Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru

Translator: Solo

【79th day】

The following morning.

Frey?Dis?Gastolfo, an adventurer holding the title of Brave. Her attendant and maid, Lazarissa.

In addition, me, a foreigner, and my elven wife from a sham marriage, Rauaryuna.

The above-mentioned four were the impromptu party of the Brave that had gathered in the plain to subjugate the Demon King.

I was unsure over whether to call Ea, Shuna and (the person inside)Bel or not, but I decided not to in the end. I didn’t want my party members to get hurt because of such an absurd thing. To tell the truth, I didn't want to bring Rana either, but that would be putting the cart before the horse in various ways, so I had no choice but to let her come along.

「Well then, Brave-sama, do you have some plan or another?」

「Listen carefully, Souya」

「………」

Rana puffed out her cheeks in Frey's blind spot.

She seemed dissatisfied, perhaps because I spoke respectfully to Frey.

「Rana-san and I will chant a special, extraordinary, extra-large magic, and destroy “this entire plain”, Demon King and all, in one blow」

「Brave-sama, weren’t you listening to what I said during breakfast?」

「Breakfast? Yes, that mashed potato dish and the oil clay-pot with seafood were very delicious. The tea was 0 points, but I suppose it would be harsh to expect that much from a rural chef」

I had explained the situation while we were eating breakfast, but it appeared that she hadn’t been listening at all.

With her cheeks still puffed out, Rana glared at Frey.

「Then I’ll explain once more. The red flowers near the ruined dungeon are planted by the Demon King, and if disturbed badly, poison will be released over a wide area. I believe that the damage won’t be limited to just the plain」

「It’s an unavoidable sacrifice」

It’s not unavoidable at all.

「Ojou-sama, this plain is adjacent to Lemuria’s farmlands. If the poison encroaches on such a place, the reputation of the Brave and the name of Gastolfo will fall into the netherworld. Also, the problem of compensation will reach even the main family」

「………Then, what should I do?」

「Please don't ask Lazarissa」

The magicians of the Hohens School, they are a bunch who lack common sense, or rather, have several screws loose, and this person is also that type. Is it a side effect of being too outstanding in one field?

「I have a good idea. May I offer a suggestion?」

「Yes, that’s fine. Err………Zona-san?」

It was bothersome, so I didn’t correct her about my name.

「First, I’ll lead the Demon King away from the vicinity of the dungeon. After we’re a sufficient distance away, Brave-sama will use her magic to surround the Demon King on all four sides, and for the finishing blow, the two of you will hammer it with magic and destroy it. How does that sound?」

「It’s a simple strategy, isn’t it?」

Rana puffed out her cheeks even more and scowled at Frey.

「Is it alright if Lazarissa gives an opinion?」

「Yes, go ahead」

I listened to Lazarissa's opinion.

「Souya-sama, to Lazarissa's eyes, you don’t look like someone who can serve as a vanguard. It seems that you can use the bow, but Lazarissa believes that it won’t have much effect on Gormlaith. Should Lazarissa take your place to become the bait and lead Gormlaith away instead?」

「You don’t need to worry about that」

Without touching its handle, I drew Agathion from the quiver by holding my hand out and guiding it.

At the sight of the magic sword, which had stopped in mid-air, both Frey and Lazarissa had surprised expressions. It seemed that items that bore magic like this were rare.

「This is the sacred sword passed down in the St. Lyridias Order, Agathion. ‘s imitation that was created using technology from a foreign land. It’s the magic sword, Flames-Gurein. Just by holding my hand out, it unleashes matchless swordplay, protects me by its own will, and shoots my enemies to death. With this, I believe that I’ll be able to match even the Demon King」

Well, it’s the actual sacred sword Agathion, but it’ll be bad to reveal that carelessly.

「Wonderful」

Lazarissa’s face became flushed and she stroked Agathion with her finger.

She was fingering it sensually.

「It’s like it has been created by covering it with red pyroxene. At first glance, materials in their natural state have been overlapped into unknown materials. Lazarissa is completely unable to grasp what kind of techniques were used to refine, forge and polish it. It’s rugged, but beautiful」

Frey prodded Lazarissa’s entranced face with her staff.

