“W-What should we do?”
“Nothing in particular. We’ll proceed as planned and adapt as needed.”
“Adapt? You mean come up with some countermeasures?”
Imagining the trouble that was about to happen made my head ache, but in the end, I decided to proceed with the work as usual.
“How? We don’t know what the opponent is, what the environment is like, or how much time we have. Should we stop, proceed, or turn back? Can we take any countermeasures in a situation where we lack information to make such judgments?”
“No, we can’t. But then, how about we go back and search for a way to deal with it?”
“Normally, that would be an option.”
While conversing, we could proceed to the instructor’s location by following Valse’s navigation as planned.
Eshlee, who knew we were sinking deeper into the Chaos, probably saw me as an inflexible man just trying to push through with his work as scheduled.
“Then…”
“That’s assuming we’re operating under normal circumstances.”
Eshlee’s words, “It might be dangerous, so we should gather more information and try again,” were not wrong.
However, that premise only held true under normal circumstances.
I seized upon this and, cutting off Eshlee’s words that were about to gain momentum, denied them.
“Where are we?”
“In the Chaos.”
“Exactly. Does Eshlee know everything that’s in this Chaos?”
“No, I don’t.”
“That’s the point. The training we received was designed to help us cope, even if just a little, with the Chaos, which even the Demon Lord’s Army with its long history hasn’t fully grasped. Don’t you think that ‘a little’ includes encountering dangerous creatures?”
“I don’t think it doesn’t.”
The response training, which could be described as excessive, personally administered by the President.
Considering that, if we turned back at the slightest trouble, we would never be able to rescue the instructor.
“Then shouldn’t we hurry instead?”
“That’s also no good. ‘Haste makes waste,’ as a proverb from my country goes. If we lose our pace here and end up without any reserve energy, we won’t have the capacity to deal with the trouble I mentioned earlier.”
Impatience is the enemy.
It might seem like a good idea to hurry and complete the rescue before anything happens, but my intuition warns me that it’s the wrong approach.
“Valse-san, combine the location of the detected reaction, the instructor’s location, and our current position. What’s the relative distance?”
“The distance between the Contractor-san and that undead is the shortest. The next closest is probably you and the other reaction. However, in the Chaos, the concept of distance becomes vague, so be careful because it can suddenly get farther or closer.”
“Understood.”
It’s best to be overly sensitive to your danger-sensing abilities in times like these.
Fortunately, the distance to the instructor is farther for the other party.
In that case, we can manage.
Or so I thought, but the Chaos was a more brutal place than I had imagined.
“Um…”
“What is it?”
“How long have we been wandering?”
The field of vision was pitch-black. As we moved, guided by Valse’s detection ability to ascertain our general location within such a space, our sense of time completely disappeared.
“Sixteen hours since we submerged.”
“We haven’t even been here a full day yet.”
There had been no trouble since the initial report of encountering it.
The magic power to maintain the barrier still had plenty of reserves.
Thanks to thorough preparation, we also had plenty of physical stamina.
However, the enclosed space, the unchanging scenery, and the eerie silence that seemed to absorb all sound.
Such an environment was mentally painful.
Eshlee, feeling as if they had been wandering for days, was losing vigor in their voice.
Honestly, I thought it would be quite stressful for me too, mentally. But thanks to the baseless swinging I did during Valse-san’s contract trial, I’ve become accustomed to enduring such monotonous states in special spaces for extended periods.
Yeah, I’m showing my talent in the worst possible way.
“Eshlee, take a deep breath.”
“That won’t do any good…”
“Just do it.”
“…”
Unlike me, who had the composure, Eshlee, after less than a day, was mentally breaking down, and the quality of the barrier had deteriorated compared to when we entered the Chaos.
Magic is heavily influenced by one’s mental state.
What is needed now is to maintain a barrier of a certain output for a prolonged period.
If the effectiveness is diminished due to stress, we could be in danger if something happens.
I felt irritated, but perhaps due to my strong tone and my existing stress tolerance, I could clearly hear Eshlee taking deep breaths behind me.
However, I could understand that irritation.
I’ve heard that ordinary people can’t stay in a soundproof room, where sound is completely absorbed, for even thirty minutes.
Considering that we’ve been here more than ten times that duration, her stress tolerance and mental independence are quite remarkable.
“…Excuse me.”
“Ah, you held out well.”
“…Why are you so unfazed?”
With me sounding so calm in a situation of extreme stress, Eshlee started to feel irritated again, with a hint of dissatisfaction.
“I have experienced a prolonged period in a similar environment. It was brighter than this place and there was no risk of dying. Frankly, if I wanted to, I could have retired from the situation.”
“That’s completely different from now!”
“I told you, it was a similar environment. It was vast like the Sea of Chaos, with nothing and an unchanging landscape that stretched on endlessly. We weren’t allowed to sleep or even faint. It was a world of nothingness created solely to escape. If this is a dangerous space because there is too much, then that was a mad space because there was nothing.”
I didn’t dwell on that point.
