Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru

「………………Where is this place?」

「Please lie back down and rest」

I put a hand on Evetta-san's shoulder as she tried to get up and pushed her back down on the bed. I didn't want her to overdo it with her weakened body, so I pushed her down rather forcefully.

She resisted for a second, but then conceded.

「Well, if you insist. I take it we're in a safe place?」

「Yeah」

We were in a room of an inn. The whole place was in a state of disrepair and decay. Although it wasn't one of the Gastolfo’s safe havens, according to Garving, it was safe.

「What happened after that?」

「They started to fight among themselves, and while they were distracted, I carried you and ran away」

「Fight among themselves, huh? There was definitely something strange with those Horns' behavior. That may have been a factor. This is the first time I've seen them use a captured adventurer as bait for a trap」

That was the first time I had lied to Evetta-san.

This was one of the conditions Garving had set for his cooperation.

「Umm, how old are you?」

If he's the real deal, then he should be more than a thousand years old.

「Now, how old am I again? It's not exactly something to brag about, you know?」

This guy hasn't gone senile, has he?

「If we could lose our minds and forget everything like Wagreas did, Rob and I would have a much easier time of it」

「Umm」

Isn't he reading my mind a little too often?

「Young one, though the core of it is simple, deep down………」

I want to see women naked.

I want to see women naked.

I want to see women naked.

「Hey hey, don't hide your thoughts by going all out with your desires」

「Well, it feels creepy to have my mind read」

「Even if you say that, I can only read surface thoughts. That said, you seem to love big breasts, young one, but in reality, you're determined to love breasts of any size as long as you're allowed to touch them. That's surprisingly juvenile―――――」

「Hey」

Don't read other people's sexual preferences, Great Magician-sama.

「Now, to collect the spoils of war」

To change the subject, Garving started to fish through the Horns' corpses. With the tip of his staff, he sorted through their remains and flicked a certain object towards my feet one after another.

The object in question was the Horns' horn.

They varied in color and size, but the basic shape was the same. The horns had a slight curve to them and looked like they could be made into warhorns. They were quite different from the horns of ordinary creatures. They looked like someone had made them by twisting a series of straight lines around.

Looking at a single horn by itself, it looks like a miniature version of the Odoriji spire

I have no idea what the dungeon looks like as a whole, but that's the feeling I have.

「You are correct, young one. It can be said that those horns are the Odoriji spire itself」

「Huh?」

「I've tried cultivating them in the past. If Mitera hadn't incinerated them all, they would have grown considerably. That was truly a shame」

「Grown considerably, you say? These horns?」

That sounds almost like――――――

「A parasitic fungus that attaches itself to the human body? What a strange way of putting it. However, I have no clue as to the means, methods, or mechanisms that allow it to grow in this dungeon that houses countless civilizations within it. Is it because of something that the entire world outside lacks? Does growing them require a vast amount of magical elements brought in from outside this world? To begin with, where was the Odoriji spire created? Is it a miracle that human knowledge can attain? This is one of the eternal questions of my life」

I picked up one of the horns. Its smooth texture was similar to that of Shogaku stones. However, when I flicked it with my finger, it didn't generate any heat.

It doesn't look like something important, but I guess it's quite the big deal.

「They aren't a big deal. It's the way to grow them that's the big deal」

「I see」

I like it when people make things simple like that. For now, I only want to hear about the most essential stuff.

「They can be used to strengthen my god-defying Houma, the regeneration point Urovalus」

The regeneration point Urovalus?

If I recall correctly, the regeneration point is………Tiuros?Mea?Revaius, is it not?

「Revaius, you say...... Hmm, Tiuros?Mea……Tiurosmea…… "To hide the truth from inquiry, I invoke this miracle through a roundabout chant", huh? The Guild sure knows how to mince words」

「What are you talking about?」

I have no clue about magician stuff.

「Magic that you can use……Izora?Romea?Wild Hunt. Oh-ho, this is pretty interesting. Ahem, the term Romea means "creator of this magic". It's the same as the term "Made in Japan"」

「R, right」

Did you just absorb some of my knowledge somehow?

