Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Vol. 7

by Fujino Omori

  “Killing Stone? Never heard of that.”

  Recounting Lord Hermes’s delivery to Lady Ishtar, I explain to everyone that the Goddess of Beauty Ishtar has a Killing Stone. But Lady Hestia looks clueless.

  I turn to Welf and Lilly.

  “Any ideas, Li’l E?”

  “No, Lilly doesn’t know anything, either.”

  No luck.

  No one has seen one or even heard of it…Killing Stones must be extremely rare.

  It seems a little strange, but I decide to let it slide as we make our way through the front door.

  In the end, we decided to accept the quest from the Albella Trading Company.

  Lady Hestia kept giving me suspicious looks for some reason when we told her that we can rescue Haruhime, a prostitute, with a redemption. It was Mikoto’s earnest pleas that made her begrudgingly accept—Mikoto went out to inform Takemikazuchi Familia about Haruhime the moment we finished up.

  Neither Lilly nor Welf raised any objections, so Hestia Familia embarked on a quest to receive one million valis.

  “We’re here to complete a quest, yet again.”

  Now we’re prowling the fourteenth floor of the Dungeon.

  We spent the last two days following our meeting preparing for the quest and completing the paperwork. Now all that’s left is the quest itself. Lilly is carrying her oversize backpack as her earlier comment echoes down the long, rocky tunnels.

  Faint light shines down from far above; the air is thick and moist. The holes in the floor that proved to be our worst nightmare only a few weeks ago lurk in the shadows of the Dungeon, which appears to be a normal cave only on the surface.

  We passed through the upper levels with no problems whatsoever and arrived in the middle levels with ease. A few quick battles here and there, and our four-person battle party has made it to level fourteen.

  “Now, everyone, let’s keep moving!”

  I can feel the excitement in Mikoto’s voice, calling back from the head of our formation.

  Swish, swish! Mikoto swipes her katana back and forth in her right hand with all the excitement of a kid on the way to a candy store.

  Welf takes his eyes off her for a moment and looks back at me. Both of us share a smile, not sure how to react.

  “The quest requires us to go into this floor’s pantry. Lilly recommends that we don’t do anything rash…”

  The pantry is just what it sounds like: a place in the Dungeon where hungry monsters go to eat. Lilly mentions the dangers of this place and holds back a sigh as she watches Mikoto’s demeanor with concern in her eyes. Lilly takes a moment to rummage through her backpack, making sure that we have plenty of items and that our camouflage cloaks are ready.

  An uneasy smile still on my face, I check my equipment as well.

  Weapons—the Hestia Knife and both blades forged from a red Minotaur Horn are all I’ve got with me; no shield or buckler. Mikoto and I gave all our backup daggers and blades to Lilly for safekeeping. I’m wearing the same armor as I did during the War Game, Pyonkichi, smooth and shiny thanks to Welf’s recent repairs.

  We finally made enough progress at home for Welf to fire up his forge for the first time. Since he didn’t want any of us to go to the Dungeon underprepared, he worked really hard making new weapons and armor for all of us before coming down here.

  “A redemption, huh? Didn’t even know that existed.”

  Welf is walking right next to me in the middle of our formation, a greatsword at the ready over his shoulder.

  Satisfied with this peaceful option, he flashes a grin.

  “Yes. It might be hard to collect enough money, but…we can help her.”

  I look back at Mikoto, a smile growing on my face. Both of us are in high spirits.

  We’re going to save Haruhime—thoughts of her smile fill my mind as I take hold of one of my knives.

  “Redemption costs three million…Just to be safe, having five million on hand would be a good idea.”

  “Ehh…That’ll take forever.”

  “Then we better consider going deeper into the Dungeon.”

  Sharp eyes scanning the Dungeon for monsters, Lilly joins our conversation from the back of the line.

  Welf suggests that we can make more money by going to the lower levels.

  “Bell’s Level Three, so we should be able to make it to level twenty, right?”

