Chapter 30 Storm Brings Rain
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”I never realized how hard it was exploring with rookie Explorers… I thought I had it easy because it was always just you and me, Tatara.”
That was the very first thing Ethelena blurted out after I dumped both her and Tatia into the bath and took their dirt-caked, half-ruined equipment off their hands. Even Ethelena—who’d already started getting the hang of scouting last time—looked this worn out. I didn’t even want to imagine what Tatia had been doing in that dungeon.
”Ah, sorry! First dungeon ever, and I leveled up for the first time too—I just got way too excited!”
”…Didn’t you learn caution from the old man?”
Tatia laughed like rattling dice, and all I could think was: so this is compulsory education’s failure. Did the old man know this part of her personality?
”And Tatara—surprise new fact.”
”From your timing, it’s about Tatia… Wait. First dungeon, and her first level up?”
”Right. Until today, Tatia was level 1.”
”…You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
So all this time, I’d been losing in defense stats to someone who hadn’t even gotten past level 1. No, maybe it’s just that Tatia’s defense is messed up beyond reason.
”Her physical attack is high too. She one-shotted a goblin right from the start.”
”…One-shotted as in, exploded it?”
I glanced at her weapon. Just an ordinary slender rapier. How the hell do you make a stab turn into an explosion?
”My first real battle, and I used too much force. Retrieving the mana stone afterwards was a nightmare.”
”If the body blows apart, shouldn’t the mana stone still remain?”
”Tatara… it wasn’t that simple,” Ethelena said with a sigh.
”What do you mean?”
”The goblin’s mana stone exploded along with it.”
”…No way.”
A mana stone sits near the heart, at the body’s center. Did she pierce straight through it?
”…So when you say ‘exploded,’ do you mean the stab caused the mana inside the stone to burst out?”
Even a small mana stone holds enough energy to power a household magic tool for a day. If that amount of mana got released at once, then yeah, a fragile goblin body would absolutely scatter in a blast.
”Tatara, shouldn’t you be worried about Tatia getting caught up in that kind of explosion?”
”Eh? With her defense? What’s there to worry about?”
”…Good point.”
Honestly, the only thing that could kill her from the front would be a mimic chest’s instant-death trap. Even a goblin lord’s army wouldn’t scratch her.
”By the way, Tatara-dono. What’s the function of this accessory? To be honest, I felt no changes while wearing it.”
She held up the Blessing of the Earth Mother and Prayer of the Earth Mother set. Sure, just wearing them doesn’t feel like anything, so I couldn’t blame her for asking.
”I could explain, but only if you swear never to tell anyone—not even Rogas-san.”
”Not even my father?”
”Not him either. I trust he’d keep it quiet, but it’s safer if no one knows at all.”
These accessories were dangerous knowledge. If word spread, it’d tempt reckless Explorers into dangerous dives. And the materials only dropped past the 50th floor—a depth very few could even reach. Torakuma had the formula, but only on condition she kept it inside her clan. She knew it was trouble too. Spread it nationwide and there wouldn’t be enough materials anyway. Worse, the wearers would become targets. Even at the academy, people already knew Ethelena and I always wore ours. The last thing I wanted was our peaceful life threatened.
”…If even my father’s included, then I can’t promise.”
”Then I can’t tell you.”
”Then what if I say I won’t wear it at all?”
”Then take it off. It’s just a safeguard for your future. A bit of goodwill from me. If you don’t want it, that’s fine.”
Ethelena stayed quiet, watching our exchange. She understood the benefits of wearing it and why I refused to share the details. She’d remembered what I told Torakuma.
”You’re saying I wouldn’t understand the reason to keep quiet?”
”No. I’m saying there’s always the risk you might spill it. If it isn’t necessary to know, then it’s better you don’t. And honestly, think about how much reason I have to trust you after everything you’ve done.”
”…”
I knew this would strain our relationship, but some things I just couldn’t bend on. She’d already shown her reckless side—ignoring warnings, rushing ahead. Hell, those wings on her back were proof enough; she’d shown them off against her father’s orders. That’s a record of disobedience right there.
”…So you don’t trust a business partner?”
”Right back at you. Don’t you trust the craftsman who made that gear?”
”…Fine. Don’t tell me.”
With a resigned sigh, Tatia kept the accessory on anyway.
”For now, I won’t ask further.”
”Appreciate it. Now, the real point—did you get any iron ore or ingots?”
That was the reason she and Ethelena had gone into the dungeon together, but I had a bad feeling.
”…We didn’t get a single one.”
