An Invitation

And so, I decided to try guiding Setsuna to a Dummy Core using a pitfall or something.

As for her younger sister, Nayuta… hmm, I'd like to separate them first. Now, what to do about that…

By the way, concerning the rice I sold to Nayuta, an envoy came from a Wakoku trading company in Pavera. They paid forty gold coins as a down payment and took the goods with them.

That means they definitely won't be running off with it. When I told Wataru about that, he said "Yeah, I knew they wouldn't," but his face showed obvious relief. Anyone would have noticed that.

"… By the way, Wataru. Isn't your stay a bit long this time? You usually head back after two or three days."

"Ah, Haku-sama gave me a slightly longer holiday than usual. I couldn't come last month because I was so busy, you see. I'll be staying a bit longer, if that's alright?"

Now that he mentions it, his schedule was packed to the brink during the Dungeon Battle.

This is a rare chance, so I might as well have him help me out.

If Wataru invited them to go into the dungeon, Setsuna and Nayuta would probably want to go along with him.

"In that case, could you take those sisters into the dungeon? This dungeon has a lot of stuff from Japan, and as a hero, you'd know more about all that, right?"

"That's fine, but if you're saying that, aren't you also a hero, Kehma-san…"

"Oi oi, what are you dreaming about there, Wataru? I've never once said that I'm a hero. Though my parents are Japanese."

"Sure thing."

He answered in monotone. This guy definitely sees me as a hero now, doesn't he?

But I did hint at having a super skill before, so that might be why. Let's try clearing up that misunderstanding.

"Come to think of it, heroes receive skills from god that are way more amazing than normal ones, right?"

"Eh? Yeah. Don't you have a skill like that too, Kehma-san? A cool conditional one that only activates to protect your comrades."

"Ah, that was a lie. It was my first time meeting a hero other than my parents, so I just wanted to try bluffing. It's a bit late to say this, but I don't have a skill like that."

"Eh… i-is that so?"

Wataru was clearly shaken.

By the way, I said "other than my parents," but I never said my parents were heroes. I also don't have a skill with a restriction that only lets me use it to protect my comrades, so nothing I said was a lie. See how honest I am.

"That was just simple trickery. If you knew what the trick was, you'd be laughing a lot more than during that mock battle."

"… Why are you telling me this now?"

"You're not going to use the excuse that it was just a magic trick and try to skip out on your debt, right?"

"Mumumu… You're right. I'll compensate you for wagering your comrades, Kehma-san."

Wataru shrugged his shoulders and agreed. Seriously, this guy's too honest.

"By the way, could you tell me what the trick was?"

"Don't be stupid. That's my livelihood. Who'd tell you that?"

"Yeah… By the way, my [Super Luck] went up to Lv 2 now, so I could probably even roll three sixes with three dice. Also, everything I bet on at the rat race has been winning, so Ichika-san banished me from the game room in tears."

"Alright, don't go spinning the slots at the bar then, Hero. You'd ruin this village-sized market."

"Yeaah. Well, I've already given back my winnings by buying pudding though."

His [Super Luck] became Lv 2, huh.

… In other words, Haku-san had him capture a dungeon somewhere.

Rather, Wataru's blabbing way too much about his skill. It's convenient for me though.

Anyway, let's get back to the topic of having Wataru take those sisters into the dungeon.

Simply having them go together with Wataru would actually make him a hindrance. That's where this move comes in.

"Ah, right. I'd like you to take Nerune along with the sisters."

"Nerune-san?"

To guide them all and to keep Wataru from saying anything unnecessary, I'll have him bring Nerune along. Two birds with one stone. Delicious.

"Yeah. Actually, a new facility was discovered recently. Nerune's been wanting to check it out."

"A new facility?"

"There's this small room, and if you stay in it for twelve hours, you get an item. It usually just gives money, but if you're lucky, you could even get a magic sword with no risk to yourself."

"Heeh. 'If you're lucky,' you say?"

"That's right. 'If you're lucky.' Worth a shot, right?"

As the holder of [Super Luck], Wataru is unmatched when it comes to luck.

We're actually the ones deciding what comes out, but it's a good way of putting it to entice Wataru.

"I was thinking about taking Nerune there myself, but since you're here and all."

"… In other words, you want to use me, a hero, for your convenience? I'm expensive, you know."

"What, you'd rather be alone with just the two girls somewhere without Nerune?"

"Leave it to me! I'll guarantee Nerune-san's safety on my name as a hero."

His attitude is easy to read, and I like it.

"Huh? But was Nerune-san an adventurer?"

"She became one. There's a dungeon right here next to us, and there's even a branch of the Adventurer Guild right in front of it. It's convenient to be an adventurer even at a low rank, so she became one. She's E-Rank though."

"Kehma-san, please say something like 'So she could dive into dungeons together with me' there."

"… Well, you're not wrong."

"Yahooo!"

By the way, all three girls are E-Rank. I forcibly raised their completed quest count by having them work at the inn through the guild. I even rigged their battle tests by controlling the dungeon's golems so they'd win.

Now then, if Nerune does her job right, I'll be able to guide only Setsuna to the Dummy Core. I'll need to remodel that facility a bit beforehand. There are people in there though, so there's not much I can do.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

And so, the next day, the three of them were led by Wataru as they dove into the dungeon.

Setsuna and Nayuta were experienced adventurers, and though Nerune should have been practically a novice, this was basically her home, so there was absolutely no tension.

"After all, having the hero with us is so reassuring, isn't it?"

"Ahahaha! Leave it to me, Nerune-san! Ah, there's a trap right there, watch ou—"

"Eh?"

"Watch out! Ow— phew, it was just a stone arrow."

… It's her home, but Nerune still walked into the trap. And Wataru protected her with his body and came out unscathed.

Nerune, that's acting, right? You didn't seriously get caught by it, right?

Also, I thought the arrow hit Wataru's upper arm where he doesn't have armor, so why is he unhurt? It was just a stone arrowhead meant for beginners, though.

"The arrow didn't work on Hero-sama…"

"Hahaha! I've been training like crazy, you know! Haku-sama even certified me as being at a level beyond human!"

"Amazing! Can I try stabbing you with a knife?"

"Please stop. That'll bring back memories of being stabbed repeatedly as part of training…"

Yep, you're not human anymore, you.

"Oh my, it's a Goblin-san. Ahaha."

"Whoa! A Goblin appeared—wait, why is it casually waving back at you!?"

"That's right, Nerune-san. Goblins can be turned into fertilizer material through alchemy. Even without processing, just burying them in a field makes good enough fertilizer though."

"Is that so, Nayuta-san? Hoeh, you learn something new every day… Ah, it ran away."

"W-well, we can ignore a Goblin or two. Shall we head to our destination?"

And so, with various things happening, they safely made it through the labyrinth and arrived at their destination.