"Oh, ...... treasure chest. How long has it been?
"Except for the one in the boss room, we haven't found it since the tenth level, so it's been a year.

　Yuki was the one who immediately replied to my words.
　I see, it's been that long.

　I had found a lot of things up to the tenth layer, but I hadn't seen them for a while now, probably because the grassland area had continued.

　A treasure chest in the meadow.
　If it doesn't match, it doesn't match.

I'll check it out. ...... Oh?　It's .......
What's up?

　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.

"Nao, would you like to take a look?

　I did as he asked and examined the treasure chest. .......

I'm not sure if it's a trap or not.
It's a trap, isn't it?　It's a trap, isn't it?

　I've opened a lot of treasure chests in my life.
　I've opened a lot of treasure chests in my life, and none of them had traps, so I had a strong sense of "just in case.
　But still, he was sure he was doing the right thing.

"Poisonous needle, right?
Right?　The kind that pops out when you try to open the lock.

　It's the kind of trap where you put a wire or something in the keyhole to unlock a treasure chest, and a poisonous needle comes flying out.

"Oh, first time with a lock!　First time with a trap!　I can't wait to see what's inside!
No, it's up to me and Natsuki to deal with it.

　You sound happy.　Tohya.
　--I agree with you.



"That's just a trap with poisonous needles flying at us, isn't it?　Then why don't we just point it towards the wall and pry it open from behind?

...... No, you could, but Yuki, you're being so defensive, aren't you?

　If it's trapped, disarm it.
　If it's locked, open it.
　It's a game that completely ignores such conventions.

　But in fact, there are various tools used to cut down wood, so it is possible to pry open the trap, and in extreme cases, there is a way to cut off the lid with my Plane Shift.

　There is. .......

No, let's try to disarm it. This time, but for the future, you may need to improve your skills.

I agree. If you can afford it, you should do it.

　There's no harm in being prepared for situations where you can't use magic or don't have various tools, like the current situation where transference is blocked. If you want to continue to be an adventurer.

　Also, if you're not Natsuki, but if you're caught by bad guys and have to escape from a prison.
　I don't want that to happen.

"Right. If it's a poisonous needle, I've got Cure Poison, so I should be fine.

If Nao and Natsuki are okay with it, why would I be against it?

I'll give it a try then. I'll give it a try, but please stay away from everyone except Nao-kun.

　In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find out more about it here.

"Stone ......?

　What was inside the treasure chest was a stone-like object that somehow fit in the palm of my hand.
　It looked black and weighed about the same as a normal stone.
　When I turned it over, it was still stony.
　It was also stone-like to the touch and other things.

"What is this?　Toya, can you tell?

　I couldn't make a decision, so I handed it to Toya, who also twisted his head.

"Which ...... stone?


No, I know what that is.
Let me have a look.　Hmmm, ......?

　I went around from Yuki to Natsuki, Haruka, Mitya and the others in turn, but all of them couldn't figure out who it was.

　My [help], Toya's and Yuki's [appraisal], [alchemy] and [pharmacy] skills can only determine that it is a stone, so it is, to say the least, 'unidentifiable'.

　And to put it simply, it is 'just a stone'.

"What do we do?

　What do we do?" Toya asks as he plays with the stone, but we can't come up with an answer, so we look at each other and groan.

If it was really just a stone, we would have thrown it away. ...... Is it in the treasure chest?　It's just a rock?

"Hard to imagine, right?

Yes. In addition to the key, the trap is also attached to the trash, no matter how nasty .......

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it's a good idea.

I'm not sure what to make of this. Fortunately, the weight is not so important to us.

"Well. It's best to have a professional take a look.

Okay, got it. I'm a little disappointed, but let's get back on track and move on!　Next!

　We nodded to Toya, who clapped his hands to change the atmosphere, threw the stone into the magic bag, and resumed our search, but...



"Hey, another rock?
Yes.

　We continued our search for another three days while eliminating the Stone Golem.
　We found a total of five treasure chests, but what came out of them were always stones.

　We all scrutinized the first two, but after that, we started taking them out of the treasure chests and going straight to the magic bags almost straight away.

　All the treasure chests had locks and traps, so it was a good way to improve our skills, but since all we found were stones, the party members were not excited.

"Then put this away in your bag...
"Wait a minute!

