Author: Yume Neiji

The royal army rested on the twenty-first floor and then they stepped into the twenty-second floor. The entire floor is filled with water, and the only way to get forward is through the stone path that stretch to the horizon.

“I don’t think this is drinkable.”

Arvish peers into the water and clicks his tongue. Coby hurriedly pulled Arvish away from the edge of the water.

“Danna-sama, don’t go near the water, you will get eaten.”

“Eaten? Is there something here?”

“Well, on the twenty-second floor—”

“Gyaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!”

Just as Coby was about to explain, a soldier screamed. A number of dragonflies, which could be described as gigantic, had gathered right above the soldiers. When the insect finds a soldier who is remarkable, it catches the soldier at an incredible speed. Each of them quickly picks a soldier up and take him away to the horizon. Some of the soldiers were stabbed in the head on the spot.

With such sudden occurrence, the kingdom’s army is thrown into chaos. In an attempt to save their own lives, some soldiers even turned their swords on their allies.

“Hiiii!”

Someone jumped into the water from the top of the stone path. Dragonflies do not aim at prey that falls into the water. He was the first to notice this fact. However, at that moment, something drags the swimming soldiers deep into the water one after another. Then-, like others, something like a thick and long rope wrapped around his neck, he was pulled deep into the water without having time to resist.

Arvish, who cut off the dragonfly as he passes, gives instructions,

“Don’t stop! Move forward!”

With Arvish in the lead, the soldiers rushed out in unison. The dragonflies were chasing them in increasing numbers so that they would not escape.

“Air Cutter! Air Cutter!”

Feria runs as she fires series of spells at the attacking dragonflies. However, more magical beasts gather than they kill. Hundreds of dragonflies are already flying right above them. Coby called out to Arvish as he ran.

“This is bad! Those damn bugs get’s excited when they get food! This way of gathering is abnormal!”

“Even I know that! Is there any way to get rid of those bugs!?”

“It’s fire! They are afraid of fire! I remember using a torch to drive them away when we passed through here!”

“Got it, fire it is. Professor! Use the lich to burn those dragonflies!”

Lich ran behind Arvish, and Professor Jill was on its back.

“Don’t order me! But the situation this time is not favorable to me either. If you want me to kill those bugs, then I can do so. Ignis!”

The one who responded to the professor’s call was the Lich who had a red magic stone embedded in its forehead. Its name is Ignis. It is one of the artificial lich who specializes in fire. In addition, there is Aquanis who specializes in water magic. Ael, who specialized in wind magic. Lastly, Tila, who specialized in earth magic. They are all named by Professor Jill.

Ignis defies the flow of soldiers rushing forward and stops in his tracks. He raised his hands to unleash his magic. Shortly after, hundreds of fireballs appeared above them. The soldiers involuntarily stopped in their tracks and stared at the scene. The dragonflies that were chasing their prey also stopped moving temporarily.

“Katakata”

Ignis clattered his jaw and the fireballs were fired in unison. A flash of light spreads in all directions and explodes. The sky was dyed bright red. The dragonflies lost their head and wings then they fall into the water and in the stone path in a cloud of white smoke.

“It can do something like that level…”

“Kuhahaha, are you surprised? My lich boasts an abundance of magical power and is able to use it effectively. I don’t think any of the human mages out there can copy that.”

Arvish couldn’t hide his joy hearing Professor Jill’s words. He thought that if it was a magical beast with that much power, Shinichi Tanaka wouldn’t be able to fight at all.

Feria immediately vented her anger,

“Even I, a master level magician, can do that kind of magic! It’s just a multiple deployment of beginner magic! I think you shouldn’t get so excited by that!”

“Hoh~, even a little girl like you could do that? That was unexpected. Oh well, that level of magic is just a play for my lich anyway. There’s no point in comparing that to someone who is of a lower level.”

“Lower level!?”

 Feria’s eyes widen and she trembles with anger. Arvish intervened between the two of them as such conflict is no good.

“We are supposed to be working together to defeat the Homeless. Don’t do anything that will cause unnecessary anger.”

“It’s because that little girl despises my lich. It’s that elf who is to blame.”

“Professor!”

“…… Hmph!”

 Carried by a Lich, Professor Jill moved ahead. Feria is still fuming and is glaring at the professor’s back.

“There’s no point in breaking up with our companions at this moment. In order to defeat them, we have to borrow the power of that man you see.”

“I know that. Still, I get annoyed every time. I really don’t like the way he acts. He’s always acting like a big shot, even though he’s just borrowing the power of a magical beast.”

“Alright, bear with it. Let me tell you, it’s only a temporary relationship. Once this operation is over, that man will never see the sun again.”

“What do you mean?”

“His Majesty seems to be planning to have Professor Jill mass-produce those Lich. He will probably continue producing them until he dies. This is his last free moment.”

Feria grins hearing that. Instantly, her anger disappeared somewhere.

“I understand what you’re saying. There’s no way I’ll be angry with a man like that.”

“I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

 Arvish kissed the back of Feria’s hand.

◇◇◇

Coby, who was walking in the lead, pointed to the end of the road as he explained,

“It’s almost time to see the building, there should be a staircase leading down inside.”

 Arvish furrowed his brow then he spoke his thoughts,

“What’s the 23rd floor like? No more giant insects, right?”

“Don’t worry, the twenty-third floor is a babu forest so it’s relatively safe. The enemies that come out there are all skeletons, so it’s unlikely that you’ll have a hard time.”

“Skeletons huh. If that’s the case, I think we can at least let the soldiers take a break.”

Arvish’s words reassured the soldiers. At this point, everyone already regretted diving into the Great Dungeon. This is because they realized that humans are just food for the magical beasts here.

Coby continues,

“Danna-sama, let me tell you, the twenty-second floor is still okay. In the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh floor, skeletons come out more frequently. Moreover, it’s rumored that there will be lich and zombies as well.”

“Rumors? Didn’t you meet one?”

“Well, we got the information beforehand, so we burned the incense to ward off magical beasts and immediately went down the stairs. We can’t deal with a large number of skeletons and multiple lich after all you see.”

Arvish inwardly laughed at Coby and his companions. There was no way he could be scared of a skeleton or a lich.

“Huh? Is that a person?”

Coby reacted to the figure at the end of the road. Upon hearing his words, Professor Jill turns her gaze to Arvish and Feria.

There is indeed a figure sitting in the middle of the road. The body was equipped with iron armor, and the exposed head was clearly a skull. The silver skull has a dim red light in its eyes. It held a spear in its hand and sent a murderous intent towards the kingdom’s army.

“Skeleton… It is a skeleton, right?”

“Stand back, Feria. I don’t think it is just a skeleton. Someone, please use your appraisal skill to examine it.”

Instructions were given, and a soldier with an appraisal skill examined the mysterious skeleton. Meanwhile, the silver skeleton does not move on its spot. It was as if it was waiting for its opponent to appear.

“The results are out. Looks like it is a magical beast called the Homeless Silver Skeleton.”

“What about its magic? The skills?”

“I’m sorry. I-, I only have intermediate level on my Appraisal so I could only check the name.”

The soldier bows his head and apologizes. Appraisal is generally said to be a poorly developed skill. Compared to other skills, it ranks up very slowly. Depending on the talent of the owner, it is not uncommon for it to remain at the beginner level even after 50 years of use. Therefore, if someone made their Appraisal into Advanced or higher, he will be treated as a rare skill holder. The fact that there is an Appraisal (Intermediate level) holder in the team is actually a proof of being an elite.

“If you can’t see it in the appraisal, then it is a master class magical beast. I guess I’ll have to deal with it then.”

“Arvish-sama!”

