Side story 09 – A Certain Founder’s Faith

When I was young, the world seemed filled with colour.

At the time, I had never doubted the flowery lifestyle I had been born into as a noble.
I wasn’t the eldest son so I couldn’t inherit the household, but because our family was high ranked I assumed that I would be wedded into some other family, and in fact that was what my father was thinking about.

In the Kingdom of Fortera, the nobility were split into three rough factions. The first was the Royalist Faction; a gathering of nobles that pledged their allegiance to the king and royal family. The second was the Feudal Lords Faction; a faction that pushed for the benefits of nobles, and occasionally opposed the Royalists Faction. Finally, was the Church Faction; a gathering of nobles with deep connections to the Church of Sacred Light, and took a neutral stand in the scuffle between the other two factions.
The power of the nation was roughly divided into 4 parts Feudal Lords, 3 parts Royalists, 2 parts Church, and 1 part for all the other factions, as well as those individualistic nobles that didn’t join any factions at all.

Because my family was a powerful family within the Church Faction, I had joined the Church of Sacred Light when I was young, and often met with people from the Church. When I was young I had just simply believed in what I was taught, and worshipped the Sacred Goddess, but as I grew older and came into contact with the Church more and more, I began to see reality.

Widespread bribery and debauchery, fat ministers who thought only about exploiting the believers; a vulgar situation unlike the public image.

By that time, I was old enough to know that there wasn’t any meaning in screaming ‘this is wrong’. The upper echelons who were foremost in this injustice would surely pay me no heed. The nobility in the Church Faction weren’t pious either, and were a group of nobles who wanted to use the Church’s backing to gain profits, and people who actually had faith were the minority. It was obvious that trying to expose this unfairness would just fall upon deaf ears.
Being afraid of isolation, I decided to keep my feelings locked in my heat. And before long, my faith had left me.

My colourful world had been a grey world painted in falsehoods.

..*

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..*

Now that I had found it bothersome to deal with nobility or the Church, although I kept up appearances, I would occasionally sneak out of my house. Having said that though, it wasn’t as though I had anywhere I wanted to go. I just wanted to see a world with colour, and so I spent my time walking around town dressed like a commoner. Unlike the world of nobles or the Church, the town still seemed filled with colour.
It was around this time that I hid my identity and registered as an adventurer. To begin with, as a noble of the Church Faction, I had been brought up in the use of a mace. Because of that, I immediately distinguished myself in the Guild. Before I knew it, I had made companions to do the requests with, and as I spent each day having fun, the colour came back to the world────up until my companions died from wounds during a request.

They were heavy wounds, but by no means were they heavy enough that they wouldn’t be saved. If they were carried into a church and received the healing of a cleric, they should have been able to live longer. The problem was that the bishops that could use high level healing magic were all occupied with the Noble Faction, and healing for just an adventurer was left for later. Once you excluded the bishops, the Church only had young clerics, and you couldn’t hope for proper healing from them.
Had I used my family name, I might have been able to give them priority, but at the same time it would mean exposing my background and it was clear that I wouldn’t be able to spend time with them like we had been. In order to save my companions, I had to cut my ties with them; because of this decision, I couldn’t come to a decision. By the time I had finally decided to expose myself, my companions had already stopped breathing.

The world once again returned to grey.
For my own conveniences, I had abandoned my companions. Because of that, I couldn’t live the way I had been anymore. I lamented and regretted, but my companions wouldn’t return.
I stopped showing up at the Guild, and spend my days drinking cheap liquor in a tavern.
One day, a man I knew from the bar invited me to a certain gathering. The group didn’t have a name, but having originally been close with the Church, I immediately realised who they were────a gathering of those who worshipped the god that the Church referred to as the Evil God. The past me would probably have scorned them and stayed away, but having half given up on myself, I participated in the gathering.

And then I came across my second, and final faith.

In the gathering, they talked about the injustice of the Church of Sacred Light, as well as the God that opposed the Sacred Goddess.
The former were things that I had always thought about, and kept hidden in my heart without talking to anyone about. Having found a place where people sympathised with me for the first time, I rejoiced.
As for the latter, although the Church of Sacred Light had spoken about that god as well, they taught that that God was an evil being that wished for the meaningless destruction of the world. No, I’m sure the truth was that the Church of Sacred Light simply couldn’t tell why they wanted to destroy the world.
When the people of the world fall into depravity, the true God will save them through destruction. To the depraved Church of Sacred Light, it’s obvious that such a god would be bad news for them. Because the Church, as well as the Sacred Goddess they worshipped concealed their depravity, they persecuted this god as the Evil God.

I had found a being truly worthy of my faith.
While secretly using the authority and assets of my family, as well as my connections with the Church that I shunned, I elevated myself within our Faith.

..*

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..*

There was a rumour that the god that we worshipped had descended to a certain dungeon. It was information I had obtained from the Church of Sacred Light, but because this was a matter of importance to them as well, it was hard to think that these were lies. If it turned out to be true, we needed to welcome God at all costs.
Having been recognised for my contributions to the cause, I had been left in charge of this area, and so I directed my fellow believers to Riemel where the dungeon was.

..*

Because the believers of the Sacred Light would get in the way if they found out, we decided to split up and head for the dungeon entrance, and meet up once it was time. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any adventurers visiting the dungeon at night, so there was nobody but us.
Because there was a large room on the 1st floor, we decided to hold the ritual there. The believers set up the fire, cauldron and altar whilst I meditated until the ritual began in order to heighten my concentration.

..*

After a while, all the believers had gathered, and the ritual began.
We burnt an incense that uplifted one’s mind, and heightened our concentration to call forth God. Because I was the one managing things I was wearing a priest’s outfit, but the other believers removed their bothersome clothes to cast off their ties to the world. There were also believers who lay with each other to offer that lust to our God.

