Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru

【186th day】

『Okay~』

The children replied cheerfully.

We decided to hold the second hot-dog fair at the flame religion's dining hall. The line queuing up in front of Tyutyu and Rutsuko-san was made up of adults involved with the flame religion, while the line in front of me was made up of children.

Many of these children are the orphans of adventurers.

The flame religion takes them in and raises them to adulthood.

Some of them become official members of the flame religion, but most choose to follow in their parents' footsteps and become adventurers themselves. Not a few of them ironically cause the same situation to occur.

But that is that, and this is this, and I'm not so arrogant as to feel pity for the futures of others.

「The dark sauce is meat and beans, and it's pretty spicy. The yellow sauce is full of vegetables, and it's tangy and spicy. The red sauce is mild and full of flavor. It's easy to eat, so I recommend it for you all」

「The dark one~」

「Tch」

It got off to a bad start.

After that, I took the children's orders one after another.

I tried to subtly steer them towards the red sauce, but when I took a look when it was over――――――

「There's leftover red sauce again, huh?」

「Yeah-nya」

There was even more red sauce left over than that time at Gladvain-sama's dormitory. I didn't do anything stingy like limiting each person to one hot-dog. I had prepared four portions for each person, but even so, there was some left over. There had been no repeat customers for the red sauce.

To top it off, there was red sauce left over even when there were only children.

Why?? I've even made it less spicy so that it's more kid-friendly……

「As I thought, Onii-chan is "that", isn't he?」

「Yeah, I agree」

My sister and Lanseal were eating hot-dogs a short distance away.

「Ea, what do you mean by "that"?」

Rana asked her sister with hot-dogs in both hands. For the record, one had the dark sauce and the other had the yellow.

「Well~, Onee-chan, I was just thinking that Onii-chan sure likes kids~」

Hey, Ea. I can tell what you're implying with that statement.

「I just assumed he didn't hate children when he brought Maria back with him」

「What did you say? I'm not a child, you know? Rana, I want a bite of that one with the dark sauce」

「It's a bit spicy though. Are you sure?」

「I should be fine if it's just one bite」

Maria took a bite of Rana's hot-dog. Though she did only take one bite, it was a big one.

「Woah, it's got a grown-up taste to it!」

She had a pained look on her face and hurriedly washed it down with some sweet potato tea with milk. It was a very child-like reaction. But the children of the flame religion had eaten it without any trouble.

Why?? Do the people of this city have weird taste buds or something?

「Souya, these hot dogs are pretty delicious. Especially those with the yellow sauce」

Regure was on her sixth hot-dog. Moreover, all of them had been with either the dark or yellow sauce.

「You know, that's not very good for the babies in your belly……」

「Hey, aren't you misunderstanding something?」

「Eh?」

She was giving me a look of heartfelt astonishment.

「Do you think that you can raise children with only good things? No, you can't. Be it sour, sweet, bitter, or painful, it's only after they've experienced it all that they can finally mature as a person. Do you think that they can become great people by only eating tepid food while they're still in the belly?」

「Ummm, well………」

What to do?

It's because I get where Regure is coming from that I don't get it. Is this good prenatal care? Am I the one in the wrong?

「Dear me, well well, what a splendid little one you have there. Could it be twins?」

Seeing Regure's belly, the priestess of the flame religion exclaimed joyfully.

「Hmm? Oh, you've got a good eye」

「I can tell. I've helped hundreds of people with their pregnancies」

The old priestess was as experienced in life as she looked.

「So, are they Souya-san's?」

「Ack」

Priestess-sama, I can't help but choke at those words.

「What do you think, Lanseal?」

「I suspect so」

「Enough, you all. As the first wife, I'll raise the children no matter whose they are」

Rana puffed out her big chest and proclaimed smugly.

Umm, aren't you going to trust me?

「Priestess-sama, she's my friend's wife. I have nothing to do with―――――」

「There you go again~ Don't say stuff like that~」

Regure caught hold of and wrapped herself around my arm.

Stop it!!! There's quite a lot of people watching!!!

「Oh my, I guess we'll just have to leave it at that」

The priestess had an impish smile on her face.

This is bad. That's the face of an old lady who fully intends to gossip about this to all sorts of people.

「Priestess-sama, I'm telling the truth」

When I shook Regure off and tried to move towards the priestess……

「Oops, I'm sorry」

……I bumped into someone who suddenly appeared in front of me.

It was a woman with a hood hiding her face. I caught a glimpse of blonde hair. She had big breasts. It might just be my imagination, but the shape of her lips seemed familiar to me.

