Chapter 22 Dungeon Burst
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
As I came down the mountain path into the village, I saw some soldiers guiding the villagers to the southern development area. I spotted a familiar face among the soldiers and called out to him.
”Mr. Raiden!”
”Hiroya! This place is dangerous, hurry south!”
Mr. Raiden pushed me and Kazumi along.
”What happened?”
”There’s been a monster attack! The Guardian Knight is leading the soldiers to defend. The lord has also gone to support with some brave adventurers. Now, hurry!”
Pushed by Mr. Raiden, we squeezed into the line of evacuees.
”I wonder if Rena and Martina are okay…”
Kazumi muttered quietly, looking down.
”…Isaac and Roana are there too, so Rena and Martina will be fine.”
I tightened my grip on her hand.
”Kazumi… can I go to my house?”
”What’s wrong?”
”I need to go get my sword. I can’t protect you like this.”
”…I’m worried about my mom too.”
Kazumi and I looked at each other and nodded, then we left the line and started running toward my house.
* * *
After running for a while, I could see my house. A few soldiers were standing at the entrance of the mansion.
”Hiroya!”
I heard my mom’s voice from inside the mansion.
When I entered, my mom was there, dressed in a blue bikini armor and holding a greatsword. …Bikini armor???
”I’m glad. Kazumie is with you too. Mom is taking shelter in this house as well.”
Kazumi was guided by her mom to a room in the back. I went to my room to grab my Bokken sword. I picked up the Bokken leaning against the wall and decided to look out the window at the village. The chaos seemed to have calmed down a lot, and it looked like most people had evacuated to the south development area.
”I wonder if Rena and Martina are okay…”
I couldn’t help but mutter the same words Kazumi had said earlier. Then, as I looked around the estate…
”That idiot! What is he doing?!”
I saw Koichi fighting several goblins outside the iron fence in the backyard. I dashed out of the room and ran down the stairs.
”Hiroya, what’s wrong?”
My mom, who was on guard at the entrance, called out to me.
”Koichi is fighting outside the house!”
I replied as I ran past my mom and burst outside.
”Physical Boost, legs!”
Having trained my magic in ‘Physical Boost,’ I was now able to use it efficiently on specific body parts. My speed increased dramatically. My mom in her bikini armor was chasing after me. I dashed past the soldiers at the gate and hurried to Koichi.
Ahead of me, Koichi was lying on his back, about to be struck by a goblin’s club.
”Physical Boost!”
I quickly closed the distance, drew my Bokken sword from my left hip, and struck the goblin on the side of its head. With that force, the goblin was sent flying and crashed against the iron fence, dying instantly.
”Koichi! What are you doing?!”
I grabbed Koichi’s shirt and pulled him up.
”…I just got caught off guard a bit.”
”What are you doing almost dying like that?!”
”Sorry… thanks for saving me…”
Koichi stood up, apologizing sincerely.
”No, sorry… I overreacted.”
His honest apology caught me off guard. Looking around, I saw 3 goblin bodies nearby.
”…I saw them trying to sneak around the back of the mansion…”
”I see. Anyway, let’s get inside the mansion…”
As I turned back, a huge shadow caught my eye.
”…An ogre…”
I heard Koichi’s trembling voice from behind. For a moment, I froze at the sight of the giant, but then I crouched low, planted my feet, and jumped forward. I swung my Bokken and struck the ogre’s shin.
”Ggh!”
I could hear the ogre groan, but it didn’t seem to take much damage.
”Without Rena’s ‘Enchant’, this is impossible…”
”Hiroya! Koichi! Get back!”
At my mom’s voice, I moved away from the ogre’s back.
”Here I go!”
My mom jumped over me and brought down her greatsword on the ogre. Mom, even though you’re in a bikini armor showing your thighs, don’t jump like that over your son…
Soon, the ogre, cut in half diagonally from shoulder to waist, fell down.
”How about that! Hmm. ‘Megumi of the Greatsword’ still has a lot of rust on her arms.”
My mom winked at me.
”However, an ogre isn’t a monster you find in the ‘Goblin Forest’ dungeon… I heard there was a ‘Dungeon Burst’, but this isn’t the level of monster that would come out…”
My mom kicked the giant ogre’s head with her foot and ran over to Koichi.
”Koichi, are you okay? Hiroya… seems fine.”
She hugged Koichi, who was completely frozen in fear at the sight of the ogre.
Eventually, we calmed Koichi down and headed toward the mansion.
