*

　The zombies are approaching us, grunting and moaning.
　I'm carrying a backpack, but I'll have to give up on collecting food.
　I say--.

''This smell is really bad.
It looks bad.

　I agree with Yuka, who looks like she's about to vomit.
　The temperature and humidity in the dungeon are comfortably maintained.
　That comfort is helping in part, but it seems that the comfortable temperature is also the temperature at which corpses tend to decompose.
　The zombies that are approaching us are swollen up miserably.
　It's unbearable to see them pouring out their decompositional juices from all over the place.

''It helps that they're moving so slowly, though.
I'd rather have a fresh zombie.

　Yuka said as she spat.

'That wouldn't make me a ghoul, would it?
How was I supposed to know?

　I'm staring at the idea that if the zombies evolve while they're fresh, they'll become ghouls, but the instant wizard doesn't seem to have an answer for me.

'Yuka, please,'
I know. I know, Luno Kesta Agata. O Periolis, burn, burn, burn, burn your enemies to the ground like a flame. Fire Britt.

　Flames were released from Yuka's staff.
　The flames landed on the ground, exploding and swelling up and engulfing the zombies.
　The zombies moaned and groaned, but when one of them fell, the remaining two also collapsed as if they had started a chain reaction.

You don't just make me fight, you should be fighting too.
'My flaming bullets take a long time.
You're a bare-knuckle fighter.
What if I get a disease?

　If you get sick in this place, you're out.

"Tsk, that's not helping.
I played a shield for you when you were a fresh zombie.

　Yuka's words are stinging, but they are like a breeze compared to her boss's abuse.
　Well, the fact that the position is equal is also significant.
　On the other hand, I think my classmates must have been unbearable.
　Normally, they would have an antipathy to such an attitude.
　Yuka said she got separated, but Makoto is glaring at her classmates for leaving her behind.
　Of course, he doesn't talk about it.

[The zombie has changed into a skeleton]

　The angel's voice echoed in his head. Makoto and Yuka looked at the zombies.
　Then the backs of the three zombies cracked open and a skeleton emerged from inside.
　The flesh and internal organs that remained in the skeleton turned to dust, and the skeleton approached us, clacking its teeth together.

'Ignition, fire-bullet.

　Jet-black flames erupted from his right arm, swirling around and forming a sphere.
　I couldn't even come up with a name for it, so I call it a flaming bullet, but I want to give it a cool name someday.
　With an overthrow, he throws the flaming bullets at the skeleton.
　The moment the flaming bullet touches the sternum, it explodes and turns the skeleton into dust.

''Luno Kesta Agata!　Like a cone through and through, O Periolis, you shall be a cone through my enemies!　Reveal the magic bullet (Brit)!

　Yuka's magic bullet crushed the skeleton's head.
　The skeleton, whose head was crushed, fell to the ground in pieces.
　Apparently, even though they changed, they didn't become stronger.
　There is only one skeleton left. They come closer while clacking their teeth together.

''Ignition........''

　Mako dives into the skeleton's bosom and slams his fist into his face.
　His skull blows off and he hits the wall and shatters into pieces.

''At level 10, you'll have plenty of room to maneuver.
So you're hitting him.

　Yuka said in a thorny tone.
　He's probably thinking something like getting on top of things as soon as he can win easily.
　When you don't know if you can win, you'll be cautious, and when it looks like you can win, you'll fight in your own way.
　That's all there is to it, but they don't seem to understand.

'Can you take it a little easier with this?'
I thought you cherish your life.

　I was trying to talk to myself, but Yuka asked back.

'As much as I'd like to, it's the food that counts.
Do you have more?
I'm going to save it for four days.

　It's not just the food, though, but the battery life on my phone is in trouble.

We can still manage.
That's why I'm saying let's push it while it's still manageable.
What exactly do you mean by that?

　When Mako said in a disgusted mood, Yuka got angry and asked with a raised eyebrow.

I'll just extend my hours.
'Doesn't sound like it's too much to ask, though, does it?
It's the little things that add up and lead to the big accidents.
Empirical?
'Well, you know. Ideally, the job should run smoothly without trying too hard.
You don't have to try so hard, you're in the business, right?
'As far as workplaces that are forced to work overtime, that's not a good sign.

　I still feel disgusted and say.

'Talking to you makes me feel like I can't dream about the future.
I'm sorry.

　Makoto admitted his fault.
　It's not that I want to pluck the dreams of young people, but my experience working for a black company may have done that to me.
　Maybe it's the harshness of the experience that's ruining people.

"Let's just move on.
Yeah.

