I almost flinched at his rather sharp tone.
['The Spoiler Inspector' tenses up.]
Thesilid's gaze stuck to my face a little more gently.
Before I knew it, his observation had become probing.
So far, he pretended not to care much about my suspiciousness, but on the other hand, Thesilid seems to have been diligently gathering information about me.
With a good-natured smile, he laid out his deduction.
"You know this world well, but you've never seen it with your own eyes."
"……"
"Come to think of it, you knew all about how to attack Hellkaion. I think you expected it to come out of the dungeon, but when you arrived at the scene of the disaster, you faltered."
"Did I?"
"Yes. It was the first time I've heard you swear."
I can't remember, but I think I did. He won't know I swore to his future self, right?
I was stabbed for no reason, but Thesilid returned to the main topic.
"Anyway, that……"
"……"
"It means that the information you have is not visual."
Contrary to the relaxed voice, his gaze was tenacious.
His eyes were intent on capturing every detail of my response without missing a single thing.
It was no different from an interrogation conducted through the gaze and I gradually felt a sense of danger.
Wow, this guy… … .
As Agnes was about to say something when I clutched the necklace tightly.
With a big smile on my face, I suggested.
"Maybe we should save the game of truth for later."
"Sure."
Thesilid gave up his quest without regret.
As we left the commercial district and entered the residential district, the streets became quiet.
It was a bit early for sleeping, so the lights were still shining in the windows of each house.
Agnes commented.
Quiet and clean. This place seems like a good place to live.
"I know, right? The security seems to be very good by the norm."
I affirmed Agnes' words and added a few more.
"But today might be an exception."
We rolled our eyes and looked behind us. Thesilid spoke first in a quiet tone.
"We got a tail. He seems like a fairly trained assassin, I'm sure he's aiming for me."
It was an opinion worthy of the 17th episode protagonist, where he believes that the whole world wishes for his death.
I offered a hopeful opinion.
"Don't be so conclusive. Maybe he's a fanatic who has a crush on me."
"I'm also not pleased with that option. Anyway, since we are almost at our destination, let's go inside and grab them."
"Okay. Let us ambush and catch them first."
After going around the wall, the entrance door of the huge townhouse came out.
After unlocking the door with the key and entering, Thesilid and I exchanged glances and quickly scattered left and right to hide in blind spots.
Now, which side will the fearless assassin come for, me or Thesilid?
They went to Thesilid.
Bang!
An explosion that interrupted the peaceful night was heard. I quickly moved towards the sound.
In the small garden-like backyard, a Holy Sword and a dagger coated in aura were clashing.
Facing Thesilid was a man in drab robes. He was quite tall and, befitting an assassin, he used twin daggers as a weapon.
My eyes narrowed slightly. The way he stepped back as if he was falling backward while alternately parrying Thesilid's attacks with his two daggers was somehow familiar to my eyes.
That guy……
I decided to watch their battle for a while without stepping in.
Tududu!
The trajectory of the Holy Sword thrust by Thesilid was twisted and deflected by the dagger.
The sound of metal against metal rattled through my ears for a long moment before Thesilid vertically slashed at the assassin.
The assassin crossed the two daggers to receive the Holy Sword and for a while, a standoff in which they competed against each other's strength ensued.
"……"
"……"
Soon, as if they had promised, the two shook each other off and retreated.
It was Thesilid who took the first step to make the next move.
Quickly approaching, he raised his sword at the assassin.
It was at that moment that the assassin displayed unprecedented swiftness. He stepped up fast enough to leave an afterimage, avoided the slash, and repositioned himself.
Unknowingly, Thesilid was caught from behind.
Two daggers were about to fiercely slash Thesilid's back, but he knew to handle the summoning of the Holy Sword as if it were part of his own body.
He summoned the Holy Sword in reverse in his left hand and without looking back, he stabbed at the assassin.
"……!"
The assassin, who narrowly avoided the danger of having his abdomen pierced, retreated far away. As if stimulated by something, he also held the daggers in reverse.
The air in the backyard began to slowly stir with bloodlust, so I stepped in.
"Enough, both of you."
"……!"
"……!"
The murder intent that had leaked out was quickly smothered.
Aside from Thesilid's reaction, the Assassin's identity was confirmed as he made a show of himself listening to me.
"Ash."
"Hey, sister. I'm glad you remembered me."
His unique sluggish voice welcomed me.
With daggers tucked into the garters on both his thighs, the man took off his hood. A boy with gray hair revealed a scruffy face.
Ash Night.
He was an assassin of the 1st Squad of The Night Eagles that I met in the slime farm dungeon.
"Do you know each other?"
Thesilid's eyes narrowed.
Ash replied in a quick and sociable manner.
"She's my lifesaver. I almost died in an S-class dungeon, but she saved my life."
"……Was saving people a hobby?"
Pretending not to hear Thesilid's muttering, I interrogated Ash.
"Why did you tail me?"
"It became a habit to do it when I see a familiar friendly face."
"Don't talk nonsense."
"It's true. I don't have anything better to do."
"Nothing to do? Did you lose your job?"
Come to think of it, his shabby appearance makes him look like a vagrant who has been homeless for a long time.
I thought I smelled something, so I pulled my neck back.
"You know, sister……Whoops!"
When Ash was trying to explain his situation, he suddenly bent forward at the waist. I grabbed the back of his robe to keep him from falling and asked in worry.
"Ash, what's wrong, are you hurt?"
The droopy man raised his head and pretended to be pitiful.
"I'm hungry and I have no energy……I've been starving for two days……"
"……"
A sigh was heard. It wasn't me, it was Thesilid's.
"Do as you please."
As if there was no lie in his claim of starving for two days, Ash gobbled up his food.
An assassin who is a direct disciple of the Guildmaster and has the skills to support that claim is struggling to make a living.
It's not as if the world suddenly became more beautiful and the demand for assassination disappeared.
The reason he was starving was as follows.
"……So, right now, the Tower Master in the Magic Republic of Ragneif was assassinated, and the Night Eagle Guild was pointed out as the one behind it, and all your assassins have been ordered to be exterminated?"
"Yes, sister. I'm dying of injustice."
It was the same story as the original. However, I did not know that the place Ash had been hiding for a while was the Principality of Hispenril.
"Why did you come to the Principality?"
"The headquarters of our Night Eagle's sister guild, Dark Information Guild, is located in Peronsa. I tried to rely on them for a while or at least find some work, but I was beaten at the door."
"Oh, it looks like they are paying attention to the Republic."
"Yes."
Ash, who responded by pretending to be pitiful with a drooping tail, continued.
"I was homeless in Peronsa because I was running low on money after paying for travel expenses, but even if I assassinate again, I don't commit fraud, robbery, or theft."
"Yes, an assassin belonging to the Night Eagle 1st Assassination Squad can't be a petty criminal."
"As expected of you, sister. You know your stuff, I'm quite the classy assassin, right?"
"So?"
"Ah, so it's been about a week since I started living in Peronsa, and today there was a lot of fuss about The Chosen One parading in the square. I went to watch it without thinking much about it and I was really surprised. I was beyond disbelief to see an acquainted face in the carriage that should be caring the Saint. And that was……"
I waited for his review feeling a little flattered.
"The sister who gave me thrilling memories half a year ago in a dungeon where only the two of us were left……"
"What?"
"Back then, I was leashed like a dog, and I ended up wagging my non-existent tail, pleading with sister……."
"Hey, don't say misleading things."
I shoved a baguette into Ash's mouth and looked back at Thesilid.
He had a face that seemed to have been bleached.
"I just scolded him for being an arrogant prick."
"……Okay."
I steered the topic back on track.
"Ash, did you wait in front of the Castle all this time until you saw me going out?"
"Yes."
