Falma invited me to dinner, but I wanted to go to the demolition place today, so I declined, though it was a shame. I'd like to visit them at least once while I'm in the eighth ward.

''Hi, Aricht-san. You've become quite a large group of people.
'Thanks to you, we've made some friends. The search is progressing well.
'The materials have just been brought in from Aricht's warehouse. The joint dismantling of the juggernaut is finished, so I'll have Melissa dismantle it when I report back to you.

　As I was talking with Rykerton-san, Melissa, who was in the back, comes out - the front cover, worn over a rough outfit of a shirt and shorts, is still not that dirty.

''Well earlier, the couriers brought in the demons. A gaze hound and a plain eater. Can I dismantle them?
Yeah, do me a favor. I'm sorry it's not a very rare demon.
'Rare enough. I wish this had a name, but plain eaters aren't easy to find.

　Melissa said, walking over to the demolition room, where the demons were laid out on a platform in the demolition room. Then she tied the plain eater's legs to the rope and hung it up.

''Well I just caught them today, so they're fresh.''

　Melissa gave a bewitching lick of her tongue, unbecoming of her age, and then grabbed the meat cleaver that was on the floor - and then.

''--!

　With one swipe of the knife - that's all it takes to instantly separate the plain eater from the rest.

　The material of the plain eater comes out in parts and falls to the ground. It's a true artisanal technique.

I wonder if chameleon meat is edible after all...?
"Among the demons in Akebono's field, it is considered to be the most delicious. Only a few of them are edible, but when it comes to 'named' demons, there are very few examples of them being captured, but the taste is on par with the highest grade of beef. It is said that the stronger the demon, the better it tastes.
Is that so.......the juggernaut is indeed not edible, is it?
We don't eat it, but we use its large chunks of meat as food to catch the dragon demons off guard. The eating habits of the dragons vary from species to species, but the dragons that live in the Noon Marshes will prey on anything and everything. If you catch them with a large amount of food, even an average level 3 party can barely defeat them.

　The flesh of a demon becomes food for other demons to catch - I wonder if there's a food chain within the labyrinth. If Watadama is also on the side of being eaten, it's no wonder that they are so vigilant in attacking me without question.

'You can barely defeat them, that means you can lose... what happens if you lose...'
Eighty percent of the new explorers who come to the labyrinth country will remain in the eighth district after a year. The remaining ten and a half percent are those who have not returned. It is said that the percentage of those who have not yet returned decreases as you move up to the top, but this only means that they have not been wiped out, and it is a common occurrence for promising seekers to die and become sub-humans. It's sad, but...

　Mr. Rykerton closed his eyes as if he were praying. But when she opened her eyes once more, the soft smile had returned.

''........However, I also hear that there is a way for the sub-human one (kata) to return to his original form. It's like the hope the labyrinth left behind for the searchers, I believe.
'I agree. Because when I made her one of us, I decided I would make sure to bring her back.

　As he says this, Mr. Rykerton looks at Theresa. Theresia doesn't seem to know why she's being watched, but she looks back at him - and.

　Mr. Rykerton suddenly gives me a serious look, and says

''Well now you sounded like a stranger. As you can see, the lack of emotion in Melissa is partly due to the fact that her mother - my wife - is a subhuman.
Mr. Rykerton's wife is a subhuman...?

　When he was young, he said, he traveled with his wife. But when he thought he couldn't see his wife - he didn't know that was what happened.

'My wife lost her life in the labyrinth of the Seventh Ward and was found by a search party a month later as a sub-human. But by that time, she had Melissa in her belly. I finally realized that fact after living with my sub-human wife for three months.
And your wife.........
'My wife is accompanying a party of acquaintances. In order to reach the way to unlock subhumanization, she will need to accompany the best explorers and move up the ranks. Even with her subhumanization, her combat prowess was rather high, to the point where I was slowed down.
'So Mr. Rykerton decided to raise Miss Melissa, and he left his wife...'

　Mr. Rykerton nodded. Melissa hadn't noticed what we were talking about and opened the gutted plain eater's belly bag and took out the shiny thing inside.

'Melissa had little interest in childish things, and the only thing she showed an interest in was my job ... demolishing demons. I guess she was born with a natural talent, her skills are already beyond me. Even when she occasionally dives into the labyrinth to maintain her level, I'm embarrassed to say that I even have my daughter to protect me.