“Don’t stop me Feria. As a hero, this is the time when I have to show my strength to my soldiers. Just wait there for my victory.”

After stopping Feria, Arvish draws his sword and moves forward. The skeleton that had been sitting slowly stood up and raised the Mithril spear in its hand.

“Oi, skeleton over there. Since you got Homeless in your name, you’re going to have to pay for that guy, you know? In that case, why don’t you follow me instead. I think I’m more suitable to be your master than a man like that.”

“Katakata”

The silver skeleton shook its head. The number “7” was written in large letters on its forehead, and Arvish didn’t know it was a number. This is because it is an Arabic numeral that does not exist in this world. If he had been aware of the numbers at this time, he would probably have turned back from the dungeon.

“I don’t know how he managed to get the silver skeleton under his control, but if it stands in my way, I’ll just get rid of it.”

“Katakata”

 Arvish made a powerful attack. Skeleton 7 quickly dodges the heavy slash with his spear and takes a step back from the spot.

“Not over yet!”

The sword does not stop. The barrage of shots, which allowed afterimage to be seen, pushed Skeleton 7 backwards one step at a time. Every time the spear parries the sword, it makes a high-pitched sound and scatters sparks. In the eyes of the soldiers, it seemed that the skeleton was being pushed unilaterally.

“This guy… You are handling my sword with ease.”

“Katakata”

Skeleton 7 had deflected the trajectory of the sword with a skillful spear wielding. That alone makes Arvish realize that it is an extraordinary opponent. The skeleton in front of him is more bizarre than any magical beast he had ever fought.

“Then, how about this! Sword Dance!”

The moment the blade touched the tip of the spear, Skeleton 7 was engulfed in explosive flames. The soldiers cheered, and the mood was as if the victory had been decided. Arvish also lowered his sword and looked at the burning skeleton.

“It was indeed strong for a skeleton, but it is not my enemy right now.”

But―, it doesn’t move from the spot. Arvish suddenly felt a strange stir in his chest.

“Katakata…”

A humanoid flame rose up. Gradually, the flames that were surrounding it disappears, and a silver body emerges from underneath. The iron armor had been blown away by the explosion, and the original body of the skeleton was exposed, ―there was not a single scratch on the skull that glowed with red light.

The soldiers, who were previously delighted to take a step forward, shut their mouths. The area suddenly became quiet. Even Arvish has a bead of sweat running down his forehead.

“Is it…. a real monster?”

“Katakata”

Skeleton 7 takes the compliment and bows to the enemy. Professor Jill, who was watching with the soldiers, exclaimed excitedly,

“Amazing! What a durability! Hey Hero! Get his corpse! That’s the best ingredient for my Lich to reach new heights!”

“Shut up! This isn’t the time for that!”

Arvish made the professor shut up. He was thinking about how to win against the enemy in front of him.

“Katakata”,

Skeleton 7 clattered his jaw.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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After leaving the Homeless cafeteria, the royal army continued their dive and in two days, they reached the twentieth floor.

“Explosive Sword Dance!”

Arvish’s sharp slash causes an explosion as soon as it hits the orc. Blood and pieces of flesh were scattered, and the smell of burnt flesh filled the air.

“Air Cutter!”

Feria also raised her wand and fired magic. The wind blade tore two orcs into pieces and a large amount of fresh blood spread across the cobblestones.

“Coby, how far are we to the stairs?”

Arvish asked as he wiped his sword with a cloth.

“From what I remember, we are almost there danna-sama.”

“I’ve been wanting to ask you for a while now but, do you really remember all the route up to the thirtieth floor?”

“Of course I remember. That’s my biggest selling point after all. I don’t know all the paths, but you can leave the shortest route to stairs and Temple of Teleportation to me.”

Feria, who has finished fighting, comes to them.

“Looks aside, I’ll praise him on the fact that he’s a usable guy. At least more so than…..”

She shifted her gaze to look at the soldiers sitting in the dimly lit corridor. Some have bandages on their legs and arms and some are gasping in pain. When they left the cafeteria, they were tired from the continuous battle with the magical beasts. It was the special environment of the dungeon that repeatedly tormented them. Staying in the dark and oppressive basement for days on was mentally exhausting for the soldiers.

“Stop saying that Feria. They are human. They are not like us who have evolved.”

“But at this rate, even if we take time, I can’t kill Erna.”

“I know. But still, we need these soldiers. We need them to act as meat shields when the time comes.”

“You’re right.… Tsk!, it’s really annoying though.”

Feria walks up to the soldiers and uses healing magic. In an instant, their wound closed, and those with missing arms, it is regenerated again. It is a special grade water magic called Aquarius Recovery.

One by one, the soldiers thanked Feria. However, she remained expressionless as she tells them,

“This is all I can do to heal you. I can’t use my precious magical power over and over again to useless people like you. Next time, just kill yourself quietly.”

“Yes!”

Five thousand soldiers bowed their heads with happy expressions. Feria stiffens, she has spoken such words yet she received an unexpected reaction. She let her gaze wander to the ceiling and walls and turned back to Arvish.

“What do they mean?”

 Arvish, who had been watching the whole thing, blurted out with a surprised expression,

“No way… are they.…. all of them are they masochists!?”

◇◇◇

The army finally reached the twenty-first floor. The entire floor was a swamp and Arvish decided to take a big rest here.

“I thought we are finally on a large floor. Urgh, it’s damp and disgusting!”

With the bonfire in front of her, Feria complained while a few soldiers massaged her shoulders and arms. Arvish, who is lying nearby, was not listening to her and he stares blankly at the dimly lit ceiling.

“I can’t believe this is underground. I never knew that there was such a large area of land in the Great Dungeon.”

“Hehe, is this the first time danna-sama has come here?”

Coby asked Arvish as he stirred the pot.

“Yeah. I’ve never been to Mohed Great Dungeon you see. You have been here, right?”

“Of course. I passed through here with the comrades I used to have.”

“What happened to your comrades?”

“Dead. Everyone just left me behind.”

“I see…”

Arvish stopped asking questions. He decided that it was not a good idea to know the past of the person he would eventually kill. He stared at the ceiling for a while, then suddenly, he heard a scream from somewhere.

“Uwaaaaaaaa! There’s a griffon!”

A black griffon swooped down on the military campsite. It knocked the pots and dishes away with its feet, and then it tears apart soldiers with its claws. As it roared, air cutters were fired indiscriminately from around the griffon.

“A black griffon!? Don’t tell me…. it’s a mutant specie?”

“Arvish-sama! It’s not the time to talk about it. If we don’t kill it quickly, the damage will be great!”

Arvish and Feria hurriedly grabbed their weapons and run to the enemy. When the griffon saw the two of them, it stopped its attack and went into a state of alert.

“You darn black beast! You really did it!”

Arvish drew his sword and readied himself. Feria stood behind him, clutching her wand ready to shoot at any moment.

“Gurrrrr”

“It’s stronger than a normal griffon… It’s also smart. It is staring at my weapon.”

One by one, they kept their distance and waited for an opportunity to attack. The soldiers can only watch with their weapons in hand.

“Fu!”

It was Arvish who moved first. He closes the distance with a single jump and then he slashed diagonally from below. The griffon was quick to predict his sword attack and with the instantaneous power peculiar to the cat family, it greatly dodged backwards.

“Arvish-sama, I’ll do it! Aqua Prison!”

Holding up her wand, Feria unleashes her original magic. Raining down on a single point, countless water balls appeared around the griffon. The griffon struggled against the rushing water, but was gradually absorbed into the water ball, and in a few seconds, a huge mass of water about five meters in diameter was formed. The griffon goes on a rampage trying to escape while spitting out air bubbles.

“An original magic that can only be handled by a master-level mage huh. My dear Feria is really amazing.”

