Here it comes.

Where are we?
　When we arrived at our destination, Frank looked around and then asked me a question.
　I guess he thought the dungeon was in the city.
　And yet, when you're brought to a place surrounded by trees where there's no sign of anyone, let alone buildings, here, you're going to say, 'Where am I? That's right.

This is near the entrance to the mountain dungeon. See, you see the entrance over there?
　I dashed out of the forest onto the mountain path and pointed to a hole in the mountain like a tunnel.

"The entrance?　So, does that mean there's a dungeon beyond this?

That's right. The last boss is on top of this mountain.
　It looks like there's a dungeon in the mountains, and you have to go up the levels in the dungeon.
　By the way, the town near the dungeon is located at the foot of the mountain and is quite a big city.

It doesn't sound like it's going to be easy: ......

That's not true. We have a map and we know where the traps are. Besides, the demons in this dungeon are easy for us to defeat.
　Don't worry about it. We're not trying to take you to the Devil's Forest.

But it's me and Hermann's first time in the dungeon.

I'm not worried. I've done it before.
　And he was eight years old.

Your case is ...... well, all right. So what formation do you want to go in?
　Thinking I wasn't going to get through to him, Frank changed the subject with a resigned look on his face .
　The formation or ....... Well, there's only one choice.

Hermann in front, me in the middle, and Frank in the back, I guess.
　Herman at close range in front, Frank at long range in the back, and I in the middle who can do both.
　This is your only shot.

That's true, isn't it?
I understand.

So, let's get on with it.
　After the last strategy meeting before the challenge, we walked into the dungeon.

''Mm~. I'm very excited. I wonder what kind of battle awaits us now. ......
　I don't know what he looks like because he's in front of me, but I'm sure Hermann's face is nimble .
　I can tell just by the sound of his wry voice.

''Don't get your hopes up yet. The demon on the first floor is strong enough to take out anyone.
　I didn't want him to be disappointed with me later on, so I nailed it down for now.

'Really?　So how many floors do you have to start on for a toothsome demon then?

Maybe the boss. Oh, here he is.
　As I was answering Hermann's question, a couple of slimes jumped out at me.
　They're so tiny, they don't seem very threatening at all.

They really are slime.

It's slime all the way up to the fifth floor. So, it's more work than combat for the time being.
　All you have to do is crush the slime.
　If it's too much trouble, you can just walk by.

All right, master!　Can I try out the sword my master gave me?
　Despite my words, Hermann was having a blast on his own.
　There's no need to use a sword with a slime.

Yeah, ......, well, that's okay.
　I'm sure Herman will want to use his new sword.

Okay. Okay, let's see how sharp it is!
　After saying that, with a swing of the sword, the slimes cracked cleanly in half.

''Huh?''

Well, that's what slime is all about, isn't it?
　You'll never be able to test your sword against a slime.
　But it seems he felt something.

No. No. I couldn't feel a cut. Really, it was just a swing, and there was no resistance.
　Hermann turned around and was extremely excited, and happily showed me his sword.
　Ah!　Wait!　Don't swing your sword at me!　That's dangerous!

...... Hey. Leo, what powers does this sword contain?
　Seeing my panicked face, a dumbfounded Frank asked me a question .

''Oh, by the way, I didn't tell you yet . Um, ......


　Yes, ......, how do I explain this?

＜God's Sword Ralph.
　You can telepathic with its owner, but it won't speak to you until the sword recognizes its owner.
　It can cut almost anything in this world, and if you really swing it, you can make the slashes fly.
　This sword grows as it absorbs the magic and blood of the person it cuts, or as its owner grows.
　The shape of the sword changes with each stage of growth, increasing its sharpness, durability and usable ability.
　As it matures, it becomes the sword of God in name and in deed.
　Automatic repair function

　I'm pretty sure it's more awesome than Serena and Elena .
　After all, that nameless demon was an excellent material: .......
　This sword will be really scary when it matures.

"Hey, Leo!

