158 - - Episode 156 Dine, do your best

I parted from Muscle Star, the wing of the labyrinth, and won the battle against a large number of orcs in the boss room of the 60th layer. My failed assaults didn't work even against a group of orcs, so I have to come up with a new way to fight them.

But I can't think of any other way to fight than swinging my hammer around and making a suicide attack. It would be easy if I were a warrior of spirits, but I want to join in the fight too, so I'm in a bit of a quandary. I'll think about it after .......

Well, let's go to the next layer. I read in a book of heroes that Dine is the one to choose. ......

"Hey, Sylphy, do you think it's possible to get through the next layer normally if I ask Sylphy to skip to the next layer?"

"Well, according to the book, you can go to the next level, but you'll have a hard time fighting the demons and won't find any treasure chests. And Dine will be more upset than anything else."

"Is that so?"

I thought it would be easier if I just flew there, but if I don't call Dine and ask her to do me a favor, she would surely get angry. Besides, the book says that the heroes' party would have the hardest time in the 60th to 70th layers, and the search area is narrower, so there's a good chance that there are still some treasure chests left.

"Yes, if we leave them behind after they've worked so hard, we'll have a hard time later."

You were so excited that I should leave it to my sister. Yeah, I'm afraid of what'll happen if we take the easy way out. I'll ask Deanne.

"That's a good idea. Then I'll summon her.

Deine kuru, queue, hearty, coo coo...

Bell and his friends, who had been listening to the conversation, began to rejoice. Dene is very popular with the Belles. I'm nervous that they'll learn something strange. The bells are waiting for us, so let's summon them soon.

"It's your turn, sister!"

He's been enthusiastic from the very first word he uttered. I'm glad I called you. Before I can talk to Dine, Bell and the others charge in, and things are getting chaotic. It's very different from Dory's time, but it's still very Dine-like.

I guess Dolly is a kind big sister to Belle and Dine is a friend-like big sister to Belle and her friends. Sylphy is like a mother to Belle and her friends, so it's interesting to see how the roles are divided. I'm the reliable big brother, and Nomos is the father.　Nomos is like a Showa-era, gung-ho father, so I think he fits the bill perfectly.

"Deanne, from now on, the main demographic is seawater, so I'm counting on you."

"Yes, I'm sure my sister will take care of it.

Deanne says as she hugs Belle and the others. I'd be worried if it was the usual Dine, but it's okay if it's Dine in the water. Maybe.　

"Please. Let's go.

Descending the stairs to the sixty-first layer, we came to an ordinary cave, but this layer is filled with water from the middle of the stairs. It is said that the hero first tried to attack the cave by building a raft back in the mountains, but the raft was destroyed by demons and he almost died.

In the end, he left the labyrinth and prepared countermeasures against seawater. He added expensive magical tools and a mage specialized in water to his team and defeated the fire dragon once again. I think he has a lot of guts. If it were me, I'd probably break down halfway through.

Wings of the Labyrinth and Muscle Star were probably chosen because the mages are strong in water or have magical tools. But I heard that neither magic nor magical tools are easy to use, just like the heroes had a hard time, so my advantage should not change.

"Yuta, what are you going to do with that?　Do you want to be able to breathe in the water like you did the last time?"

"What?　Oh, wait a minute. I'll think about it."

Hmmm, breathing underwater in dimly lit cave water...... doesn't sound like much fun. I feel like a bad adventurer, but I'm willing to give up on the straight and narrow.

"Dene, can you move the seawater out of the way as I move?"

"Okay!"

At the same time as Deane's words, the water in the cave was pushed back into the cave like an ebbing tide. Belle and her friends were overjoyed. Rain, in particular, was cooing something to Deane. Is he asking for tips?　You're a studious man, aren't you?

But I feel a little sorry when I see the fish demons suffering on the bare cobblestones, even though I asked for it myself.

Maybe that demon is the swordfish that almost killed the hero. Its body looks like a sword, its face is sharply pointed, and its dorsal fin is like a blade. It was written that the hero was stabbed by a group of swordfish when he fell into the water after his raft was torn to pieces as he went through the cave.

The party of heroes avoided fatal injuries due to their strong defense, but they could not recover from being cut to pieces one after another in the water and almost bled to death. The heroes themselves said that they would not have made it back alive if the raft had gone a little further.

A few swordfish that had almost made such a big prize are lying in the water. Their dorsal fins clawing at the cobblestones of the labyrinth, sparks flying in the air, are terrifying.

"Fishy, Yuta, is that good?"

Belle asks curiously. You're drooling a little. I guess seeing fish makes you think of eating them. She loves to eat.

"I read that not many of the fish in the cave are edible and not very tasty."

"Too bad."

Not only Belle but also Rain, Tulu, and Tamamo are disappointed at my words. I've become a glutton, haven't I? The scales and dorsal fins of swordfish seem to contain a small amount of orichalcone, and are sold at a high price.

It is said that only a sesame-sized amount of Orihalcon can be obtained from one Swordfish, but even so, there seems to be no other way to obtain Orihalcon other than Swordfish, and Swordfish are coveted by blacksmiths. It would be a nice souvenir for Mel.

It is also said that if Orihalcon is mixed with other metals, even as small as a sesame seed, the performance of the mixed metal itself can be improved, and the price of Orihalcon will jump just by being mixed with it. I heard that fraud was rampant because of this.