「Stop lusting over it」

「Yes, Ojou-sama. It's a wild card, but you seem to have confidence in it. Lazarissa will leave it to you, Souya-sama. Lazarissa will stay with and guard Ojou-sama and Rauaryuna-sama」

Lazarissa’s poker face returned immediately.

Is she a person who is infatuated with inorganic things, I wonder?

「I’ll summarize and reconfirm the strategy」

Looking happy, Rana stood next to me.

「First, I’ll charge in and attack the Demon King with my sword. I’ll lead it to the marker that I had prepared and placed last night. Brave-sama will trap the Demon King, and then the two magicians will finish it off. Lazarissa will guard the two of them in case of unforeseen circumstances. It’s something like this」

「Well, that's fine」

Rana’s face instantly turned sour.

Rana became expressive when Frey was around.

「Well then」

Now, onward to where the Demon King is.

The four of us started walking line abreast.

In the short time before the battle, we talked about unrelated topics to relax.

We talked about how Rana and Frey were like during their student days at Hohens, and about the historic buildings that they had destroyed together. I felt that Lazarissa was making eyes at me, but that was probably a misunderstanding peculiar to virgins.

「It’s these flowers, right? When I saw them previously, I didn't realize that they’re such dangerous things」

Frey said, while avoiding the cirsium.

The number of cirsium had increased compared to yesterday. Due to the characteristics of this flower, if there was a curse in the soil, it would grow and bloom in a short period of time, purify the curse, wither, die, and then drop its seeds. The seeds would grow quickly as well, absorb the curse, mature, and then bloom.

They would continue this cycle until the curse was gone.

It seemed that this cirsium, the cleansing flower that the Demon King and the goblins called the shikabana, wasn’t something that they had created. Their seeds, which the Demon King had found when she was still alive, were so ancient that the age they came from couldn’t be identified. From the fact that normal cirsium existed, this was a plant that someone had created through selective breeding.

For them to be in the hands of a Demon King of all people, those seeds had met with an ironic fate.

And,

In the middle of the red, red plain, there was a black shadow. It was ready and waiting for us.

「Rana-san, Lazarissa, Nuu.........something, err, Rana-san's husband! Let’s go」

The shadow changed shape and took the form of a skeleton in a black cloak. It was small-sized, but intimidating, with blue light as eyes and the proof of a usurper around its neck. In its right hand was an iron Khakkhara1.

The Devil King Gormlaith.

The king of goblins who loves curry and rabbits. The reason why there are a lot of winged rabbits in this plain is because this person regularly takes care of feeding them and treating their diseases, while also eradicating the species that are hostile to them. 𝗳𝔯𝙚e𝒘e𝚋𝘯𝚘ν𝙚l.𝑐o𝙢

The winged rabbits, which are highly resistant to the cold, are one of the few creatures that can be petted even by the Demon King’s cold hands.

It had been a “That makes sense” moment for me.

Setting that aside,

「Well done coming here, the Brave Frey! I'm the King among Kings, the Demon King Gormlaith!」

A cool, manly voice rang out.

The secret was that the goblin, Gashuraku-san, was doing the dubbing in a hidden place.

「I’ve been waiting for a young person like you to appear before me! If you, the Brave, becomes my ally, I’ll give you half of the world! How about it? Won’t you become my ally?」

「Wh, what did you say?」

Frey was so shocked that her face twisted up.

The one who had prepared the script was Makina. But she had also used classic games as a reference, I’m guessing.

It was a choice that even elementary school students from all over the country wouldn’t make a mistake with though.

「Half, half of the world, you said!?」

This side’s Brave was extremely undecided over it.

「Wealth, fame, power, and a wonderful husband. In addition, younger and filled with desire for me――」

「Ojou-sama, no matter how you think about it, it’s a trick」

「Huh, how awful! You Demon King, what a terrifying trick」 ｆ𝓇𝘦ℯ𝙬𝑒𝐛n𝐨νe𝙡.c𝑜𝗺

This person is no good in so many ways. I understand now why Rana is irritated by her.

Well, I guess I’ll go on.

「How dare you, you Demon King! To think that you would tempt Brave-sama with your ruse! I’ll make you the rust on my sword!」

I drew Agathion and charged forward.

（Hit only the weapon）

I ordered in a whisper.