  Welf turns his shoulders and flashes another grin to Lilly behind us.

  It’s generally accepted that Level 2 adventurers can safely work in the middle levels between the thirteenth and twenty-fourth floors. According to the Guild, Level 3 adventurers like me are allowed to venture into the lower levels that start on the twenty-fifth floor.

  Lilly, who’s become our party’s strategist, shakes her head at Welf’s proposal.

  “Mr. Bell being Level Three makes no difference. The Dungeon can bear its fangs at any time. We could be wiped out without proper preparation on any floor.”

  She’s not taking lightly her experience from the battle on the eighteenth floor. I doubt she’ll change her opinion anytime soon.

  Even if we should be able to reach the twenty-fourth floor on paper, there’s always a risk in going deeper—there’s a big difference between “information” and “experience.”

  She makes a good point…It’d be really dangerous to go down that far halfheartedly.

  I understand wanting to make progress quickly, but this is an issue that can’t be solved by just one person getting stronger. All of us, as a party, need to be fully prepared before pressing forward. Lyu told me a while back that only a balanced party can survive in the middle levels. One adventurer by themselves would be overwhelmed by numbers.

  We have a goal, but it can’t be rushed. I tell myself over and over not to get overconfident.

  Now’s the time to concentrate on the quest.

  “—Be still.”

  Mikoto is quite a few meders ahead of us when she suddenly comes to a halt and tells us to stop.

  Turning around, she looks past our formation and focuses on a spot behind us.

  Lilly quickly adjusts her position in the formation…Just as Mikoto warned us, WHOOSH! Something pops up from a hole a little behind us.

  A tigerlike monster with a body that’s solid like a rock comes into the light.

  “Liger fang…!”

  “It must’ve come to this floor from below.”

  Lilly calmly explains the Irregular as the rest of our jaws drop in the face of a monster that shouldn’t show up until level fifteen.

  The beast must’ve just killed something, monster or otherwise, because its claws and fangs are dyed red with blood. Its thick fur standing on end, the monster roars right at us. It will take something longer than a knife to penetrate its armor-thick coat.

  It looks just as aggressive as the Minotaur that came to the higher levels. Despite its bloodshot death stare, Welf glances over at Mikoto with admiration and says:

  “A detection Skill—very useful.”

  “No, I can sense only monsters I’ve encountered before…and it also depends greatly on my clarity of mind. Please don’t depend on it.”

  We told one another our Skills and Magic once we all became members of the same familia.

  Mikoto fought against a liger fang on her way down to the eighteenth floor when she was looking for us before. She walks past me to face the beast that she felt coming, katana already raised into a defensive position.

  “It’s faster than a Minotaur! Stay alert!”

  “Yes!”

  Mikoto charges toward the roaring beast. Welf and I are close behind as even more monsters join the fray.

  Violent echoes of adventurers engaged in combat with monsters rang out from far down the passageway.

  A group of women cloaked in hooded robes were standing by in a room not too far away—each of the tan-skinned warriors held her weapon loosely in one hand.

  “Progress?”

  “Couldn’t be better.
One million valis was enough to lure them out. The Albella Trading Company told them to go to this pantry…They have to come through here.”

  Another tall and slender woman, an Amazon, approached the group. She went to their leader, whose eyes—Aisha’s eyes—were flashing from deep beneath her hood.

  Samira, her gray hair and face hidden beneath the rough fabric, smirked as she answered.

  “Nice plan, having a trading company issue the quest for us. I had no idea that was an option.”

  “Those Albellas owe us in more ways than one…Lady Ishtar helped ’em out of a tight spot as well. They couldn’t refuse us.”

  Aisha had a pretty good idea what transpired behind the scenes of this contract. Hooded robe swaying just above her knees, she made her way to the middle of the group.

  Several hooded figures stood with their backs to a large steel container as if protecting it. Aisha walked past them and placed her hand on the cargo box that was big enough to fit a few people. Slipping her fingers into the handle, she opened the door.

