The new chapter begins.
“Kaido-senpai, that’s a trap three steps ahead!”
“M-Min-chan? I-I can’t move any further without bending in a direction I shouldn’t!”
“Ah, Kaido-senpai, that’s no good. If you straighten up there, the sensor will activate and it’ll be game over! Keep trying! Your adorable self will cheer you on, so challenge the mysteries of humanity a little more!”
“You’re so detached about it!”
“You guys!! Stop messing around and open the door already!”
As the winter cold began to ease, and though the spring breeze had yet to arrive, the signs of spring were just seconds away.
Today, like every day, my party and I were engrossed in conquering the dungeon.
“Hurry!! We can’t hold out much longer over here!!”
“Th-there are too many of them.”
“No matter how much we hit them, their numbers don’t decrease.”
While the surroundings leisurely awaited spring, we were in a dire pinch. We had successfully progressed smoothly, reaching the seventy-fifth floor, when we fell into a crisis due to a trap that blocked our path. As we ascended these floors, the abundant magical energy within them empowered the monsters, and the traps became more intense and varied. Even with constant vigilance and the mindset of always being on the battlefield, mistakes happen. This time, we fell for a trap that might be considered classic, but perhaps simple truly is best. We were caught by a trap that, due to its simplicity, limited our options for dealing with it. The switch was cleverly hidden, evading Minami’s and Amelia’s detection, and Kaido stepped right into it. It was a room about ten meters square. There were entrances on all four sides, but all except the one we entered from were dead ends. As we tried to retreat, Kaido stepped on the trigger, the entrance we came from was sealed, and the ceiling began to fall.
“Damn it, this is heavy!”
The ceiling of the ten-meter square room. I don’t know the exact height, but if I tried to cleave through this heavy ceiling carelessly, I might get buried alive. While it would normally be impossible for a single person to support this, I was truly thankful for my magically enhanced body. Thanks to it, I could support the ceiling alone. Northimiya, Katsu, and Amelia were dealing with the four-legged scorpion-like golems that were pouring out from the three dead-end passages. Kaido and Minami were tasked with disarming the ceiling-dropping trap. We were divided into three teams to handle the situation. They certainly don’t pull any punches with traps like this, do they? Recently, the facilities within the dungeons have been truly brutal. As someone who drafts reports and designs dungeons for heroes, I can only say it’s unavoidable, but experiencing it firsthand is, frankly, tough. I’d probably get lectured by the instructor for not perfecting my skills, but I kept those thoughts to myself.
“Leader, it’ll be over soon, so please hold on!”
“You said that thirty minutes ago! How much longer will it actually take?!”
“Kaido-senpai is about to break the limits of human joints!”
“I won’t break!”
Perhaps it was a rescue switch for allies, possibly malfunctioning, but that passage was also booby-trapped, and a human would activate it. Kaido was navigating the path that the scorpion-like golems swarming before us could easily traverse, using his entire range of motion in his joints to avoid the traps. Along the way, Kaido used his magical shield as a wall to lean on or as a handhold, employing various tricks to advance. Meanwhile, I grit my teeth, veins bulging, enhancing my entire body with magic in my arms and legs, locked in a desperate struggle against the weight of the ceiling that allowed no room for even a slight advantage. Though my magically enhanced body boasts above-average specs, I am frequently put on the defensive by these simple attacks.
“Jiro-san!! It’s becoming difficult for Katsu and Amelia to fight. A little more height, please!”
“Crap!! Just gotta power through!!”
The opponents were four-legged golems that could fight even with a lowered ceiling. Furthermore, for their small size, they were highly effective, and defeating them required considerable effort. Their armor, venomous tails, and the agility inherent in their small stature made them formidable. On top of that, there were many of them. Katsu and Amelia stood at the forefront, holding back the enemies, while Northimiya annihilated them. Northimiya, Minami, Amelia, Katsu, and the contracted spirits – Snow, the Ice Spirit; Yura, the Cloud Spirit; Mizusuke, the Water Spirit; Uin, the Wind Spirit; and Hayate, the Fire Spirit – were all fighting desperately. However, the sheer number of enemies meant they could only just manage to hold them back. On our side, we are built for bipedal combat. Even if one is short, without sufficient height, one cannot unleash their full power. Normally, Kaido and I would be at the front lines maintaining the battle, but I couldn’t move due to supporting the ceiling. Kaido, not having enough height to move freely, was fully focused on disarming the trap. That’s why we’re arranged like this. Every time I tried to lift the ceiling even a little to secure more height, my muscles groaned.
