Volume 3 - CH 7

「I-I never thought of this idea ......!」

The next morning, Mars was surprised when he stood at the entrance to the 『De Stogechel Demon Mine』 for a preliminary inspection.

The time was early morning, and they planned to leave before noon for the interior of the dungeon.

What Mars saw was a novel strategy.

Dwarves, of whom he did not know how many there were, were swinging pickaxes and carrying away the chipped rocks in carts.

「A-Are they cutting down the dungeon ......」

「I guess that means they're carving out the dungeon itself and attacking it from the outside. ...... They can take all the resources without wasting anything.」

The other adventurers are amazed.

It seems that about half of the adventurers who were in the hall yesterday were among the first to assemble, and the rest will be ready later and arrive at the original departure time.

What they saw was a mountain with a large hole in it that had been carved out in the shape of a mortar.

The diameter of the hole is so large that there is nothing to compare it with.

Diamond mines are excavated in a spiral shape. The same thing was being done to the dungeon. The method was old-fashioned human-powered drilling, which seemed to be inefficient at best.

――It's a little bit more cavity-like in appearance. So the dwarves are the tooth decay.

But surely this may not require the prowess of an adventurer.

As for the monsters, although there is nothing that can be done about them unless they are defeated, all the troublesome aspects such as avoiding traps and managing supplies will no longer be necessary.

Even the monsters would be surrounded by a group and could be dealt with systematically.

――This is revolutionary. And this is a method that no human being would have thought of.

For better or worse, Mars was reminded that it is only a long-lived species that can come up with such a viable and conceivable method.

He had the knowledge and wisdom that he had before his reincarnation, but he could only think in human terms.

「This dungeon leads to the interior of the mountain. ......  It is estimated that it will take seven hundred years to carve it all out. Which means the dwarves won't be ready in time for the wards to collapse.」

Lucille, fully equipped all over, was holding a war hammer in her hand.

She was wearing metal small hands on both hands, and both legs were covered up to the knees.

On her head, she wore a helmet-like helmet.

Her upper body, however, was thinly clad, and she was equipped with an almost bikini-like garment.

There was no defense at all. If it were true, Mars would have told her, but even Lilia doesn't say anything because she is dressed similarly in the dungeon. Even Hazuki puts cuteness first.

Realistically speaking, even if the defensive strength is a little high, it doesn't matter much against the monsters in the dungeon.

If you die, you die. It doesn't matter if you are naked or in armor, nothing will change in the face of overwhelming attack power.

Mars remembers Zerius Laclair, who was blown away by Hydra with his entire armor and crumpled up.

Mars doesn't feel sorry for him, though, since he was the one who violently attacked Hazuki.

「Still, we were betting on the most probable excavation. But then people started showing up who were capable of trudging through dungeons of equal rank. So we changed course.」

"It was you," Lucille said, turning her sharp gaze on Mars.

The total number of adventurers who will take on the challenge is about five hundred, Lucille told Mars, and while there may be a few errors, it seems that most of the adventurers who were in the great hall yesterday will be there.

But the buoyant atmosphere was different from that of the usual dungeon challengers.

――These guys are going to ride the winning horse, aren't they?

Mars thinks half-judgmentally.

As a matter of course, there will be a share of the rewards when they conquer the dungeon together.

Even in small dungeons, it is a matter of course, and even for Mars, there are surprisingly many people who have accompanied him in dungeon attacks other than his friends.

For example, in 『Sekhmet』, the first dungeon he conquered with Lilia and Hazuki, Hazuki's former lover, Zerius Laclair, was in his place.

Although each person's share would be small, it would be a different story if the dungeon to be conquered was one of the Seven Great Dungeons.

Everyone believes that the treasures in the dungeons are amazing, and if it is the Seven Great Dungeons, there is no doubt that they are even more amazing.

Although it was not an easy task for Mars and his team to be sent to the front lines of the dungeon, it is unlikely that any adventurer would pass up the opportunity to accompany a team that had a high probability of conquering the dungeon.

Even if they can't conquer it, they could sell it if they can get their hands on Thardonix Magic Steel. Anyway, the smell of money is swirling in the air.

Walking hundreds of kilometers along a path of varying elevation is a challenge, but conversely, it may be the only way to get millions of gold.

Mars knew that it was human nature to want to participate.

About half of the adventurers had arrived before the assembly time to get in front of the others.

Staying with Mars and his team would be the safest bet in the dungeon, and there would be plenty of opportunities to take prominent credit. Somewhat clever people had thought of that and had been waiting since morning.