　Skills are passed on to children - Melissa inherited Mr. Rykerton's demolition skills and allowed them to blossom from childhood.

'But I've been thinking about it lately. She is old enough to consider independence. I wonder if she should waste her days, the time of her youth, just helping out in my shop, looking forward to rare materials that are rarely visited... What do you think about youth, Mr. Aricht, what do you think of it?
Eh....well. I haven't spent my days as much as I did in my youth, but there are many things I was able to do because I was young.
'Brother Alihit, was there a time when you were naughty?　It's true that sometimes it's very exciting and powerful - like when everyone is in a pinch.
'Mi, Misaki-chan I don't think it's a good idea for you to imagine what Arictoo-san used to do, do you?
''I don't want to pry, but I'd like to hear as much as I can. Ariehito, regardless of his level, has a lot of courage, or rather... he seems to have a lot of heart.

　I haven't lived a maverick life like everyone else thinks I should, but I gained some life experience by working a variety of part-time jobs and other things until I started studying hard to live a straight life. It's been said that I've always been calm and collected, so I guess I have an original personality.

''You mean you want Melissa-san to experience something like that.......youth?

　Mr. Igarashi asked, shying away from saying the word "youth". Mr. Rykerton affirmed and looked at Melissa and said

'Yes, although if I were to say fatherly things now, Melissa might say it's fatherly meddling for her.
...not so much.
'Hmmm... Melissa, did you hear me?　Sorry, I guess I got distracted.

　Melissa brought the demon stone, which was dimly visible as the one she took out of the dismantled plain eater, to us. She has sleepy eyes, but there is a sparkle in her eyes as she looks at the magic stone, and she doesn't hide her strong interest in the demonic material.

''A plain eater had a 'Camouflage Stone'. Attaching it to his equipment would allow him to blend in with the surrounding landscape. Jackpot.
'Oh that's great.
'When you say it blends into the landscape, is it like optical camouflage? It reminds me of what it was like before I was reincarnated.

　It seems that Mr. Rykerton is a first generation reincarnation. Melissa, a second generation, has a question mark on her face, not knowing what the term "optical camouflage" means.

'Oh no, it's nothing. I was wondering if Mr. Alihit would understand it between the same men. Optical camouflage is a man's romance, you know.
''Haha, yes. But if you blatantly put a camouflage stone on your equipment...
'What are you talking about, by all means have them put on you. You're the rear guard, so the more ways you can avoid the enemy's attacks, the better.
'Even if you use it in combat, you can't go on a spree. 'Active Stealth', used with camouflage stones, consumes a lot of magic power.

　That would be a large drain on magical power if you were to maintain constant integration with the landscape. On the contrary, if you can control that drain, you can become an invisible person - if you combine it with 'Backstand', you can attack unilaterally while the enemy doesn't notice you, and so on.

''Well, if you were my brother, you wouldn't use it for s*xually explicit things, would you?
Misaki-chan is already........
''Well we're in no position to say that. Misaki, have you forgotten already?
''Ugh ... wow, I don't know anything about it. Everyone else is doing that to my brother who's sleeping so well....
No, that's not true, Reiko. The blanket you were wearing while you were sleeping fell off, so I just put it back on for you. I didn't do anything else.

　Misaki has apparently slipped up and everyone is getting impatient. What in the world did he do to me while I was sleeping - a little embarrassing for a grown man when it comes to observing my sleeping face and such.

"Didn't I look like an idiot when I was sleeping?　I wouldn't mind if it wasn't.
He was sleeping very quietly and not a bit of a jerk or anything like that.
You're right. My brother slept like a baby. Unlike my dad, he didn't snore and he was very quiet.

　Then I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but I wonder why Theresa is turning bright red. Something good to me who is sleeping - there are not many developments that are convenient for me.

''And by the way.......about Melissa-san. She has no desire to go out on a quest........
'There is. Just call me when you need a demolition company, just occasionally.
''Hoah.......Unexpectedly, there's someone in the second party led by me who could be the vanguard......!
Don't make your own decisions. Depending on Melissa's ability, she could be an instant replacement for you. You'll be replaced by Misaki.
Oh no!　But it's time for me to take a break, so I'll do my best to warm up the bench!　Sigh, exploring is a constant source of tension, and you're getting old twice as fast as normal~
''Stop, it's not that auspicious. Oh but I wonder if we can find some rejuvenating treasures or something if we continue our search.

