Chapter 90
Now, around the time Ann was starting her battle against the foolish knight, Elibel was taking on an overly familiar skeleton, and Pururu was squaring off against a slime of her own species―――
In the 60th floor of Fáfnir, 『The Gentleman’s Parlor』―――
「Hmm, I wonder where everyone went…」
Tres wanders around alone, casting glances here and there.
When she stepped through the teleportation gate, she found that everyone was missing.
She had been so pumped up about finding her father with everyone else, and now she feels deflated.
She feels alone and somewhat insecure.
Eventually, she wanders into a vast hall, still wondering where everyone could be.
She absently rubs the ground and the walls with a stick she picked up nearby, her eyes darting around the room.
「Sigh… I wish I knew where I was… I wish Dos was here with me…」
Tres is a golem homunculus specializing in offensive power.
Her only element is fire, so she can’t use elements like earth or wind, which are better for detection.
It’s inconvenient when she gets separated from the group.
Her abilities are best utilized in group battles, after all.
「Pururu, Ann, where did you all go?」
Noticeably absent from her call is a certain sage.
「Uhh… where…」
「Hohoho, what a lovely intruder we have here…」
A voice echoes.
Tres looks in its direction.
Suddenly, the dimly lit hall becomes bright.
She squints involuntarily, but keeps her gaze fixed on where the voice came from.
A gentleman in a tailcoat stands there.
A silk top hat, a monocle — quite an outfit.
Tres recalls seeing something similar in the Hà Giang Empire.
It’s a rare outfit, different from her own áo dài style clothing.
The gentleman in the tailcoat places a hand on his chest and bows gracefully.
「Pleased to meet you, miss. My name is Othel. I am the master of Fáfnir’s Sixtieth Floor. I look forward to your acquaintance…hah.」
Taken aback by his polite manners, Tres unintentionally introduces herself.
「Um, my name is Tres. Nice to meet you, floor master.」
With a slight bow, Tres greets him.
She remembers her father Earth’s instruction to always greet people properly.
Incidentally, Tres isn’t wearing her mask right now.
To be precise, she’s slid it to the side.
It’s worn as if she’s a boy at a festival.
Therefore, her awkward smile reflects in the old gentleman’s eyes.
The moment Tres introduces herself, the gentleman in the tailcoat suddenly coughs up blood.
「GAHAA!!」
He shrieks and collapses to the ground.
A question mark floats above Tres’s head.
「W-What happened, sir!?」
Despite him being the enemy, Tres can’t help but worry due to the unexpected turn of events.
The gentleman in the tailcoat slowly gets up, covering his mouth.
「I’m… fine.」
「Huh?」
「Hah…hah…hah… What a lovely, charming, delightful, and lovable girl you are. I coughed up blood from being so moved… hah…hah…hah…」
「Um… what?」
「Tres, was it? What do you think is the most important thing in the world?」
「?」
Taken aback by this utterly unexpected question, Tres freezes for a moment.
However, as a child, she instinctively answers the question put forth to her.
「Um… my family, I guess…」
What’s most important to Tres is her family.
Her father Earth, her scatterbrained sister Una, dependable older brother Dos, the respectful Ann, the borderline perverted Elibel, and Berg who taught her essential things, and so on.
For Tres, her family are the most important and precious things in this world.
Frankly, everything else is secondary.
But then…
「No, you’re wrong!」
Othel’s eyes widen in surprise.
An intense spirit radiates from him.
Taken aback, Tres stumbles.
「Eh… it’s… it’s not?」
Cold sweat trickles down her spine as Tres questions Othel.
Could there be something more precious than family in this world?
Intrigued, Tres develops a slight interest in his answer.
Then, as if he’d been waiting for this moment, Othel spreads his arms wide.
「The most important and precious thing in the world… it is little girls!!」
「―――――What?」
Standing erect, Othel declares this.
A sound effect that seems to represent a forceful push resonates in the background.
Breathing heavily, Othel looks at Tres.
His complexion looks better than before.
No, it’s creepy.
Chills run down her spine.
「Little girls! They are the most important and precious things in this world!! Their adorable appearance, heart-melting gestures, innocent eyes, and undeveloped bodies! All of these are beyond splendid! Could there be anything more important than this, the answer is no!!!!!」
「…………」
「The ultimate, supreme beings of this world! That is little girls, in other words… you, Tres♪」
This is bad, it’s creepy.
Tres suddenly feels nauseous.
Dangerous. He’s dangerous, although she can’t quite articulate why.
She desperately tries to suppress the rising disgust in her chest.
Somehow, this old man reminds her of a certain pervert sage in her own dungeon.
「So, Tres, for now, why don’t we take a bath together?」
The way he uses “for now” is wrong.
As if!
「No!」
Instant decision.
Immediately, countless orbs of light appear around Tres.
Sensing danger, Tres doesn’t hesitate to release her “Extreme Sunbeam” attack.
「Hm…?」
A barrage of heated blasts is emitted from the orbs of light.
All of them target the perverted old man before her.
A thunderous explosion echoes.