「I'm telling you, we can't help you if you come with us――」

「I will not help you, weaklings! Know that if you get in my way, I will crush you like golems!」

What Mars was going to say was said by someone else.

The owner of the voice, so loud you would think he was using a loudspeaker, was the Dwarf hero Onyx Lordlight.

「There is no friend of the weak in the dungeon. If each of you cannot defend your own life, then leave!」

「W-well, ...... that's what I'm trying to say, but I won't be so harsh. Let's cooperate with each other if we can. But I really want you to leave if you're just going to be a parasite.」

Onyx, laughing, grabbed Mars's head from a high position and shook it from side to side.

It was unpleasant, but he didn't feel any hostility.

Mars now fully understood that he is the type of person who can't lie.

That's why it's hard to do.

It would be easier to deal with him if he were an enemy since all you had to do was be on the alert at all times, but if he was halfway on your side, it would be troublesome to deal with him.

――This guy doesn't know his role, does he?

He is not aware of being an assassin.

Maybe he wants to fight dungeon attackers or some such nonsense.

He's obsessed with the strong and the weak.

Mars had no way of knowing, but Onyx Lordlight also had no idea what was really going on.

Onyx has only one other order from the king: to protect Lucille.

However, when the time comes to complete the dungeon and capture and kill Mars and the other adventurers, Onyx is a man who would do it without hesitation if he were told that he would be made king.

He is so intuitive that he truly believes that any being weaker than himself is unworthy of living.

「You know what I mean, human child. I only take the strong as my friends! I'm sick and tired of the weak just by looking at them! But when it comes to drinking, the more people the better! If you want to make merry while drinking, I can't deny accompanying you!」

「You don't seem to understand very well, but. ...... or are you planning to drink in the dungeon?」

「Isn't it obvious? You start the day with a drink and end the day with a drink, isn't that what living is all about?　Dungeon or no dungeon, it's still the same.」

「――a little bit different culture, isn't it?」

Mars was still not without resentment about the axe being thrown at him, but for better or worse, Onyx seemed to be honest and strangely hard to hate.

He had a slightly different air about him than the hostile adventurers Mars had confronted in the dungeon so far.

He threw an axe at Mars, which he could tell was an attempt to gauge his strength, and he did not try to compare himself with others, considering his own strength as absolute.

Mars doesn't see any negative feelings of envy or condescension when compared to others.

――It's hard to do it.

「But I can't believe that such a small boy like you has conquered the Seven Great Dungeons~!? Let's kill each other for a moment!(?)」

「I'm not interested in that kind of thing.」

Onyx's eyes were filled with doubt as he grabbed Mars' head again, pulling him back and looking into his face.

Just when you think he's a straightforward person, he instantly becomes suspicious, and Mars decides to keep his distance from him.

◇

「Princess Lucille, once again I am Mars Irving. As I wrote and as you probably know, I'm just a peasant from a peasant family. My specialty is swords. Nice to meet you. I know it's a little awkward for you to ask me later, so I'll tell you first that these three are my lovers. I'm planning to marry all of them.」

「Eh, all three of them? Ah, yeah, I wonder if it's normal ...... for a dungeon conqueror?」

「Who knows. ...... I feel like it's not normal, but it's not forbidden, so I thought it's okay.」

「As expected, you are strong, aren't you? I wonder if a child with you will be strong......」

――S-Suddenly she is talking about having a baby!?

Is this what royalty is like!?

Mars is not sure of Lucille's values, but this may be a natural thought for the survival of the country and the race.

「M-My name is Hazuki Azathoth! Err, my specialty is sewing!」

「I think magic is the way to go there, don't you? This girl is《Witch of Disaster》」

Ehen~, Hazuki's chest is not very big, even though she tries to puff out her chest.

For a moment, Hazuki tried to be tough, but then she realized she had the poorest breasts, so she hid her breasts and shrugged.

「You are that 《Witch of Disaster》! Did you burn the dungeon with your hometown? So I heard that you were able to walk through a charred dungeon with ease!」

「I've got a funny rumor, don't I!? My hometown is still there, and they were kind enough to leave me all the money they gave me, you know!?」

As Onyx went to physically mount the other adventurers, Mars and the others had to introduce themselves.

You can't dive into a dungeon with only knowing Lucille one way or the other.

Nemu came close enough to hug Lucille and began introducing herself, looking at Lucille's equipment with great interest.

As is the case with all of them, this was disrespectful to the princess.