“Water Prison is an original magic created by the Benesse family, and the magic I created is even more powerful.”

“I know. You are the best mage.”

Feria felt estatic hearing Arvish’s words. The soldiers also decided that the battle is over and they all relaxed their stance.

“Flame Burst.”

As Professor Jill spoke, the water prison burst into flames and it exploded. A gust of hot wind swept up, and the mass of water that had been holding the griffon evaporated in an instant. Arvish and the soldiers had no idea what had happened.

“Have you seen the power of my Lich? With one blow, I finished that griffon you are having trouble with!”

Professor Jill excitedly looks at the scene of black smoke rising. Beside him is an artificial Lich with its right hand stretched in front, it is not moving in the slightest. It has a fire magic stone on its forehead, and its eyes, which are filled with darkness, do not show any emotion.

“That’s the enemy I defeated! You just dealt the final blow! I demand that you correct your statement!”

 Feria immediately vents her anger. The professor began to laugh when he heard her words.

“Bwahahaha! You just caught it! It’s my lich who killed! That result remains the same! Well, I can just praise you for stopping the griffon’s movements!”

Feria clutched her wand tightly. Blood was dripping from between her fingers. Arvish let out a small sigh looking at her appearance. He decided to warn the professor.

“Professor Jill, don’t use the Lich carelessly. The magic emitted by the magical beast is powerful and it can involve allies in the attack. From now on, you will have to get my permission before you make a move.”

“Is it a restriction because it’s too strong? That’s not bad. Got it, I’ll follow the instructions.”

The professor replied in a good mood. This time, Arvish was about to speak to Feria to calm her anger when a soldier rushed up to him impatiently.

“I have a report. I can’t find the corpse of the enemy who was supposedly killed in the previous battle!”

“What are you talking about? Didn’t you see the battle just now? It was torn apart by the explosion so of course there is no way it will remain in its original form!”

“N-No, I mean, I can’t even find a piece of its flesh! It is as if it disappeared, there’s nothing found at all.”

“No way…!”

Arvish checks the battle-torn ground. As the soldier said, there was no blood or a piece of flesh to be seen. In fact, not even a feather has fallen off.

It was so weird that he can’t shake the feeling of unease. A figure suddenly popped into his mind.

“Was that griffon an enemy he sent? But, how could that be? Does this mean he has a skill that we don’t know?”

Arvish mumbled his thoughts, but he didn’t seem to be able to get an answer. So he assumes that Shinichi Tanaka has the ability to manipulate magical beasts and decides to move forward. When the royal army departs, the person who has been waiting in the distance begins to move.

Arvish doesn’t know yet, but someone from Mana has been watching them all the time.

◇◇◇

“We have identified some of their skills and capabilities. We are going to keep the task force in place.”

In a dimly lit room with candlelight, several figures around a large long table were listening to him. No, there is one person who is munching on a cookie on the table.

“Oi, Erna! Have you been listening to me?”

“I’m listening. It is that the kingdom’s army is going inside the dungeon to kill us, right?”

“That’s not all of it! There is also the matter about Arvish, who is now called a hero, then Feria, a master-level mage, as well as Professor Jill, who has four Lich with him. There are others whose abilities are unclear at the moment. If we are not careful, we could get killed you know.”

“Shinichi is worrying too much. There is no way that we, who have evolved, will lose. Besides, the power difference is too large. Even Shinichi alone can annihilate them you know.”

“That is what is called complacency. Let me reiterate, the power of the Lich they have with them is unknown, in addition to that, the report says it’s not just a magical beast. In other words, it could be their trump card.”

Erna reaches for the cookie again, saying, “They are not the enemy of a superior elf.”

Sure, I agree with her, but there is always a “what if”. At least the kingdom isn’t stupid enough to stand up against Homeless without doing any preparations at all. The fact that Professor Jill is with them should be seen as the best evidence.

“Speaking of Professor Jill, wasn’t he the one who sent out a nomination request to the Homeless before?”

Freya asks as she strokes the fur on Pero’s chest with her hand.

“That’s right. I think the request he gave was for us to get Lich’s skull. I think it is related to those four figures.”

“Related? Isn’t it possible that the professor can also make a familiar?”

“We don’t know that yet. That is why we will have to continue to gather information.”

It’s hard to think of it as just a magical beast. The professor should know that Homeless party are good enough to beat a normal Lich. Maybe he has collected a mutant species of lich. Then he is making them obey by subordination. It would be safer to think along those lines for the time being. It’s good to be vigilant.

(The griffon is in danger. Evacuate it quickly.)

I heard a voice in my head. This is a report from a person monitoring the army. With my skill, Familiar summoning, I immediately summoned the griffon that had been sent out to fight against them.

 A light appeared on the floor of the room we are in and then a dripping wet griffon appeared. He is limp and seems to be quite exhausted.

“Sukejiro, carry this guy outside.”

“Katakata”

Sukejiro, who was sitting in his seat, stands up and leaves the room with the griffon carried in his hands. Suketarou, who was watching the situation, called out to me.

“Katakata”

“Well, I sent it out to gauge the strength of the enemy. It seems that they are stronger than I expected. The report I received just now said that the griffon could not do anything. It seems that they would be a tough opponent after all.”

When I said that, Suketarou crossed his arms and began to think about something. As a general of the homeless army, he must have felt a sense of crisis.

“There is no need to rush, there’s still time before they get here. The next operation is already being prepared. We’ll have to figure out what they’re capable of by then.”

“Katakata”

Suketarou clattered his chin and salutes. His dimly glowing red eyes seemed to be filled with determination.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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Five thousand soldiers, the cream of the crop, were making good progress through Mohed’s Great Dungeon, which was known as the worst dungeon of all. The enemies that appeared are slaughtered one by one, leaving only scattered corpses behind them. The magical beasts could only run away from the unusual intruder. The slimes are trampled and horned rabbits are grabbed by their ears and their heads were cut off.

A total slaughter. If there were adventurers here, they would have felt that way.

“Hahahaha! Our kingdom’s army is the strongest!”

Behind the soldiers fighting the enemy, the general was frolicking like a child. In contrast, Arvish and Feria walk in silence.

“You are very quiet, Hero-dono. We are almost at the tenth level. Can’t you be more pleased?”

“We are just on the tenth floor. What we are aiming for is the 24th floor. There’s still a long way to go.”

Arvish turns his attention to the guide. Then Coby, who had read the air, began to explain to the general.

“Hehe, for intermediate adventurers, this area is like they are just strolling in a garden. The real trouble is from the fifteenth floor downwards. Furthermore, from the 20th level onwards, even advanced adventurers will not touch it.”

“Humph! Of course I know that much! Who do you think I am? Just shut up and show us around!”

“Well, please excuse me. Kuhihi.”

Coby gave a vulgar laugh and ran to the soldier walking in the lead. It is already the third day that the royal army has gone underground. Although there is a slight delay from the original plan, it is proceeding without any major problems. Everyone was caught off guard by the fact that it was a big dungeon.

“Good grief, it seems like my cute Lich won’t be able to make their appearance like this.”

Professor Jill grumbled behind Arvish. The professor is followed by four lich dressed in white robes. Arvish spoke without looking back.

“The four of them are our trump cards after all. We can’t let these small fry fight against them.”

“It’s not yours, it’s mine. I decide what kind of enemy they fight against. Don’t forget that in this mission, you are working with me.”

“Of course, I fully understand that. Well, I’m not saying that you are just participating in this event because of the huge research grant from His Majesty. If you disobey my orders, you won’t be able to get what you can get, understood?”

“……Then find that opponent as soon as possible. I don’t have enough free time to be with you guys forever.”

