Chapter 28
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
As we move through the 2nd District of the dungeon, we have fought monsters several times.
”Ugh!?”
”Guggh!”
”Gyah!”
”It’s over.”
”Yeah… no matter how many times I see it, it feels more like a job than a battle.”
As I smash the heads of the monsters I had restrained with my axe, Iris says this after confirming they’ve stopped moving.
She’s right; it’s just about dealing with things that aren’t moving anymore.
”Well, for now. As we go further, there will be ones that throw things or attack in other ways.”
”That’s true. But, do I really not have to fight?”
While extracting magic stones from the monsters, Iris asks me this.
I’ve only seen her use magic once, and since then, I’ve had her on standby.
If she can’t use magic, she’s just an ordinary girl and doesn’t have much power in a fight.
This is because she’s keeping her skills as a magician a secret.
Even though there aren’t many people in the 2nd District where we are, there are still some, and there might be others like me who can become invisible.
Since being able to disappear is a secret… for now, I’m making her hold back on using magic because we don’t know who might see us.
”If you use magic, it leaves an effect in the area for a while, right? So it’s better not to use it.”
”That’s true, but… is it really okay?”
”It’s fine. I’m not using much effort either, and you can think of it as saving it for when I really can’t handle things.”
”Even if it’s beyond your power, I can’t believe my magic will do anything about it…”
Since I’m using both magical power and physical strength with my wire-like Magic Armor and axe, if my power doesn’t work, there’s a good chance Iris’s magic won’t work either.
But…
”Well, just knowing that there’s a way to act calmly in a pinch is good enough.”
”Right. But that armor is made of magical power, right? You’ve been using it for a while, is it okay?”
”Ah… well, it’s not like I’m consuming it. I can return it to myself as magical power.”
If I say I’m consuming magical power, she’ll probably think my amount of magical power is abnormal, so I’ll just explain it this way for now.
”Returning magical power… is that a different skill from ‘magic thread’?”
”Who knows? I’ve only heard of one in the ‘Ceremony of Blessings.’”
That’s true, though the content is different.
”So, is it just one way to use a skill?”
”Probably.”
”Hmm… well, aside from that, I think it’s a bit strange that the only thing we can do is collect magic stones.”
Iris seemed to understand my answer but didn’t seem satisfied, and she started to worry again about my role.
Originally, I was planning to make her rely on the power of a company that only women could join, and I feel like the feelings that were supposed to be spread across the whole company are now focused on me alone.
Even if she received the same help, the gratitude directed towards the organization as a whole would usually be felt, but concentrating it on one individual might make me feel more apologetic.
Umm… I understand how she feels because of her position, but she’s probably a noble or someone close to that. It’s fine if people think of her like a merchant who hires guards.
Well, I’m ‘using’ her too.
After a while.
Thinking about how much cargo we could carry, we walked around collecting only magic stones, avoiding other teams. We decided to rest in an empty break room when the timing was right.
The reason for avoiding others was to keep Iris from getting involved and because my disguise had a flaw.
That flaw was my voice.
It would be too convenient to have a tool that changes my voice, but Iris would get suspicious, so I decided not to alter my voice.
So, I figured that while I could hide my appearance, I couldn’t really disguise my voice, which is why I was trying to avoid conversations with outsiders.
My head was also covered with Magic Armor, so my voice sounded muffled. I thought I could change my tone a bit, but… just to be safe.
I sat in a spot that was hard to see from the entrance of the room, and when I exposed my head to eat… Iris suddenly kissed me.
”Mmm~♪ Mmmch…”
”Mmm… huh?”
*Slurp… gulp*.
Something was being poured into my mouth.
Well, I knew it was the water she had just taken in, so I swallowed it.
After finishing a mouthful of water, Iris didn’t pull away, and her tongue tangled with mine.
*Mwah… slurp… phew*.
After tasting my tongue for a while, she pulled away and then reached for my groin.
”Um, if you want, I can do it with my mouth.”
It seemed like she was worried that she wasn’t doing much work.
I had been telling her not to worry about it every time she asked.