　Yuka said with a sigh.

*

　Normally, they would have taken a break, but Makoto and the others continued to explore the dungeon.
　What comes out is not a zombie, but a skeleton.
　With a fist wrapped in jet-black flames, Makoto punched a few skeletons away.
　Splendidly, the skeleton's head is blown off and the remaining bones fall to the ground in pieces.
　When the flames were extinguished, the angel's voice echoed in my head.

[The level has increased. Level 11, strength 16, strength 15, strength 15, agility 15, and magic 22... 1 bonus point has been granted]

　The level has gone up, but the feeling of fatigue has not gone away.
　I don't know if this fatigue is mental or due to the use of jet-black flames.
　Not knowing leads to anxiety.
　I wish I could be a little more optimistic, but I realize that I'm not that kind of person.

'Yuka, are you okay?'
I'll be fine.

　Yuka replied in a somber tone.

'We'll take a break after we explore a bit more, okay?
Okay.

　I'm not asking you to do your best.
　I know that Yuka is working hard.
　And yet, if I spoke to her about doing my best, she would be hurt.
　At that moment, I heard a scream from the back of the dungeon.

''Let's hurry up with our minds.''
Are you sure you're not in a hurry?
I'm more afraid of getting attacked by a skeleton that jumps out of a side street.

　Yes, yes, said Yuka in a tone of dismay.
　Fast forward through the passage and out into the open space, the child was being chased by skeletons.
　There are ten skeletons - a number that takes courage to fight.
　They are in a single line because the boy is running around a bit and running away.
　More importantly, they are divided into groups close to the children and farther apart.

'You don't know them, do you?'
I don't think I've ever seen him before.

　If Yuka didn't know, she must have been exploring the dungeon in a different mouth from the Knights.

''Let's help them quickly?''
'Yuka, I want you to attack the second group with a flame round.
'Second?　Oh, I see.

　Yuka started chanting the spell and Mako jumped out of the passage.

'Ignition, flaming bullets.'

　Jet-black flames erupting from his right arm form a flaming bullet on the palm of his hand.
　Makoto throws a flaming bullet at the first group, and one of the skeletons is engulfed in flames.

''Ignite!''

　I jumped into the first group and punched a skeleton that was nearby.
　I stop and run through, thinking that it would be cool to fight the skeleton.
　The skeleton stops moving.
　Maybe he's not sure if he should go after Mako or the child.

'Flameballs!'

　Then Yuka's magic rained down on them.
　The flaming bullets swelled up as they touched the ground and engulfed the second group, which was standing on a stick.

''Flaming bullets!''

　The second group of skeletons tried to get out of the flames, but Yuka released a flaming bullet to chase them down.
　The flaming bullets rained down and the skeleton went down in the flames that gained momentum.
　There are three left, and Makoto slams his fist into the skeleton as it walks towards us.
　Hearing the dry sound of bones falling to the ground, he punched the second skeleton and then slammed his fist into the third one that rushed at him.
　It's a move that I'm in love with.
　If I could have done this in high school, my life would have been different.
　I look at the child, thinking about such a foolish thing.
　The child was not Japanese in the least.
　He was short and thin. Her hair was brown, which seemed to be her natural hair.
　He had large eyes and a pretty face.
　When the child noticed our gaze, he sheathed his dagger.
　Apparently, there seems to be no hostile intent.
　He opens his mouth to speak, and then quickly closes it.
　Can they really understand Japanese?

''........Hello, my name is Makoto.
You're both strong. Oops, it would be rude not to introduce yourself. My name is Tom, not Fe.

　I spoke to her in English, but she returned it in Japanese.

'We can communicate normally,'
You could have said that first.
There was no time to explain.

　Makoto blurted out, and Yuka sounded miffed as she said back.

'I wish you two would stop fighting.
I'm not trying to fight with you.
Well, it's not here.

　As he said this, the child - Tom pulled a dagger as thin as a nail from his waist and stabbed it into the ground in a square.

'Now the undead won't detect it, sss. Come on, I want you to come inside.

　Makoto and Yuka entered the inside of the square as they were urged.

'No~ I thought I was going to die just now. A Buddha in hell is exactly what it means.
I had an ulterior motive, too, so don't worry about it.
You can't help it.

　Tom sat down on the ground, and Makoto followed suit.
　Slightly later, Yuka sat down as well.

'Do you know how to get out of the dungeon?'
Of course I know. I feed my brother by exploring dungeons.
'I heard that when you conquer a dungeon, it's split into combat teams and support teams, do you have an exploration team?'
When you're in a dungeon, you have your guys do the homework before you send in the main unit. There are people like me who make maps and sell them. But if they don't know this commonplace stuff...