The professor turned away and stopped talking. Arvish inwardly scoffs that even an arrogant researcher can’t beat money.

In fact, Professor Jill had run out of money for his research. The cause is his indifference to money. He spent a lot of money on his research, and when it wasn’t enough, he sold off the assets left by his parents to make money. When that was gone, he got into debt to get some money. Naturally, such a life does not last long. Cornered, he decided to sell the results of his research to King Logas. The King liked the man-made Lich at first sight and promised to help fund his research. However, that is on condition that he helps catch the Homeless party.

“Are all researchers like that?”

“Who knows. I don’t know much about them, but I can tell right away that people who think of modifying a magical beast to make it obey his commands is not normal.”

“That’s right. I would like our relationship with him to be clear.”

 Feria told Arvish to put a line on their relationship with the Professor.

◇◇◇

 The army finally reached the fifteenth level.

 Coby and Arvish were having a conversation.

“Is it true that they have a store around here?”

“I won’t tell a lie danna-sama. There is even a signage there that says ‘Homeless Cafeteria’, and they are making a lot of money off the adventurers coming here.”

“Opening a cafeteria in the dungeon is indeed something that Shinichi Tanaka would think of. He must be serving expensive food to adventurers anyway. It’s a despicable way to do it.”

“As expected of danna-sama, you are quick to understand. Then I have a suggestion for you, let’s take the cafeteria from them. There is probably plenty of food and water there, and these fifteenth floor is a safe zone as there are no enemies here. I’ll tell you that it’s a great place for your soldiers to relieve their fatigue.”

Arvish began to think over Coby’s words. He thought that Coby is indeed right, they did not see any enemy on the fifteenth floor. It would be a great place for the soldiers to rest. Moreover, food and water would be available, so Coby’s suggestion was not bad.

“Alright then, show us to that cafeteria.”

“Hehe, I understand.”

For about an hour, they walked on a route where not a single enemy appeared, then they eventually found it. The wooden door has a signage that says, “Homeless’ Cafeteria”. Just looking at it enraged Arvish.

“Rush in! It doesn’t matter if you kill the people inside.”

Fifty soldiers broke through the door and stepped inside. Tables and chairs in the cafeteria are overturned and destroyed. The sound of glass bottles breaking can be heard, and the footsteps of many people echoed. After a delay, Arvish walked inside the cafeteria.

“Looks like no one is here.”

Arvish muttered to himself as he looks at the deserted cafeteria. The crystals on the walls dimly illuminated the room, and the soldiers had already begun to search for food.

“Arvish-sama! We have found food and water!”

One of the soldiers made a report. Several soldiers were carrying large bags to the center of the room, as well as moving many other barrels.

“Thank you for your hard work. Very well, I will allow you guys to consume half of it here. Also, please feel free to drink alcohol.”

“Yes!”

As that soldier leaves, another soldier comes to him. In his hand was a large, puffy leather bag.

“I found the money of the Homeless party!”

“Well done. Then, let me hold it.”

After receiving the leather bag, Arvish loosens the muzzle strap and immediately checks inside. Coins rub against each other but he was discouraged to see what’s inside. Most of them were copper coins. He tied the muzzle again and threw it to Coby, who was nearby.

“Eh? Are you sure danna-sama? That’s about a gold coin worth you know.”

“I’ll give you that much money. Think of it as a reward for letting me know about this place.”

“Hehe, thank you danna-sama.”

After receiving the money, Coby moved to the corner of the room and began counting the copper coins. The general who is already drinking is watching the situation. He sat down at the counter in the dining room and called out to Arvish who is giving instructions to the soldiers.

“Don’t you have any other guides? I just don’t like that guy.”

“I understand your feelings Your Excellency. But right now, we need his help. Though he looked like that, that man is a seasoned adventurer who has once reached the thirtieth floor. He is indispensable for us to move forward.”

“Tsk. He doesn’t look like a seasoned adventurer at all. But since Hero-dono says so, I’ll put up with it for a while, of course, you’ll get rid of him when the mission is over, right?”

“Yes, as soon as we have secured the way to the surface. Your Excellency need not to worry, you will not get your hands dirty.”

 The general took a sip of the glass of sake, saying, “I’ll leave everything to Hero-dono then.”

Why is Arvish so submissive to the general? It has to do with the position he is in. Although he is a hero with the title of the strongest in the kingdom, he is by no means the head of the military. It is the general who commands the entire army and even he, the hero, is also his pawn.

However, a hero is granted the same right to speak or refuse orders from the general. Although he is formally lower in rank than the general, in reality, he is also recognized as a general. It’s just that he doesn’t have subordinates.

Because of these complications, Arvish had to act as an equal but he talks to the general as his superior. Moreover, in this operation, the general had given Arvish the right to command the soldiers. It is not a right to directly command the soldiers over the general though. If the general felt offended, the soldiers could quickly disobey his orders.

“I need to get rid of this guy as soon as possible”, Arvish thought about it with a delightful smile.

◇◇◇

“N-Not good! It’s terrible, General!”

The screams of a soldier awaken the other soldiers who were sleeping. Arvish and Feria jumped up and ran over to the General, who was still sitting at the counter.

“This is…”

The general’s face had turned pale, and rigor mortis had already begun. A half-drunk liquor bottle was placed nearby, and Arvish quickly grabbed the bottle.

“Feria, get a silver spoon from my luggage! Hurry!”

“Yes, I’ll get it right away!”

Once he got the spoon, Arvish dripped a few drops of liquor on the silver spoon. Then, the spoon, which was in a shade of beautiful silver, suddenly turned black. The soldiers around him were stunned by the situation.

“Look! It’s poison! Someone killed him!”

“Impossible! We’ve been on guard all night but we did not see any suspicious people!”

Several soldiers spoke up. They are the unit that was in charge of the guard last night. Suspicion was cast on them by other soldiers.

“Calm down. I didn’t say that there are traitors among us. Wouldn’t it be more natural to think that we were infiltrated by someone with stealth skills or other means? And if there are people who can do that…”

“It’s those Homeless bastards, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, Shinichi Tanaka’s party would be able to do it.”

The soldiers shouted,

“Damn Homeless!”,

“H-How dare they… to the General!”

They expressed their immense anger. Arvish’s words quickly turn into facts among the soldiers. They believed that it was the Homeless who killed the general.

“It is unfortunate that His Excellency has passed away, but we cannot afford to abandon our mission. We have to catch the Homeless party who killed the general. I’m sure His Excellency wants that too. Alright. I’m going to lead the army from now on, do you have any objections?”

The soldiers bowed to Arvish in silence. In the event of the death of a general, a person with a similar position temporarily leads the troops. There was no one better than Arvish on this occasion.

“Then get ready to go, we’ll be out of here in an hour.”

The soldiers immediately obeyed the order. Arvish leaves the room first, taking Feria with him. After walking about twenty meters down the dimly lit corridor, they were laughing with the corners of their mouths raised sharply.

“Well done Feria, thanks to your stealth skills, I was finally able to get rid of that guy.”

“It’s not a big deal. I just poisoned the liquor bottle.”

Ever since Arvish and Feria dived into the Great Dungeon, they had been looking for an opportunity to assassinate the General. Blaming it to the Homeless party is also in their plan.

“I knew he was going to drink until late at night. He had insomnia after all.”

“All I had to do was sneak up and use my stealth skills to poison the bottle, it was really easy.”

The two of them giggled. Suddenly, they heard a sound behind them, it was the sound of a stone rolling, as if it was kicked.

“Who?!”

Arvish reflexively turned around, but there was no one there. The two of them looked at it many times to see if anyone was eavesdropping.

“I’m sure it’s just your imagination.”

