Chapter 77

The Phoenix

“Come to think of it, Kehma. Is the phoenix egg not hatched yet?”

Crap, I completely forgot.

“Y-yeah. Redra’s gradually getting better at not going into a reflexive egg smashing seizure when she sees eggs, so it’ll probably a good time. Let’s ask.”

“Heeh~. So it was something like that. It can’t be helped then.”

“Right, right. It couldn’t be helped.”

“… A~n~d~?”

“I forgot. Sorry.”

Grah, Rokuko’s been getting better at guessing recently. That used to be plenty to deceive her.

“… You’re my partner. I know Kehma’s thing(s) since I watch him.”

“What, my thing… stalker!?” [1]

“I-I’m not keeping records or anything, you’re my partner you know? One body and soul, you know? I’m not watching you to attack.”

Attack huh, I’d get mad if you interrupted my sleep. I’d forgive you if there was a good reason though.

Well, I gave a letter to a golem and sent it to the [Flame Cavern]. Another use of the passage was a room that was made. There was no entrance in or out and the room was split in half between our [Cave of Desires]’ and their [Flame Cavern]’s territories. Since you couldn’t get into it if you didn’t have a dungeon’s [Deployment] function, adventurers wouldn’t be a hindrance either. We decided to make use of this room when we had mutual business to do.

Furthermore, although there weren’t any doors or windows, we didn’t have to worry about suffocation since it was still part of a dungeon.

“Ooh, it’s been a while, eh? Kehma.”

“It’s been around a month since we met last and I made this room I think.”

“That long huh. Is that some time for humans?”

The salamander’s, Ontentoo’s, face was distorted as he smirked while being happy about something. He’s the dungeon core of the [Flame Cavern]. An openhearted good guy. Although he has his stupid parts, he also has his good parts. Although he has his stupid parts. Although he has his stupid parts.

“Well, it’s fine to get Redra to use her breath according to the agreement.”

To receive Redra’s breath, I intruded the [Flame Cavern] with Rokuko. We were guided to the fiftieth floor’s boss room. If it’s here, it can endure one of Redra’s all-out breaths.

Still, it looks like Redra is still a bit afraid of eggs. Shameful, despite being a dragon.

Though the phoenix will be hatched with a red dragon’s breath, I can’t even imagine what it’s going to become.

“Is it really safe!? It doesn’t walk or run right!?”

“It might walk if it doesn’t hurry up and hatch. So please do your best to heat it up… don’t crush it alright?”

“G-got it!”

I laid down a tile made from phoenix eggshell, setting the phoenix egg on top of it. By the way, Rokuko was waiting with me on the room opposite the boss room, the one with the dungeon core in it.

Rokuko and I didn’t have the fighting ability to stay in the boss room, where a breath that was able to obliterate the stone golems until there was nothing left would be used. Though since there was imprinting, I wanted to rush to it as soon as possible. That’s why Ontentoo said he’d gladly let us use this room.

Furthermore, Ontentoo took out his monitor to let us see what was going on in the boss room. Ontentoo is such a nice guy.

“Here I go—…”

Redra breathed in slowly, releasing it all in one go. The sound of her breath filling the boss room, Redra heated the egg up by blowing on it with her breath.

Well, even though I say it’s the sound of her breathing, it’s at a level where light’s being emitted though.

The floor wasn’t turning into magma thanks to the egg being placed on the phoenix eggshell tile. The floor nearby it might be simmering though. Moreover, Rokuko was saying stuff like, “Look!” while staring into the monitor.

“Fuuu, fuu…. haa, haa, a-as expected, this one is a little tired…” [2]

After seriously letting out her breath for thirty minutes straight, she finally rested… What marvelous stamina, as expected of a red dragon.

“I’ll treat you to some ice cream later.”

“[Ice Cream]? What’s that.”

“A sweet and cold treat. I don’t know if it’ll suit your tastes, but I think it’s delicious.”

“Heeh, this one will look forward to it! This one will keep going a little longer then! Fuuu, fuuu…”

She continued for another thirty minutes.