"And you followed me all the way from there?"
"Yes."
Ash mumbled a baguette and nodded like it was nothing.
"You're pretty good, huh?"
It was a sincere admiration.
I didn't notice until we were out of the main streets. No matter how many signs were mixed in the place, he can basically cheat the senses of two top-notch aura experts.
I wasn't sure, either.
Even the Aura Master.
Ash pulled his lips together in a smile. It was a compliment he'd heard so many times that he didn't even bother to show off.
After finishing the meal, Ash called me.
"Sister."
"What?"
"Is there anyone you want to kill?"
"You want me to make an order?"
"Yes. An ex-boyfriend who cheated on you, the girl who cheated together with your ex-boyfriend, etc. I'll take care of them all. I'll do it cheaply."
"You think I'll do it?"
"No."
Ash, who had withdrawn neatly, changed his words.
"Then hire me as a mercenary. You're going to subdue dungeons too, right?"
In fact, I was currently recruiting knights.
I pretended not to be interested and asked in a dry tone.
"What do you use an assassin for?"
"Stealth and infiltration skills are very valuable. You can use it to infiltrate enemy territory and extract information."
"Hmm. Is that all?"
"Ah, I'm quite a high-quality human resource, so I'm confident in scouting and tracking. I also learned firsthand from the Night Eagle and my father who passed away was a hunter. I was born with it."
"It's still a bit vague."
"……I tried not to cover this, but I can't help it. My stepfather had me rolling in the back alleys, and by the time I got into the Night Eagle, I'd mastered scams, gambling, and pickpocketing. I was already an ace in the area by the time I was twelve."
"What happened to the dignity of an assassin?"
"Since I'm not getting a job as an assassin, I think I can forget about it for a while."
I liked that flexible way of thinking more than anything else.
"Well, that's definitely a desirable skill."
"……Eli."
Ellet.
A stern voice called out to me from both sides. By then, Ash's gaze turned to Thesilid.
"Come to think of it, I also saw this older brother's face during the parade. He seems to be sticking close to you, Sister."
"……"
Paladins and Assassins are not the best combination for socializing.
Furthermore, in Thesilid's previous episode, Ash was hired to assassinate and targeted his life.
For that reason, he hadn't wanted anything to do with Ash…but…….
"I'm the owner of the Holy Sword, Thesilid Argent……sir."
He politely introduced himself using honorifics because of 'The Commandments of the Seven Holy Virtues and the Seven Deadly Sins.'
"Nice to meet you, Brother Thesilid, I'm Ash Night. Looking forward to working with you……"
"I will let you know the results of the interview tomorrow."
"I didn't pass?"
"I have to discuss it with the vice-captain."
"If it's the vice-captain, then, you mean Brother Thesilid?"
"Yes."
"Hmm."
Ash seemed to predict his chances of passing by looking at Thesilid's contemplation. He probably realized that his score was not that high.
I pulled a ten-gold coin from my arms and flicked it with my thumb.
Ash grabbed it as if clasping his palms together.
"For meals."
It's an interview fee.
"I will pay you back, Sister."
"There's no need. Rather, we have business here, so you should go now."
"Yes."
Ash turned around and left the townhouse without hesitation.
After confirming that his presence had completely moved away, I tapped Thesilid's arm with my elbow.
"Come on, we have things to do."
"Okay."
Thesilid and I didn't go inside the townhouse building, instead, we headed deep into the backyard.
It was dark at night, so we walked with the light of a lantern.
When we were following the tunnel made of rose vines. Agnes asked.
By the way, didn't you decide to entrust all the construction of the church to your grandfather? Do we really need to come to see the place?
"I plan to shorten the construction period by using the existing building as much as possible."
This construction is actually on the remodeling level.
"I'll have to check which ones I'll leave behind and which ones I'll destroy."
I see.
"……Is a lie, in fact, this visit has an important purpose!"
Hey!
I was laughing after teasing Agnes when I heard the sound of dry coughing next to me. When I turned my head, Thesilid was pressing the corners of his mouth with his hand.
So what is the real purpose?
"It's a dungeon."
Dungeon?
"Yes. There's a dungeon with mermaids here."
What? Is that why you bought this townhouse…?
"That's right. I plan to hide the dungeon in a land under my name and monopolize the output."
Wow, you are really……
['The World-building God' applauds your cleverness.]
"Really smart, isn't it?"
Yes, indeed my disciple.
At the end of the tunnel of roses, a marble fountain of reasonable size appeared in front of us.
The stone statue resembled a beautiful maiden tilting a jar in her arms.
It was easy to guess that when the fountain is active, it would take the form of water pouring from that jar.
"The entrance to the dungeon is inside that jar."
The location of the jar is high, so it must have been hard to notice.
Thesilid and I entered the fountain without hesitation.
Then, one by one, we leaped towards the jar.
Suwook.
I felt like I was being sucked in, and my vision blurred and widened right after
[System You have entered the S-level dungeon 'Sea of the Great Flood'.]
Rumble. Quaang.
Under the sky filled with thunderstorms, a vast sea spread out.
The surface beneath our feet roiled with waves. Currently, I and Thesilid were using a broken wooden plank as a raft.
Floating around were all kinds of broken ships and their wreckage. This was the graveyard of shipwrecks.
I took two raincoats from my inventory, gave one to Thesilid, and wore the other.
"Now, shall we pick a boat?"
My eyes slowly scanned the surroundings.
The ships reflected in my field of vision included shabby rafts, small boats, a pirate ship, and a cruise ship.
Some of them didn't look like they belonged on the sea at all.
As I intently scanned around, Thesilid implied a question.
"Do you have a boat in mind?"
"Excuse me, regressor. Let's not be sneaky among colleagues."
"What do you mean by sneaky?"
"That's what you get for asking a question you know the answer to."
Thesilid averted his gaze with a slightly dispirited expression as if he had been scolded and mumbled.
"……Does that mean you know what I know and what I don't know?"
I can't believe you're collecting information about me even in the midst of this.
I paddled the raft with wooden planks to move it.
While thunder and lightning rumbled in the sky, the rain was light and the wind was calm. Thankfully, the sea was quite cooperative.
We parked the plank raft next to a crescent-shaped gondola and crossed over to it
Huh, two people boating? It's romantic.
"It's not like that. It's because this is a boat with a buff that makes it impossible to tip over."
Ah, it's the same boat you used to catch Undead Ciel.
"Yes."
I set up the gondola as if I were camping.
Around the middle of the ship, a pole was erected and a tent was pitched to block the rain. On the inside, several luminous stones were attached to secure illumination.
It felt like a fairly cozy space had been completed.
"Terry, it's done. Get inside……"
Right then.
Plop!
Suddenly, something heavy fell from the sky and crashed into the sea next to the gondola.
Startled, I stuck my head out of the tent and asked.
"What fell?"
"I think it's a person."
Immediately after answering, Thesilid quickly began to undress.
'Oh my god!'
['The Scales that Judges the Soul' covers her mouth with her hands and opens her eyes wide.]
Suddenly, I looked back at my own condition.
A posture with a 100% synchro rate. In fact, I had a bad thought for a split second that I might have been a follower of Libra rather than World God.
In the meantime, Thesilid, who took off his uniform outerwear and top, jumped into the water, showing off an artistic half-naked body.
['The Scales that Judges the Soul' is sad that she can't see his iliac bones.]
['The World-building God' urges Libra to keep her manners.]
After a while, what Thesilid retrieved from the water……
"Puha! Brother, thank you."
"Ash?"
Ash, who had been sent back, was now on the gondola, washed up by seawater. I waited until he vomited all the water before interrogating him.
"Ash, did you follow us again?"
"I swear, absolutely not."
"Then?"