”No, see—the treasure chest had a lock. I forced it open, and the contents broke!”
”…Of course.”
I’d suspected as much. Ethelena’s softness mixed with Tatia’s bullheadedness was a recipe for disaster. Mimic chests usually appear from the 15th floor onward, though rare cases spawn from the 5th. We’d already run into them twice before. Maybe Ethelena’s luck played a role, but pulling a 1% chance twice meant Tatia breaking a locked chest was honestly the better outcome.
If it had been a mimic, they’d have faced instant-death traps—or worse, monster summons. Even Tatia might not hold out against the numbers if it came to that.
I was starting to think I should ask the old man for help. If we didn’t fix Tatia’s habits, she was never going to survive dungeon life.
”…Alright. Tomorrow, I’m coming with you.”
”Eh? You too, Tatara-dono? You don’t need to worry that much—”
”I do. Coming back with nothing at all is already a problem. And more than that, you tried to open a chest without even checking it. In the academy, that’s an instant fail.”
Tatia flinched at my words, while Ethelena quietly looked away. Right, she’d tried to rush into a mimic chest before, chasing a level-up.
”But Tatara… how far are we going? The guaranteed drop floor is the 22nd, right?”
”It’s not actually guaranteed, you know. Iron ore’s more like a side bonus when mithril drops. The highest chance is around the twenty-sixth floor, but… honestly, with our current attack power, we wouldn’t make it that far.”
If Torakuma could come along, it’d be simple. But she was still tied up in immigration paperwork—and more importantly, she was a foreign princess. No way I could just ask her to tag along.
”Given our levels, it makes more sense to farm the Goblin Lord on the tenth floor. If it drops iron gear, we can melt that down and reuse it.”
That’s exactly the method the guild recommends when no iron ore or ingots drop. Bring back dungeon-made gear, smelt it, recycle it. A desperate, stopgap measure—but the guild can’t control drop luck, so they’ve settled for this workaround.
”Mmm… nothing goes smoothly.”
”Well, the locked chest you smashed could’ve had iron ore in it.”
”Ugh… I’ll be careful from now on.”
”See that you do. Instant-death traps exist, remember.”
Even if dungeons were “enter at your own risk,” the blame always landed heavier on the veteran. If the rookie ignores orders and charges ahead like a wild boar, the senior Explorer still takes the fall for failing to rein them in.
Seriously, old man—could you fix her personality already? If she keeps this up, even the knight order or the army will treat her like a cursed relic.
”So, how far did you dive this time?”
”The eighth floor. We ran into a Goblin Commander, defeated it, then pulled back.”
”You actually beat it…?”
Ethelena’s level probably hadn’t even reached twenty yet. For her to bring Tatia along and still manage to down a Goblin Commander—that showed serious growth.
”Yeah. I used Tatia as bait, gathered the goblins, then wiped them with a wide-range Energy Drain.”
”…That’s brutal.”
”It surprised me too—my strength just drained all at once.”
”And you dragged Tatia into the blast as well?”
”No, she volunteered to be bait. Said she could tank a bit of magic.”
Which basically meant Ethelena’s “Sex Sorcery” had spread farther than I realized. The way that skill was deepening was starting to scare me.
”I even finished the Commander myself! Leveled up and felt great.”
”You got the finishing blow?”
”It resisted the drain, but I locked it down with Charm. Then Tatia finished it off.”
”…That’s a nasty combo.”
When Ethelena fought freely, she turned vicious fast. From the enemy’s perspective, it must’ve been pure hell.
”Anyway, we’ll add another brake to Tatia and try again tomorrow. Boss drops might give us some hope.”
”Am I really that unreliable?”
”It’s not that. The problem’s that you can’t rein Tatia in. This time was just dumb luck, nothing more.”
”…Mmm.”
Truthfully, Tatia’s defensive ability wasn’t just top-tier—it was broken. At base level, her defense stats already outstripped mine at nearly level thirty. Load her up with mithril gear and she could probably handle the fiftieth floor. If the old game data still applied, she’d even tank boss magic like it was nothing.
What the hell is this bugged-out existence?
”…Isn’t it almost curfew?”
A glance at the wall clock told me it was late. For a knight-school student, curfew wasn’t something you ignored.
”Wha—!? It’s that late!? Sorry, I’ve got to go!!”
Tatia shot out of her seat the instant she saw the time, bolting for the door. Well, panic made sense… whatever.
”So, we’re still diving tomorrow?”
”Of course! Count on me! See you then!!”
