Chapter 52

Promoting the Dungeon

“… Next time wait until the golem moves alright? That wasn’t really a test… I’d heard that Ichika was a former C-Rank, she doesn’t need to do it again though…”

Right~.

I decided to go next.

I waited until the clay golem that the Guild Head made started to move before beginning.

“Tou—”

However, the clay golem’s movements were way too slow. I cut the clay golem’s magic stone in two.

“Wha—!? … K-Kehma-dono, passed.”

“Haaah. Alright, next up is Meat.”

“You looked cool.”

Then, Meat confronted her clay golem without taking out her sword.

… What is she thinking?

“Begin—!”

The clay golem attacked Meat with its dull movements. However, Meat dodged out of the way and slipped into its bosom.

Then, she separated from it… with the magic stone that should have been in the golem’s chest in her hand.

“I retrieved it.”

“Y-yeah.”

Her tail wagging back and forth, Meat held out the magic stone to me.

Amazingly dog-like. I instinctively patted her head.

I accepted the magic stone from her and looked between the golem that turned back into dirt and the guild head.

“… Passed. Ah, I’d appreciate it if you returned the magic stone though.”

“Ah, here.”

I handed the magic stone back to him.

… Apparently, golems normally stop moving as soon as they lose their magic stone.

My golems move just fine even without magic stones though; I wonder if there’s a difference? Maybe the material near the dungeon is just suited for magic? Come to think of it, I haven’t tried out [Create Golem] outside of the dungeon, huh.

“… Alright, the examination is done. With this you’re all E-Rank adventurers… Silia, please process their rank up without delay.”

“Yes, certainly, guild head.”

When we passed our guild cards over to Receptionist-san, she left to go and process the rank up.

We stayed here with the guild head.

“… Still, cutting a golem made from clay in half… do you have some combat experience I haven’t heard about?”

“Yes, in fact… I went to the [Ordinary Cave]. I got this sword there.”

I decided to take the chance to broach up the topic.

If I speak directly to the guild’s top person, it should go faster.

“That’s different than what I heard. So far as I know, you were hunting a considerable number of goblins. So you got some other booty?”

“Hooh… do you want to hear the details?”

Now, let’s go about promoting the dungeon.

*

I showed him the blade magic sword golem and two mana potions.

This was dungeon booty that was [At the level of being fine to sell].

However, it was still relatively expensive. They were like [Grand Prizes] for small dungeons.

The magic sword goes without saying, but even the mana potions were one silver each.

“These are…”

“Things I picked up from the [Ordinary Cave].”

“It’s definitely a dungeon, but I thought there was just one room…”

“One room? No way, there were at least a few rooms, it even had stairs too. I got this sword there. Since there were also clay golems, well, I decided to head back.”

I passed the blade golem to the guild head.

“… A normal iron sword… isn’t it? Mu, a magic stone is embedded in it…!? This is a magic sword!?”

“It gets sharper when you fill it with magical power.”

“I see, so you were able to cut the golem in half with this?”

“Exactly.”

It was actually due to the clothes golem’s assistance in making me stronger, but I won’t say something like that.

“… Well, honestly the story doesn’t start there.”

“Hooh? What do you mean?”

“… The A-Rank adventurer, the [White Winged Goddess]… I think I heard that she accepted an investigation for the [Ordinary Cave], understand?”

“Haku-sama, huh…? Surely, that’s the start of it? What are the details?”

Ah, even a big shot from the guild attaches ‘-sama’ for you huh, Haku-san.

“I met her in the mountains by chance. She said that the [Ordinary Cave] showed signs that it would go through a [Transition Phase]. She reported that there were [No Abnormalities] to the imperial capital, though.”

“… A [Transition Phase] huh! But why did she hide it? Falsifying her report? Well, A-Ranks have disclosure rights, but… Haku-sama is the person who requested that dungeon to begin with…”

“And an inn was built there.”

“An inn!? W-what in the world, how did an inn…”

Of course it’s extremely unnatural. But well, now to bruteforce it!

“Does there need to be some relationship for it to appear? I was told that Haku-san’s acquaintances built it, there’s no point in thinking about it…”

“… I don’t know what that person’s thinking… directing us to not go against the [Ordinary Cave]… umu, so there’s not point thinking about it huh? Won’t be able to figure it out that well for now I guess.”

“Yeah, well, one thing lead to another and it’s decided that I’m going to work at the inn… from now on, my base of operations will be there.”

“… That so? Understood.”

Alright, bruteforcing succeeded!

“So then, guess we’ll build a Sia’s adventurer guild branch office there.”

“… Huh?”

… A branch office?

“Umu, thanks for the information. You have completed a special investigation commission.”

“Excuse me, what’s this about a branch office?”

“A branch office is a branch office. If the dungeon matured, adventurers will gather there. If that’s the case, it will be convenient being able to exchange goods there. There’s even an inn there already right?”

“Y-yeah, well, that’s right.”

“Depending on the dungeon’s scale it could turn into a village… I need to investigate further, maybe I’ll put something out for it?”

Did he just say a village!?

No joke, I never thought it’d be that big.

I can’t use golems to do field labor if too many people gather…!

Crap, can I do agriculture inside the dungeon?

It’d even get harder to use special golems.

Just when I thought that, Receptionist-san returned with our guild cards. It was properly updated to E-Rank, but that’s not important right now.

I finished with the proper farewells and left the guild.

“… Meat, Ichika, this is pretty bad.”

“The meat skewers!?”

“T-those are fine. We’ll stay here for a night before leaving… let’s go hunt rabbits for inn fees…”

In conclusion, we were told to come tomorrow for delicious meat skewers when handed over six rabbits. We were rewarded with seventy-two copper coins, with the inn fees being thirty-five copper. Since we got meat skewers as a reward, tonight’s dinner became a meat party.

Incidentally, it seems that it was treated as a designated commission. Rewards for rabbit meat commissions were originally meant to given out by the guild to some extent. Since this time we received it right there, our commission ticket was annotated saying that we were already paid with money and goods.

It’ll count as completed whenever we turn it in.

*

Leaving the usual [Sleeping Songbird Pavilion], we immediately headed over to buy some delicious meat skewers from the meat skewer stall.

It’s a great time for it since the sun’s just coming up.

“Hoooh, I see, definitely. These meat skewers are much more delicious than yesterday’s!”

“Right? I can make some more again next week as well yeah?”

“Mumumu, pleeeeeease, Goshujin-sama~?”

“No, I can’t promise anything since we’re going to be busy with a few things.”

I answered her while biting into one of the meat skewers.

“… Hagu, hagu—”

“Jou-chan, is it good?”

“Yes… Hagu—”

Meat also got one of the delicious meat skewers.

Though the seasoning was definitely more plain than the hamburgers’, the ingredients’ tastes were very powerful.

It smelled very slightly like blood, that much was obvious. How do I say it, something like it being wild?

Either way, it’s delicious.

“… Wouldn’t it be the strongest if you made hamburgers with this meat?”

“Certainly… I approve of Ichika’s opinion.”

… Maybe I should look for the recipe or seasonings or something?