330 - - I could have had my 328th episode 328th episode.

The presentation ceremony of the Fire Dragon Dagger was successfully completed. It was a bit over-the-top, but I think it was a good opportunity for Gina and the others to get into the spirit of the event.

"Master, this is so cool!"

Marco pulls out a dagger and looks extremely happy. I thought the same thing with Kikka, but giving a knife to a child makes me nervous. I know it's a little late for that, but I can't have cute little spirits and a blade that can inadvertently hurt me. Let's be careful not to use it carelessly again.

I will explain how to handle the dagger and how sharp it is with the help of Mel. The words of Mel, a professional knife maker, seem to have touched the hearts of the children, and they handle the dagger with care. The words of a professional are very important.

"Well, Mel, Meral, I'm going to dive in the labyrinth, so I'll be back to pick you up at noon in nine days.

"Yes. I will finish my work and be ready!

"Yuta, don't be late!"

Mel and Meral respond with full smiles. I'm probably going to make them wait in suspense if I'm late. I'm sure it'll be fine, but I'll try not to be late. I leave Mel and the others and head for the labyrinth.

"Master, we don't have much time, so we should stop at the 16th forest level, right?

Gina asks me a question as we walk.

"Yeah, we only have 9 days this time, including today, so I think it would be better for Gina and the others to stay in the grasslands or forests instead of trying to conquer the labyrinth. You can try out the tasks I gave you before I went to Beryl's kingdom and the other techniques I was developing in paradise."

Now that the spirits are able to materialize, Gina and Fukuchan have made a lot of progress in communication. They will be able to defeat the demons more efficiently than before.

"I understand. I will try various things. I have a good idea of what we need to do, so I'll try to make adjustments as we go.

"Well, you'll have time to go back to the inn at least once, so don't push yourself too hard. And, I know I'm asking you to be persistent, but make sure you don't fight with daggers. I'm not saying I don't believe you, but I'm a little worried about Marco's high spirits."

In Marco's case, he had a longing for a sword for a long time, so I'm afraid that he might rush into it with a lot of energy even if he understands it in his head. Kids are unpredictable.

"I know. I'll stop him for sure, don't worry."

"Don't worry, my sister is watching too. Yuta, you can go and conquer the labyrinth without worrying.

Gina and Dine have taken care of it, so I think it would be tactful to keep my mouth shut. I'm totally overprotective. When I recruited Sara and the others, I was ready to take advantage of them, but people change when they change.

We arrive at the labyrinth and part ways with Gina and the others, discussing our plans for the future. Sylphy takes the best route while avoiding other adventurers as much as possible, and I just enjoy the long roller coaster ride. ......

****

"Phew, we're here."

"Here we are!" "Here we are!" "We're here!" "We're here!" "We're here!" "We're here!" "We're here!" "We're here!" "We're here!" "We're here!" "We're here!" ......"

"Hmm?　Have you arrived?"

"Yes, I made it to the stairs leading to the 96th floor without stopping. That's good, right?"

"Yes, I'll search for treasure chests when I have time on the way back, so I'll just focus on the strategy this time. Thank you very much."

"Good morning," I say to Sylphy, stroking the belles who have gathered around me. I've been asleep, but Belle and the others have been awake the whole time. They were enjoying flying with Sylphy through the labyrinth, so they seem to be satisfied with the experience.

I wonder what time it is?　To save time, Sylphy had me fly around while I was sleeping, so I don't know how much time I have left. Well, it hasn't been a whole day, so I'll consider it a day to have enough time to get back home.

"Well, let's have ...... breakfast for now."

It is hard to fight when you wake up from sleep. Let's wake up a little slower.

"Yuta, you want some of my specialties?"

Flare looks at me with expectant eyes. ...... It's hard to eat those skewers in the morning. But I told her we'd eat it slowly after we settled down during the meal while we were flying. And here we are before the stairs to the next level. Sylphy will keep the demons away and it's a calm place to be.

We can refuse to eat in the labyrinth, but it's hard to refuse again and again. It's finally time to make up your mind. Then as a contractor of Flare, I'll show you a spectacular ending. Oh, I have to prepare milk.

Then let's have breakfast from the food stall...

"Yes!"

Flare jumps for joy. Well, he's flying to begin with. Bell and the others are also overjoyed.

"Yuta, are you really going to eat it?

Sylphy asks worriedly. The Great Spirit of the Wind is making me worry. ......Freya is not wrong when she says it's the most powerful skewer.

"...... yeah. Well, I'll be ready and Moon will be there too.

"It's not okay when you're relying on the Spirit of Life."

Please don't say things like that, because it will slow down my resolve. This is necessary to show you that even red food can be dangerous. Besides, unlike on earth, we are not in the pursuit of spiciness of hawk's claw, so it can't be as unfunny and hot as habanero or chelokia.

"Don't worry, I'm a man!"

