Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru

【2nd day】

The name of the receptionist lady from the Adventurers’ Union was Evetta.

『I’ll prepare the reference materials so come back tomorrow』

I was made to leave after being told that yesterday.

Since there was no time designated, I spent my morning leisurely. I looked over the maps of the surroundings and of the city that were created by Makina. Then I put some effort into organizing my supplies and improving the camp. The kitchen and toilet were now more civilized. Geto-san came by with a fish so I made a pot of fish-head soup and we ate it together.

I dried the remainder of the fish and arrived at the town at around 1 o’clock in the afternoon.

And,

「You’re late」

Evetta-san was waiting in front of the city gate. She had been standing there with her arms crossed. Displeasure seeped out of her expressionless face.

「Um, why are you here?」

「Generally, people only enter and leave the city using this gate」

「No, that’s not what I meant」

「I went around all the major inns first thing in the morning, but I couldn’t find you. That’s where your coral necklace comes in. It’s a gift from a fish-man, isn’t it? Once I remembered that, I surmised that you might be living outside the city」

「No, that’s also not what I meant」

「Are you referring to how I also arranged for a person to be at the reception desk just in case we missed one another?」

「Yes, I think that’s important」

「………………」

「………………」

We both became silent.

Evetta-san started trembling slightly as her face turned red.

「I got enthusiastic about my first job and ended up spinning my wheels, is there any problem with that?」

「No! Not at all! Thank you very much! Sorry about that!」

「It’s my job」

Her stiff expression had returned.

Let’s pull myself together and search for a god.

Before that, I treated Evetta-san to brunch. It cost me one silver coin.

※

The first one we visited was a god that had contracted with many adventurers.

Legendary adventurers who left famous tales of their adventures in this world: Raging Rmir, Silent Duin, Magic Garving, Three-Swords Ardi, Resolute Robbs, Oblivion Thrusuovu. It was a compound god made up of these six people.

People praised it as the god of adventurers, and called it Vindoobunikuru.

They were not gods that had incarnated and walked the world in human form, but they were worshipped by people as idols and legends. It was said that they had left their mark in dungeons all around the world.

This temple was far too open to be called a temple, or rather, it was a bar. There was also a board for requests. Some people were already drinking inside even though the sun was still high in the sky.

「You, youngster who aims to be an adventurer. Vindoobunikuru will change that inquisitiveness into strength. People will marvel at your fame and fables will be born. And one day, those fables could become legends as famous as theirs. You should get contracted if you have a passionate heart that’ll never cool off」

Said the bartender.

He was a bartender no matter how you looked at it. He was bulging with muscles and had a mohawk. An absurdly big battle axe was hung on the wall behind him.

「Master. Extra large portion of root vegetable salad, three thick dungeon pig bacon and a soft-boiled guinelle egg please. And ale, ah, I’m still working so milk instead」

Evetta-san even ordered food from him. He was a bartender after all, wasn’t he? No, wait, didn’t you just finish off three large plates of rice earlier?

「Evetta. Excuse yourself for a while」

「………Excuse me. I inadvertently fell into my old habits」

She plodded over to a distant seat and sat down.

「For how long does she intend to act like an adventurer even though she’s a Guild employee now?」

「Ah, so she was a former adventurer」

Somehow, I had thought that she might have been one.

「And you’re the foreigner she mentioned that wants to be an adventurer」

「Yes, that’s right」

「Alright, want to be contracted?!」

「Let’s do it!」

That was really easy. Well, if this could be settled quickly then I had no complaints.

The bartender placed a book on the counter and put his hand on top of it.

「My name is Rasta Oru Razva. As a follower of Vindoobunikuru, I bestow a compass for a new endeavor. Youngster, adventuring is not an easy path. Your life is always on the line when adventuring. It is a torturous life that cannot be endured by normal people. Can you still push forward, and have a heart that won’t break until the moment of your death? If you have that resolve, place your hand here and chant your name」

Finally, my adventure was about to begin.

