Chapter 22: 14.1: Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru Chapte

『It’s the first alternate world exploration debriefing. Requesting cooperation from project participants』

「Okay」

It was nighttime.

Izora’s voice rang out.

I was the only person in the tent. Misuranika-sama was in the sisters’ tent. They were probably having a women’s-only talk.

『Please give a report on the progress of the project』

「Currently, I’ve reached the 5th floor of the dungeon. Unofficially, I went to the 10th floor using a rescue portal. However, I didn’t validate the portal.

One thing led to another and I cut ties with my original party members. However, I formed a party with a magician. She’s an elf, and a princess, and cute.

I received a mysterious power from this side and was blessed with great skill with the bow. It’s amazing! I hit an empty bottle behind me with a no-look shot. It was 50 meters away, you know?! It felt like it was something that I had been able to do naturally for decades. I also became able to read the official language of this world, perhaps as an effect of the same blessing.

Currently, I’ve received the cooperation of Geto Bado, the fishman from Mojubafuru. Neutral parties include the Adventurers’ Guild, Zavua Night Owl Company, and Eruomea West Phoenix company. The Lemurian prince, G-whatshisface, is hostile towards me」

Only one letter of his name had remained in my memory.

『Understood. Here’s the result after consolidating the information and calculating the probability. Probability of success for the project is 2%』

「It went up! It went up an amazing amount! Isn’t that incomparably higher?!」

The excitement was palpable.

『Yes, that’s right! It’s the lowest number ever for humanity, but a great achievement for you personally! Team member Souya, you’ve gotten stronger, haven’t you?』

「Hehe, it’s because you guys were there for me」

I puffed out my chest, proud of how unusually excited Izora was.

『Well, that’s enough of this farce』

Ehhh……

You’ve ruined everything.

『A 2% probability of success might sound good, but what do you think about the 98% probability of failure? What do you think, huh?』

「It makes me want to die」

『Yes, recognizing the current situation correctly is the first step to success. Here’s the result from Izora’s consultation with Makina. Izora will respect your opinion and your wishes as much as possible. Or rather, Izora has already given up. You threw away the guns so easily, did what Izora told you not to do, helped others even though Izora told you of the complications involved, used resources excessively when cooking, lost your temper when others wasted food, looked at all the women with lecherous eyes, and――――』

「That's enough」

I stopped her as it didn’t seem like it was going to end any time soon.

『However, you’ve obtained a power that’s a substitute for the guns. This might possibly be something that the other team members wouldn’t have been able to achieve. Izora will praise you for that. However! ……………You got embroiled in a ridiculous affair at the same time. If you want to know just how ridiculous it is, it’s so ridiculous that Izora got locked by Makina, and can’t even talk about it at Izora’s own discretion. When I tried, “There’s a possibility that you’re affected by a serious mental disorder”. But~ Izora can’t speak at her own discretion~. HAHA』

She’s really breaking down, isn’t she?

No, this might in fact be her true personality.

『Here’s the last question for today. Team member Souya, do you wish to abandon the project?』

「No. There’s still much more that can be done. I’ll give up only after I’ve tried everything」

『Okay, that’s what Izora thought you would say. There’s a quote like this in Izora’s country:「It's only those who do nothing that make no mistakes」. Well then, good night. It’s windy today so please keep yourself warm when you sleep』

Obtaining a new strength, fighting for my life, and parting with party members; it had been a chaotic day. But the night passed uneventfully. Misuranika-sama did not return to my tent in the end. It felt like the first time in a long while that I had slept alone.

【11th day】

It was a new morning.

「Good morning」

Rana's smile was dazzling. It felt like I was being purified, and if I was a little bit more evil, I would have vanished.

「Good morning」

I replied then prepared breakfast. It turned out fairly well. Geto-san also came, and a familiar dining scene spread out before my eyes. The food that was being eaten was normal, but the people doing the eating were pretty abnormal.

A fishman, a god with the appearance of a cat, and an elven princess.