No, no way.

I must have been mistaken.

「Are you the one who made the sauces for the bread?」

「Huh? Oh, yes」

Her voice made my heart skip a beat.

It had a sexiness that was different from that of any other woman I had ever met.

「The dark sauce and the yellow sauce were both delicious. Both of them had unusual flavors that were quite novel. The red sauce was also delicious, but I felt let down because it wasn't spicy despite its color. The people of this region love stimulating flavors, so they may not like it very much」

「I see」

As I thought, it's not stimulating enough, huh? Maybe I should add a small amount of chili peppers.

「Now, if you'll excuse me」

「Thank you very much」

We moved past each other smoothly.

I found myself gawking a little at her cloaked back. I felt like I knew her, but I couldn't quite place her. It was the same kind of feeling I had experienced inside the dungeon the other day.

「Souya-san, may I have a word with you?」

「Huh, alright」

Beckoned by the priestess, I stepped out of the dining hall.

「I heard that you took care of our children yesterday, so I wanted to thank you」

「No, not at all」

It's not like I had tried to keep it a secret, so I knew she would probably hear about it sooner or later. This is also one of the reasons why I treated everyone to hot-dogs here at the flame religion's temple today.

「In addition to that, a man believed to be the advanced adventurer Cordis was found in chains last night, was he not?」

「Yeah, that happened」

Well, this is something that only I and a few others know about though.

「What's more, he was found in front of a troublesome place like the military police station」

「I know, right?」

Currently, Avarak is in the custody of the military police.

If he was found by the people of the Adventurers' Guild first, the state he was in would likely have been covered up. I made it harder for them to do that by placing another organization in between.

If he has any "shame" as an advanced adventurer, no, as a person, he must want to hide the fact that he was defeated so badly and had his disgraceful appearance exposed by the likes of me.

And then, there's the unidentified person who had strung him up.

The middle-aged policeman who doesn't do any work hates trouble, so he'll probably hold off and ask the king for his opinion. 𝗳r𝗲𝙚w𝐞𝚋𝘯𝚘ѵ𝗲l.𝑐oｍ

And that's when the Guild will make their move.

But the person in question, Avarak, would probably refuse their help.

The one thing I hadn't been able to figure out was who Avarak would turn to for help.

My guess is that it's the flame religion.

The priestess knows a lot of people. Even if he doesn't have a direct connection to her, he likely has a way to contact her.

「Because of that, there are some people who are waiting to speak with you. Would you spare them a moment of your time?」

「Of course」

It appeared that I was right.

I waved to everyone and excused myself. The pregnant woman had a face like she had realized what was going on.

（Leave it to me）

I put on the most intimidating frown I could muster to dissuade Regure.

I'm begging you, just leave it to me.

Following the priestess, I stepped out into the hallway and walked until we came to a large door.

「Do I need to leave my weapons with you or something?」

「Why would I ask that of you?」

「Well, I just thought you might」

Which means that she's neutral in this, huh? I was thinking that I would have to at least leave my katana with her though.

「I'll be outside, so please call if anything happens」

「Okay」

I left the priestess behind and entered the room.

Inside, I found the barkeeper.

「I'm here as the witness. I'm neither friend nor foe」

「Is that so?」

If he's neither friend nor foe, then he's an enemy, isn't he?

The room had been divided into two by a thick drop curtain that concealed the appearances of those in the back of the room.

There were five presences.

All of their presences were similar to Avarak's. In other words, their individual fighting strength was practically nonexistent.

When a person becomes this weak, they lose all sorts of emotions.

「Foreigner, let's cut to the chase. You know what this is about, don't you?」

「The matter of the advanced adventurer who was bloated with flesh and greed being strung up, I presume?」

「………………That's right」

Is he trying to intimidate me? I can sense a hint of empty bravado in his voice.

「And? What's the problem with that?」

「He was suffering from an illness. To show no respect for such a person―――――」

「If you believe that sloth and obsession are illnesses, then you're absolutely right」

「Youuu, urgh」

The old man choked and coughed a few times.

I found myself giving the barkeeper an emotionless stare.

『Don't say it』

Was written on the pained look he returned me. I was also finding this troublesome, so I moved the conversation along.

「So, what do you want from me? Let's get this over with quickly. If we don't, your old body will give up the ghost and croak」

「Even though you're an advanced adventurer, you besmirched the reputation of one of our own. This is a serious transgression」

「Isn't it not a transgression to use children to abduct people?」

「There is no truth to that」

「There are those who were hired by Avarak」

「You have no proof」

「You want me to bring in witnesses?」

「There are "no longer" any witnesses」

In other words, you've eliminated them.

