Chapter 428
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Dungeon of Scorching Heat (7)
“”So warm!””
“Yeah, it’s a bit too warm~”
After conquering the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors in a single day, we took a slightly longer nap before heading to the eleventh floor. I thought it would be nice to return to the town since it’s a nice round number, but everyone was strongly against it, so we decided to continue conquering.
The eleventh floor seemed to be a bit warmer than the odd-numbered floors we’ve been through so far. We were informed that it was about the same, but it seems a little different. We’ll have to make sure not to forget to take breaks for hydration frequently.
(Uwah~ It’s so hot here~)
(Yeah.)
(So hot~)
Joule, Feat, and Radian seemed to be struggling a bit.
“Are you guys okay? What should we do? How about you stay in my shadow?”
(N~ I think we’re still fine here. If it gets any hotter, we’ll obediently retreat to the shadow~)
(Yeah, we can endure a bit longer.)
(… Muu~)
Joule and Feat didn’t seem inclined to go back yet, but Radian seemed unsure.
“Radian, you don’t have to push yourself.”
(… Stay with everyone~)
It seems he didn’t want to be the only one to retreat into the shadow.
“Joule, can you create small ice crystals with your ice magic?”
(Small ones? They’ll melt right away, you know?)
“It’s okay if they melt. Ideally, something like shaved ice. Or can you make it snow, even lightly, with your magic?”
I can use various types of magic, but unfortunately, I can’t use ice magic. So, I’m asking Joule. However, I’m not sure if he can create snow that falls lightly with his magic.
(Ah, I see! That sounds refreshing. Snow, huh~ Blizzards are a no-go, though. I’ve experienced a fierce blizzard before.)
“I must say, let’s not do fierce blizzards.”
(Hahaha~)
… I feel like we would freeze before we could enjoy the coolness.
(Um… ah! There’s a good spell! ――Ice Mist.)
Joule, who had been thinking for a moment, seemed to come up with something and used magic, causing powdery snow to dance around.
(Oh, it’s working well. Originally, it’s a magic that blinds the opponent’s vision, but when I weakened it, it turned out to be just right for cooling off.)
“Oh, this is great! You’re amazing, Joule!”
In reality, it would have caused snow to fall so heavily that the surroundings would be completely obscured, but thanks to Joule’s adjustment, it became pleasantly cool.
“”Oh, it’s beautiful~””
(It’s cooler now~ Joule Onii~chan, awesome~)
(You’re welcome. But, even if I say so myself, this is pretty good. From now on, let’s use it occasionally to cool off.)
(Yes, let’s do that. Please take care of us, Joule.)
With a means to cool off in hand, we continued on briskly.
“”Oniicha~n, we found a treasure chest over there~””
(Over there~)
It seems there was a treasure chest. Allen, Elena, and Radian were happily shouting.
“I’ll check for traps, so don’t open it just yet, okay?”
“”(Okay~)””
Once I confirmed that the treasure chest was safe, the children immediately opened it.
““(N~? What’s this~?)””
“Let me see? Is this… a kinchaku for rings or something?”
The contents of the treasure chest was nothing more than a small pouch that could barely hold a single coin.
(What’s a kinchaku?)
(Isn’t it more like a pouch in shape?)
(It’s small, isn’t it?)
(There’s nothing that can fit in here, right?)
(Could it even hold a single gem?)
Joule and the others also gathered around, peering into the treasure chest and pondering the use of the pouch.
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“Huh!? Oh!”
(Oniichan, what’s wrong?)
“This is a Magic Bag!”
(Oh my! There are even Magic Bags small like this?)
“That’s right. Rather, it doesn’t even have the shape of a bag.”
Upon closer examination with Appraisal, it turned out that the tiny pouch was indeed a Magic Bag. It had a capacity comparable to a small room, and there seemed to be no time delay.
“Too bad. The functionality isn’t that great~”
(So it doesn’t hold much?)
“It’s about the size of a small room. But there’s no time delay.”
(I see~ So, it’s not that easy to come across high-quality magic bags or magic rings~)
“That seems to be the case. Oh, but… I wonder if this size is just right for Mile to carry?—Mile, I can attach a strap if you want to carry it. What do you think?”
While the functionality isn’t great, with a bit of adjustment like adding a strap, wouldn’t it turn into a pochette suitable for Mile? Since Mile is small and carrying things can be tough for her, this might make it easier.
(Is it okay? In that case, I’ll take it!)
“Of course, it’s okay. Give me a moment.”
There aren’t many options, but I believe there were several types of straps in my Infinite Storage. Oh, a ribbon might work too.
“Mile, which one do you like?”
(Well, the magic bag is brown, so… this one would be nice!)
“Got it. Now, about the length… How about this?”
I promptly sewed the beige strap that Mile chose onto the magic bag. This is something I can handle. Having a complete set of sewing tools sure came in handy~
“How does it look like this?”
(It looks great! Thank you, Takumi Nii!)
Mile happily put the flute she had been wearing around her neck into the magic bag.
“Food and perishables won’t work since they can spoil, but I’ll make sure you carry everything else that is necessary. Oh, right! I haven’t given anything to Bolt, either!”
Convenience of transportation! I had forgotten to give Bolt the essential items for daily life and emergency tools. Towels, leather bags, baskets, empty bottles, and knives, though I’m not sure if they’ll be useful. Magic tools like water flasks, glow balls, smoke bombs, and fire stones are necessary. Let’s also prepare some long-lasting medicine just in case. Bolt and Mile can use the mermaid bracelets themselves too, and it wouldn’t hurt to have some money in case of emergencies.
… Just thinking about it, there are quite a few items to prepare~
“We can’t start organizing the luggage here, though… —Alright! Everyone, let’s conquer the eleventh floor quickly!”
“”((((((Yes!))))))””
As per my request, we swiftly conquered the eleventh floor, and then we all brainstormed and organized our belongings.
◇ ◇ ◇
We conquered the twelfth floor rather swiftly and arrived at the thirteenth floor.
“”We caught up~””
“Huh? You caught up…? Wait, you mean with Sieg-san’s group?”
“”Yeah!””
It seemed that Allen and Elena had been chasing after Sieg-san’s “Ice Blade” party. No wonder they were advancing through the floors so quickly.
“… I was just thinking you guys were in the mood to go quick.”
Exploring one floor thoroughly and finding the next one as fast as possible were two different approaches, and the children’s actions varied depending on the circumstances. Right now, I thought they were in a “quick” mood.
“Do you guys want to conquer it together?”
“”Yeah! Let’s go together~””
“I see. But I think Sieg-san’s group is probably somewhere on this floor by now… Will you be able to find them?”
“”Will find them~””
With great enthusiasm, Allen and Elena started walking… They’ll probably find them, I guess~
“”There!””
“Wow~ you really found them~…”
And during our exploration of the thirteenth floor, Allen and Elena discovered the “Ice Blade” party. Even faster than I had anticipated.
“””””Eh!?”””””
The members of Sieg-san’s group who were called out to had their mouths wide open in surprise, seemingly frozen in shock.