Feeling the surge of piety and that everything was progressing smoothly, I walked to the middle of the room, and raised my right hand. The frenzied believers immediately went silent, but they were as feverish as ever… No, that feverish enthusiasm had increased.

“We now begin the ritual of offerings!”

Together with my shout, the believers all raised cries of joy.
They prepared a stone altar, and lay atop it the girl that had been bought as a sacrifice.

“Nnnnnn――――――!!”

It pained my heart to see the girl struggling in tears, but this too was for the sake of our faith. I believe that her soul will be retrieved by our God to serve as the cornerstone of the new world.

“O god of ours, please accept our humble offering.”

With those words, I brought down the raised dagger towards the girl’s heart.
I felt the feeling of cutting flesh that I had experienced in my adventurer days, together with a splash of fresh blood… That’s what should have happened, but the next thing that I felt was the sensation of stabbing at something hard, and the sparks that came with it.
The dagger than I had swung downwards had faintly marked the stone altar, and snapped at the tip. The girl that should have accepted the dagger with her body was nowhere to be seen.

What-, just what was going on!?
Where had the girl sacrifice gone?

Although I had fallen into confusion from the sudden events, I immediately realised what had happened.
The girl was tied up before me; she had no means to escape on her own, and there was no way I wouldn’t have noticed had somebody else rescued her.
If there was someone who could do such a thing, then it could only have been our God!

We had always been faithful until now, but the power of our faith was insufficient, and so we had never received a response from God.
However. However! This time, for the first time, God had shown a response to our ritual!
Aahh, the rumours were true! Our God had truly descended!

In my joy, I made an announcement to the believers.

“Have you all not seen it yourself!? Our God has accepted our humble offering.”

Perhaps my words had finally made them realise the situation because cheers of joy rang all around. Satisfied, I faced the direction that I believed our God was watching from, and waited for Their words.

..*

..*

『…Untasty.』

However, the words that came to me were much too unexpected. What’s more, the voice was that of a female, still young. The sex of our God had never been recorded, but was She a goddess?
No, I can worry about that later. If She wasn’t satisfied, then as her faithful servants, we needed to apologise.

“Eh-? Ah-… Please excuse us! Umm, did it not suit your esteemed palate?”

『Humans, demons, unpalatable. Oxen, pigs, chickens, goats──animals recommended.』

Oohhh, God of ours. Are you asking us to go buy you meat from the butcher?

“U-, Understood! U-, Um… I am truly sorry to trouble you, but is there no mistake in that you are our God?”

I know quite well that it was insolence to ask such a thing, but I couldn’t help but do so. We had been granted the humble chance to exchange words with the god who had been silent thus far. This was something I needed to determine, even at the cost of my life.

『Indeed.』

“Oohhh! Receiving your words is the acme of honour!”

It was. It really was our God!
I could feel my body being filled with joy and emotion.

『Although it did not suit my palate, it is true that you have done me service with your offering. As such, I bestow this staff.』

Together with this unexpected praise appeared a single staff atop the altar.
A jet black staff that seemed to house all the darkness of the world; simple though it looked, it was a staff with a polished design, and even without touching it, I could feel an incredible power emanating from it.

“T-, This is!? T-, To think that I would be granted a divine weapon-!”

This overwhelming power was unmistakably a divine weapon.
I took the presented staff in hand, and trembled from joy.
Aahh, I was born all for this moment.

『Continue to be zealous in your faith.』

“Understood-!”

Of course. You needn’t even say it. My faith and devotion is all for your sake.
Raising the bestowed staff into the air, I turned towards the believers and shouted.

“As of this moment, I declare myself as the Founder of our Faith who will guide everyone on their path! This staff bestowed from God is the proof of my faith! Those who object, speak now!”

It was as good as declaring a supersession within the Faith, but even the previous leaders of the Faith could not deny the truth that I had been bestowed a divine weapon from God. No, rather, I would not allow them to deny it.
God told me to continue to endeavour in my faith; even if they were the “Former” Founder, I would not allow them to get in the way of my faith.

“As Founder Harvin, I declare that we will build upon this place a temple to worship our God!”

Now then, things are going to get busy from now on.

..*

..*

Aahh, the colours of the world are brighter than ever!

..*

..*

..*

Later on, the “Former” Founder and leaders from various areas reproached me for naming myself Founder, but as proof that God had directly acknowledged my faith, nobody could stop me from becoming Founder any longer.
After all, apart from myself, nobody could hold the divine weapon, and even if I let it out of my hands, it would return to my side. There was no doubt that this was proof that I had been chosen.
Oohh, God of ours! I shall follow you to the end!
..*

..*

..*

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TL: There’s a line that reads ‘中には信徒同士交わることでその陰気を神への供物とする者も居ます。‘ but I’m assuming 陰気(melancholy/gloom/Yin) here was a typo for 淫気(lust). Normally I’d say this for sure, but then this is an Evil God and everything, and there’s a tiny chance that I’m overlooking some cultural thing.

 

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<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

Side story 06 – A Certain Mage’s Grief

“The Wicked Cave of the Robber?”

“Yes, it was in the Guild announcement. Apparently it’s a new dungeon, but the reward for the subjugation of the dungeon master was 30 gold coins.”

“Thirty gold coins!?”

While sitting around a table in the inn’s tavern, we reported to each other the results of the information gathering when we split up into two groups in town.
A capture request for a new dungeon? But still, for a newly formed dungeon, that’s quite a sum attached isn’t it. That’s probably just how dangerous they think the dungeon might be though.

“Apparently a bunch of parties have already challenged it, but didn’t make much progress. Not only are there a bunch of strong monsters wandering about, there’s even talk about it being filled with miasma.”

“Miasma? It’s annoying stuff, but as long as we have Widdi we should manage somehow.”

She’s young, but Widdi’s power as a cleric is greater than the average bishop. On a good day, she can even rival an archbishop, so a barrier put up by her should be able to hold out the miasma.