"I was passing by a waterway and got caught up in a dungeon sink. But I never thought I'd see you in here again, I can feel our destiny, Sister."
"Ha…… "
Yes, there is no law that says that Dungeon Sinks must happen at close range.
Waterways and fountains are connected, so there's a link.
Anyway, water-related dungeons are a problem due to their high fluidity.
Regardless, it was a bizarre and frustrating situation.
To think that a third party barged into the dungeon I was secretly trying to monopolize.
It is not possible to pretend that there are no resources to take from this dungeon and send them out to the exit gate in moderation.
In this dungeon, it is almost impossible for humans to access the exit gate until its completely subjugated.
Exit gates tend to spawn no more than a few tens of meters from the ground. But now, all the land here is deeply submerged in water.
To return the water level back to normal, we have to catch the boss, so there's no choice but to subdue it, and in the process, there's no choice but to discover the existence of mermaids living here.
I narrowed my eyes and looked at Ash.
"I can't just kill you to keep your mouth shut."
"Haha, sister you are a jokester."
"Does this sound like a joke?"
"No."
It was good that he answered quickly, but Ash had to add nonsense.
"As expected, I can feel the fate that has continued from the slime dungeon."
"What is that?"
"Somehow, I was destined to be your first victim."
"Ah, is that so?"
"Yes. It is quite meaningful to think that Sister, who has never killed someone, is getting her hands dirty for the first time because of me."
"……"
"……Sister?"
As I didn't answer, two pairs of puzzled glances pierced my cheeks from both sides. It wasn't good for me to stay silent for long in this situation.
"Terry, I guess we'll have to collect and take him back with us."
I was considering recruiting him anyway.
At this point, if I just make him on the same side and keep him next to me, keeping secrets will be more safe.
"……"
Thesilid bit his lips.
Ugh, seems like he really hates it.
After a while he objected, citing reasonable reasons.
"The Paladins of The Chosen One is hardly a place for a mercenary, not to mention an assassin who has little to zero faith."
"Starting today, I will repent and become a lamb of God, Sister, Brother."
Tring!
[System Converted an atheist into a believer].
[System Due to the increase in the divinity of the 'World Building God', the effects of 'Favourite' and 'Privilege' are slightly increased.]
"……So he says."(Ellet)
"Do you believe that?"(Terry)
"Yes."(Ellet)
"……"(Terry)
The system has proven it.
Thesilid sighed and stepped back.
"Very well, if you say so."
"Thank you, Brother!"
That's how Ash joined my knights.
Chapter 27. When saving the third time around
I couldn't leave Thesilid and Ash dripping with sea water unattended.
I handed them a towel and a change of clothes.
Ellet, let's turn around and not peek. Be a lady.
Agnes solemnly nagged about something she didn't have to.
After some time had passed, two people who had compromised with half-dry hair, came to my side wearing raincoats.
Ash asked first.
"What do we do now, sister?"
"What do you think we should do?"
I asked back because the kind of person our knights look for is someone who can make their own decisions.
"Well, since it's the sea, fishing?"
Although Ash seemed to be joking.
"Yes, correct answer."
I took three bamboo fishing rods out of my inventory and spun them one by one.
"Let's go fishing."
"Really? Shouldn't we go catch the Boss?"
"We can't catch the boss until he shows up anyway. Let's fish while we wait."
"Oh, I've never fished before."
"You can try it today."
Unlike Ash, who was reluctant, Thesilid silently hung the bait on the hook.
As if he had learned well from Hias in the Dungeon Farm, the way he cast his fishing rod far away was quite good.
Ash and I also settled down and each threw bait in different directions.
"Can we catch fish when it's raining and thundering?"
"The fish here are used to this kind of weather and won't mind."
The time to quietly wait for the fish continued. The atmosphere was calm as all three did not suffer from seasickness.
After quite a while, a bite finally came.
It was Ash's fishing rod.
"Oh!"
Ash looked curiously at the tightly stretched fishing line.
Soon, a ruddy red snapper, which he reeled in with ease, appeared.
I clapped.
"That's great!"
"Sister, this is quite fun, right?"
The feeling of success was a good motivator to keep going.
From then on, Ash fell in love with fishing and began to focus on it.
While doing this, I really felt like I was here for recreational fishing.
Agnes' grumbling was heard.
I want to ask you about the dungeon, but I can't talk to you because of that assassin.
At that time, Thesilid, who had been quiet until now, turned to me and opened his mouth.
"Eli."
"Yes, Terry."
"Can you explain the dungeon?"
Oh, Thesilid! Pass!
……Don't do it, Agnes. It's painful.
"Ah, come to think of it, this was a dungeon."
Ash also showed his willingness to listen as if he was curious.
Since I decided to take him with us, it was necessary to explain to him about this dungeon, the 'Sea of Great Flood'.
"This place was not originally a sea. Originally, it was just plain old land, but the great flood happened and the water swelled up like this."
The Great Flood is a famous plague in the Bible. Of course, it seemed that this newly enlisted chick-believer needed more explanation.
"Flood? Isn't that just a natural disaster?"
"The scale is bigger than that. Because of the rain that poured down for 40 days and 40 nights, the world became a sea of water, and all living things on the ground were exterminated. Originally, it was supposed to rain here for 40 days and then stop, and if we waited another year or so, the water would recede and the land would be exposed. But……"
"But……?"
"That natural order was distorted when this place was occupied by a high-ranking Demon and the area was turned into a piece of the Demon World. So, no matter how long you waited, dry land would not appear."
This is an area where the water remains stagnant and the disaster continues forever.
"The bottom line is, if you catch the boss, the disaster will end, right?"
"Yes."
"Looks like the boss is a monster that lives deep in the sea."
"That's right. It's the Kraken."
Kraken, a sea monster often described as a giant octopus or squid. That guy is the boss of this dungeon.
"Then the reason we are fishing now is to catch the Kraken?"
"Yes."
At the same time as I answered, something bit the bait of my fishing rod.
I snatched it up and found it was a chubby mackerel.
"Sister, congratulations."
"Thank you."
I suddenly realized that Thesilid was quiet and glanced over at him.
He was staring at Ash's red snapper and my mackerel with an envious gaze.
It was quite a while later that Thesilid's rod had a bite.
"Oh, Terry at last!"
"I wish you all the best, brother."
Amidst mine and Ash's attention, Thesilid swung the fishing pole with a look full of anticipation and quickly caught the fish with his bare hands.
"……"
After examining his catch, he was speechless.
Ash and I, poking our heads in from the left and right, spoke up.
"Is it anchovy?"
"……It's sardines."
I corrected it with my Food Appraisal skill. In other words, that was an anchovy-grade sardine.
Thesilid averted his gaze and changed the bait and for some time since then, the sea fish have teased him by only taking the bait and running away.
Is it possible to be hated by the worldview in this way?
It was to the point where I seriously considered that thought after watching until here.
Ash reeled in another fresh catch and spoke to Thesilid in a friendly tone.
"Brother, you don't seem to have much luck with fishing."
"……I guess so, sir."
"Feel free to drop formalities. You are older than me."
"I'm comfortable with honorifics."
"It doesn't look comfortable at all."
"It's more uncomfortable than silence."
"……"
Agnes admired.
He has a classy way of telling people to shut up.
Ash, unable to break through Thesilid's iron wall, approached me like a defeated soldier and complained in a small voice.
"It seems that Brother Thesilid has no intention of getting along with me. Are knights originally this reticent? It reminds me of Brother Ray."
"I wonder if you are too sociable. Well, apart from that, Terry and Cadet Ray are in the same class."
They were about as similar as twin sweet potatoes. Both had good character, upstanding knightly beliefs, and even naive straightforwardness.
However, it seems that my interpretation of their character was quite different from Ash's.
