3 – Somewhere Strange Warrior Party (3)
The dungeon was located outside the village, and if you followed the road towards the northern forest, you would find it.
I hadn’t been in this game long since my possession, so I didn’t know the path so well. I had experienced almost every hero adventure RPG before, including “Dungeon in Evil.”
I had already cleared all the other difficulty levels, leaving only the extreme hell difficulty uncleared in my current state of possession. Of course, even this dungeon was familiar to me.
In front of the entrance to the dungeon, there was a statue of a lizard monster with sharp horns. Seeing the symbol representing the boss here made it clear.
“This boss… It must be the Lizard Lord.”
It was a boss that appeared even before the extreme hell difficulty, just one step below the extreme difficulty.
I remembered that it was quite difficult among the early bosses. Now, considering tackling this place, it meant that my possession happened not so long after the formation of the hero party.
But there are traces of the Demon King’s army here? There was nothing like that in the extreme difficulty…
At that moment, Cer-Aria looked back at me without sipping her drink, as if she heard my murmurs that I was talking to myself, maybe because of the good hearing of the elf who is invaluable.
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“Hmm? How’d you know about that, Allen? I was going to tell you at the entrance.”
“I guess you overheard us talking earlier. How ominous ♡”
What is this again…if you’re going to listen, you can just listen confidently, why do you eavesdrop? However, since it could be considered strange that I know the boss’s information, it seemed better to go along with Erin’s words appropriately here.
“…We could hear it from above.”
“Oh, I guess our voices were a little loud.”
“Well, there’s no one else in this inn besides us.”
Fortunately, Letitia and Frey added credibility to my story. It was a relief since it didn’t seem suspicious. But suddenly, Erin approached and spoke.
” Mediocre ♡ Hey, do you want to attend the meeting from next time? Well, it doesn’t seem like your foolish head will be of much help~♡”
There’s not much difference between your head and mine…
Still, I welcomed the opportunity to attend the meeting. As I nodded my head lightly, Leticia spoke as if surprised.
“I said that packing during the meeting hour helps us leave quickly, didn’t Allen say that?”
What?…Did I say I wanted to drop out on my own? I thought they would exclude me, as an insignificant baggage handler who is of no use for combat, and have their own meetings.
However, now it’s different. Of course, I am useless in battle right now, but I wanted to prepare our party for a quick departure by packing our things during the meeting time since we can’t fight anyway.
But not anymore. Certainly, I am currently useless in combat, but through the conversations that take place in the meetings, I can learn more about this world. The meeting time was necessary for me.
“…But when I think about it, isn’t it a hassle for him to come all the way to the dungeon entrance every time just to say it again and leave? I think it’s better for him to attend the meeting instead.”
“Oh, that’s right…”
“Hmm! Yes, that’s for sure.”
Sar-Aria gulped down the drink and chimed in with my words. Even at the dungeon entrance, he wouldn’t let go of the bottle…
“Then from next time, Alan, you should also attend!”
“Wait, Aria. I’m the party leader. Whether that loser participates in the meeting is up to me.”
“Oh, right. Sorry, Erin.”
What?
Certainly… The one leading this hero party was the little warrior Mesgaki. It wasn’t like the others were against me attending the meeting, but her gaze was a bit negative.
“My dear♡”
“Why?”
“Why do you suddenly want to attend the meeting?”
“I just explained the reason…”
“Is that the only reason?”
“…Well.”
Do I need another reason? As I was thinking this, Erin, who had been quietly staring at me, spoke up.
“Why should I do that~?”
“…What?”
“Sigh♡ Why should I accommodate you? What benefit can our party gain by including a useless, pathetic person like you in the battle meeting? Huh? If you knew something about the battle, that might be different, but you don’t, right? Just adding another mouth might just make the meeting longer, don’t you think~♡”
“You…!”
While Erin’s harsh words momentarily made me angry, I realized that I didn’t have much to say in response. They were definitely not a normal party, but a party of warriors.
The dungeon we were about to enter is considered an early-stage dungeon in the game world, but for a warrior party, it was a place as perilous as a disaster for ordinary people. Therefore, the meeting we had before entering the dungeon had to be careful and important.