「Let’s put that aside for now. ………………There are, hmm, five horns that haven't been shattered. That means you’ll be able to overcome death five more times. However, horns that have been removed from the body will only last a day if they aren't processed. If you want to rescue your party members, you must use them quickly」

That's right.

Though I had just been in a battle, I shuddered at the fact that I had forgotten about my party members for even a moment.

「Thank you for your help! I'll be going now!」

I tucked the horns into a vest pocket, then quickly retrieved the weapons and carried Evetta-san in my arms.

I'll have to drag the mace because of its weight and hide her in a safe place first.

「Wait, wait, hold on a minute there」

「Sorry, can I repay you at a later date? Or rather, if I survive」

I was about to run off when……

「There」

……he poked me in the back of the knee with his staff, making me stumble.

「Oww!」

I almost dropped Evetta-san.

「I said wait. I may be a simple magician, but I can help you further」

「Oh no, I'll feel bad」

Also, I don't trust you. Something smells fishy.

「Then let's exchange terms like adventurers, shall we? You'll be able to trust me then, won't you?」

「That depends on the conditions」

And what they involve too

「That's fine. You're quite the mercenary adventurer, aren't you? There are two conditions. I want you to go to the Horns' castle. I would like to request that you retrieve my treasure, the【Magic Warhorn】」

「What’s this magic warhorn?」

「It's a magic tool made from the horn of an ancient Horns. If you retrieve it for me, I'll guarantee your safety on this floor」

This is so suspicious.

「Your party members are being held captive in the Horns' castle」

「What?!」

I yelled out in surprise.

「Not all of them, as the Horns still seem to be searching the floor」

「Are they okay?!」

Unpleasant thoughts flashed through my mind.

I’ve already had a taste of the Horns' viciousness in the last battle.

The things they would do to the people they had captured………………they’re probably sickening.

「I don't know that much. But my request is that you retrieve the magic warhorn while you're rescuing them」

「Alright」

Well, if it's convenient. I'll think of it as something I'll do only if the occasion arises.

「Well, I can't blame you for that, I suppose. I also cherish my adventuring comrades. Those relationships are irreplaceable. No matter how many hundreds of years pass, they remain deeply etched in my brain and never fade away」

Yeah, party members are important. Doubly so if they're family.

Also, I can't find it in me to trust this magician in the end.

「And one more thing, keep my presence a secret」

「A secret?」

That's the height of suspiciousness.

「I'll use some eye-catching magic to create a diversion for you. As a result, I'll be unable to move for a while. In the same way that you don't trust me, I also don't trust you. The more people who can potentially leak information there are, the greater the threat to me」

That's a sound argument.

But I've found that the most convincing arguments are always made by the most conniving fraudsters.

「But, young one, you don't have any other choice, do you?」

「I sure don’t」

If the Horns have my party members, I have to save them. No matter what I have to do, what is requested of me, and who I have to use, I need to save them as quickly as possible.

「Garving-sama, I have a suggestion」

「No need for the "-sama". Honorifics without any respect in them are merely a form of sarcasm」

「In that case, Garving, I want you to use a particular kind of magic」

My words of comfort were harsh.

But if I hadn't said it like that, she would insist on coming with me even if she had to crawl.

「No, it may take me a while, but I'll catch up with you」

「That’s………」

Before I had laid her down to rest, I had examined her body.

She was regenerating, but her legs were wrecked. Her spine had also been damaged and she probably couldn't even stand up.

「Souya, come a little closer」

「Eh?」

She beckoned me closer.

「What happened to your hat and glasses?」

「Oh, I must have dropped them somewhere」

I think I lost my top hat and glasses during the fall. Because of this, I can't contact Yukikaze.

「Close your eyes」

「Eh………………Got it」

She stroked my hair and I closed my eyes at her comforting touch. The rustle of clothes made me feel strangely nervous. I could feel Evetta's body heat and breath on my forehead.

「This is going to hurt」 𝒇𝑟𝐞𝐞w𝐞𝑏𝙣𝑜vℯl.co𝑚

Hurt? I wondered when I heard her say that.

