Volume 4 - CH 13

Chapter 13 – Conflicts Between Reason and Desire and Cave Exploration

“Ufufu, today’s dinner was very tasty. Wataru-san was involved, wasn’t he?”

“Yes, it takes a lot of work to make, so I asked someone with more experience to make it. Did you enjoy it?”

“Yes, I enjoyed it very much.”

Oof, Ilma-san’s charm is 20 percent more bewitching. She really liked it, didn’t she?

“Rimu likes it too.”

“It was delicious.”

“It was great. Please give me the recipe later.”

Everyone seemed satisfied. Other customers were also curious and asked questions of the employees, so maybe this will help spread the word about cheese and milk a bit.

“Wataru-san, I want some dessert.”

“Okay, which would you like today?”

“Mmm, I’ll have pudding today.”

After distributing the desserts to everyone, we start discussing tomorrow’s plans.

“Wataru-san, you’ve finished all your plans, haven’t you? Will you follow us to the cave?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine. But I have an appointment tomorrow morning to withdraw some platinum coins at the merchant guild.”

“Then, after Wataru-san’s appointment tomorrow, we can go straight away and rent a carriage. Is that okay with everyone?”

“””””Yes.”””””

It was decided to go without a hitch… Felicia’s readings were right. If it comes to this, let’s make the trip as enjoyable as possible.

Tomorrow morning, early in the morning, after withdrawing the money, we will leave for the cave in a carriage. I have to tell the landlady the reason and ask her to refund the money. When we returned, she made me promise to stay at this inn again and teach Gino-san about the delicious food.

I enjoy my daily routine every morning, get ready, and go to the dining room. Girasole was eating breakfast in full equipment. They’re in high spirits. We exchanged greetings and ate breakfast.

I withdraw 30 platinum coins at the merchant guild, rent a carriage, and set off. After leaving the gate, we drive a little further, and in a discreet place, I summon a rubber boat and tie it to the inside of the carriage. This makes things a little better.

In the carriage, Dorothea-san and Marina-san are talking with Rimu. They say they can barely understand a word, but they are happy.

When I tell them that they will be able to hear more clearly if they sign a contract or raise their tame level, they hug Rimu happily.

“Attribute slimes are something that even you A-rankers haven’t found before, except for Rimu, right? I hope you find them successfully.”

“That’s why we can’t make a decision either. Until Marina and I became interested in the slime, we were hardly aware of it, so even if we had met it, I don’t think we would have noticed it. We never had to fight them because they’re not belligerent, even though slime itself is a monster.”

“I see; then it might be easier to find them than you think.”

“Fufu, I’d be very happy if that were the case.”

The horse-drawn carriage journey went smoothly, and after several rest stops, the night fell. After a meal, we decided to take a watch and were about to rest when Ines said she wanted to have a bath.

“Baths, you shouldn’t do that here, as there might be monsters and bandits out there.”

“But nobody can come in because they’re not allowed on board, so there’s no danger, is there?”

“That’s true, but… what do you think? Alessia-san.”

“Well, I’d like to have a bath too, but… Wataru-san, it’s embarrassing indeed, so can you wait for us in the hut boat?”

“Eh? Are you going in, too?”

“Yes, well, we’ll escort you in turn, and it’s safe and secured with barriers, so I think it’s fine.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Everyone wanted to take a bath, and with quick coordination, the bath was heated. With Ines’s flame magic, the stones are instantly set ablaze in red. The stones were thrown into the bath filled with water. Easily heated up the bath. What was all my hard work until now? I can’t accept it.

After that, it’s just a matter of getting permission to board the hut boat. Even though there’s a paradise on the other side of a single plank, can you be so sure of Donnino-san’s work? There isn’t even a gap in the hut boat, though. At times like this, I want to complain that they should at least make a gap.

And because there is only one board as an obstacle, the voices can be heard very well. The voices I hear stimulate my imagination, and I can’t stop imagining.

“Phew, it feels good,” “Ufufu, Claretta’s is so lovely,” “Ilma’s skin is so beautiful,” “Dorothea, can you wash my back?” “Carla, don’t fall asleep.” “Rimu-chan, are you feeling good in the bath?” “Ah, where are you touching me?” …Where are they touching it? I can’t help wanting to know.

