Volume 4: Isibara–Heisen Dungeon Arc

Chapter 1: Our Journey: Preparation Chapter ⓪ – Wof’s Pouch

Right after unexpectedly receiving a letter from my uncle, I headed straight to the witch’s house.

The usual filthy living room.

“Hmmm, hmmm. A second hideout, you say? That’s quite intriguing.”

The witch placed a black cup on the table.
When I glanced inside, a blood-red liquid was bubbling up.
Was this the Blood Pool Hell or something?

“Yes. It’s in the trading city of Heisen.”
“Ohh, ohh, that city, huh. So, so—are you curious about it, Wof boy?”

Sitting on the sofa, the witch lowered her gaze to the letter I had handed her.
As if it were second nature, she skillfully arranged her three tails like cushions and sat on them.
The way her chest bounced when she sat down was probably just part of her charm.

“Yes. I plan to go.”

There was something written in the letter that really bothered me.
Something surprising at the hideout… what could it be?

The hideout where I live had surprises too.
So it was probably meant literally.

“Mhm mhm. I could tell right away—you’ve got the eyes of someone who’s made up his mind. So you came to report that, huh?”
“Yes. I’ll be gone for a while.”
“Hmmm. And how do you plan to get there?”
“I’m thinking of using a shared carriage, then taking a ship from the port town of Leeds.”

Geographically, it’s difficult to reach the trading city of Heisen by land from here.
So we take a ship from Leeds, the port town along the Leave River.
It’s about a twelve-day journey.

When I explained that, the witch put a hand to her chin, lightly touched her lips with a finger, and sank into thought.
She muttered to herself.

“Hmmm hmmm. Yes yes. That was that, and this was this. Do this like that, then like this… ohh, ohh. Mhm mhm. It’ll work, it’ll work. Alright, alright. Let’s do it, let’s do it. Kon can handle it, can handle it, huh… handle it, huh…”

“Witch?”

What’s going on? Then she looked up.

“Hey, hey, Wof boy. Could you make your departure four days from now?”
“That’s fine, but…”

That much wasn’t a problem. I wasn’t in a hurry anyway.

“Then then, I’ll count on that.”
“Y-yes.”
“Oh, oh, right, right. By the way, are there others going too?”
“Mineha-san. I haven’t spoken to anyone else yet.”
“Hmmm hmmm. So you didn’t come back with Ruriha, then?”
“At first that was the plan, apparently, but after meeting her she felt relieved. Also, Mineha-san said she talked to Bid-san.”
“Ohh, ohh. Bid is the rabbit girl, right? I often run into her in the bath. She’s a good kid.”

They already know each other. Well, that makes sense.

“We haven’t gotten a reply yet, but… I think Bid-san will probably come.”
“I see, I see. And Wof boy, are you planning to invite anyone else?”
“Hmm. I haven’t decided yet.”

If possible, I’d like to invite at least one person. Preferably someone of the same sex.

“Oh, oh, right, right. Changing the subject—Wof boy, the gauntlet will be finished soon.”
“Really?!”

I stood up without thinking. Oh, finally.
The witch gave a faint wry smile.

“Yes, yes. Sorry about that—it took quite a while, but it’s turned into something very good. The fine adjustments aren’t finished yet, so I’ll give it to you on the day you depart.”
“O-okay. I’m looking forward to it.”

So she’s not giving it to me now. I sat back down, a little disappointed.
I’m a bit scared to see what it’s become.

Still, it should be sturdier now. Creepy as it is, I actually like that gauntlet.

The witch stood up and carefully swished her three tails.

“Now then, before work, I feel like moving my body a bit. Wof boy—how about some intense, pleasurable exercise with Kon for the first time in a while?”
“…Sounds good.”

The wording was questionable, but I agreed and stood up again.
By “exercise,” she meant a mock battle. The witch, despite appearances, is a master of self-defense.

She’s no easy opponent. I’ve never beaten her even once.
But I’m the man who defeated Alweld von Rutvelt. This time is different.

“Ohh hoh hoh. You’ve got a good look on your face, Wof boy.”
“I’ll win this time, Witch.”

After all, I’m the man who beat Alweld von Rutvelt.
This time is different.

I got completely beaten.
Totally wrecked.

Sweating while wallowing in a defeated-dog mindset, I decided to take a bath before going home.

What was that? How can she move like that in such a fluttery outfit?
And with arms that thin—her fingers, her legs—such terrifying power.

“…I’ve still got a long way to go.”

I’d gotten a bit carried away. I reflected on myself while soaking in a pot bath.
Ahh. Pot baths are nice.

“Ah… oh!”

I looked up at the ceiling in surprise.
At some point, the entire ceiling had become a projection of a starry sky. The witch must have done it.
I enjoyed it for a while.

When I got out of the bath, the witch wasn’t in the living room. Probably working.
I wanted to say goodbye, but I didn’t want to disturb her, so I returned home via the transfer gate.

Back in my room, I flopped onto the bed—then sat up.

I remembered something. I took the pouch from my waist.
This is a good chance. I’ll organize its contents.
I’d been stuffing all sorts of things into it.

“When was the last time I did this…?”

I don’t remember. I just smiled wryly.
When the witch gave it to me, it was completely empty.

First, my explorer tag—also called an emblem.
Proof that I’m a Class V Explorer. It also serves as ID.
Of course, this is essential.

Next, thirteen small bottles filled with elixir.
And six empty bottles—guess I’ll restock those later.

Then three bundles of herbs.
Red, blue, and white herbs—when mixed with water or hot water in a crescent-shaped vessel, they make a citrus-flavored tea.

