kscans

Chapter 41 - The Golden Egg

"Don’t you find it strange, Kyo-chan-kun?"

"Huh..."

Standing before the large hole in the brick wall, I listened to the voice from the earring.

"It’s said that a dungeon’s walls and floors regenerate over time. Apparently, even a wall that the SDF tried to blow up was back to normal after one night."

"Now that you mention it, I think I heard that in the training course."

"When they set up a camera to observe, they saw something white gathering on the damaged wall. It’s possible that even dungeon repairs are carried out using ‘salt.’"

"Wow."

"Why are they so fixated on salt? And why has this large hole remained open? Are they leaving it on purpose? Or perhaps the repairs are based on data recorded at some point, and it was accidentally saved in a broken state?"

"...Um."

"What is it, Kyo-chan-kun? If you have any questions, feel free to ask away. I’ll answer anything I can. Whoops! When I say anything, I mean only about dungeons, alright? You can’t ask any naughty questions!"

"Miyoshi-san... Shouldn’t you be talking to your sister?"

"That’s not dungeon-related, so I know nothing!!"

Behind me, Erina-san and Miyoshi-san were talking. They were coordinating their routes to avoid overlapping during their exploration here.

If different adventurer groups try to team up just because they happened to meet, it usually leads to trouble.

Rare cases, like when we escorted that group of four who were being chased by the Kobold Lord, are the exception. Apparently, there have been plenty of incidents involving fights over loot, friendly fire, and disputes over rewards.

Also, personally, I find it tiring to work with people I don’t know. Mentally, that is.

"Well, if you don’t want to talk, that’s fine, but..."

Miyoshi-san, after her initial shock, had given us a polite bow and said:

"I apologize if we stole your kill. Let’s discuss our routes so we can explore at a distance."

She’d said it with a perfect, practiced smile.

And Erina-san had taken the lead in that conversation. Not Aira-san, our navigator.

"It’s not that I don’t want to. I want to talk, actually..."

"Then—"

"But I don’t know what to say..."

"Ah..."

What do I do? I can relate to that so much I can’t say a thing. I barely talk at school either.

More importantly, Byakuren and I were currently on watch. I couldn’t really focus on a conversation anyway.

As I struggled for a response, Aira-san continued with a sigh.

"For the record, I have prepared about a hundred conversation decks for this purpose."

"That’s a lot..."

Just how many is that? And why can’t you talk to her if you’re that prepared?

"Um, by the way, what’s the opener for your most confident deck?"

"‘Well hello there, miss. You’re quite a beauty. What kind of panties are you wearing? Won’t you tell me in secret?’"

"Die."

"I-It’s just a witty joke!"

"Aira-san. If someone said that to you, what would you think...?"

"Hey, hey. The one saying it is a cool beauty like me, you know? Everyone, regardless of gender, would surely fall head over heels. In over ten thousand simulations, it has been a great success every time."

"Could it be that you’re a massive idiot...?"

"Shaddup."

Oh, she’s sulking.

She must have been aware of how it sounded. If so, she should have re-evaluated it before running ten thousand simulations, though I’m sure the number itself was a joke.

...It was a joke, right?

"Well, I have no intention of meddling in other people’s family affairs, so I won’t force you."

"Of course not. We’re best friends, but even close friends need boundaries."

"Best friends...?"

"Hmph, it seems my affection level wasn’t high enough yet. I’ll have to shift into a higher gear...!"

"Please don’t."

As we were having that conversation, Erina-san poked my shoulder with her fingertip.

"We’re done talking."

"Ah, okay."

"..."

The earring went silent. When I turned around, Miyoshi-san was standing next to Erina-san, giving a small bow.

I hurriedly bowed back, and she walked away, taking her golems with her as they resumed their watch in a different direction.

She was walking with noticeably large strides, and even I could tell she wanted to get away from this spot as quickly as possible.

"...Was she, uh, angry?"

"Not really. It was more like an ‘I knew it’ kind of feeling."

With that, Erina-san took the earring out of her Item Box.