“A little more, just a little more!”
“You can do it, Kaido-senpai!”
Our only hope was the disarming switch located beyond the hidden door that Minami found. Laid out across the path to the disarming switch were invisible magical sensors, like something out of a spy movie. Minami was providing support, and Kaido, contorting himself into strange positions, was reaching for the switch. As soon as that was pressed, this ceiling should have returned to normal.
“I pressed it!”
This long-awaited voice of hope reached me as I endured the weight.
“Ooooh, yeah!”
Is this what liberation feels like? The weight vanished from my arms, and the ceiling began to return to its original position. Finally, I could return to my primary duty: wielding the Ore Tree.
“You guys… you really did it this time.”
Casting aside the fact that we were trapped, I stepped forward with a smile, ready to unleash the frustration of not being able to move freely onto the golems who had caused us so much trouble. It was certainly impressive that they managed to incapacitate me, the party’s strongest combatant, even temporarily, but that was all. While my work brain considered adding this to my report so that this aspect could be improved, for now…
“Prepare yourselves and be annihilated!!”
Thus began my quest to turn the golems before me into scrap. I’m sure my lips were curving into a perfect crescent moon.
“Ah, I’m so tired. I worked hard today!”
“Yeah, good job. Minami, we’re done. Everyone can go home for today.”
Despite the pinch we were in, today ended as usual. Safely back from the dungeon, we finished writing our dungeon improvement reports and were now chatting leisurely in the party room. Minami, who had a sudden flash of inspiration while working on the report, indicated by a lightbulb appearing over her head, had redone her report, and finally, all reports were completed. Seeing Minami, brimming with energy and excitement from her liberation from work, I glanced at the clock. Surprisingly, considering she redid the report, it was finished considerably earlier than usual. Still, it was within the acceptable range. Determining that it was time to go home, I announced the dissolution of the party.
“Oh! Leader, is that okay?! Alright, Katsu~ let’s go home!”
“Ah, sorry. I have plans today, so Minami, you go ahead.”
“Ehh, then I’ll come with you to your plans.”
“No, it’s just a small errand. Well then, Jiro-san, I’ll be heading out.”
“Alright, good work.”
As expected, whenever there aren’t any group plans, Minami is usually the first to want to enjoy her free time. And normally, she’d head home with Katsu.
“I got rejected again today, Minami-chan, *guk*!?”
“Hmph! Lolicon senpai, shut up.”
Recently, my attempts have been met with airballs.
“R-Rebound, and in a physically reinforced state, that’s bad!”
“Hmm, but lately, Katsu-kun seems a little off, don’t you think? Before, he used to go home with Minami all the time. And lately, he seems to be acting alone more often.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
That flow is also slightly different. Leaving Kaido, who made a joke to lighten the mood in a situation that wasn’t really funny, we were all worried about Katsu’s recent behavior.
“Hmph, hmph, Katsu’s been less cooperative lately!”
“Maybe he’s tired of taking care of you?”
“What did you say, Northimiya!?”
“Stop it, Northimiya. It’s in bad taste to say that when you know what’s going on.”
Consequently, the role of mediating between Northimiya and Minami, which is usually mine, is absent, and occasionally, Minami reverts to her true self and gets angry.
“Hmph, Jiro-san, you too. You know what Katsu-kun’s plans are, don’t you?”
“Well, I do.”
“It’s time to confess, Jiro-san. Even I, as tolerant as I am, am reaching my limit of overlooking this.”