"Yuta is so stubborn in a weird way. If I explained it to him in a normal way, he would understand.

I prepare breakfast, pretending not to see Sylphy's exasperated gaze. Milk!　Secure the area next to the moon.　Come on, let's eat.

After the "Itadakimasu", I stop Bell and the others who are charging at the strongest skewers and explain that I'm going to eat first because it's spicy.

"Karai?" Cue."

Belle and Lane tilt their heads cockily and ask. I know they don't like bitterness in vegetables, but I've never fed them spicy food.

"Yes, these skewers are very spicy. I'll try it first and see if Belle and her friends can eat it too.

Okay... cue.

Next to Belle and Rain, who cheerfully raise their hands, Flare is nodding his head in agreement that they are the strongest. Tulu, perhaps noticing the suspicious atmosphere, looks at me timidly while hugging Tamamo.

Then, let's eat!

With Sylphy, Belle and the others watching over us, we take a bite of the reddish-red skewer of grilled orc meat. ...... Hmm?　It's not that spicy. ......The fat of the oak meat is .......

"Spicy!　Oh, my mouth popped!　Gosh!　Ow, that hurts. Milk!"

In a panic, he chugs the milk he has prepared. Oh, no, not in one gulp. You have to keep the milk in your mouth. Another glass of milk!　I hold the milk in my mouth with a flurry of noise, trying to hold back the spicy taste that is running rampant in my mouth.

Oh, man. I never thought I would react like a comedian who eats very hot food himself. That wasn't just an exaggerated reaction. I feel like every pore on my body is open. I can't stop sweating.

Oh, I just need to wash the inside of my mouth with life magic. I've been so busy dealing with the pain in Japan that I forgot that this is a world with magic. Why did I forget about cleaning magic when I have Moon's side?

I rinse my mouth, and the pain subsides, though I still feel some discomfort. I also wash my body to clean the sweat from my body. Well, I wonder if my pores are still open, or if the capsaicin has been absorbed into my body by that one bite, but the sweat doesn't go away. Well, my stomach feels hot and I can't stop sweating, so I guess it will settle down after a while.

However, the spiciness exploded after making me think it was spicy and surprisingly tasty for a moment. The quality of the dish is not so good because it makes you let your guard down.

"Yuta, are you okay?

Bell asks worriedly.

"Yes, I've calmed down already. But I found out after trying it that it might be hard for you guys to eat. Do you want to give it a try?"

I knew I didn't have to eat it when I was exposed to the smoke, but I had to try it just to be sure. There was a very slight chance that the stimulant covered with hawk's claw powder would taste good because it was from another world. Well, it turned out to be just a stimulant.　

"mmm..." "cue..." "scary..." "coo..." "......"

Belle, Rain, Tulu, Tamamo, and Moon are puzzled. Well, it's understandable after seeing such a lascivious behavior.

"I'm going to eat!"

Flare declares with a serious expression on his face. ...... You're shaking a little bit, are you okay?　It's only food, so you don't have to be determined, you know?　Genie doesn't have to eat in the first place.

"Sylphie, are you okay?"

"I don't know what would happen if a child eats something very spicy. But it's not like it's poisonous, so it should be fine, right?"

Sylphy says it simply. Well, it's not going to kill you, and if you still want to eat it after seeing my lasciviousness, then maybe I should respect your opinion ...... but let's not just stop you.

"Flare, these skewers are very spicy. When I eat it, my mouth hurts like it exploded and I want to roll around. And it tastes bad. Are you really going to eat it?"

"............ I can't lose, man!"

"Ah!"

I listed all the facts so that he wouldn't want to eat it, and for some reason, Flair bit into the stimulant I was holding, saying that he wouldn't lose. Are you okay with that?　Flair chewing stimulant. Soon the spiciness will explode.

"Mugu...... la,rakshoda...... ze...... aaaaah!"

Flares rolling around in the air, screaming. He seems to be in a state of shock that words cannot describe. I try to clean the inside of my mouth, but I can't get a good aim with the flare rolling around. d*mn milk...milk?　The surrounding belles are in a panic and petit-panic.

"Yuta, use your seed fire magic to set it on fire. Make the fire bigger with something you can burn!"

I don't know, but I follow Sylphy's instructions, chant the seed fire, take a piece of paper out of my magic bag, and burn it.

"Flare, melt into fire!

Flare, who had been rolling around, jumps into the fire according to Sylphy's loud voice. I see, Sylphy had been cured of his drunkenness when he melted in the wind. I guess melting naturally is a good way to escape from the pain. But it's rare to hear Sylphy's loud voice.

While I was looking at the fire where the flare had melted, the flare appeared with a pop. It seems that the spiciness has subsided.

"Whew, that was great! We almost got hit."

......Flare, we were definitely losing. I think to myself as I see Flare proudly declaring victory over Bell and the others. What are we doing when we are about to enter a new stage of the labyrinth?