"Same class?"
The fact that his comment came with a snort had a strong meaning of 'There's no way that's the case'.
"Well? On the contrary, I thought that Brother Thesilid was in the same class as me."
Thesilid showed interest in Ash's words for the first time as his sea-blue eyes turned to the assassin.
Then, as if he had waited, Ash met his gaze and opened his mouth.
"Your eyes are just like the ones people in my field have, you see."
"……"
"How many people have you killed?"
"……"
The mood became strange.
"Ash."
At the moment when I called out to Ash, hoping to restrain him from saying anything that crossed the line.
"I don't know."
Thesilid said softly.
"At some point, it became hard to count."
A voice without a pitch, a face without expression.
Thesilid turned his head as if interest had died. Fleeting empty eyes turned to the dark horizon.
Is it a lie to avoid an answer?
Listening to the sound of rain filling the silence, I was lost in thought for a while.
Thesilid had blood on his hands even before he returned. A typical example was the people who had to be killed in 'The Valley of the Heretics' because of Carpeus.
One by one, he counted their bodies as he closed their eyes and buried the corpses on the ground.
He knew that if he did so, he would remember the number of people he had killed, not for the conquest, but for the guilt. By the time he reached the 17th round, he didn't get blood on his Holy Sword unless it was absolutely unavoidable.
Therefore, the reason "because it became difficult to count" was somewhat uncharacteristic of him.
Parrr……
Something happened to clear the awkward air. Thesilid's fishing line was vibrating terribly.
Ash blurted out.
"Sardine?"
"……This looks like a big one."
Thesilid replied while forgetting about using honorifics.
Apparently, it wasn't a bluff of pride, because Thesilid's fishing rod bent almost to the point of breaking.
From then on, a tug-of-war between him and an unidentified fish began.
The fish was so strong that the gondola began to be quickly pulled.
Ash and I watched in fascination.
"What kind of fish is this?"
"I'm also curious."
I stared intently at the place where the float was cast.
After a while, in the water that I thought was just dark, the silhouette of something began to appear separated from the background color.
The moment when Thesilid's prey finally jumped up above the surface of the water and revealed itself.
"What is that? Is it a shark?"
A massive body that must have been three meters long, sharp shark-like fins, and a long beak-like mouth.
The name of that blue fish was.
"A Blue Marlin!"
At the moment I called the name of the fish, the ungrateful fellow flew at us with his beak-like snout.
Sharp as the tip of a sword, the snout narrowly missed Thesilid's cheek.
Befitting a well-trained assassin, Ash picked up a number of small hidden weapons right away.
"As expected, a demonic fish. He is a dangerous fellow."
['The Troubled Architect of the Tower of Trials' says that Blue Marlins are originally called the Sword Masters of the Sea.]
It is said that a Blue Marlin in its natural state is like that regardless of being in the demon world.
Ash put an aura on the thin daggers he held between his fingers, but before he could throw them at the giant Marlin.
"Wait a minute."
Thesilid declared in a resolute yet commanding voice.
"This is my prey."
He seemed to be trying to make up for his sluggish performance, of catching only sardines, with the Marlin.
I raised a hand to restrain Ash, then put another one of Thesilid's shoulders.
"At this rate, Hias, who taught you how to fish, has no face. As the leader, I will allow you."
"Thank you."
Thesilid began to fight with the Marlin, reeling the fishing line in and out.
The appearance of confronting nature with only a human's natural ability without the help of the three major powers was touching, but at the same time, I felt a strange sense of deja vu. I think I've seen it before…….
"Ah!"
Having found the correct answer, I clapped my hands.
"The Old Man and the Sea!"
"……"
Thesilid's hand slipped while reeling in the fishing line.
Note 1: Blue Marlin is the Sword Fish guys
Note 2: From Wikipedia
The Old Man and the Sea is a novella written by the American author Ernest Hemingway in 1951 in Cayo Blanco (Cuba), and published in 1952.[1] It was the last major work of fiction written by Hemingway that was published during his lifetime. One of his most famous works, it tells the story of Santiago, an aging Cuban fisherman who struggles with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream off the coast of Cuba.[2]
Ash asked curiously.
"Why is it an old man?"
"There is such a thing."
Ash and I cheered on Thesilid.
"Fighting, Terry."
"Cheer up, brother."
The gondola moved swiftly through the current, propelled by a three-meter giant Marlin, as the battle between man and nature continued.
Then it happened. Suddenly, the rain stopped and my vision blurred.
[System You have entered the 'Fog of Delusion' area.]
"Ah, it's coming out now."
"Coming out, what is it?"
A creepy cold mist enveloped the surroundings as if it were the breath of a ghost.
The Blue Marlin was quite perceptive even if he was but a fish. As if realizing that it had stumbled into unpleasant territory, it slammed the brakes.
Thanks to this, the gondola stopped in the middle of the foggy sea at night.
Ellet.
The moment Agnes called me instead of issuing a warning, I said.
"Now, boys, it's time to plug your ears. Blessings of Protection."
Right at the moment when Thesilid and Ash's ears were protected with divine power.
Ahhh-! Aaaaa-!
The vocalists of the sea began to play music with a humming ringing.
It was a seductive song, both beautiful and deceptive.
If a man had heard it, he would have thrown himself into the sea in a fit of madness. Of course, as a woman, that didn't apply to me.
I made Ash crouch on the floor and put the tent over him.
Thesilid had no choice but to stay in place because he was in the midst of a lifetime match with the Blue Marlin.
Shhh! Shhh!
The seawater around the boat churned wild in circles.
A number of long fin tails were glimpsed through the cracks in the splashing water, and soon the upper body of human women rose to the surface.
Hello, beasts of the land.
Hello, hello?
Of course, they weren't real women.
Fluttering fins protruded from where the ears should have been, their iris was large enough to occupy the entire white of the eyes, and fish scales glistened everywhere on the skin.
It was these disparate features that separated them from humans.
Spirits of the sea, they were Mermaids.
Even though this was a demonized place, they were not corrupted yet.
The boss who occupied this place was quite docile unless you touch him, and since his intelligence was low, coexistence was possible in this open sea.
However, it was too soon to be relieved just because the opponent was uncorrupted.
As the numerous fairy tales, folklore, and myths surrounding the Mermaids attest, these spirits of the sea did not take kindly to humans.
Especially of men.
A total of twelve mermaids circled around the gondola.
When the sonic attack didn't work, they must have taken matters into their own hands.
The mermaids giggled and chattered amongst themselves as they closed in on the siege.
How long has it been since we've seen a land creature?
I don't even remember, Third sister. It's been a while since I saw a male. We're lucky.
Huh? I think there's another male inside?
Ash must have been caught peeking outside through a crack in the tent.
When I was about to pull the tent back over his head, fortunately, the mermaids stated their own beliefs.
The hidden child looks young. We agreed not to touch undergrown beasts.
And that silver-haired male is handsome, so let's just touch him.
Let's do that. By the way, our 8th and 9th eyes are already wide open, you know?
I've never seen such a handsome land male……sigh……
Big sisters, since it's my birthday today, can I play with it first?
Fifth, what kind of fake birthday are you talking about?
That's right! Don't be cheap let's set this with a fair match of high-pitch singing.
Wow, are all these sisters tankers?
This might be the first time I've ever felt aggro in my life.
And their taunts didn't end with words alone, the mermaids climbed onto the gondola and stretched out their rake-like hands at Thesilid.
They leaned in seductively, trying to lift his chin with their fingers or grabbing his arms trying to pull him underwater.
Hey, come here.
Let's have fun with these older sisters.
I'll pet you until your skin swells in the seawater!
Currently, Thesilid is defenseless as he is holding a fishing rod so their rake-like hands were gently ripping apart his uniform.