「Nemu Nail-nya! She was good at ...... napping-nya? She also likes to read books these days-nya!」

「I'm Lucille Thardonix. I'm good at ...... I wonder if it's to smash things with this war hammer. I read books too. What kind of books do you like?」

「Books with lots of pictures-nya」

「Oh, picture books. You have such expensive books? ――Oh, they're not that expensive if you guys have that kind of money.」

Lucille seemed to think Nemu was nothing more than a child from the way she spoke and the books she was reading, so she stepped back and kept her distance from her physically and mentally.

Nemi is extremely close to those she considers her friends.

She is the type of person who would immediately come on to Mars and the others.

「Who's that girl over there?」

「――Lilia. I'm Master's best slave.」

「...... that's all?」

「That's all. There's nothing else to say.」

――Hmm? Why doesn't she gives her full name as Lilia Silvestri?

So far, Lilia has always given her full name, and surely she would have said it absolutely because she is confident in her bow skills.

Mars thinks the reason she doesn't reveal herself as an elf is because of the feud with the Dwarves, but it is a bit unnatural to hide even her name.

Hazuki also seemed to have doubts and tilted her head a little when she saw Mars.

「Nice to meet you again. I'm looking forward to getting to know you all. If you don't mind, I'd even like you to take me along on future adventures!」

「I hope we can be friends too. Let's get along.」

「By the way, do you think I'm a good candidate for your wife?」

With a mischievous attitude, Lucille pulled her breasts together, emphasizing her cleavage and showing it off.

Her brown skin shone against the snow.

Her plump breasts were full of elasticity, and Mars couldn't resist the urge to reach out and touch them.

Her brown skin and aggressiveness left a strangely erotic impression on his brain.

「E-errr ......」

「――I'm kidding.」

*giggle*, Lucille laughed in a slightly supercilious manner.

This kind of thing is typical of royalty, or so they say, and they are skilled in the art of mentally mounting the royalty.

They do this because they know that there is no way they can touch the royalty after all the aggravation.

Mars will cuckolds the princess from the Dwarven kingdom both mentally and physically and acquires submarines and airplanes while having other kings selected.

The plan has many requirements, from making Lucille fall in love with him to the dungeon's attack, but it is in the best interest of Mars and his team.

Or rather, It is the only way to get what he wants, so Mars has no choice but to do it

If Mars can get the life-span manipulation 【Forbidden Magic Book】 in this dungeon, it will not be limited to that. ...... Excessive expectations are likely to turn into disappointment, so he will not assume that he can get it.

Mars and Lucille shake hands as friends.

Lucille's clean, soft, bean-free hands made Mars uneasy.

◇

「I'm going to use this in the dungeon. I don't know if I can use it, but it's a vehicle.」

Lucille proudly showed something.

It looked like a rusty light truck with a driver's seat added to a cart.

The driver's seat was similar to that of a motorcycle driver's seat, and there was a rectangular cargo bed in the back that could accommodate about six people.

Mars thought that it looked like a rear car attached to a motorcycle, but his heart was excited.

The driver's seat was shaped like a straddle, with the right foot on the gas pedal and the left foot on the brake.

「――A car!」

「? Do you know it? This is another magical machine found on the wall of this dungeon. You can ride on it or carry things with it.」

「Is there only one of these?」

「Unfortunately. It's technically reproducible, so we thought we'd use it in the dungeon to test it out. We can't all ride, so we're the first team to use it.」

The mechanism is simply a horse-drawn cart with a steering wheel, powered by a magical machine.

It was not difficult for Dwarven craftsmen to reproduce the shape, and although the accuracy was poor, several prototypes had already been made, so it was deemed acceptable to destroy them here.

「Hey, is there any way I can get you to sell this to me?」

「It depends on the amount. ...... Well, I'll give you everything if you get the Thardonix Magic Steel.」

Mars thought he was a bit of a louse, but she didn't change her expression.

It is safer to go along with their plan than to get stuck with a bad one.

At least they won't harm Mars and others until they've conquered the dungeon.

「Wow ...... that's amazing! You mean this thing going to run without horses, right?」

「I can't explain in detail how it works either, but in short, the wheels move by themselves.」

「――E-even I can move it. ......?」

Hazuki says in a slightly flirtatious manner, tapping her fingertips together.

――I'm a paper driver myself, so I can't say for sure, but this is a pretty simple system and anyone can drive it, right? (TLN: Paper driver: a person with a driving license but no practice/driving experience)

There are no driver's licenses in this world, and even if there were, Hazuki-chan is old enough to get a driver's license in Japan, so I'd be happy to let her try it.

