Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru

「Then Souya, there’s something I want to ask you」

「Ask me anything」

「Do you have a fiance or significant other back in your hometown?」

「I don’t. All I have is one sister」

It wasn’t something that I was proud of, but I had never even tried to be in that kind of relationship, be it in Japan or abroad. Though I had been told by an acquaintance that she “had liked” me in the past.

「Is that so? That’s great」

What is? Was what I was about to ask when Otou-san stopped, and opened the door to a room. The interior of the room was almost the same as the previous parlor we were in. It was probably a countermeasure against foreign enemies breaking in, but similar structures were duplicated throughout the castle. I had no confidence that I could find my way back to this room once I had left.

At the round table in the room, there was one elf on our left, and two Hemus on our right. In the four corners of the room were the two maids from earlier and two people I didn’t know.

The elf was probably Rana's father. Perhaps it was due to the longevity of elves, but he looked about the same age as me. He had a resemblance to Ea. Or rather......, how old was Rana?

Setting that aside, there were two Hemus. Next to the idiot prince, who smirked when he saw me, was a bald man. I could tell that he was related by blood to the barkeeper. He looked about sixty years old, but he had a tired face and a wrinkled brow. He wasn’t as awe-inspiring as I thought he would be. He gave the impression of being a good person. But his physique was imposing. He wore a crown, well-tailored clothes and a mantle. He was undoubtedly King Lemuria.

「You must have been surprised at the sudden invitation. Forgive me, it's was my son’s earnest request」

King Lemuria’s voice bothered me a little. It was a voice that sounded distressed and was lower than necessary.

I remembered my dead grandfather.

The maids pulled out the chairs, then prompted the three of us to sit. Lanseal was the one who had pulled out my chair. She was really emitting a “I implore you” aura.

「But Medimu. Why are you here? Even though you’re such a busy person……」

「Lanseal said that she was injured and not feeling well. So I filled in as a maid. Don’t let it bother you」

Otou-san was speaking casually to the King. Was this person a big-shot after all?

「Princess Rauaryuna. Are you in good health? Being an adventurer is an occupation you’re unaccustomed to, so please don’t hesitate to rely on me if you face any difficulties」

「No, Your Majesty. There are no problems. With anything」

I felt a little bit of fear in Rana's words.

「You look like you’ve lost some weight though?」

The elven king asked Rana.

「It’s just your imagination, Father」

Rana became even more scared.

Then the king looked at me.

「I've heard that you came from a foreign land, is that right?」

「It’s a great honor to meet you, King Lemuria. I’m called Souya, and have come from Japan, a foreign land. I’m working as an adventurer」

The ends of my sentences were trembling a little.

「You have a pretty interesting countenance, young man. If there's another opportunity, and the time for it, I would love to hear more about the foreign lands」

My nerves weren’t calming down.

「Well then, Georg. Here they are, as you requested」

「Then Father, Your Majesty. We’re gathered at this time toー」

「Wait」

The king stopped the prince from talking.

「First, the incident with Lanseal」

「…………I’ll talk about that afterwards」

The prince suddenly shrank.

With a terrible look in his eyes, the king said.

「That’s unacceptable. I’ve summoned the elven king and princess in response to your request. I did that on the condition that you would tell me the cause of her injuries. Because that stubborn fool won’t speak on her own accord, even if I chop off her head.

Do you realize that you're trampling on my wishes? You see our family’s coat of arms every day, don’t you? A raging bull and a silver fox. That bull is an imagery of the monster with evil title that I defeated, and the silver fox is Lanseal’s mother, who died protecting my life in that battle. Do you understand what it means to injure your coat of arms? She would be your elder sister if the law was different. Don’t you feel anything when a person like that gets injured?」

Beads of sweat appeared on my forehead.

This is bad. It’s the worst, mainly for me.

I had injured that coat of arms by shooting it with plenty of arrows.

Looks like my execution would come before the war. Lanseal herself was giving me a wonderful smile. I returned her an inscrutable expression.

「No, Your Majesty. That’s not my intention. However, the order of eventsー」

「What’s the point of changing the order? Are you trying to deceive your king?」

「N, no!」

The way the prince was acting like a chicken with its head cut off was comical, but I didn’t have the composure to take delight in it.

Rana reached out and held my hand.

What is it? Was what I was thinking when she spoke.

「The one who defeated Lanseal-sama is this person, Souya」

Wait!