It probably wasn't normal even by the standards of this world.

Geto-san went home, Misuranika-sama went back to sleep, and Rana washed the dishes with me. I did decline, but she insisted, so I let her help me. Our shoulders almost touching as we washed the dishes. Would I, whose heart was pounding because of something like that, be okay going forward? I felt uneasy. Do your best, my reason.

「Is Ea still not feeling well?」

I distracted myself with a serious topic. She had been laid up in bed since last night. I hadn't seen her this morning either.

Rana’s smile turned wooden.

「Yes」

I faintly felt a hint of coldness. I was in two minds whether I should pry or leave it be. While I wavered, I was interrupted by the sound of horses neighing.

A carriage was approaching. The coachman was an elderly man.

「Rana, the tent」

Nodding, she hid inside the tent. I placed the bow beside me so that I could draw it at any time. I hid one arrow behind my back.

「Sorry about coming here so early in the day」

Otou-san came out of the carriage’s cab.

「The king is summoning you and the princess. Will you comply?」

「If I refuse?」

「More and more people will come every day to ask you」

What a plain form of harassment. What would happen if I got prepared and went with him, and to what extent could I trust the father of adventurers?

「On one condition. I would like to drop in on all my acquaintances along the way, and tell them that Otou-san is bringing me to see the king」

I’ll harass you too. If something bad happens to me, I’ll at least sully Otou-san’s name.

「That's fine. And I’ll say this ahead of time. If the king decides to imprison or execute you, I’ll put my life on the line to help you escape. I’ll arrange a boat to the left continent for you. If he’s such a foolish king, I’ll even fight the next war on the elves’ side. Still can’t trust me?」

「No, I can’t」

He was praised as the father of adventurers by others. It wasn’t a title given by me. Rumors of people were always embellished, and even legends that became poems were mixed with falsehoods. I had just come to that painful realization the other day.

That’s why I won’t trust even the father of adventurers. I’ll trust only the people that I’ve appraised personally.

「So be it」

Otou-san jerked his chin towards the carriage, saying『get on』. Rana, who had been listening closely, came out of the tent. We made eye contact and I had her get on the carriage first. Carrying my bow, I entered the tent and grabbed as many arrows as I could. Then I put on all my equipment. Hanging Izora at my waist, I had Makina get ready to evacuate Ea.

「Misuranika-sama, we're going to see the king for a bit」

「I’m going too」

「I’m sorry. Can you please stay with Ea?」

「Hmm, no」

Misuranika-sama climbed on top of my shoulder.

「You ignored my advice. For the time being, I'll ignore yours too」

「Okay」

She was bearing a grudge. No, the matter with Rana and Ea was my fault. I had allowed my personal feelings to get the better of me. But there had been nothing I could do to stop it. I’m a man after all.

I got on the carriage together with Misuranika-sama. The interior of the cab was narrow and simple. I naturally sat down beside Rana.

「Otou-san, is this attire alright?」

「Being fully equipped is the formal attire for adventurers, isn’t it? Common folk shouldn’t worry about such things」

Rana looked down at her own appearance. She had removed all her pouches and accessories, and only had her staff and a white robe on. However, stains that hadn’t come off after washing the robe could be subtly seen. The fabric was also damaged in several places. I didn't miss the indescribable expression that had flashed across her face.

Misuranika-sama was fast asleep.

「Speaking of which, Souya. That flat stuffed bread was really delicious. Even though you said that it was portable food, I ate it all up before I even reached the dungeon」

「Is that so?」

It was the greatness of curry powder. I must say that although she wasn’t the type to voraciously scarf down food like Evetta-san, Rana could really eat as well. She was the type that used her spoon and hands elegantly while silently clearing her plate. It was really worthwhile making food for her.

「And this morning's Tekkadon and fish soup. I want to eat them again」

For breakfast, I had used yesterday’s big fish and some of the precious rice to make Tekkadon.