「What about their testimony then?」

I had Yukikaze play back the testimony I recorded yesterday.

『Ah, it's Avarak! It's the advanced adventurer known as Avarak, the disheartened! He's obsessed with silver-haired beastkin and has promised me 100 gold pieces for each one I bring him!』

I stopped the playback.

「So, how about that?」

「It's a fake. It's not proof」

That's the way you're going to play it, huh? I guess it's no surprise though.

These guys don't actually care about the truth surrounding Avarak. I also have no expectations of finding any trace of decency in their hearts. What they do have is at most the desire for self-preservation and fame. They're nothing but flesh, fat, and rotted brains.

「So, what do you suggest?」

What do you want, dear advanced adventurer seniors?

「Half of your wealth. And you will help us with our work. Once you've done that, we'll forget about what you did to Avarak」

「Haha, I refuse」

I just had to laugh a little.

「Are you going to ignore our generosity in making such a compromise?」

「You've got it all wrong. One of your people abducted someone I care about. I was very lucky to get her back, but depending on how things played out, I could have lost my life. So, how about that?!」

My tone naturally grew more forceful.

「It’s just a mere beastkin woman」

「Hmmm」

Through the curtain, I projected a mental image of me lopping the old man's head off.

In other words, killing intent.

「Hey, Souya」

The barkeeper gave me a warning. If he hadn't stopped me, I would have turned it into reality.

「Dear elders of Ringusunova. As the witness, may I offer my opinion?」

「………………You may」

The voice of the intimidated old man irritated me.

What a small fry he is.

「It's true that Souya has shown no respect to and exposed an advanced adventurer. However, as an adventurer myself, I find Avarak's deeds reprehensible. To do things like hiring ruffians to abduct people………if that were to be exposed to the public, it would truly bring down the reputation of advanced adventurers」

「There's no proof」

「But the rumors continue to persist」

「That's something that money can easily solve」

You’ve gone senile, haven’t you?

「And Souya can use that method just as easily as you. When falsehoods are set against each other, it's the ones that sound more interesting that remain. Rumors of Souya's misdeeds have already spread far and wide. At this point, adding one more piece of infamy to the pile won’t make any difference. However, for you elders, the mere mention of your name is detrimental to you. May I suggest that you demonstrate your caliber here for the sake of your junior?」

「You expect me to forgive the person who humiliated Avarak?! Without any kind of compensation whatsoever?!」

「Yes, Souya has already suffered damages」

「Don't be ridiculous. There's a world of difference in importance between one of us and a common adventurer of no particular value!」

「The importance of a person is not immutable」

That's a surprise.

Master is taking my side. Is he really a neutral party? Even though he's the fluffy bread Oyaji[1]?

「Rasta, you cur! You can't speak to us like that, not when you owe us so much!」

「It's because I owe you all a great debt of gratitude that I cannot let you continue to disgrace yourselves. Please, demonstrate your graciousness」

「In the end, you share the same blood as Lemuria, I see. You can't be trusted」

It seems that the old man has even cut him off.

It's said that after achieving success, retiring is………the way of something or other. I don't remember the saying exactly, but it says that it's not right for those who have achieved success to stay in their positions.[2]

The old people in front of me don't understand this at all.

I think we're done here.

「Master, I have no intention of taking any more of this nonsense―――――」

I placed my hand on the handle of my katana,

「?」

Something felt wrong.

A note had somehow been tucked in between the scabbard and my belt without my noticing.

Not knowing what to make of it, I scanned the words written on it.

『Before you lose your cool, read this out loud. You can always cut them down after that, right?』

I read the note out loud, the whole time wondering what the heck was going on.

「Linjeff Erusu Bradolph. Elvar Shriamu. Montanto Garuccaro Ledereez. Joniel Vahl Ledereez. Wyclis Lievia………」

When I reached the last name, I realized what was going on.

「Cordis Avarak」

So, these are the names of these guys, huh?

At the end of the note were the words, "You ought to be pretty good at deceiving people with words. Do a good job of it."

Suppressing the urge to burst out of the room, I opened my mouth.

「I know who you all are. But I don't give a damn about your reputation, it's no better than dog food to me. Listen closely, don’t get in the way of my adventures. Don’t mess with other adventures. Don’t let me witness any of your misdeeds. I won't make any petty threats. However, don't forget that I know who you all are」

I slid my katana back into its scabbard.

It was a superbly refined technique. The barkeeper saw it, but the old man hadn't even perceived the instant I had drawn it.