「Hmm」

Your Majesty, your eyes are very scary!

「The other day, we had a duel with the prince's party inside the dungeon. I’m well aware that such actions are forbidden. But there’s a reason why we couldn’t back down」

「Can you tell me the reason? But princess, depending on the circumstances, I may have to mete out punishment」

Rana didn’t back down from the king’s intimidation.

She wasn’t insecure and self-effacing like she usually was. She straightened her back, and I could feel a firm will. Just like a person who was about to make a decision on something important in their life,

「It’s for the sake of getting me and Souya’s betrothal recognized」

Huh?

Huh?　?!

Huh?!　?!　?!

My mind went blank as words that couldn’t be more unrelated to my life were uttered. 𝒇𝘳𝐞𝚎𝓌𝑒𝑏𝒏𝑜𝙫ℯl.c𝚘𝒎

「A marriage between a Hemu and an elf would never be allowed inside Heures Forest. But I’m a mere adventurer now. That being the case, it stands to reason that I should defer to the king of adventurers. However, I didn’t want to bother King Lemuria with the silly affairs of a princess who had fallen to the world of the common people.

The prince came to know of our situation, and to us, who were in a quandary, he said,『Try defeating me. If you have the strength to do that, I’ll talk to my king on your behalf』」

The prince's face said,『Huh? I didn’t say that』

My face said,『Yup, that’s right』

「We fought desperately. But we didn’t stand a chance. That’s no surprise. Our opponents were Georg Oru Lemuria, the son of King Lemuria, and Lanseal, who’s known for her bravery. My magic was prevented by the prince's wisdom, and all of Souya’s arrows were blocked by Lanseal-sama. Howeverー」

The king was all ears.

「The grace of Heures enveloped the last arrow that both of us released. It shattered Lanseal’s shield and split her helmet. It was a miracle, and not our true ability. But the prince leniently acknowledged his loss, and set up this meeting today」

Right now, I was witnessing the moment when the truth was being buried.

Was this how history was made? That’s absurd!

「Lanseal, is that true?」

To His Majesty’s question,

「Yes, it’s true. That last arrow they fired, it was undoubtedly the arrow that defeated Lola, the large spider. I saw a glimpse of the legend of Heures」

Lanseal answered, “Yes”. The prince had his mouth open like a simpleton. Serves you right, was what I thought, but on the other hand, I hadn’t wrapped my head around the situation either.

「Georg, well done」

「Huh? Your Majesty?」

The prince came back to his senses when the king patted him on his shoulder.

「Putting yourself on the line to respond to the wishes of the people. That’s something that I can no longer do with this body of mine. I thought that I would be infuriated by you, who leads a self-indulgent life, but children grow up while we're not looking, don’t they?」

「Your Majesty」

The prince's eyes moistened.

It’s a good story.

It’s all lies though.

「Did you summon me for such a reason?」

The elven king, who had been observing silently, spoke. The tone of his voice was incredibly cold.

「Melm-dono, but this isー」

「Excuse me. I’m done here」

Not listening to King Lemuria’s words, the elven king got up from his seat. His parting words shook Rana.

「My daughter has died. That person over there is an adventurer. King Lemuria, I'll leave it all up to you」

One of the maids accompanied him he left the room. After the door closed behind him, a somber mood set in.

The king coughed, then started speaking cheerfully.

「In that case, Lemuria Oru Almagest Razva, the founding monarch of the Kingdom of Lemuria, will recognize your betrothal. Is it fine if the wedding vows are elven?」

「Yes, please use elven wedding vows」

「Alright, I understand. I’ll prepare a modest amount of money for the betrothal expenses. The documents will be prepared by the Adventurer's Guild at a later date. Princess, no, Rauaryuna. And Souya. Inter-racial marriages are fraught with difficulties. There were even kingdoms that were destroyed when they failed to survive this ordeal. Both of you, take each other’s hand, as you go on this adventure together」

『Yes』

Rana and I answered at the same time. We were still holding hands.

The king got up from his seat, followed by the prince, and we bowed our heads to both of them. Otou-san, who had been completely left out, looked bored as he stroked his beard.

After the king and the prince had left, we were guided by the maids as we returned the way we came, and went outside.

We got back on the carriage. For some reason, Lanseal got on too.