I calmly, and in a slightly softer tone, explained why I could maintain my composure.
During Valse-san’s trial, I was truly desperate.
I didn’t want to leave Suella and the others behind.
That was the only thought I had, and by desperately clinging to it, I managed to form a contract with Valse-san.
If something like absorbing the dragon’s blood had happened before I contracted with Valse-san, I probably wouldn’t have undergone Valse-san’s trial.
In that case, I wouldn’t have achieved this quality of swordsmanship.
I would have probably lost to the instructor as well.
And more importantly, I wouldn’t have been able to save Instructor Fushio.
Even if I had volunteered, I might have gone insane from stress before Eshlee did.
In short, it’s a difference in experience.
“…Then, please teach me some way to cope.”
“A way to cope, a way to cope…”
Relying on that experience, if I were to suggest a coping mechanism.
“Continue conversations that don’t waste unnecessary energy but also aren’t devoid of emotion, to keep your spirits up?”
“Then, I request some romance stories.”
“Ehh, of all things, romance stories in a place like this?”
I argued that simply talking about enjoyable things would be efficient.
Unlike Valse-san’s trial, this time I had someone to talk to.
That alone would make me feel much better mentally.
I could talk to Valse-san if I wanted to, but through the contract, we’ve created a connection to the Spirit World within this barrier. I’m receiving remote navigation from Valse-san in the Dungeon Core room.
I have a feeling Valse-san would have the余裕 for some small talk.
“It’s fine, isn’t it? When I first met you that day, I thought Mary-san was your lover, but when I met you on Earth, you had already tricked two other women into your clutches. While thinking in my cell about how you were manipulating three women, I saw five women seeing you off for this job. It makes me so curious.”
As I shifted the conversation in that direction, Eshlee, with a somewhat resentful aura emanating from behind me, seemed to be nearing critical stress levels.
“It seems you had quite an enjoyable time while I was diligently serving God and appeasing those pig-like individuals.”
What is it? Can this person not be serious at all?
Common sense dictates that in a place where one wrong step could lead to certain death, requesting romance stories suggests extreme stress.
“Yes, yes, I understand, I understand. I’ll talk, so talk I will. But in return, maintain the barrier properly.”
“I understand.”
Pondering how it came to this, I slightly tilted my head, and in order, starting with Suella, then Memoria, Himik, Evia, and Keiri, I told them how our current relationships came to be.
If I were to tell them the entire duration of our relationships, it would be quite a way to pass the time.
“Haa, why did I confine myself to an environment with only women?”
However, as a result of this time-killing, Eshlee’s mood inexplicably plummeted, and conversely, the barrier started to solidify more than before. It was strange.
“I too wanted to get married and have children before I became too old…”
I’ve thought this for a while, but perhaps Eshlee is me in another world.
I felt a strange sense of kinship with the murmurs exhaled with sighs.
The differences are that we are of different genders, and our living environments are Isal and Japan.
However, there are too many similarities.
Specifically, the parts where we are corporate slaves and prone to worrying.
More specifically, the subtle talent of being able to adapt by telling ourselves to endure even in a dangerously toxic workplace.
Eshlee might be harboring similar feelings.
I’m sure I could share a good drink with this person.
Such thoughts crossed my mind.
“Well, you know. If this mission is successful and you are protected by the President, you can look for a husband. If you’re worried, I’ll introduce you to some good guys.”
That’s why my language, which had been gruff moments ago, softened slightly into one of sympathy.
I knew deep down they weren’t a bad person.
“Couldn’t you at least say something like ‘you could come to me’?”
“Five wives. Seriously, if I increase that number, my wives will stab me.”
“Are you saying I’m not attractive?”
“On the contrary, can you defeat my wives?”
“Why do all the good catches get taken?”
“Well, desirable properties are wanted by many people.”
It’s just that, somehow, the timing has been quite bad.
Even though I, with my luck rating in the single digits, am saying this, I don’t think Eshlee is that lucky either.
Still, I met Suella and the others, so I don’t think she won’t meet someone good.
Even now, while proceeding through the Chaos as planned with caution, the atmosphere has lightened considerably.
“Ugh, it’s war here too. The teacher said the same thing.”
“Or rather, as a saintess, shouldn’t you be flooded with proposals from men?”
“Those are always preceded by ‘coming from nobility’.”
“I’m sorry, somehow.”
“Don’t apologize, it makes me feel pathetic.”
It’s an interesting situation where two parties, who are incompatible in their positions, are cooperating like this.
One is completely bound by a contract, but let’s not dwell on that.
“By the way, as someone from Isal, is marrying a demon race acceptable?”
“…Now that you mention it, I’ve never considered it.”
I pose straightforward questions to distract myself.
“Physically, I’d prefer to avoid undead. Also, orcs and goblins, and those with scales are out. And hairy ones too…”
“You have a lot of demands. If you’re going to be that specific, tell me your preferences instead.”
And so, we exchanged lighthearted conversation during a dangerous mission.
Today’s Word: Haste is the enemy.
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