“Hmm? Oi, the egg moved, it’s starting to crack!”

“Oh, really? Then let’s enter the room soon.”

“Wait a few. You’ll need to take care, it’s amazingly hot in the room right now.”

“… Eh, about how hot is it?”

“Hmm, saying it a way that’s easy for a human to understand… about the same as inside a kiln. Guess it can burn meat?”

That’s dangerous. But that meant she was emitting a super high temperature behind those doors?

Opening the entrance door to the boss room, we waited for it to cool down for a while. Meanwhile, there was a knocking sound coming from the inside of the egg as its crack grew… I wonder if it’s fussing over how it goes about opening its egg? Very meticulous work. The crack being made was beautifully straight in the horizontal direction. It’ll make it all the way around if it keeps going.

Let’s ask if it’s still no good for Rokuko, who was standing next to me, to head in.”

“… Alright, should be good now.”

When Ontentoo said that, Rokuko leapt into the room that was now cooled to be around as hot as an average sauna.

Hot air drafted in from the open door, it felt like it was enough to burn. Although I also entered the room slowly following Rokuko, the heat was painful to my bare skin.

“It’s hot! Where’s the egg! It’s hot!”

“Oh, you came, Rokuko! It’s here! It’ll hatch soon!”

When Redra called out to her, the egg’s crack was just a little away from going all the way around it.

*

Then, the phoenix hatched.

The chick was small, but it’s feathers were white, like they were shining. I guess that’s just the kind of bird it is and is born fully feathered.

“Hooh, a phoenix huh? It’s wings don’t look red though… think I heard somewhere that god’s vanguard’s pet is a blue phoenix?”

Blue huh? It’s the color of perfect combustion. Rather, there’s a phoenix like that too huh. Maybe its color changes to the color of the flames its bathed in when it’s hatched or something?

“Heeey, I’m Feni’s owner~, look at me~”

“Pi~!”

Feni, is that the phoenix’s name? I said it when she named Gobsuke, but Rokuko is pretty direct when it comes to names…

It flapped its wings when Rokuko called out to it. Though it doesn’t seem to be able to fly yet, looks like it properly recognized its owner.

“By the way, isn’t it too hot to touch?”

“It’s probably safe. Phoenix flames aren’t hot, they’re magic after all. Its fire is the same as mine… It’s also alright to eat since it has to use a skill to produce fire, bind it with an order before it’s too late.”

I see, so that’s how it is. I followed Ontentoo’s advice and ordered it to not attack comrades.

“Hey now, let me see. I also want to touch it.”

“Eh, what do you want? To pluck its feathers this time?”

“Oi oi, what do you think I am?”

Pluck its feathers huh… a phoenix’s feathers… that might also be good, but well, yeah. right now I just want to touch it. I reached my hand out towards Feni.

“Pi—!”

“Ada—!? Wai—, that hurts, that hurts!”

“Kehma, it doesn’t like you.”

It used its beak… maybe it remembers being destroyed over and over as an egg? Phoenixes are unexpectedly the type to hold grudges…

“Grah, I’ll feed it then. Ontentoo, what do phoenixes eat?”

“They eat flames. Oi Redra, serve it some breath.”

“Yeah! Step away a bit!”

Leaving Feni, Rokuko and I moved away before Redra fired off a serious breath… Even the aftermath from behind her feels hot.

“Pi pi~♪”

Feni was glad as it bathed in the breath. Kukuku, good, keep eating… huh? But isn’t Redra the one feeding it now instead of me? Crap.

… Maybe I should practice a bit of fire magic?

Footnotes:

Sort of a pun going on here. Rokuko said she knows him since she watches him a lot, but [yoku miteru] (watch a lot) also means [takes a close/good look] and is what she really meant, but Kehma played it as her stalking him and watching him a lot.

Note that “FuFu” is onomatopoeia for breathing heavily in Japanese, and that onomatopoeia is commonly used in Japanese to replace more ‘standard’ words. Keima’s description of the events was mirroring her actual breathing sounds