Ch.427Debuting NPC. (2)

A while ago, after half a day had passed since the magitech train overturned.

“Come on! Both of you, snap out of it! More monsters are coming from over there! Are you going to let Ira handle everything alone? If you’re giving up here, just go back to Neti! I’ll have Aiti send a carriage for you!”

The operation car of the magitech train was completely destroyed by the Sand Dragon’s attack. Thanks to Jack and his companions who came as escorts, the cars containing people and luggage remained safe, but the distance to Aiti from where we were stranded was too far to walk.

Besides, it was obvious that the Behemoth materials, purchased with citizens’ tax money, would become monster food if we tried. So after sending a distress call to Aiti via long-distance communicator, we were waiting outside the half-overturned train for the rescue team to arrive.

“Aaaahh!! Windria!! Blow them all away!!”

“Uwaaah!! Water spirit!! Pierce through them all!!”

“Piyak, mega explosion.”

“⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯~!!”

Naturally, we were under constant attack from desert monsters while waiting. The Behemoth materials loaded in the train’s cargo car were the perfect seasoning to stimulate monsters’ desire for enhancement, and we humans stranded in the middle of the desert were the perfect appetizer to whet their appetite. Yet the reason we were waiting outside the tilted train rather than inside was—

-KWAAAA⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯!!!

“Good, good. This is the journey you chose. Tough it out with grit and determination!”

“B-Big brother Ira, you’re too harsh!! You’re way more spartan than Mr. Gor!!”

“I-I thought you were a nice person… This is too hard…”

“Hmm… Brother, can’t they take a short break?”

“Well, well. Ira, who’s worked the hardest among the three, wants to continue, but her friends want to rest? Well, I guess there’s nothing to be done if they’re ‘weak.'”

-Flinch!!

It was much safer to be outside with the escort team who were “training” against monsters than to wait inside the massive train, unaware of the external situation, only to be attacked by monsters.

And the subjects of this training weren’t Jack and Ray, who had contracted with us, but Miss Ira, one of our contractors, along with Miss Grace and Miss Latina, her friends who had somehow sneaked aboard without anyone noticing.

“Oh, here they come again. Look, more are coming. Really tired? Not going to fight? Then Ira can rest too. Big brother and the ladies will go clean up quickly. Ah~ I guess we’ll have to cover Miss Latina and Miss Grace’s carriage fare with their magic stones when they go back~”

“”W-We’ll do it!!””

Jack skillfully goaded the two girls into continuing to fight monsters, while discreetly protecting them by casually punching and kicking approaching monsters from behind. As I sat quietly beside the chairman watching this scene, I thought:

‘…It’s a bit scary that they have such strength at that age, but if we package this well, we could make quite a profit.’

Anyone could see that Jack was the strongest, but his combat lacked flair. More precisely, there was no entertainment value since he used neither magic power nor weapons for performance, while those three cute girls were showing off their flashy strength using magic and spirit arts. After thinking that far, I discussed this matter with the chairman during our remaining time.

“Hmm. If Jack and his companions as guardians permit it, I’ll allow it too. It does seem like it would make for quite entertaining content.”

-KWAAANG!!!

“Huff, huff!”

“I’m dying…”

-Thud.

As our consultation ended, the two girls except for Miss Ira collapsed right where they stood.

*

“Ladies and gentlemen!!! Thank you for your patience!! Dungeon Sports Season 13, which was delayed due to the appearance of the great disaster Behemoth!! Will begin in just five minutes!!!”

Ah, annoyingly loud.

I cover my ears to block out both the announcer shouting through a crystal orb that resembles a microphone from my previous life, and the cheers of citizens responding enthusiastically, as I stare at the dungeon entrance.

The dungeon entrance should have originally been just one massive door before us, but in this Aiti, they had successfully modified the first floor of the dungeon to have multiple entrances branching off from behind that door, according to the game’s setting. And in reality, it was the same—twelve entrances in total. Today, our party will use two of those twelve entrances to enter the dungeon.

“Now! Before the season begins, we’ll first have a speech from Chairman Torque Bigman, the representative of our Aiti citizens!!”

On the magical display screen—reminiscent of the giant screens in front of stations in my previous life—appears a middle-aged man with a mountain-like build squeezed into a suit that looks ready to burst. He begins by talking about the defeated Behemoth, then moves on to this season’s prizes and rewards, and finally emphasizes the importance of safety in future dungeon conquests. After several minutes of this boring lecture-like speech, Bigman finally steps down, and the next explanation begins.