Alas, I can't take it any longer.
"Divine punishment!"
Pakjijijk!
In response to my call, lightning broke through the dark clouds and descended.
A divine lightning bolt struck the sea, not the land. Riding the electrolytes, it spread evenly across the waters of the region.
The power was reduced, but the range was wide and as long as you are submerged in water, defense is impossible.
Kyaaaaaagh!
Quaaaaaagh!
The mermaids screamed in turmoil.
Since stimulation went to the brain, they must have come to their senses.
However, I felt a little sorry for Thesilid.
The Blue Marlin that had been killed in the attack just now floated to the surface.
Thesilid, who was aloof even when the mermaids fumbled his body, sighed deeply this time.
He must have been really serious about fishing.
"Uh, sorry, Terry."
Thesilid shook his head as if he had read the shape of my lips. Then he pulled the Marlin and hung it over the side of the boat.
It was because it was so large that it could not be lifted above the ship.
Around that time, the mermaids regained consciousness while shaking their heads.
I grabbed the arm of one of the mermaids closest to the boat and pulled her up on the gondola.
Kyaaaagh!
No, the youngest!
What are you doing! Give the youngest back!
I tied the youngest mermaid tightly with the Spirit King's Harp Strings while in the meantime, the rest of the mermaids tried to overturn the gondola, but the boat did not budge because of the non–capsizing buff.
"It's of no use, mermaid sisters. Come on, why don't we talk?"
What kind of conversation do you want to have while holding on to our youngest?
If you're going to take revenge for male humans who lost their virginity, you chose the wrong one.
That's right! The youngest is innocent, let her go!
The three mermaids, who seemed to be the oldest, growled in turn and the corners of the gondola shattered to pieces by the tail fins they nervously snapped around.
It was like a round kick.
"Calm down. As long as you don't touch the silver-haired paladin here, I have no intention of harassing the youngest."
To prove it, I cast a heal to the youngest mermaid. Her scales scorched by the lightning were restored cleanly.
Seeing this, the rest of the mermaids' expressions softened a bit.
"What I really want is conversation."
I emphasized it again for the disbelieving mermaids.
……Really?
"Yes."
Okay. We won't touch your male.
"……Could you please stop calling it weirdly?"
['The Scales that Judges the Soul' is saddened by your plight of having to deny the relationship for now because you can't afford the genre change rights.]
I hope the next update will come with a feature to block divine messages.
Humans aren't very honest.
"……Think whatever you want."
The desire to talk was gradually disappearing from my side. To be honest, I can make do with every one of them with one fist, I should just knock them down with force……
"So, what do you want to talk about with us?"
At least they have good timing.
"Mermaid sisters, aren't you in trouble because of the Boss who occupied this place?"
As if asking how I knew, the mermaids nodded violently.
Yes, it is difficult.
He blocked the entrance to the house.
It's already been over a hundred years, right?
Troubled sighs were heard. Now was the time to propose.
"We'll catch the Boss and open the entrance. Instead, I want you to give me mermaid tears at regular intervals."
And the mermaids' reaction to this was.
What? Are you really going to deal with the Boss? That ugly octopus head?
"Yes."
Well, we should be grateful, but at what cost? A mermaid's eye? And for regular intervals at that?
"No, not the eyes, but the tears."
Tears? What is it?
The mermaids looked back at each other and tilted their heads.
It wasn't the look of pretending or slyness.
They have only lived in the vast wilderness of the sea. Since they had little interaction with humans, there was nothing to learn about delicate emotions like sadness, and therefore they shed no tears.
On top of that, they were always immersed in the ocean, so it was easy to mistake the salty water seeping out of their eyes as just seawater draining away.
"Do you wonder what tears are?"
Generally, humans use violent methods to collect mermaid tears. They don't care whether the mermaid dies early or not, people choose to abandon humanity because they are blinded by money.
Of course, I didn't want to, and I didn't have to.
Yes. I'm curious.
What are tears?
As soon as the mermaids answered with a twinkle in their big eyes, I plunged my hand into my inventory.
What I soon found was a music box that looked like it had been painstakingly crafted by a master craftsman.
It was an item obtained last time by killing Eliniro in the 'Mysterious Forest of Unisus' dungeon.
[Item 'Unisus Carousel Music Box'
An item created by Eliniro to control the emotions of his wives who became hypnotic dolls.
It plays a beautiful fairy tale melody that stimulates emotions.
It consists of 4 tracks.
Track 1. Happy Cookie House
Track 2. Cinderella Gets Her Revenge
Track 3. Heartbroken Snow Queen
Track 4. Temptation of the Naked King]
I wound the mainspring and set the position of the scale board to Track 3. The song started playing.
Deliriing……
The melody expressed the loneliness and sadness of the Snow Queen, who was left alone in the ice castle for a thousand years. It touched the heart and thanks to this, the mermaids were able to quickly learn the emotion of sadness.
Ah……
Drip.
As expected of a spirit, it was weak to being touched by emotions. Tears flowed incessantly from their large eyes.
Huh……oh……?
I carefully brought my hand to the cheek of the youngest mermaid I held hostage.
The youngest mermaid winced at my touch as I brushed away her tears.
Th-thank you. You are a sweet female human……
"This is a down payment."
I poured the mermaid's tears from my fingertips into a reagent bottle.
Then, I put the spout of the reagent bottle under the chin of the other mermaids to collect tears.
Good. This is half a carton of milk.
Track 3 ended before I knew it, and the music box stopped before Track 4 could play.
I carefully capped the reagent bottle and said.
"With this, the contract is concluded. Let's decide later by mutual agreement how many tears to draw."
I released the youngest mermaid into the sea and told all the mermaids.
"I'm going to go catch the Kraken now. Could you guide me to where he is?"
Okay.
The twelve mermaids pushed the gondola and started swimming. It was as fast as when the Blue Marlin was pulling us.
Soon, the cold fog lifted, and the boat was out into the rainy sea night again.
Here it is. Deep down here, there is an ugly octopus blocking the entrance to our house.
"Now leave it to us and you guys stay away. Because we have to fight."
Yes, thank you.
The mermaids waved their hands and swan away.
The youngest mermaid stayed the last. She stuck her face halfway into the water, bubbling, then she said a word.
Be careful.
"Ok, thank you. Hurry up and follow your sisters."
Yes.
Watching the back of the last mermaid shyly disappear, I released the protection from Thesilid and Ash's ears.
Ash said with a languid smile as if he had been waiting.
"Hmm, I was wondering why sister wanted to hide this dungeon, and it was because of the mermaids?"
"Yes, if you don't want to be killed, don't even think about going somewhere to brag about it."
"Don't worry. I'm a good secret keeper, and I assume your talk with the mermaids went well?"
"Yes. They agreed to give mermaid tears as long as we deal with the boss."
"Then we have to attack the boss now, what should we do? Can we go fishing again?"
"Don't be so eager. You won't get your share of the boss."
"I didn't even expect it. Because I am a mercenary in the first place."
I liked that he knew his position well.
I have just decided that his salary will be above the market rate.
"Anyway, we go fishing again?"
"No, we don't have to. Now, only one person has to do it."
After I finished speaking, I turned to Thesilid.
There was no need for detailed explanations as Thesilid was on his way to complete the needed task, befitting a true regressor.
He'd gutted the giant Marlin he'd caught earlier. The smell of blood was meant to lure in the boss.
"Use this for the fishing line."
"It's high-end equipment."
While Thesilid was changing the fishing line for the Spirit King's Harp String, I took a bottle from my inventory and poured it into Marlin's mouth. A dark green liquid gurgled into the fish's stomach.
Ash showed interest.
"Looks like poison."
"As expected, you got the keen eyes of a professional in the field."