She shouted it loud enough to set the neighbor’s dogs barking. Restless girl.
Once she left, it was just the two of us again. Ethelena leaned against me, exhaustion plain on her face. I scooped her up and carried her to the sofa by the garden window instead of the dining chairs.
She looked startled at first, then smiled, resting her head against my chest.
I sat down with her perched on my lap, stroking her long hair. Silky strands ran through my fingers smoother than the finest silk, sliding away like water.
”Good work today, Ethelena.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck, hugging me tight. The softness of her chest pressing into me made my body stir on instinct.
”Heh… you’re naughty, Tatara.”
”…Sorry.”
Succubus traits. Of course she noticed. She whispered into my ear, teasing, while I tried to focus on caring for her.
”Sorry… I’m too worn out from handling Tatia today.”
”Don’t worry about it.”
She pressed her forehead to my shoulder, voice apologetic. Yeah, my body ached for more, but I wasn’t about to force someone I loved.
I kept stroking her hair and back, telling her about my day—talks about becoming Chief Crafter, meeting Torakuma again, passing on my techniques, maybe even reshaping Whirlwind someday.
Ethelena reacted with shifting expressions: wanting to meet Torakuma again, unease about my inventions spreading, faint recognition about the Chief Crafter news.
She laughed as she listened, though her eyelids kept drooping.
I softened my touch, coaxing her into sleep. The way she clung for more felt like a spoiled cat, unbearably cute.
At last, her quiet breathing told me she was gone. Carefully, I carried her to our room, tucked her in, and brushed a kiss to her forehead.
”Good night, Ethelena. I love you.”
Leaving those words behind, I headed to the workshop to tune up the equipment I’d collected. Tomorrow was going to be rough—that much was certain.
The next morning, I had everything perfectly prepped and waited for Tatia to show.
To my surprise, Ethelena’s Lonisera had not only been reinforced but gained a new Special Ability—Overload I, a one-shot trump card that unleashed damage five times greater at the cost of mana. Something I’d never seen in the game. This was unique to this world.
”Sorry to keep you waiting, both of you!!”
Tatia burst in, still in her knight uniform. I handed her rapier back, having fixed the odd quirks it had picked up. Honestly, though… wasn’t her real weapon something longer? She held it like someone used to polearms.
”We’re fine on our end. How about you, Tatia? Any issues with the adjustments?”
”Not at all! It actually fits better in my hand than yesterday… What did you do?”
”Just smoothed out the quirks and balanced it. Basic Crafter work.”
”I see. Knight school never teaches things like that.”
Yeah, I figured. I’d fixed it casually, but the idiot once told me a shop didn’t do it for her. Well, of course—they wouldn’t tamper with another shop’s work and risk throwing off the balance. I remembered explaining as much to Daruma once.
”…Still, no matter how many times I look at it, Tatia’s light armor feels off.”
”No helping it. If I borrowed armor and broke it, my meager savings would vanish. Besides—my body is tough!”
”See, that’s exactly the problem. You’re not wrong, but… are you sure about this?”
A prickle of unease ran down my back. Maybe I was just poisoned by too many “death flags” from my previous life, but the way she said it felt ominous.
We made our way to the Cavern of Eternal Night dungeon. Just as I was about to handle the entry paperwork, a familiar voice rang out.
”Hey! Tatara! Ethelena!”
Charging over while waving like mad was Torakuma—dressed, surprisingly, in local casual clothes. Calmys-san walked at her side. Not a walk for fun then… or maybe she just couldn’t be trusted to walk alone with her “lost child” genes.
Still, sending the church’s so-called greatest saint along as her minder—that was impressive even by this city’s standards.
”Toracchi! It’s been too long!”
Ethelena’s happy cry carried as she sprinted to hug Torakuma. Watching the two cling to each other, I couldn’t help smiling at the scene.
”It’s only been a day, Torakuma. Finally finished your paperwork?”
Her answer was a bright nod, grin wide as ever, even with Calmys standing there to keep watch.
Then Calmys’s serious voice cut through.
”Julon, I must ask something of you.”
”…That’s sudden.”
Her sharp look pinned me down. This reeked of trouble.
”Yohira-sama—” (that was Torakuma’s real name) “—says she’s growing restless from lack of training and wants to dive into a dungeon. I beg you, let her join you.”
Torakuma herself puffed out her chest.
”Indeed! The City Mayor already approved my request this morning. I am sorry to impose, but please, allow me to come!”
”Uh…”
Torakuma Shihaba was her full name, but I always called her by the family name, while Ethelena used her pet nickname. I wasn’t sure I’d ever use “Yohira” myself.