“Well? What are we gunna do?”

“Hmm. If everyone agrees, I was thinking that we’d challenge it. It’s a bit of a detour though.”

I thought a little bit about what Arc said. We’re the Hero Party, and on our way to the Demon King in the Demon Territory, we just stopped over here in Riemel for a little, so going to capture the dungeon would definitely be making a detour.
Having said that though, thinking about Arc and Widdi’s personalities, they probably won’t be able to leave this town alone after all, and in high level dungeons, you can get strong weapons and items as well. What’s more, although we’re not lacking in travelling money, it definitely never hurts to have more, so the reward is looking pretty good as well.

“Okay. Sounds good.”

“I’m in too.”

“I agree as well.”

After I agreed, Zio and Widdi followed, and with our unanimous decision, we were now headed to challenge the new dungeon.

*imouto*

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*imouto*

I had heard about how difficult the dungeon would be beforehand, but honestly speaking, I didn’t think it would be this hard. The miasma floating around was thick enough that I’m pretty sure we’d be in trouble without Widdi’s barrier, and the monsters prowling about were quite strong as well. On top of that, ever since we decided to take our break after the last barrier renewal, the monsters have been attacking more vigorously than ever, and sapped us of our stamina.

“Huuu, these monster attacks have been pretty crazy, haven’t they.”

“Isn’t it because we badmouthed the dungeon master and angered him?”

I grumbled in complaint while repulsing a monster for the Nth time, and Zio frivolously replied.

“It certainly does feel like they’re being sent here on purpose, huh.”

“…”

Arc agreed as well, but Widdi alone didn’t join in. Far from it, for some reason she was trembling with her head hanging.

“Widdi?”

“Oi, what’s wrong?”

“You okay?”

Seeing that something was up, we all called out to her, but Widdi just wouldn’t reply. But after a while, she finally gave her response with a bright red face and teary eyes.

“U-, Umm… I-, I need to use the bathroom…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

I chased the men away with an ‘ahem’.

*imouto*

*imouto*

High-ranked adventurers though we may be, we can’t beat biology. It’s been quite a while since we entered the dungeon, and Widdi was apparently at her limits too. After making sure we were far enough that the men couldn’t see, Widdi immediately squatted against the wall. The monsters wouldn’t care about our circumstances so there was no way to let Widdi go off on her own, so as a fellow woman, I went with her to stand guard.

It’s awkward, but there’s really nothing we can do. There aren’t any toilets in a dungeon after all, so it can’t be helped.

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

…Or so I thought, but apparently this dungeon just got weirder and weirder.
Once we went down a floor, the very first room had the entrances to a men’s and women’s toilet. They were even meticulous enough to leave a sign plate.

“Suspicious.”

“Def suspicious.”

“Pretty suspicious.”

“Whyy! Had it been on the last floor then I wouldn’t have had to do something so embarrassing…-!”

Widdi was groaning in complaint for a different reason than the rest of us, but thinking about it normally, this is as suspicious as it gets. It’s clearly unnatural to have a toilet in a dungeon. The chance of it being a trap are high. It’s high, but…

“Arc, could you check to see if it’s a trap?”

the truth is, I think I’ve just about hit my limit as well. If there are no traps, I’d like to use it. The divine protection on Arc’s Holy Sword can check for traps, so I had him check for any problems.

“Uu… To think that I’d use the blessing of the Holy Sword to check the safety of a toilet. Sacred Goddess Sophia-sama, please grant me your forgiveness…”

In the end, he apparently didn’t find any traps, so I gratefully used it.
Widdi was glaring at me hatefully, but I paid it no heed.

*imouto*

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*imouto*

When we reached the 10th floor, we hit a snag in a certain room. In the middle of that room was a large pedestal, and words were carved into it.

“『Thee who wouldst come in challenge before the throne of the undying one, arrange correctly the stars.』 huh? Just what the heck could it mean?”

“There are many undead in this dungeon, so I believe that the “Undying One” refers to the boss of this dungeon.”

Mn, that sounds right. I was thinking what Widdi said.

“I see. Then in other words, if we want to fight the dungeon master, then we have to “arrange correctly the skies”, huh? I wonder what “arrange correctly the skies” means.”

Geez, Arc sure is the same as ever. Even if you say ‘I see’, we still don’t know the important part.

“They probably mean the celestial bodies, huh? I think that’s what these marks on the pedestal represent.”

On the pedestal, apart from the words were three square holes, and some kind of marks carved inside them. A mark that was a circle with jagged teeth around them, a mark like a wide arc, and a jagged mark with five points.

“How are we supposed to arrange these marks? …They don’t bloody move.”

“Seems that putting mana into it doesn’t work either, huh.”

Zio stuck his right hand into one of the holes and tried to move it sideways, but it didn’t seem to budge at all. It doesn’t look like something you can solve with brute force. Having said that though, it doesn’t seem to be a magical contraption either.

“Arc-sama, has the guidance of the Holy Sword not given any clues?”

“Sorry, nothing really…”

“N-, No! I apologise for asking too much!”

Widdi had entrusted a gleam of hope with Arc’s Holy Sword, but apparently that wasn’t working either.
Seeing Arc reply apologetically, Widdi frantically apologised.

“Even the Holy Sword from Sacred Goddess-sama can’t do a thing? Seriously? It’s a pretty hard question, hey? As someone whose specialty is using my body, this kind of thing is a bit much for me.”

“Don’t say things like that, and think together with everyone!”

It’s a problem with Arc too, but Zio is the type to do things by force without being very good at thinking. Having said that, pushing all the thinking work to Widdi and I would be troubling.

After that, we tried things like cutting at the pedestal with the Holy Sword, or trying to move the pedestal itself, but even after trying various things, we weren’t any better off.

“It’s not good. I haven’t the tiniest idea how to get the dungeon master to come out. I thought this place would be a shallow dungeon, so we didn’t prepare enough. It’s frustrating, but let’s withdraw for now.”