I had initially thought that the big fish was whale, but it turned out to be firm-fleshed tuna. According to Geto-san, it appeared to be the same size as a humpback whale from our side. As the big fish would ravage the area where the fishmen lived, it seemed to be a tradition for the entire clan to go hunt it down when one appeared.

There would be a problem with parasites if it was eaten raw, so Makina took care of it with a laser. But just in case, I smoked it lightly. I dipped it in soy sauce and put it on top of sushi rice. It was delicious. It was really delicious. It was the greatness of rice.

「What? You used to be a chef?」

Asked Otou-san, in an interested voice.

「Yes, that’s right」

Came Rana's reply.

「No, that’s wrong」

I responded.

The carriage entered the city.

First, we stopped by the Zavua merchant company to buy new clothes for Rana. Otou-san paid for it.『Don’t worry. I’ll put it on the king’s tab』How was I supposed to not worry about that? Well, it would be bad to hold back, so we bought even more clothes for Ea, women’s necessities like underwear, and a large amount of daily necessities. We couldn’t carry it all so I asked them to deliver whatever we couldn’t carry to the camp.

Next was the Eruomea West Phoenix company. After an enthusiastic welcome from the Chairman, we bought three bottles of quite expensive liquor. We brought them to the military police station. I was asked,『A bribe?』, so I answered,『It’s a bribe』and handed him a bottle. We went to the Raging Bull and Silver Fox bar next, gave a bottle to the barkeeper, and was told,『If you were going to buy liquor, you might as well have brought it here』. He was absolutely right. We went to Tyutyu’s store, and Otou-san fished out Barfuru-sama, who had been floating in the river again. The bottle of liquor was drunk as a hangover cure. Same as me, it didn’t seem to matter to this person whether the liquor was cheap or expensive.

I showed my face at the Adventurers' Guild. I trusted the Guild President and Evetta-san, but taking their position into consideration, they were not on my side. Asking them to be neutral would be cruel.

「Well, it’s okay now」

「Alright」

After I had finished telling my acquaintances that I was headed for the royal castle, I realized something. Didn’t this seem like I was saying my goodbyes before Ieaving? Wait just a minute, I had only reached the 10th floor so far. What’s more, that was unofficial, so the deepest I had gone was actually only the 5th floor. Five floors. My adventure hadn’t started at all. And yet, why did it give off a feeling like it was already over?

「Souya, are you alright? You don’t look so good」

「No, I'm just disgusted by my own incompetence」

「Please have confidence in yourself」

She held my hand.

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「You’re doing great. No matter what complaints other people or gods may have, I’m grateful to you, and no matter what happens from now on, I’m on your side」

Rana's kindness was painful. Was there anything I could do to repay her? And could I skillfully strike a balance between that and my own objective? Was this the reason the probability of success was 2%?

「Are the two of you already in an intimate relationship?」

「Huh?!」

I let out a strange voice at Otou-san’s casual words. While I did have the desire to cross that line if possible, I never got around to it due to the many pressing issues.

「No, we’re not」

Rana's response was firm. It wasn’t a shock. It wasn’t, a shock. I admonished myself.

「Very well then」

Otou-san’s blank expression was laden with meaning. He probably won't answer me even if I grilled him about it.

While my thoughts were revolving around things like that, we arrived at the royal castle.

I was thinking that I didn’t recall seeing a castle in the city, but there it was, hidden behind the dungeon. The dungeon was sandwiched exactly between the main street and the castle. It was a small castle that was dark and covered in moss.

「Disappointed? My king is indifferent to things like this, you see? Even now, he uses an old castle that’s nearly 600 years old. His vassals kept making a fuss about how he should build a new one, or at least renovate it, but he turned a deaf ear to all of them」

It was certainly run-down. Its stones were visibly crumbling in several places, and the repaired spots looked pitiful. It was dreary and wasn’t getting much sunlight even though it was early in the morning. One of the chains of the drawbridge was broken.

The flag flying above the castle was about the only thing that looked beautiful.

Its design was a bull and a fox that were facing each other.