A crack resounded through my skull.

「GYAA――――――――」

I reeled from the intense pain that swept through my entire body.

Remembering that we were in hiding, I managed to cover my mouth just in time. But the pain didn't go away, and I bit down on my arm until it bled. My pride as a man helped me hold back the screams somehow. It hurt so much that I felt like I was dying. No, it was much more intense than the pain that had almost killed me earlier. It was like having needles shoved into every nerve in my body.

My brain finally couldn't take it anymore and I blacked out.

………………………………When I came to, Evetta-san was eating something. I was glad to see that she had an appetite.

「As I expected, it tastes different after enjoying good food on a regular basis」

I heard loud crunching sounds, like she was chewing hard candy.

「What on earth?」

What was that pain that had struck me?

「Souya, the bleeding will stop soon. Press on it with this」

She handed me a piece of cloth and urged me to press it against my forehead. I could feel the loss of "something" just above my right eyebrow. I felt the sensation of a thick liquid trickling from it.

「I've eaten the horn that had grown out of you. This should be enough to forestall the initial stages of turning into a Horns. Thank goodness」

「You're kidding」

I grew a horn? I hadn't noticed it at all. I should have looked in a mirror too, but had my perception been altered to make me not notice it?

「Yikes」

I had nearly become one of them.

The very thought of that sent chills down my spine.

「You ventured across a line that's taboo for adventurers, but you've made it back. I, no, the Guild President will tell you all about it one day. But for now, you must do what you can to save your party members. I'll catch up with you as soon as I heal up」

Nothing makes me happier than to see that my horn is helping to heal her body, but what on earth are the Horns exactly?

「For now, discard all questions that will cloud your judgment. It's you, so you've got a plan and the means to save your party members, right?」

「Yes, I do. Please don't worry, Evetta-san」

I'll be relying on a magician that I don't really trust though.

「Understood, I won't worry then. And I'm sorry. For being such an unreliable person-in-charge」

「That's not true. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead already」

「………………I’m sorry」

For some reason that I couldn't fathom at all, she apologized deeply to me.

I had lost my hat and glasses, but I have all my other equipment. The magic sword, the demonic katana, the masterwork sword, the karambit that was my card up my sleeve, and――――――

「Alright then, I'm going to go to their castle for a bit and rescue my party members. Evetta-san, please lend me this」

「Go ahead, but since it's a one-of-a-kind item, be sure to return it to……… No, I'll go get it back from you」

I lifted up her mace.

The floor creaked under the weight, and I felt some pain shoot through my body. When I looked into the inside pocket of my vest, I saw the horns glowing with a suspicious light.

I don't care about the truth or the real intent behind it. As an adventurer, I'll use whatever I can. That's all there is to it.

「I'm off」

「Good luck and have a safe trip」

Well, it seems that he has some sense of shame. That alone makes him better than the previous hero I had met.

「You said you'd make it up to me in whatever way I wished if I survived, right?」

「Y, yeah」

He replied, cowering back.

Alright then.

「There's something I want you to do」

I gave him a smirk that was just like theirs.

Yes, it's another of the author's super long arc titles lol.

In case you forgot, Mitera is the disciple of Rob that caused him so much grief in his later years because he had apparently sparked a great war and engulfed the southern part of the continent in flames. Why am I reminding you of that? No reason. (. ? _ ? .)

Yeah, if you go back to the last chapter, I’m sure you can find the moment Souya grew that horn. So, the mystery as to where Souya got that power-up is solved as well as why he didn’t lose any of his memories(though the author did try to throw a feint in there to fake us out for a while). As you’ve also probably surmised, the Horns aren’t just monsters and there’s quite a lot more to them.

By the way, the “Made in Japan” that Garving said was in “English”. He’ll drop “English” words every now and then after this, and I’ll italicize them so you know which ones they are. Also, the line Garving said about it being just a form of sarcasm when using "-sama" when there's no respect in it? Remembering that line will make future chapters funnier.

So, lots of pieces have been set up and we’ll get to watch them fall into place next time! So stay tuned!