Chapter 157: The Mop-Up Operation
The day after defeating the Earth Dragon. From today, it was a cleanup operation. If we didn’t clean up quickly, monsters would overflow from the labyrinth.
A small amount probably wouldn’t be a problem, but depending on the volume that overflowed, it could have too great an impact on the surrounding area.
Especially since this place was close to the royal capital. It was bad to cause a commotion and attract attention unnecessarily.
“Well then, shall we start the cleanup operation? As we decided earlier, Aldo and Rafina, please go ahead and clean up from the 8th floor first.”
“Understood.”
“Yes.”
“Elphas and Ashera, let’s clean up the 9th floor with me, eradicating them completely.”
“”Yes.””
Actually, in this morning’s meeting, I suggested splitting the party into two groups.
To the Minotaur, Ashera was like a natural enemy.
Paralysis and sleep magic both worked, and she could defeat them with a single strike of her magical fist.
However, if both El and I were going to face the Minotaur, we had to use ultra-vibration, but ultra-vibration was overkill for the Minotaur.
As a result, we’d leave the clearing of the 9th floor to Ashera, and El and Naga would do their best with support and carrying the supplies.
Mother and I would head first to the 8th floor to annihilate the small fry below Tigris.
We’d regroup after the clearing, at the stairs between the 9th and 8th floors.
Actually, Naga was resistant to splitting the party until the very end, but when El and I explained that we could communicate via Ao, she readily approved.
The fact that El and I became separate parties had a lot to do with that.
Immediately, Mother and I went ahead as a pair and headed toward the 8th floor.
Along the way, we encountered the Minotaur twice, and although it took time, we managed without using ultra-vibration, aiming for their eyes and ears or defeating them with Reactive Armor.
Mother basically supported me, but just once, she shot a Wind Bullet straight into a Minotaur’s mouth, instantly killing it.
Feeling the terror of the Ice Witch, I proceeded to the 8th floor.
Perhaps because the dungeon had been unlocked, the number of monsters was much smaller than when going. There were no traps and few enemies, so we reached the stairs to the 8th floor in about two hours.
“Well then, Al. Let’s see who defeats more!”
“We don’t have to do something like that…”
“What? Are you afraid of losing?”
Click—! It seemed the Ice Witch had forgotten that I was called the Blood-Soaked Asura and that I was an Apostle…
“Understood. But since it’s dangerous to go separately, let’s act together.”
“Got it.”
From there, I walked in front while Mother walked behind me.
Sometimes I used the local sonar to find enemies and defeat them, but… when I started running, a Wind Bullet came from behind and defeated them first.
So far, me: 0, Mr. Ice Freeze: 7, which was really bad…
I also tried to shoot a Wind Bullet, but in simple magic battles, I couldn’t beat Mr. Ice Freeze.
I was wondering what to do and looked back, and she was grinning creepily.
Damn it. She must still be holding a grudge for being sidelined in the Earth Dragon battle…
In the end, by lunchtime, the results were me: 2, Mr. Ice Freeze: 18.
“SORRY ABOUT THAT.”
My declaration of defeat echoed through the labyrinth.
“It’s just that the Earth Dragon was a bad match this time. Al, you should respect me more.”
She said this with a smug face…
“YES. I AM TRULY SORRY.”
Out of frustration, I ended up speaking the human language in broken phrases. Even in Faristea, I should be able to speak slightly better human language.
I switched my mood and discussed what to do in the afternoon while eating the hot dog I had made in the morning.
“Mother, if we have two hours, it looks like we can clear the eighth level. What should we do?”
“No. If you have extra time, you can rest at the meeting place.”
“I see.”
“Al, it’s a cleanup battle. No need to overdo it.”
“Right. Understood.”
“Originally, there was no need to split the party into two, but I agreed because I wanted to teach you a lesson, Al.”
That smug face again… Ugh. I want to hit you for that smile of yours!
Then, after steadily defeating all the monsters, we exited the labyrinth on the night two days later.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
When we exited the labyrinth, there were about thirty adventurers, and Joe, as their representative, greeted us.
“””””Thank you”””””
The monsters we defeated in the cleanup battle wouldn’t be devoured by the labyrinth. From now on, we would collect the materials from the monsters we had defeated.
That said, for creatures like wind wolves or Boars, they only collected the magic stones and left the rest behind.
On the other hand, for Minotaurs, the hide makes good armor, so there were many things to collect, like hides, horns, and claws.
I wished I could take everything from the Earth Dragon and others, but the meat didn’t keep well, so I sadly had to throw it away.
