Chapter 155 : Normal Operation
Added 2023-04-23 10:29:45 +0000 UTCTL:SummerPeanut
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“It's been a long time since I've seen a treasure chest… Hurry up and open it and show me.”
Clarice rushed me. I appraised the treasure chest and found that it came with a trap. Poisoned arrows huh... It was a pattern that would have hurt me if I'd opened it without a care.
Everyone stayed away from the poison arrows.
I opened the treasure chest and immediately stepped backwards, and the poison arrows went into the ceiling with great force. Getting hit by that would probably kill you even if it's not poisoned... When I checked the contents of the treasure chest, there was a sword(?) with a shape I'd never seen before.
Name: Holy Silver Rapier
Attack: 16
Special: Agility +1, Magic +1
Value: A-
Details: A thin sword of Holy attribute. When inflicting damage, the holder’s MP is restored.
Isn't this quite the...cheat equipment...? This is a rubbish equipment if the Holy magician does not participate in combat but if you are a Holy magician with a talent for fine swordsmanship… There is only one person I could think of.
“What's this? I've never seen this before. What kind of sword is it?"
Clarice asked me with a curious look on her face. I told her about the performance of this holy silver rapier.
“I don't see anyone among us who is qualified to equip it...who has a talent for both fine swordsmanship and Holy magic?”
I didn't want to keep anything from the two of them, so I was honest.
“Actually, Dominic's childhood friend, Alice, seems to have both talents.”
My words startled Clarice and Ellie.
“Eh?! Alice is a Holy magician? Isn't she the girl who kept winning the lottery for maid café?”
Clarice raised her voice in surprise, and Ellie said.
“...this development...is the 5th girl development...”
She blurted out such. Clarice heard her words and glared at me.
“Mars... you are not really thinking of having a fifth, are you?”
For some reason, Clarice's cute voice sounded very scary.
“Eh... no... don't you think it's a good idea to recruit talented people to your party? It's less dangerous for everyone..."
Desperately resisting, I said so.
“Well... indeed but... there seems to be another kind of talent, too. ...”
What other talent?
“It’s not like it has to be Reimei. I think it’ll work even if she’s in Genesis in the end. But I want to raise her well because she is a valuable Holy magician. But if Alice refuses, it can't be helped...”
“She'll never refuse... Alice...likes Mars..."
Ellie blurted out again and Both Clarice and myself were surprised by these words. It didn't feel like that at all last time... but Ellie's intuition is right 99 of the time...
“Mars! Your face! Your face is loosening!"
Clarice pinched my face lightly.
“But Mars is right - if it's as a member of Reimei or Daybreak and not as a fifth fiancée, we should welcome her. Mars's goal is to be the lord of Rimurgarde, so there's never enough strength to go around.”
S-somehow managed to put her in a good mood. Ellie is also convinced by Clarice's words.
“Let's move on for now. This time I'll go ahead."
There weren't many magic beasts on the fourth floor. Up to the third level, magic beasts appeared in the corridors, but from the fourth floor, there were no magic beasts in the corridors and only about ten ogres in each room.
I didn't fight the ogres head-on anymore, but rather depleted their MP through magic warfares they were not much trouble once they are unable to use magic.
We took our time and slowly explored the fourth floor and finished exploring all corners. I also found the place leading to the fifth floor and sneaked a peek into the fifth floor for a bit, the walls of the fifth floor were red and there was only one big door. It's the boss room.
I still have over 5000 MP left, but Clarice's MP was less than half, so I decided to go back to the safe zone for today. When I returned to the safe zone, the ogre was still repopping, so I went back while killing them as well.
It was 19:00 when we returned to the safe zone. We took a bath and ate portable food, then the three of us went to bed. Incidentally, both of them started wearing my shirt to bed.
But there is one difference in the way of dressing for bed. Neither of them wears shorts. In fact, they haven't worn shorts since they entered the Almeria Labyrinth. This is probably because they can’t be seen by other adventurers.
Ellie, in the vanguard, so I can catch a glimpse of her underwear... and whenever her skirt rolls up, eyes are inevitably drawn to it. Especially when she moves like she is flying around in the air due to the effect of her boots of wind, men will understand that even if they know they are not supposed to do so in battle, they will still be glued...
As expected, I didn't have time to do that when I was fighting the ogre however... And now the two of them are wearing nothing but their underwear and baggy Y-shirts.
And in that state they hugged me in a tangled embrace. I managed to keep my composure so as not to be aware of their bodies lines and I said to them.