　Igarashi-san is interested in rejuvenation - although it certainly seems likely, I wonder. I somehow have the feeling that nothing is impossible in the Labyrinth Country.

''According to rumors, some demon meat also has rejuvenating effects. Of course, it wouldn't be a hardship if you could rejuvenate yourself with normal demons, and I heard that you can't do it below a certain age.

''Wha........wha.......just because I'm the oldest of the women doesn't mean you have to be so careful....
'What age group is your brother Alihit striking?'
'I haven't thought about it. If I thought it was this guy I couldn't find someone like that.

　It sounds like a joke, but I'm pathetic in saying it myself. How to get a girlfriend is still one of life's propositions for me.

'I'm sure Arihito-san will meet a good person eventually, though. To say that you've already........that would be meddling. I beg your pardon.
'La, Mr. Rykerton. The way you put it, we're going to....

　Mr. Igarashi tries to say something, but he gets muddled in the middle. He's certainly gotten closer to everyone, but that's trust as a party, so don't get me wrong.

'Now, about the materials. Let me go over their uses one by one. There are about six Gaze Hounds, and we found two 'eye power stones' inside their bodies. This is used for equipment and goggles, etc., to increase the accuracy of the hit rate, and for projectile weapons, to increase the range.
'Yeah, that sounds great. I want to use it for me and Suzuna's gear.
'Very well. Fur is used for mops and such, but what do you do with it?　It's also resistant to fire, so it can be used in armor...

　The fur of the gaze hound is also highly resistant to fire, but it is heavy and has the weakness of conducting lightning strikes, so I sold it off for this time.

　The 'Eye Power Stone', which is said to be a crystal formed inside the eyeballs, is a small black magic stone that can be easily incorporated into weapons.

''I'd like to use these ores and runes as well if I could use them to strengthen my equipment.
''Oh, then it's better to visit a blacksmith. I'm surprised, isn't it a natural product?

　Mr. Rykerton gets excited when he sees the letters floating in the stone. He has apparently seen runes before.

''Well the ring I sent to my wife was also made of natural runes. In the Labyrinth Country, runes are also treated as valuable gems. Please take good care of it.
Thank you for the advice.

　Instead of processing it in the demolition shop, I'm going to take the material to the blacksmith shop. We'll do that tomorrow morning, and the rest is plain eater material.

''Plain Eaters are in high demand for meat, so we can pay fifty gold coins for the purchase of meat alone. But we can also process it into food that can be preserved, such as dried meat.''
So, can you sell half of it and process the other half?
Very funny. As for the leather, I can make one piece of armor for each head.
So, can you modify the equipment for Theresa? I think she's pretty good with it.
Well, shall we go with the gloves? It'll take me until tomorrow to process this one.
Yes, please.

　Since the material we brought back was small, the reimbursement was quicker this time - I thought.

''And this will be the juggernaut's material reimbursement. If all but a few are sold, it will be three thousand five hundred gold coins. That's the amount the guild has offered.''
There's nowhere to put something that big, you know. Can you get it for cash?
I'm sorry. I've separated out the parts that could be used for weapons and such, so it will take some time for them to arrive from the dismantling site, but I'm sure they'll arrive tomorrow.
Thank you so much for your concern.

　I don't think you can suddenly obtain something as intense as 'physical invalidation' armor, but the fact that you can make armor out of juggernauts is exciting to me. There's nothing to say about the income - if we could dismantle it on our own, we'd keep the profits to ourselves, but it would take that much time and effort.

''........Can I join you tomorrow?''
'Yeah, I'll come get you tomorrow. I think we're going to explore the labyrinth, so be prepared.
All right. Nice to meet you I'm Melissa. I can dismantle and disassemble.

　Melissa timidly bows to everyone. She's holding a meat cleaver, so it's strangely powerful - but the demolitionist who was among the people we wanted joined the party.

　What skills will Melissa use when exploring and fighting? The girl with long, silvery, catty hair and a doll-like appearance, noticed that the knife she held in her right hand was an extractor, and smiled as she put it in the case and then smiled.