By us leaving, it meant the cleanup had finished. There might be a few overlooked monsters, but it should be only a few. The adventurers we hired for collecting entered the labyrinth.
While watching the flow of people, my butt was lightly tapped from behind.
When I immediately turned around, Borg, the armor shop owner, was standing with an exasperated look on his face.
“Aldo… I told you the Earth Dragon is dangerous, didn’t I?”
“Borg! Why are you here?”
“Huh? I came to see your stupid face.”
Joe interrupted the conversation between me and Borg.
“Four days ago, the monsters in the labyrinth stopped being absorbed, and it turned out they were released. I immediately returned to the royal capital to arrange people and formed the retrieval team. Then I heard the rumors about the Earth Dragon subjugation, and Borg’s old man insisted on taking me with him… Even though I said no, he wouldn’t listen…”
Borg looked embarrassed, but who cares about the old man’s sudden affection!
“I-I see. Sorry if I made you worry.”
“Hah. As long as you’re safe, that’s fine…”
I recalled what we had talked about the other day.
“By the way, like the time we requested it for the wyvern, is it possible to have armor made for everyone from the Earth Dragon’s hide and scales?”
“Hmm. Yeah, that’s possible, but unlike the wyvern, the Earth Dragon is pretty huge, so we’ll have plenty of hide and scales left over.”
“Ah. By everyone, I mean the five of us plus Joe and the others, so for eight people in total. If possible, I’d be happy if you could include Ashera’s gauntlets too.”
“Eight sets and one pair of gauntlets, huh. Does that include modifications for the Vernier—or whatever it is—and the shield too?”
“Yeah, I want those attached for me, El, and Ashera.”
“In that case, can I take a few of the fangs as well?”
“That’s fine.”
“Also, I want to dismantle it myself. You handle the guidance to and from the Earth Dragon, transport, and meals.”
“Got it.”
“We just came out today, so is it okay if we start diving tomorrow morning?”
“Got it.”
After saying just that, Borg started preparing his tools.
Bringing tools… he must have intended to do that from the beginning…
I directed an exasperated look at Borg, then blushed and turned my face away.
So, who benefits from an old man suddenly acting all lovey-dovey…
In the awkward silence, Joe and the other two spoke up.
“H-Hey. What about our armor…?”
“Oh? You didn’t need it?”
“N-No. Of course we want it, it’s Dragon Armor…”
“Then isn’t that fine?”
“‘Fine’? You…”
As Joe and the others looked exasperated, Ms. Naga spoke up.
“Jogna-san, we talked it through in the labyrinth and decided. Aldo-kun, Elphas-kun, and Ashera-san will provide armor for everyone…”
Even Joe and the others were acting embarrassed and shy like Borg…
So this old man’s dere…
Fine. Today is Old Man Day. It’s perfectly fine to have an Old Man Dere Day.
“El, Ashera, and I have basically talked about our wishes, so please each convey your wishes to Borg. I can’t take responsibility if something comes out that doesn’t match your wishes.”
Immediately, Joe and the others started conveying their wishes to Borg. Their eyes sparkled; they looked like children.
The surrounding gallery showed surprise and a little jealousy that Joe and the others would get Dragon Armor made.
In the midst of all this, Mom seemed unusually troubled.
“Al. Didn’t you say the other day that you made a magical device for spatial kicking?”
“Ah. I made a prototype.”
At my words, Ms. Naga and the three Joes reacted with unparalleled enthusiasm.
“Is there a magical tool for spatial kicking?”
“It’s still in the prototype stage, and the magic consumption is too high, so it’s useless for now.”
The four of them were visibly disappointed.
“Al, make an improved version and attach it to my Dragon Armor, please.”
“That sounds good, but… Dragon Armor? Not a robe?”
“Yes. If I can use spatial kicking, leather armor would be better, right?”
“That’s true, but… it won’t be possible immediately, you know? Rosa is currently working on improving the water heater.”
“Then why don’t you just improve it, Al?”
“Me?”
“Yes. You can do it, right?”
“Hmm. I’ve mostly learned the magic circles, but…”
“Then, please.”
“…Understood.”
I had a feeling I’d been given something unreasonable… but it was also true that I was a little curious.
Indeed, I wanted to try handling magical tools myself soon.
The mysterious pressure from Joe and Naga was intense.
“If we succeed in Mother’s modification, I’ll do yours as well…”
Finally, I could relax a little now. But from tomorrow, it was a quick return to the 10th floor. I had something I wanted to try anyway.
“El. Could you return to the royal capital tomorrow morning?”
“That’s fine, but… what about guarding Borg’s skinning?”
“Since the cleanup is finished, wouldn’t it be fine if it’s just me?”
