Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru

Chapter 111: Dragon Hunters I

【137th day】

As for where we gathered, it was Gladvain-sama's dormitory, which we had been given permission to use. By the way, the food was all paid for by me. Also, I ended up treating Gladvain's kin to the food as well, which saved some money but increased my workload. But Ea, Lazarissa, and Rutsuko-san lent me a hand, so it wasn’t too much trouble.

Rutsuko-san.

I did have a feeling that she might be a good cook, but the food she cooks is really delicious. As much as three men had proposed to her immediately after eating her freshly baked bread.

She'll probably make a good wife.

As a fellow Japanese, I’m proud of her. The Japans that we're from are slightly different though.

While relaxing in one of the dormitory's rooms, I asked Otou-san a question that had just occurred to me.

「When is the dragon coming?」

To be honest, I'd like to work out at least one cooperative attack. I'd like to, but our magic power and stamina aren't infinite, and there's a limit to how much we can recover. Without knowing when the dragon is going to appear, there's nothing we can do but wait in suspense.

「It should be here soon」

「Do you know when exactly?」

「Relax. You'll know when it comes」

「How will I know?」

「Well, Lemuria has a bell, right?」

「Yeah, that’s right」

In Lemuria, there's a large bell that announces the time.

It tolls every morning, noon, and evening without fail.

「When the dragon comes, that bell rings differently」

「Otou-san, about that bell……」

But there’s one thing I've always found strange. Whether it was when Makina made the map of Lemuria, or when she took pictures of the city from the sky, or when I explored the city with Misuranika-sama……

「The bell that rings in Lemuria, where is it located?」

……I have not come across anything like a large bell.

Sure, there's a bell on the watchtower on the outer walls. However, it's used to signal the change of shifts, and doesn't toll loud enough to be heard throughout the city and far out into the distant plain.

When we tried to triangulate the source of the bell's ringing, we got an even more baffling result. 30 meters above the main street of Lemuria. That's where the ringing comes from.

Of course, other than the dungeon, there are no buildings that tall here.

I mean, it's just an empty space in the sky.

Out of curiosity, I had a drone fly in and out of that spot, but there was nothing there. Nothing showed up on any of its sensors.

But the sound definitely does come from that empty space.

「Hmm, I have no idea. It's a phantom bell tower」

「Seriously~?」

I can't believe that even Otou-san has no clue.

「Twenty years ago, the Guild looked into the matter, and I heard that they happened to find large bells that sound strikingly similar」

「Where?」

「The abandoned capital of Rossian lies in-between Lemuria and the capital of death, Neomia. In the dungeon found in its catacombs, it seems that there are over a thousand decrepit large bells」

What the heck, that's scary.

「And those bells also toll at certain times of day without fail, even though no one rings them」

………………It's something supernatural.

「Well, there are plenty of things in this world that no one really knows anything about. Like that Gunmerry over there」

「That’s true」

While being mindful of his surroundings, Gunmerry was slipping bread into his helmet. The curry soup, bowl and all, also went into the helmet. And then, a fork and a spoon too.

So that's why the number of utensils is always off after every meal with this guy.

「Otou-san, that’s――」

I still had many questions that I wanted to ask, but……

I was especially surprised.

It was a sound I was familiar with.

「Oh, that's the ringing I was talking about」

That's what Otou-san said, but this is not the ringing of a bell.

Rutsuko-san turned to Otou-san.

「How strange though. The same sound also exists in my world. It's the sound that is played when a disaster strikes」

「Well, a dragon is indeed a disaster」

Yes, it's as she said, this is the "siren" that warns of disaster.

What if this siren is something that came from the alternate world? No no no, that's not possible

For a moment, “Planet of the Apes[1]” flashed across my mind, but if that were the case, it wouldn't explain the differences in the astronomical objects. The star chart is far too dissimilar.

If this was so far into the future that all the astronomical objects had changed, the planet itself would have already ceased to exist.

It's a mystery.

