Volume 5 - CH 4.1

Part 1

Even Diablo who created the dungeon didn’t know where the muddy stream that crossed the stage would carry them to.

What he did was simply configure a 《waterway》 as a setting tip──Things like where the water came from, or where it was headed, he hadn’t worried about that kind of thing at all.

He wouldn’t be surprised if appeared with something magical, and just disappeared at the end of the stage.

However, it seemed that the water of the muddy stream was the real thing. It continued to flow to the end of the stage.

Is that a waterfall!?

They would fall together with the water.

They fell from a spot high enough that he thought that they would not survive if there was a boulder or something at the place that they were falling to.

If they were to separate again, he might not be able to find him next time. He made it so that Horun was held within his arms.

He didn’t have the leisure to store the weapon he held in his hand into his pouch.

He let go of the 《Staff of Tenma》 inside of the muddy stream.

He lost his sense of up and down.

Spinning around, he no longer knew whether his own head was above him or below him.

──I’m drowning!?

His spirit was adversely affected by his anxiety but……

《Underwater Movement》 was highly efficient. He would never have a hard time breathing, and he immediately regained his sense of equilibrium.

While holding Horun in his arms, Diablo headed for the water’s surface and kicked underwater.

「Puhah!」

His head came out to the water’s surface.

So it was a waterfall lake.

At the bottom of the vertically long cave, it had turned into the shape of a flask. The water that accumulated at the bottom of the flask──It felt as if they had been submerged in there.

The current had become calm.

Using 《Underwater Movement》 once again, he swam to the edge of the accumulated water. Heaving Horun, who he carried under his arm, up onto a boulder, he then raised himself out from the water.

「Phewー……Oi, Horun, are you alive?」

As Horun lied down on top of the dry boulder, he didn’t make a response. Maybe because he was breathing, water was spilling out from his mouth.

「Oi, answer me!」

He called out to him once more.

Although Diablo was acting calm──he felt his heartbeat getting faster. His chest tightened from an unpleasant prediction.

He brought his own hand close to Horun’s small lips.

His breathing──he could feel it.

「He’s alive!」

However, it seemed he was unconscious.

What about his pulse?

He grabbed his wrist. As he was flustered, he couldn’t really tell.

Trying it out several times, he was able to confirm that he had a pulse. In other words, his heart was moving! He was alive!

It seemed that Horun was a level 20 Adventurer. Just as that title implied, he was fairly sturdy. Even if he was a light in body weight Grasswalker, that might be the reason that saved him.

Right now, he was in a state of fainting from shock.

Diablo patted down on his own chest.

「Phew……Thank goodness……」

Since Horun was fainted and there was no one else around, Diablo leaked out his original voice. He even spontaneously broke into a laugh from the sense of relief.

This could prevent Bad Status conditions, and prevented instant death──It was SSR (double super rare) class equipment that was strengthened to the limit.

It was said to be things like “EX (Extra)” or “seven convex”. It was because the number of gradations it could be strengthened was seven times.

He held this hand over that 《Curtain of Dark Clouds》.

「……I liked it quite a bit but……Well, I guess there’s no other choice.」

Life can’t be replaced.

Diablo muttered.

「……《Fire》」

Naturally, equipment that was taken off from his body wouldn’t be a subject to Diablo’s Magic Defense. The current 《Curtain of Dark Clouds》 was nothing but a wet mantle.

While it was drying by the fire cause by magic, the dry parts of it started to burn.

「Haa……It’s warm.」

After that, he took off his jet black clothes, 《The Hollow of Jet Black》.

There was the danger of hypothermia if he wore wet clothes. Besides, the mantle alone was insufficient for a bonfire.

《The Hollow of Jet Black》 had a Physical Damage Reduction effect, and an effect of raising many parameters.

As expected, he kept only the pants.

It was because it would be bad if he was nude when they join up with Rem and the others.

He didn’t have one attached.

「U……n……?」

Horun leaked out a groan.

And then, while rubbing his eyes, he raised his body.

’Thank goodness, so you were alive!’ is something that he couldn’t say with a smile in this situation.

Horun was naked.

Diablo was holding was holding the pants that he just took off of him.

Moreover, this guy wasn’t a “he”, as he didn’t have the thing that should be at his crotch, so in other words, he was a “she”.

Could it be that Grasswalker males don’t have one attached!?

He had never heard of such a story.

Diablo froze up, and a cold sweat trickled down the muscles along his spine.

It seems that the dumbfounded Horun finally understood the situation. Her face turned red very fast.

「Wha!? Wha, wha……what……!?」

Diablo stood up while still holding onto the pants.

He acted self-important and arrogant.

「Hmph! So you’ve finally recovered consciousness, you weakling! You should give me your greatest amount of gratitude, for your life was saved by this Demon King! Well, it was just on a mere whim though!」

「Eh!? Eh!?」

「It is because if a meagre person of the Races were to continue wearing wet clothes, they would die! Doing this, and wringing the clothes──Like this!」

He felt that her body that was like ice was slowly regaining its body temperature.

Diablo was also becoming warm.

「Fuu……」

──In some way or another, it looks like I was able to save her.

Horun placed her small hand on Diablo’s hand that was placed on her shoulder.

She muttered.

「Papa……」

「………………Wh, at?」

Diablo stiffened up, and replied with only that.

Seeming to have realized the meaning of the word that she leaked out a bit late, Horun hurriedly half-rose to her feet.

「Ah! Um, that’s, erm, respect! It had the meaning of respecting you as an Adventurer -ssu kara! So you’ve got it wrong -ssu kara!」

Flapping about, she grew restive.

Diablo grabbed both of her shoulders, and quieted her down.

「I understand! I understand, so do not pointlessly use your strength!」

「Hauu～」

Horun went red up to her ears and curled up.

Only the throbbing of her heart passed through the skin and was transmitted to him. *Tokutokutoku*……

Diablo said no more.

However, his mind was actually in chaos.

──Papa!?

Just when did he become the father of a single child!?

No, no, it was because she respected him as an Adventurer, so……But, why would she call him “Papa” for that!? Naturally, that was his first time being called that way since he was born.

Did it mean that she approached him with trust that was that special!?

Wait, wait……It might actually just be a mere mistake in the way she called him.

To begin with, a Grasswalker’s father, their outward appearance would be that of a child even if they were an adult. There was no way they would reach a physique as big as Diablo’s. But, if going by an infant’s point of view, even if they were a Grasswalker, wouldn’t a father’s hand feel big?

Or maybe, could it have been a Papa in a special kind of meaning!? No, there was no way that kind of culture would be in this other world……

His head simmered.

With both of their faces dyed red, time flowed for awhile.