Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 62: The Silent One (2)
It was surprising—or rather, it seemed genuine.
Axe wasn’t pretending to stay calm; he really wasn’t panicked.
“Why do you ask?”
“Uh, well…”
Axe gave a wry smile.
“It’s a bit strange to say, but things like this happen more often than you’d think.”
“They do?”
“Yeah. Even with pre-mapped dungeons that rarely change, dungeons are unpredictable by nature. There’s always the chance something unexpected happens. This time, it just happened to be today.”
Ad
“So that’s normal?”
“As explorers, we’ve faced our fair share of unexpected situations. Getting separated by traps, for example, has happened before.”
“It has?”
“Three times now, if I recall.”
I couldn’t tell if that frequency was high or low.
“That’s why I’m sure they’ll be fine. Mina too.”
I realized then that he was still somewhat worried.
“Axe… do you hear that?”
“Fighting?”
We nodded to each other and took off running.
My relic, Crisis Detection, showed three red signals and one white—an ally.
One red signal disappeared.
“Haahhhhhh!”
A high-pitched battle cry echoed.
“A woman?”
Then, I heard a strange sound—like swirling wind.
When we arrived, what we saw was astonishing.
A woman tearing apart kobolds with a spear designed like a jousting lance.
Her flaxen hair was familiar. A pretty, determined face with slightly upturned eyes.
She wore armor, but she was taller than me.
I recognized her.
Mina.
The night she’d stayed at my house uninvited, I’d caught her bathing in secret.
That memory was vivid, though I’d never dare mention it.
Axe’s expression grew sharp. He seemed to recognize her too.
“Could it be… her?”
“Probably… yes.”
So he noticed too.
The woman skewered the last kobold with her spear, then turned to face us.
“You’re safe, I see.”
“You’re…”
“Mina-san?”
“That’s right. As you can clearly see.”
She was remarkably straightforward for someone with such a secret.
“But your size…”
“It’s a relic.”
“I figured as much, but…”
“Is it perhaps a relic unique to Fairials?”
Ad
“Exactly. It’s the relic Fairy’s Embodiment, which lets me expand or shrink myself and anything I’m wearing.”
Mina puffed out her chest proudly.
Axe sighed in mild exasperation as he surveyed the area.
“Man, this is brutal… it’s torn to shreds.”
“Mina-san, is that spear an OOPArt?”
“That’s right. Good eye.”
“The spear’s power seemed enhanced by a relic.”
Normally, relics can’t be imbued unless they’re compatible OOPArts.
“My relic is Spiral.”
“What kind of relic is that?”
“Does it involve spirals?”
Mina’s eyes widened at my guess.
“You’re sharp. I can create swirling flows of energy.”
“So, like wind?”
“That’s what most people assume, but it’s heavier and more destructive than wind.”
Ad
“Yeah… it’s definitely destructive.”
Swirling energy—a vortex, maybe?
The three kobolds had been crushed, slashed, and impaled.
Incredible. This was the power of Spiral.
Thankfully, kobolds were made of cobalt ore, so the scene wasn’t too gruesome.
Why a mineral-based monster resembled a werewolf, though, I had no idea.
“By the way, what about the others?”
“…Still no sign of them.”
“I see.”
Mina slung her spear onto her waist, shrank back to her usual size, and perched herself on my shoulder.
We began walking again. Then, a thought struck me.
“Ah, wait—what about Return Stones? Do you both have one?”
“Oh, those? Right… I guess we do have them…”
“Yeah… those.”
Their sluggish responses made it clear.
Ad
They didn’t have them.
“What’s the matter?”
Axe responded to my question with a faint, slightly strained smile.
“Sure, as an explorer, it’s a legacy item you should have. But it’s expensive.”
“Exactly.”
Mina added.
“Even you think so, Mina?”
“Of course. Only second-grade explorers can afford to keep them on hand regularly.”
They’re third-grade, but Pakira and her team had them.
“Even as a consumable, it’s still a legacy item.”
Axe said.
“I’d like to have at least one”
Mina admitted.
“Sometimes, I wish I had one for moments like this. But they’re pricey.”
Axe grumbled about his wishes.
It’s true—they’re useful for situations like this. But, yeah, expensive.
“I see. So you don’t have any.”
I said.
“Yeah, sorry about that. By the way, Wof, can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“It’s not something I’d normally ask, and I wouldn’t even bring it up if this weren’t the situation we’re in. But given the circumstances…”
“What do you want to ask?”
What could be so serious that it required this much buildup? I tilted my head in confusion as Axe hesitated before speaking.
“Can you tell me about your relic?”
“I want to know too.”
Mina chimed in.
“Sure. My relic is called Crisis Detection. It lets me identify danger using colors and dots.”
“Colors and dots?”
“White means safe. Red means danger. Black means death. Most enemies are marked as red.”
“So it can also help you detect threats?”
“Yes, it works like that. At close range, it even lets me see through walls.”
“What is that?”
“That’s… an excellent relic for an explorer.”
Axe muttered in admiration.
People say that a lot.