The cut curtain dropped, revealing the appearances of the old adventurers.

There were five old men.

Some of them were arguably middle-aged, but those who couldn't do anything but cling to their positions deserved to be called old.

「What are you going to do?」

「………………」

I glared at one of them. Somehow, I had the feeling that this was the person who had been speaking to me.

「What are you going to do?!」

「Tch」

Even old men have their pride, it seems. Even though they're intimidated, they're trying their hardest to hide it.

Well, no matter. Crushing people like these is nothing to be proud of.

「Master, let's go」

「Y, yeah」

Together with the barkeeper, I exited the room, leaving the rotted humans behind.

In the hallway, I found the priestess with a smile on her face. However, her smile seemed more sinister than usual.

「Souya-san, fufufu, fufu」

She poked my shoulder with a finger and twisted it about.

「W, what?」

「No, it’s nothing. I was just thinking that you’re the kind of man who gets things done when you have to is all～」

What the heck?

The barkeeper let out a deep sigh.

「Souya, did you really have to throw out a bluff like that? My head hurts」

「Did I do something wrong?」

「No, you didn't. And it's because you didn't that it's a problem. If you were at fault, you would have gotten a beating and that would have been the end of it. Besides, even though they're like this now, they used to be pretty good adventurers」

「Ras-boy, that was so long ago that I can also say that I used to be a beauty, you know?」

「Priestess-sama, you're a beauty even now」

「Oh my, ohohohoho」

The priestess laughed with real joy.

Looking at this person, I can clearly see just how hideous those adventurers earlier were. I wonder if aging well is something that's really difficult to do.

「After that, Souya, from now on―――――」

「Oh! Sorry, Master! Later!」

I ignored the barkeeper and ran down the hallway. I raced through the dining hall. I passed by the sacred flames.

I emerged onto the street outside.

It was just past noon, so the street was crowded.

I used all my senses to search, but quite naturally, I couldn't find her. She might have left a long time ago. Even so, I couldn't stop myself from shouting.

「ZENOBIAaaaaa!!」

I knew how ridiculous my actions were.

Several people gave me strange looks.

But I was happy.

I couldn't hold it back. 𝗳r𝗲𝙚w𝐞𝚋𝘯𝚘ѵ𝗲l.𝑐oｍ

The fact that a party member who I had thought had disappeared had appeared before me, if only briefly. The fact that it was no phantom, but the real thing. Simply getting to know that she was once again in this city.

It all simply made me really, really happy.

[1] Oyaji is an affectionate term for old man/father. It’d be something like “pops”, “old boy” and so on. Doesn’t apply here, but it’s also one way the members of the Yakuza can address the head of their group.

[2] The saying is “功遂身退くは天の道なり”, which means, “After one has achieved success, the way of heaven(proper thing to do) is not to stay in that position forever, but to retire as soon as possible(and make way for others).” This saying is from the “Tao Te Ching(道徳経)”, a famous treatise said to be written by Lao Tzu(老子). The title of the treatise itself can be translated in many ways, and is a wordplay in and of itself, so I won’t waste too much time on it, but it is a 2 part 81 chapter treatise on morality and is a fundamental text for both philosophical and religious Taoism.

What a touching end to the chapter…I was also so happy to see Zenobia again, if only briefly. And……it’s time for a long explanation!

But do you remember me mentioning in the afterword of chp 173 that there was an interesting reference to the Faceless King in vol 4? It’s in vol 4 that the name “Faceless King” shows up for the first time, and when Souya heard it, he thought this, “I don't know this Faceless King, but I do know one of his spies”, which meant that he had caught on to the hint Zenobia had actually left him and realized that her employer was the Faceless King.

Think about it, the Faceless King created the Abaddon because he was concerned about Elysium’s beasts and wanted a way to counter them. Zenobia and the other faceless spies like her were keeping tabs on all those who had the potential to become beasts. It lines up, doesn’t it? The Faceless King had to stand guard inside the dungeon, so he established a network of spies outside to keep an eye on what he feared.

There’s the way he introduced himself too, “I am no one. Hence I’m called the【Faceless King】”, which is a bit similar to Zenobia’s line, isn’t it? And yes, his name can also be taken as the King of Faceless/the Faceless’ King, which will still have the same effect of meaning that he’s the head honcho of all the faceless spies.

Did you even think for a second that the woman who had bumped into Souya might be Zenobia? It’s such a great twist, isn’t it? I love this development so much. Well, I’ve said a ton already, so I’ll just say, stay tuned!