Chapter 103: A Classic Story
The next day, we were divided into two teams early in the morning.
One is the area regulation team led by the aide Nakaram-san , and the other was the adventurer team who would dive into the dungeon.
As for me, I decided to dive into the dungeon to support the adventurers with my dagashis.
One plot of land was to be 300 square meters.
This would be enough to build a house, a livestock pen, and a vegetable garden.
The owner of the plot will be decided later by lot drawing.
As she looked at the area regulation team doing their work, Merle gloomily sighed.
[Haahhh…… I’m worried. I have bad luck with lottery, so I might end up with a plot of land next to the dungeon or next to the public restroom……]
[Don’t worry, we won’t build residential areas in such places. Well, in the future, the area next to the dungeon would likely have high commercial value though.]
[I’d prefer to be near the Lord’s manor anyway. It’s convenient that way since I could easily come and visit.]
Merle has never lost her childishness, but that part of her makes her cute.
[Let’s stop worrying about boring things, it’s about time we head into the dungeon too. We’re only investigating the 1st Underground Floor today, but everyone should stay alert.]
With Michelle in the lead, we rushed into the dungeon.
Luganda Dungeon is much smaller than the Royal Capital Dungeon.
The entrance was only 2.5 meters wide and the ceiling was less than 4 meters high.
Well, this is only for the 1st Underground Floor, and I still don’t know what the deeper levels are like.
[Each team should map it out well. We’ll put it all together to have a firm grasp of the entirety of the dungeon. And if anything goes wrong, blow this whistle and call your friends.]
I handed out my shop’s new product to the adventurers.
Product name: Whistle Mints
Description: Sugar candies. Comes in three types: sour, lemon and orange. When eaten, the power of Water and Frost Magic is slightly increased.
Price: 30 rims
This candy comes in a small plastic box, and when you slide the lid, it becomes a whistle.
This whistle’s sound resonates much farther than a normal whistle would.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt[Ohh, aren’t these quite the treat!? Omnomnom.]
[Gah!? Garm, the heck? Why are you eating all of that already?]
Garm poured the whistle mints into his mouth in one gulp.
Not just Garm, but his comrades were also doing the same thing.
[I mean, I can’t use Water or Frost Magic. Yahagi-san, gimme an orange flavor this time.]
[If you want more, properly pay for it. I’ll have to develop Luganda, so I can never have enough money.]
[Yeah, yeah. Well, let’s do our best to get magic stones, and we can use it to develop our place.]
The lords buy the magic stones and sell them wholesale to the country.
The profit margin for the wholesale would then go into the lord’s pocket.
Well, since we still have pressing expenses at hand, I don’t think we’ll see any profits anytime soon.
[I’m counting on you. Also, make sure to keep the whistles on hand. It’s a signal for when something happens.]
The 10 adventurer teams split up and began to investigate the dungeon.
As is the case in the Royal Capital Dungeon, the enemies on the 1st Underground Floor aren’t that big of a deal.
Generally, the deeper it is in the dungeon, the denser the mana essence in that area will be.
Powerful monsters appear in areas with a high concentration of mana essence, which is why only small fries are found on the surface.
However, this dungeon had not been touched by human hands, and the number of monsters was excessively large.
Marco, his Legendary Nail Bat lowered, was picking up copper coins and magic stones while wiping off his sweat.
[Fuuu…… While the enemies are just ones that can’t resist at all, when they have this many numbers, the payoff is huge.]
Marco is working hard on the front lines today.
With Titti here, he seems to be more enthusiastic than usual.
[How much earnings are you making?]
[I think we’ve made about 20,000 rims.]
Team Harukaze consists of four people plus Titti, so that’s 4000 rims per person.
If they can make that much before noon, then their earnings aren’t bad.
[If we go down to the 2nd Underground Floor, the actual income should improve a bit more. It’s reassuring that everyone seems to be getting by.]
As we walked along, chatting and laughing, a rock near the wall suddenly moved and attacked Titti.
[A Stone Crab!]
The Stone Crab is a crab monster that mimics stone.
It has a high defense and is a difficult enemy to kill.
Even back in the Royal Capital Dungeon, it’s a powerful enemy that would usually be found below the 3rd Underground Floor.
Because irregularities like this exist, the dungeon isn’t a simple place.
[Kuh, Wind Cutter!]
Titti unleashed her magic at the Stone Crab, but it dissipated before its thick shell.
The most effective magic against a Stone Crab is Fire Magic, but Titti, who isn’t familiar with the dungeon, probably doesn’t know that.
[Titti-sama!]
Marco quickly slides his body between the Stone Crab and Titti and raises the Legendary Nail Bat.
This weapon, which deals fixed damage, is great for hunting monsters with high defenses.
Bam! Bam!
With countless holes in its body, the Stone Crab sank to the ground.
[Titti-sama, are you hurt?]
[N- No…… I’m alright.]
Titti stared at Marco in a daze.
[Thank goodness. I’m sorry, I was lost in thought, and ended up putting Titti-sama in a dangerous situation.]
[T- That’s not the case…… T- Thank you. You did a great job. (Oh my, Marco is so cool……)]
The two started giving off a lovey-dovey aura for some reason.
[Ahh~~ enough of that. Once we collect the magic stones and money, let’s quickly move forward~~]
The team leader, Merle, clapped her hands and urged everyone to move forward.
However, Michelle mutters absentmindedly.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm[That looks nice, I want to be protected too.]
Even though Michelle says that, she’s one of the best adventurers, isn’t she?
[I’ll do my best. No matter what happens, I’ll protect you when you’re in a predicament.]
[Really? In that case, give me a dagashi that lowers my abilities!]
[Why now?]
[So I can get weaker and have Yuusuke protect me!]
She suddenly came up with a stupid idea again.
[I’m not selling a dagashi like that.]
Seeing Michelle’s condition, Titti mockingly laughed.
[If you want, how about I put a curse on you? The kind that makes Sister as weak as a slug. Then, Yahagi will have to do his best to protect you.]
[Sounds like a great idea!]
Doesn’t sound like that though……
[However, something like Titti’s curse can be easily lifted.]
[What did you say!? Keh! How about I cast a curse where you keep spewing worms from your mouth?]
As the sisters suddenly broke out into a quarrel, Regal shrugged his shoulders.
[Why don’t you just go and have Yuusuke-san handcuff you?]
Oi, idiot, the heck are you saying now? She’s gonna take you seriously.
[That might be a good idea……]
Yep, see that?
[You shouldn’t do stupid things in the dungeon. It’s about time you come back to your senses.]
[Ehh~~ Doesn’t having us be connected sound like a good idea? Being restrained like that seemed like it would feel good……]
Dang it, Regal! Because of your words, Michelle’s gonna awaken to a strange fetish!
After that, Michelle was still being insistent, but I satisfied her by having some bodyguard roleplay in our room in the evening.
The story is that of a classic tale of forbidden love between a princess and her escort knight.
It was fun, but it made me somewhat exhausted……
<Translator’s Notes>
Whistle Mints