“T-, To withdraw right before the dungeon master…-!”

Well, I guess it can’t be helped. We’ve reached a dead end after all, and just like Arc said, it’s also a fact that we weren’t prepared enough. Nobody imagined that a new dungeon would be this deep, so we only brought basic camping gear. It can’t be helped.

We decided to give up and head back for the surface.

*imouto*

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*imouto*

After that we decided to head back for Riemel to gather information, and a certain rumour reached our ears.
It was that the real Evil God was lurking in that dungeon.

“The Evil God? Honestly sounds like a fake, but…”

“But it’s also a fact that it wasn’t your average miasma in that dungeon.”

We realised after checking for ourselves, but the miasma in that dungeon wasn’t something normal. It was at a level where you could believe it if somebody said the Evil God was in there. What’s more, the monsters spawned were quite strong as well.

“What shall we do, Arc-sama?”

“…”

Widdi asked Arc, but he was at a loss for once, and sank into thought for a while.

“Honestly… it pains me to say it, but I don’t think we can beat the Evil God as we are.”

The Evil God is the being that’s said to create the Demon King, so there’s definitely no mistaking that he’s stronger than the Demon King. Right now we don’t know if we can defeat the Demon King, but at the very least, we don’t have much hope in defeating a being called a god.

“That’s true.”

“Yeah, pretty sure that’s too much.”

“It pains me to admit it as a follower of the Church of Sacred Light, but…”

Being a cleric, Widdi was making a bitter expression, but if we failed in vain here and became unable to defeat the Demon King, it would just be putting the cart before the horse. In the end, Arc’s duty as the Hero was just to defeat the Demon King, and we the Hero Party were there to support him in that role.

“For now, we’ll keep that dungeon in mind, and head to the Demon Territory first. If we safely defeat the Demon King, then at that time we’ll come back here and challenge it again.”

We all nodded back at Arc’s strong declaration.

“But still, despite all the work we did, all we got in the end was this weird stone slab? Geez, what a bloody waste of time.”

“Speaking of which, what on earth are these things?”

Speaking of which, we certainly did pick up this items on the 10th floor. There isn’t any mana coming from it, and it only looks like a normal stone slab.

“I don’t know either, but it was something found in the dungeon said to house the Evil God. It might actually hold some incredible power. There’s a chance that it’ll become our trump card in the fight against the Demon King.”

“That would be nice, but…”

Now then, now that we’re done with our detour, I guess tomorrow we’ll be beginning our journey towards the Demon King Castle.
I guess I’ll pray that we make it safely back to this town again.

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Arc held the up Stone Slab of the Moon to the sky.
But nothing happened.

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TL: Today’s a weekend, so I’m busy with stuff around house as usual. Only managed to get one chapter out, and at… 3:43 AM.
This also marks the final re-translated chapter, so now there’s just 9 to 11 left, all new territory. Well, for you readers at least.

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<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

Side story 05 – A Certain Guildmaster’s Melancholy

“Abnormalities in the Beginners Dungeon, you say?”

“Yes. There was a report from Lufree-san.”

When I skimmed through the report that made it to my office, I couldn’t help but tilt my head in wonder.
The Beginners Dungeon is a dungeon closeby to Riemel, and although the dungeon master was already subjugated. Because of that, the dungeon is now dormant, but not dead.
It was originally a shallow dungeon with only 3 floors after all, making the monsters all weak. Because of that it was left under the jurisdiction of the Riemel Branch of the Adventurers Guild as a training ground for beginners. Although dungeons without a dungeon master won’t grow anymore, as long as the dungeon core isn’t broken, it’ll continue to produce monsters and set traps, so it was a pretty effective training ground.

“The atmosphere and interior of the dungeon have changed, and the spawned monsters are stronger?”

In the past, the only monsters that spawned in the Beginners Dungeon were slimes and kobolds. But from what I can tell having read Lufree’s report, wraiths and black steel golems appear now. Lufree was close to becoming one of the leading adventurers, but he reported that he couldn’t match them at all.

“The revival of the dungeon master… No, it would probably be better to see this as the birth of a new dungeon master, wouldn’t it.”

Dungeon masters are born when the naturally occuring dungeon cores form a contract with a monster, animal, or perhaps human or demon. Dungeon masters steal the mana of prey killed within the dungeon, and use that mana to develop the dungeon. If left alone, they can grow infinitely. Because of that, dungeon masters become subjugation targets. Left alone it’s quite likely that they could swallow a town or city before you know it, after all.
The dungeon core in the Beginners Dungeon was presumably in good shape, so it’s probable that somebody or something came into contact with it and became the new dungeon master.
But what worries me is the fact that the spawned monsters are powerful, and that there’s an ominous aura coming from within the dungeon. Both of these factors point to the new dungeon master being a considerably powerful being. A powerful monster, or… a demon.

“Call in Vaif’s team.”

*imouto*

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*imouto*

“Pretty rare that you expressly call us over, ey, Guild Master?”

The next day, I went to meet the 4-man adventurer party that had responded to the request. They’re the top rankers of Riemel Town, and at present, they’re the highest ranking party that I can mobilise.

“I want to task you all with the investigation of this incident.”

After saying that, I handed Vaif the report from Lufree. After Vaif had a look through it, it was passed around the party.

“An abnormality in that Beginners Dungeon, …huh? And why did you go out of your way to call us?”

“Call it my intuition. I have a feeling that things will get complicated.”

“My, my. Your intuition’s always been pretty good, after all.”

Investigating the level of risk this “Former” Beginners Dungeon posed was of utmost priority. If Lufree who is basically a core adventurer wasn’t even a match for them, then unless it’s a fairly powerful team they won’t be able to determine how dangerous the dungeon is. That’s why I couldn’t be stingy.

“Please investigate with attention to details.”

