Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru

Shuna, Rana, Regure, and I went to the dining hall of the dormitory.

For some reason, Okaa-sama came along.

「Shuna, first of all, let me clear up the misunderstanding. I have! Nothing! Not one bit! To do with the babies in your teacher's belly!」

「………………Really?」

「REALLY!」

I screamed.

Trust! Where's your trust in the leader of your party?

「Uh, Shuna, long time no see. You sure have gotten stronger」

「………It's been a long time」

When Regure, who was in a cold sweat, greeted him, the sulking Shuna returned the greeting brusquely.

「You know, the babies, uhh…….」

「No, don't worry about it. I'm not a child anymore」

「Ah, that's right. Here, to celebrate our reunion. Come here, I've missed you」

Regure spread her arms.

Shuna didn't approach her, but calmly remained where he was.

「No, like I said, I'm not a child anymore. Things like that are………」

「Oh, right, that's true! It must be embarrassing! ………………Hahaha, of course~」

『………………』

A heavy silence fell between teacher and disciple.

The free-spirited Regure was sweating profusely and I found myself thinking that she got what she deserved.

「Your name is Regure, right? So, whose children are they? I get the feeling that their father is someone I know, hmm?」

Reading the mood, Okaa-sama changed the subject.

（Souya, hey）

「Huh?」

Regure came up to me and whispered.

（Can this god be trusted? Does she talk too much?）

（It's fine. I guarantee it）

It might be dangerous in another sense though.

「So suspicious」

「I agree, Shuna-san」

Shuna and Rana were looking at Regure and me with suspicion in their eyes.

Rana, believe me please~~

「The father of my babies is a king from the distant left continent. ………………Souya, is it really――――――」

「It's fine. Okaa―――Gladvain-sama is not the kind of god who divulges people's secrets easily」

「Well, I'll say it then……the father's name is Ra Dainsleif Riog Ashtalia」

「Ashtalia!」

Okaa-sama yelled out suddenly, startling me.

「Could it be that you've won the favor of a Myriad King?」

「Well, yeah」

Could it be that Okaa-sama knows about the connection between Ashtalia and Lola?

「My senses sure have dulled. I can't believe I didn't realize it right away when I had the feeling that something was off」

Ah, that means she totally knows about it.

「Gladvain-sama, who is this Ashtalia person?」

「Shuna, it's no wonder you don't know of him」

Okaa-sama answered Shuna's question.

「Ashtalia is one of the Myriad Kings on the left continent. He’s one who has my blood in his veins」

『Huh?』

Regure and Shuna, who didn't know the whole story, exclaimed.

「Then are you, ahem, could it be that you’re His Majesty's………ancestor-sama?」

「In your belly flows the blood of my daughter」

Regure abruptly changed her attitude towards her.

「I won't go into the details. It would be detrimental to your king. So do not speak of this lightly. But what a strange and wonderful coincidence this is. To think that after all these centuries, I would cross paths with my daughters again」

「Gladvain-sama, that means that!」

Shuna posed a question to Okaa-sama with a serious look on his face.

「They're really not Souya's then?」

「Shuna, when the same punchline is used a second time, it isn’t funny anymore」

Just how suspicious of me are all of you?

I could build a tower out of all your suspicions. If I made a parfait out of them, it'd be enormous!

「There's no doubt. I can sense my blood. But I can also sense another strong blood. Hmm………………Regure, you have the blood of a hero, do you not?」

「Well, you could say that, I suppose」

「What?! Shisho, seriously?!」

「Y, yeah. It's nothing that great though」

「Amazing. So I was taught swordsmanship and given a sword by someone like that」

Shuna's eyes turned into sparkling objects.

「Oh no, it's not that big of a deal」

「My teacher is an amazing person after all」

「Urghh」

Regure wilted under Shuna's glittering gaze. Somehow, I could imagine what the two of them were like in the past.

「Shuna, umm……」

With a pained look on her face, Regure squeezed out her words.

「I'm not that great of a person. I've been meaning to tell you this for a while now, but now is as good a time as any. Or rather, if I don't say it now, I think I never will. Shuna, listen to me. This will be the second time I've conceived a child」

『What?!』

Shuna and I both exclaimed.

I don't know why, but I had raised my voice as well.

「I had a kid once when I was about the same age as you are now, Shuna」

「W, whose child was it?!」

That was what Shuna was concerned about.

I wasn’t particularly concerned, but I was curious.

「Hmm~ I forgot. He was just a normal guy you could find anywhere. He was kind to beastkin, weak, and had a good heart for a Hemu. And………he was a normal, weak man who died」

Though she said that she had forgotten, she ended up saying a whole lot about him.

Well, I guess it would be tactless to pry.

「The man died, but I survived with a kid in my belly. I nearly died during childbirth, but I did fine afterward. Yeah, well, what can I say? I was happy」

The smile Regure had at the recollection froze in an instant.

「Well, that didn't last long though. The kid suddenly caught a fever and didn't last three days. I was so surprised. His body that was as hot as fire had turned as cold as iron all of a sudden. 𝒇𝑟e𝙚𝑤𝙚𝐛𝗻𝐨ν𝚎𝘭.c𝐨m

I was more shocked than sad.

I had always prided myself on being a strong creature, so I hadn't expected that a kid whose blood was half my own could die so easily. To be honest, I couldn't understand it.

I burned his body to ashes so that he could be free, and then the wish to die arose.

I randomly stowed away on a ship, unthinkingly looked out over the ocean at night, and found myself drawn into the water.