The great-sword and the Khakkhara clashed with a shower of sparks.

I was just holding the handle so that it wouldn’t fly off, but my right arm became numb from the impact.

I had been mindful, but this person was a genuine Demon King. To think that she had blocked Agathion without budging an inch.

The cacophony of metal clashing echoed across the plain.

A realistic sword fight unfolded and we shifted our positions many times.

「Urgh」

The impact traveled through my arm, and I even felt it in my spine. It was quick, but I had reached my limit.

I winked once.

At that signal, both of us took huge swings at each other. The sword and the staff locked together, and we leaned in close as if we were engaging in a contest of strength.

My eyes darted around, searching for the designated location.

A triangular flag popped up in the distance with a “Pin-Kon” sound.

Makina, stop it with the weird gimmicks.

With our weapons still locked, I ran side by side with the Demon King towards the destination.

『It's fine up to this point, but what are you going to do about a substitute? Surely she won’t be fooled by a lump of earth, right?』

「Don’t worry. I’ve prepared a dangerous substitute that I had put aside. What I’m worried about is whether or not we can destroy “that”」

『It’s fine then』

「In that case, hide yourself at my signal」

『Okay~』

We arrived at the flag. There were no red flowers around. What was there, was a small dirt-covered hill. We had opened a distance of 50 meters to Rana and the rest.

I let go of Agathion.

「Hit it as hard as you can」

The great-sword spun and built up momentum before hitting the ground. With a loud explosion, dust was blown up into the air. After confirming that the Demon King had turned into a shadow and disappeared, I also hurried away.

「Brave-sama! Now!」

I broke through the cloud of dust and ran towards Rana and the rest.

Frey started her chant. She didn’t even hold her staff up.

「I order you in the name of Gastolfo. Lumps of earth, obey」

By a hair’s breadth, a wall of earth rose where I was a few moments ago.

The place where the Demon King was, was instantly enclosed on all four sides.

Quick.

It was the first time I had seen magic that activated that quickly. On top of that, the scale of the magic was remarkable.

「”Rauaryuna”-san, let’s go」

「Frey, I’ll chant first. Follow my chant」

「It can’t be helped. Just this once」

Rana thrust her staff into the ground and raised both hands. Frey followed her actions.

「Oh Ezusu, my god. Bestow a fragment of primordiality to this humble kin」

Rana's voice……

『That which dances, sings and wanders, that which is redder and hotter than “our” blood, become a conflagration of fire, oh flames that engulf many』

……was overlapped by Frey's voice.

「Become like the breath of a dragon, the equal of a heavenly sacred fire. Completely devour this world of fate」

Once more, Rana chanted a passage by herself.

She chanted the rest of it together with Frey.

『Concentrate the power of the two of us here. Oh effigy of ruin and calamity that is redder than red, attack what is before our arms! In this moment, annihilate it with this primordial law! Hohens?Romea?Orutensu? Doragubein!』

The fireball that sprang into existence above the walls of earth was small and black. It was black, yet it shone brightly, and on top of that, it was discharging electricity.

The black fireball fell slowly。

I received an emergency communication from Makina.

『Souya-san, Makina's sensors detected a localized thermonuclear fusion reaction, but is it a sensor failure? The thing is, if they are correct, Souya and the rest would have been vaporized by the emitted heat. In the first place, it’s at a level where it would burn the entire continent to nothing. Oh, I'm sorry. It’s at a level where it would burn a hole in the planet after all』

「I don't think that it’s a sensor failure」

It seemed that there was something called the divine protection of the supreme god.

It was said that destruction that would destroy the world would be suppressed locally and erased by this divine protection. It seemed that the origin of what triggered the destruction wouldn’t be erased right away, but the effects of the emitted heat and aftermath would be erased immediately.

At present, the effective temperature was about 70 degrees Celsius, but that wasn’t enough to cause instant death.

「Hear me. There is no escape for you」

Frey chanted, and one of the walls of earth extended and collapsed like a lid, closing and sealing the black fireball inside.

「Hear me further. Oh lumps of earth, lumps of earth, swallow up, withstand, devour, and――」

Earth rose up and enveloped the target densely.

Perhaps it had mixed with the moisture in the ground, but it looked just like earthenware before it was baked.

