Holy Assassin*2
“… Eh?”
“Like, for someone saying they came to ‘investigate,’ they seemed pretty unfamiliar with dungeons…”
I was bewildered, but so were Mishisia-san and Lisas-san listening to me. Well, of course. Same here. What the heck is this? I was on guard, and yet this is way too sloppy!
“They have an antidote, right?”
“Looks like they already used it all up.”
“… Should we go save them?”
“Nah, I don’t really owe them that much…”
Well, yeah. It’s a pitfall in a pretty obvious spot along a decently traveled passage, so some adventurers passing by will probably rescue them. Yeah…
… Yeah.
“What did the Churchman even come here for…?”
“Who knows…”
Man, when things turn out way dumber than expected, I honestly don’t even know how to react. What is this? What is this!?
“… In that case, it’s Edele-san’s time to shine.”
While the rest of us were lost in confusion, Mishisia-san alone was brimming with hope. Like someone who knows the right path even while lost!
“Did you know? Edele-san is super good at getting information out of people!”
“… Oh!”
Looks like our guide is Edele-san.
I’m counting on you, Edele-san! Please take care of this!
“What? That person’s unable to move?”
“Seems like it… right, Asuma-sama?”
When I reported it, Edele-san also looked bewildered. Well, of course. I’m honestly confused too!
“Ah, but a party of adventurers just headed that way, so they’ll probably pick them up.”
“Oh, really? Then that’s a relief. Well, they also paid for the ‘Peace-of-Mind Insurance,’ the one where if they don’t return to reception after a day, a search party gets dispatched. So if it came down to it, Lisas-san would’ve gone to look for them.”
What Edele-san calls the “Peace-of-Mind Insurance” is one of the policies you can sign up for at the Dungeon entrance reception.
Right now too, the Dungeon reception collects a small entrance fee as a “Dungeon Management Cost.” On top of that, if you pay extra, you can join this insurance plan that says, “If you don’t come back in a day, we’ll go look for you!”
And the one who does the searching? That’s Lisas-san. To make it not look suspicious for him to wander inside the Dungeon, his “cover job” is helping people in trouble inside.
And since I’m treated as his apprentice tagging along, I also get to enter the Dungeon without raising suspicion. Very handy. Thanks, Lisas-san.
“Well then, if that’s the case, they’ll probably come back escorted by the adventurers…”
“Yeah, I think so too. So, Edele-san! Please gather info on why that person came here!”
When Mishisia-san said that and grabbed Edele-san’s hand, Edele-san blinked, then smiled warmly.
“Alright, I understand. I’m glad there’s something I can be useful for. I’ll do my best.”
Ohh, what a reliable smile. Edele-san can definitely pull this off. So, looks like by tomorrow we’ll have some info.
And so.
That day, we spent our time leisurely. Watching the slimes squish-squish around, making a few more gemstones, and waiting with hopes for Edele-san’s success.
… By evening, the Churchman had been safely rescued and brought back, looking all gloomy, muttering, “What a horrible experience…” Wow, this person really is hopeless…
At reception, while comforting them, Edele-san smoothly offered, “If you’d like, I can guide you to the dining hall.” The Churchman, tired and hungry, obediently followed her along.
Man, this is where it’s handy that the village outside the cave is still part of the Dungeon. Since I can sense what’s happening in the whole place, I can get the gist of situations without being there myself. This is convenient as heck.
“Asuma-sama, how’s it looking now?”
“Hmm, Edele-san just led the Churchman into the dining hall.”
“Wow, Edele-san’s so good! Fast worker!”
While Mishisia-san cheered, and Lisas-san muttered, “That’s something I could never do…,” I focused harder on the dining hall. It’s inconvenient to only get vague impressions.
Like, if I focus, maybe I can see things more clearly? Both Mishisia-san and Lisas-san always said magic is about training.
“Oh! I did it!”
Sure enough, when I tried, I could clearly see the inside of the dining hall!
“Eh!? What happened, Asuma-sama!?”
“Right now, I can see inside the dining hall!”
“Wow, really!? So you can see both me here and the dining hall? That’s super convenient!”
“Nope! I can’t see you at all anymore, Mishisia-san!”
“Then that’s inconvenient after all!”
Looks like I can only have one view at a time. It’s like I switched from Camera 1 to Camera 2, and the view right in front of me is gone. Dang, inconvenient!
Would’ve been nice if I could do split-screen like a TV picture-in-picture, but nope! Or maybe that’s possible with training? But at least for now, no way. My brain’s all tangled already!