  “Haruhime, get ready.”

  One lone girl was sitting in the back corner of the cargo box.

  Dressed in long, loose clothing—Far Eastern–style combat attire—she wore a helmet that had been heavily decorated with feathers. Her beautiful golden hair was braided and tied into a bun that was hidden along with her ears under the helmet. Even her bushy fox tail was completely concealed.

  Every effort had been made to hide the fact that this girl was a renart. Her brilliant green eyes shifted toward Aisha.

  “…Are we here to…abduct an adventurer?”

  Her eyes shook softly as she spoke. Aisha’s expression, however, didn’t change.

  “We are.”

  “Who, may I ask?”

  “You don’t need to know.”

  Aisha reached inside the container, grabbed the young girl’s arm, and pulled her up. Then she leaned in so close that her lips grazed the feathers on Haruhime’s helmet as she spoke.

  “Same as always, got it?”

  “…Yes.”

  Aisha’s strong voice reverberated inside the steel box. Haruhime looked at her feet as she whispered her response. Satisfied, Aisha let go.

  “Aisha, it’s them!”

  “…All right, all of you, into position. And stick to the plan.”

  One of the scouts had returned. Every one of the hooded women took proper grasp of their weapons the moment Aisha issued her orders.

  “—That sound.”

  We’d fought our way through many groups of monsters and made a great deal of progress into the Dungeon.

  Suddenly, the sound of running footsteps reaches my ears.

  “Those screams, human and monsters…They’re coming this way.”

  “Oh hell no, not again!”

  Mikoto focuses her ears in that direction. Welf sounds really annoyed.

  Judging by the echoes, I’d say that’s a decent-size pack of monsters chasing after a party of adventurers at high speed. All are the telltale signs of a pass parade. All of us immediately tense up.

  A party of hooded adventurers appears at the other end of the tunnel, a large group of the beasts nipping at their heels.

  “From the front…They’re coming out of the pantry?”

  Lilly adjusts her backpack as she assesses the situation, eyes glued to the oncoming threat. Quickly closing all the pockets of her backpack, she lets her eyebrows sink as everyone prepares to make a break for it.

  This tunnel is a long straightaway. There’s no reason to risk being overrun by standing our ground. It’s much safer to keep those hooded adventurers between us and the monsters.

  “Back to the intersection!”

  I give the order that everyone saw coming and we take off.

  Adjusting our formation, we go back up the tunnel we came from.

  I glance over my shoulder every few seconds, judging the distance between us and them. We make it into the intersection—but a heartbeat later…

  Two more groups of adventurers, one from the left and one from the right, flood into the intersection with us in the middle.

  “Two more?!”

  Lilly’s shrill voice pierces the air.

  Pass parades are about to collide. All of us are stunned by this highly unlikely turn of events.

  Monster roars and battle cries envelop us in a matter of moments. We’re being overrun!

  “UW-UWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

  “E-EVERYONE!”

  A whirlwind of chaos erupts in the intersection, with us trapped in the middle.

  The hooded adventurers dip and dive out of the way, leading packs of angry hellhounds and almirage right to us. There are so many black shadows and bodies zipping in and out of sight that I lose track of Welf and Mikoto for a few seconds.

  The only thing I can do is trust them and protect our supporter. Lilly needs me. I jump in front of her, hacking and slashing my way through waves of fangs and fur.

  I’d forgotten one very important thing: the first pass parade. They’ve caught up.

  “A third…?!”

  The group slams into our battlefield from behind.

  More screams, more roars, and even more fangs come flying at me. I slice an almirage at the last possible second. There’s no room for error. Another flash—a monster has sunk its teeth into Lilly’s backpack. Quickly dispatching it, I pull Lilly closer to me.

  Monsters in every direction—I’m completely enclosed in a cage of claws and fangs. But it’s what’s on the outside of the cage that catches my attention. The three parties of adventurers come back into the intersection. Ignoring the monsters, they point their weapons at us.