「Crush!」

A heat wave whirled around at Frey's gallant voice. It was easy to imagine that it had become something incredible inside.

As proof, an impressive 4-meter-tall earthenware was made.

「Did that do it?!」

Oh, that didn’t do it, did it?

I had thought that on a conditioned reflex. A monster that lived after taking something like that……

「Frey, not yet」

……exists, it seems.

Rana's voice was uncharacteristically nervous.

The sound of an impact could be heard and cracks ran across the earthenware. The dull sounds continued to ring out at a uniform tempo.

Inside the earthenware was the magical creature that Rana had created in her failed attempt at cooking.

I had placed it there as a substitute for the Demon King’s corpse. I had thought that I could take this opportunity to dispose of it, but it had survived. On top of that, its seal had been melted off by the earlier magic.

The earthenware shattered, and “that” appeared.

「Huh? A pot?」

I answered Frey’s doubts without hesitation.

「Brave-sama, that’s the Demon King’s second form!」

「Its second form, you said?!」

I yelled in a loud voice to force it through.

It was certainly a pot.

The pot was covered by a black gel-like substance.

That Teflon pot had withstood a localized thermonuclear fusion explosion that was several hundreds of millions degree Celsius. No, it looked like a pot, but it was already something with a different set of norms.

“If Rana's firepower isn’t enough by itself, then by using two people……”, was my plan, but it had failed miserably.

「Ojou-sama, Rauaryuna-sama, it’s coming」

「Agathion!」

Lazarissa and I went out in front.

The gel part of the pot quivered,

「Defend!」

Countless tentacles attacked us.

A spinning magic sword and beastkin fists defended against the tentacles, which had become pointed. Sparks flew before my eyes.

With the force of surging waves, the attacks were coming down like a waterfall.

Agathion was one thing, but Lazarissa, who was flesh and blood and defending bare-handed on top of that, wasn’t an ordinary adventurer.

『Souya-san, there’s a message from the Demon King. It appears that the pot part has become its core, so it seems that it won’t be able to maintain its form if you attack there. However, its magic resistance is extremely high, so you’ll have to use physical means. And it seems that it’s advisable to smash it completely to pieces』

That was definitely a blind spot.

We hadn’t attacked the pot itself as we had feared that the contents would leak.

「I’ve discovered the weak point of the Demon King. The po―, no, metallic part is its weak point」

「Got it. Let Lazarissa borrow this for a bit」

Lazarissa took Agathion in her hand.

「Eh」

One swing of the sword.

It gave rise to strong winds and a shock-wave. With that one slash, she blasted away the surging tentacles. Those winds seemed as if they would blow away storms. It was almost like I was seeing a scene from a fairy tale about a hero.

「Wo, wonderful」

Lazarissa trembled with emotion.

I had felt too that she had some leeway, but she really had strength in reserve.

She charged. Or perhaps I should say that she launched her body forward using the strength of her legs. From the front, she swept away the approaching tentacles. She closed the distance of 50 meters in an instant.

With my reflexes, I was unable to follow the path of her sword.

The only thing I could see, was the result.

The sword left a cross-shaped mark on the pot. The gel-like liquid let out a scream and melted――

「Did that do it?!」

I shouted………and then, I thought, Dammit.

The liquid reformed its shape, swelled, and then stabbed Lazarissa with its thick tentacles.

With a crash, her body was tossed nearly 20 meters into the air. She dropped to the ground near us just like that, sticking the landing beautifully.

「It's tough」

Perhaps she had put up her guard in time, but she was unhurt.

This person is strong. She’s better than Lanseal. Is she at the level of advanced adventurers, I wonder?

「Ojou-sama, I'll go once more」

「It's dangerous. I won’t allow that. Stick to defending」

「Understood」

Lazarissa curtsied at Frey's words. I had Agathion returned to me, and then I asked Frey for her opinion.

「Brave-sama, do you have any ideas?」

“That” was staying on guard while it quivered, as if taking a wait-and-see approach. Rana was impassive, but she had broken out in a cold sweat.

If the title of Brave wasn’t for show, I had no choice but to rely on this person.