Putting myself in Erin’s or other party members’ shoes, it wasn’t a good thing for me to participate in the meeting. If someone ignorant starts making strange comments during the meeting, it not only lowers the quality of the meeting but also wastes time.
“Do you want me to refute? Oh, do you have nothing to say because everything I said is true?”
Although the tone seemed somewhat impertinent, I understood that this was not a joke, but a serious conversation.
Of course, I would have been willing to listen to the conversation if I was involved in the meeting… but it was difficult to ask her to trust that. People can change at any moment. If I made a cool judgment, her words were quite right.
“Still, I can’t give up the meeting.”
I couldn’t miss the opportunity to gain a position in the party. Time would resolve everything, but I didn’t know how long I would have to live as a useless drifter.
“…I understand what you’re saying. I was too hasty in requesting it.”
“Oh my, did you understand? You quickly understood a topic that’s usually difficult~♡”
“Then all I have to do is prove that I’m useful in the meeting, right?”
“Hmm, what could this mean?”
Erin showed interest. Although there wasn’t much I could do in battle right away…
“Do you want me to explain how to conquer this dungeon?”
It was possible to teach them a strategy.
Fortunately, Erin and the other party members accepted my proposal. Of course, the process was not without obstacles.
“Allen, how do you know about this dungeon?”
“Isn’t it too risky to assign command to someone with no combat experience?”
“…I agree.”
It was quite a struggle to persuade them.
I tried to convince them using the excuse that I had done extensive research on this dungeon, but it was really difficult to change the party members’ minds… Thankfully, Erin surprisingly agreed, so I was able to persuade them.
“Hmph, a novice without any combat experience leading the dungeon raid?”
“Yes, that’s definitely challenging…”
“Well, it sounds fun. Let’s give it a try.”
“Erin?”
“I don’t know how well I can handle such a lousy topic, but ♡”
Of course, there were opposing opinions at the time.
“Erin, Allen doesn’t know anything about this!”
“That’s right, Erin. It’s too dangerous.”
“I’ve done a lot of research. He might know more than us.”
“But it’s different from having experience leading a party.”
“But still, give him a chance to prove himself? I understand what you’re worried about… but isn’t it interesting to see someone inexperienced make an argument? It shows confidence, doesn’t it?”
However, with one word from Erin, the party members had no choice but to follow suit.
“The party leader thinks that way, what do you think?”
“Well…”
“…I understand.”
“But if we fail, it’s your responsibility, since you insisted on ruining a dungeon raid that could have been successful.”
Erin warned me clearly, regardless of her support for me. As if it were obvious, I nodded my head, and Erin spoke with an arrogant tone.
“So, you should take this seriously. If you act stupidly, it will all end there ♡”
I didn’t hear exactly what that responsibility meant… Anyway, I took charge and the dungeon conquest began. However, the process was not smooth from the beginning.
“From here on, there will be plenty of traps. Don’t touch or approach anything that looks suspicious. Yeah, like that brick sticking out over there… Aria?”
-A hidden trap has been activated!
“Huh? Suddenly, arrows are flying at us?”
“I said there was a trap!!”
“hahahahaha! Avoid, avoid~!”
That crazy woman!
It was an accident from the beginning. The intoxicated Ser-Aria unknowingly triggered the trap just shown to her. Thanks to that, dozens of poisoned arrows were flying towards her.
“Erin, can you fend them off?”
“What do you take me for? My arms are only useful when it comes to slapping someone. They’re quite different from your two arms~♡”
“Well then, block them quickly!”
“Puhu, isn’t that more of a request than an order?”
“Just block them!!”
“Yes~♡”
Erin jumped forward and drew her sword.
-The hero Erin activates [Blade Dance].
A message appeared in my eyes only, and Erin’s blade shone brightly.
Swiftly! Swiftly! Swiftly! Swiftly─!!!
And in an instant, all the dozens of arrows flying towards me were cut in half. It was as if I was removing numerous falling petals.
“Whew…”
“Inhale, why are you panicking over something like this, you fool~♡”
It would be more strange if I didn’t dodge them.