And the place I washed up on was the Azorido archipelago. Your island, Shuna. The first time we met was right after I had failed to die. Every single day, you brought food to the me who had no will to live. What a silly child, I thought to myself」

Despite her words, Regure's expression was filled with gratitude.

「And then, the pirates landed on the island, I defeated them, you pestered me about the sword, I taught you, and then entrusted the sword to you. I decided then that I would try to live on. And that if I could, I would try to give birth to and raise a child who’s as strong and upright as you. Shuna, I'm really grateful to you. And while we're on the subject, I have a favor to ask you」

「Eh? What is it? If it's within my power, I’ll do anything」

Shuna was a little teary-eyed. Rana had tears in the corners of her eyes as well.

As for me……well, not even dogs can stomach(no one cares to hear) my feelings.

「I want to name one of my newborn children after you」

「Absolutely not」

「Huh?」

Regure’s face twitched, as if to say, "Seriously?"

「Ehhh, I felt like the story I was telling had a pretty good vibe, and you seemed to be feeling pretty good about it too, isn't it?」

「Yes, Shisho. I'm very happy to have learned about your past. However, please don't name your child after me!」

To have your first love name the child they had with someone else after you would be one hell of a punishment. If it had happened to me, I'd be unable to get out of bed for six months.

「Ehhh, I figured it's pretty convenient since it would work for both boys and girls though」

「Please absolutely do not use my name!」

Her reason for wanting to do it is far too trivial.

He's your only disciple, so show some consideration for him, won't you?

「Are you trying to decide on the names of your children?」

「Well, it's a custom in Ashtalia for the woman who gives birth to the child to name it, and I'm not good at stuff like that」

Okaa-sama wordlessly elbowed me in the ribs.

Yes, I got it. It's hard to say it yourself, isn't it?

I cleared my throat and suggested some names.

「Regure, how about "Lola" and "Lumidia"」

「Lola? ………………Lola, huh? Lola sounds good! Something about it just feels right. But Lumidia is no good. It gives me the creeps」

Okaa-sama took it out on me by elbowing me again.

It hurts, so please stop that. And just what kind of intuition does Regure have anyway?

「Oh, I suppose "Souya" would work, huh?」

「No!」

Don't rekindle their suspicions!

Just in case and just to be safe, I had Rana stay over with Regure, both to keep an eye on her and to make sure she didn't cause any more trouble.

Despite how she is, she's still a pregnant woman after all. There are times when a woman's touch is needed.

Or at least, that's the pretext.

Please don't start any more trouble.

I've had enough of not being able to go on adventures again and again and again.

「So, what did you two come here for?」

On the training grounds, Arcane was resting with his head on Nanassy's lap.

「You asshole! I even went out of my way to come here!」

「You mustn't move yet」

Arcane tried to sit up, but was pushed back down by Nanassy, who then clamped his head between her inner thighs to hold him in place.

「Hey, Nanassy, you're asking me to have a conversation like this?」

「Yeah, you haven't recovered yet. You still feel feverish」

They're such a funny duo.

「By the way, what's with that red-haired's longsword? Look at what it did to the shield of a knight of Elysium. It's totally wrecked」

「That’s a secret」

It's a sword used a long time ago by a knight of Elysium like you.

「Tch, well, it doesn't matter, I suppose」

「So, why are you here?」

The conversation isn’t going anywhere.

「I don't like it, but I owe you one. So I thought I should tell you this one thing. Because I won't be able to repay you if you die」

「You're weirdly conscientious when it comes to certain things, huh?」

「Piss off」 f𝒓𝑒e𝙬𝒆𝚋𝘯૦𝘷𝐞𝑙.c𝑜𝐦

What a strange guy. I don't quite get him.

「And, what did you want to tell me?」

「Right now, a representative hero of Elysium is here in Lemuria. He's looking into the whereabouts of the lost sacred sword and is investigating the monster that Varner-sama sacrificed his life to defeat」

My heart skipped a beat at the sudden revelation.

「Also, he's looking for the King of Beasts」

The King of Beasts, you said?

Dun, dun, dunnnnn!!! It’s been a while, but Elysium is getting involved again! Another representative hero is here. And the things he’s looking into are quite interesting, isn’t it?

By the way, I know the “not even dogs can stomach(no one cares to hear)” is getting old. It was still fine back in the arc that had “dogs” in the title, but it sticks out like a sore thumb outside of it. ……Wait a minute…… (In case you didn’t get it, yes, the author purposely made this part stick out. As the adage “show, don’t tell” goes, the author is “showing” something, but well, this is one of those that you’ll only get when you come back to it afterward)

This is the “in case you forgot” section. About Regure’s reaction to the names and Souya commenting on her intuition, this is in reference to Lumidia being at loggerheads with Lola, whose blood runs in Regure’s babies. And despite not knowing any of that, Regure liked the Lola name and hated the Lumidia name, which is incredibly intuitive of her. Also, the sword Regure passed down to Shuna belonged to Ardi, who was a knight of Elysium as well as Regure’s ancestor. Hence, it isn’t exactly wrong to say that Regure has the blood of a hero, though Ardi has been said so far to simply be a knight that served the representative heroes, as all the noble knights share the same blood(and thus, the curse as well). And well, he may not technically be a hero in the Elysium sense, but he is a part of Vindoobunikuru after all.

Well well well, did you maybe think that this was going to be a “respite” volume after the last one was so action-packed and the Regure abduction incident was so easily resolved? Hehehe, things are heating up! What kind of person is this representative hero? Stay tuned!