Part 2
Since they had warmed up their bodies quite a bit, they decided to move.
Relying on the flow of air, they continued further into the dungeon.
For there to be a flow of air in a cave, it was proof that they would come out further in. At the very least, it probably wasn’t a dead end.
──To think I would be stranded in the dungeon that I made myself.
A small hole that went further inside stretched out from the waterfall lake.
Diablo only had his pants and his pouch on his back.
Also, there wasn’t much meaning to it but, he held the 《Trial-Made Great War Scythe》 in his hand. Its appearance was that of a strong-looking War Scythe, but its performance was really bad. It was a weapon he sued for the sake of going easy on individual people.
Horun was pretty much nude.
She only had her pouch belt and her arm and leg armor on her. Since she was a Grasswalker, although she looked like a child, she wasn’t a child but......Being in a state where her flat-chested body having only equipment on is, an extremely maniac idea.
If she at least had some pants on......No, since she was a girl, she should also have a shirt on.
A situation where a large top half naked man walking along with a mostly naked little girl, was perfectly a court case.
──If I knew that she was a woman, I wouldn’t have burned her clothes though.
He reflexively asked a question.
「Why did you pose as a man?」
With a twitch, Horun made a frightened looking face.
「Th, that is......」
「If you do not want to say it, I do not mind though.」
Was she in an anxious mood? She became increasingly frightened.
「Um......"I" (uchi)......was born in a town different from Zircon Tower City which is in the former Demon King territory but......I immediately got separated from both of my parents -su」
「Hou?」
Horun forcibly stopped saying "I" (ore).
「Well, in truth, I might have been abandoned though but......When I realized it, it ended up being just me and two little sisters......」
「I see.」
The former Demon King territory was a land where even just living was difficult. Raising three children there must have had many hardships to it.
「That’s why, although I don’t know whether our parents are alive or dead......But we were lucky. We were immediately picked up by Shishou after all -ssu kara.」
「Was it a Seeker Shishou?」
「Yes. Well, Shishou was a thief though......」
「I see.」
For a Seeker, Horun’s Danger Sense and Trap Release abilities were low. Since her agility wasn’t bad, in terms of Parameters, she was probably a Thief.
「And so, Shishou also died a year ago, and I separated from my sisters......Only I came to Zircon Tower......」
「Your sisters didn’t come with you?」
「Yes......There was a merchant that employed my little sisters as employees -ssu. I was invited too -ssu, but I kind of just had a dislike for business so......」
「I understand. Just thinking about negotiating with other people......Fighting a Dragon alone would be better.」
「Eh? No, selling things that were bought cheaply for a higher price, that somehow didn’t sit well with me -ssu. I understood in my head that that was only reasonable though -ssu kedo.」
「............Umu.」
Horun didn’t have a communication disorder.
Thinking about it, she was proactive enough to invite Diablo’s group to an adventure.
In order to gloss over his verbal slip, he tried asking a question.
「It is said that Grasswalkers continue to have an outward appearance of a child no matter how what their age, but how old are you?」
「Uu......Erm......Keep this a secret from other people, okay -ssu yo? I’ll tell this only to you, Danna, after all, got it -ssu kara ne? I am, still twelve years old -ssu.」
──What!? So she was actually and truly a child!? Since she was a Grasswalker, I thought that she just had the outward appearance of a child!
Diablo hid his surprise, and nodded as if he had presumed that.
「So, it was as I thought.」
「Ehehe......So you noticed -ssu ka? But if I were to say that, no one would take me on adventures, so it’s a secret, okay -ssu yo?」
With a childish gesture, she stuck out her tongue.
How cute.
──No, this is no good, am I a lolicon. Something like a lolicon Demon King, I would die socially.
Even without that, he had a kiss with Krum who looked like nothing but a little girl just a little while ago. That was the ceremony for 《Slave Magic》 though.
Diablo shook his head left and right.
Horun set her gaze on further ahead in the cave.
「Nn～......It’s dark -ssu ne.」
「That is not a problem. 《Light》」
He cast magic on a small stone that he picked up. When he used it in their room at the inn before, he couldn’t turn it off──Since there was that kind of problem, he tried coming up with a way to solve that.
Since he bestowed the effect of 《Light》 on the stone, he could make it dark if he were to throw this away.
And then, it became easier to carry it around like a lantern.
Horun’s eyes sparkled.
「Oh～, amazing -ssu! This is my first time diving into a dungeon with a Chemical Elemental Magician -ssu kedo, but Chemical Elemental Magic is convenient, isn’t it -ssu ne.」
「It would seem that it isn’t all that researched in this world though.」
「Certainly, there are few people that use it -ssu ne. I’ve never seen a strong Chemical Elemental Magician like you, Danna. It’d be nice if I could use magic too -ssu kedo! As if.」
Diablo thought about it for a bit.
「I do not know in what way magic is studied in this world but......How about trying to learn it? You are still only twelve year old, aren’t you? Grasswalkers should be a Race that excels in magic.」
「Ehh!? Th, that’s impossible -ssu yo. It’s because in order to become a Magician, it’s no good if you don’t go to a school that the Magician’s Guild runs -ssu kara......I don’t have that kind of money -ssu.」
「So it needs money.」
「I don’t really know all that well, but it seems to need several hundreds of F (Forun), you know -ssu yo?」
「Fumu......」
Diablo’s group had resolved several large cases, but they hadn’t earned much F. It was to the point that they were going bankrupt from the biscuit costs that Krum eats so much of, and that the Demonic Being Edelgart was getting a job at the bakery.
──That girl, if her true identity is exposed, it wouldn’t end with just being unable to stay in town but, I wonder if she’s doing alright right now?
