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(8/20)
Chapter 13 – Dessert
We checked the main part of the treasure room and got the Water Ryu Scales and the (temporary) sacred treasure of the God of the Sea. I heard that the real one can move the ocean currents, so the Dark Elf Island might get an ironclad defense. Once the Dark Elf Island is fully developed, it will be fun to build a real house.
“Wataru-san.”
While I was busy carrying the treasures to the rubber boat, Marina-san came over to talk to me. She looked a bit confused.
“What’s wrong?”
“Can I do that, too, for Fuu-chan?”
Marina-san’s eyes were on Rimu and Beni-chan, who were shining and reflecting the jewels they had taken in.
Above Marina-san’s head, Fuu-chan is shaking vigorously. I guess this movement is an appeal that she wants to do it, too.
“As long as she doesn’t absorb or damage the jewelry, it should be okay.”
Hearing my words, Fuu-chan took off from above Marina-san’s head and hurriedly joined Rimu and Beni-chan. It seemed that she had been holding out for quite a while until she was given permission.
“I’m sorry.”
Marina-san looks apologetic, but I should be the one to apologize. It was Rimu who started this game, and it was me who didn’t stop him.
“Haha. Rimu and Beni-chan are both playing, so it’s only natural that Fuu-chan should play with them as well. Let’s store the ingots and coins first and leave the jewelry zone over there for last.”
Things have gotten a little awkward, so let’s get back to work. There are still a lot of treasures. We’ll have to work hard.
＊＊＊
“Rimu, Fuu-chan, Beni-chan. Come here!”
Rimu and the others who had turned into sparkling balls responded to my voice and gathered around me. Every time they move, they sparkle and shine. They are so stylish that it hurts my eyes.
“Everyone, it’s time to move on. Please place the jewels in the rubber boat.”
When I asked them to do so, Rimu and the others climbed into the rubber boat, swaying their bodies, and dropped the gems they had taken in.
Why would they do that? The expensive gems should come out, but when I see them coming out of Rimu and the others, it looks like they are making gummy bears. They look so delicious.
“It’s done.”
After taking out all the jewels, Rimu jumped up to me with a plop, and I tasted the feeling of the plop firmly.
Fuu-chan and Beni-chan have also finished taking out their jewels. When I stow this rubber boat, I will have retrieved the treasures to their roots. Well, it felt spacious even with the treasures, but it felt much bigger when it was empty. Well, it’s time to continue exploring.
“I’m hungry.”
Carla-san looks at me with sad eyes. Yes. It’s impossible to leave now. It took us a long time to collect the treasure, and it was well past lunchtime. Let’s eat and leave. Oh, I have to feed Pent as well. Is he still sleeping?
“I understand. Let’s have lunch. What would you like to eat?”
“Cup udon and rice balls.”
It was a quick answer. But it was a good choice. It’s outside… It’s inside the Duke’s castle, so it’s not outside. Cup udon eaten in an unusual place tastes awfully good. I will also enjoy the menu of the vending machine on the ferry today. Maybe because I’m in the middle of the ocean, I’d like to eat seafood ramen.
＊＊＊
“Now that lunch is over, it’s time for us to leave. …I know it’s late, but how do we leave?”
It was easy enough to jump off, but we had to go up the wall, call the Egg into the water from inside the barrier of the rubber boat, and from there… not good. The procedure is tedious, and there are holes. All we thought about was getting in, so we didn’t think about getting out.
“Why don’t we just get on the Egg here and repatriate the rubber boat that’s blocking the entrance? Then we could cut through the wall and get out.”
Alessia-san gave me a quick solution. I guess I missed such a simple solution because I never thought about cutting through the wall. The water’s coming in, so let’s just let Pent wait inside the Egg until the water fills up.
He seemed to be sleeping until I called him for lunch, but after a hearty lunch of raw meat, he was already looking sleepy. They say a sleeping child grows up, but in Pent’s case, I’m afraid he’ll grow to an unfashionable size.
“Well, let’s leave the treasure room that way.”
I summon Egg No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3, and we all board them as a group. Pent boarded Egg No. 1 with me and, for the first time, moved around the cramped cabin with great interest.
Hmm… I guess the fact that we can communicate with each other has an effect, but Pent, who looks like a snake, is starting to look surprisingly cute.
“This is Egg No. 2, Alessia. We’re ready to go.”
“This is Egg No. 3, Dorothea. We’re ready to go, too.”
“This is Egg No. 1, Wataru. Roger. I will be repatriating the rubber boat, so please be prepared for turbulence.”
Alessia-san and Dorothea-san replied, so I repatriated the rubber boat that had been used as a stopper.
“I wonder if the castle is safe? The seawater is coming in pretty fast, isn’t it?”
Ines’ concern was justified, as the seawater was entering the treasure room at a very fast rate. I would say it is like a waterfall, but instead of cascading down, the water is rushing into the treasure room as if it is being sprayed.
“Well, it’s a solid treasure room, so it should be fine.”
“But, Master. It looks like the slashed entrance is collapsing.”
Seriously? Oh, there is a rather large piece of stone peeling away from the stone wall mixed with seawater. How much pressure is there on the entrance? Was it a bad idea to cut it with a sword?
“…Maybe if the castle is about to collapse, I’ll summon the Hideaway, and we’ll be fine.”
Maybe… for now, let’s just be careful and make sure the Hideaway can be summoned at any time.