Anyway, the real issue was today’s “main guest,” Tatia. I looked her way.
She blinked at us, clearly lost.
”Sorry, Tatia. Can we bring one more along?”
”That person… you mean to join us?”
”Yeah. She’s complicated, but her combat ability is insane.”
Truth was, Torakuma could actually punch through Tatia’s defense. With her around, aiming for the twenty-second floor wasn’t crazy. If goblins didn’t cough up iron gear before then, we’d have to go deeper anyway.
”Hm… very well! If need be, I will stand as the shield! No problem!”
Well, that was easy. Sometimes simple minds are a blessing.
Then Torakuma leaned close and whispered.
”Is that the knight apprentice you mentioned yesterday?”
”That’s her.”
She nodded once, then stepped forward.
”I am Torakuma Shihaba, from the eastern land of the rising sun. I look forward to fighting beside you.”
Her bow was flawless—grace steeped in noble upbringing. Even in foreign etiquette, her air radiated dignity.
Tatia responded with her own knight’s salute.
”Your introduction honors me. I am Tatia, a knight apprentice. Forgive my lack of a family name, Yohira-sama.”
”Your courtesy is thanks enough.”
They lifted their heads, gazes meeting. For a moment, they looked like a proper princess and knight. If you didn’t know the truth, you’d believe it.
”…Calmys-san, may I ask something?”
”Go on.”
”Are you really allowed to let Torakuma enter? The permits and all?”
”No problem. That’s why the paperwork took so long. Now it’s all settled. Though in the meantime, your damn documents gave my master migraines.”
”…So that’s why the Mayor glared at me yesterday.”
Maybe not petty anger after all.
”Then I leave her in your care.”
”Understood. Thank you.”
With a final glance at Ethelena, Calmys departed. Looked like she mouthed something to her, but I didn’t catch it.
”Alright. Let’s finalize our formation.”
We gathered before entering.
”I’ll take the lead, of course.”
”Denied.”
”Denied.”
”…What!?”
Tatia’s immediate declaration was shot down by me and Ethelena in unison. She’d admitted yesterday she just charged headfirst without scouting. Until she could at least match Ethelena, no way.
”Frontline’s Ethelena. She’ll handle scouting.”
”Got it.”
Tatia’s face twisted with dissatisfaction. I explained anyway.
”Her movement, range, and reaction speed make her the best choice.”
”But I am a knight. It is my duty to face danger first!”
”And if you blunder into a trap or ambush with no scouting ability and fall? Who cleans up after that?”
”But still—!”
”…What exactly did Rogas tell you before you came here?”
I remembered that first day—his words of caution.
”You went in once yesterday and thought it was easy, didn’t you?”
”…That’s—”
”You think one of the city’s greatest Explorers would’ve earned that title if dungeons were that simple?”
She faltered. I pressed harder.
”Dungeons aren’t open fields where knights excel. They’re cramped, full of traps, ambushes. If you charge ahead because you’re tough and get poisoned or split off, then what?”
”I… can’t answer that.”
”Then follow orders inside. Understood?”
Rogas must’ve told her a dozen times: listen. Knights were strong, sure. With training and battle experience, they had the edge in raw basics over us Explorers.
But dungeons weren’t their battlefield. They were living traps. Tatia’s knight school had drilled her in formation and strategy—but those tools didn’t fit here.
Her strength mattered. Her defense could stand against rare monsters or bosses.
But if we couldn’t gather ores and mana stones, it was pointless. Yesterday’s haul hadn’t even reached a tenth of the goal. That was failure, plain and simple.
”…Moving on. Formation: Tatia behind Ethelena, I’ll cover her rear, Torakuma watches the back.”
”Leave it to me.”
Best to put the strongest at the rear. I’d cover Torakuma’s defense, while Tatia supported Ethelena up front. That was the most balanced setup we had.
”Alright. Long briefing, but that’s our formation. Tatia, if Ethelena gets ambushed, you move to cover immediately.”
”…Fine.”
Her face was thoughtful. Maybe I’d pushed too hard.
But no—her recklessness needed harsh correction. Even if I was only sticking around until her armor was complete, I couldn’t stand by and watch a comrade walk into danger.
Sorry, old man. I’ll fix this one my way.
—
Tatia event still ongoing.
Notes:
• Calmys – War God’s knight, Mayor’s guard chief, whip-master hiding as a swordswoman; sharp tongue, big-sister vibe to Tatara, grants him and Ethelena church protection.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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