The Local Knights over there, Edelgart would probably be alright even if they grouped together against her......
However, Faltra City’s Feudal Lord, Galford, is strong. With Diablo’s judgement, 6:4, Galford was probably stronger, that is how he felt.
It would be good if it didn’t turn into something troublesome but......
Horun muttered.
「I wonder if they’re alright -ssu ka ne......?」
「Umu.」
「Lumachina-san and the others.」
「Ah, you mean them.」
He reflexively said that plainly.
Horun made a curious-looking face and tilted her head.
「Is there something else worrying you -ssu ka?」
「No, well......Umu, it is for I am a Demon King! Putting that aside, if it’s about Rem and the others, there is no need to worry about them.」
「Are they alright -ssu ka?」
The ceiling had become lower. Diablo advanced while having to be careful of what was over their heads.
The place where they were separated was the ninth underground floor. Since it was pretty much right before they cleared it, considering Shera’s anti-aircraft ability, it was pretty much certain that they would breakthrough.
The Holy Knight also fell into the waterway too.
「At the end of that floor, a large mid-boss level monster is there, but it doesn’t have a Debuff Resistance. They should be able to defeat it easily with Shera’s 《Petrification》.」
「Shera-san, she’s amazing -ssu!」
There was no mistake that she was high-powered, she possesses a bow that had magic bestowed upon it by the real Demon King after all.
「The tenth floor has a moving floor as the mechanism. When stepped on carelessly, it will lead you to a room where a large quantity of monsters await.」
「Hii!? Th, they aren’t fine at all -ssu! It’s terrible -ssu!」
「If it’s Rem, she will work it out. She is cautious, and has the wisdom to stop and think about things.」
「Wahー, as expected of Rem-san -ssu! So admirable -ssu!」
「And then, the eleventh floor is a graveyard.」
「Erm......You mean like tombs -ssu ka? I wonder why, is there something like that -ssu ka ne?」
「Moving corpses appear.」
「Hii～～～!? Are they Zombies -ssu ka!? Are they Zombies -ssu ka!? Moving corpses, that’s totally no good -ssu!」
「As long as Lumachina is there, it’s no problem. She is the High Chief Priest after all. She should be the most proficient at 《Purification》 in the Lifelia Kingdom.」
Horun’s facial expression shined brightly.
「Alright -ssu! That’s perfect -ssu! Lumachina-san, as expected of her -ssu!」
「Umu.」
──That’s only if the Marked Death Disease hasn’t gotten worse though.
In the game, until the ninth nevi shows, they wouldn’t be in that terrible of a condition. It was played out as being at the level of catching a cold.
However, the MMORPG Cross Reverie made it so that the erotic and grotesque presentations were greatly reserved. He didn’t know if this world’s Marked Death Disease was the same as the game’s version.
Horun held her head in her hands.
「Ahh, even so, I’m worried -ssu! For the sake of someone like me, Danna and Rem-san and the others were separated!」
──You shouldn’t say "someone like" about yourself, you know? That sort of thing......it’s often said, but I really understand how Horun feels.
Do not depreciate yourself──If he were to sermon her with that sort of reasoning, it would probably only make her feel excessively miserable.
Therefore, Diablo didn’t say anything.
He did not regret how he saved Horun but ended up acting separately from Rem and the others.
Rem’s group wasn’t a bunch of amateurs. They called Diablo their "companion". At the same time they were depending on him──Those girls had the confidence that they "would not only depend on him".
Surely, even those three should be able to breakthrough as far as the eleventh floor.
「However, we need to hurry up and join up with them. The twelfth underground floor is impossible even for those three.」
「Eh? Why is that -ssu ka?」
「Simply put, their levels are lacking. It wasn’t a problem of their compatibility in terms of things like fighting style......It’s that the final watchman that is stationed on the twelfth underground floor is, strong. Since its Debuff resistance is high, 《Petrification》 probably won’t work, and it has a barrier that negates damage under a fixed amount.」
「What is that, that monster!?」
「That is why, we can’t be moving too slowly.」
After walking for a bit, *byoo* (whoosh), there was the sound of wind. The area ahead of them had become bright.
「Could it be the outside -ssu ka ne?」
──From the ninth underground floor, we fell down a fairly deep waterfall. I don’t think we would get outside after walking through a tunnel though?
From the tunnel, they came out to a spot that had become wide.
Horun’s body trembled.
「Mo, mon......!?」
There were several monsters that were bigger than people and had horns that looked like that of a rhinoceros beetle’s horn. They moved as a group, and they dug holes and created their nests.
It was the gigantic, deep black bodied insect-type monster 《Ant Beetle》.
The accurate number was 30 of them──Diablo possessed a special skill of grasping the number of enemies not through the game character’s Skill, but through his Player experience.
He recognized these guys.
When a mistake was made in the moving floor route selection on the tenth underground floor, they would be dropped into a monster house where there was a large amount of 《Ant Beetle》.
Most likely, this place was that.
Diablo smiled.
──I’ve figured out our current location. If we break through here, we should return to the proper route!
He placed his hand on the shoulder of the completely terrified Horun.
「Rejoice.」
「Th, that’s, sure, since I’m an Adventurer -ssu kara, losing my life in an adventure is to be expected but -ssu kedo! It’s a bit too early -ssu! I’ll die someday, but I don’t want it to be today -ssu!」
「I did not mean it in that way. You are a fellow that can’t be helped. Just watch.」
The 《Ant Beetles》 noticed the intruders, and approached this way. When their face part opened up, their gigantic tusks were laid bare. It was much more grotesque than the game’s graphics.
Diablo turned the War Scythe towards the enemies.
「Break and fall with the speed of sound, 《Sonic Boom》!!」
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l