Whatever the case may be, I'll focus on hunting the dragon for now.

I got up from my seat.

The members of my party, Frey, Lazarissa, Rutsuko-san, and Gunmerry got up from their seats.

Last was Barfuru-sama.

Nervousness made me break out in a cold sweat.

It's not that I'm afraid of taking on a strong enemy. What I'm afraid of, is fighting with other people's lives in my hands.

Every time that happens, I always break out in a cold sweat. It's a sign that I'm still an inexperienced adventurer, and also proof that I haven't become careless.

「Le, let's go」

I stumbled over my words a little.

「Yeah~!」

Rutsuko-san cheered enthusiastically.

The others responded with a few "Ye, yeah" or some such. They were bad at getting into the mood.

When we left the room, thinking that it was about time, we found Gladvain-sama and Shuna waiting for us in the hallway.

「Souya」

Shuna walked up.

「――’s life is in your hands」

And then bowed his head to Barfuru-sama, who was beside me.

His behavior surprised me.

「I heard from Gladvain-sama that you're actually an amazing knight. Even though this guy is like this, he's my precious leader. If he dies, a lot of things will likely break down. I don't think I'll ever be able to venture into the dungeon again. So, please, take care of him!」

「Mmm, leave it to me」

Barfuru-sama cocked his beast head and answered with a smile.

Then, Galdvain-sama stepped in front of me.

「Souya, it's time to fulfill our promise」

「Promise?」

With Gladvain-sama? Was there something like that?

「I said I would reward you for the matter with Lola, didn't I?」

「Ah!」

I had forgotten all about it.

I got sent to the left continent right after that and lots of things happened, so it had slipped my mind entirely.

「Medimu, you should have reminded him as well. Especially since you've sneakily received the reward for yourself already」

「Ah, no, I had completely forgotten about it. I was having too much fun swinging the katana」

It appeared that Otou-san had forgotten all about it too.

Speaking of which,

「What did you receive, Otou-san?」

「I learned the sword techniques for this」

Otou-san tapped the hilt of his katana.

「It's not a weapon ever seen in our martial arts school's history, but I created a system of techniques for it」

「From scratch?」

I had accepted the brilliance of Otou-san's skill with the sword, but I'd never have thought that anyone would be able to systemize Iaido and teach it to others so easily in the alternate world. Though it had been destroyed, as expected from the lineage of that martial arts school.

「The question of whether it is the weapon or techniques that come first is a never-ending one for a warrior. The design of that sword has a lot of meaning. No matter how you look at it, its form is meant for slaying humans. In that case, by the name of Velsvain, creating techniques for it is easy. However, how much more refined those techniques become is all up to you, Medimu」

「I will continue to put my heart into it」

Otou-san's attitude was unusual.

In front of this god, even the father of adventurers diminishes in comparison. And I think I'll soon get to see the strength of Barfuru-sama, a person who remains arrogant even in front of such a god.

The siren had stopped before I realized it.

A strong wind that was generated by the flapping of something huge's wings.

「It’s here」

Gladvain-sama smiled fearlessly.

I mean……

「Umm, Gladvain-sama. If you could hurry it up a little………」

……you could have told me earlier.

「Hnn………that's, well, mmm」

You also forgot about it until the last minute, didn't you?

「Uhh, I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth, but how long will it take?」

「Assuming you have a natural talent for it, Souya, it should take you ten days to master the katana techniques」

「There's no time for that! The dragon is already here!」

「What about a weapon then? I'll lend you my beloved sword」

「I'm sorry, I can't wield that」

In all likelihood, carrying her absurdly large sword will be all I can manage.

「Then………………as an exception, I'll bestow upon you my blessing」

「Gladvain-sama, that'll surely send the wrong message to the kin」

Even Shuna is against it.

Screams and cheers are coming from the outside. It's already started!

「Gladvain-sama, we'll continue this conversation after the battle is over!」

「But then, you see, depending on what happens, this may be the last chance for this. I want to do one last thing for you」

「Okaa-sama(Mother)! Why do you have to say something so inauspicious before we go?!」

Oh crap.