As for what Katsu is doing, resorting to such a transparent lie, I actually know. However, if you ask me whether I can say it here…
“It concerns Katsu’s personal matters. I really can’t say.”
I can only answer that I can’t say. It’s been about a month since Katsu started acting like this. Minami and Northimiya, who had been turning a blind eye to what Katsu had been trying to hide, despite their clumsy efforts, were now reaching their limit. However, given the nature of the matter, I couldn’t just blurt out the details.
“Well, he’s not doing anything strange. Please wait a little longer.”
All I could do was offer a wry smile and try to extend the period during which they could tolerate this.
“…Fine.”
“Minami?”
“Hmm, is he really not doing anything strange?!”
“Yes, I can guarantee that.”
“…Then, I’ll give you, the leader, face.”
As the one in charge of unifying this party, mediating these situations is part of my role. They are only acting this way because they are worried about Katsu. I strongly suspect they are upset because he won’t confide in them, even though I think he should consult them if he has any problems. Minami, due to her long-standing and close relationship, is likely experiencing unrequited love, while Northimiya, perhaps due to her romantic feelings for Himusumi, a childhood friend who seems to be flirting with someone else, has become timid.
“I’m going home.”
“I’m going home too.”
“Ah, wait, Karen-chan. Minami-chan. I’m going home too!”
“Alright, good work.”
Watching the three of them leave reluctantly, their fate uncertain, I heard the click of the closing door.
“Ah, youth.”
I murmured, unheard by anyone. I used to be right there alongside that youth, moving energetically, but I suppose I’m getting old. Now, I often find myself in a position to quietly watch over such scenes.
“S-Senpai, a potion.”
“Here you go. Honestly, you never learn, do you?”
I don’t know if he heard my earlier words, but as I tended to Kaido, who was writhing under the desk, I took a potion from the refrigerator and forced it into his mouth. After chugging it down, the pain finally subsided, and Kaido was able to sit up.
“I c-can’t help it! I have to hide Katsu-kun’s secret!”
“Even so, I think there are better ways to go about it.”
I’ve recently started to suspect that Kaido, who takes the brunt of Minami’s frustrations by pretending to be hurt every time, might be a masochist. However, since his actions are effective in preventing them from investigating Katsu, I haven’t said anything. As I set Kaido, who was rubbing his sore spots, aside, I lit a cigarette and recalled that day.
“Excuse me, Jiro-san, I need to talk to you.”
It was about two weeks after our training ended. My relationship with Evia had reached a turning point, and the instructors were teasing me. Behind the scenes, discussions about my relationship with Evia had begun to progress. That day, Katsu, usually so serious, had an unusually somber expression. I was working in the party room when Kaido left early. Minami and the others weren’t scheduled to come either, so I was leisurely tending to the Ore Tree alone. He arrived dressed in his school uniform, clearly having come from school. Katsu, who usually spoke his mind clearly, seemed hesitant, unsure whether to speak or not. Sensing something was amiss, I extinguished my freshly lit cigarette, interrupted my work, locked the room, and faced him.
“Did something happen?”
“No, nothing has happened…”
Slowly and patiently, I waited for Katsu to speak. A minute, then two passed. Katsu searched for words and finally opened up about what he wanted to discuss.
“Jiro-san, am I necessary for this party?”
It was the kind of question that merited an immediate “yes,” but Katsu’s expression wasn’t bright enough for me to simply answer and be done with it.
Today’s Word:
A slight difference in perspective can lead to a significant difference in action.
That’s all for this time.
Thank you as always for pointing out typos and for your feedback.
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*The first volume of the novel has been published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It was released on October 18, 2018.
The e-book version was released on October 31 of the same year.
Volume 2 was released on December 19.
Volume 3 was released on February 20, 2019.
The content includes revisions and additions to the material originally posted on Shōsetsuka ni Narō, along with the inclusion of unpublished interlude chapters.
Please look forward to the new releases!
A manga adaptation is also decided to be published in the September issue of Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”
We hope you will enjoy that as well.
We ask for your continued support of this work.