Mars is tempted to let Hazuki, who is very curious, experience it.

「But isn't this really shaking? I think there's a good chance you'll get drunk.」

「Eh ...... if everyone rides together, then, I, who get drunk, will I be the only one to walk to the dungeon ......?」

「You should drive, Hazuki-chan. I'm surprisingly okay with driving by myself.」

「You want me to ride this one driven by per――Hazuki ......!? I don't want to die like that!?」

Lilia looks at Mars as if she doubts his sanity.

She may not dislike Hazuki as a friend, but she doesn't trust him in these situations.

Lilia and Hazuki are the rear-guards in the dungeon.

Therefore, when Hazuki steps into a trap, Lilia may get caught in the trap with her.

That's why Lilia's trust in Hazuki has fallen to the bottom of the earth.

「Nemu wanna try it too-nya!」

「Yeah. You might want to practice so everyone can move this car――That's because you never know who's going to be and what's going on in the dungeon.」

A thin air flows for a moment.

Lucille, in particular, looked surprised.

It seemed that she finally understood that she was heading for an unknown deadly place.

◇

Mars and the others practice driving the car in a slightly larger area until all the adventurers have gathered.

Since the wheels are made of steel rather than tires, the car gets caught in the snow and shakes quite a bit, but the feeling of drifting is fun in its own way.

「It's pretty easy, after all. The cornering is subtle but fun! As expected, I want one of these.」

「Nemu thought it would be faster to run by herself-nya. She likes the carriage better because she has a horse-nya」

「Well, that's the same for me if I really run, but with this, we can carry luggage and stuff. And we don't get tired.」

「If about luggage and stuff, we can use treasury, right-nya?」

「It was so logical that I couldn't think of any word to say......」

Mars's feelings of excitement are screwed up by Nemu's realistic opinion.

A car of today's standard would be no better or worse than a horse-drawn carriage, to say the least.

――but the machine is exciting, isn't it!

Wanting a car is not an emotion from rationality, it is just a man's romance.

「Ee-eekk, I can't, I'm bad at this!」

「Li-Li-Lilia-san, look where you're going! I-It's going to turn over!?」

The car in which Lilia and Hazuki are riding is moving at a leisurely trot.

Lilia was driving, but her eyes were completely closed.

Whenever she moves the steering wheel to the left or right, Lilia's whole body tilts in that direction.

――Lilia is the type of person who moves the whole controller in a racing game.

There are no video games in this world, but if there were, I would let her play them.

「I-I can't drive this one. ......」

「On the contrary, I think I'd be good at this! Unlike a horse-drawn carriage, this car always moves the same way, and I can do the math to make it move that well, for sure! And strangely enough, I don't get drunk!」

Lilia came back with a very pale face.

It seems that she is not very good at driving a car in which she has to leave her entire body in the hands of the tools. On the contrary, she is very good at using tools like a bow, which she uses as if it were a part of her own body.

Hazuki, by contrast, had a big smile on her face, as if she had found her job.

Compared to a carriage, which does not always move as one wishes, a car, which is a machine, produces a fixed output in response to an input. This was Hazuki's specialty.

As she says, it is similar to the feeling of calculation.

「Then let's go with Hazuki's driving. Lucille ― Princess, is that okay with you?」

「Yes. You can call me whatever you want. But yes, I'd be happier with Lucille. It makes me feel like a fellow adventurer.」

「...... it would be great if you could stay as far back as possible.」

――Friends, I wonder.

It's not that I don't like Lucille-chan herself.

However, if you ask me whether I like her or not, I am quite doubtful.

First of all, there are not so many factors that make me like her.

I think she is cute if only for her looks, and she is also sexy if you look at her through the eyes of a male.

Her brown skin is attractive to my pale-skinned companions.

But if she intends to do harm to my precious friends, it's a different story.

――Lilia's story about cuckolding from the country, she said it like it was easy, but it's hard.

Knowing Mars' personality and body, Lilia and Hazuki may have thought it would be easy, but in reality, it is difficult to be liked as a member of the opposite sex.

Hazuki's voracious interest in sex, Nemu's desire not to be left out and want to be seen by Mars, and Julis's desperation at being abandoned by the man she loved only got her to that stage ―― sex.

From Mars' point of view, what Lucille is interested in is an adventure, and the future of the country and her race.

Lucille's child, the future of the country, will also be a child with a Dwarf.

Since adventure is basically a serious business, it is difficult to involve sex in it.

