yer way if I joined in, so can I leave this to you?”

  “Hmm, I can do that. Shouldn’t take long, so I’ll head out now.”

  “Sorry. There’s a lotta ground to cover, so go ahead an’ take some folks with ya. But maybe leave the magic users behind.”

  She warned him of the very real possibility of encountering the carnivorous plants, which responded to magic energy. Finn nodded and thanked her for the tip.

  He hopped down from his chair and addressed the three girls who had been waiting quietly in the doorway the whole time.

  “Tiona, Tione. The investigation of the network of tunnels beneath the city starts now. I’m counting on the two of you.”

  “Of course! Leave it to me!” “No idea what’s going on, but sure!”

  He instructed the twins to gather up anyone who wasn’t busy and wasn’t a magic user. The girls raced off in an instant.

  “We should proceed with the expedition preparations.”

  “Aye. I’ll round up some rookies to help carry my order of magic swords.”

  People exited the office left and right. Soon, Loki and Lefiya were the only ones remaining.

  “Huh, what? Well, I, um…”

  “Ohh? Why don’tcha keep me company while everybody’s out, Lefiya?” A playful grin appeared on Loki’s lips.

  “Oouuhh…” groaned the elf, head drooping at being left behi
nd.

  At a glance, the high, sturdy wall surrounding Orario resembled a cage.

  In fact, the wall had been in place since the Ancient Times, over a thousand years ago. It was built to stem the seething tide of monsters that constantly emerged from the Dungeon. Anyone standing in the middle of the thriving city with her back to the tall white tower in its center would see it encompassing the whole metropolis, creating a barrier that separated outside from in. Under the gaze of those imposing ramparts, first-time visitors often said it felt as if everyone was trapped inside an enormous prison.

  In truth, Orario prospered more than other countries and cities around the world despite the thick wall isolating it. With the sea close by, a massive lake to the southwest, and countless paved roads crossing the wide plains beyond the walls, there were many ways to export the Labyrinth City’s magic-stone products and to receive foreign imports. Orario possessed the ultimate resource—the Dungeon. People came from far and wide to reap its benefits.

  A way station located in the southwestern outskirts functioned as a foreign market. Goods from many countries entered the city every day. Boxes containing myriad ingredients, expensive decorations and jewelry, as well as weapons and armor reached shops all over Orario by horse-drawn carriages. Townspeople unloaded the goods one box at a time amid the constant activity on city streets.

  The large wall loomed in the background as the metropolis’s residents went about their daily lives.

  “…”

  Aiz made her way through the crowd by herself, shoulders slouching.

  Desperate hung at her waist, listlessly swinging from side to side with her heavy gait. Her footsteps were but one set of many that filled the main street. Aiz was on her way to the Dungeon.

  She had depleted her items during her prolonged stay last time, so she thought about visiting the many shops located within Babel Tower to replenish her supply before going back in. She didn’t feel any better than she did yesterday, but she knew in the back of her mind that moping around at home would do her no good. It took what little willpower she had at the time to convince herself to leave home and trudge toward her destination.

  She had leveled up. Now was the time to focus on reaching an even higher point…Her mind and body were ready, but for some reason her spirit wasn’t in it.