Anyway, after Erin had deflected all the arrows, relieved, I immediately pointed out the culprit.
“Aria, you…”
“Ahahahaha! Sorry, Allen~!”
“…I entrusted you with the command this time. Then, you should follow along.”
“Yeah, yeah, I was wrong. This older sister made a mistake.”
Did I really make a mistake…
“… Aria, come to the rear. Thief, it would be better for you to disable the trap on Erin’s side and proceed.”
“hahahahaha, I got demoted to the rear!”
“… Yes.”
It seemed like it would be better to remove the trap in advance, as Ser-Aria was touching another strange trap. Dodgeo took a step forward cautiously.
At that moment, Dodgeo turned to look at me.
“… Um… Just in case I’m asking, but.”
“Yeah?”
“Um, sending me ahead as a shield because I’m useless…”
“No! Absolutely not!”
This crazy delusional patient. I couldn’t let my guard down even for a moment.
If I had said even the slightest wrong thing, I would have been trapped in this place, full of traps, unable to escape.
“Ah, no…?”
“Yeah, I’m going because I trust you. You have excellent trap detection and dismantling skills. I need your strength to proceed safely.”
“…Trust? Like that?”
“I’m asking you.”
“Okay.”
If things went like this, it seemed that I wouldn’t have strange thoughts for a while. Doh-geo, as a member of the warrior party, found and eliminated all the traps that even I, who knew the dungeon, would have been confused by.
“When you look at it this way, everyone has their own exceptional skills
The god of the Dungeon in “Evil Dungeon” must have given them abilities but also inflicted them with mental disabilities. If not, there was simply no explanation.
This was the area where the trap zone ended and the area where monsters would appear began.
If we arbitrarily designate the trap zone as Zone A and the area where monsters would appear next as Zone B… Here, Zone B was relatively advantageous for long-range attacks and magic.
However, as you know, our party doesn’t have a magician.
How did we even form a party without a magician? Are the idiots who formed this party mentally challenged?
Nevertheless, this combination was somewhat efficient. There were people who could somewhat fill the role of a magician.
“Leticia.”
“Yes?”
“Slowly, the spirits….” It is scary to ask them to appear. I will soon find out why I feel this way. “Ah, is it my turn?” Letitia asked, suddenly smiling mischievously. Watching her smile made me dizzy already. Letitia prepared to summon the spirits as I requested. “Spirits imbued in nature, come forth.” Under Letitia’s recitation of an incantation, a summoning circle for the spirits appeared beneath her feet.
“According to the promise between you and me, fulfill the obligation of the contract.”
– The spirit mage Leticia activated [Quick Summon].
The summoning circle emitted a bright light. Thanks to the quick summoning skill, four elemental spirits appeared at the same time.
– The Salamander of Fire, the Undine of Water, the Sylph of Wind, and the Gnome of Earth have been summoned.
The spirits with the names that everyone must have heard at least once somewhere responded to Leticia’s call. Then, Leticia slightly raised the back of her robe and pulled out something from her waist.
Snap!
When it hit the ground, it made a very sharp sound. Yes, what Leticia pulled out was a whip. It may seem strange for a spirit mage to be carrying a whip, but it’s because the spirit mages of the Dungeon Lord Evil also have the personality of a summoner.
Therefore, there is no problem with using a whip. However, the real issue was Letitia herself, the one who held the whip.
“Kyahahahaha♥”
… It began. That ominous laughter. When I glanced at her, Letitia spread her whip tightly between both hands and lightly stomped on Salamander’s head with her shoe.
“Kyahahahahaha! Spirits, everyone. It’s time to work~! I will whip diligently, so you need to work hard too, right? If not…”
Snap!!
“You know, right? Kyahahahaha!”
Letitia’s expression as she asked the spirits is soaked in ecstasy. Her cheeks are flushed, her pupils have already lost their focus, and even her breath is rough.
Didn’t I say it? These members of the party all have something wrong with their heads.
Among the party members, Letitia appeared to be the most normal, but her problem was that she was an extreme sadist.
Damn!!! That whip was unexpected hahaahhaahaha