“Tomorrow we'll level up and look for treasure chests on the fourth floor, and the day after tomorrow we'll go to the boss room on the fifth.”
I said to them both in bed, and Clarice responded with a cute “yes”. Ellie was already asleep... Even though she had not been in bed for longer than a minute. I can't imagine Ellie not being able to sleep (anywhere)...
“Even so, those ogres were strong... and I think it would be pretty tough for a party that isn't good at magic... and even if they were good at magic, they'd run out of MP pretty quickly, wouldn't they?”
“Yes... even if a normal B-rank party could beat them, it would take more than six hours to get into the next room... and every single one of them is strong...I wonder how many parties can take down 10 ogres before the ogres' MP are depleted."
“I'd like to be able to take down those ogres without magic. ...let's come back and try again the year after the next.”
“'Oh? That's surprising for Mars. I thought you would said next year?”
“Next year I'm going to go and say my greetings to Gray and Erna, and I'm going to see the Duke of Syrians about Ellie. There were several points I have to ask regarding Lord Barnes and Ellie, also I think it would be good to settle the matters of Ellie and Duke of Syrians. If Ellie doesn't want to, I won’t though...”
“...thank you. We need to properly hear Ellie's case too..."
I went to bed from MP depletion while talking to Clarice again today.
8 January 2031, 3:00 am.
Getting up early as usual and resisting to watch the two of them sleep some more, I get out of bed and head to the fourth floor alone.
I had a few things to test. First, I wanted to see if Holy would be effective against the ogres. If so, it would be one of Clarice's main attacks.
The result was that it was more effective than the other four major elements all four being resistable, but not for Holy. Well, the downside is that you can't do a lot of damage in one hit.
And next was Lightning magic. This was expected to some extent, but it was still outstandingly effective. There is no time to resist the Lightning magic that strikes at the same time as it glows. It is already too late after it’s visible.
And it is also possible land a solid electrocution (large) state. If they are electrocuted, I can easily jump to the neck of the ogre with the Thunder Sword. The MP consumption is no joke. ...Even if the maximum MP becomes 8000, Lightning can only be fired about 10 shots, so I have to carefully assess the place to use it. Well, it would be better to think of it as a boss-only weapon...
Finally, how many ogres can follow the speed boost from the Sylphid and Vestments of Thunder God, but the result is somewhat subtle.
As it turned out, the ogres can't keep up with me... but I can't use fully keep up either. I became too fast and the movements too linear.
The ogres couldn’t follow me, but it could read my movements. Many times they would read my movements and swing their clubs at me beforehand, and I would run head-on into them.
This is a case of no difference of having no treasure or having treasure but buried in ground... I have to practice until I get used to it...
When I returned to the third floor after trying the above, it was already right before six o'clock and I hurriedly took a bath to wash off the sweat. When I got out of the bath, Clarice was already up and dressed and had prepared a simple breakfast for me.
“Good morning. Clarice."
I walked towards Clarice and she kissed me and replied.
“Good morning. Let's work hard today. And wake Ellie up. I'll finish preparing dinner."
She said cutely and hugged me. I did as Clarice said and kissed Ellie as usual to wake her up, but Ellie hugged me, still dressed in her shirt and underwear. Ellie's two ample hills are crushed against my chest.
“G-good morning Ellie... I can't keep my reason if you hug me dressed like that, so... go and change your clothes...”
Ellie answered when I said above.
“... Mars...hands…and it’s knocking..."
Before I knew it, the hand I thought was around her waist seemed to have gone a little lower... and my unruly stick was knocking Ellie's stomach a thousand times. It seems that my body had already responded on its own...
“Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"
I said, and Ellie smiled.
“...thank you...happy… I'm going to go and change...”
For some reason she thanked me. Ellie's smile is an angelic smile. What did I do to deserve a thank you? I only did something that could be called the worst... I took the wand of sage in my hand and quieted my mind as I thought about the meaning of Ellie's words.
After that, the three of us ate dinner together and worked on hunting for ogres for tomorrow. I also felt a sense of relief as my level went up and I also got one more treasure chest. I think the treasure chest pop rate is good on the fourth floor because it hasn't been raided by other adventurers yet.
Name: Red Butte
Attack: 18
Special: Magic+2
Value: B-
Details: Burns inflicted by red butte heal more slowly. Fire magic can be enchanted to the whip.
We obtained wapons for Karen. The whip is white despite being called Red Butte*1... Now only Ellie does not have her own weapon in Reimei.
We spent the rest of the night just killing the ogres on the fourth floor. We returned to the safe zone and prepared for tomorrow.
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