Hmm?　Oh, I'm sorry. Let's see, the more you slay your enemies, the stronger your sword becomes. Also, it's enough to make the slashes fly if you swing really hard.
　Yeah, I'm not lying.

Are you sure you're bluffing?　Okay. I'll try.
　With that, Herman turned his body back to the opposite direction from where we were and raised his sword above his head.

　He gathered his energy and then swung his sword down with great gusto.
"Psst!

　Hermann swung his sword down, and a sharp slash flew vigorously from the tip of the divine sword .
''Whoa!''
　Don!
　The sound and impact of this was enough to cause Hermann, who was behind me, to yell out in surprise.
　It's no wonder. The wall of the dungeon, which would normally not break down, was cut deep and deep by a slash.

''That's amazing!　Now I can attack from a distance too!

Be careful with that normally, okay?
　Frank, who was slightly freaked out by the happy Hermann, warned him with a serious look on his face .
　Well, just by practicing his bare hands at school, he would deal a huge blow to the Imperial City .

''Ha, yes!''

You should normally use your regular sword in practice. It's the same size and weight.

Okay. I'll only use this sword if I really need it.
　Yeah, we'll do that.

So, now that I've finished checking the sword, I'm going to get to the tenth floor boss by the end of the day!

'Can you get there in time for today?　No, don't worry about it like this.
　Frank turned to Hermann and seemed to agree with my plan.

"Yes, sir. I feel like I can go at all . I can't wait to get upstairs so I can fight someone with more slashing power!
　So don't get your hopes up.

All right. All right, I'll look at the map, I'll give you instructions, you two take out any slime that comes your way.

Yes, sir.
I'll take care of it!


　Two hours later

　There was one incident where I misread the map and got lost, but I managed to get halfway to the target.
Okay, fifth floor is up. Next stop, goblins.

Are you still a goblin when you get to the fifth floor?

Well, this is commonly known as the beginner's dungeon. Apparently, if you can defeat the boss on the 20th floor here, you'll be recognized as a full-fledged adventurer.

'What?　Are you sure you want to crush a dungeon like that?

Well, there are a lot of adventurers out here trying to traverse this place, so I don't think you need to worry. And I'm sorry, but I'm just trying to protect something that belongs to me. A little resentment is better than someone dying.
　Because it is so easy to be considered a beginner's dungeon, this dungeon is often the one that adventurers who want to become a nobleman by stepping through the dungeon challenge the most.
　That's why I think it's something that will be trampled upon at some point, and I don't think the adventurers will hate us that much if we traverse it.

"Someone dies?　What do you mean?　You, are you deliberately trying to traverse a dungeon for some purpose?

'Yes. . Now that we've come this far, let me tell you: ...... Now, the Empire could be at war at any moment.

War?　Is there going to be a war?

Yeah. So, the war is against House Philibert and the kingdom.

What?　Did the Philibert family betray you?　No, that place has always been all about us: ......
　Frank, who knew the Philibert family well, convinced himself of his own words .

'Something like that . I think they made some kind of deal with the kingdom this time too. Right now, the knights of the kingdom are gathered in the Philibert territory.''



'Really? ....... There really is going to be a war, isn't there?

We're going to have to trudge through the dungeon now to make sure that doesn't happen.

What do you mean?　What's going to change as we trudge through this dungeon?

'Apparently, the kingdom is only sending people to this war, and the Filibert family will pay for all the financial aspects.

Oh, I see. You're going to reduce the Philibert family's money so they don't have to start a war?
　You're Frank, you're a very quick study.

"That's what I mean. Well, I don't think it's going to work out that way, but it'll just delay it. But that will give us time to prepare. And in the meantime, we just need to do something to interfere and keep the war from happening again.
　The rats that happened to sneak in will tell me everything about the other side, so this side will have a definite advantage in planning our strategy from now on.
　First, we need to destroy the future of losing by the most boring numbers.

I see. Then I'm sorry for the adventurers, but it can't be helped.

That's what I mean.
　When the war is over, I'll take care of it, including the land that the Philibert family destroyed, so just bear with me for a moment .

