Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 82: Arc Lab ④
Cautiously, we descended to the second basement… only to find what looked like a storage area.
The stone-paved corridor was cluttered with wooden crates and barrels, nothing more.
Just to be sure, Bid-san smashed open one or two of the crates, but they were empty.
The relic I had used — [Wheel of Fortune] — gave no reaction, other than the green line of light extending farther ahead.
What’s going on here? Well, for now, I guess I have no choice but to trust it.
As we walked, there was a sharp crack, crack beneath my feet.
“What was that?”
“What’s that sound?”
I looked down to see a wooden plank — a piece of broken crate.
Ah, so that’s what I stepped on. Relieved, I kept moving.
After a while, I realized the corridor was surprisingly long.
“Uh, hey… Wof-kun.”
“What is it?”
I turned to see Bid-san, who had been following behind, fidgeting a little.
Her cheeks were faintly red, and her gaze was lowered.
…Wait, didn’t something like this happen back in the Water Dungeon too?
“…Are you sure there’s actually something here? I mean, it was hidden and all…”
“Yes. Um, could it be, Bid-san—”
“W-what?”
“—you’re scared?”
“Huh?”
“Well, we do have the light sphere, but it’s still kind of dim here. I was wondering if places like this creep you out.”
The light sphere was handy — it adjusted its brightness depending on the surroundings.
Here, since it was narrow, it only lit up our immediate steps, leaving the distance ahead dim.
So yeah… a little gloomy.
“…Ah—well, yeah, maybe. I was attacked in a place like this before.”
Her words made me feel a twinge of guilt. R-right… that makes sense too.
“I-I’m sorry.”
“Ahaha, Wof-kun doesn’t need to apologize. It’s just… I was thinking, even last time, when I’m with you, we always end up in places with no people.”
“…Now that you mention it.”
In the Water Dungeon too, we’d gone deep into areas where no one else was around.
I hadn’t thought about it much, but hearing her say it… yeah, we are a guy and a girl, after all.
Could she be… suspicious of me?
No, that’s not it. More like… just aware because we’re different sexes.
Once I started thinking about it, I felt both apologetic and awkward.
Bid-san gave me a wry smile.
“Sorry. My attitude’s making this weird for you, huh?”
“No, I’m the one who should be more considerate.”
“Pfft, what’s that? That’s how you talk to kids, not to me.”
She chuckled softly.
Maybe that helped her relax a little.
She came to walk beside me and said that since there was nothing going on, we might as well chat.
I decided to ask something that had been on my mind.
“Pakira-san and the others went to the Tasan Territory, right?”
“Seems so. I don’t know the details, though.”
“They mentioned something about support.”
“That’d be the support program for all-female adventurer parties. I heard it’s a new project by House Tasan. They’re a famous matrilineal noble family. Oh, come to think of it, Juicy-chan too.”
“You know her?”
“Met her through Minéha’s referral. I sometimes worked part-time for her.”
“I see.”
“Right now, she’s probably back in Tasan Territory with her sisters — maybe with Pachira and the others too.”
“Got it.”
From there, the conversation drifted into harmless small talk.
Then, out of nowhere, she said she wanted me to know more about her.
So I asked safe questions — favorite and least favorite foods, music, hobbies.
“Let’s see… I like tomatoes and apples.”
…Not carrots?
“So you like fruit?”
“Yeah. But I also like smelly stuff.”
“Like fermented foods — cheese and such?”
“Exactly. In my hometown, there’s a traditional dish where you take a seabird, stuff it into the body cavity of a sea monster called a Tukaran after removing its guts, squeeze all the air out, tie it up, coat it in fat, then bury it in snowy ground for several months.”
“…That’s quite a dish.”
Wait… is that kiviak? That extreme fermented food from Eskimos in Alaska?
I guess this world has it too.
“I love it. The juices from the guts go really well with hard pan-beans. As for dislikes — fish and octopus. I can’t stand fish bones.”
“Ah, I get that. And octopus is because of the texture?”
