Dungeon Expedition and Rewards (1)
Dungeon Expedition and Rewards (1)
"A Skeleton Mage has appeared ahead! Lady Margarete, please!"
"Squad 1, split into groups of three and engage the monsters! Don't clump together! You'll be targets for ranged magic attacks!"
The dungeon was filled with the dull clangs of knights' swords clashing against monsters and the excited shouts of women.
Under the command of Albert and the Knight Order's commander, the Nordkirchen Knight Order crushed the enemies.
And then,
-Shing!!
"...Hah!"
Mar, charging alone into the enemy's rear and going on a rampage.
Every time she swung her sword wreathed in blue energy, monsters dropped dead with ease.
'In the game, you had to clear the front-line units before you could hit the backline. Reality definitely played by different rules.'
Watching that, I felt anew the difference between the game Ryu Si-u used to play and reality. Though, well, maybe that was just Mar being exceptional.
But Mom seemed unimpressed as she spoke in a low voice.
"She's still not as good as Charlotte. I suppose it can't be helped, since her practical experience is lacking."
"Huh? Isn't Mar crazy strong? She's worse than Charl?"
"That's right. Well, that level isn't completely without talent. If I spare some time to spar with her, she'll improve quickly."
Mom muttered that she'd drill Mar even more harshly from now on. I shot Mar a sympathetic look.
She'd said she'd spend a year resting while honing her swordsmanship. So much for resting, Mar.
"Albert is doing better than expected. I see the makings of an excellent field commander."
"Albert was super nervous, but she seems stronger in real combat than I thought."
"That quality is just like her father. Jürgen had a similar side to him when he was alive."
"Oh, Dad? Tell me more about Dad!"
"Well, you were taken into mana's embrace soon after you were born, so you wouldn't know much. Your father was..."
And so Mom and I casually began reminiscing about the past... in the middle of a dungeon where a fierce battle was raging.
While others were fighting tooth and nail, I was on Mom's back listening to old stories.
'Mark of a Manly Man: Remaining calm even in the heart of a battlefield.'
I was starting to scare myself with my manliness—not the least bit afraid in a supposedly terrifying dungeon, practically oozing composure.
I'm a total manly man.
As I was soaking up Mom's story and high on my own hype, as if reading my mind...
-Swish.
"Hyaaah!?"
Suddenly a blade made of bone came flying fiercely toward me and Mom, as if to tell me to stop spouting nonsense.
I did let out a yelp for a moment, but what kind of state was I in? I was being carried by the Northern Grand Duchess herself, after all.
-Fwoom. Fssshhh...
"Are you all right?"
Mom merely stared at it expressionlessly, and the sword burst into flames and turned to ash.
...Whoa, that's cool. My mom is a total manly man.
"Mom, you're so cool!!"
"...If you like it so much, shall I show you more?"
"Yes!!"
After that, Mom joined the hunt with me still on her back.
-Flash, KABOOM!
"Woah! Woooah!!"
Mom sliced the air with a knife-hand strike, and a wave of blue energy surged forward, cutting down skeletons like reeds.
"Hup."
-BOOM!
"Waaaah! Mom, you're really amazing!! Mom, you're the best!!"
When she clenched her fist, the heads of five or six skeletons suddenly exploded with a crack.
I was so awestruck that I praised Mom until my mouth went dry, and she, pleased by my compliments, showed off a few more tricks.
A little while later.
-Whoosh.
"Oh? The monsters are all gone."
The monsters that had been swarming the area had all vanished, leaving only bone dust behind.
The knight order, who had been in the thick of battle, along with Mar and Albert, had already stepped aside and were staring at Mom and me.
"Mar, isn't the Head of House way stronger...?"
"She launched aura from her hand and even used Void Object Grasp... Yeah. She's become way stronger than before we left for the Academy. Did she have some kind of fortuitous encounter?"
The two sisters put their heads together and whispered. I couldn't quite hear what they were saying, but I had a pretty good idea even without listening. Their faces were full of awe; they must have been marveling at Mom's martial prowess.
"...Ahem. My apologies. I seem to have gotten carried away for a moment. I behaved in an unbecoming manner for a noble."
Mom shook her head, as if only now realizing that this dungeon exploration was supposed to be regular knight training and a chance for my sisters to gain practical experience.
Her expression remained cold, but from my spot on her back, I saw it. The tips of her ears had turned slightly red.
'So when Mom's embarrassed, her ears turn red.'
* * * * * *
After that, the dungeon exploration proceeded incredibly smoothly.
Part of it was that Mom had wiped out all the monsters that had been clustered at the start,
"Ah!! ...Huh? It doesn't hurt as much as I thought?"