‘I knew it’... Could she mean what she said before? That ‘she’s not interested in someone like me’? Because I was talking but my sister wasn’t?

On the contrary, Aira-san, she’s super interested in you.

"Also, Kyo-chan. The next time we meet Senpai, I want you to take off the earring that’s connected to Paisen."

"That’s right. Honestly, you need to read the room, Kyo-chan-kuun."

So annoying.

"It’s because Paisen will say something weird and make Senpai angry."

"Eh, isn’t it because it’s awkward and painful for me...?"

"Nope!!"

"Kyo-chan-kun, Erina-kun is bullying me!"

"Got it. From now on, Aira-san is banned."

"Kyo-chan-kun?!"

Having heard the opening line of her prepared conversation deck, I was now convinced that she should not be allowed to participate in conversations.

If your long-lost sister greets you with sexual harassment, anyone would think, ‘Are you kidding me?’

"Besides, even when I tell her that Paisen wants to talk to her, she won’t believe me."

"I see..."

"Hey, this isn’t the time to be talking about us! Focus on exploring! This is a dungeon, you know!"

"Roger!"

"Right."

That was true.

I had been keeping an eye on our surroundings while we talked, but long conversations in a dungeon are dangerous.

"So. Which route is my dear sister taking?"

"Um, she said she’s going through ‘4-A’, then to ‘4-F’ and ‘19-B’."

"In that case, we’ll go to ‘5-E’. Proceed down that passage, turn right, and then left at the next intersection."

"Okay!"

Following Aira-san’s navigation, we started walking again.

After taking down a few more Cockatrices, we reached an exit. Erina-san marked the nearby wall, and we continued our exploration.

About an hour had passed since we entered the dungeon. Cockatrices generally acted alone, so we dispatched them in much the same way as the first one.

We’d defeated about ten, so that was 500,000... even split between the two of us, that’s 250,000...

By simple calculation, another hour and another ten kills would double that. 500,000 yen in a single day.

I realized my thoughts were being consumed by greed and quickly shook my head.

True, I became an adventurer not just out of admiration, but also as a backup in case my dad’s company went under.

But I promised my parents I wouldn’t do anything reckless. In fact, they still tell me, ‘Maybe you should quit being an adventurer.’

Safety first. Even my current earnings are more than enough for a day’s haul. Stay calm, stay calm.

"Huh?"

"What’s wrong?"

Erina-san let out a strange sound and stopped in her tracks.

"This sound... is it Senpai?"

"Eh, again?"

"Again."

"Hmm. We were supposed to have split our routes..."

Apparently, Miyoshi-san was nearby.

Could it be that, being sisters with Aira-san, they had a similar way of choosing paths? In any case, it wasn’t impossible for us to cross paths again after an hour.

"No choice. We’ll have to change routes again—"

"Wait."

Cutting off Aira-san’s words, Erina-san pressed her body flat against the wall.

I averted my eyes from the sight of her ample chest changing shape as it was pressed against the surface.

"What is it? Did you—"

"Shh..."

A few seconds later, Erina-san pushed herself off the wall.

"Let’s go to Senpai’s location."

"Got it."

"Eh? Hey, what’s going on?"

I followed Erina-san as she started walking and ducked through a hole in the wall.

I didn’t know the details, but if she said so, there must be a reason. She wasn’t the type to joke around like that in a dungeon.

"A boss monster is getting close to Senpai... maybe. The footsteps are bigger than the other Cockatrices."

"What...?!"

"We have to warn her."

I nodded silently at Erina-san’s words.

The strength of a boss monster is on a completely different level from the other monsters in its dungeon. Both the Kobold Lord and the Orc Champion felt like they were a full rank higher.

If there’s a boss monster here, it might be even stronger than C-Rank.

But still, another boss monster... I seem to have a strange connection with them. Normally, you don’t run into them this often.

As I was thinking that, I spotted Miyoshi-san impaling a Cockatrice with her magic.

"Senpai!"

"Huh, Erina-san?"

