Chapter 8.1: Arrow Shot From Pitch-Black Darkness I - (1) (1/2)

「I'm backー」

It was almost dusk by the time I returned to the camp. Putting the piece of meat, which was wrapped with leaves that had a preservative effect, into a container in the food tent, I threw my equipment into my tent.

『Wel~come back』

『Welcome back』

That voice stopped me in my tracks.

「Huh, what's this?」

There was a cylindrical-shaped Makina pod, and placed beside it was a mini-Makina pod, which just happened to be the same size as the lantern hanging at my waist.

The pod that I picked up started talking.

『Although it slightly violated the articles of the law, Izora's capabilities were judged to be essential for exploring the dungeon, so Izora had Makina separate out my functionalities. Please call me the Izora pod from now on』

「Is the communication problem unlikely to be resolved? If I take Izora to the dungeon, there’s a possibility that she might get destroyed」

The simple probe had already broke during today's exploration. I didn't want to expose a part of the artificial intelligence, which was irreplaceable, to danger. There should be more than a dozen spares for the glasses-type device though.

『Even if Izora’s functionalities are separated, Izora’s core still remains inside Makina. Only when the semi-quantum communication fails, will Izora's consciousness be copied into the pod, which will make it independent. Once communication is restored, synchronization will start and the copy will be merged back with the core』

「Sorry, I don't quite understand. So it's not a problem if the pod itself gets destroyed?」

『In a nutshell, it's like having an out-of-body experience. There are no problems. As for spare parts, there are enough for 23 pods. It’ll be troublesome if you let them get destroyed easily, but I will leave that to your judgment』

「Understood」

I wasn’t completely satisfied, but if they said that there would be no problems, then I would trust them.

「Leaving that aside, what's that smell?」

It smelled like tomato sauce. Did Makina cook? That was my first thought, but A.I.s were not allowed by the law to move autonomously. I also didn’t do something dangerous like leaving a fire source anywhere within the reach of Makina’s arm.

「Hmm, so you’ve returned. Dinner is ready. Eat it before it cools down」

「Huh?!」

Misuranika-sama jumped on top of Makina.

『Souya-san, it's dinner made by god-sama! You’ll definitely be blessed!』

「Are you serious?」

There was a pot placed in the simple kitchen. I opened the lid and stirred it with a ladle. The only ingredients in the soup, which was made from tomato paste, were beans that had been crushed simply. I had thought of eating the nice fillet of meat that I had gotten right away, but I’ll eat it after it had aged after all.

「Then, with thanks, itadakimasu」

I scooped the soup into a bowl and brought a spoonful of it to my mouth.

It had a simple taste.

The soup was seasoned well, had a faint garlic flavor, and tasted creamy, probably because cheese had been mixed into it. The crushed beans were easy to eat and their texture didn’t clash with the soup. It was a calming taste. It was gentle on the stomach so I ate a lot.

Was this home cooking? The food in the bars were all heavily salted in order to sell more alcohol. Also, it was tremendously oily and the vegetables were sour for some reason. Hearty and exotic, though with little color. The portions were admittedly big but I was tired of its taste.

In order to move the human body, both salt and oil were essential. In view of the differences in physical abilities, the people from this side probably expended a large amount of both. But I was an ordinary person. If I ate according to the adventurers’ standards, my kidneys would be damaged. I would die.

「Misuranika-sama. It’s very delicious」

「Is that so? It’s because you were starting out on your exploration today, so I showed off my skills. I rarely do something like this, you know? Be grateful with all your heart! I’m off to sleep then」

「Yes, definitely」

I raised the empty bowl with both hands. Her tail rustled the tent as she disappeared into it. After repeatedly refilling my bowl, I had emptied the pot, so I washed everything and prepared to sleep.

I realized then that there was a matter of grave importance.

「Makina」

『Yes, Souya-san?』

「Did Misuranika-sama cook the soup in human form?」

『Yes♪』

I drew closer to Makina and whispered.

「Did you do as I said, and recorded it?」

『Yes♪』

「Great, show me」

『Team member Souya, Izora needs to talk to you confidentially. Please change locations』

「………………」

Izora had spoken to me. I took her mini-pod and went on a short walk.

It was late at night, and it was dark on the plain. The lights from the distant camp danced like a bonfire.

It was an ancient night.

There were countless stars in the heavens, and the land swayed like an ocean. The sounds of the insects were calming.

『With regards to future explorations, Izora has a suggestion』

「Uh-huh」

It was a suggestion that I had anticipated.

『Please cancel the contract with Misuranika-sama. You’re now contracted to the Night Owl, Gravius-sama. Being contracted to the sister gods of Minerva doesn't seems to bring much prestige to adventurers, but it’s still significantly better than a god that conceals her followers, don’t you agree?』

My scroll had been blank.

Of course, I went to the Guild after that, and had Evetta-san try it again. But it failed, so I got the Guild President, who complained again that it was unheard of, to help me. As I feared, it still failed. No matter how many scrolls we used, they instantly became blank. After wasting around 30 scrolls, the Guild President sent for an old man with a long beard.