Soon, the seawater swallows Egg No. 1 and enters the treasure room as well. The Egg No. 1 has been swept away by the water current, but it is safe and sound without much shaking.
Also, the door has collapsed nicely and has expanded to a size where we can get out without slashing it. Let’s go explore at this point. I am glad that the castle did not collapse.
＊＊＊
“This is Egg No. 3, Dorothea. Wataru-san, what do you want to do?”
Hmm, what shall we do? We’ve explored some of the rooms in the Duke family’s private area but with mixed results. Since they are not protected by magic, most of the things in the rooms are rotten and covered with sediment, making it difficult to search.
But when I dig through the sediment with the arm, I sometimes find something of value, which makes it difficult to make a decision. And when you think about it, this is the first time the arm has been put to good use.
“This is Egg No. 1, Wataru. If there’s nothing there, we can round it up, but we’ll find something subtle.
And it’s the same thing that was in the treasure room, so there’s little joy in the discovery. It feels like a futile effort.
“…Found…”
Pent peers through the hatch with a golden candlestick in his mouth.
“Pent, thank you. You found most of the treasures.”
I accept the golden candlestick and pat Pent with praise. Even though he is a baby, the Sea Serpent can swim freely in the sea. He searches for treasures more efficiently than we do.
The only problem is that he doesn’t seem to understand the definition of treasure, and sometimes he brings back trash.
“This is Egg No. 2, Alessia. We’ve made enough profit, so there’s no need to search every nook and cranny, right? Why don’t we explore the Duke’s room and then go home?”
Alessia-san seems bored. Ines yawns, too, and it’s time to go. I’d be disappointed if I missed something of great value, but we have the entire contents of the treasure room.
There’s a pattern that if you get greedy when you’ve made enough profit, you end up with a tit-for-tat. In the case of this exploration, I think the pattern is that the Duke’s castle will collapse, and we will be buried alive. I don’t want to be buried alive, and I think it’s time to move on.
I wanted to discover something romantic, like a hidden passage or a hidden room, and I feel like I have unfinished business, but if I really want to, I can come back and explore again. I make an excuse to myself and convince myself to skip the tedious work.
“This is Egg No. 1, Wataru. Then, let’s explore the Duke’s room one last time and go home. Marina-san. Please show us the way. Pent. We’re moving on. Do you want to go in, Pent? Or do you want to swim?”
“…Swim…”
Pent swims underwater, happily playing with the spherical acrylic, bringing his face close to the spherical acrylic and tangling with the arm.
“Pent’s gotten used to it by now, hasn’t he?”
“Yes, he has.”
Ines is right; he’s gotten used to us. But he gets scared when Rimu comes near him. I told him not to be afraid anymore, but it seems that his body is afraid by itself, and it will take a while for him to get over it.
Marina-san leads us through some rooms, ignoring the others, and we enter one of the largest rooms. So this is the Duke’s room. It is indeed a large room.
“Oh, it’s very easy to understand.”
“That’s right. It’s very easy to understand.”
“Yes, I think it is very easy to understand.”
I was so excited that Ines and Felicia agreed with my unintentional words.
Well, when most of the room is in a state of disrepair, but only the potted wooden chest remains clean, it’s as if they are doing their best to insist that something is there.
Even though no one says anything, Egg No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 naturally gather in front of the chest. The chest is not so big, not so simple.
It stands out now, but when the Duke was alive, and the room was glamorous, it must have been inconspicuous. I have a feeling that something important is hidden in it.
It’s the perfect dessert after a sumptuous main dish. …Why did I start thinking about main dishes and desserts?
I feel like if I go on like this, I’m going to have a relapse of my dark system disease. Let’s stop thinking about main dishes, desserts, and other incomprehensible things.
“This is Egg No. 1, Wataru. Marina-san, do you think there might be a trap in this chest?”
“This is Egg No. 3, Marina. I see that it is locked, but there are no traps. However, if the chest itself is moved, traps may be triggered in areas that cannot be seen from here, but in this state, I cannot check the details.”
It’s in the water, and that’s too much to ask. I think we’re relying too much on Marina-san.
“This is Egg No. 1, Wataru. I understand. Then let’s rely on the Egg’s barrier and retrieve the chest.”
It’s about the size of a study desk, and it should be possible to retrieve it by lifting it with arms from both sides.
After consulting with Egg No. 2 and No. 3 over the radio, we immediately began the retrieval. This time, we put the chest between Egg No. 1 and No. 2, lifted it with the arms, and I summoned a rubber boat underneath. By the way, Pent had already evacuated to Egg No. 1 because of possible danger.
When the chest was lifted with the arms from both sides, a large amount of air came out from the bottom of the chest.
“Marina-san. Did we break this thing?”
It was difficult to make delicate movements with the arm, and the air might have leaked out due to a break somewhere.
“This is Egg No. 3, Marina. Maybe there was a mechanism that sprayed poison into the air when the chest was touched. We have no problem retrieving it.”
…I guess the trap wasn’t designed for a situation where it would sink into the ocean, either. Well, the person who set the trap would not be able to do anything if the whole ground sank into the sea.
But the fact that the trap was set means that there is a high probability that something important was put in it. My expectations rose.
Continuing to manipulate the arm, we lifted the chest, balanced it on the radio, and I summoned a rubber boat to retrieve it. We would have to wait until we were back at sea to find out what was inside.
Thanks for the chapter
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Thanks for the treat.
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Balanced it on the raft, right, or over radio?
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