Miyoshi-san frowned as Erina-san ran towards her, waving.

"Um, what is it? If you need to change routes—"

"A boss monster is heading this way! We have to run!"

"What?"

Just as Miyoshi-san’s eyes widened in shock.

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!

A roar, completely out of place in this dungeon, thundered through the air.

—Looks like we were a little too late.

With heavy footfalls, a grotesque creature emerged from a hole in a nearby wall.

A snake’s head and tail, large enough to swallow a person whole, were covered in green scales. Its torso was covered in yellow feathers, and its wing-like forelegs were covered in feathers of the same color.

It was massive, both in height and width. Definitely bigger than a horse or a cow. It might even rival a small elephant.

Though it had many differences from the pictures I’d seen in books, the monster before me should still be called by that name.

A ‘dinosaur.’

BWAAH!!

Letting out a cry like a broken trumpet, the boss monster—the ‘Cocadrille’—glared at us with its vertically slitted pupils.

Apparently, it’s just the French pronunciation of Cockatrice, but right now, the name didn’t matter.

Because the Cocadrille had let out a roar and launched a flying kick at us!

"Sakon! Ukon!"

Pushing me aside as I was about to step forward, Miyoshi-san’s golems moved to the front.

They blocked with their greatshields, but couldn’t withstand the impact and staggered. The Cocadrille landed and immediately spun around.

A sweeping blow from its log-like tail sent both golems flying.

"Geh!?"

I hastily dodged the incoming bodies of stone and wood. In the corner of my eye, I saw Miyoshi-san pushing Erina-san behind her.

"Um, Senpai—"

"You two, get to safety! I’ll hold it off!"

As she spoke, she slammed her staff on the ground, and multiple stone spears erupted from under the Cocadrille’s feet.

However, they were easily shattered with a single swing of its forelegs.

The golems were getting back on their feet, but this was...

"You there, get back too! It’s fine, I’m—"

"Kyo-chan-kun."

The sharp voice from Miyoshi-san was drowned out by a calm voice from the earring.

It was the same serious voice Aira-san had used during the Orc overflow. It wasn’t that it had any kind of coercive power. It wasn’t imbued with mana.

It was just a ‘voice,’ an invisible thing, yet it possessed an extraordinary presence.

"You’re stronger, but will you do it?"

"Yes."

Without a second thought, I dashed past the golems.

Safety first. I’d told myself that, but with the Cocadrille, ‘turning your back is more dangerous.’

I’d heard this thing was fast and had high sensory abilities. On top of that, its fangs and talons carried a poison even deadlier than a normal Cockatrice’s. According to the store, an SDF officer was seriously injured by its flying kick during a retreat.

Erina-san and I would probably be fine, but Miyoshi-san, who was staying behind to hold it off, would be unable to escape.

More importantly.

GAAAAAA!!

It was slow.

The movements I’d seen in the previous exchange lacked the sharpness of the Orc Champion. It had the stats, but I could see its attacks and dodge them.

The poison gas it spat out was thick enough to completely obscure my vision. Furthermore, its tail swept sideways, aimed mercilessly at the side of my head.

But I blew the poison gas away with wind, and my ‘precognition’ allowed me to duck and avoid the tail.

I’m not brave enough to challenge an opponent I know is stronger, but—

I took another step forward, and from a low stance, I slashed horizontally, cutting into the Cocadrille’s left leg.

It wasn’t a clean cut, but the blade bit deep. I forced it through, making the monster fall.

GOAA!?

—This thing was weaker than the Orc Champion, and weaker than me.

With only one head, it was easier to deal with than the regular version. I leaped onto the back of the fallen Cocadrille and pierced its snake-like neck with my sword.

Forcing the hilt down to pin it to the ground, I slid the blade from its neck towards its head.

Following the line of its thick bones, the blade emerged from the tip of the snake’s nose with surprising ease.

Splat. Red blood stained the floor. It seeped into the moss, changing its color, but quickly turned to salt.

I maintained my guard just in case, but once it had turned completely white, I relaxed my stance.

...Yeah.