　Tom looked at me as if he was pitying me.

''Well you've both been fooled, haven't you?
What do you mean?
Sending adventurers into dungeons without telling the truth is a common move.
In the business of the Order?
"You don't want to take a job that doesn't go through the church.

　Yuka asked, and Tom said with a huff.

'There were some terrible knights, weren't there?'
It's the people who get cheated on.
Of course it's the people who are the worst liars.

　When Makoto retorted, Tom's eyes widened in surprise.

'That's right. It's the one who cheats, isn't it?'

　When I glanced at her, Yuka was biting her lip as if she was holding back her anger.
　It was only natural since she was told that they were made to be discarded.

''Is there any other reason to send adventurers to the dungeon?''
''Hmmm, I've heard that they make you explore dungeons as part of the Order's initiation exam.
I haven't been briefed on this.
Don't say that to me.

　Tom raised his eyebrows in annoyance.
　The possibilities are that the king tricked him, that Kouki lied to him, or that he made a miscommunication.
　But it's useless to think about it because we can't check the facts.

Anyway, we want to get out of the dungeon. If you've got a map and some food, can we share it?
I'm going to demand a quick and dirty trick.
You can show me the way out if you want.

　Hmmm, Tom groaned as if to appeal to the fact that he was lost.
　'There's the option of killing him and taking him away, but I'd rather make that a last resort.

'You saved my life, you know. I'll at least share a copy of the map and some food with you.'
Thank God.
Instead!

　Tom said, interrupting Makoto's words.

'When we escape the dungeon, I want you to burn the map to the ground.
I promise.

　Tom looked at me as if searching for the truth and let out a small sigh.
　He dropped his backpack and pulled out food and a map from inside.
　Mako took the food and shoved it into her own backpack.

'Aren't you going to check the contents?'
'I trust you won't try to trick me into saving your life.
And I need a knife, too.
How much do you want?

　Tom held out his knife with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

'Is it yours?'
Found.

　Makoto took the knife and pulled it from its scabbard.
　Well, it was not a distinctive knife.

'I picked it up in the dungeon, you know.
Don't think about it too much.

　They look at each other and laugh.
　I notice that Tom has taken the knife from the corpse, but Mako and the others don't deserve to be blamed for it.

'Do you think it's safe to scrape dried meat with this thing?'
What do you think?　The blade isn't stained with grease, so I think it's fine, but I want you to use it at your own risk.

　I look at the knife sullenly. The blade is certainly not stained with grease.
　It hadn't spilled the blade, so it could be new.
　Makoto sheathed the knife and looked at the map.
　There were ten maps in all, with numbers in the right corner.
　According to the map, this dungeon seems to be structured with narrow passages connecting the spaces that should be called halls.

''Where is your current location?''
Here.

　Tom pointed to a corner of the map with a ten and a number on it.

'Which one is the vertical hole leading up?'
It's here.
That's closer than I thought.
I'll draw some marks.

　Then Tom drew a circle on the map with his pen.

'Oh, and you'd better be careful when you go up to the ninth level.
Why?
There's a big hole. You don't know how far it goes.

　Tom said in a low voice, as if he meant to scare me.

'There wasn't a hole in the ground, was there?'
There are many vertical holes in the dungeon. Well, I'll leave you to it.
Maps and food, thank you.
With a knife.

　Tom's lips quirked up in frustration.
　Mako stood up and shook hands with him in a guttural manner.
　His hands were soft for a job like this.

When you get out of the dungeon and have a chance to explore again, I want you to hire me.
I promise.
Bye.

　Tom retrieved the dagger, which was as thin as a nail, and headed for the passage that Makoto and the others had come through.
　He disappeared at the end of the passage.

'What do you think?'
'I think we can trust him. I was a bandit by profession, but my status was blue.
Blue light?
The status of a person who has committed a murder outside of war is marked in red.
How can you tell the difference?
I heard that when you go to war, you have to go through a ritual in the church. If you kill someone who hasn't been ritually examined, you're a murderer.
Why don't we just settle this on a sporting note?
It may seem strange to us, but that's just the way it is here.
...maybe.

　I've heard it said that wars in the Middle Ages were fought with dates and times agreed upon.
　It may seem strange to our modern sensibilities, but that was normal back then.
　Especially in a different world. Maybe we shouldn't think of things in the sense of modern people - or even Japanese people.

So, what do we do?
What do you think we should do? It's right under our noses.

　Are you sure that's right under your nose?　Makoto tilted his head inwardly.