Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru

Chapter 078: If There Are Dreams That Spur People On II & III

＜If There Are Dreams That Spur People On, They Are Dreams That People Quickly Awaken From. Give The Peace Of Death To Those Cannot Stand II＞

After a feast with lots of drinking and singing, the silence of the night felt deeper than usual.

Regure was sleeping with a slovenly face and appearance that could never be shown to her disciple. She and I were sleeping together in the same tent.

It’s a situation that I can never tell Rana, Lanseal and Shuna about.

Well………I do think that she’s attractive. They’re small, but her breasts are well-shaped, and she has the lithe and flexible limbs peculiar to beastkin. Despite her cute features, her behavior is utterly immodest. She has a devilish, or rather, succubus-like personality. If it weren't for Rana, I think I would have given in.

What the heck am I saying?

「Are you awake, foreigner?」

Without waiting for a response, Zamonglass flipped up the entrance to the tent.

「Give me a minute or two of your time」

「Okay」

Well, I guess that was bound to happen. I had been looking for the right timing as well.

I put Agathion into a leather sheath and stepped out of the tent. I saw that Zamonglass was already a distance away, so I hurried after him. I had thought that it was a touch colder, and it turned out that snow had started to fall. It might even pile up.

The Scarlet Knight stopped in front of the collapsed city walls.

He turned back to face me and drew his sword.

He should be directly in front of me, but I lost sight of him because of the skillful way he moved his body.

Sparks flew in the dark of night.

I hadn't been able to see it at all, but Agathion had reacted and stopped Zamonglass' slash.

「It looks different, but that’s unmistakably the sacred sword Agathion」

「If you were mistaken, I would have died though」

Zamonglass sheathed his sword. I did the same for Agathion.

「I’ll figure something out if that’s the case」

I wonder why…… Irvin and me got along well though.

「Are you going to tell me why that’s in your possession?」

「No, is what I want to say, but if you answer my questions, I’ll think about it」

I have questions about this guy. Depending on his answers, I’ll give him a certain measure of the truth.

「I’ll answer them. Ask away」

「Did you really betray Elysium?」

「Not quite. I was the one who was betrayed」

「In that case, are you looking for an opportunity to return to the fold?」

「Not a chance. I've lived my life hammering it into myself and my disciples that knights are honest and simple creatures. I did it for almost 50 years. Knights do not get involved in politics. Even if those on top are corrupt, they will cleanse themselves. No, if they don't cleanse themselves, they will only perish. That was the belief I held until I witnessed a piece of scum thrusting his hips into a young child」

「You don’t think that correcting those on top is a knight’s duty?」

「What do you know about the knights of St. Lyridias?」

He headed me off and asked me a question instead.

It couldn’t be helped, so I answered.

「Pretty much everything. The truth about the shadow, the curse and the beasts that you all want to hide――」

「That makes things easier. I lightly cut up that scum and questioned him, but he didn’t give me any decent answers. He howled almost like a beast though.

If we, knights with beasts inside us, get involved in politics, we’ll be doing the beasts’ work before we know it. For that reason, we set up representatives, drawing a line between politics and blood.

They should have been separated, but the political arena is now rife with beasts of abominable blood. When beasts command beasts, the principle is no longer the same」

「Is that why you’re serving His Majesty Dainsleif?」

「I’m indebted to His Majesty. Do you know that Irvin has an imprisoned elder sister?」

「Of course」

「I went to check on her often. Little did I know that His Majesty's beloved daughter was being treated in that way in the next cell」

「Wait」

At this point, my anxiety was rekindled.

「What about Arianne-san?」

「She’s probably still alive. She’s a tough woman with a strong backbone. A noble indebted to the Gasim family assumed responsibility for keeping her under house arrest in his home. She likely doesn’t have her freedom, but it should be better than being confined alone in a cell」

「I……see」

Should I breath a sigh of relief at that, I wonder?

Only bad things are coming to my mind.

「When we parted, Arianne said to me,『Please check up on the child in the next cell. I can’t help but feel sorry for her』. When I forced my way in to look in on her, I saw Irisetta-sama, who was on the verge of death, and an Elysium pig on top of her. After that, well, I brought her to His Majesty who was rampaging in the castle town, killed all those who came after us, and I’m now helping His Majesty in his battles on this land」

Is guilt something that can change into loyalty?

That’s something that I don’t understand.

