“Hey! Where do you think you’re putting your hands?! You pervert!”
“HO-GYAAAAAAHHHHH!!”
After passing out from eating Nether King Grandpa’s *shirako*, I somehow found myself viewing his memories from a god’s-eye perspective, looking down on the younger version of him.
“Come on, what’s the harm in touching it a little? It’s not like anything’s gonna disappear.”
“Go to hell!”
Nether King Grandpa had casually groped the backside of a saintly-looking woman dressed in pure white vestments, only to receive a rather vicious slap across the face.
I had to admit, waking up to sexual harassment as the very first thing I witnessed was a bit of a mood killer.
But more importantly…
She’d just made a pun between “decrease” and “hell,” then told the Nether King to “go to hell.” Pretty clever. And her overall vibe was strangely similar to Mina-chan’s, too. She was quite cute.
“Mind your manners, old man. Unless you want your pathetic little thing to be condemned.”
“It’s not pathetic. It’s magnificent. Besides, you’ve never even seen my junior, have you, Executioner?”
“There’s no need to see it directly. I can tell just by looking at your face. Yours is small. Case closed.”
“T-that’s harsh…”
M-Man, that dark-skinned, powerhouse-looking woman sure didn’t pull her punches…
Her mannerisms and way of speaking were an exact match for Shion. Although, “Executioner” was a pretty damn dangerous title. Definitely fitting for one of the Nether King’s companions.
“Everyone! We’ve got trouble! There are two chimeras roaming around in a huge open cavern up ahead! Charging straight in could be dangerous!”
A girl who had been activating a skill a short distance away from the Nether King and the others came running back to the group.
Apparently, while the old man and the others had been busy fooling around, she’d been scouting the area all by herself. She was an adorable girl dressed practically, almost like an adventurer. And she looked exactly like Satsuki-chan.
Since we’re at it, I might as well explain what the Nether King Grandpa looked like, too.
I called him “young,” but age-wise, he was actually a middle-aged man somewhere in his late thirties to early forties. He wore something resembling a black hoodie, had an average build, and carried himself with absolutely no presence or vigor. His face was fairly narrow, with a scruffy beard covering his jaw. His black hair was slightly long, with bangs hanging down over his eyes and obscuring them from view.
Yeah.
That appearance was unmistakably “me”. I hadn’t wanted to admit it, which was why I had deliberately avoided mentioning it until now. But Nether King Grandpa’s companions looked far too similar to my own companions for me to keep pretending otherwise.
“There’s definitely some kind of connection here, right…?”
Even someone as hopelessly optimistic as me had to have enough intuition to figure that much out. Come to think of it, whenever that damn Goddess made me eat one of the Nether King Grandpa’s organs, there had always been some kind of meaning behind it.
There had to be some ability I was going to gain from witnessing these scenes.
“Chimeras? No way. How about we just head home, guys?”
“Hey! We came all this way, so what are you talking about, Jikaku?!”
The saintly-looking beauty had just revealed the Nether King Grandpa’s name to me.
So his name is Jikaku huh?
“Exactly! We’ve come this far exploring a dungeon that humanity has never reached before, one that hasn’t even been assigned a difficulty level! There’s no way we’re turning back now!”
The beautiful girl who looked just like Satsuki was pouting angrily as she protested.
Come to think of it, I wonder when this scene was taking place.
If the dungeon didn’t even have an assigned difficulty level, that meant Jikaku and his companions were exploring a dungeon the Guild hadn’t even identified yet.
Maybe this was about fifty years ago?
“Enough arguing. We’re going. Besides, a couple of chimeras should be easy for you if you actually get serious. What are you whining about?”
“Well, you know… I’m already tired.”
“You have enough energy to fondle the pathetic backside of some bargain-bin fake saint. I’d say you’re doing just fine.”
“Hey, Executioner. I’m not going to let that comment slide.”
Whoa… This is giving me serious déjà vu.
◇◇◇
Despite all the twists and turns along the way, Nether King Grandpa—er, Jikaku-san and his party—continued deeper into the dungeon. They effortlessly wiped out two chimeras, then made camp there and settled in for the night.
“Yum~!”
“Huh. I didn’t expect it to be this good. Chimera meat.”
The saintly-looking beauty who resembled Mina-chan and the beautiful girl who looked like Satsuki-chan had pitched a tent, started a fire, and were now roasting and eating the meat of the chimeras they had defeated.
The chimera had been butchered by the Executioner who resembled Shion-san. With practiced hands, she had turned the monsters into edible meat in no time at all.
“There’s a risk of upsetting your stomach, but the best way to eat chimera is raw—especially the organs. Jikaku, eat.”
“No thanks.”
The Executioner lightly seasoned the chimera organs she had portioned out and urged Jikaku to eat them. Jikaku politely declined.
So this was the role Nether King Grandpa used to play, huh?
The same one I had. I kinda feel sorry for him. Yeah.
“We’ll spend the night here and resume our exploration tomorrow.”
“Huh? I’m already tired for today, so I’m not really up for anything, you know?”
“Shut up, old man.”
Jikaku-san got hit with a cold, merciless verbal blow from the saint.
Looks like, just like Mina-chan, she wasn’t the type to let those kinds of jokes slide.
“…There’s something that’s been bothering me for a while now.”
“Munch, munch… munch, munch…”
The beautiful woman who resembled Shion-san muttered this while putting Jikaku-san through some kind of forced-chewing punishment.
“I’ve had the distinct feeling that someone has been watching us this entire time… Am I imagining things?”
Huh? Could there still be an enemy lurking nearby?!
Where are they!? Where are they hiding!?
…Hmm?
Wait, why is the Executioner suddenly looking up at the sky?
What’s going on?
Oh.
We just made eye contact.
And she’s glaring right at me.
Wait…
Don’t tell me…
“You there… Who are you!?”
Oh, come on!
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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