While Mars was pondering what to do, a group of adventurers who were scheduled to arrive later began to arrive.

In the lead was 《Jet Black》.

He was walking alone in black armor, leading the way.

The other adventurers were wary of the unknown 《Jet Black》

Mars, who had been waiting for him, rushed to 《Jet Black》 at once.

《Jet Black》 might have the 【Forbidden Magic Book】, which prolongs one's life.

If he had it, Mars would be willing to give up all his possessions.

Fortunately, the treasures obtained at the Norn Tomb and the 【Forbidden Magic Book】 remain almost untouched.

The amount is equivalent to 10 billion yen. The money was divided equally between Lilia and the others, but that much was left for Mars alone. The 【Forbidden Magic Book】 is rarely sold on the market, so it could be sold for practically the asking price, possibly much higher than jewelry.

Mars doesn't know what kind of reason 《Jet Black》 has for going into the dungeon alone, but if his goal is money or goods, or if he has no goal, he may be willing to sell it to him.

Mars doesn't know what kind of person he is, but there are people in the world who challenge dungeons just to get stronger. Mars hopes he is the same kind.

Naturally, Mars also took into consideration that he might not let go of the possibility of eternal prosperity and immortality in the future, no matter how much he piled up. I'm going to guide my thoughts that there might be more than one then.

「I am Mars Irving. If you have a copy of the 【Forbidden Magic Book】, why don't you exchange it with mine?」

Mars dares to blur his words, as he is afraid that if he says what he is looking for first, he will be advantaged by him.

He did not speak in a very polite tone because he did not want to be insulted as being inferior to him in terms of position.

He emphasized in his manner that they were equal adventurers.

Since there was no response, Mars reiterated in a louder voice. He thought he might not have been able to hear me because of his armor.

《Jet Black》 took a moment and replied in a muffled voice, 

「――I know who you are. I know what kind of person you are underneath that face.」

Even when Mars gets close, he can't make out the outline of 《Jet-Black》. His appearance, voice, and mentality.

It sent a shiver down his spine. He can't make Mars Irving's face right.

Mars thought that what 《Jet Black》 was talking about was the original personality of Mars ― the person he was before his reincarnation.

――I was aware that I was not special.

I don't believe that I am the only one who has been conveniently reincarnated.

I thought that there might be other people who had been reincarnated in the same way and that they might have been given stronger talents than Mars, who was merely reincarnated with the memories of my previous life.

Be a hero who saves the world. It is not necessarily true that there is no one who is charged with such a mission.

If reincarnation has any meaning at all, I, who have not been given anything, must not have been chosen.

If 《Jet Black》 has the same memories of his previous life like Mars, if he has trained his body and mind efficiently, and if he has been given unimaginable talents on top of that, it would not be impossible for him to conquer the Seven Great Dungeons by himself.

「You are ......」

Who are you? Mars was going to ask that, but he couldn't speak, as if something had gotten stuck in the back of his throat.

As much as he wanted to know, he did not want to ask about the truth of his reincarnation.

Mars felt that if he knew about 《Jet Black》, he would find out about himself as well.

「You are not the one to conquer this dungeon.」

After saying this, 《Jet-Black》 dived into the dungeon by himself.

No one tried to stop him or follow him.

「Uncooperative guy ...... do you know him? He went alone.」

Lucille asked in a small voice as she watched 《Jet Black》's back as he walked into the mine.

A chill, not just from the low outside temperature, covered Mars' body.

He had to make his usual face before replying to Lucille's words, but he was dazed.

Then he stopped, about to reply that it wasn't that he wasn't cooperative, but that he didn't need cooperation.

「No ...... you probably don't know that. But I think that guy is 《Jet Black》 who conquered 『The Great Volcano of Regalian』」

If 《Jet Black》 is a reincarnated person, it remains unclear how he knows about Mars.

He may have just been guessing based on his own criteria, saying that since he is a person who can conquer the Seven Great Dungeon classes, Mars must also be a reincarnated person.

Mars thought about it a lot, but could not come up with an answer.

He knew well enough that it was useless to keep thinking about things that were pointless to think about, so he decided to switch over.

――As expected, I had to conquer this dungeon one way or the other. He is not a man to negotiate.

Then I'll concentrate on that. The dungeon is not so sweet that we can't think about anything else.

「Let us go, too. We now have a reason to get there before he does.」

It's a tough road with a dwarven conspiracy, probably the most powerful enemy, and the highest dungeon in the world.

They might find out something we don't want them to know.

Still, I had no intention of changing my way of life now.