Every time I hear a voice, my reason is being chipped away. In my head, I can’t stop the pinkish scene… With my level up, I feel like I can break through a board of this size. Should I go, should I go through it?

If I break through, I can see paradise… but… what should I do…

“Master, I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”

“…Then I’ll repatriate it. After that, summon the hut boat.”

“Master, your eyes are empty. Are you alright?”

“No, I’m not okay. From now on, you are not allowed to bathe in the open air. My reason won’t last.”

“Well, Master, it’s hard not to have a bath and maybe even an occasional one.”

“No.”

“Ines, Master’s eyes are dangerous. Retreat.”

What’s so dangerous about my eyes? I was just fighting the devil in my mind that whispers to me that if I destroy the planks in front of me, I will reach paradise. Oh well, I’ll give everyone permission to come aboard and return to the hut boat.

“Ines, perhaps we are being too selfish. What about slaves who leave their Masters behind to bathe? Maybe we are too indulgent to our Master.”

“Felicia, you are thinking too much. Master just used up everything he had to keep himself rational. In the morning, he’ll be back to his old self.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, but I’m a bit nervous, so let’s work on that now. We’ll go into the hut boat.”

“Yes.”

Ines and Felicia, who came into the hut boat, were very aggressive, even though Girasole was also around.

Morning, huh… “Nchuu, good morning Master.”

“Chuuu, good morning, Master.”

“Hmm? Good morning, Ines, Felicia.”

Somehow their kisses were longer than usual today, weren’t they? Yeah, it’s something good, isn’t it?

“It’s the usual Master, isn’t it? Ines was right.”

“Ufufu, yes. But it was a bit scary, so let’s not be too selfish.”

“I agree.”

After breakfast, we set off in the carriage.

“Dorothea-san, will we arrive at our destination today?”

“Yes, we will arrive at the village in the afternoon. From the village, we will enter the forest on foot and reach the cave in about three hours.”

“Three hours’ walk from the village? That’s a lot closer than I thought.”

“Yes, it’s a small village near the forest.”

“So we’ll use the village as a base?”

“No, we’ll just leave the carriages and camp near the caves. The cave itself, I’m told, won’t take long to explore in its entirety, so we’ll search for two days and return if we don’t find anything.”

“Is it small? I heard it was quite windy, so I was under the impression it was a big cave.”

“Yeah, we don’t know the whole area, but it’s a narrow, intricate cave with water blocking the passage in places, so we can only explore a small area.”

“Can I summon a ship to go further?”

“…What do you think? If the passage is submerged, even a boat can’t get through… but if there is an open space above it, the area to be explored might be expanded. I’ll discuss this with the others when we take a break.”

While saying this, Dorothea-san and Marina-san also seem quietly excited.

Is this what the Creator God said Girasole would have trouble with? …I don’t know if it’s different or if the Goddess of Light said it wouldn’t make any difference whether it was Palermo or in the Southern City. If it’s about the cave, I won’t get involved if I return to the Southern City.

During a break, when Dorothea-san told us that there was a possibility that we could explore places we couldn’t explore before by ship summoning, everyone’s tension skyrocketed. Everyone’s an adventurer, I guess, and they’re excited just to hear that they’ll be able to explore an unknown place.

If they expect so much, I’m afraid of the fallout when things go wrong… Should I have kept my mouth shut?

After a break, we set off again in the carriage. While playing around with Rimu, I ask Dorothea-san.

“Should I not have told you that the ship summoning would increase the scope of exploration? Everyone seemed to be expecting it. Wouldn’t they be disappointed if nothing happened?”

“Well, they might be a little disappointed, but adventurers have had that experience many times. You shouldn’t worry about it, Wataru-san.”

“I see. That’s fine.”

“Besides, there’s a chance you’ll find something interesting.”

“Well, I’ll enjoy myself and trust that we’ll find something interesting.”

A little after noon, we arrived at a small village. We showed our guild cards and were let in. The gatekeeper was surprised that an A-rank adventurer had arrived.

We went to the village chief’s house and asked him to take care of our carriage. The members of Girasole are gathering information about the cave. I don’t know much about it, so I take a leisurely stroll through the village.