「Now it's your turn」

「Go ahead」

「How did you defeat Varner? Despite appearances, he has the strength to be called a hero among the knights of St. Lyridias. His strength as an individual goes without saying, but he also has the protection of the sacred sword. An ordinary adventurer……no, adventurers can never defeat him」

「Zamonglass-san, you’re mistaken about what happened. This sword following me is just a coincidence. It all started when a terrifying beast appeared in the Lemuria plain. In order to defeat it, Irvin enlisted Varner's help, and the two of them successfully subjugated it at the risk of their lives.

If you think I’m lying, you can go to Lemuria. Enter a random bar and bring up Irvin’s name, and you’ll hear the anecdotes of Irvin, the Dragon Scale.

You’ll hear that although there had been many adventurers who had saved Lemuria in times of crisis, none were as brave as him was, as upright as he was, and met their end as knightly as he did. I can't think of any explanation for why the magic sword follows me, someone who merely watched the battle, except that it’s by coincidence」

「What happened to Luxgaru? I can’t imagine a knight-companion leaving the side of the knight he serves」

「He attempted to commit an act of violence in King Lemuria’s presence, so he was executed on the spot」

「I don’t get it. I really don’t」

Zamonglass looked at me with suspicion.

「How does doing things like that “profit” you?」

「What do you mean, “profit”?」

He had uttered a word that I couldn’t overlook.

「I mean the “profit” from killing Irvin, Varner and Luxgaru, two knights and one knight-companion of St. Lyridias. Was it for money, equipment, research of their blood, or――」

I drew Agathion and slashed back at him in return.

It wasn’t a slash with the power of the magic sword, but my own strength. Naturally, it was stopped easily.

「Take it back! Who did you say killed who?!」

「Calm down」

「Take it back!」

「What are you telling me to take back?」

「The part about me killing Irvin!」

Our swords ground together, and metal screeched loudly against metal.

Zamonglass was taking it easy on me, but I put my weight behind the sword and the knight retreated slightly.

「I take it back. You did not kill Irvin」

I didn’t let up.

If it were allowed, I would tear you to pieces, you ugly old beast of abominable blood.

An especially loud screech of metal rang out. Having pushed my sword away, Zamonglass sheathed his sword. I still held mine in my hands.

「You’re not going to tell me the truth, are you?」

「Of course not」

It’s foolish to tell the truth to someone untrustworthy.

The one I trust is Irvin, not his teacher. That’s because he will never betray me anymore.

「You’re like him」

「Huh?」

Who is this “him”?

「He’s one of the heroes of Elysium. He’s a terrifying man. He has nothing, has no attachments to anything, and all he brings about is only ruin. Compared to him, Varner is as cute as a baby」

Calling a guy who massacred 500 beastkin cute, what the heck?

「People may say that they’re fighting for the people, for their friends, for women, for their country, for something or other, but at the end of the day, people fight for themselves. Those who don't are warped and terrifying. They do evil deeds that horrify others without a second thought.

I’ve abandoned my principles. All I have left is the blood that runs in my veins. I'm currently looking for a place to bury it. What about you, foreigner without a self?」

「I’ll accomplish what I can accomplish, gain what I can gain, and seize what I can seize. That’s all」

「That emptiness…… Truly, you’re a lot like him」

We’re getting off-topic.

To be honest, I don't give a damn about Zamonglass. What I’m concerned about is,

「Are you really making the preparations for me to go south?」

「Of course. Trust me」

Zamonglass laughed.

I don’t trust him one bit.

He left, leaving me behind by myself. In the darkness of the deep night, the snow piled up thinly.

＜If There Are Dreams That Spur People On, They Are Dreams That People Quickly Awaken From. Give The Peace Of Death To Those Cannot Stand III＞

It was morning, and I woke up to a commotion.

It was brighter than usual, and I could feel the sun’s rays.

I disentangled myself from Regure, who was clinging to me, and stepped outside the tent. The world was white. Snow had piled up, and the sun was shining high in the sky. And it was ridiculously cold.

I’m guessing this is probably the phenomenon known as radiation cooling, where the temperature drops when the sky is clear.

「Your Majesty, did something happen?」

「Yes, the army is back again」

His Majesty and Zamonglass were preparing for battle.

It was just like the time we first met.

With Verxina between his legs, His Majesty said,

「Souya, make the preparations for breakfast. It’s much colder today, so I’ll likely be much hungrier」

「Please leave it to me. Do you have any requests?」

「I’d like that thing called croquette. Frog soup as well」

「Understood」

「Zamonglass! Let’s go!」

「Yes, Your Majesty!」

Verxina bumped its muzzle against me as it passed by. It was pretty painful, but it seemed to be an expression of affection, so I endured it.