Following Otou-san, we entered the castle. Illuminated by Shogaku stones, its interior was surprisingly beautiful. We were welcomed by a line of maids of various races. They bowed all at once. Drawn in by them, I almost bowed as well.

The maids brought us to the second floor.

There,

「Medimu-dono. Can I have a few minutes of this person’s time?」

A pitiful-looking maid spoke. Her beautiful face was bandaged to cover her left eye. Long, pointed fox ears stuck out of her silver hair. She had a fluffy tail. Because she wasn’t wearing armor, I didn’t recognize her immediately.

「It’s fine, but we’ve kept the king waiting for some time now. There are other guests too, so make it quick. I’m going ahead」

Otou-san turned towards us,

「She isn’t the kind of person who’s impetuous enough to cause bloodshed here. Don’t worry」

That's what you say, but I don't trust you.

「I'm sorry. Both of you, this way please」

We were led into an unoccupied parlor. I readied myself so that I could shoot my bow at any time.

Suddenly, the maid went down on one knee and lowered her head.

「First of all, I want to apologize for all of the times I was discourteous to you」

「It’s fine. What’s done is done」

At Rana’s response,

「Elf princess. I didn’t say those words to you. I said them to Japan’s Souya-dono」

That ticked me off. I had decided on the attitude that I would take next.

With piercing coldness, I replied,

「Apologizing is fine and all, but I’ll never forgive you. Is that alright with you?」

「I don’t mind. But please let me reiterate my apologies. Regardless of the methods used, you defeated all three of us by yourself using your technique, wisdom, and tools. I tarnished that by inappropriately calling you a coward. From the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry. If my body can be used to compensate you, feel free to do whatever you wish」

She had straightforward eyes. And, they were looking at something distorted.

I thought about sullying and leaving her in tatters, but I didn't have time for that right now.

「Alright. For the time being, I'll bear that in mind. Is that all you wanted from me?」

「No. I’ll get into the main issue now」

What else was there?

「It's about the prince. Certainly, as a person, he's cowardly, short-sighted, small-minded, a skirt-chaser, has sexual tendencies that are so deviant that they cannot be spoken of, has none of the grace of royalty, and not a speck of the caliber needed to be king. But it's also our fault for not being able to remonstrate with him after the matter with elder brother」

You'll be executed if he heard all of that.

「However, he’s only quick-witted when it comes to devious ideas. Or at least, that’s what he’s convinced himself. He only has a superficial knowledge of wicked things. But it has taken a turn for the worse this time. The prince has invited King Lemuria and the elven king. He’s going to confess everything and apologize to the princess in front of them. Do you know what that means?」

Hmm? ……Wait, apologizing in front of the representatives of each royal family? That means Rana’s father will be there, right? And then, the prince will apologize to an elf. He’ll confess his wrongdoings……

I don't know what kind of person Rana's father is. But, generally speaking, ermm…… This is problematic, isn’t it? It’s bad.

「Sorry, I’m not familiar with the customs from this side. But, will this…… result in war?」

「Yes, it will」

Rana's face turned pale.

Mine was probably the same color as well.

「Among the elves, there are many who refuse to admit that they had lost to Hemus. They’re an arrogant and over-proud race. Heures won’t remain silent when his own daughter was taken advantage of and almost defiled. Moreover, Heures has lost much of his ability to unify the elves because he lost the war. If he shows disinterest and doesn’t act on this matter, the other clans will move to pull him down. At worst, there will be a civil war among the elves first」

The coward was tormenting people for contemptible reasons. He was either assured that his opponent would not resist, or it didn’t matter to him whether his opponent resisted or not.

I should have fed the prince to the monsters in the dungeon. I had made a mistake listening to Rana.

「The prince will probably be criticized if this results in war. However, dishonor and wrongdoings can be washed away by victory. He’s just following an old, evil practice of the Hemus. There will probably be adventurers who will criticize this, but there will also be adventurers who will gladly participate in the war」

No matter the times, no matter which world it was, there would always be people who yearned for battles and war. Especially the young ones who had never experienced the real thing.