“Wataru-san, we are leaving.”

“Yes, I’ll be right there.”

I proceed in a formation flanked by the members of Girasole. I called out to Alessia-san, who was walking next to me.

“Alessia-san, what kind of monsters are out there?”

“In the forest, there are slimes, goblins, wolves, and orcs. But they say that except for slimes and goblins, most of them are deep in the forest and rarely come out. In the caves, there are slimes, goblins, giant bats, and giant centipedes.”

Giant bats are big bats, right? What’s a giant centipede? Let’s hope it’s not a bug type. Please, Creator God, please.

“Thank you. Alessia-san.”

“Fufu, that’s okay. We’re more indebted to you than you are to us.”

I was attacked by goblins many times when I was walking through the forest… It was killed instantly by the members of Girasole. I wanted to try out my new equipment once, so I was allowed to fight, and my arrows went through the goblins… I need a good weapon. This should be enough to take down the merman.

Once I could use the bow, I was satisfied and walked meekly. After a while, we reached the cave.

“It will soon be dark. We’ll go into the cave tomorrow, and today we’ll get ready for the encampment.”

We all prepare the camp, eat dinner and go to sleep.

In the morning, Ines and Felicia, and I ripen our morning routine and leave the hut boat. The Girasole members were ready and waiting. For now, we served breakfast and got ourselves ready.

“Come on; it’s time for adventure, everyone. Let’s go.”

“Alessia, calm down. Wataru-san, we will proceed with the same formation as in the forest. Leave the fighting to us, and we’ll cross wherever we can by summoning ships, please.”

“Yes, Dorothea-san, I understand.”

So the sub-leader Dorothea-san is following up on the outburst of the leader, Alessia-san, or has it been properly thought out?

I feel that Dorothea-san is already the leader, but Alessia-san must have something to lead the party. I haven’t seen it, though.

We enter the cave. As I had heard, it is a narrow passage, and there is always a strong wind blowing. The monsters that come out are weak and are killed instantly by members of the Girasole.

Giant bats are shot down by Marina-san the moment they approach. Goblins are killed instantly, and slimes are observed closely to check if they can use magic.

“Uhyah, I can’t. This is impossible. I really want to go home… Let’s give up and go home.”

“Calm down, Wataru-san. What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

“No, that seems impossible, so why don’t we go home?”

“That? Ah, Giant Centipede, this level of monster can easily be defeated. So don’t worry.”

“No, oh, yes, I understand.”

Giant Centipede… was a big centipede, after all. It’s seriously disgusting. It’s not that I can’t beat it or can beat it; it’s just sickening. I guess my prayers to the Creator God didn’t get through.

A big centipede of about two meters attacks you with its many legs, wiggling around. I want to go home. But I can’t say that, can I?

I stifle my screams as best I can and follow the women who proceed to beat the giant centipedes with no problem. It’s not that I’m a male chauvinist or anything, but… I think the roles are usually reversed.

The ship summoning came into play a few times along the way, but when we crossed over by boat and continued on, we hit a passage that was completely submerged and had to turn back several times.

For hours we search in the dark cave, relying on the magic light. As expected, everyone was getting tired, so we gave up for the day and decided to go back outside.

When we managed to get back outside, the sky was red with the setting sun. We entered the cave around sunrise, so we must have spent half the day exploring the cave.

At any rate, we got ready for camp and had dinner. It was quite hard work, and there was no harvest, so we were all exhausted, but the women were all in good spirits and making plans for tomorrow.

I can understand those who are still experienced adventurers, but Felicia must have never been on an adventure or anything, so why is she so energetic?

Today we were exploring the cave lucidly, but we couldn’t go any further and had to turn back many times, so tomorrow, she says we will always go against the wind.

If we go against the wind, we won’t have to turn back at submerged places, which might be a good idea. I’m tired today, so I want to go to bed early. I hope tomorrow will be an uneventful, good night.

Funds in hand: 7 gold coins, 53 silver coins, 76 copper coins.

Guild account: 33 white gold coins, 70 gold coins.

Savings ship: 103 white gold coins.

Pepper ship: 485 ships.