「Souya-dono! Thank you very much! This will relieve some of the king’s anxiety!」

Perhaps she was deeply moved, but she had jumped onto my lap and was embracing me tightly. She hugged my head and rubbed her cheek on mine. Her tail was wagging furiously. Was the physical intimacy of all beastkin so intense? It was totally fine though. No, it wasn’t fine anymore,

「Get off. He has become my husband」

Rana's gaze hurt.

「But he’s a husband under elf law」

「Hmm? Huh, what do you mean?」

I didn’t understand the meaning of what Lanseal said.

Otou-san explained.

「You probably don't know this because you’re a foreigner. Elves are polygamous. Long-lived races generally have low birth rates. There’s also the compatibility of their bodies to consider, so they’ve taken multiple brides since ancient times」

What did, you say?

「That’s the long and short of it. Souya-dono. You’ve fulfilled my selfish request perfectly. Since the prince has already accepted the praise, he won’t say anything about the fact that it’s a lie now. It was really well done. The truth is buried in darkness, and there shouldn’t be anyone who will delve too deeply into this affair. Then, all that’s left is for you to receive my thanks」

So, the truth did not always equal what was right. That was very educational. And, while I was curious about what her thanks entailed, first of all,

「Um, rather……」

I glanced at Otou-san. He probably guessed what was on my mind, so he spoke.

「Don’t worry. I've already heard everything from Lanseal. In the first place, I was concerned about both of you because my methods were making that lackadaisical prince more impudent. I won't do anything bad to the two of you」

So that was how it was. As I pieced everything together, the carriage started moving.

Then, I should also make something clear.

「Lanseal. What happened earlier wasn’t a plan that I had come up with」

「Huh?」

Lanseal tilted her head. Then Rana said,

「It wasn’t my plan either」

「Huh?」

I also tilted my head. Then, whose plan was it? I asked.

「Kuwaa…… Oh, looks like it went well」

With a yawn, Misuranika-sama, who had been left behind and forgotten in the carriage, woke up.

Truly, she was a god that slept a lot.

「It's my plan. For a foolish young man, if you sing his praises suitably and gift him some achievements, he’ll readily play along with your story. Rather than facts or intentions, you catch people by dangling delicious bait in front of their eyes. You’ll do well to remember that for future reference」

As expected from a beauty who ruined countries.

I’m truly glad that I formed a contract with you.

「Pardon me. Who might you be?」

Lanseal's retort was only natural. Actually, you’re the type that looks slimmer when wearing clothes, aren’t you? Also, maid’s clothes are unfair. They’re about as unfair as eating hot spring eggs with various dishes. Her chest loses to Rana’s though. And that very Rana answered her.

「This is Misuranika-sama, my husband’s main god. Lanseal-sama, get off」

「Misu, ranika. Are you Misuranika, of misdeeds? Souya-dono, you’ve formed a contract with a peculiar god. I had thought that you weren’t an ordinary person, but I suppose even your god is extraordinary」

I’m an ordinary person.

Misuranika-sama climbed onto my shoulder, her reserved seat, and said to Lanseal,

「Illegitimate child of Lemuria, I understand that you hate the elves because of what happened to your elder brother. But this descendant of Heures is foolish but not evil. Just as you do, she thinks of her people, and of her relatives. I won’t ask both of you to join hands. However, even if I was the one who suggested the idea for what happened this time, it was this person who put it into action. Say your thanks to her」

They were the words of god. Even though they were the words of a fringe god that you were not contracted to, if you felt that they were right, then you had to respect them.

Reluctantly, Lanseal voiced her thanks.

「…………Rauaryuna, of the Heures Forest. Thank you for your help. I sincerely give you and Souya my blessings for your betrothal. Because there are still seats available, you see?」

「Lanseal, of Lemuria. No thanks are needed. A war would also be detrimental to me and “my husband”. Don't worry about it. And………get off」

I didn’t know what kind of expression I should have on my face, as sparks flew between the two of them.

Misuranika-sama was pressing my cheek with her paw.

「Wait a minute, Rana. I told you to make a point of forming an adventurer party and the like. I didn’t say a word about getting married」

「I’m sorry. Please wait a minute, Misuranika-sama. Get off, you vixen」

Rana grabbed the ceiling and the seat of the carriage with her hands, and just when I was wondering what she was going to do, she kicked Lanseal. It was a pretty strong kick at that. The impact sent Lanseal flying through the doors of the carriage, and plunging head-first into a fruit stall outside.

She got off, I suppose.