“That’s right. I was a little too excited. Let’s go back to the soldiers.”

As Arvish tried to walk away, Feria grabbed his arm and held him back. She has pink cheeks and looks a little embarrassed.

“This last few days… we haven’t done it you see. There’s still time so…”

“Oh, my sweet Feria. I love you.”

The two of them sought each other out like beasts in the dimly lit corridor. They didn’t even know that someone was watching them intently nearby.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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(Room in a certain building in Mana City)

Four days have passed since the royal army completely blockaded Mana.

“Any information?”

Sitting on the sofa with his feet on the table, Arvish asked the question as he stares blankly out the window. Feria, who had just entered the room, quietly sits down on the sofa and slowly answers,

“Yes, I now know in which floor they are in. I already hired an adventurer to show us around the dungeon. Things are going well.”

“Can we trust that adventurer?”

“Of course. We’ve done our investigations on him you see. We are picking people who don’t like the Homeless party. In other words, our interests aligned.”

“That’s good then. By the way, how about the whereabouts of those people who we suspect are their associates?”

Feria shakes her head. Arvish clicked his tongue seeing that.

“A man named Arnold in the market told me that Rodman, the weapons dealer here, disappeared six days ago. Perhaps he felt that his life is in danger after he saw the wanted list.”

“I see. I think it’s better to assume that he is no longer in this city. Tsk! And here I thought I could send him to the execution table together with the homeless party. My plans have gone awry.”

“That’s true. However, isn’t it just a trivial matter? As long as we catch Shinichi Tanaka and Erna Frederia, everything will fall into place.”

Feria smiles as she cuddles up to Arvish. Staying in that position, the two of them pulled their faces closer and shared a passionate kissed.

“Excuse me, I have a report—”

The soldier who opened the door and entered the room stiffened at the sight of the two of them. Feria and Arvish quickly separate. They stand up to correct the disorder of their attire.

“Knock properly when you enter the room! Do you want to be beheaded?”

“Uh-, I-, I’m sorry. Marquis Ryan come to visit and wants to see you two!”

“It’s that damn old man again. He is so persistent!”

Arvish reluctantly leaves the room and walks to the waiting room. At present, the royal army led by the hero is staying in the largest inn in Mana. Of course, they didn’t pay for accommodation. They evicted the employees of the inn and requisitioned the entire building around it. As a result, the military walks around the inn like they own it, and the general and the hero use the suite inside the inn as they please as if it was their own rooms.

Arvish walked inside the waiting room and faced Marquis Ryan who was already sitting on the sofa.

“You are here again! No matter how many times you come, the lock down of this city will not be lifted.”

“That’s not what I came here for. Please take a sit first.”

Arvish sits down in a chair and rests his feet on the table. Ryan sighed at such attitude which is not of a hero at all.

“So?”

“It’s been four days since the city was locked down, and as the lord, I’m not convinced by your heavy-handed approach. However, as an aristocrat of this kingdom, if it is the king’s order to arrest sinners, it is impossible for me not to obey. I’ll be happy to cooperate you see. However, it is a different story if you take over the buildings and land of the city without permission. I demand that you return the inn to its owner immediately.”

“Is that so? Well, you’re wrong. We are acting on His Majesty’s orders. We have been given authority to do whatever is necessary. If you have any complaints, please tell His Majesty. Oh-, right! I don’t think that just you, a city lord, can interfere.”

“No, I should be able to do it. It is stated that a marquis can have as much power as a duke only within his fiefdom. This is my territory. No matter how many generals and heroes are here under the King’s order, they cannot ignore my authority in this land.”

“That again! I’m tired of hearing it. Hey, someone go and get this damn old man out!”

“Wait! Listen to me! I am the lord of this Mana City!”

Several soldiers entered the room, they surrounded Ryan, who was seated on the sofa, and forced him to leave. Arvish just yawned, not caring at all.

“I’m going in.”

It was the General who entered the room and replaced Ryan. He sat down on the sofa casually and waited for Arvish to report to him.

“Apparently, they are on the twenty-fourth floor of the Great Dungeon. We have already hired an adventurer to guide us there. It would be better to leave tomorrow.”

“Twenty-fourth floor huh. It’s going to take a lot of work to get there.”

“That’s precisely why the Homeless party did not run away. They must be holding their breath, thinking that we won’t be able to dive that far. Then we, the kingdom’s army, are going to attack all at once.”

“You mean, a surprise attack? By the way, the Marquis was here, right? What did he come for?”

“Ah-, I chased him out because he was talking about something insignificant like we have to return the inn. He doesn’t seem to understand that he is just a city lord with no power at all. Honestly, just dealing with him makes me sleepy.”

“Hahahaha, just be patient until tomorrow. He will stop complaining if we leave the city.”

The general stood up and tried to leave the room. Arvish quickly held him back.

“How is Professor Jill doing?”

“That madman is locked up in his room and messing with his skeletons all day long. I don’t understand how His Majesty’s expectation for such a person is so high. Jeez!”

The general then leaves the room.

Arvish, who was left behind, plopped down the sofa and muttered, “You don’t even know the value of that thing, what a bumpkin!”

◇◇◇

Marquis Ryan returned to the mansion in a horse-drawn carriage, quickly entered the building, and stepped into a dark room with closed curtains.

“No matter who comes, tell them I’m not here.”

“I understand.”

The maid bows to him and leaves. Ryan made sure the maid had left, then he flipped through the carpet on the floor. A door can be seen from underneath it, he then grabs the handle without hesitation. He opened the door and quietly descended the stairs leading to the basement.

There is a small room in the basement with about 10 square meters, and in the center of the room five people were talking around a lamp.

“How is life here?”

 Ryan calls out to them.

 One of them, Rodman, replied,

“Well, I can’t say it’s comfortable. There’s indeed water and food here but not being able to get some sunlight is not refreshing at all.”

“I’m so sorry for putting you guys through so much trouble. Until the army leaves this city, I could only ask you guys to live underground. Well, it’s almost a week now. I know it’s not a pleasant experience, so if you need anything, please let me know. I’ll get it right away.”

“No, not at all! Don’t bow your head! It’s those military guys who are at fault, not City Lord-sama! We’re so grateful to you, you see!”

Rodman hurriedly spoke to Ryan, who bowed his head to them. Then, Arnold, who was watching the scene, immediately began to speak,

“Fuwahahaha! An upper echelon of this kingdom has finally begun to seek my muscles! I thought it would come someday, but I didn’t expect it to come at this time! I’m telling you that my biceps were surprised!”

“You-, shut up! Isn’t that going to mess up the story?”

“Hahaha, you’re jealous of my muscles, aren’t you? In that case, you should eat bones. You need an open mind to build good muscles, right?”

“This bastard! Let me give you a punch!”

As Arnold and Rodman begin to grab each other, Ryan decides to talk to Rodman’s son, Kane.

“The underground life will soon be over, and the army will probably dive into the Great Dungeon at any moment.”

“So they are finally leaving to find the Homeless party huh. Come to think of it, with their bounty, they managed to attract a lot of attention from the kingdom.”

“Yeah, it seems that His Majesty has been quite angry. Even though Lord Medil is working towards a solution, it will probably take a while. What I am concerned about is Tanaka-san’s movements.”

“Have you contacted them?”

“No, I don’t know. I’m sure he’s doing something about it but I’m worried about what he’s going to do. Tanaka-san’s anger is more frightening than His Majesty’s you see.”

What Ryan fears most is the collapse of the kingdom. At this point, the Homeless party are capable of destroying the kingdom. For Ryan, who understands this, this incident was like throwing a fire into a powder keg. It’s such a dangerous act. Then again, they are talking about a man named Shinichi Tanaka. Even he, can’t predict what he is going to do.