With that determination in my heart, I put my hand on top the bartender’s hand. His hand was as hard as rocks. I could feel from the aged traces on his hand that this person was probably a well-known adventurer in the past.

「Souya of Japan」

Several spots of light blinked into existence. Even under the sunshine, they still shone brightly as they danced and bobbed around.

Then, silence.

I felt something fill up my chest.

「Alright, it didn’t work!」

「It’s not alright~!」

It was just my imagination.

「Master! What does that mean!?」

Evetta-san had rushed over.

The bartender kept the book and started wiping the counter.

「Hm~ it’s probably because of that. This happens sometimes but do you have dreams?」

「I do have one though」

「Is it an ideal? Or a realistic desire? Adventuring is the kind of desire that can never be fulfilled. Our god blesses the kinds of aspirations that other gods would only laugh at. The gathering of such people’s dreams is the very essence of our Vindoobunikuru」

Was my desire to help my sister not considered an aspiration?

Well, that’s probably right. That was something that she had not wished for. Even I was vaguely aware. That my wish was something warped.

「In a word, you have no romanticism inside you. Go try somewhere else. However, just for you, we have the New Testament of Vindoobunikuru with many illustrations so even the illiterate can enjoy it. How about getting one for one gold coin?」

「No, thank you」 f𝚛e𝚎𝘄𝒆𝚋𝚗𝚘ѵ𝑒𝚕.𝑐𝘰𝑚

I decided to go to the next one.

※

Flames.

In terms of magic, it was the power that was the most primal, the easiest to produce and yet, the hardest to control.

Whether the world was created by a giant, or by the many gods that existed, fire existed first in the world before such beings did.

This was yet again a religion that worshiped a god that had not incarnated. According to the explanation given by Evetta-san on our way here, it had the finalistic view that the world was born from flames and would disappear back into flames. Since everything would return to nothing, they needed no unnecessary wealth and believed in living ascetically. The foundation of this religion was laid by war refugees, and it was spread around the world by a great flame magician.

People who had nothing to do with adventuring, those who wanted to master flame magic, those who gave up their burgeoning wealth to be followers, those who started an adventure all alone. It was apparently an extremely accepting god that welcomed them all.

It was a modest temple. However, you could tell that it had been cleaned meticulously. In the back, I saw a raging bonfire.

「Excuse me, the person over there」

「Eh, me?」

I was called out to while standing in front of the temple. It was a beast-man with swarthy skin, golden ears and tail. Was he a fox, I wondered. He looked to be in the late teens. The air felt tense between us.

「What are you doing here at this temple?」

「I was thinking of joining this religion」

「Please leave」

「So fast」

At least tell me the reason for refusing me.

「Looks like you can’t accept it. Our flames do not reject anyone. But, for you, look」

He gestured to my neck. The necklace that I had received from Geto-san was there.

「It is out of the question for those who wear such water-related things. Can you take responsibility if you bring something like that in here and cause the fire to go out?」

Did this necklace have such power?

「If you say you wish to join no matter what, I’ll at least allow you to pray to the flames if you throw away that thing from the fish-men」

「No, I suppose it’s not fated to be」

「I agree」

Next.

※

「My name is Gladvain, the stout arm! I don’t need any weak kin! Money! Fame! Blood! Words! I don’t need all of those! Assert yourself with your body and technique!」

The woman shouting that was a incarnated god.

She had wavy, long blonde hair and tanned skin. Her body had the golden ratio between beauty and muscle. Her well-endowed breasts were covered by a single piece of cloth, and her bottom was also just barely covered by another piece of cloth. The big sword piercing the ground was large and thick, and was not something normal people could swing.

「The anecdote about how Gladvain-sama’s sword broke when fighting a dragon because her power was too strong, then having no choice but to beat up and subjugate the dragon using her bare fists, is really famous」

「A dragon? With her bare hands!?」

「Yes, she is admired by all women who want to be vanguards」

Should I just go home?