”No, sharing water is fine, but going that far… you never know when someone might come in.”
Saying that, I gently tried to decline.
Actually, if someone approaches without having a magic stone, I can’t detect them.
In that case… I can only sense them through the gravity detection of the Magic Armor net that I set up on the ground of the passage leading to this room.
If I made it flat, it would feel weird when stepped on, so I set up the Magic Armor threads in a net shape.
Just to be safe, I made it about the size of 3 steps for an average person, so I think they would notice unless they were floating.
I don’t think of myself as a special person.
So, I try to refuse the idea that what I can do, “someone” else could also do… and then Iris said something like this.
”I don’t mind being seen if I’m just doing it with my mouth. In fact, if they see it, they might think I’m ‘Mose’s girl, and not that I have a relationship with ‘Koji,’ right?”
”Mose” refers to me when I’m in full armor, and it’s just an extension of my previous life’s family name, “Mozu.”
I adopted it since I hadn’t used my previous family name here.
That aside… there’s a problem with Iris’s statement.
”No, I would be seen.”
Yeah, even if she doesn’t get seen, my lower half is exposed, so it would be seen normally.
I pointed that out, but… Iris’s response made me feel a bit troubled.
”Huh? I heard that if a guy is confident about ‘his thing’… he would show it off. Are you not confident even with that size?”
”Um…”
It seems she thinks I have a sufficient size from yesterday’s incident, but… I don’t know the average in this world.
On the way to Dungeon City, I met some adventurers, and there were times when we had to take care of business together. Looking back on that, I don’t think it’s something to be too shy about.
If I refuse here… will she think I lack ‘confidence’?
I don’t like that idea.
Just to be sure, I ask Iris a question, imagining her in that situation.
”Well then, Iris, would you be embarrassed if a girl looked at your chest?”
”If it’s a girl, I don’t really care.”
”Ah… I see.”
She’s got a nice size, and the shape and balance are good, so she probably feels confident about it.
I thought she might feel shy about being looked at, but maybe… she’s used to being seen, like when maids help her change clothes.
This is probably only about girls, but I was tentatively thinking she might be a lady from a high-status family, and that possibility seems even more likely now.
As for me…
I’m not the type to show off, but as long as they don’t stare too hard, I guess it’s fine.
So, I decided to unlock part of my Magic Armor and open up the front.
Today, I’m kind of just making an excuse to hang out together, and hunting monsters is also a way to show off my fighting style, so I have plenty of time.
”Here, do what you want. But do you know how to do it?”
”Yeah. The clerk girl who showed us to that table told me. If it seems like they’re forcing me, I can just make them give up after a few tries.”
What is that clerk teaching her?
But well, if I can handle it with words, there might be a chance to avoid anything worse, so it’s not completely pointless.
Iris immediately stuck out her tongue and brought her face close to that place.
”Then, let’s do it. Lick…”
”Hmm…”
”Oh, it’s getting hard. Then…am…”
*Slurp, slurp*…
”Hmm…”
Ignoring the feeling and Iris’s enthusiastic head movement, I apparently looked like a man who would force himself on a woman to that clerk… After that, we enjoyed our break while being careful of other people.
After our break, Iris and I went back to hunting in the 2nd District.
Since we had consumed a lot of stamina during our break, we shared a diluted nutritional drink.
Iris made a puzzled face at the taste, so I pretended that it was the unique taste of the medicine.
Thanks to that, we were able to resume hunting without any problems… but honestly, it was boring.
Since I could tell where the monsters were and all I had to do was restrain them and chop their heads off with an axe, the only thing I had to be careful of was adventurers who didn’t have magic stones.
Some teams distributed the magic stones among their members, while others had one person carry them all.
If one of them went out on reconnaissance without any magic stones, all I could do was be careful with my eyes and ears.
Well, if it was boring, we could have proceeded to the 3rd District, but then another problem would arise.
”…Isn’t that heavy?”
After finishing the task of combat, Iris asked me this as I collected the magic stones and put on my bag.
The bag for the loot was quite large and numerous even with just the magic stones, and the bag I put them in was also quite swollen.