In the worst case,

We’ll run away for the moment and have Makina seal “that” (Because it doesn’t attack the A.I.s for some reason), and then put on a farce that “that” is actually the corpse of the defeated Demon King.

Would I be able to fool them with this? It’s difficult, isn’t it? It’s tough.

「Rauaryuna-san, match me this time」

「That’s fine, but I doubt that other types of magic would work」

「I'll smash it to pieces using physical magic」

Frey raised her staff.

「Lazarissa, Souya-san, do your best to protect us」

「Understood, Ojou-sama」

「Understood, Brave-sama」

Lazarissa and I went out in front of them once more. Lazarissa held up her fists while I gave Agathion the order to defend, and then nocked an arrow to my bow.

「Frey?Dis?Gastolfo offers my wishes to the great origin of my lineage. Oh earth, obey the Holy Name of Fertility, for I am the one who gives life」

Frey chanted forcefully.

Behind us, lumps of earth rose up and took the form of a large humanoid. The scale was so big that I almost released the arrow.

Rana sang.

「Oh Ezusu, my god. Oh origin of the ancient forest. By your grace, with roots as bones and fruits as eyes, like the countless abundance borne by the elm tree, make it grow. Even without rain, without light, without earth, without blessings, nourish it through a miracle. But now, the grace is all set and prosperity has been promised. Come, stand up」

The rough contours of the earthen mass became well-defined because of the trees and roots that coiled around it.

With the earth as its flesh, fruits as its eyes, and trees as its bones and armor, the giant that was born stood up.

It was an 18-meter-tall golem.

Rana and Frey crossed their staves. Their voices overlapped.

『We are Hohens, the followers of destruction, the ones who attained the might of the gods, the guides of the final flame』

「I bestow upon you a name」

Frey touched the foot of the giant.

A goddess creating life from a lump of earth and bestowing it a name, it was almost like a piece of a legend.

「King of the plain, Lars. I inscribe this name upon you. Your creator, Frey orders you. With those fists, destroy the Demon King!」

The giant started walking in the opposite direction of the pot. It was headed in the direction of the ruined dungeon.

Oh, this guy is subtly smart.

Oh, it fell. The giant's right knee had lost its shape and became crooked.

「Oh, I'm sorry. It’s my fault. The trees might not have gotten enough nourishment」

Rana confessed. It was good that she was honest.

「Hey, Rauaryuna-san!」

「Frey, did you forget that I'm not good at life-giving magic?」

「I don’t remember such things!」

The pot went for that opening and shot out its tentacles, aiming for the two of them.

Agathion and Lazarissa stopped them.

「This isn’t good, is it?」

The pot’s tentacles “grabbed” Agathion and Lazarissa, and then flung them away.

One person and one sword went bouncing off the plain as they thrown into the distance.

「Lars! Defeat that thing right away!」

「BOOOOOOO」

It sounded to me like the giant was saying, Impossibleeeee, to Frey. Looking closely, the roots on its left leg were also crumpled and strained. Like this, it was probably unable to stand up.

「Tch」

I released an arrow.

The pot intercepted it by swatting it out of the air.

It extended one tentacle and wagged it side to side like a finger.

「This…….how dare the likes of a pot……」

I took out as many arrows as I could, nocked as many of them as I could to the bow, and then drew it.

「The grace of the hidden name」

I released the arrows with the power of the hero.

All four arrows hit…….the gel part of the pot. They had dealt no damage, and on top of that……

「You can’t be serious」

……the tentacles took the shape of a bow and nocked an arrow.

「Both of you! Use the golem as a shieldd――」

My body was blown away by the impact.

The scenery went round and round many times before stopping. I felt a dull pain in my left shoulder. The arrow hadn’t pierced me thanks to the poncho's stab-resistant material, but I was numbed to the bone and had no feeling in one arm.

When I focused my eyes on the pot, I saw that the tentacles had increased the number of bows and had three arrows nocked to each of them.

The power of the previous arrow hadn’t been normal as well. Is it copying my bow techniques? It’s the power of the hero, you know?!

「Dear!」

Rana had dragged Frey behind the golem. For the time being, I felt relieved. I thought, Huh, is this checkmate for me, I wonder? as I looked at the released arrows with a strangely calm state of mind.

It was unfortunate, but my adventure had ended……