''Yeah ...... I have no idea what the masters are talking about .

Don't worry about it. I'm just trying to get through this dungeon now.
　I hope that Herman will continue to be my friend, an excellent disciple and my knight.

Yes, sir!　I understand.

Then we'll take down the boss by tonight!

"Oh!

'Oh!　Is that a goblin, perhaps?
　Maybe it was because we were talking so loudly, but there were four goblins approaching from the end of the road.

Yeah. Come on, let's just keep going. Turn right up there.
　As I answered Hermann's question, I let my magic fly and began to lead the way.

''Oh, I was going to take you down ......''
　Oops, I shouldn't.
　It was Hermann's job to take him down.

Well, he'll be out here soon, so don't worry about it. You're gonna have to fight like hell from now on.


　Three hours later

　In the second half of the game, I managed to reach the boss's room in the shortest distance without taking any wrong turns.
　Even so, the goblins, which require an extra step to defeat, unlike the slime that kills you if you step on it, came out, so it took me longer than expected.
　Will Hermann get bored of this?　But he seemed to enjoy beating it to the end.

'Is this the door to the boss?'
　Hermann, who was still going strong, banged on the big door, questioning me.

'Yes,'

"I knew he was the boss. This should be fun: ...... Huh?　Is that the boss?
　Hermann, who opened the door with enthusiasm, thinking that since he was the boss, there would be a strong demon inside, looked at the black goblin inside and made a face that said how anticlimactic it was .

''Yes, that's right. A black goblin, about as strong as ten normal goblins. That's a little better than before, right?

'Oh, really? ......?　Well then, try it out.
　Saying that, Hermann sent a slash through the air with the intention of being a check.

''Well, a mere ten times the size of a goblin is not much, though.
　I added my explanation as I looked at the black goblin that had been cut cleanly in half, unable to avoid it.

''Oh, no. ......
　Hermann was stunned as he watched the Kuro Goblin turn into particles of light .
　''That's why I told you not to expect anything but a rathboss.

''And the only reason I feel it's not enough is that Hermann's level has increased.
　It seemed troublesome to comfort Hermann, who had passed through disappointment and became dispirited, so I changed the subject to one that Hermann would be happy about.

''Oh, come to think of it, the original purpose was to level up. I'll check it out.
　As I expected, Hermann happily took out his status card and checked his level.

''Wow!　That's great, Master!　I'm already up to level 7!
　Yeah, I know, I saw it on the grading sheet.

"I've killed a lot of slimes and goblins on my way here. Considering the number of them we've killed, I think we should go up a bit more.
　Well, he can't get that much experience with that kind of weakness.

Is that so?　But my status has gone up tremendously!　If I'd only trained, I wouldn't have gone up this high.

'Well, it's easy to grow out of a good workout. All right, we're going to rest here today!　Both of you, into this tent.


　Then I pulled out my comfort zone.

"Huh?　Three people aren't going to fit in this tent, are they?
　I've been waiting for that response!

No, it's not. Come on, just come on in.
　I grinned a little and pushed them both towards the tent.

'Okay, don't push me.'
Excuse me.

"What?
　The two men stuck their faces in the tent and both squealed in surprise at the same time.

'Well?　It's a house inside the tent.

'I thought it was just a magic item anyway, but it's more than I imagined: ....... Totally, if Leo were here, the dungeon attack would feel like a field trip.

Well. What's wrong with having fun and being safe?
　Besides, it's a bit of a stretch for a duke's boy to sleep in the field, isn't it?

'Yeah, but you know what? ......'

'Wow!　Master, you even have a bath!　Plus, there's hot water!
　Just as Frank was about to complain, he got a startled cry from Hermann, who had gone in first.

'You have a bath too? ......

Not bad, right?　We'll take a bath in the bathtub in order after we eat.

I understand!

Totally. ....... We'll play rock-paper-scissors to decide the order.
　What's going on?
　What's going on? You're going after the first bath.

　Then, after a fair game of rock-paper-scissors, the first bath belongs to Hermann.