“That might be true, but…”
“Actually, there’s something I want to try.”
“Something you want to try?”
“Yeah, the meat of the Earth Dragon is quite a luxury ingredient, right?”
“Yes. But it won’t last a week, so we only brought as much as we can handle, right?”
“El, we have a ‘hole’.”
“Ah! That means we can carry it!”
“Idiot, your voice is too loud.”
“S-sorry…”
“For now, we brought meat, and we can make at least the minimum good preparations. If we dive first thing tomorrow morning, we’ll be the first to reach the Earth Dragon.”
“Wait a moment.”
“What is it?”
“Brother, do you intend to fill the hole to the MAX?”
“Well, since we know we’ll profit, I do want to cram in as much as possible.”
“In that case, Brother will need a bodyguard…”
“I see, magical energy depletion… Can we ask someone?”
I looked at Mother and Ashera’s faces, but they both looked away.
Well, even if it wasn’t Mom or Ashera, I definitely wouldn’t want to descend to the 10th layer again and strip the Earth Dragon.
“It can’t be helped. I will………”
“I’ll do it.”
Just as Naga tried to raise her hand, Ashera jumped in.
“Ashera, is that okay? You didn’t seem like you wanted to dive earlier…”
“It’s fine. I, as Aldo’s ‘fiancée,’ will escort him.”
“…Why are you emphasizing ‘fiancée’… You… could it be you’re jealous of Naga… Guh…”
Suddenly, a paralyzing punch smashed into my stomach.
Her face was red and it looked like a romantic comedy, but what she was doing was like some kind of apocalypse-era conqueror.
If I said anything more, my life would be in danger. I had to go with ‘silence is golden’ here…
While we were fooling around, Joe and the other two offered to escort me.
“I’m going to have them make Dragon Armor for me. We’ll be your guards or do anything else you need.”
Joe, Godo, and, if I remembered correctly, Zeal… I thought it was okay to leave the guarding to the three of them.
I asked my mother and Naga for their judgment.
“What should we do?”
Naga seemed hesitant, but my mother started speaking without hesitation.
“What about you, Al? Since this is your story, it’s up to you whether you can trust them or not.”
I might have been leaning on them a little. If I asked for guards, my own ‘weak spots’ would be seen. Whether I could trust Joe and the others was my own decision.
“El, Ashera. I want to trust Joe and the others. What do you think?”
Both El and Ashera nodded with smiles, a little exasperated.
“Joe, Godo, Zeal, can we count on you?”
“Leave it to us.”
“Alright.”
“If it’s just escorting after the sweep, I can manage somehow.”
I only told the three of them about the ‘hole’ and decided to ask for their escort.
“…So, I want to use the ‘hole’ to transport the Earth Dragon’s meat.”
“Seriously…? Are you guys really human? Even if you told me that you were actually the ‘spirit messengers’ from the creation myth, I would believe it…”
Joe somehow hit the right answer in a weird way. I returned a light joke while being careful not to show it on my face.
“If you’re ‘spirit messengers,’ would I worship you?”
“Heh. Even if you were the real spirit messenger, I wouldn’t worship you. I only change my attitude based on the person inside.”
This guy… Joe always gave me the answers I wanted.
“Then I’ll ask you to escort me on the 10th floor. Ashera, in that case, I’ll go with Joe. Thanks.”
“Yeah. Got it.”
“…Is it fine if it’s Joe… That earlier thing, was it really just jealou…”
Ten non-lethal Wind Bullets floated behind Ashera.
“It’s nothing! Wait, Ashera. The one I love is only you!”
This was extremely embarrassing with people around. But I was now on the brink of life and death… I couldn’t afford to care about appearances here.
Ashera turned red and hid behind her mother. Her attitude and appearance were those of a maiden, yet she kept the Wind Bullets on standby—could she not stop that?
Those around also seemed to understand that I was genuinely scared…
“Was it really true that her fiancé is the strongest…?”
“Is her fiancé also a berserker?”
“I heard that she actually killed a Mad Bear with her bare hands…”
“I heard that he can handle both magic and close combat, and that he’s Blue Ring’s secret weapon…”
Everyone, it’s all true. However, if I got any more excited, I might actually die.
From there, whether it was because of love-induced weakness… I was forced to constantly try to please Ashera.
In the end, I succeeded in getting her to be in a good mood by offering her a single piece of honey. For some reason, it was eaten by the three of them: Ashera, Mother, and Naga…
Even though it was so hectic, preparations for going to the 10th floor with material hunting were completed.
I thought there was no more danger, but there was also the non-combatant Borg here. I intended to stay alert and proceed.