「No good! Next!」

The line shuffled forward.

If you asked me what was happening at the head of the line, then I would have to say that the applicants were attacking an enormous pig’s corpse with their weapons.

The pig was about two meters long. Was this a species unique to this world?

「No good! Next! You, over there! Don’t give me that dead look before you’ve even started! And you! Don’t laugh at others! Go get reborn and redo your entire life!」

Those who didn’t stand a chance, those who were nervous, those who broke their spears, those who had their axes slip out of their hands, people of all kinds appeared and the tally was currently at 20 consecutive rejections.

「It seems impossible to me」

I expressed my anxiety to Evetta-san, who was lined up behind me.

「That’s not true. There, take a look at that child」

The next challenger was a boy with a long sword as tall as he was. He was about 14 or 15 years old. He was still very young and his physique was slender.

「Woah」

However, the moment he held the sword in his stance, the air changed.

Supporting the sword lightly with his left hand and holding the pommel with his right, he went into a low, hound-like posture, and darted forward as fast as a beast.

A strong thrust. freℯ𝓌e𝚋𝐧𝘰vℯl.𝐜𝚘𝗺

The sword dug into the pig and jerked out of the boy’s hand.

「Urgh」

The slight immaturity of his technique was revealed. If he had been able to hold on to the sword, the pig would surely have been pierced through.

「What a fool for letting go of your weapon!」

Sheathing his sword, the boy silently turned to leave.

「But that technique is 20 points and your youth is 30 points! Add that up and you’re half decent! Uphold the honor of being my kin by devoting yourself to improving! You’ve got a long way to go until you show your full ability!」

「Eh?」

The boy had a stunned expression. Hearing the cheers from the surroundings, he finally grasped the situation.

「Hey, you. You want to be contracted?」

「Ah, eh, y, yes, I do!」

The boy finally showed a smile. The innocent adventurer created a warm feeling in the air.

「Even though his skill was immature, that goddess also evaluated his future potential」

「I see」

I would have to show that I was suitably skilled as well.

After that, no one was allowed to be contracted and, with butterflies in my stomach, my turn came.

「Next!」

I held my breath and steeled my resolve.

Holding my hunting knife in my right hand and gripping my right wrist with my left hand, I raised it over my head.

My knowledge of swordsmanship was limited to the Kendo I had done a very long time ago, but I would just do the best I could.

「UUUOOOOOOOO!!」

With a spirited yell, I swung the hunting knife down with all of my might.

I was yelling so loudly that my vision went black for an instant. Once my vision returned, I saw that the blade had bit around 2cm into the pig.

But what was the verdict?!

「Out of the question!」

It was no good after all!

「Hey, Evetta. Are you the one who brought this guy here?」

「Yes」

It seemed like they knew one another.

「No matter how you look at it, this guy is more suited to be a rearguard. You’ve brought him to the wrong place」

「………Yes」

Was that how it was?

「Next!」

Let’s try the next one.

※

What I had noticed after going around the city, was that those beings referred to as gods drew close to people in a very familiar manner.

And all day today, I saw a large number of gods. My view on religion had changed a little. Especially those who were called goddesses, they were all beautiful regardless of whether they were big or small. They were truly eye candy. I also raised a cheer for the large variety of non-human gods. As for the male gods, I had mostly forgotten about them.

So, surely, definitely, it was not for nothing.

Was what I told myself.

Dusk had fallen over the city. Evetta-san was sitting on the street and holding her head. Tears were running down her chin and dripping on the ground. I was seated next to her.

「Please cheer up. Good things will surely happen」

Because she had gotten so depressed before I could, it made it hard for me to feel depressed as well.

「To think that they would all reject you」

「Well, it was rejection after rejection. There were a few where it was close, but it turned out to be a complete drubbing」

「………………I’m sorry I wasn’t of more help」

「I think Evetta-san did very well. I was simply very unlucky」

Even though she said it was her job, she had stuck with me all day until her legs had turned to lead. I couldn’t find it in me to blame her.