“Understood. Leave it to us.”

*imouto*

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*imouto*

“So, this report was the result?”

“…It shames me to say it.”

After reading the report from Vaif, I spoke to Vaif who was in front of me. Unlike the time when I dispatched him, his party members weren’t present. It seems they were quite depressed with the results of their investigation.

“I wasn’t particularly criticising you. You fulfilled the objective of determining the dungeon’s risk, so it doesn’t matter that you failed the request.”

Only, the results are much harsher than expected. Not even in my dreams did I imagine that Riemel Branch’s top rankers would be beaten on the 2nd floor.
Powerful monsters, difficult to deal with traps, and what’s more…

“Miasma?”

“Yeah, a troublesome one that affects the mind. It’s impossible to go deeper without countermeasures.”

Miasma is an aura released by evil beings, and while some corrode the body like poisons, some are like this one and cause negative influences on the spirit. It’s known that when it comes to dungeons, the nature of the dungeon master will be spread throughout the dungeon. In general, dungeons with miasma are home to high-ranked dungeon masters, and this is particularly true for dungeons with miasma that affects the mind.
Clerics with lots of practice can form barriers, and items consecrated by the Church of Sacred Light can protect against the miasma to an extent, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a troublesome problem.

“But still, you did quite well in surviving a wipeout in the dungeon.”

“Well yeah, normally you’d be eaten by monsters and die on the spot after all. I did mention that in the report just in case, but…”

Apparently, after they fainted, only their items and weapons were taken, and before they knew it, they had been tossed into the dungeon entrance. This report was consistent with the one from Lufree the other day. Honsetly speaking, I don’t understand it. I do believe that it’s basically settled that there’s a new dungeon master in the “Former” Beginners Dungeon, but the purpose of a dungeon should be to kill prey inside and steal their mana. Knocking them out, stealing their weapons and items, and then returning them alive… This is the first case of its kind.

“Well? What are you gunna do?”

Even if we agonise over the dungeon master’s plan, it doesn’t seem like we’ll figure anything out. Just like Vaif said, it would probably be best to think about what we should do next. It’s likely that he personally wants to re-challenge the investigation that left him in humiliation though.

“Let’s see. I am thinking of spreading news of a request for countermeasures against a new dungeon. The reward should be about 30 gold coins.”

“30 gold coins!? …No, certainly that much might be necessary.”

Honestly speaking, it’s an extravagant sum for the subjugation of a completely new dungeon, but I don’t think this is too much. Despite being shocked, Vaif as well immediately agreed. As long as even Vaif’s team, top rankers in this branch, had trouble making progress, there isn’t any choice except to hope for manpower from elsewhere. With this much money, we can probably expect people from all across the country to challenge this dungeon.

“As long as we’re sending out a request, we need to think of a name for this dungeon, don’t we. It’s already a different dungeon to the Beginners Dungeon. Hmm, how about… “The Wicked Cave of the Robber”?”

“Fits it perfectly.”

In light of the fact that it releases a fiendish miasma, as well as the fact that its purpose can only be assumed to be stealing weapons and items from adventurers, this was the name we gave it.
Now then, while I send out the request, I’d better contact the Adventurers Guilds in other towns as well.
It seems things will get busy from now on.

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

That of all things, I would incur the wrath of the Evil God because of that name, was something that I hadn’t even imagined at that time.

 

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<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

Side story 04 – A Certain Slave’s Salvation

Is in a sense one of the few (almost) completely serious chapters in this story.
It’s a little depressing, so readers who are bad with it are advised to skip this chapter and read only the final three lines.

---

In the dark dungeon filled with despair, she was the only one who extended her hand to me.

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

This year was a bad harvest.
The crops in the field had shrivelled, and unable to even provide a good meal, they had no worth on the market. We had just a little bit saved up, but even so it wasn’t enough for a family of five to pass the winter with.
When the slave merchants came to the village in their carriages, there was already nothing else we could do.

I have a father, a mother, a brother two years older than me, and a little brother one year younger. Because they needed the manpower of the boys, it was inevitable that I was the one sold.

Although I say ‘sold’, that wasn’t exactly correct. Strictly speaking, we entered a contract of debt with the slave merchants.
The slave merchants gave my father a loan, and I became the security. If my father couldn’t pay back the money, I would be sold as a slave. But from the beginning, we all knew that there was no chance of paying them back. It seems the slave merchants intended this as well because they told us that if we gave up on paying them back right away, they would give a better price.

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

While averting his eyes from me, father told the slave merchants right there that he couldn’t pay them back.

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

I had hoped that something fortunate would happen after this misfortune, but it seems that Sacred Goddess-sama wouldn’t permit such naivety.
Misfortune followed the misfortune, and on the carriage back to town, I contracted a fatal illness. It was tough to even raise my body, and my chest throbbed with pain. There were times when I even coughed blood.
There were two other slaves weak from disease, and out of worry of infecting the healthy ones, we were tossed into a heap on the carriage that held the luggage. The chances of being sold were lower because we were going to die, so the food we were given were less than the other slaves, but I couldn’t really find the appetite either.

By the time the carriage finally reached Riemel, I was already at death’s door.

*imouto*

In the slave merchant’s shop, the three of us were put into the same cell. It was a cell for slaves on the verge of death like us. Because it was a waste of money, we weren’t even allowed to wear clothing, and everybody just sat around the way they wanted. Even when we were first put into the cell, only half of the slaves in there made any response, and when I saw these people whose hearts had died in despair first, I felt heart chill over.
That was my future, and it wasn’t a far off one.

*imouto*

I was told by the slave merchants that slaves on the verge of death were sold off to be killed.
Human shields against monsters for adventurers or bodyguards, or material for magical experiments. And although they weren’t many, there were also those who simply wanted to satisfy their desires, and bought cheap slaves to use to death.
If we were sold, we would be killed. On the other hand, if we stayed unsold like this, then before long as well…

*imouto*

A body wracked with pain being corroded by disease, and a heart that was corroded by despair that went beyond that.
Days where it seemed like my heart would die first passed by.
Customers came in before our cell a number of times, and the number of slaves in the cell decreased.

