Chapter 78
After that, we installed a teleportation gate in the hall and returned to the dungeon.
It seems that there are still usable equipment and functions in that facility, so we installed a teleportation gate to use them occasionally.
Creating a teleportation gate to that facility was apparently one of the reasons we went out.
Well, for me, just being able to avoid going through that desert again was reason enough to make a teleportation gate.
The magical power for the teleportation gate was no problem.
The vessel golem has a battery-like limit to the amount of magical power it can hold, but as the creator, I can supply a certain amount of magic power from my body.
Thanks to that, we successfully installed the teleportation gate, and we can now visit this facility whenever we want..
Well, Elibel will probably be the one using it the most.
I don’t want to go outside anymore.
I return to the depths, heading for where my body is.
Berg is sitting in front of our bodies.
He has a book in his hand.
「Oh, you’re back. I was getting tired of waiting.」
Noticing us, Berg closed the book he was reading and greeted us.
Our bodies were safe.
Since nothing had happened, Berg seemed to have been reading a book to kill time.
By the way, this book seems to be one that Una bought from the Holy Kingdom of Harshalud.
Like the time she exchanged magic stones for cash in Agur Town, Una has been selling magic stones in various countries to get money.
She is secretly selling magic stones in each country and making money just like before.
That money is used for procuring necessities for the dungeon and for gathering information.
Tres still has a resistance to going to town, so Una and Dos are the ones doing it.
They both still have valid adventurer qualifications.
By the way, Una is rank B, and Dos has gone up to rank A.
The reason Dos has a higher rank is probably because Una messed up in important situations a few times.
Una is such a klutz.
I wonder who she got that from.
Well, that’s why those two are going outside.
They are also buying books for entertainment at the same time.
The book Berg was reading was the Forbidden Love between Slime and Goblin! The Two Who Melt Together Like Brains, Part Four,” which Elibel mentioned before.
I was surprised that a book with such a title was released as a series of eight volumes and that even now, a reprint edition is being sold.。
……Well, I read a bit of it, and it was very interesting.
The scene in the third part where the goblin protagonist Philander charges into a hundred thousand enemies for the heroine was nothing short of divine.
Honestly, it made me cry.
Well, let’s leave that story aside for now.
『Berg, good work. How was the dungeon?』
「There was no problem. The entrance and surface are still thriving.」
『That’s good to hear.』
There was no particular problem with the dungeon.
However, there seems to have been some trouble in the Yuguru Great Forest, and Ann went to solve it.。
I guess I’ll get a report from Ann later.
Well, then, let’s return to my main body.
Disconnect the magic power from the vessel.
The world goes dark, and I have a strange sensation of my body being rearranged.
My consciousness moves from the vessel to my own body, and my familiar body absorbs my consciousness.
『I’m so tired…』
I open my eyes and clench my hand.
Yes, this body is definitely the most comfortable.
As expected, it was covered in slime from Pururu…
「Pu-puu」
I don’t understand what she’s saying, but she’s probably saying something like “Good job.”
『Thank you, Pururu, for keeping me company.』
「Puu! Pu-pu-puu!」
Pururu rubs her body against my arm, as if to say, “I don’t mind at all.”。
Yes, it’s sticky.
But even covered in slime, she’s still cute.
Lovely.
By the way, this slime is acidic.
I’m okay because I’m protected by scales, but a normal human or a drawing mannequin would be dissolved down to their bones in a few seconds.
It’s subtly amazing.
「Phew… there’s no problem with the circulation of magic circuits.」
Elibel has also returned from her vessel to her own body.
Her usual familiar skeleton appearance.
Yeah, this feels like the real Elibel to me.
Having Elibel in the form of a beautiful woman seems too out of place.
As soon as she returned, she checked to see if there were any problems with her body.
『I’m amazed you can do a physical check right after coming back from outside, you’re really impressive.』
I marvel from the bottom of my heart.
I’m so exhausted.
「You’re tired? But you’ve only been outside for a bit…」
Elibel says in a dumbfounded manner.
A bit? Don’t mess with me.
Spending nearly half the day in the outside world is more than torture.
I probably wouldn’t have lasted even a tenth of the time if I was in my own body.
Mainly in terms of mental health.
When I explain this to Elibel in detail, she holds her head in her hands.
It seems she understood.
「Haa… alright, never mind. But, Earth, let me say one thing.」
『What is it?』
Elibel approaches and touches my head.
Then, a voice echoes directly in my head.
『It’s okay if you reveal to everyone that you were once a human. However, you absolutely must not reveal that you were ‘reincarnated from another world’.』
Elibel’s voice sounds even clearer than usual thought transmission.
『Why is that?』
『Because this world basically doesn’t believe in anything called “other worlds”.』
『Is that so?』
This is surprising.
It’s a world of swords and magic.
I thought reincarnated and otherworldly people would be commonplace.
『In this world, it is said that when a human dies, their soul returns to the Holy God, and when monsters or demonkind die, they return to the Chaos God to be given a new life.』
『That’s interesting.』
I see, I didn’t know about the religious views of this world.