The two horsemen galloped away.

I would have liked to see His Majesty fight, but making breakfast was more important.

Using the 100 yen lighter, I lit some firewood.

I washed the potatoes with cold water. My hands were trembling from the cold, so I ended up cutting the skin off too thick.

I boiled the peeled potatoes, minced salted pork and starchy roots in plenty of water.

I smashed the hard bread vigorously with a hammer to break it apart, and then crushed it to make breading.

This bread wasn’t meant to be eaten in the normal way. It would probably keep for a long time though.

After putting yesterday’s oil over the fire, I beat some eggs and then mixed in a bit of wheat.

I took out the boiled ingredients and transferred them onto a plate.

The sounds of battle came echoing from afar.

I poured more water into the pot I had removed the ingredients from, and then added frog meat, alpine leeks, and wild vegetables. Leaving the pot alone, I mixed and kneaded the already-boiled ingredients into fillings for the croquettes. It wasn’t difficult, but it was a lot of work because of the amount I had to make.

I rounded and shaped the fillings,

「So cold~」

「Argh, you’re in my way!」

I was having a hard time with Regure, who was hovering around me.

「Make something that can be eaten right away. Or else, I’ll start stealing the food you’re cooking」

「Tch」

Serving half-assed food would also annoy me, so I made something proper.

I put some crushed raspberries into red wine, and then brought it to a boil. After filling a cup with coarsely cut bread, I poured the hot wine into it. I stuck a spoon in it and handed it to Regure.

「Can't you make this a little sweeter?」

「Nope」

Regure ate while grumbling under her breath.

While taste-testing the soup, I added some herbs and a bit of rock salt. After that, I cut up some of the salted pork’s fat and added that in too. I used the vitamin-rich portion called salo(сало) in Russia.

I taste-tested it again.

It tasted similar to the soup of shio ramen. The herbs added a refreshing accent to the taste. Also, it lacked a thing or two, flavor-wise. But I would botch it up if I messed around with the flavors any more than this, so the frog and pork soup was completed.

I went back to making the croquette fillings.

I had a bit of a spur of the moment idea, and put cheese into several of the fillings.

「Regure, go take a quick look at how His Majesty's battle is going」

「Eeh, no way. It’s cold. Go take a look yourself」

「If I leave this spot, you’re going to steal food, aren’t you?」

「Of course」

「Then go. Or else, I’ll reduce your portion of the meal」

「………tsk」

Regure reluctantly went up the watchtower.

I had finished making the fillings and the oil was also at a good temperature.

「How long do you think it’ll be until it ends?」

「It’s already over. The enemies’ army has been reduced to about half its previous size」

I had thought that maybe the fallen snow would impede Verxina though. Or perhaps the enemy had also been in disarray because of the snow.

Well, as expected of His Majesty. He won again today.

I immediately started frying the croquettes.

I’ll serve the freshly fried ones to His Majesty and I’ll give his vassals the ones that had cooled a little. I’ll eat those that were left over after that.

I coated the fillings with the wheat and egg liquid mixture, and a thick coat of breading, then dropped them into the oil.

The pot was pretty big, so I could fry three at a time.

According to my grandfather, frying a lot at once is the height of folly. Frying is a process in cooking that could result in serious injury if something went wrong, so he harped on this a lot.

For a while, I paid close attention to the sound of the oil.

It's important not to fiddle with them in any way.

Oil and croquettes.

Right now, my world consists of nothing else,

「Hey, hey」

Nothing else,

「Hello~, hello~」

Nothing else, but……

「Come on~, hey, listen to me~」

「You’re so annoying. I’m not going to reply you if you keep getting in the way of my cooking」

……Regure had come down from the watchtower, and was fooling around with me.

It’s dangerous, so you’re going to get hurt if you come close to me while I’m frying stuff. Are you a damned child?!

「What did you talk about with the old man last night?」

I had thought that she was sound asleep, but it seems she was awake.

「I mean, you don’t even do anything to me at night. Do you prefer guys or something? Even then, you can’t possibly be interested in a shriveled up old man like that」

「I’m straight. Wait didn’t I already tell you that I’m married?」

「Yeah~, you’ve told me about that fantasy」

She doesn’t believe me at all……

「But~ you can’t make a pass at His Majesty, alright? Because I’m the one who is going to receive that person’s seed」

「Seed, you say……」

It’s a word that doesn’t have an ounce of romance in it.

Regure came up and hugged me from the front. She clung tightly to me. She was very much in my way.