It was an item obtained by killing the Poisonous Dragon in the Tower of Trials a long time ago.
Thesilid had tightly coiled the Marlin around the end of the Spirit King's Harp String, which had become a fishing line.
Now it was time to sink the massive bait into the depths of the ocean.
"I need something that can be used as a weight……"
It didn't take long for Thesilid to come up with an answer.
He summoned the Holy Sword Libra and stuck it to the Marlin.
Plundg! Shiiiiiii…..
He infused the Holy Sword with aura through the Spirit King's Harp Strings and the Marlin sank at breakneck speed.
Ash was genuinely amazed.
"Wow, brother. Doesn't it feel immoral to use a Holy Sword for something like that?"
"I don't."
Thesilid focused on fishing.
To be precise, he focused on accepting the sensations delivered by the Spirit King's Harp Strings into his fingertips.
While Thesilid worked to reel in the boss, Ash and I enjoyed a picnic on board with snacks.
"This dacquoise is delicious." (Ash)
"Eat up, there's plenty." (Ellet)
"You should try it too, brother." (Ash)
"I have my hands full, so I'll pass." (Terry)
"Then I will feed you. Ah, go on, brother." (Ash)
"No thanks……"(Terry)
"Sister, he says he won't eat, so give me the one in your hand, ah~."(Ash)
"Eat with your own hands."(Ellet)
"Yes, sister."(Ash)
Because of that, the dacquoise I was about to feed to Thesilid went into my mouth.
"… … ."
"What's wrong Terry?"
"……Nothing."
What do you mean by nothing?
When I held out Dacquoise again, he took it well, as if he had been waiting.
['The Scales that Judges the Soul' is pleased.]
['The Eyes that watch over the chaos of all things' smirks, saying she had done that with Bianca so many types to the point of sickiness].
As we were spending such a leisurely time.
Parururu……
The harp strings connected to the Marlin bait began to vibrate.
"Is it him?"
Thesilid narrowed his eyes and began to reel in the line. He pulled the bait slowly upward, trying to lure it in.
Tong, Tong.
The sea, which had been quite calm in its own way, was disturbingly turbulent.
"Ash, hold on tight."
After ordering, I grabbed the handrail of the gondola with one hand and Thesilid's upper arm with the other and right at that moment.
Swiiiiiii!
The water began to spin in a giant circle.
It was a rough and fast current incomparable to when the mermaids were besieging the ship.
[System Warning. A torrential whirlpool occurs.]
A whirlpool, like the entrance to an abyss, was created in the middle of the calm sea.
The gondola we were riding spun frantically around the edge of the vortex. It was a situation where I thought I would get seasick, but that wasn't the end.
"Here it comes."
Whooooooooahhhhh!
Giant tentacles sprouted from everywhere. Wriggling as if dancing, they were eight octopus legs.
All of the legs boasted the thickness and length of a beautiful tree and each sucker that covered the surface was as big as a human head.
The sight of each tightening, loosening, and flinching was enough to arouse disgust.
Ah, gross. Get it done quickly, Ellet.
Yes, yes. Agnes.
Thesilid's hand, which was reeling the fishing line, stopped with a snap.
"He swallowed the bait right under the gondola."
"Good. Let's attack from the inside and outside. Terry, you twist his guts with your aura and divine power. I'll keep him distracted outside."
"Sister, what about me?"
"Cheering squad."
Under the circumstances, close dealers are bound to lose their jobs.
I stood up while balancing on the gondola. With a reverent voice, I prepared to summon the god's mace.
"Sacred power enhancement. Target Stamping. Judgment Notice. Absolute Execution."
I looked up as I stacked my auxiliary skills.
Something had changed in the night sky.
A thick dark cloud began to circle slowly, like a coiling snake.
Pazik! Pazik!
Blue sparks flickered blindingly.
Soon, what was completed in the sky was a huge whirlwind of lightning that was divided into five branches.
Meanwhile, the clouds were piling up furry in the form of electricity layer by layer, and that doubled the power of divine lightning.
"Sacred Punishment!"
The Great Serpent of Lightning wriggled its eight tails.
Kwajijijijijikk!
Powerful thunderbolts rained down from the sky.
Along the rotational trajectory of the tornado, electric shocks raged continuously. It could no longer be seen as a single lightning strike.
It was a tornado of lightning.
The legs of the octopus that soared high above the surface of the water gave way.
The boss struggled as it absorbed the full destructive power of the enhanced Divine Punishment.
Accordingly, the sea stirred for reasons other than the whirlpool.
We held on tight and held on.
"Sister, the water……!"
The water level was dropping rapidly.
Did the water suddenly disappear? That's one reason, but there's another bigger reason.
"Oh, my God!"
Ash caught his breath.
The gondola leaned to one side and slid down. Having barely landed on the sea surface again, we looked back.
Swaaaaaaaa!
Something huge rose up from the seawater that was cascading like a waterfall.
A huge aquatic creature that looked like a mixture of squid and octopus glared down at us with eight flashing red eyes.
[System Dungeon owner, 610th place in the Demon World, 'The Kraken Who Blocked The Sewers' has appeared!]
That's right. The thrilling slide we rode down like a ride was the smooth head and body of the Kraken.
"Ugh, hic……I'm scared. sister."
"Stop the fuss."
Just then, the Kraken furiously extended its tentacle legs to the gondola we were riding.
It was probably trying to wrap its tentacles around the boat to crush it or drown it in the ocean. But.
Sook!
My whip–swordsmanship and Ash's dagger skills were not to be ignored.
Suddenly losing one of his legs, the Kraken roared with his mouth wide open in rage.
Oohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-!
"Ew, that's pretty gross."
I agree.
The Kraken's mouth was tongueless, but the entire inner wall of his mouth was covered with teeth or protuberances.
Kyiehhhhhhhhh-!
Dark green bodily fluids oozed out of its mouth.
It seemed that the dragon's poison was taking effect. Sure enough, the legs of the octopus began to flail about, more feebly than before.
"We just need to push it a little harder."
Thesilid dropped his fishing pole aside.
In his left hand, the Spirit King's Harp String, which he was using as a fishing line, was tightly wound.
Thanks to the Kraken eating the Marlin bait with relish, the end of the wire should have reached into its guts.
Thesilid attacked.
"Blue Torch."
Roarrrrrrrrrrrrr!
The flame ignited in Thesilid's hand moved quickly using the Spirit King's Harp String as a fuse.
It burrowed through the Kraken's mouth and deep into his stomach.
Kuo-KUOOOOOOOOOOO!
As a rule, aquatic creatures are vulnerable to heat.
When the torch created by pouring bishop-level divine power exploded inside its gut, the Kraken went mad in agony.
Shuoooooooo!
As the boss struggled, ink rained down in all directions.
The ink, which already has paralysis components, was now mixed with a dragon's venom. It would definitely be fatal if it touched a human body.
"Mercury's Barrier."
Protected by the Silver Citadel. We waited leisurely for the rain of poison and ink to stop.
"That must hurt."
"I know."
At first glance, the Kraken's mouth was completely torn.
If the mouth was like that, the internal organs would have suffered quite a bit. Eventually, the rain stopped and we decided to finish the job.
"Divine Punishment!"
After removing the barrier, I put in a second wave of attack.
This time, the thunderbolt hit the head instead of the leg.
With this, Kraken couldn't come to his senses for a long time and just trembled in place.
The smell of burning octopus wafted from all sides of him. The steaming body of the Kraken slowly sank into the water. He seemed intent on running away but to no avail.
"Come on, let's check if the inside is well cooked. Vanquish of Evil!"
I pointed the tip of Serpens, not my fingertips, at the Kraken, and at the moment the tip fell downwards, the divine skill reached the Kraken across a long distance.