Yeah, I’ve reached the limit of my imagination. I won’t think about the possible consequences of what just happened.

「……………Well, it’s fine」

Misuranika-sama held her tongue.

「Alright, there's nothing more I can do today. Coachman, please send these guys to their camp」

Otou-san also escaped swiftly.

Looking at him, I realized how being quick to escape meant everything to an adventurer. And I couldn’t escape. No, what would escaping do?

Rana suddenly became stiff and expressionless. She literally froze. That’s right, it must have been hard on her in many ways. Although there was a script, she had put in an enthusiastic performance.

As I patted Misuranika-sama, who had fallen asleep once again, we spent the trip back to the camp without talking. It wasn’t an unpleasant silence. I didn’t really understand why, I was able to relax when I was with Rana. In future as well…… In future? As well?

「………………」

I was gradually covered in a strange sweat. In the first place, was it fine for marriage to feel like a contract that had been picked up after it had fallen from above? I was scheduled to leave this world in a year, wasn’t I? If everything went well. To begin with, would it go well? And would it be alright to leave Rana behind and leave? What would happen to her afterwards? ………Did she seriously want to get married to someone like me at all? Certainly, I had received the curse of protecting Lumidia's bloodline at the same time as the skill with the bow. I didn’t mind it. It was a curse that matched my wishes. But I had not asked her about her intentions. She had relied on me because she was in a situation where she had no choice. She herself wasn’t aware of it, but she’s beautiful. A reckless, unthinking and warped ordinary person like me wasn’t the kind of person she should be with originally. Even if it’s alright now, just like how Heures was in the past…… Let's stop this.

Marriage. Responsibility. The emotions for these things that I had never experienced before weighed heavily on my mind. This wasn’t something that I could deal with on my own. Or rather, marriage wasn’t something that you did on your own, was it?

Um, it froze.

…

………

………………

………a………d

「Hey, we’ve arrived」

「Huh」

The carriage had arrived at the camp. Carrying Misuranika-sama, I got off the carriage together with Rana. The elderly coachman bowed to us, and drove the carriage slowly back to the city.

「Well……」

I’ll prepare lunch,

「I'm very sorry!」

Rana performed the Dogeza.

「Hmm? Wait, what?」

Unable to digest what had suddenly occurred, I let out a strange voice while striking a strange pose.

「I heard about this from Misuranika-sama and Makina-sama. In the country called Japan, this is the posture one takes when making the greatest possible apology or the most earnest plea」

「You don't have to learn that!」

Those guys! Don't go teaching the bad habit of another people’s country!

「No, I won't raise my head until you forgive me! I’m sorry! I presumptuously did something foolish without confirming Souya's feelings. I got flustered because those beastkin girls said such strange things, so I inadvertently acted on impulse. Even though I owe you such a big debt, without having repaid you anything, I caused you even more trouble. I’ll compensate you with anything, as long as it’s something within my power! I don't deserve a person like you. I myself know that very well. But I can't take back what I've said before the king now! It's okay if it’s only until the time the person that you truly love appears before you. Until then, please “pretend” to be married to me!」

If those last few words were not an auditory hallucination, I suppose I had been tilting at windmills. In other words, she was asking for a fake marriage.

『Souya-san』

Makina, which was behind me, pulled my back.

『Aren’t you ashamed to make a woman go so far as to say that?』

Huh?

『Team member Souya』

Izora, which was hanging from my waist, grabbed my poncho.

『Please show your sincerity as a man. Izora and Makina cannot follow a person like that』

Huh?

「Souya」

Misuranika-sama, who was in my arms, said.

「Do your best」

Okay.

In this extremely chaotic situation with an elf in a Dogeza, two A.I.s criticizing me, and a god with the appearance of a cat, I got down on one knee and made Rana look up.

「Rana, let’s get “pretend” married」

「Yes, thank you very much」

It would have been a great scene if it wasn’t for the word “pretend”, but it is what it is.

The sound of applause resounded from the A.I.s.

『Congratulations. There’s such a quote in Makina’s country:「Marriage is a kind of adventurous business」This Makina and Izora will provide the maximum support for the adventure both of you are embarking on』

「Nothing in particular from me」

Misuranika-sama’s words were only natural.

「What~, you’re back? Where did you go?」

Ea came out of the tent, looking drowsy. Rana smiled sweetly.

「Ea, Onee-chan got married to Souya」

「Whyyy~!」

It took us half a day to explain everything to Ea.