”Madam, I’m glad you’re safe…”
The soldiers at the gate slumped down in relief.
”Against an ogre, it would have been impossible for you all. Don’t worry about it.”
My mom gently patted the young soldier’s head to comfort him.
* * *
”I saw Hiroya’s sword skills for the first time… they’re pretty impressive. It’s interesting how different they are from mine.”
Back at the mansion, my mom sat in a chair in the living room and ruffled my hair.
”No, Mom, cutting the ogre in half is amazing.”
”Well, I’m just using brute strength.”
She said that with a big smile.
”Thank you, Mrs. O’Brian. I can’t imagine what would have happened if I were alone with the servants at home…”
Kazumi’s mom trembled as she listened to the story of the ogre battle outside.
”That’s why it’s fine to call me Megumi, Ms. Hitomi. We’re friends, right?”
My mom laughed and patted Kazumi’s mom’s shoulder.
”Hiroya, I’m so glad you’re safe…”
Kazumi held my hands tightly, her eyes glistening with tears.
”I’m sorry. I promised to stay by your side no matter what happened.”
”No, it’s okay. It couldn’t be helped since you were in danger, big brother.”
Koichi looked down, feeling guilty as he listened to my conversation with Kazumi.
”If we start practical training and gain experience, I can too…”
I heard a small voice say that.
* * *
”Mom, about that ‘Dungeon Burst’ you mentioned earlier…”
I sat next to my mom and asked.
”Ah, that is…”
My mom replied while taking off her headband.
”Like I said earlier, monsters are born from the miasma inside dungeons. When that miasma increases, there can be too many monsters inside the dungeon, and they overflow outside. That’s called a ‘Dungeon Burst.’ But──.”
My mom places her gauntlets on the table and takes off her arm guards.
”Normally, if the number increases, it’s just the monsters from the upper floors overflowing. Adventurer parties sent by the guild always take care of them. So, it’s not like there’s an overwhelming number of monsters.”
After finishing taking off her arm guards, she lets out a sigh.
”The fact that monsters from the lowest floor are overflowing means… it’s likely due to an abnormal increase in miasma, and the monsters inside the dungeon have probably changed completely. …Unfortunately, we can assume that their levels have increased quite a bit.”
She scratches her head.
In other words, the difficulty of the dungeon in the ‘Goblin Forest’ has gone up.
”──Mrs. O’Brian! Are you here?”
Two adventurers shout as they enter the mansion.
”Oh, Isaac and Roana…”
Kazumi calls out, and the two turn to look at her.
”Hiroya and Kazumi! You’re safe! That’s great…”
Roana looks at us with a relieved expression.
”I have a message from the lord. I’m here to report. All the monsters that appeared in the village have been defeated.”
Isaac stands straight in front of my mom to report.
”I see, that’s good. Thank you for your hard work.”
My mom offers words of appreciation and heads upstairs to change her equipment.
After a while, Rena and Martina enter the mansion.
”Hiroya! Kazumi! Thank goodness! You were home! …I was worried because you weren’t on the hill…”
Two people ran over.
”I’m sorry… I was worried about getting the Bokken sword and Kazumi’s house──Mgh!”
I was hugged by Martina along with Kazumi.
”I’m so glad! I thought something happened to Big Sis Kazumi or Big Brother Hiroya!”
Martina started crying while holding us both in her arms.
”Hey, don’t cry. I’m sorry for making you worry.”
”I’m sorry too, Martina. Please don’t cry anymore.”
Kazumi calmed Martina down and gave me a look. Right, I need to give her the gift.
I slipped out of Martina’s arms and took out 2 small paper bags I had hidden in my obi.
”Rena, Martina. This is a present for you.”
I handed them out without making a mistake.
With puzzled expressions, they opened the paper bags.
”Oh! Ribbons! The same light pink as the yukata!”
”Rena’s is sky blue!”
Their expressions changed to smiles. Martina had Rena and Rena had Kazumi tie the ribbons on them.
”Hehe… Do I look good?”
After showing her back, Martina turned around to ask.
”Hey! How about me, how about me?”
Rena grabbed my arm and shook it while asking.
”Y-Yeah, you both look really good.”
”Hehe! Thank you!”
The two of them perfectly chimed in together. If they were this happy, it was a good purchase.
”Hey… what about me?”
Kazumi whispered in my ear from behind.
”I said you looked good just now.”
”…I wanted to be praised too.”
Kazumi smiled widely.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.