“In a couple of days, the army will be moving out of this city, so for the time being, be patient until then.”

“What should we do after that?”

“You just have to go about your life as usual.”

“??”

Kane tilted his head in confusion at Ryan’s words. He didn’t understand the meaning of the City Lord’s words.

Then, a few days later, he learned the meaning of those words.

◇◇◇

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, everything is in place!”

The soldiers respond vigorously to the general’s words. They are at the entrance to Mohed’s Great Dungeon. The soldiers lined up and waited patiently for the General’s order. Behind them was Professor Jill, accompanied by four lich.

“That magical beast is creepy no matter when I look at it. Is it really not going to attack us?”

“You’re thinking too much, Feria. Look at that figure, they are quietly following the professor’s orders. Besides, we need any kind of force we can have right now.”

“It’s a bit of a shame to use the help of a magical beast. But you’re right Arvish-sama. I guess I wasn’t ready enough.”

The two stared at each other, and seeing that passionate atmosphere, the General immediately cleared his throat.

“Hero-dono, I would like to here your words before we depart. The command of this mission has been entrusted to you, you see.”

“Ah-, right. Okay, I’ll act as a hero does and raise the morale of our soldiers.”

Arvish drew his sword and raised it to the sky.

“It doesn’t matter whether they are dead or alive! Let’s capture the Homeless! Drag them before His Majesty! Death to them! Glory to us!”

“Death to them! Glory to us!”

The soldiers repeated Arvish’s words. It could be said that the morale of the royal army was relatively high. The reason for this is the enormous reward. Otherwise, no one would have thought to dive into the most dangerous dungeon.

“Should we leave now danna-sama? I’m tired of waiting you see.”

The hired adventurer called out to Arvish. His name is Coby. He has been adventuring in Mana for a long time. He looked so dirty that he could be mistaken for a vagrant. Moreover, his stature is very short at about 140 cm tall. His front teeth, which protrude like that of a rat, make the man look sly.

“I’m counting on you as our guide. Be sure to take us to the twenty-fourth floor.”

“Hehe, of course. As long as you guarantee my safety, I’ll show you around as much as you want. Oh right-, I’m going to ask for a proper reward, okay?”

“I know. I’m not going to break my promise.”

Arvish replies without making eye contact with Coby. In his heart, he was angry at Feria for choosing this guy and not opting for other decent guy. However, he quickly reconsiders and regained his calm thinking. What’s important to him is to kill Shinichi, and what is in front of him is just a small matter.

“Let’s go!”

 At Arvish’s command, the 5,000 soldiers moved in unison.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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“Fuua~, I guess we will say goodbye to this town today huh.”

After I got up, I peeked at the town from the window. Today is the third day since we came to Sarasvadi. As planned, it is now time to go back to Mana.

“Uuhh… Hot…”

Pero woke up but he looked tired. The inn we are staying at didn’t have air conditioning and it was very hot. For Pero, who is covered in fur, the tropical nights must be hell. On the other hand, it was very good for me. It’s very cool to sleep next to my son, who exhales cold air. Pero probably didn’t know that I was secretly sneaking closer to his bed in the middle of the night.

“Good morning-nya!”

It was Lena who opened the door and walked in. Since she is staying at the same inn, we can see the face of this cat girl in the morning. I wonder why she would rather stay at an inn when she could go to her parents’ house though.

“Yeah, good morning. It seems that you stayed with Erna and the others yesterday, but, don’t you have to go back to your parents’ house?”

I sat on a chair in the room and Lena sits on the chair across the table.

“I have a lot of siblings in my house so I can’t sleep well there -nya. Besides, I wanted to spend time with Erna and the others -nya.”

“Then I didn’t have to worry about it. By the way, it’s the first time I’ve heard you have a lot of siblings.”

“I didn’t think there is a need to say it -nya. No one would want to go home and stay there if they have twenty siblings -nya.”

Twenty is certainly a lot. It must be noisy there every day. Still, the reason why she returns to her hometown is probably because Lena is worried about her parents and siblings. She is really good kid.

“Ah- right! The captain has taken care of us so I have to give him a thank you gift. Lena please give it to him.”

I placed a wooden box on the table. There is a large amount of vegetables inside of it. Lena’s eyes sparkled when she saw the vegetables.

“Is this okay-nya? All of them look expensive-nya!”

“You have good eyes. These vegetables are of high quality and were harvested from a certain place. If you were to buy them at the market, it would cost a lot. Well, in our case, it’s as good as free though. If you don’t mind, you can take it.”

“Thank you-nya! Everyone will be happy-nya!”

Lena looks happy. When I looked closely, her tail stands out. Joy is very evident in Lena’s tail. I am basically a dog lover, but I don’t hate cats.

“Don’t look at my tail too much-nya! It’s bad manners to look at a beastman’s tail-nya!”

“Uh-, is that so? Sorry, my bad.”

After Lena pointed it out to me, I was convinced. The tail, which is prone to emotions, is probably a shameful part for beastmen. I guess, if race changes, common sense will also change.

“It’s too hot today.”

“I want to dip in the sea.”

“I agree. I want to take one last swim.”

Erna, Liz, and Freya entered the room. All three of them were already in their bathing suits, and by the third day, they had been sunburned to the color of wheat. Erna, who saw my body, muttered dejectedly,

“Shinichi’s body is weird. Even if  you are exposed to too much sunlight, it does not burn at all.”

“Well, I felt pity about that too. I never thought that my race wouldn’t get a tan.”

In fact, I was looking forward to a tan on this vacation. I had planned to get brown muscles like Arnold, but no matter how much I lay on the beach, I couldn’t get sunburn. Perhaps my body is blocking ultraviolet rays. It is sad that the negative effects of evolution were in such point.

“Are you all going home now-nya? Can’t you stay in Sarasvadi longer-nya?”

“I’d like to, but I can’t be away from home for days you see. We’ll be coming back to this town to catch seafood, we will see you soon.”

“I hope so-nya. I hope to see you all again soon-nya.”

Lena hugs the members as she says goodbye. These three days were a lot of fun. I think that was thanks to Lena’s presence as well.

We thanked her and then we left Sarasvadi.

◇◇◇

“Ah, I’m so tired. I’m glad that we’re finally back in Mana.”

Erna said that when Mana finally comes into view in the horizon. Looking at the other three, they don’t say much, perhaps because they are just as tired. That’s how a trip is. You’re fine on the way there, but you’re exhausted on the way back.

“The food in the royal palace was spicy.”

Liz wrinkled her brows, perhaps remembering the food she was treated to. In fact, on the way back, we stopped by at Ganesha, the Beast Capital. There, we met with the Beast King and we stayed overnight at the royal palace. The food they served was as spicy as ever though. Erna and I had eaten it before so we didn’t particularly mind, but the three of them were stunned by the food they were eating for the first time. Moreover, Liz didn’t seem to like spicy food, she ate the food with tears in her eyes.

“I didn’t know Naji’s food are so spicy. I was surprised at first, but once you get used to it, it’s quite addictive.”

“I like Naji’s dishes.”

“Son and the red woman have strange tastes. Something is wrong with you guys.”

Freya and Pero shakes their heads as if reputing Liz’s words. Since she doesn’t like it when it’s too spicy let’s pick a lighter meal. I planned to make dry curry rice tonight but it looks like I’ll have to change my plans.

“By the way, do you think you can make bonito flakes?”

Erna asked me. For the past few days, she has been interested in bonito flakes. Hearing that the food is as hard as wood, her curiosity must be piqued.

“I think we can make it but it will take at least a month though. You can’t make good bonito flakes without a lot of time and effort you see.”