But Orihalcon or ...... is a cool name. I wonder if we can find a vein of Oryhalcon if we go further in the labyrinth?　I long for an orichalcone sword or an orichalcone armor. I haven't even got a mithril sword yet.

"Thank you, Dine. Let's all go..."

We thank Dine for her good work and proceed down the passage where the seawater has disappeared. The fallen fish are stored by sawing off their heads with a saw. I feel like my level is going up just by walking through the cave.

In addition to the Swordfish, there are other fish-shaped demons, but ...... they are still lying around on the ground, so we quickly dispose of them. The only one I fought was a sea snake with a powerful poison, but it was no match for me on land, so I took care of it right away.

I asked Sylphy if they were children of sea serpents, but she told me that they were a separate category. I thought it was a child, since the Sea Serpent is supposed to appear in the 66th layer.

I used the cheat completely and spent two days to explore every nook and cranny from the 60th to the 65th layers. The magic bag is full of fish monsters that have escaped. Swordfish and the like were swarming, and when they found me, they would charge at me, so that by the time I got out of the cave, there were over a thousand of them.

I found many treasure chests, gold and silver treasures, magic swords, mithril armor, a magic wand that sparks lightning, a magic wand that sparks fire, and so on. Many treasure chests seemed to be left behind only in the water, which is hard to search for. I'm looking forward to the next 66 layers.

I was so excited when I got the magic wand, but I couldn't use it well since I've only used life magic. ...... I don't even know how to channel magic power into it.

It's supposed to be a valuable thing that converts a little bit of magic power into an attribute and increases its power many times over. ....... I'll try my best to practice. If I can beat a wraith by myself, it's a great item.

"Whew! We're finally getting out of this cave. Thank you, Deanne.

"Hmmm, now you know how great you are, don't you?"

Deanne is very proud of herself, but in this case, there is nothing wrong with being proud of herself. Just by drawing seawater, the Hero's Party has almost neutralized this cave where the Hero's Party had a hard time.

The bosses of the 65th level, including a golden-colored great swordfish with a large army of swordfish, were just hanging around in the boss room. The Great Swordfish is said to be an amazing demon that can take out an orihalcon the size of a pea.

"Ah, it's thanks to Dine that we've come this far so easily. You're great, Deanne!"

I didn't want to fight demons in the water of the cave, so I turned to Dineh at full strength, but he was a total cheat. From the sixty-sixth layer, I'll be completely corrupted if I don't fight them myself.

"Woohoo. Isn't that right, isn't that right? Yuta, you're a great big sister, you can depend on me a lot!"

I have a hallucination that Deanne's nose is stretched almost to the sky. Bell and the others are also praising her so innocently that she is constantly growing.

I asked Sylphy about it, and he said that he was just excited because it's the first time I'm relying on him in a battle. Come to think of it, this is the first time for me to fight in a watery place. She was sulking when I called Dory in the woods. Maybe I should have been more careful.

"Yeah, I'm counting on you. But next time I want to fight too, so I need your support."

"Mmm-hmm. Okay. Leave it to your sister."

"Leave it." "Queue." "......." "Coo-coo."

Oh, Bell and the others are starting to imitate Dine. Is this the place to scold them?　But, are you going to scold me not to imitate Dine?　That's not gonna happen. What am I supposed to do?　I asked Sylphy for help, but she shook her head from side to side as if telling me to give up.　　

Deanne's influence is so strong that I'm afraid of her, because the last time she talked passionately about love to Belle and the others, "Ai ne" became her habitual phrase for a while. When I was happy that I could make a good dried fish, she said "Ainee" and I felt sad. I have a feeling that it would be a big problem if Belle and her friends learn from Dine's high tension.

...... Well, it's a relief that Tulu is keeping silent, perhaps embarrassed. I pity her and will casually warn Belle and the others later. I'm sure they'll calm down after a while, and I'll try not to be too nervous, but to give them a subtle warning ...... Parenting is hard work, isn't it?

"Well, let's go to the sixty-sixth layer.

Yes, let's go, everyone!

The group descended the stairs with Belle and the others in the lead, led by the exuberant Dine. A beautiful girl, a little girl, a dolphin, a boy and a fox cub, it's a funny scene, but I'm a little worried.

"...... Sylphy, are you okay?"

"Well, it's going to be a little noisy, but that's not a problem. It's late and you'll have a rest after looking around the sixty-sixth layer for a bit, and then you'll calm down. ...... maybe."

It's a little word at the end that makes me feel even more uneasy. When you descend to the 66th layer, the exit is a small islet, and the ocean is wide open. I read about it in a book about heroes, but it is surprising to see it in person. I wonder what a labyrinth is. I can understand grasslands, but volcanoes, mountains, and oceans make no sense to me.

"Yuta, do you want to get rid of the sea water too?"

Dineh asks with a radiant smile. I need a little more time to calm down, and I think I'll take the rest of the day off. We'll explore the ocean tomorrow.

"No, it's late, I'm taking the rest of the day off. Tomorrow I want to explore with underwater breathing, please.

"Oh, is it that time?　Okay, I get it."　

He looks a little disappointed, but he agrees, so we have dinner. I could at least offer him a glass of wine. There is a possibility that he will be even more excited, but he might calm down after a light drink.