The invisible sword of judgment split the target vertically in exact halves.
Pushushushu!
The stomach at the center of its torso also split open and at that moment, poisonous gas and the sparks of the blue flame met the outside air causing a splendid explosion.
Kwagwagwang!
Ripe flesh splattered everywhere. I was about to cast Mercury's Barrier, but Thesilid made the first move.
"Eli."
He wrapped himself in a tent with one hand and hugged me with his remaining arm.
Ash seemed to have crawled into the tent on his own.
[System Congratulations! You have defeated the owner of the dungeon, 610th place in the Demon World, 'The Kraken Who Blocked The Sewers'.]
[System The demon area 'Sea of Great Flood' is assigned to the dungeon conqueror 'Ellet Rodellaine'.]
Kururururu.
Eventually, the rain of boiled octopus meat stopped and the colossal body of the Kraken sank into the water.
Ash pulled back the tent and stuck out his head.
"Phew, looks like we got rid of it. You worked hard."
"Ash too."
"By the way, sister."
"Yes, what is it?"
"Why doesn't the whirlpool stop?"
Shiwiiiiiii!
Right. Our gondola was still spinning in a torrent of whirlpools.
I calmly opened my mouth.
"It's all right. This is a natural phenomenon."
"Why? We've got rid of the Boss?"
"Exactly. This is what happens when you catch the boss. Or, more precisely, by making him leave the place."
The reason can be easily guessed from the fact that the boss we just defeated is the Kraken that blocked the sewer. According to the mermaids, it has been a hundred years since the Kraken appeared and blocked the entrance to their house.
This is a huge difference compared to the 40 days recorded in the Bible.
"In fact, the stormy period of disaster ended a long time ago. Nevertheless, it was the drainage problem in this world that sustains this continuous flood."
"Drain?"
"Yes. The Kraken was clogging the drain. But now we've killed that it, right?"
In other words, we've just pulled the drain cap off a giant bathtub.
"Aha."
Ash, enlightened, nodded his head like a diligent student. But his face soon turned dark.
"Wait. How big is that drain?"
"A fairly large pond?"
"I'm guessing it must be bigger than our gondola?"
"Yes."
"Then if we stay like this, won't we also be sucked into the drain?"
What a smart student.
Sure enough, the circle radius of the gondola we were riding was getting narrower. It meant that we were being sucked deeper and deeper into the hole of the vortex.
The sea level was dropping rapidly and in the distance near the horizon, mountain peaks were already visible.
All around us, reefs were poking out sharply.
I put my hand on Ash's shoulder.
"It's all right."
"Is really okay?"
"Yes. We just need to escape before being sucked in."
"What? Whoa……!"
I grabbed Ash by the scruff of his neck and leaped off the gondola.
The landing point was a huge mushroom-shaped rock.
Glancing to the side, Thesilid also succeeded in safely escaping.
Kwiiii.
The whirlpool made a creepy noise, signaling that it had almost sucked in all the water. Inside the vortex, we saw the gondola we were riding in, broken in half and swallowed.
Koro-ro-ro-ro-ro.
Eventually, water drained away and dry land appeared. At the same time, thick dark clouds dispersed without a trace.
As if the rain had never fallen, the night sky was filled with a bright, full moon that bathed the world in moonlight.
It was the first time light finally reached the land that had been submerged in seawater for a hundred years.
There's nothing. I thought there'd be a lot of coral reefs.
"It was too deep for coral to live because there was no light."
Corals live in shallow waters resembling the color of Thesilid's eyes.
"Sister, who are you talking to?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"You said something earlier, using honorifics."
"You must have heard it wrong, don't say weird things."
"……"
I'm sorry, Ash.
I apologized inwardly, and a small laugh passed through my ears.
It was obvious who could make such a pleasant sound.
It was a Thesilid.
He can't see me either. It's funny that he's laughing while in the same situation.
At that moment, Thesilid stopped laughing as if he were serious.
I moved, treading carefully on the swampy ground. Not too far away was a spring that could be tens of meters wide.
That was the "Fountain of the Deep Sea," the drain that sucked in the water.
I picked up the fish that fluttered around me and threw them into the fountain.
The bottom of the spring was connected to the deep sea, so they should be able to live in it as before.
Hey, help me too.
Here, here too!
There were other beings besides fish that struggled to get into the water.
The mermaids were trying to crawl to the spring, but exhausted, they called for help.
"Terry, Ash, you stay back."
The men took shelter in a safe place and I went out alone.
The fishy smell was going to get on my clothes if I carried them around so I grabbed a large towel, wrapped the mermaids one by one, then carried them to the spring.
The mermaids showed interest in the towel.
Wow, what is this? It feels weird to the touch.
"It's called a towel. Use it to dry yourself off."
There are many strange things on land. Can I have this?
"Take it."
I was going to throw it away because it smelled fishy anyway.
Me too, me too!
Somehow, I was robbed of a dozen towels.
Cut off from civilization, the ocean was a wild land, and mermaids seem to find even the most mundane items of humans strange.
"Now, focus."
I drew the attention of my favorite mermaids who were merry after receiving the towels.
"I killed the Kraken, and ownership of the dungeon was vested in me. So please keep your promise."
Since you are the owner of this place, I suppose we have no choice.
"Well, I won't ask too much. Roughly once a month, I'll draw just enough tears to fill these three vials."
The required volume is about half a liter.
The period was appropriately set considering the ratio of time flow between reality and the dungeon.
Then the mermaids began to gossip among themselves.
Why? Are there any disagreements with my reasonable proposal?
Excuse me.
The mermaid, who seemed to be the eldest sister, tightly held onto her towel and met my gaze, desperately trying to negotiate.
I want to attach a condition.
"What is it? Tell me."
Every time you come here, we would like for you to bring us more things from the land.
"Things from the land? Like towels?"
I like towels, but I want to have a variety of other things.
"Hmm……well, would things like this be enough?"
One by one, I pulled out miscellaneous items from my inventory: a spare set of clothes, some pretty dishes, dried tea leaves in a glass jar, and writing utensils.
Then the mermaids suddenly lit up their eyes like crows who found a sparkling jewel.
Wow! Pretty!
There was nothing like this on the shipwreck!
I want that one!
Give me, give me!
Seeing the enthusiastic mermaids makes me smile.
A devious smile.
"I can't just give these away. How valuable are these?"
Agh, so they are precious.
"Right. The towel I gave you earlier was a big gesture to commemorate the start of our trade, but not these. I'll have to make a separate deal."
Deal? Can I give you more tears?
"If I needed more tears, I would have asked for more in the first place."
Then what do you want? What can we give?
The mermaids seemed nervous as if the deal might go awry.
"Well, I don't intend to make unreasonable demands……"
I stretched out my hand toward the neck of the youngest mermaid.
What I picked up with my fingertips was a necklace of very large natural pearls.
"I'll take a pearl of equal weight. How about that?"
Oh, that's all? There are plenty of pearls spread out on the sea floor. You are very nice.
"Right? I think so too."
A satisfactory transaction was thus established.
['The Spoiler Inspector' is disappointed to see you betraying your humanity to become a miser.]
['The World-building God' brushes it off as an overreaction over nothing, covering up the controversy about your personality.]
['The Creative Business Manager' expects you to buy the ticket to change the genre soon and help sales performance.]
['The Scales that Judges the Soul' bless you so you will definitely pick up a 19 rated reverse harem Rofan in one draw.]
I swept all the pearl necklaces the mermaids were wearing and handed over the junk in exchange.
With this, all intended purposes for coming to the dungeon were accomplished.
I turned around and went to look for my group.
Thesilid and Ash were off in the distance, nearby the Kraken's corpse. As we approached, Thesilid spoke as if he had been waiting.