I had been pretending to put the magic stones away in my bag while actually absorbing them little by little so as not to look unnatural… but I had earned them at a faster pace than that.
Even so, the monsters didn’t run out, perhaps because of the nature of the dungeon.
Well, I didn’t feel the weight since I was wearing the bag on top of my Magic Armor, but I did find it cumbersome to move with.
It was also slightly increasing my magical power consumption, so when I told Iris about it, she suggested that we return.
”Then, shall we head back for today?”
”Is that okay?”
”Yes. Today was just a trial, and I’ve come to understand your strength… even though I haven’t fully grasped it yet. I’ve heard that magic items rarely appear in the shallower areas, and now that I know that magic stones alone can make such a load, we can change our strategy for next time.”
”So from next time, we’ll avoid the monsters along the way as much as possible and head as deep as we can, right?”
”Yes. However, if we’re going deeper, we might need a cart for water and food. With your strength, you should be able to handle monsters even while pulling a cart, right?”
”Well, yes. But you were quite reserved at first, and now you’re becoming a bit rough with me, aren’t you?”
At my words, Iris smirked with lustful eyes.
”I just thought that it’s fine as long as I use you as much as I’m being used. Seeing your strength made me think that we can’t afford to hold back for the sake of our goal~♪.”
”Hmm… So, we’re heading back early today, and we have plenty of time, right?”
As I said this, I casually grabbed her butt, to which she consented with one condition.
”Nn~♪…That’s fine, but can we do it after we finish shopping?”
”Shopping? For water, food… and a cart?”
”That too, but I also want to buy more magic catalysts.”
”Catalysts? If it gets out that you bought them, won’t people find out that you’re a magician?”
At my question, Iris replied with a troubled expression.
”That’s the problem, isn’t it? Until now, I was managing with what I brought from home, but after yesterday, it’s all gone down.”
”Then, should I buy it as ‘Koji’ and pass it off as ‘Mose’? That way, people will just think ‘Koji’ is a magician.”
”Is that okay? You might end up getting attention and be invited to join a team or company.”
”Well, that could definitely become a hassle.”
”There are companies like ‘Gem Snake,’ so if they think you’re a magician, they might use some forceful methods.”
According to the interviewer from the company Iris tried to join, even if magic can’t be used in battle, just being able to produce water is valuable, and just being a magician means you can usually join most teams or companies.
As long as you have the right catalyst, there are no limits on the types of magic you can use, and it seems like anyone can produce water.
Of course, that’s as long as there aren’t any major personality issues.
Well, even if it’s not ‘Gem Snake,’ I have no intention of teaming up with anyone as ‘Koji,’ so it’s annoying to waste time on something I’m definitely going to refuse.
So,
””Hmm…””
As the two of us were worrying about this, I remembered something.
It was a red stone I collected from a goblin that used magic when I lived in the forest.
When I used Magic Armor while holding it, my body was engulfed in flames… could this also be a magic catalyst?
I accidentally used one of the 3, but I still have the other 2.
Iris used a red powder for her fire magic, so I’m not sure if it was crushed or something different… should I try giving this to her?
But, this was something I could use too, and I kind of want to keep it as a trump card.
If that’s the case… I secretly create that stone in my hand.
*Hummm*.
I hadn’t tried it before because it wasn’t necessary, but I was able to create it without any problems.
So, I guess I can assume that I can create other catalysts too.
Now… what should I do with this?
If I’m going to use it right away, I could turn it into powder and hand it over, but if not, there’s a chance it could fall and end up in someone else’s hands.
If that happens, it might be discovered as a fake, and then they could start looking for someone with the ability to forge things, which could lead back to my family.
Ugh, that’s annoying.
As for Iris… I’ve done what I needed to do, and I know she’s a good person, but if she asks for my information in exchange for that magic item to break the curse, I might not be able to refuse.
It’s natural to care more about family, and while I would hesitate, I would probably end up agreeing in the end.
So, it seems… I really can’t give this away.
I wish there was a way to do this without raising any suspicions.
In the end, when we returned to the city, we decided to do some shopping for things other than catalysts.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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