When an average person hears the word bonito flakes, they probably don’t immediately think of how to make it. That’s quite natural though. This is because bonito flakes are hard to imagine from the appearance, and there are a number of work processes.

Boil it first. Then remove the bones and boil again. Then, blue mold is propagated and water is gradually removed. After that, it is smoked many times and the final product is that hard bonito flakes. Although it is easy to buy in modern Japan, it takes a long time and effort.

“Hmm, I don’t really get it but, it’s delicious, isn’t it?”

“Of course. Bonito flakes are packed with umami. It can’t be bad.”

 I’d love to tell her how much Japanese people love bonito flakes. After all, it’s delicious just by putting bonito flakes on rice and pouring soy sauce on it. Oops-, I drooled.

While I was thinking about this, we approached near Mana City. In the meantime, I decided to give instructions to Erna and the others.

“I’m going to Mana. You guys go back to our hideout first.”

“Yes.”

With Erna in the lead, the four of them flew into the Great Dungeon. I descended near the entrance of Mana and walked to the gate as usual.

“Tanaka-san!”

A soldier I knew quickly ran up to me when he saw me. A piece of paper is held in his hand and he looked quite tense.

“What’s the matter? Why are you panicking?”

“Look at this!”

When I received the paper from the soldier, I found that my face was drawn on it, and for some reason, there is also a bounty written on it.

“What the heck is this?”

“You are on a wanted list! Four people, including Tanaka-san, have been given bounties!”

“What!?”

I was shocked. When I checked the wanted list again, it seems that me, Erna, Pero, and Freya are targeted. Moreover, the staggering amount of 1,000 gold coins is placed on our heads.

Is this kingdom so crazy to give billions of yen to a wanted person? Even the protagonist of a certain pirate manga didn’t suddenly have such a prize.

“That wanted list are already scattered throughout the kingdom so we can’t let you inside Mana.”

“What’s the reason? Why is there such a big prize money on the bounty?”

“It’s a crime of subversion. We have received reports that Homeless party are working with other kingdom to assassinate the king and take over the kingdom.”

“That’s impossible! How can I, who has never even met the king assassinate him? There is no reason to take over the kingdom in the first place!”

 I, who fought to protect this kingdom is now wanted as terrorist?!! Are they fuckin’ kidding me!?

Sure, I had beaten that general, but I hadn’t done anything bad that would make me a criminal!

I snorted heavily in anger.

“Tanaka-san, please calm down. We and the people of the city do not believe in this case. But for now, it’s better to hide somewhere. Soldiers from the royal capital will probably arrive here soon.”

“Are you saying they are coming to Mana to capture me?”

“Yes, rumor has it that a hero is coming with his troops. Moreover, it is under the pretext of rescuing the sacred beast that the Homeless party have captured.”

“Huh? You mean… it was also said that we captured Pero? Arvish—, that bastard! It looks like he really wants to hunt me down huh.”

Anger inside me burns like a raging fire. I should say, he hoodwinked us. While I was busy making soy sauce and having my leisurely vacation, Arvish seemed to be steadily getting ready for this. Of course, we had countermeasures in place. But this time, they went above and beyond. I wasn’t expecting to become a wanted person. It’s my fault for being lenient to him.

“Understood. We’ll stay quiet and hide in the dungeon first. I want you to tell your Lord to act well.”

“Yes, certainly.”

I decided not to enter the city and return to the dungeon. For now, I have to gather Suketarou and the others and hold an emergency meeting.

 This is a war between the kingdom of Logas and the homeless.

◇◇◇

 Twenty kilometers from Mana.

 About 5,000 soldiers were marching in unison.

“This is spectacular. It feels good to think that damned man will finally be eliminated.”

The general, who looks out from inside the carriage, raises the corners of his mouth and grins. Arvish and Feria, who sat across from him, were silent as they watched the general.

“What’s the matter Arvish-dono? You’ve been silent ever since we left the royal capital, are you nervous?”

“That’s impossible. I’ve trained so far to kill him. I just can’t help but feel joy when I think that the time has finally come.”

“Hahaha, that’s good to hear. If it’s you, the hero who defeated Gaen of the Empire, it would be easy to do that.”

“…..Your Excellency, don’t be too conceited. As I’ve said before, he is in an order of magnitude more capable than others. In addition, it is rumored that he lives inside the great dungeon. Remember, we are in danger of being wiped out before we even reach the Homeless’ hideout.”

“I’m fully aware of that. That is why I’ve been letting my soldiers imitate the adventurers for the past two months.”

Many of the soldiers walking side by side are lightly dressed like adventurers. Their armors were kept to a minimum, and the backpack they carried were bulging. They are an elite group of people who have been carefully trained to dive inside Mohed Great Dungeon.

“With this many soldiers, there won’t be such thing as the most dangerous dungeon or that Shinichi Tanaka guy. Kukuku, I can’t wait to see him cry and scream for help.”

The general took out a portable liquor bottle from his pocket and put it in his mouth. Arvish looked away and looked out the window to keep his eyes on the scenery. He could already see what looked like a city on the horizon, and he knew that they would arrive at Mana in about an hour.

“Your Excellency, after arriving in the city, the movement is as agreed beforehand. Please do not let anyone escape.”

“I know, we will lock down the city as soon as we arrive. In the meantime, Hero-dono will gather information from the adventurers, right?”

“Yes, I want to know as much as I can about their movements.”

“As expected of a hero. He won’t let his guard down against any opponent. The future of this kingdom is secure.”

The general’s laughter echoed in the carriage.

Eventually, the rumbling carriage arrived at Mana with 5,000 soldiers in tow. On this day, the frontier town of Mana was completely blockaded by the royal army.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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(About two months before the date of Homeless party’s arrival in Sarasvadi.)

Arvish woke up in a room in the Gloris family.

“It’s morning huh.”

He squinted at the morning sun that he could see through the window. He crawls out of the king-sized bed and puts on the underwear and clothes he had thrown on the floor.

“Mmm.”

“Feria, it’s time to wake up.”

He looked at the bed and called out to the elf woman, who was sleeping without a single piece of clothes on. The elf woman opened her eyes faintly. Arvish smiles as he looks at Feria.

“I want to sleep more.”

“Hey, have you forgotten already? Today is the day we have to go to the royal castle.”

“Ugh-..… that’s right. Being busy is also something to consider.”

Feria sits up and combs back her long blonde hair with her fingers. She wrapped the sheets on the bed around her body and walked to the shower room inside the room. Watching her like this is one of Arvish’s pleasures.

Arvish and Feria are engaged. But why is Feria working under Arvish in the kingdom of Logas? This situation is not so difficult to explain. Feria’s family, the Benesse family, is an aristocratic family, but they struggled for many years to raise funds. It was the Gloris family who reached out to them. In exchange for providing them with rich funds, the Gloris family demanded that they give up their daughter. In short, it is what we call marriage of convenience.

The Benesse family took the offer, and Feria was betrothed to Arvish of the Gloris family. However, as soon as the two parties met, they hit it off. Beyond the expectations of both families, Arvish and Feria became more closely connected.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, I’m ready.”

Feria, who had applied makeup, wore a dark brown robe. The scent of her perfume wafts through the air.

“You look good in a master-grade robe.”

“Exactly! Now that I’ve mastered magic, it’s the one that suits me best.”

“You look good in whatever you wear.”

 Arvish pulls her closer and kisses her. Then there was a knock on the door.

“……Who is it?”

“Young master, breakfast is ready so I’m here to call you.”

“Okay, we’ll go right away.”

They then leave the room and move to the dining room. When they arrived, the head of the Gloris family is already there, eating his meal.

“Good morning Father.”

“Oh, good morning.”

 He glanced at Arvish and replied briefly.