A cloud of dust billows.
Die. Just disappear.
「Huff… huff…」
Tres breathes heavily, keeping her eyes fixed on the smoke without lowering her guard.
She hasn’t wished for an enemy’s death so much since that red-haired adventurer.
However―――
「Excellent! Truly Excellent! The love-infused heat from a beautiful little girl!!! Ah, I am grateful for this day! Little girls are the best!!!」
Shouting, the old man in the tailcoat reappears, unscathed.
No, not unscathed?
A single line of blood―――a nosebleed runs down his face.
It’s probably not damage from the “Extreme Sunbeam.” It’s likely from his own excitement.
He’s a pervert.
A massive pervert.
「NO!!!!」
Absolute rejection.
This old man must not be allowed to get closer.
Absolutely not.
A thunderous explosion reverberates once again.
For now, she unleashes five times the “Extreme Sunbeam” from before.
Somehow, driven by a sense of duty, she desires to quickly disinfect and get rid of this man.
「Hngh~~~~~ SO GOOD…..」
Sadly, it’s not enough.
Gasping for breath, the perverted gentleman named Othel once again emerges from the smoke.
A glance reveals his tailcoat is somehow askew.
His bow tie remains intact, but for some reason, only the buttons of his dress shirt have been undone, revealing his withered chest that flickers in and out of view.
Frankly, it’s a sight for sore eyes.
Disappear.
Die, be reported, disinfected. Or rather, someone help.
With these thoughts in mind, Tres prepares to launch the “Extreme Sunbeam” once again.
But before she can, Othel stops her with a wave of his hand.
「Please stop, Tres. No matter how many times you fire that thing, it will only bring me joy,」
To begin with, Othel continues.
「Tres, surely you’ve noticed by now?」
Tres reacts sharply to his words.
He’s hit the nail on the head.
Despite the creepy situation, Tres was calmly analyzing the circumstances.
The “Extreme Sunbeam” she’d been firing since a while ago had no effect whatsoever.
Or more precisely, it was probably not even reaching the old man.
Because his needlessly unbuttoned tailcoat and top hat had no signs of burn marks or holes.
Othel speaks while dusting off his clothes, cheerfully, as blood drips from his nose.
「Your attack can’t reach me. And you probably don’t even realize why, do you?」
Tres stifles her breath.
It’s irritating, but he’s right.
「That’s a demonstration of the difference in power — the absolute disparity in our abilities. Give up. You have no chance of winning.」
Without any preparation, Othel starts closing the distance.
Tres remains alert, watching his figure.
With a sigh, Othel shakes his head.
「Besides, I couldn’t possibly hurt a young girl, even if she is an intruder.」
Therefore, Othel continues.
「――――Give up and take a bath with me?」
Yes, Lolita! Go, bathroom!
Panting heavily, the perverted old man speaks.
In another world, this would undoubtedly lead to an immediate report and arrest.
It’s not just crossing the line, it’s beyond.
His very existence is beyond.
Why did Fáfnir make such a pervert his follower?
Could all of Fáfnir’s follower be such perverts?
If so, it’s frightening.
Fafnir is scary.
What a terrifying dungeon.
「NO!!!!」
A clear rejection.
「Guuuh!… how cold! But, that’s fine too!!」
Othel, the pervert, squats, trembling and savoring Tres’s words.
I want to report him.
I want to kill him.
「It can’t be helped. I’ll go along with you until you give up. After that, a bath, then sitting on my lap for some head pats and sniffs, and then we’ll have a full course of snuggling and fun! Foho foho foho!」
「KYAAAAAAAA!!!!」
Faced with his ruthlessly merciless proposal, Tres finally screams.
Kill. Absolutely kill.
Primarily for mental stability.
She has to resolve this situation quickly, find her father, and return to the dungeon.
That’s all that’s on Tres’s mind.
At the depths of Earth’s dungeon――――
「Hmm… I hope Miss Elibel is safe. I trust she has managed to rendezvous with Earth…」
Sitting deeply in his chair, Berg operates the terminal before him.
Berg had been entrusted by Elibel with the task of managing the deeper layers of the dungeon while they were penetrating Fáfnir, as well as a few other “assignments.”
『―― Location of the teleportation gate’s damage has been confirmed. Commencing repair,』
A synthesized voice announces from the vibrant, spherical object.
It’s Elibel’s magic orb, “Pseudo Dungeon Core”— commonly referred to as “Gijie”.
While even Berg does not fully comprehend how Elibel has woven her spellwork, this dungeon core has rapidly evolved, eventually acquiring artificial intelligence of its own.
「Alright, I’ll leave the repairs to you. Meanwhile, I’ll proceed with ‘spell preparations’ and ‘tracking’. They’ve got the upper hand, but we can’t just let them keep the advantage.」
『―― Acknowledged. As soon as the work here is complete, I’ll assist you.』
「Much obliged. As I have been entrusted by Miss Elibel with the deep layers of the dungeon, I must perform my duties diligently.」
Only the clattering sound of Berg operating the terminal resonates in the deep layers of the dungeon.
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