  “Who the hell are these guys?!”

  CLASH! Welf uses his greatsword to block a scimitar sword. WHAM! Mikoto’s katana collides with a club.

  More and more of the hooded adventurers jump over the ring of monsters to attack. With a knife in each hand, I deflect the ones who come my way, protecting Lilly with all my might.

  Another wave of monsters joins the fray. Flashes of steel and sharp claws relentlessly assail me from every direction.

  This is far too organized to be a pass parade. These numbers, this location—all this means that they were after us all along.

  “You’re coming with us.”

  “Wha—”

  A female voice sounds as a black shadow falls over me.

  I look up and see a black robe slicing through the air and coming right toward me.

  The sleeves of her loose, hooded robe make the woman look more like a bat, eyes flashing from beneath her hood.

  That second of hesitation is all she needs to swipe at me from midair with a long, powerful leg.

  “?!”

  I manage to get my arms up to defend at the last possible moment, but the impact still sends me flying backward.

  “Mr. Bell!”

  My body arcs high over the monsters’ heads. Lilly’s voice reaches my ears, but she sounds…distant.

  The power of that incredible kick propels me completely outside the cage of fangs.

  No! Lilly, Welf, Mikoto!—They’ve got me isolated!

  I can still see them inside the cage as I hit the ground and roll. The black robe gets closer with each rotation. WHAM! Another kick drives me farther back and around the corner.

  I can’t see anyone else!

  “GWA—uhh…!”

  I finally get my feet underneath me and try to stand. The black shadow comes flying around the corner…and removes her black robe.

  “Aisha…?!”

  “We meet again, and so soon.”

  She’s got on tight, minimal purple clothing like a dancer’s, long black hair, streamlined legs…and a massive blade at her side.

  It’s just her and me. There’s no one else to witness the true form of an Amazonian warrior emerge from the black robe now at her feet.

  “What is going on…?”

  Rather than answering, she points her weapon
right at my chest as the howls and echoes of battle rampage through the tunnel.

  Her wooden weapon is very similar to Welf’s greatsword.

  The only real differences are the noticeably longer handle and the upward curve of the blade.

  She’s holding the weapon with her left hand, eyes glaring menacingly down at me from just behind the tip of the blade. Her mouth opens.

  “You can direct your hate at the unpredictable whims of a goddess. That or—”

  I hadn’t calmed down enough yet to notice until now.

  There’s something weird going on with her dark skin—different spots all around her body are sparkling.

  Now, why would…?

  “—curse yourself for getting noticed!”

  Aisha vanishes into thin air.

  “?!”

  Pieces of the Dungeon floor burst into the air where she stood. It takes a moment to realize Aisha’s gone.

  She’s on top of me in the blink of an eye, that curved sword of hers on a direct course for my gut.

  I thrust the Hestia Knife forward out of reflex and manage to safely guide the blade past my chest.

  Aisha doesn’t even wait for the sparks to clear from the collision to launch her first kick. It connects with the ferocity of a spear into the middle of my exposed chest.

  My breastplate instantly cracks, breaking free from its restraints as the metal screams on impact. What was left of the armor flies off my body.

  Too fast—!

  Knocked off balance, I can catch only the flash of Aisha’s next merciless kick already on its way.

  I fall to my hands and knees before jumping back up to my feet. Knives still in both hands, I go on the offensive.

  I fight back the confusion and chaos by focusing all my emotions into my blades and charge forward. The Amazon meets me head-on with unbelievable speed.

  Arcs of dark-purple and crimson light shower her wooden blade, but nothing gets through. She counterattacks with those long legs, connecting time and time again with my armor and skin.

  —She’s faster than me!

  That’s not possible.

  I know for a fact when I fought her three days ago in the Pleasure Quarter I had the advantage in speed.

  My speed, my Agility, was higher, I’m sure of it!