It appeared that he was an expert at appraising magic-related things.

According to that person, the cause of my problem was the god I was contracted to.

Deception and concealment.

Misuranika-sama’s divine nature was strongly tied to those two traits. The effects of that also affected me, her follower.

One piece of good news was that the information that had been concealed was from before the contract was formed, and it might not affect what I learned from that point onwards.

I decided to bet on that possibility starting from tomorrow.

Another piece of good news was that Irvin had only just arrived in the city very recently, so it would take him three days to repair and upgrade his equipment’s specifications for use inside the dungeon. The timing was just right then for Zenobia to go study at the magic academy in the city to learn magic that was useful inside the dungeon. Shuna and Bel also decided to sightsee around the city in order to purchase additional equipment for themselves.

We had promised to meet up again at the bar three days from today.

To be clear, my problem was very serious.

Who would want to follow a leader who couldn’t prove his identity? The lives of everyone in an adventuring party were entrusted to one another. No one would want to work together with a person who didn’t have a decent track record, and wouldn’t tell you his past. The worst-case scenario would be if I couldn’t be in a party with Irvin and the others. I had no practical skills. No one would let someone who couldn’t show his history on top of that into their party. Even I won't want to take care of someone like that.

「Does Makina have the same opinion as you?」

『Makina is opposed to it. Because her fundamental principles are based on Japanese morality. It’s truly ridiculous』

「I alsoー」

I had the same opinion, but Izora interrupted me before I could speak.

『Please think about it carefully. The party members that you have now are very outstanding. This is the result from consolidating all the information obtained from monitoring them. The party is well-balanced, with no personal or ideological conflicts. Moreover, you’ve managed to successfully cover up your own inabilities. As things stand, continuing to explore the dungeon as their leader is probably the shortest path to meeting our objective. What were you trying to accomplish by coming here? You came here to obtain the money needed to pay for your sister, Shiju…, Shujiu…, Shujichi…, Shuzuchi……………… You came here to obtain the money needed to pay for your sister’s surgery, did you not?』

I wonder what that was.

Because she stumbled over her words, everything had flown out the window.

『Izora did not stumble over my words. It’s only because the transfer of my functionalities is not yet complete』

「Okay」

『It's true. Please believe me』

「Okay」

『You have a grace period of three days. Be prepared to cancel the contract by then. That’s okay, right?』

「………………Understood」

I only gave a reluctant reply. Even if she was powerless, she was the only god who had reached out her hand to me in this alternate world. I couldn’t renounce her based on such a simple, mercenary way of thinking. I was very aware of the fact that I had no margin for error, and that I had no other options. But, it wasn’t something like that. This wasn’t something like that.

『Your reply is soft』

「Alright, I got it. I’ll think about it」

『Is that so? Alright then』

Izora went silent.

I returned to the camp, brushed my teeth and wiped off my sweat. I had forgotten about it because the latter half was such a mess, but I explored the dungeon for the first time today. I hadn’t felt that I was having a relatively hard time until the exploration. Or rather, I had only just solved one problem before another difficult problem came up. Good grief.

I felt heavy-hearted and my body was craving rest.

Entering my tent, I found Misuranika-sama sleeping while curled up in a ball beside my pillow. She was almost always sleeping. I laid down carefully so as to not wake her up.

I was tired. I was also reasonably sleepy. But my consciousness didn’t fall into the abyss. It seems like my heart was more fraught with complicated worries than I had thought.

After tossing and turning for a while,

「What’s wrong? Are you terrified of the dungeon?」

It looks like I had woken Misuranika-sama up.

I could hear her voice around the back of my head. I gave an ambiguous reply.

「No, that's not it」

「It’s fine. That's a fear that everyone has. Those who do not fear the unknown, die early. Don't look over here」

What? I thought. A sexy, bare leg rested on my waist. Two white arms extended from behind, and encircled my neck. I felt her slightly warm breath on my ear. Two mounds pressed against my back. They felt quite firm and yet, unspeakably soft. The military policeman hadn't been wrong.

「Something special for you just for today. With the warmth of flesh, you’ll fall asleep before long. But if you turn around, I’ll curse you to death」

「No, on the contrary, I won’t be able to sleep like this」

「Nyan~」

「Misuranika-sama?」

Her breathing was soft and regular. I pinched her two soft arms, then fearfully slid my hand along her silky-smooth thigh. There was no reaction from her. It seemed like she was asleep.

This was bad, I was getting all kinds of excited.

How should I put it, it had been a long time lately, or rather forever, but when humans were tired, they would want it more, no, calm down. For what reason was I here, for what(nani)? Nani? Calm down, calm down, nani. You’re supposed to list the numbers of pi at times like this, right? Alright, three. It's over. My excitement was not dampened. A wrong place was becoming curved. Because of that, Iー *(see below)

The side of the tent lifted up.