「And princess. Do you want to burn your people to death once more?」

「Something like that, never」

Rana reached out and held my hand. Her hand was trembling. I would do anything to comfort her. That was the effect of the curse that I had inherited along with the bow techniques. No, most of it was my personal feelings.

There was one thing that I couldn’t understand though.

I couldn’t understand the point of her apology.

「You. Umm, Lanseal, was it? Why do you want to stop the war?」

「It’s in consideration of the king's body. He’s old and his health is deteriorating」

That was definitely not the only reason. She was a person who seemed bad at lying. I would probably uncover something if I probed further, but I had no time.

「Souya-dono. I’ve heard that you’re a wise and knowledgeable person who hates war. You can use this unworthy body any way you wish. I beg you, please stop the prince's plan」

「Even if you tell me to stop it......」

Like I said, I had no time. I was about to ask Makina and Izora for their opinions, butー

「Lanseal, everyone is waiting-mya. Hurry up...... Oh!」

A tanned cat beastkin in a maid outfit had come in rudely without knocking. She saw me and pointed.

「You! That time! How could you?!」

「Karoro, now is not the time for something like this」

「No-mya! The prince got angry at me because of you-mya! I was on the verge of losing my job-mya! Marry me-mya!」

「Huh?!」

I was pounced on, embraced and proposed to.

「You! You’re doing that again? Cut it out!」

「No-mya! I’m getting married-mya! I want a stable life-mya!」

「Don't seek stability from an adventurer!」

Lanseal grabbed the beastkin by the scruff of her neck, peeled her off me, and flung her away. The beastkin stuck the landing splendidly. This time, it was Lanseal who drew close, took both my hands and pleaded with me.

「Anyway! Souya-dono. I implore you. Everything depends on you. For that reason, I don’t care what happens to this body of mine――――」

Lanseal was strangled from behind by the beastkin.

「You’re doing it again-mya! That “body of mine” declaration-mya! How many times have you said it already-mya?!」

「Shut up! It's only the sixth time!」

The two of them began jabbering back and forth. Rana and I didn’t have the time for that as we were caught in a whirlpool of thoughts.

The door opened again.

「You’re taking too long!」

「Yes」

We had angered Otou-san. It wasn’t my fault. He led us out onto the hallway. The two maids passed us then went on ahead.

I tapped the top portion of the Izora pod three times with my finger. It was a signal for help that we had decided on a while ago.

『Team member Souya, Izora has an idea of what you want. It's a method to avoid the war, right? Makina and Izora had predicted this since the other day. Then, we ran roughly 5,000 simulations. The result……………… We concluded that it was not possible to avoid the war. We’re very sorry that we could not be of more help』

It's all over.

I couldn’t think of any good ideas as well. The scale of the matter was too big for a person who had stumbled his way into an alternate world. The solution that I had somehow arrived at after racking my brains, was to take Rana and Ea, and escape to a different continent. I couldn’t care less about the dungeon anymore.

「Umm, Souya」

Rana called out to me. I probably had a pretty terrible expression on my face.

「Can you leave it to me?」

「Do you have any good ideas?」

「Yes, I do」

Beside me was the goddess of salvation.

Tekkadon is raw slices of tuna, or tuna sashimi, on top of rice. And, sushi rice isn’t a type of rice, but rice that has been dressed with rice vinegar, sugar, salt, kombu and sake(optional). It’s absolutely delicious.

Small detail there about Lanseal. She refers to the “matter with elder brother”. I’m sure you understood that she was talking about the matter where the eldest son of the king was killed by elves. However, she refers to him as elder brother…… And there’s the matter of the design of the flag and the name of the bar too…… *coughprincess?cough*

I’m sure it’s pretty clear now that the beast-women of this world are…… how do I put it…… not stingy with their bodies, I guess?

What could Rana’s plan be? Actually, all the hints that lead up to her plan are here in this part of the chapter. Have you figured it out?

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