「Then what does that mean for Shuna? I hate to say it, but he's head over heels in love with you. All the girls he takes an interest in are silver haired, just like you」

「St, stop it. Don't talk about Shuna right now」

Talking about Shuna is Regure’s weak point.

The topic of the conversation shifted to him. While we chatted, I continued to fry the croquettes.

「Urgh, kids are a pain to take care of, so three is the most I can handle. One child with His Majesty, and if Shuna becomes as strong as His Majesty, then well, I don’t mind bearing his child, I suppose」

「That’s quite……」

What a high bar to clear.

「From the eyes of someone in the same party as him, how is Shuna, in terms of strength?」

「He’s strong. Among the adventurers of the same age and race as him, he’s the most skilled」

「Then he still has a long way to go」

What a harsh assessment.

「I taught him everything I know. Though it’s ironic that the last user of the ancient Revaisu style beastkin sword techniques is a Hemu. Until he's strong enough to live up to that name, I'm not going to coddle him」

「Regure, if I’m not mistaken……」

「Hmm, did you hear about it from the old man?」

She had noticed that I was looking at her right arm.

「It was cut off once, but the old man reattached it using magic. The muscles and tendons didn't go back to normal though, so I can’t move it like I used to, but I can do the tricks of pleasing a man without problem」

「Is that how it is……」

Really, she’s a far cry from the image Shuna painted.

「Well, I’m strong, but it's not like I'm particularly proud of my strength. I’m female, so as can be expected, I want to give birth to a strong male child. I do feel a sense of responsibility from having inherited the sword techniques, but I've no interest in games of life and death. Well, I’ll fight if I’m definitely going to win though」

Surprisingly, she’s a realist.

One could also call her worldly, I suppose.

「Now, don’t you wonder why I’m all over you?」

「I wonder about it a lot. You’re an incredible bother」

Her long ears were blocking my sight and I couldn’t see the croquettes. Using her supposedly impaired right arm, Regure stroked my inner thigh.

Pulling her hand away forcibly when I’m in the middle of frying things is dangerous.

「Somehow~, I can pick up a smell from you that’s similar to that of the old man and the knights of St, Lyridias. A beast is a beast, but you give off a darker, unfathomable smell that feels like the deep azure moon」

「What on earth is that?」

I don't understand what you're saying at all.

「For these kinds of things, there’s a need to check it out by doing it once after all」

「There’s no such need」

I had burnt one of the croquettes.

「Regure, I’ll have you know that……」

Taking Rana as a given, the faces of Lanseal and Ea came to mind, and for unknown reasons, so did the faces of Bel, Tyutyu, Evetta-san, Zenobia, Frey and Lazarissa………the faces of those two didn’t.

If I had to choose based on favorability points, or rather, the current situation……

「……the only one for me is my wife, sister and mistress」

「Hey, do you know the meaning of the words “only one”?」

「Oh, err, accidentally……」

I had faithfully expressed my desires in my words.

Though for Lanseal, our relationship is only a planned, or rather attempted one.

「And so, of course I want His Majesty’s, but I started thinking that. as an alternative, it might also be interesting to bear your child, you see?」

「That will cause problems for me. I won't be able to show my face in front of Shuna」

「It’ll be fine. I won't be able to show my face in front of Shuna either」

That’s not good, is it?

「Hmm, don’t mind us」

Before we had realized, His Majesty and Zamonglass had returned.

Unlike last time, not one drop of blood had splashed onto His Majesty.

「Oww」

Regure stepped on my foot.

「Your Majesty~, it's not what it looks like. That guy Souya suddenly became horny and went into heat~」

While wriggling her hips, Regure snuggled up to His Majesty.

「That unbridled abandon is part of your charm. You may do as you please. It'll be a relief to me as well」

「Wait~!」

The way she’s clinging to His Majesty can never be shown to her disciple.

Shuna, you're going to be in for a hard time.

「I’ll test for poison」

Zamonglass munched noisily on a freshly fried croquette.

「Hey, that was a freshly fried one meant for His Majesty!」

「H, hot. Hmm, there’s cheese in it, I see」

「What’s more, you took one of the special ones. Or rather, wash your hands!」

These two teachers are just too much.

「Let’s see, I’ll have one too」

His Majesty was reaching out for one……

「Your Majesty! Please wash your hands! You’ll get a stomachache!」

……so I pushed him back with an angry look.

His Majesty was very pleased with the croquettes I made for breakfast.

It was such a relaxing time that one wouldn’t think that it was right after a battle, but that all ended after today.