"Man, I just charged in on impulse, but thinking about it calmly, that might have been pretty dangerous..."

Only now did my heart start pounding.

This was the third boss monster I’d fought, but I think this was the easiest win. It must be a sign of how much my level has gone up.

At this rate, I could easily beat the Orc Champion that I once fought a desperate battle against... No, that’s not right.

Overconfidence is a killer.

"Hahaha! But you attacked it because you thought you could win, right?"

"Well, yeah... But it’s still scary."

"What’s the big deal? You won, so it’s fine. I’ll be reporting this to your parents, though!"

"That’s cruel, you’re the one who told me to do it...!"

"I did not! I only asked if you would do it!"

"That’s how scams work!"

I was talking with her in our usual lighthearted manner.

It was the fact that Erina-san didn’t join the conversation that reminded me there was someone else here.

Feeling embarrassed for shouting in front of a stranger, I turned to face them.

"Ah, sorry. Um, it’s over..."

"—"

"Hiee...!"

My eyes met Miyoshi-san’s.

She had the same stunning beauty, the same gem-like eyes. But for some reason, her eyes seemed to lack any light.

Her gaze was clearly not one of goodwill, and a small yelp escaped my lips.

"...You too."

"Eh, um..."

"...No. Thank you for saving me from a dangerous situation."

Miyoshi-san smiled.

That same, picture-perfect customer service smile.

"However. While I am grateful, as your senior, I must caution you. This was a situation where you should have considered retreating rather than fighting, you know?"

"Y-Yes. I’m sorry."

"The store does say that it’s dangerous to turn your back on a Cocadrille, but fighting it head-on is far more dangerous! Do you understand?"

"Yes..."

Miyoshi-san scolded me with her hands on her hips, pointing a finger at me. What she was saying was completely reasonable.

In fact, Byakuren was meant for situations like this. If I had left it behind with Miyoshi-san’s golems, everyone, including her, could have escaped safely. It was a complete error in judgment.

I had no choice but to reflect on my actions.

"As long as you understand. In times like these, please leave it to the adults and make sure you escape."

"Y-Yes..."

"...I’ve been too harsh. After all, you came to warn me of the danger in the first place."

After a small cough, Miyoshi-san smiled again.

"Thank you again. Both of you. I will head to the Dungeon Store immediately to report the sighting of the boss monster and the fact that you defeated it. Erina-san and... Yagawa-kun, you should head home soon as well."

"Okay."

"Very well. I’ll be on my way."

Miyoshi-san and her golems walked away with a small wave.

After seeing them off, I turned to Erina-san beside me.

"...Why did you turn invisible?"

"Because the light disappeared from Senpai’s eyes!!"

"I see."

I agreed with a distant look in my eyes as Erina-san activated her skill. If I had to be looked at like that, I would have wanted to turn invisible too.

"..."

"Aira-san. We’ll head back after we collect the boss monster’s drop item. ...Aira-san?"

Feeling that something was wrong when I got no reply, I called out to the earring.

But still, nothing came back. Then, Erina-san gently tapped my shoulder.

"Sorry, Kyo-chan. Paisen is frozen right now, so maybe later."

"Ah, right."

What a difficult pair of sisters.

That aside, I made sure to ask Erina-san to report to their grandmother that ‘Aira-san had said something that goaded me into fighting the boss monster.’

I wouldn’t forgive her if I was the only one who got scolded...!!

...Thinking back on it now, she was probably worried about her sister and got flustered in her own way.

But that’s that, and this is this.

If she’s going to call herself my best friend, she can get properly scolded with me.

＊　　　　　　＊　　　　　　＊

The boss monster’s drop, a ‘palm-sized claw,’ along with all the other drop items we had collected, were sold to the grandmother’s acquaintance for ‘1.2 million yen.’ Not for both of us. For Erina-san and me, each.

It goes without saying that the Yagawa family froze once again when they saw the amount transferred into my account.

Given that an acquaintance could just casually drop that kind of money, maybe Aira-san’s family is really something else...?