"Mar, are you okay?"
"Yeah. I can manage. What's up? I've fallen into a dungeon trap during Academy practical training before, and it hurt a lot more then."
"Yune gave me an artifact before we set out. That's probably the effect."
"Oh. Little bro's amazing. Where'd he get something like that?"
It was also thanks to the effect of 'Theodore's Lamp' I'd handed to Albert—reducing trap damage for all party members by 25%. It turned out to be a much bigger help than I'd expected.
It hadn't felt that noticeable in the game, but in reality, feeling 25% less pain really made a huge difference.
And the biggest reason of all was,
"Yap, Fireball!"
-Fwooo... poof.
"Woah! It hit! Mom, isn't that amazing?!"
"Mhm. You're amazing, Yune. You might just become an archmage one day."
That was because I, the future archmage, had been providing magical support fire throughout.
"Pfft, 'poof' he says. Poof. I've never heard a fireball make that sound."
"Sis, don't laugh. Look at Yune's proud face... Pfff. I can't. He's too cute."
Oddly, my sisters and the surrounding knights were looking at me with incredibly warm eyes, though.
In any case, we safely finished subjugating the boss monster at the deepest part of the dungeon. Without a single injury.
"Hm. It seems there are no injuries. Well done. Take a short rest."
After the boss monster raid, as soon as Mom gave the order to rest, the knights immediately sat down on the floor and began to relax.
Only then did I get down from Mom's back.
"You worked hard, Mom!"
"It was nothing. It's Margarete, Albert, and the knights who did the hard work."
"Mar! Albert! Thanks! And thank you, knight ladies!"
I waved and gave my thanks, and the knights broke into wide smiles and cheered.
And then...
"Mar, Albert. And... ah, to heck with it. Mom, come too!"
I called my family over to achieve the real purpose I'd come to the dungeon for.
The first to stride up to me was Mom. And at the same time, my two sisters approached hesitantly.
Then I started walking ahead, my cloak billowing majestically.
"Yune, so why did you tag along to the dungeon? No matter how I think about it, there was no need for you to come."
"Yeah, little bro. Was it just that you wanted to see a dungeon?"
"...."
Perhaps feeling uncomfortable, Mom stood to my right, while my sisters clung to my left and started asking why I'd come to the dungeon today.
...Guess now's a good time to reveal it.
"Sisters. Honestly, aren't you scared of Mom?"
"...!? What are you suddenly talking about, little bro?"
"Th-there's no way."
When I suddenly got straight to the point, my sisters flusteredly waved their hands. But even so, they kept stealing glances at Mom, as if worried she might get angry.
Honestly. There's no way Mom would get angry over something like this.
"Then Mom. Do you dislike Mar and Albert?"
"...? No. I don't have any particular thoughts about them."
"Don't dodge the question like that. You love them, right?"
"........"
Mom silently averted her gaze at my question. Seeing that, my two sisters gave bitter smiles, as if they'd expected that reaction.
'Seriously. The problem is Mom is too blunt. And my sisters are too insensitive.'
Extremely displeased with that reaction, I hurriedly started walking.
Even as I did,
"Appraisal. Appraisal. Appraisal. Appraisal. Appraisal."
I kept muttering 'Appraisal' under my breath, trying to locate the item that was my purpose for coming to the dungeon.
'Ugh. I thought I'd remember once I got here, but it just wasn't coming back to me... Ah. Found it.'
-Ding!
Perhaps it was worth wracking my brain to dredge up my fading game memories—after walking a bit, a status window popped up before me, confirming I'd appraised something.
I finally lifted my head and looked around. It was the deepest part of the vast dungeon, at its very edge. A place overgrown with vines and piled with stones—nothing special at first glance.
When I abruptly stopped there, my sisters and Mom, who had been following, looked at me as if to ask what was wrong.
But I didn't answer and instead placed my hand on the pile of stones. Seeing was quicker than explaining.
"Light."
As I chanted the activation word for the low-tier spell that simply illuminates the surroundings, a cluster of light began to gather at my hand.
-Ssshhh...
Then, from the stone beneath me, dandelion seed-like lights floated up and began to cling to the cluster of light.
"...Wow. What's that?"
"Hmm."
After that fantastical sight unfolded for a little while,
the cluster of light, which had no form at all, gradually shaped itself into a sphere that softly radiated a clear glow, hovering above my hand.
"Well? Pretty, isn't it?"
"Huh? Yeah, it's pretty, but what on earth is that?"
"It's an artifact. One that helps clear up old misunderstandings."