Black Iron Magician

「Shishō~, what are you going to use the pieces of this stone statue for?」

「It’s sturdier than ordinary stone and the golem’s body has an abundance of magic power. You can take it to the guild and they can process it into a weapon or use it as a catalyst for a magic item. Well, this time, it’s for your throwing. Your iron balls are limited, so just use this except at the critical moment. It’s more deadly than the pebbles you can find around.」

「I see! This is a good stone!」

It is a luxurious stone to throw. Since the original golem was quite large, we should be able to supply a considerable number of it.

「Listen, you should reuse every last bit of the monster’s corpse. By effectively using all the materials of the defeated monster, it will lead to the memorial service. In short, it’s the same as the cycle of nature, so dismantle it with gratitude.」

「「Ye~s.」」

「As expected of Deris-san desuwa. Every word you say is right on the mark desuwa! I’m learning a lot from you!」

「That’s right! You should praise Goshujin-sama more!」

「Gobu gobu!」

I’m fine with the praise, but you should move your hands too, Lily.

「Deris. Honestly, do you feel that way at all?」

「No.」

「Right.」

As if I’m going to be grateful for every single thing. I use what I can use and do so because that’s necessary. The rest is just for the honor of outward appearance. However, adults are dirty and try to make the children do what they cannot do. No, I’m doing this because I want them to grow up healthy. I want them to grow up by picking the best of both the good and bad sides of the world. Balance is important in everything.

「Deris-san, we are done over here.」

「We just finished this one too. Then, let’s continue the exploration.」

After storing the stones in Haru’s pouch, I think about which way to go. From the passage we came from, this unknown dungeon is divided into two paths that form a T-shape. The lion-shaped golems came from both sides and there’s almost no difference. I guess we should take a majority vote.

「Which way should we go, left or right?」

「Right!」

「Right, I guess.」

「It’s right.」

「Right desuwa!」

「Lily is fine either way.」

「Gobbu.」

Everyone except Lily chose the right side. Well, I also vote for the right one.

「Just in case, tell me your reason.」

「The direction of the wind, I guess. I can feel the wind flowing from the left side, so I think that’s the way out. The boss is in the inner part of the dungeon! So it’s right!」

「This passage is sloped that you can’t tell unless you look closely. This is the second layer of the underground, so if you want to go deeper, I think it’s better to go down. Also, this one seems more dangerous… this is where the boss is just as Haru said, right?」

「Intuition.」

「The wall here, it’s cleverly hidden but the mark is drawn with moss desuwa! The markings indicate a path to the right! It could be a trap, but we’re going to explore everything anyway! In for a penny, in for a pound, desuwa!」

「As long as I can share my time with Goshujin-sama, it doesn’t matter which way we go. In that sense, if I want to waste our time, I suggest taking the left――」

「Gobu, gobu gobu!」

「Okay, now that we’re on the same page, let’s go to the right.」

There was an opinion that was not even slightly helpful, but the general opinions were in agreement. My guess is that this place is a completely different dungeon that’s connected to the Gibeon Ruins. Since we had to walk a long way through a straight passage, this dungeon must be located at a considerable distance from the ruins. I think the most likely explanation is that the original entrance hasn’t been discovered yet, and the switch to open the passage connecting the two dungeons has been switched on for some reason.

「By the way, we’ve walked a long way. Goshujin-sama, let’s take a short break around here――」

Clank.

「――Eehh!?」

Lily’s hand stretched out to lean on and pushed a part of the wall into the back. It made a trap-like sound that’s easy to understand. Lily slowly turns around this way while trembling. Oi, Demon King.

「There was a sound of something closing…」

「That’s right desuwa. Mainly from the passage where we came.」

「Gobu!?」

Looking back on the path we came, the passage leading to the Gibeon ruins is no longer there. There’s only a wall.

「… The passage that we came from was blocked, huh. I see, there might be a similar device somewhere and a golem that was wandering around pushed it and opened the passage. The truth has been revealed. Well done, Lily.」

「Uhh, Nell’s smile is scary…」

Demon King, don’t mention her name in front of Therese. She dashed to the front of the closed passage with Haru, though, so it’s fine.

「M-More importantly, the passage is gone, you know!? Isn’t this a crisis!?」

「Chinatsu, you can’t be an adventurer if you’re panicking with just this, you know? Keep a level head.」

「Y-You are right. If there’s a switch to close it, there must be a switch to open it… Also, there might be another exit if we look for it.」

「At worst, we can make a hole right above and go out. The worst thing you can do is drill a hole right above you and get out. It’s the best way to escape that defies the creator’s intentions, so keep it in mind.」

「………」

Don’t mind it, Chinatsu. Recently, she has been quiet in front of Therese, but her true nature is a rushing woman. Using brute force at the end is her basics.

「Uhh, Goshujin-sama, I’m sorry… I’ll take responsibility and accept the punishment with my bod――」

「What are you talking about, Lily? You’ve figured out the mystery behind the appearance of the passage, you know? How can I punish you?」

「G-Goshujin-sama is so kind…! Then, I will take the reward with my bod――」

「Alright, let’s get back on track~」

「Yes! Desuwa!」

After that, our grand adventure began. The untouched dungeon was a treasure trove of gold and silver. We explore the dungeons while beating up the occasionally appear lion golem and teaching the girls about the ABCs of the dungeon. When Lily presses a switch, a hidden door opens and a horde of monsters appears from inside. Then, a treasure chest is found inside the room. The treasure was actually a mimic and Chinatsu’s scream reverberated. I took the opportunity to tell Lily that there would be no reward after all. As a result, Lily died.

「I’m not dead! That’s cruel!」

「It’s your fault for pushing the switches in succession. I don’t ask for a clumsy maid, you know? Just show me how capable you are.」

「Ugh, being compared to Haru-chan is a bit…」

「Lily-senpai, it’s okay! If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have known the mechanism of opening and closing the passage, or discover the hidden door! Look, we were able to harvest some rare materials from the mimic, so I think you should be more proud of yourself!」

「Gobu!」

「H-Haru-chan, Gobuo-kun…! You are angels…!」

「You, did you understand Gobuo’s word…?」

Well, with such a farce in between, we arrived at the innermost part of this dungeon.