"Eli, loot."
"Yeah. Got it."
The loot from the Kraken's corpse was a skill book and one item.
[Skill 'Sacred Darkness'
Blocks light from the target area, creating a zone of complete darkness].
Based on the description, I thought it was an Erebomancer spellbook, but it was surprisingly a Holy skill.
For some reason, I thought the name was somewhat holy-like.
'Hmm, it might be surprisingly useful?'
I asked Thesilid for his intentions first because I didn't want to monopolize it.
"Terry, do you want to learn?"
Since we were on the same team, it didn't matter which one of us learned it.
But Terry, who has a strong aversion to the dark, shook his head with a bitter smile.
"Not me. I don't like it."
"Hmm, okay."
I learned it without reservations.
What was more important right now was the item rather than the skill book.
In my hand was a brown bottle of rum. It felt light like it was empty. It looked like an ordinary bottle of rum, so it was easy to pass it off as garbage the Kraken had swallowed from the ocean.
In fact, Thesilid made the same mistake in the original.
I also wouldn't have realized it if it weren't for the narrative about an alcoholic extra who had gotten hold of the bottle and fixed her life.
I waved the bottle of rum in front of Thesilid's eyes.
"Would you like a drink, Terry?"
"I will decline."
Such a good-natured paladin.
"Then I have to drink alone."
I said playfully, then popped the cork and shook out the contents. A curled parchment map and a crude key emerged.
[Item 'Treasure Map'
Many treasures are hidden in the mysterious sea.
Now that the tide has receded and the land has been exposed, you, as a creature on the land, have a chance to obtain the treasure.
This map will lead you to one of the 'Sunken Treasure Ship', 'Sacred Artifact Ruin', or 'Well of Eternal Life'.]
[Item 'Treasure Room Key'
A key that must be used to obtain the treasure found through the treasure map. It's a one-time use, so you have to choose carefully what treasure to use it for.]
'Treasure of the sea! Jackpot!'
['The Creative Business Manager' agrees that this time, it's a legitimate use of an expansion pack.]
My choice was, of course, the treasure ship. I was thinking of raking together gold ingots and jewels that would give me a breath of fresh air in this life of a poor Transmigrator.
However, there was something to be done before going on a treasure hunt adventure.
I walked over to Ash, noticing that an exit gate had spawned beside him.
"Ash."
"Yes, sister."
"You go to the Castle first. If you tell me my name, they will let you in."
"What? What, oh no, wait… !"
I shoved Ash's back through the gate and kicked him out of the dungeon.
There is no need to involve a third party in high-profit activities where only me and Thesilid are sufficient.
If I dragged him around with no intention of sharing in the profits, even the most savvy Ash would be dissatisfied. It was convenient to just exclude him in the first place.
I kicked him out for a very reasonable reason, and the reaction around me was good.
Phew, now I can talk to you with peace of mind.
"I was going to send him out, but you beat me to it."
Agnes and Thesilid looked very relieved.
Well, anyway.
It was time to go earn some salty side income. I turned to Agnes and Thesilid with excitement.
"Okay, attention. Look what came out of the Kraken's belly, folks."
What is it?
"Voila! It is a treasure map showing the location of the sunken treasure ship."
Ohh, then can we actually do treasure hunting?
"That's right! It's not a children's game, but a real treasure hunt! Come on, let's go."
But before then, Thesilid suddenly overlapped his hand on mine, which was holding the map.
"Eli."
"Yes?"
"I want to go somewhere else, is that okay?"
What? Leave the treasure ship alone and go somewhere else?
I must have heard it wrong.
"Terry, can you say that again?"
"I want to go somewhere else."
"……"
My eyes trembled violently.
Even though he must have seen the look of refusal in my eyes, Thesilid took the map from my hand intent on pushing his will this time.
"Here, I want to go to the Well of Eternal Life."
It was a soft but firm tone.
"D-do we have to go?"
"Yes. The Well of Eternal Life is more attractive than a treasure ship."
"Think carefully. A treasure ship, a ship full of treasures. There must be stacks of gold coins with skulls embossed on them, diamonds as big as your fist, and tons of fine silverware."
"Eli."
"Yes."
"Please, do me this favor. You may seize my paladin's salary equal to the value of the treasure ship."
That's a lot of money.
How much is a paladin's salary?
"……Sigh."
I couldn't bear to say no to a man who wanted to enslave himself for life without hesitation.
"Okay……"
['The Scales that Judges the Soul' cheers at this golden opportunity to capture the protagonist with money].
Agnes asked curiously.
What does the Well of Eternal Life do?
"I don't know either."
It is not mentioned in the original story.
Judging by the name, I would like to think that this was a place where something like water that increases lifespan springs out.
I don't know why Thesilid is so fixed in this kind of place.
Are you interested in extending your lifespan? A regressor who has already lived over a hundred years of age after going back seventeen times?
If I had to pick a person who had the least to no attachment to life in the world, it would be Thesilid Argent in all episodes.
And it's not like there was anything wrong with his natural lifespan. In the 14th round, he decided to raise the level of Aura and his divine power while devoting himself to training all his life.
Thanks to that he was well aware that his natural lifespan was more generous than average.
But does he dare to be greedy for life?
'It's not like Thesilid.'
While I was struggling with my unanswered questions, Thesilid was on his way to the mermaids with the treasure map.
['The Scales that Judges the Soul' urges you to follow him, saying that he is definitely going to be seduced by the mermaids.]
'It can't be.'
……But my feet quickly followed Thesilid.
We can't rule out the possibility that the mermaids will suddenly turn their eyes upside down and drown Thesilid in the spring.
If the paladin gets kidnapped, I'm the one who suffers.
Under my supervision, Thesilid spoke with the mermaids.
"Excuse me, I want to go to this well here. Do you know the way?"
The mermaid sisters looked at the map and each said something.
Oh, here? Of course we know.
It's a place I go to sometimes. It's a good place to play with land beasts.
But it's in the cave under the sea, so it's hard for land animals to get there, right?
Do you want me to take you?
We just got rid of the Kraken, who was a pain in their necks, thanks to that, we got a good offer on the back of the favor we did.
"I would appreciate it if you would."
Thesilid politely replied with a smile on his face.
The mermaids stretched their upper bodies out of the water and lunged themselves against him.
Their submerged tailfins flicked.
There is a problem.
It's a place that takes more than 10 minutes to go even if we swim at full speed.
You have to be able to breathe underwater.
I can't help it. I'll put the protection of a mermaid on your lips.
Come here. Let's kiss.
"You guys are playing tricks again, aren't you?"
When I stepped out, the mermaids squeaked and dived into the water as if running away.
"Come out and cast a breathing spell before I pop you girls with a thunderbolt."
Tsk. Ok.
After confirming that the spell was applied properly, I went into the spring.
It was called a spring, but the inside was as deep as the sea. The depth of the water spreading under our feet was far away.
Soon the mermaids clung to our sides and began to swim with Thesilid.
Once we adjusted to the pressure, they cut through the water as fast as a Marlin.
It was deep, but our view was not dimmed.
It was thanks to the self-luminous turquoise crystals that acted as torches.
Looks like some kind of luminous stones.
I have to dig and sell……! Oh no. Calm down, let's hold on.
Coral reefs were also growing around those fairly large crystals. It was like the deep sea, the water is warm, there was light, and it was habitable. Maybe that's why the mermaids wanted to go home.
Before we knew it, we entered a long cave.
After the dark natural passage ended, the surroundings widened again, and the illumination in this place was quite high.
Light was seeping in from a crack that ran across the ceiling, the mermaids swerved and swam up towards the place.
Soon the underwater exploration was over.
"Puha!"
Arrived. Here it is.