“How about the sound?”
“The sound… I think I can switch to the dining hall if I concentrate, but then I probably won’t hear anything here. So if something happens, tap my shoulder three times. That’ll snap me back.”
“A-Alright… That’s quite a terrifying ability.”
“Then I’ll hold your hand! If you need help on your end, squeeze my hand. And if I ask, ‘You okay?’ I’ll squeeze first, and if you’re fine, you squeeze twice back!”
So we worked out some signals. Good thing we tested this now, not in a real fight. This ability’s risky unless I’ve got companions watching my back.
Anyway, right now I do have companions, so I used it… And sure enough, I could see and hear the dining hall.
The sudden burst of noise from the hall full of adventurers finishing their work startled me, and right then, my right hand was gently squeezed. I squeezed back twice to say, “I’m fine.” Then got two squeezes in reply—Mishisia-san’s “Got it.”
… Thanks to my companions, I could keep my focus on the dining hall. As usual, the place was lively. And at one table, Edele-san and the Churchman just had their meal brought to them.
Today’s daily special was a stew set. Salt-cured pork simmered with root vegetables in a salty broth. Not cream stew, but still tasty. I like that kind too. Man, I’m hungry.
“My, what a terrible ordeal. To think there’d be so many traps!”
“I’m glad you’re safe. That Dungeon does seem to have many traps with poison…”
“Truly, what a vile Dungeon… I must thank God for my safety.”
In front of the stew, the Churchman said that, then began some sort of pre-meal prayer. Edele-san copied them just for form’s sake. I’d better memorize the motions too. Looks like it’s table manners in this world.
“But still, why did you come to this village? As you see, it’s only a small place. And the Dungeon has no monsters either…”
As she asked this while eating, the Churchman nodded slowly with a ‘what can you do’ sort of look.
“Even without monsters, a Dungeon is still a Dungeon… Well, lately, word of this Dungeon has reached even our Church. A Dungeon without monsters is rare, so since I was nearby, I thought I’d investigate it.”
“Oh, it’s become a topic of rumor? How delightful. I’d be glad if that brought more people to the village.”
Edele-san smiled gently, looking every bit “THE Beautiful Lady!” With that aura, no wonder people lower their guard and don’t suspect she’s probing for info… Though that same aura probably gets her dragged into annoying trouble with ruffians too.
“Well, mainly, the rumor that the crystal-work bottle from this Dungeon was presented to the princess. And also, that it produces crystal flowers?”
“Yes. It comes from a tree we call the Jewel Tree. I’ve seen its produce once myself—it was truly beautiful.”
“Ohh, as I thought! I’d love to see it myself.”
… So the Churchman’s interested in the Jewel Tree flowers and fruits? Did they really come all this way alone, despite being Dungeon-inexperienced, just for that?
That thought crossed my mind—and apparently Edele-san was thinking the same thing.
“Pardon me if this is rude, but if you were to obtain a Jewel Tree flower or fruit, what would you do with it?”
Whoa! She just smoothly asked it outright! Nice one! I was so impressed I got caught up in it, and then my right hand was squeezed again. Mishisia-san’s “You okay?” Yep. I squeezed back twice.
“Well, if you put it that way… let’s see…”
The Churchman clearly wasn’t aware they were being probed, and answered casually.
“Of course, I would present it to the Holy Maiden! A flower made of the purest crystal would suit her better than anyone!”
… The Holy Maiden, huh.
Well now… That’s some fresh new info. Once this is done, I’ll ask Mishisia-san and Lisas-san more about her.
Edele-san kept up the light conversation, and the Churchman happily kept talking.
“The Holy Maiden? Oh… how lovely! Yes, I suppose her garments are mostly white, aren’t they? Then the crystal flower would look perfect on her.”
“Yes, indeed! And after all, crystal is a stone of purification. Nothing could suit the Holy Maiden better!”
Hearing “crystal purification” just makes me think of sketchy power-stone ads back on Earth, but hey, in this world, maybe it actually has real purifying power. Who knows.
“By the way, I hear this Dungeon produces lots of crystal too. Since crystal is used in purification rituals, the Church is very interested in that as well…”
“Oh my, is that so?”
… And just like that, another seemingly important tidbit popped up.
Aw, crap. I’d been cranking out crystal because it was cheap to make, but now the Church might have their eye on us because of it…
“So then, Edele-san. How about this… would you consider donating that Dungeon to us?”
… Whoa, this just turned into something big. What the heck do we do now!?
What do you think about this chapter?
