Chapter 36
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Waves in Daily Life (2)
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Squish squish-
"Lord Tentacle, why is Elrine the only one riding on top of you?"
At the edge of the Gaidun Mountains.
Now that I'd reached level 53 and grown to the size of a large bus, I hardly ever lived at my original size anymore. I was always shrinking my body to an appropriate, ever-changing scale to get around.
The same went for right now.
I'd reduced my body to about the size of a king-size bed and was carrying Elrine on top while squishing along.
Elrine giggled atop my body, wearing a relaxed smile. Beside us, Amy and Piona stuck close to me as we moved, shooting her faintly jealous glances.
-Because Elrine's stamina is low.
Elrine was just a regular person. Without the base stamina exceeding 10 that adventurers had, she had no choice but to tire out after traveling all day.
And it wasn't just fatigue that was the issue—she could get hurt, too. She couldn't keep up with our pace to begin with.
We were moving at a light jog, but by normal standards, it was a full sprint just to keep up.
There was no way Elrine could maintain this pace all day.
Amy pressed right up against me after hearing that.
"Ugh... My stamina's low too, Lord Tentacle."
"......Mine too."
Amy spoke in a cute, coquettish voice, and from behind, Piona chimed in with a grumpy tone. Rosa watched the scene with a laugh from further back, while Yuri eyed the whole thing with clear displeasure.
Amy and Piona's stamina wasn't low at all.
It might seem weak compared to Yuri or my stats, but if there were humans on Earth with their kind of ability scores, they'd rewrite the history books in every sport.
-You too?
Amy nodded vigorously when I asked.
"Yes!"
-Then from now on, we'll cut back on sex time a bit so it doesn't strain your body.
"......Pardon?"
Amy froze for a second at my words, then frantically waved her hands in panic.
"N-No! That's not it! Absolutely not!"
I couldn't help but chuckle at how much fun it was teasing her.
-If your stamina's low, we shouldn't push your body. From next time, just watch for about an hour before joining in.
"Eek, nooo. That's not what I meant...... I'm plenty fit......"
-Then behave and keep up.
"Yesss......"
I snickered at Amy's dejected reply, and we pressed on through the mountains.
After another three hours or so, the mountains gave way to forest.
'This is Tyrén Forest.'
I took in the vast woodland with my vision tentacles.
Trees stretching up 50 meters high.
An endless green expanse.
It was a sight straight out of a movie.
"Amazing."
"Whoa......"
Piona, Amy, Rosa, and Elrine all marveled at the forest view.
Two days after ravaging Rosa and Yuri, we'd finally escaped the Gaidun Mountains.
I gazed at Tyrén Forest, recalling what I knew about it.
'Not a particularly dangerous forest, based on the previous game.'
No monsters, no ferocious wild animals.
Far from villages or cities, it was a forest few people ever visited.
That was Tyrén Forest.
It might seem unimportant at a glance, but it wasn't.
'There's a treasure trove here.'
My eyes gleamed as I looked at the woods.
Tyrén Forest hid a pond concealing a treasure warehouse—not mine, but one from a character in the previous game.
Third in the Lily Guild.
Fifth among all S-Class adventurers.
The dragonkin woman of dragon blood, 'Rune.'
One of her treasure warehouses was here in Tyrén Forest.
Rune was a fake name; her real one was something else. But I didn't know it.
The previous game never revealed it.
She'd joined the protagonist's guild to trace her missing father's footsteps—not because she liked him.
She only had to participate in guild activities twice a year; the rest of her time was for personal pursuits, which the protagonist fully supported.
Raiding her warehouse would normally be incredibly dangerous, but this one in Tyrén Forest was one she'd abandoned.
By the previous game's timeline, she'd already moved all the valuables elsewhere, leaving only junk behind.
And among that junk was something hugely useful to me. Claiming it was key to building my dungeon safely.
'Slime No. 2, 3, and 4. Scout the forest for the pond starting now. No. 1, circle around me and stay on alert.'
I issued orders to the four tentacle slime subordinates that had been guarding us from 500 meters away.
Splurch-!
The moment my will reached the tentacle slimes, they sprang into action. The three tasked with finding the pond squished off deep into the forest the instant I finished speaking.
Slime No. 1, 2, 3, and 4 were the names I'd given my tentacle slime subordinates.
I had to distinguish them somehow, but naming them properly was a hassle, so I'd just gone with numbers.
No. 1 was the weak one I'd made first; No. 2 was the strong one after that.
No. 3 and 4 were fresh recruits from yesterday. Fed max nutrients at my current level, they matched No. 2's strength.
I was linked to the tentacle slimes. They were practically extensions of me. Any pond they found would relay the info straight to me.
'Perfect.'
That meant I could lounge here having sex with my women, sucking up the sweet life, while the slimes handled the grunt work.
Ideal.
-We'll rest here today. Yuri and I will go hunt, so everyone else get ready.
I set Elrine down and shrank my body further.
Squish squish-
Once I was about the size of a small laptop, I slithered up onto Yuri's shoulder.
Ding-
Yuri looked at me expectantly the moment I climbed on. I knew exactly what she wanted and granted her wish.
Pet pet-
"Hehe."
Twitch twitch-
I extended a basic tentacle small and gently stroked her head, and Yuri's ears perked up as she beamed with joy.
-Let's go hunting, Yuri.
"Yes!"
Twitch twitch-
In just these two days, she'd become a total puppy cat.