「But, it was all for nothing」

「It’s just one of those days. Isn’t it the same when exploring the dungeon?」

「Yes, you’re right」

She nodded a few times.

「Let’s go get something to eat. I’ll treat」

「Understood. I won’t hold back」

Hold on a minute!

And, just when we were having such an exchange,

「What’s this? Did you get a girl pregnant and make her cry?」

A voice called out.

It was a girl with cat ears. Her thin tail fluttered back and forth. She was super cute.

「Where are you looking? I’m over here, here」

I was just thinking that she had such a calm voice when I realized that it was the cat she was holding that was speaking.

The cat was speaking.

「Th, THE CAT SPOKE!!!」

This was the most surprised that I had ever been, since coming to this side.

「What a noisy person」

「Evetta-san, the cat! The cat is talking, Evetta-san?」

Her face had turned pale.

「Souya. I will be waiting at the reception desk tomorrow. Please come before noon. I’m sorry for today. Including the meal you offered today, let’s eat tomorrow instead. Farewell」

She left, like a startled hare. Her back disappeared into the sunset cityscape.

Did she hate cats?

「Hmpt, what a cowardly horned girl. You there, you with the stupid-looking face」

「Haa, what is it?」

A fluffy cat with long gray hair and golden eyes was talking to me.

「Reward the child. She carried me all the way here. How can you not reward her for her efforts?」

Why me? I wondered. But the little girl with cat ears was so adorable that I took out a copper coin from my pocket. It was snatched away by the cat, who passed it to the girl itself.

「Good work. Be careful until you return to the church. Don’t take detours and don’t buy food. Watch out in particular for men with faces like this one. See you」

Holding the single copper coin carefully, the little girl waved her hand as she left. I waved back at her.

「And so,」

The cat that remained snuggled up and rubbed itself against my knee.

「What business do you have with me? Erm… Cat-san」

「It’s Misuranika, the one called Souya」

Misuranika… I felt like I had heard that name before. Where was it? An item for futures trading?Was it the name of that item?

「The technique you used to fight off the hoodlums the other day was really splendid. I’ll praise you for that 」

I shifted naturally into a posture where I could pull out my karambit at a moment’s notice.

So, this cat had witnessed what happened yesterday.

「However, the sin of disturbing my sleep is worthy of ten thousand deaths. You should pay with your life」

I was suddenly told to die.

「What should I do, specifically?」

「You should devote your entire life to serving me」

I just realized that cats were creatures capable of making such a smug expression.

「Anyways, I’m busy, so I’m going home」

I didn’t have time for this.

「Youー! I’ve bent over backwards and generously let you off with your insolent life! What a bargain! I wonder if such a thing even happens once in a hundred years! All rightー, I understand! I got it! I’ll relax the terms of the oath a little more! For the time being, just listen!」

The cat was shrieking while hanging onto my pants. I thought of ignoring it and just going home but I took pity on it and listened to it one more time.

「Food, I’ll forgive you if you feed me! What do you think, isn’t my generosity as large as an ocean?」

「Eeehhー」

This cat was kind of troublesome. In the first place, I preferred dogs. It would have been great if it was that girl with cat ears from earlier though.

「Urghh, you… To make me go so, farー」

The cat flopped to the ground. Did it die? It was lying so limply on the ground that I thought it actually might have.

「Oh no. I, moved, too much, suddenly, I’m at, my……limit」

「Eeehhー」

If I abandoned it and found its corpse here tomorrow, it seemed like it would leave a bad taste in my mouth.

「Are you hungry?」

「I haven’t satisfied my hunger for roughly 15 years」

It was trying to appeal to my sentimentality this time.

I wondered if I could afford to take care of a cat.

「Do you want to come over to my place?」

「It can’t be helped. Let’s go」

Today’s harvest, one cat.