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

One day, the slave merchants brought another customer.
Still leaning against the wall, I hazily had a look.
Most of the customers so far had been male, but although I couldn’t see their face under the black robe, this time they were probably a woman… And what’s more, somebody who only seemed a little older than me.
After the slave merchant said something to them, that woman stepped forward and took off her hood herself.
The moment I saw her eyes, my heart that should have been on the verge of death, the verge of stopping, was for some reason trembling.

“This girl is?”

“Her name is Tena, and she’s 14 years old. She was born in a village a little distance from Riemel, and is a debt slave, but on the way here she was attacked by a fatal disease and she probably only has a month left to live.”

I unconsciously flinched at the slave merchant’s words. Although I knew that I didn’t have long to live, hearing somebody else talk concretely about how much longer I had made the fear of death well up in me.

*imouto*

I don’t… want to die…

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

“If it’s me, then I might be able to save her.”

… … … … … …Eh?
It took a little while until I properly understood what the woman had said.
Save me? Is she going to save me?
I looked at the black eyes that were staring in my direction, but they were serious and didn’t look like she was lying. And for some reason, when I look her in the eyes, my heart can’t stay calm.

“I don’t have any proof, but if you’ll believe and accept me, then take this hand.”

With her words, the woman stretched her arm into the cage and held her hand out to me.
I looked at her face and her outstretched hand, dumbfounded, but I decided to trust in my agitated heart and took her hand. It was a fact that I wouldn’t be saved at this rate anyway, so I decided to follow my heart.

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

They cleaned my body, and I was able to wear clothes for the first time in a while. I was in chaos from all the things that had happened while I was in a daze, but when they put on the collar for slaves when they dressed me, I was finally conscious of the fact that I was being sold. Because I was too weak to even walk, one of the servant men carried me into the shop and laid me on the floor.

“Please touch her collar with your hand.”

Doing as she was asked, the woman that bought me stretched her hand out to the collar on my neck. After touching it for a while, the collar shone with light, and I heard a voice from somewhere.

『You have been enslaved to Anri.』

It was in that instant, that the woman──Anri-sama, became my master.

*imouto*

“With this, she’s become your slave, and has absolute obedience to you. Because she can’t walk, would you like us to call you a carriage?”

“I don’t need it; I’ll carry her.”

I was slow to react to the surprising words, so by the time I had realised, Anri-sama had already picked me up and placed me on her back.
In what kind of world does a master carry their servant? I tried moving my sluggish body to try and get down, but she was holding onto me tightly so I couldn’t. Because she didn’t seem to have any intention of letting me down, I stopped struggling.
But still, although she was a woman and so she wasn’t particularly big, Anri-sama was surprisingly strong. No matter how light I had become from growing thin, I shouldn’t have been so light that a woman could easily carry me.

But still, just why did she buy me? There aren’t many uses for a slave on the verge of death, but no matter what, I couldn’t imagine her to be a person who wanted a slave for those purposes.

*imouto*

Just as I was wondering where she was carrying me to, Anri-sama entered an alleyway and placed me down in an empty plaza. Without knowing why I had been brought here, I just looked up at Anri-sama dumbly.

“You swore to believe in me.”

“…Yes.”

The first words I had spoken in a while came out hoarsely, but it seems Anri-sama somehow understood me. She pointed her finger at my forehead.

“Divine Enchantment.”

『You have received divine protection from Anri.』

Together with the voice from before, I was engulfed in something black. It wasn’t uncomfortable or painful, but I could definitely feel something inside me changing.
When the blackness disappeared, my appearance had completely changed. The clothing that had just been a hole in a cloth was now a high-class fabric decorated with ornaments, and the arms and legs that should’ve been nothing more than skin and bones had the meat return to them.

“Eh-… Ah-…”

With no idea of what had happened, I was looking at my limbs and clothes when I suddenly noticed that the pain that had been always been plaguing me was gone. It was like the pain that wracked me even just breathing had all been a lie.
The comment that Anri-sama had made in the dungeon, “I might be able to save her” came to mind.
It wasn’t a lie… She saved me…

“Thank you very much! Thank you very much!”

While crying and feeling relief at having my life saved, I held Anri-sama’s hand as I continued to thank her.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

After crying for a while, I paled at what I had just done. As a slave, I had clung to my master as I bawled. I might be sold out of anger for my disrespect. I don’t want to think that Anri-sama who saved my life would do something like that, but it isn’t anything strange to be sold because you angered your master.

“Stand.””

“Y-, Yes-!”

Since I’d already done something terribly rude, I immediately obeyed and jumped straight up, so that I wouldn’t ruin her mood any further. Speaking of which, how long has it been since I was able to stand on my own? While thinking about stupid things like that, I waited in fear for her probable declaration of my abandonment.

“I want you to live at my home and do the housework and shopping.”

“…Eh?”

There were two things I couldn’t comprehend about her response, so I accidentally let out my voice. The first was that instead of being scolded like I thought, she went and left a task for me. The second was the contents of the task.

“Dissatisfied?”

“T-, That would be absurd! Only, umm… is just that much fine?”

Because she seemed to condemn me, I shook my head in a fluster, but I couldn’t help but voice my misgivings about the task. People go out of their way to buy slaves because the jobs that are need to be done are terribly difficult, or things that normal people didn’t want to do. But despite that, Anri-sama just asked me to do jobs that normal servants did, and weren’t at all the jobs that were left to a slave.

“Just that is fine. But, I live quite far from town, so shopping is quite a task.”

“Understood.”

Far from town?
I wonder where Anri-sama lives.