Her face turned bright red, and she looked down. Uh-oh.
“Back in another place… a Water Dungeon, I got attacked by an octopus monster.”
“A-ah… s-sorry.”
“Nah, I beat it good, so it’s fine. Not a big deal. Anyway, Wof-kun, your favorite food’s butter rice, right? What about dislikes?”
“Hmm… nothing really comes to mind.”
“No picky eating, huh? I like that.”
“Ah, thank you. Music-wise—”
And so, our idle chatter went better than I expected.
Without boredom or tension, we reached the far end of the corridor.
The green line of light pointed directly at a door to our side.
“A room?”
“Looks like it.”
It wasn’t locked, so we opened it.
Inside was a small room with just crates, barrels, a shelf, and a desk.
The green line pointed to a section of wall with nothing in front of it.
“So there’s something here?”
The wall… ah, there — a hole. A keyhole.
I tried the keys from the ring I carried, one by one.
The seventh one fit. I turned it, and a panel in the ceiling slid open.
There was a stepladder nearby, so I climbed up into the space above.
It was about the same size as the room below, but completely empty.
Except — there was a faintly glowing teleportation circle on the floor.
Ah, so it’s that kind of setup.
There was no way we could just walk into this thing, so Biddo-san and I called everyone over.
And now here we were — five people and one rabbit, crammed into the narrow hidden room.
“A teleportation circle, of all things…”
“Not exactly a cheap item.”
“……”
“Mm… troublesome… indeed.”
“So the question is, who’s going first?”
We had to go on ahead… but who would be the first to step in?
That’s when something caught my attention.
“Uh… um, Muniéka-san.”
“What is it?”
“That rabbit in your hand…”
For some reason, she was holding Haiyaan upside down by one leg.
The dangling Haiyaan didn’t respond. Bid-san explained:
“I’ve seen hunters carry small prey tied to a cord on their belts like that.”
“I don’t keep trophies at my waist, but this rabbit leapt at me, so I took him down.”
“Sorry for the trouble.”
What the hell are you doing, rabbit? And of all people, you picked her to grope? The one person you absolutely shouldn’t.
Muniéka-san looked at Haiyaan and made a suggestion.
“Witch’s apprentice. How about throwing this thing in first?”
“Sounds good to me.”
There was no reason to refuse.
The victims of his groping — Bid-san and Liv-san — both nodded.
Leold, of course, didn’t get a vote. He was busy drinking. …Hey.
Once it was decided, Muniéka-san delivered a swift karate chop to Haiyaan’s neck.
With a grunt, Haiyaan regained consciousness.
“Huh—? Where am I!?”
“Off you go.”
With a casual flick, Muniéka-san tossed him onto the teleportation circle.
In an instant, the rabbit vanished.
A short while later, Haiyaan reappeared.
“What’s the big idea, you savages!?”
He was furious. Truly furious.
Well, of course he was — they’d just thrown him into who-knows-where without warning.
Still, I didn’t feel even the tiniest shred of guilt.
“Coming from the molester, that’s rich!”
“Mm… molesters… beheaded… instantly.”
“Do you have a death wish?”
“N-no… sorry.”
Faced with the cold stares of Liv, Bid, and Muniéka-san, Haiyan quickly backed down.
Leold let out a weary sigh.
“So, did you see anything?”
“…No danger. In fact, our target might be in there.”
“Then let’s go.”
And just like that, Leold strolled onto the teleportation circle as if taking a walk.
Muniéka-san followed, then me and Haiyan, then Liv and Biddo-san.
The place we arrived at was a somewhat larger space.
Directly ahead stood a pure white wall, its center marked by a black diamond shape.
At the center of the diamond was a carved emblem.
“This is…”
“This is way beyond unexpected.”
Even Leold and Muniéka-san seemed taken aback.
Looking closer, the diamond appeared to be made of metal, with a groove running all the way around it. Could it… move?
Leold muttered in a strained voice:
“It’s a vault door.”
“This is a vault?”
If that was true… then beyond this lay a vault room.