　I was about to throw the stone into my magic bag, but Toya grabbed my hand and took the stone out of my hand and stared at it intently.



What's up, Toya? What's on your mind?
...... Oh, it's a garnet in the rough.
Garnet. ...... What?　A gem?　Seriously?

　I took back the stone Toya was holding and held it up to the light. ...... Is this a gem?
　It looks a little reddish-black, but that's it.
　It doesn't look like a gem to my eyes.

"Wait, Nao?　Can I see it?
Yeah, I can't miss it when I hear it's a gem.

　The women, who had almost completely lost interest in the stones that kept appearing, suddenly got a twinkle in their eyes and approached - or rather, pressed - me.

"Oh, yeah. Have a look.

　There's no good in disobeying.

　Knowing this, I handed the stone to Haruka and stepped aside, retreating to Toya's side.

　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.

　Yes, Mary and Mitya joined in.
　Even though they are still small, they seem to be interested in jewelry.

　Although, for Mitya, it's a little unclear whether her interest is in jewelry as an ornament or as a source of money.

"Toya, are you appraising?

Yeah. I didn't look at it and judge it, so I'm sure of it.

At first glance, it's just a rock.

There's a little gem-like light. Maybe there's another stone around it.

　Okay, so it's just a lump of stone with a gem in it.

That means... The stones we've found so far, if you break them open, you'll find--
"Please wait!

　Haruka and the other three shouted in unison.



I don't agree with amateurs messing around with things.
No. Gems are more susceptible to shock than you think. We don't recommend breaking them ourselves.
Let the professionals do it!
Oh, yeah. ......

　I had no intention of breaking it myself or doing it right now, but Haruka and the others were so powerful that I didn't say anything else and just nodded my head.

　I guess Haruka and the others find jewelry attractive too.

　In the event that you've got enough money, you don't seem to be buying expensive accessories, unlike Toya, who poured it into the ...... brothel.

This is making me look forward to the treasure chest and returning to town.

Yes!　I was starting to think, "Who cares about the treasure chest? I was starting to think that I didn't care about the treasure chest, but now I'm really motivated!　It's all up to Natsuki and Nao, though!

Yuki is doing a great job with the mapping. You've been doing a great job with the mapping, so let's make sure we don't leave anything out!

Of course!

　Yeah, your enthusiasm is different. So far.
　I'm glad to be able to make money from ...... the demons that have been unsuccessful so far.

　It's a good idea to process the jewels and give them to Haruka, but I don't think she'll have much use for them.

　The ring I gave her would be expensive but inconspicuous, but I can only imagine the trouble she would attract if she walked around town wearing a large piece of jewelry.

...... Mary and Mitya are also happy with jewelry?
I've never had any luck with them before. ...... They're beautiful, aren't they?
Oh, you're at that level?　I've never had the opportunity to see it before.

　I've never had the chance to see the real thing, except for the small ones my parents had, only when I went to museums and art galleries.

　Without TV or the Internet, most people would be at that level.

　In addition, Mary, who lived a below-average life in this world, would not normally have the chance to see jewelry.

　Haruka and I both have small jewels on our rings, but we're not showing them off.

"When Master Ilias attended the wedding. I wore it then.


"Yeah, yeah. But I was too scared to take a closer look at it at the time.

　At Toya's point, Mary nodded and shook her head lightly.

　Perhaps it's the policy of Viscount Nenus, but Ilias doesn't wear jeweled accessories when he's at home, and the same goes for his wedding.

　Ilias and Mary spent a lot of time together in the carriage and at the inn, but they probably never looked at the jewels up close.

"Mitya--
"The jewels sell for a lot!　That's why we can eat so much delicious food!
I guess Mitya's appetite comes first.
She's beautiful, but she's not hungry.

　Very well said.

　Jewelry is meaningful because it has monetary value, not because it is practical.

　At least, not in this world.

And what do you ladies think, Mitya says?

"...... Jewelry is nourishment for the soul. You can't have too much metabolic syndrome, but good nutrition can enrich your life.

　I'm sure you're not the only one who has a problem with this.
　I see. You have a point.
　I'm not going to complain about it if it's within my means.
　If you think about it, you could say that Toya's "spending" is also nourishment for the soul.

Well, as long as it doesn't affect your physical nourishment.
Sure. Yes, of course. Yes, of course. ...... Let's do our best to explore for that reason.