After that, Anri-sama kindly bought me shoes and underwear. Both were of a quality that you wouldn’t give to a slave, so in shock I tried to refuse, but because she told me that I definitely had to wear underwear, I did as I was told and gratefully accepted them.

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

Anri-sama.
In the dark dungeon filled with despair, she was the only one who extended her hand to me.
I still don’t know what on earth this person wants from me, but she saved me from certain death, so I’ll follow her to the ends of the world.

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

“Wai-, isn’t this place a dungeon!?”

“Well yeah, I’m a dungeon master.”

“────────!?”

 

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<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

Side story 03 – A Certain Adventurer’s Disaster

After receiving our rewards for reporting the completion of our quest, we sat ’round a table in the guild to take a break.
The quest we turned in was the subjugation mission of forest wolves…
Was a pretty difficult job for us. Forest wolves are pack monsters that live in the forest, but recently they’ve been growing too large in number and have been attacking merchants that use the forest roads. That’s why the lord of this area sent out a request for their subjugation.
Each forest wolf ain’t so strong by themselves, but they always move in a pack and attack after surrounding the enemy, so they’re a pretty annoying foe. In the forest your vision is limited, so forest wolves are a monster you need to take care with, but for some reason they appeared close to the entrance to the forest yesterday, so it was easy to hunt them. Seems that something scared them. I was worrying about it, but I still have no idea.

“Still, things were easier than expected this time, ey?”

“Well yeah, the wolves were at the entrance to the forest for some reason. What’s more there wasn’t any teamwork at all.”

Apparently my companions were thinking about the same thing. I decided to join in.

“Didn’t feel like they were hunting for prey. Speaking of which, didn’t they look scared of something?”

They nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, I got that feeling too. Could it be that they were running from some strong monster that took up residence in the forest or something?”

“Hell if I know. But it sounds possible.”

Basically the only times that monsters migrate are when there are too many of them, too little prey, or when there’s a strong monster that moved into their territory. Since they moved so suddenly this time, and they looked scared too, the chance that it’s the latter is pretty high.

“Can’t be that a dragon or something moved into the forest, right?”

“Haha, pretty sure that ain’t happening.”

I’ve been an adventurer for pretty bloody long, but I ain’t never seen a dragon. Heard that they exist deep into the Demon Territory though.

“Well at any rate, it’d probably be better to be careful if we head into the forest again for a quest.”

“Yeah. Ain’t nothing matter more than your life.”

Once you’re dead, you’re dead.
An adventurer is a job where your life completely hangs on your skills and yourself, but even so you get novice brats that dream of being heroes and get themselves killed trying to do the unreasonable. Veterans like us try to teach them what the world is like whenever we can, but people like that are endless.
Right, just like that kid over-… Hey.

..*

..*

“I’ll be transcribing what’s written on the car──”

“Oi, oi, this little girl wants to become an adventurer? It’s the end of the bloody world.”

When I went to have a look, I found someone hidden from head to toe in a black robe, applying at the counter to be an adventurer. But even under that robe I could tell at a glance that they were a dainty, green-arsed brat, and what’s more a woman. This brat of a girl is going to be an adventurer without even forming a party? It’s bloody suicide! If I leave her alone, in two or three days she’s just gunna be a ‘seed-bed’ for a goblin nest.
Before I knew it, I’d left my seat and cut into the conversation.

“Oi, oi, Gartz. You’re seriously picking a fight with another newbie?”

“Doing this everyyy singleee time. You sure don’t get bored, huh.”

Can’t be helped that my companions are all astonished that I’m doing this again, but I’m not gunna sleep well knowing that brats are getting themselves killed left and right. It’s for their sake as well that I grill them a little and have them work underneath us.
The lass might’ve been afraid of me or something, cause she just stood there without saying anything.
Looking at her again, she sure is bloody tiny.

“Oi, how ’bout saying something. Don’t just freeze wordlessly with your face hidden.”

Saying that, I pulled off the little girl’s hood.

..*

..*

──────!?

The moment I saw her face, I spontaneously stiffened.
The moment our eyes met, I thought I was gunna die.
Her eyes were so dark and stagnant that I’m pretty sure even demons couldn’t compare.
The next moment, just as I seemed to feel a prickling pain on my arm, the girl was fucking holding a sinister black tantou.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! She’s gunna kill me!

“HII-!?”

I reflexively let out a pathetic cry as I fell on my arse.
Before I knew it, the thing in front of me wasn’t a human woman anymore. It was a monster spurting out some black sludge from its whole body.
I backed away, trying to put even a little distance between us.

“＄％、＆＄＆％’＃!”

And when I did, I heard a somewhat incomprehensible cry.
Turning around, I found that the same fucking monsters were reaching out their tentacles to me.

“!? UOOOOAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH――――!!!”

“＠＃、＊? ＃＄＆＄＆％!”

I tried my best to hit the thing, but there didn’t seem to be any effect.
Far from it, before I knew it all the monsters had fucking surrounded me and were charging in at me at once.

I somehow managed to shake them off and got myself outside, but even there the place was filled with the things.

“What the fuck is going on with this town!?”

I don’t even know who I was screaming at, but I started to run to escape this town of monsters.

..*

..*

..*

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

..*

When I came to, I was laying on the ground.
Holding my hand against my painfully throbbing head, I got up and looked around. Apparently I was in a field outside of Riemel. Although I was close to town, it wasn’t as though there weren’t any monsters. The fact that I didn’t get eaten while lying around here was just good luck.

Anyway, it wasn’t like I could get anything done here, so I decided to head back to town. I get the feeling that I’ve forgotten something incredible, but I can’t remember what it was.

..*

..*

It was right afterwards that I was told that I had hit the guards and forcefully broken out of town, and starting from the entrance to town, I was stuck with being accused by a bunch of people about stuff I have no recollection about.

..*

Just what the fuck have I been doing!?