I made a mistake similar to how schoolkids would accidentally call their teacher "mum" in the heat of the moment.

「Oh, I have a better idea. Hmm, yes, one that won't send the wrong message to my kin」

Dear god, you seem to have come up with something.

I don't care what it is, just hurry up, hurry up.

「I'll bestow protection from fire. To be precise, I'll give it to both Rana and Ea. This will be easy and quick to give. Souya, are you okay with that?」

「Yes, please. Protection for my wife and sister is more than enough reward for me」

That would be a great help.

To be honest, I'm more worried about those girls than I am about myself. I’m worried to death every time.

「Time is short, so I'm going to be a bit rough」

Gladvain-sama bit her thumb hard, and then sucked her own blood.

She pulled Rana close, then made her drink it through her lips.

「MMM～～!」

The suddenness of it gave Rana no time to resist.

I was struck speechless.

Needless to say, everyone else in the room was also dumbstruck.

The movement of the two women's lips and the gulps seemed both erotic and sacred at the same time.

「My blood shall repel the dragon's flames. I bestow upon you the blessing of blood」

Through those words, god prayed.

But there didn't seem to be anything in particular that had changed. Rana's face was bright red, but that was probably due to something else.

When Rana was finally released, she went limp and I caught her in my arms before she collapsed to the ground.

「Come, you're next, Ea」

「I'm so sorry!」

My sister turned invisible and ran away.

「There isn't much difference between being kissed by me and being kissed by your mothers though」

Gladvain-sama looked disappointed.

As a Japanese, I don't quite understand the concept of mothers and daughters kissing.

「Alright, now there is nothing to worry about!」

God smacked me hard on my back.

The impact was amazing, but it didn't hurt.

「Now, all you new dragon hunters. Get out there and do battle with pride! If you die, we will mourn and pay our respects to you. Honor doesn't lie in defeating the dragon. It is the act of standing up to the dragon that is honorable! Go forth and prove yourselves!」

This is no different from challenging the dungeon.

Risking one's life to explore, and putting one's life on the line in battles. Proving one's very existence by fighting a dragon. What a worthwhile way to live this is.

I raised my voice.

「Let's go, everyone! Don't be afraid, don't falter, and don't run away! Now that we've sworn a blood oath to one another, we must protect our comrades with our lives! But remember, don't die!」

Cheers rang out from everyone in the party.

This time, it was in a single, unified voice.

[1] If you’ve not read or watched Planet of the Apes, be warned, spoilers ahead. It’s a science-fiction classic written by French author Pierre Boulle in 1963. The story is about a group of astronauts who woke up at the end of a light-speed voyage to find an alien planet populated by a society of intelligent apes. The twist at the end, where they uncovered the Statue of Liberty and realized that the “alien” planet was Earth long after humans had wiped themselves off the planet in an apocalyptic nuclear war, is the stuff of legend.

Woahhh! The fight against the dragon starts next chapter! No bait and switch, no cut to the end, just 2 very long chapters of dragon fighting. I don’t want to hype expectations up too high, but this is a fun fight to read!

Yeah, in case anyone also forgot all about it, Otou-san used sword & board before this. He didn’t suddenly know how to use a katana out of nowhere lol. Souya had kendo training, as was alluded several times, so it makes sense for him to have some basics. As for what Gladvain was talking about, to clarify, it is the question of whether weapons caused people to invent techniques for wielding them, or did techniques cause people to invent weapons that suited them.

By the way, I tried to set it up beforehand, but “life is in your hands” still feels a bit weird to me haha. Shuna actually just says, “Please take care of Souya,” except because of how Japanese grammar is backward compared to English, “Souya” is at the start of the sentence, allowing for that scene where it seems at first that Shuna is calling out to Souya, but is actually talking to Barfuru-sama. A glimpse of the headaches I encounter when translating. XD

Anyway, you won’t want to miss the next few chapters! Stay tuned!