I'd thought beastkin might be a bit standoffish, but once conquered, she depended on me completely and treated me like her master without a hint of reserve.
Her combat power was the highest in the harem party aside from mine, and the Yin Gate of Love and Submission skill filled the fastest of all.
Overwhelmingly so.
14% on day one, and now over 40%. At this rate, she'd catch up to Piona, Amy—even Elrine—in days.
Her pussy wasn't lackluster either... and her mental fortitude was strong...
Guess it was just the beastkin trait of total devotion to their master.
"Um, Lord Tentacle..."
-Hm?
As I admired Yuri's cuteness, Piona hesitated beside us before speaking up.
"Am I... not going hunting?"
She'd been my dedicated hunting partner before, but Yuri had taken that spot over the last couple days.
Piona always obeyed me but acted tsundere on the surface. She seemed to hate going out hunting at first glance, but deep down, she loved spending time with me more than anyone.
Not calling on her for two days must've left her feeling lonely. Enough to ask outright.
-Didn't you hate going hunting?
"Ah, w-well, that's..."
Dishonest Piona trailed off, fumbling for words. That's when Yuri looked at me and said,
"Master, just go with me. She said she hates hunting anyway."
True enough. Should we go as a pair then?
"Yes! I can catch them way faster than Piona."
"Ah......"
Yuri smirked, certain of her victory, while Piona sighed at being sidelined. I watched for a moment before speaking again.
-Still, two will be faster than one. Come with us today, Piona.
"Ah...... Yes!"
"......"
Piona's face lit up, while a crack appeared on Yuri's pretty features.
Piona had cat-like features; Yuri was a real cat.
Zzt-
Sparks practically flew when their eyes met.
What?
Some kind of feline rivalry?
Yuri was all puppy with me, but clash with someone and her true cat nature emerged. Meaning her temper wasn't the sweetest.
A strange tension hung in the air as we headed out to hunt.
"......You're really leaving?"
"The dungeon raid's over now. Don't try to stop me anymore, Charlotte."
Phrygia Alliance, Hakapia Territory.
The great city of Shaon.
Brave Guild headquarters.
Charlotte, the guild master of Brave Guild, had no choice but to fall silent at Elena's words as she packed to leave.
It was true. She had no grounds to hold her back anymore.
Two weeks had passed since her little sister went missing.
On the third day, Charlotte had posted a request for adventurers to search for Elena's missing sister, Elrine.
When she heard two C-Class women adventurers had accepted, she was certain it would succeed.
Luis Forest was that safe.
But it wasn't.
The news that came soon after was shocking.
The request had failed, and the two C-Class women who'd gone searching for Elrine had vanished too.
Fortunately, reinforcements set out right away.
She was another C-Class adventurer who'd been close with the first two and often partied with them.
That adventurer had teamed up with the veteran C-Class trio from the Blue Axe Party and a B-Class adventurer to explore Luis Forest.
Charlotte was sure they'd get results this time. But four days after the follow-up team left, there was still no word.
At this point, Elena's sister was more likely dead than missing.
Charlotte was at a loss for words.
Elena's voice came.
"They haven't even found my sister's body."
Her face was filled with sorrow.
"I became an adventurer for my sister. But as my class rose, I focused only on activities. I neglected looking after her, and eventually, we even lived apart."
Calm, but not really. A storm of emotions churned inside Elena.
"I hate myself so much, Charlotte. I don't regret the guild work so far. But I have to go. Even if it means leaving the guild, I need to find my sister."
Charlotte inwardly clicked her tongue but slowly nodded.
An S-Class adventurer was a pillar propping up the guild. But Charlotte wasn't heartless enough to restrain her even in this situation.
Still, she wanted to keep some tie.
Charlotte spoke.
"......We could process it as external activity. We can provide support if needed. And—."
"Charlotte."
"......"
"Sorry. I just want to be alone right now."
With that, Charlotte had to let Elena go completely.
"I'll search thoroughly. Even if she's dead, I need to find her body and give her a proper funeral. It might take time, but if I ever want to come back... I'll just rejoin as a newbie then."
Elena's resolve was that firm. Charlotte wondered if she'd retire from adventuring for good.
"......Yeah. No helping it."
Charlotte closed her eyes tightly, then opened them. She continued.
"We'll handle the withdrawal. We'll send this dungeon raid reward to your home address, along with your past activity payouts. We'll keep your room in the guild, too... so come back anytime."
Elena, listening quietly, looked relieved.
"Yeah. Thanks for everything, Charlotte."
"No, we should be thanking you."
Elena shouldered her full pack and left the guild house. It was early dawn, a quiet withdrawal, so no other members saw her off.
Gazing out from the guild house first floor, Charlotte gave her final farewell.
"Elena."
"Yes?"
"I hope you find her, your sister."
"......Yeah."
"May blessings follow your path."
Elena received Charlotte's last words, turned, and walked away from the guild house.
Her back looked lonely—the loneliest since becoming S-Rank. The loneliest since joining the guild.
But unlike that silhouette, Elena's eyes burned low and steady.
'Elrine...... Please, just stay alive.'
She didn't want to believe it. That her sister was dead. Circumstances pointed that way, but Elena clung to even 0.1% possibility.
'If you're alive, big sis is coming to save you now.'
S-Class adventurer.
Top of the heap among countless adventurers.
One of barely 500 S-Class on the continent. Elena, ranked 376th among adventurers, left the city.