---

He seems to be a ruffian, but is actually a good person.

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<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

Side story 02 – A Certain Sister’s Terror

“Sacred Goddess Sophia-sama is a great personage who created humankind.”

..*

I was standing at the back of the chapel behind the seats, as part of mass.
Beyond the seats next to the statue of Sacred Goddess-sama was Reverend-sama, who was in the middle of preaching to the people. Right now he was preaching about the reason why we should be thankful to Sacred Goddess-sama, you see.
When Reverend-sama preaches, his voice resounds through the quiet chapel, and it feels like your soul is being cleansed. That’s why I loved mass.

..*

“Sacred Goddess Sophia-sama is always watching over us.”

..*

Sacred Goddess Sophia-sama is the esteemed god that created our world, and is a kind and merciful personage who protects we humans from the Evil God that tries to destroy the world.
The Church of Sacred Light sings praise of Her exploits, and exist to convey this to the people. Of course, we do not only teach others, but in accordance to Her will, we are a wonderful organisation that also extends our hands to the needy through food, establishes orphanages, mediates for warring nations, and tries our very best for the sake of peace for humankind.
My family was poor, and so we struggled to feed ourselves each day, but the Church of Sacred Light saved us. Because I wanted to save somebody else, the same way that I was saved, I joined the Church as a nun.

..*

“Sacred Goddess Sophia-sama loves we humans, and protects us from evil.”

..*

Although the church in Riemel is not very large, as a town close to the Demon Territory, we’re seen as the last stronghold against the demons. Because of that, apparently an archbishop even came all the way here when this church was being built, and along with a number of people, they laid down a complicated barrier for us. Even a normal church wards off evil through the power of Her blessing, but this church is protected with a particularly strong power. Even if by some chance our town was in danger due to an invasion from the Demon Territory, this church wouldn’t be so easily invaded. When Reverend-sama told me this, I felt incredibly reassured.

..*

“Please thank Sacred Goddess Sophia-sama for her compassion, and send her your prayers.”

..*

With Reverend-sama’s words, the people all brought their hands together in prayer. Still standing there, I was about to close my eyes and pray with them────

..*

..*

..*

..*

..*

────When at that moment, a -bang- resounded within the chapel as it shook.

No, it wasn’t the building or the floor that shook. With a sound, it was the space itself that shook. A clamour spread through the people due to the sudden shock.

“Everybody, please calm down!”

Reverend-sama tried to stop everybody, but he couldn’t get them to calm down. I didn’t understand what happened, but I decided to follow his example and decided to try and calm everybody down.
However, at that moment, I noticed something behind me and so I turned around. And when I did, an abnormal scene unfolded before me.

The church is always open so that anybody can enter at any time, and the door is left open even during mass. Because of that, because I was standing at the back of the chapel, when I turned around I could see what was happening beyond the door. It was the scenery outside that was abnormal; of all things, the scenery was cracked. Beyond the crack was your everyday Riemel, but because that townscape was the same as ever, it made the crack ever more strange.
I was dumbfounded by the scene’s sudden change to another realm, but before long, it became clear to me that there was a crack in something transparent that covered the church. Perhaps because they noticed my behaviour, Reverend-sama included, everybody in the church turned their eyes outside.

Something covering the church?
It couldn’t be the protective barrier that Reverend-sama spoke of, could it? …No, but in that case, why was it cracked!?

..*

..*

My eyes were held captive by the crack in space, but eventually I noticed that beyond it was somebody standing there in a black robe. The crack coincidentally covered their face, but they seemed to be a girl in her teens. The girl was standing right in front of the crack. I was about to call out in warning, “It’s dangerous there, please stay away!”, but before I had the chance to, the girl raised her right hand and softly touched the crack before my eyes.

It was the next instant. That crack spread out all at once, until I could see nothing but, and with a -pan- sound, ‘something’ immediately shattered and vanished.

..*

..*

Eh-?
I-, It can’t be… The protective barrier that the archbishop set was-!?
Although I was dumb from disbelief, I could certainly feel it disappearing; the aura of sacredness that had been always present.

..*

..*

And because the crack was now gone, the face under the robe was now visible to me.
The moment our eyes met, it felt like I was being strangled by some feeling of oppression, and I found myself unable to breathe.
It wasn’t only me. Reverend-sama and everybody else behind me stood frozen, unable to even speak.
The thing that looked like a girl glared at everybody in the church in silence────

..*

..*

..*

..*

────Before curving its lips into a sneer, and turning to leave after muttering something.

..*

..*

..*

..*

..*

..*

..*

..*

Because the thing that looked like a girl had walked away, we could finally breathe again. The emotional strain on everybody was huge, and everybody sank to the ground in exhaustion.
Because there was no way to continue the mass like this, we stopped it and instead immediately made warm soup for everyone. Honestly speaking, I felt like I was going to collapse myself, but I needed to prepare the soup.

..*

..*

..*

..*

..*

..*

..*

..*

Although its face was beautiful, there’s no doubt that it was a retainer of the Evil God.
…No, since it so easily destroyed the archbishop’s barrier, I’m sure that it was the Evil God itself.
That it left after doing nothing but destroying the barrier was surely a malicious announcement that it could attack at any time. The Evil God’s ghastly smile had told me so.
I couldn’t hear what the Evil God muttered at the end, but it was surely some horrifying curse.
Just what will happen to this world, and what will happen to us?

..*

Aahh, Sacred Goddess Sophia-sama.
Please deliver us from evil.

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TL: I actually had a lot of trouble with this. I really hated writing ‘Reverend-sama’, but calling him ‘the reverend’ doesn’t give the sense that she knows him well (as a member of the same church). At the same time, no name was given, so I couldn’t replace ‘shimpu-sama’ with ‘Father ____’ either. In the end I resorted to the awkward sounding ‘Reverend-sama’, but I still feel it was the best choice, so please forgive me.

 

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