“Next, I will introduce the six parties sponsored by our Aiti council’s chairman and elders, followed by six parties who have earned their place here through their skills alone, without sponsors!! First, let me introduce the party that Chairman Torque Bigman personally brought in after negotiating for Behemoth materials outside—strong and honorable guests, he says!! Party Number 1!! Come on out~~~!!”

After a spectacular fireworks display like something from a concert venue, the ground opens up and the first party begins to emerge.

Sigh, why am I watching this from a distance instead of standing there?

“Party Number 1’s name is! [Golden Beast]!! A two-woman party!! First, a female adventurer known as the ‘Golden Wind’ outside in Neti! Ray~~!! Sol!!!”

– ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯!!!

The crowd cheers as Ray lightly waves her hand in acknowledgment. With her golden hair neatly tied in a ponytail and wearing armor that’s more revealing than usual—specifically, armor that exposes her navel—her charm was more than enough to excite the male audience. Ah, that armor was personally crafted and given to her by Torque Bigman, and it’s far superior to the armor she had been wearing before.

Even the most expensive items in Neti were only level 120 equipment, but that armor is nearly level 400 class. Though, it is a bit too revealing.

“What incredible cheers! Wow~ They’re called Golden Beast, and a golden-haired beauty appears, so it’s only natural, right~? And the lady beside her is Miss Miho, a beastkin from Siltra, the country where elves and beastkin live!!

– ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯!!!

The cheers grow even louder as she waves. That’s understandable, as Miho’s outfit was already quite revealing before, but now it’s even more suggestive than before. Specifically, she’s braided her abundant silver hair into two plaits that hang down to cover her chest area, making it look at first glance as if she’s not wearing clothes at all. Damn, I want to shut the mouths of all these men.

“Whew!! Another supreme beauty here!! I’ve heard that Siltra’s elves are all beautiful, but could the beastkin be the same too~? I want to visit Siltra~!! And regarding why they’re called Golden Beast when her hair is silver, she explained in an interview that if you look closely, her eyes are a lovely golden color! Men!! Don’t just look at Miss Miho’s figure, understand the meaning!!!”

This mixed feeling of awkward discomfort yet pride that swells my shoulders as my women become spectacles—what exactly is this incompatible emotion? The only certainty is that I find myself unconsciously trying to memorize the faces of men who cast lustful glances at those two.

After their introduction ends and the two take their positions at the dungeon entrance, the next team’s introduction follows.

“Now!! The next team is also formidable!! Because they have someone so skilled that at just 14 years old, she was appointed as Chairman Torque Bigman’s ‘bodyguard’!! Moreover!!! According to the chairman’s comments, she was the primary contributor to defeating that disaster called Behemoth!! Now, let me introduce them!! Party Number 2, their name is~!! [Magical Girls of Neti]!!!”

The floor platform rises with an even more spectacular production than before. However, perhaps because the party name includes the word “magic,” there wasn’t the same massive cheer that greeted Miho and Ray. And then.

“Eh, what’s this~?”

There was no reaction because there was no one to cheer for—no one was visible. Even the announcer who had been enthusiastically commentating seemed confused and started signaling to a staff member beside him, making it clear to everyone that this was an unexpected situation. Well.

-WHOOOOOSH~!! KWAAANG!!

“”””?!!!””””

I wasn’t particularly surprised since I knew this was a performance prepared by Ira and her friends.

A massive whirlwind began to envelop the area where they should have appeared, and from within it, a huge pillar of fire rose, scattering flames around. Naturally, the audience screamed in surprise, but before the flames could reach them, they all shot upward and exploded in a rainbow of colors, creating a beautiful display. And then.

-PUNG!!

While everyone’s attention was focused on the flames that had risen into the sky, gray smoke billowed from the party’s entrance position, demanding attention back to the ground. A fluffy vermilion mass of fur asserted its presence there. Just as everyone focused on that fur mass, it unfurled beautifully like a blooming lotus flower, revealing three adorable girls who would reach about my solar plexus in height, and a masked, charming female beastkin.

“Uh, uhh!? Ah, ladies and gentlemen! And other parties still waiting! That performance was created entirely by [Magical Girls of Neti] themselves, with no involvement from our staff!! Everyone! Please give them a round of applause for their wonderful performance~♬!!”

– WAAAA⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯!!!!

‘That announcer is a pro.’

For the people of Neti who had lived in a place with little connection to powerful magic, all the performances just shown left a strong impression that demonstrated their strength and forced respect for magic, as evident from the cheers. And then.

– ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯!!

As if responding to those cheers, or perhaps suggesting that even cheers couldn’t stop them, came the mighty cry of a phoenix, the great fire bird. With Piyak spreading its wings and landing behind Ira and her friends as the finale, their debut was permanently etched into the minds of all Aiti citizens.