Related to that, there’s the herbal notebook I got from the witch.
By the way, the herbal encyclopedia I traded for with Ambrosius-san is on the shelf by my bed.

Next, a bunch of plain bracelets.
And a case with rings inside. No comment on those.

After that, fragments of tallow candles and some shards of some kind of ore.
I don’t remember these.

“And they’re moldy, too.”

The tallow candle fragments were covered in mold. I haven’t used them in ages.
Unneeded items get erased with the relic [Vanish]. So—gone.
The ore shards? I don’t know what they are. Gone.

“Oh, this.”

A long, slender bronze amulet came out. Something I’d meant to sell and forgotten about.
A thin rod with four dots on it—four-eye worship. Some dungeon monsters have it too.
Come to think of it, isn’t [Generous] four-eyed as well? Or was it?
Well, whatever. I’ll keep it.

“Huh?”

What’s this tree root…? My past-life memories say… burdock?
No way it’s edible now. Gone.

“…This bottle…?”

Something’s inside, and the color is intense. Looks like the witch’s herbal tea.
I don’t want to open it. Gone.

Some random scraps. Gone. Oh, light orbs—six of them.
Right, Haiyaan started a company selling light orbs.

As expected, they’re selling like crazy—I could tell just by seeing the line at the only shop selling them when I passed by.

Of course, they couldn’t use the lab as the main store.
So the main store is a warehouse in the warehouse district used for storage. I’ve never been there, though.

“The Tasan family gave them full backing, didn’t they…”

A secretary was dispatched from a Tasan-affiliated trading company, and Minos Dolls became employees.
They’re being taken care of in every possible way. Unless something drastic happens, it shouldn’t fail.

“But… it’s Haiyaan we’re talking about.”

I can’t see a future where he succeeds.
Well, if he ends up penniless and selling himself as food at a stall…
I’ll be just a tiny bit kinder to him.

“Alright, back to cleaning the pouch.”

A black card came out. This must be the Tasan emblem card.
I’ll keep this.

A small cloth bag came out—dirty and empty inside.
Ah, the one that used to hold reward coins and such.
I know these are basically disposable, but I can’t help keeping them. Gone.

A day–night stone. A stone that tells you whether it’s day or night inside a dungeon.
An ancient pocket watch. A precious item from Munieka-san that accurately tells the time.

Whoa—dangerous. I had fire stones and water stones just tossed in there.
Water’s one thing, but if a fire stone breaks, what then? The pouch would go up in flames.

In fact, fires caused by careless handling of fire stones are common—because they burn when they break.
Trash and junk keep coming out—gone, gone.
Most of it is like that. Charcoal ends, scraps of cloth, and the like.

“This is…”

It was a box. A large, magnificent tree was intricately depicted on it.

This was… the box that had contained the Sacred Elixir Egg.

“So I kept it, huh.”

I’d forgotten about it. Well, it would be a waste to throw it away or erase it.

I might as well keep it as it is. Oh—two potions came out.

One I got from a witch. The other was a commercially sold one.

They were potions meant for comparing purity.

“I guess I originally thought it’d be easy to make a bunch and sell them.”

I let out a self-mocking laugh at how stupid that was.

Still, it felt like a waste to just get rid of these… what should I do?

Well then, I’ll drink them. First, the store-bought one. Ah—wait, is the expiration date okay?

I open the lid and sniff it. Seems fine? Cautiously, I drink it.

“Yeah. Tastes bad.”

But it does feel like I’ve recovered.

Next, I drink the witch’s potion.

“Huh, the taste is different.”

It’s not delicious, but it’s not unpleasant either.

Strange. Can there really be this much difference?

“Urgh… I drank too much.”

After two bottles, my stomach is sloshing.

I wash the bottles and keep them. They might be useful for something.

Finally, I take out the Sacred Elixir Egg.

Suddenly, a belated question comes to mind—why is the container an “egg,” anyway?

Talismans and even the phoenix use egg-shaped containers too.

“…Maybe the creator just likes eggs?”

That stupid thought pops into my head, and I regret it.

Ah well. No need to think too deeply. It was just a passing curiosity.

With that, the pouch is empty.

I lay down a towel, turn the pouch upside down, and shake it.

Dust and grit that had collected at the very bottom fall out.

Then—

With no warning at all, a knife clatters down.

“…? A knife?”

Why? Why a knife? Huh? No, I definitely checked the bottom carefully.

There was nothing there. I don’t know anything about this.

And it even has barnacles, coral, and shells stuck to it.

Like something that had been sitting in a shipwreck.

“What is this knife…?”

I have absolutely no memory of it. I’ve never seen this knife before.

A black leather sheath, an oval guard—simple. Extremely simple.

I have no idea.

I clearly confirmed there was nothing at the bottom.

And yet, it appeared.

It’s starting to feel like a ghost story, and a chill runs down my spine.

“…F-for now, anyway.”

For now, I’ll just set this knife aside.

I put the remaining items back into the pouch.

I separated the fire stone and water stone, putting them into different cloth bags.

Carefully, bit by bit, I organize everything.

“Whew. Done.”

Everything’s in. I’m tired. Even after chugging potions, I’m tired.

But I’m glad I properly organized the pouch before setting out.

Something unexpected happened, but maybe it’s just my imagination—the pouch at my waist feels lighter.

“I’m hungry…”

It’s about lunchtime. Today, Mineha and Daga are out on a request.

“At this hour it’ll probably be crowded, but… well, I’ll try.”

With that, I head toward Cider Inn.