Arvish grinned and calls out again,

“Father…?”

“Uh-, I am so happy to see the face of my son, who is a hero. Good morning Arvish.”

He gets up from his seat and he gives Arvish a hug. However, contrary to his words, his face contorted in grimace.

“Hahaha! Father really likes me huh! Alright, let’s eat!”

“Fufu, that’s right.”

 Arvish and Feria laugh as they sit down.

They are currently at the mansion of the Gloris family. They had returned to the place where they were supposed to have been kicked out. In the kingdom of Logas, the title of Hero is the strongest mark given to one person. Until the day when the bearer is defeated, it will remain a symbol of the kingdom’s military might.

As a result, the hero has various preferential treatment available for him in the kingdom. One is tax exemption. Relatives of a hero are not required to pay taxes. Of course, you have to get the approval of the hero himself that he is a family member. The head of the Gloris family changed his mind because of this. He rescinded the separation and brought back Arvish. Since then, the relationship between father and son has been reversed.

“I became a hero because my father kicked me out of the house. I’ll always look up to you, you see.”

As he speaks to his father, Arvish smirks as he cuts the meat with a knife. Sir Gloris finished his meal with no expression on his face then he walked out of the dining room without a word.

“Kuahahahaha, being a hero is really the best! That father can’t even go against me!”

“Arvish-sama, why don’t you moderate your playfulness? If you bully the patriarch too much, he may retaliate you see.”

“Oh-, well, you’re right. Okay, I’ll do it in moderation. By the way, is that matter going well?”

“Yes, there’s no way around it. I’ve already spoken to the minister. It will be officially announced in two months.”

“At last. We can finally get him out of this kingdom huh.”

Arvish is so delighted that his right hand holding the knife trembles. Feria also took a sip of wine as she watched the situation.

“Don’t be impatient. You have to be very prepared to win.”

“I know. It’s frustrating, but their ability is  really extraordinary. It’s hard for us to win head-on.”

He takes a deep breath to calm himself down, then picks up his glass and takes a sip of wine. Anger was simmering deep inside his heart. That opponent is none other than Shinichi Tanaka.

Even though he was humiliated and was forced to drink bitterness, Arvish did not give up on his revenge. On the day he left the capital, he swore that he would definitely kill Shinichi one day.

“I’ve decided to retrain myself and kill Shinichi Tanaka without fail. So will you, right Feria?”

“Of course! I won’t let this feeling go away until the day I kill Erna.”

After finishing their meal, they decided to leave the mansion.

◇◇◇

Arvish and Feria went to the castle. The soldiers who passed by saluted them, and even the knights could not ignore them. Without asking anyone’s permission, they stepped lightly into the castle as if they had returned home.

“Greetings Hero-dono!”

“It’s great to see that the General is in good spirits.”

It was General Orban who met him in the corridor. Arvish and the general shake hands affectionately as if they were longtime friends.

“Preparations to wipe them out all at once are progressing steadily. I can’t sleep at night thinking that I’ll soon be able to kill that filthy commoner.”

“Me too. Let’s drag him before His Majesty and be sure to deliver his head. Oh-, and please continue with your preparations. I have an audience with His Majesty, so we’ll go ahead first.”

The general nodded deeply, fluttered his cloak and left. As he looked behind him, Arvish muttered, “You are also a commoner”.

“This is the royal castle. Be careful, we don’t know where the ears are.”

“I know that. However, it makes me cringe to think that such person with no competence is sitting in the position of a general.”

“Have a little more patience. Arvish-sama will be the general soon, right?”

“If the current general disappears, I think that is what will happen.”

He smiled frivolously and started walking again. When they arrived at the throne room, they opened the door and entered the room.

“The hero Arvish Gloris is here.”

“Gufufu, you’ve come a long way.”

Getting down on one knee on the red carpet, Arvish and Feria greet King Logas as he sits on his throne. Several knights and ministers stood in the room, and in close proximity to them is a man who was equally on one knee.

“All three of you, raise your heads. I’m not going to talk about anything complex today.”

“““As you will.”””

When the two of them stood up, the man nearby also stood up slowly. However, his movement was as sluggish as a zombie. He had unkempt hair and he wore red robes that looked like it was not washed for several days. He also has stubble on his face which makes him look like a vagrant. Four coffins were placed near the man.

Arvish wonders why such a man is here.

“Your Majesty, may I show you the results of my research right away?”

“I don’t mind. Go ahead, show it to me.”

Following King Logas’ words, the man placed the four coffins in front of the king. Everyone is wondering what is going to happen.

“Please take a look at the ultimate magical beast that I have created over the years!”

The lid of the coffin opened all at once, revealing four skeletons. All of them are dressed in white robes and have their hoods pulled over their heads. Each of the four figures is inlaid with red, green, brown, blue, and other stones that appear to be magic stones, and they dully reflect the sunlight coming in through the window.

“Magical Beast!?”

There was a lot of noise in the room. The knights draw their sword, and Arvish and Feria also readied their weapons.

“Quiet! Professor Jill, explain.”

“Yes.”

The man called Professor Jill approached the skeletons and flipped one of the hoods. Everyone could see that the back of the skeleton’s head was equipped with a small metal box.

“This is the brain part of this artificial lich. Over 50 magic squares are layered inside it, and it is programmed to faithfully carry out commands. Furthermore, the magic circuits that spread throughout its body provide magical power. The transmission is twice that of a conventional lich. No, it should be three times more reliable. Furthermore, the thought pattern evolves as they gain experience. In other words, the more enemies they defeat, the more their abilities improve. The best part is―”

King Logas tapped his fingers on the elbow rest and called out to Professor Jill.

“Speak concisely. Is that magical beast strong?”

“Of course! They are definitely the strongest magical beast. Mmm, let’s try it out…… oi, that woman there. Show your magic to my Lich.”

“Me?”

“Who else? You’re the only woman here. Just use your magic already!”

Frustrated by Professor Jill’s arrogant attitude, Feria raises her wand and casts advanced magic on the artificial lich.

“Spear Rain!”

A vortex of water appeared above the heads of the four skeletons. The vortex rains thousands of water needles directly downward. The red carpet on the floor was punctured in the shape of a beehive, and it rained mercilessly on the four artificial beasts. However, in less than ten seconds, the magic was sucked into the back of the head of the four skeletons.

The unexpected situation leaves everyone, including Feria, speechless.

“Hahahaha! Did you see that!? This is what I created! They are the ultimate artificial Lich!”

TLYN: Actually it was given a name, ユルティムカトゥル, I just don’t feel the direct translation, Yurutimakator is right. Lich Ultimator seems weird too haha. Do comment on this one so I can update it later. ^_^

The four lich turned their heads to King Logas and dropped to one knee on the floor. Even though they are such powerful magical beasts, they showed here how to obey people.

 The king smiles contentedly.

“My magic…”

“Don’t worry about it Feria. It’s true that your magic didn’t work, but they will be on our side. As long as we have those four, victory is certain, right?”

“That’s true, but what I can’t forgive is a magical beast wearing a great mage’s robe. White robes are originally supposed to be worn by humans. It’s infuriating that he is putting it on something we don’t know.”

Aside from Feria, who was trembling with anger, Arvish and the others were delighted with the artificial lich. For Arvish, who is advocating for the annihilation of the Homeless party, the four of them seemed to be reassuring allies.

King Logas speaks to them.

“Hero Arvish, you must work with Professor Jill to bring that great sinner here. If it’s not possible, you can just bring his head to me. I’m counting on you.”

“““As you will, Your Majesty.”””

The three of them bowed deeply to the King and then they walked out of the throne room. The four of skeletons walk behind Professor Jill while clattering their jaws.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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