『Well, if you blurt out that you were once a human, you might inadvertently talk about your past life, so I think it’s best to stay silent as usual.』
『So, it’s basically no different from before…』
『Right. Well… let’s call it ‘a secret between the two of us’.』
For some reason, Elibel says this happily.
What’s so fun about that?
『Isn’t Pururu here as well?』
Pururu was listening, so it’s a secret between three people, not two.
『No, I don’t think Pururun remembers much of the conversation.』
『Eh, why not?』
『Do you think the others could easily understand what you explained, which even I had a hard time swallowing? Most likely, Pururun didn’t understand most of it.』
Ah, when you put it that way…
Certainly, setting aside the former human, if you suddenly start talking about other worlds, Earth, Japan, companies, it’d be strange if they could understand according to this world’s standards.
On top of that, Pururu is still young just like me.
Maybe her young mind also affects her understanding.
『So, for now, this matter remains a secret between us.』
『Hmm, I guess that’s how it is.』
『Well, I’m off to the lab now, and thanks for your help.』
With that, Elibel, with Berg, returned to the lab.
『Now then, what will you do, Pururu?』
「Puu~」
Pururu starts moving while shaking her body.
She’s probably heading to where Tres is.
They get along well.
After watching Pururu pass through the teleportation gate, I moved to my own spot.
Ah, going outside after such a long time was tiring…
I feel like I can sleep soundly tonight.
Yawning, I lay down on my dedicated bed.
It’s a bed I made, copying the one Tres made using branches and leaves from the Yuguru Great Forest.
It’s fluffy and feels good.
It’s probably better than the futons from my previous life.
Ah, lying down makes me sleepy…
Well then, good night.
Succumbing to sleep, my consciousness gradually sank.
Fade to black.
Good morning.
And once again, daily life has returned.
When I woke up in the morning, I found that I had shed my skin for the first time in a while.
The last time I shed my skin was during the feast, so it’s been several months.
The skin is peeling, and claws are growing anew.
Ah, not only did I shed skin this time, but my teeth also fell out.
Five or six of them were scattered around my bed when I woke up.
Checking my mouth, I found that the fangs were growing anew.
With these, I can chew magical stones more easily.
Ah, of course, most of the shed skin was confiscated by Elibel.
Damn her.
After eating a magic stone for breakfast, I headed back to the surveillance room.
For the sake of killing time.
I prepared a container made through alchemy, filled it with magical stones and some fruits from the forest, and prepared high-quality soil for making golems.
Alright, I’m all set for the day (to kill time).
Somehow, this surveillance room feels like it’s become my own room, but let’s not worry about that.
Now then, today as well, the scenes of the surface and the dungeons are being projected onto the brilliantly colored sphere.
The number of people has significantly increased compared to when I first started watching, and so has the number of adventurers.
Especially the hustle and bustle on the first floor is incredible.
It looks like a morning market from my previous life.
There are also quite a lot of merchants.
Well, it’s natural given that the travel time is greatly reduced, and there’s hardly any danger.
I’m glad I had Una and Dos spread rumors.
Judging from the looks of it, a tax office or checkpoint of the kingdom will be set up near the entrance soon.
Right now, it’s like a black market.
But, if it’s placed under the control of the kingdom, that would be ideal.
Safety would be practically guaranteed.
Haha. Feels good.
If things continue to go smoothly like this, a life where I can safely indulge in laziness awaits.
I’m looking forward to it…
Now, let’s see who’s appearing today――――――What?
My thought process became blank for a moment.
『Eh? No way… Hahaha, that’s impossible…』
Unable to believe the sight before my eyes, I rubbed my eyes and looked at the image again.
I increased the resolution to ensure the highest image quality.
『It’s a lie. It’s a lie. It’s a lie.』
I can’t believe it.
I don’t want to believe it.
The image projected onto the brilliantly colored sphere.
The seventh floor of the surface dungeon.
I couldn’t believe the person who appeared there.
To me, it’s an unforgettable, abhorrent figure.
Blue hair, crimson eyes.
A flashy outfit as if primary-colored paint had been splashed on him.
Instead of the “Sacred Sword”, he now carries two swords, one white and one black, on his back.
No doubt about it.
This guy is―――――――.
『Wald…!』
The worst, most detestable bastard who once destroyed my dungeon.
The “Dragon Slayer” Wald Nored was reflected on the screen.
A pointless note:
About “Forbidden Love between Slime and Goblin! The Two Who Melt Together Like Brains”:
There are eight volumes in total.
It’s a love-adventure fantasy depicting the story of Philander, a goblin born in poverty, falling in love at first sight with Antoine, a Queen Slime of a higher species, and their struggle until their love bears fruit.
Written two hundred years ago, it still remains popular to this day and has a large, dedicated fanbase.
It’s a heartwarming story with a resoundingly happy ending after overcoming various difficulties, and many homage works have been produced based on this book.
By the way, the fourth part that Berg was reading is a masterpiece that is famous for its tear-jerking scene where the protagonist’s rival, the love-rival orc, Refillrat, sacrifices himself to protect the protagonist.
July 2023 Patron: GoatBeards