Ch.432Debuting NPC. (7)

“Ah! Grace went that way!!”

“I’ll block it!! Wind spirit! Barrier!!”

“Latina, nice! [Ice Link]!! Now, Ira!!”

“Chick! Big explosion!!”

– ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯!!!

A dazzling battle where beautiful girls simultaneously wield magic and spirits.

“I made lunch today with big brother!”

“Eh? When? Weren’t you with us this morning?”

“Wow, Ira. Is this entire compartment just meat skewers…?”

“Yep! And the bottom compartment has waffles for snacks! Oh, sis! Since we’re being filmed from over there, take off your mask this way, and here. Ah~ I’ll feed you!”

“…Nom.”

“Hmm~! What’s this skewer sauce? It’s delicious!”

“Oh, mine is spicy?!”

“Gulp, sweet and tasty.”

“Hehe! I made skewers with different flavors for big brother! Nom!!”

A peaceful culinary experience inside the dungeon.

“I’ll keep watch, so everyone take a little rest and sleep.”

“””Okay~”””

-Rustle, rustle.

Even the sight of them napping, gathered around the fluffy tail of a fox beastkin that looks soft and warm just by looking at it.

For the past two weeks, Ira and her group’s dungeon conquest has become groundbreaking footage that completely changed the concept of dungeon sports as the people of Aiti had known it, and it was now sweeping across the entire nation. The video I’m watching now is a recorded broadcast playing on a giant magical billboard installed in the middle of downtown.

Despite being a recording, there are women and uncle fans who stop in their tracks and sigh dreamily, saying how cute the sleeping girls look as they toss and turn. And then.

“I wonder why that fox beastkin wears a mask? With that great voice and figure, she must be pretty~ I want to see her face!”

“Idiot. She’s a magic ‘girl’ of Neity. No matter how you look at it, that beastkin isn’t a girl, right? She’s just the party guardian.”

“Right! Look at those curves! Compared to her figure and voice, her face must be that of an aged ha—Ow?! Who was that?! Who threw that stone?!!”

“That’s right. Since they’re letting kids conquer dungeons, she must be a high-ranked adventurer or a guardian prepared by the chairperson. There was also a pretty beastkin in [The Golden Beast], right? Maybe they know each other?”

“Ah~ that Miho! Whew~ I really liked her~! Especially when she moves slightly and you can see her lower—Ack?! Again!! Who threw that stone?!!”

“Oh, speaking of the Golden Beast. Isn’t that female swordswoman Ray Sol amazing too? I heard the sword she uses doesn’t even have any enchantments from Staff. But she sends out sword energy and creates wind, whew~ Are there many such strong people outside of Aiti?”

“What? Really?! Then should I send a magic sword from our shop as the next sponsorship?! Maybe she’ll meet me—?! I dodged…! Aagh!! Damn it, who is it!! Show yourself right now?!!”

The popularity of Chikuyo, who acts as a guardian without directly participating in dungeon sports, and Miho and Ray, who are active in different parties, continues to soar. Of course, not everyone looks at them with warm eyes, and there are many perverts like those guys, but I doubt our group will ever meet them. Still, I hate when they look at them lustfully, so have another stone.

After flicking a pebble smaller than my pinky knuckle with my thumb to hit the pervert’s butt, I move on as soon as I see the billboard switch to footage of other sponsors’ parties. What I need to do now isn’t to harass people by throwing pebbles at them.

But I wonder if there’s a way to get copies of Ira’s eating broadcasts and napping videos later? If possible, I’d like to get a magical recording device too. I want to capture all of Ira’s growing moments!

[Once this is over, I’ll ask right away. They’ll surely feel indebted and reward us sufficiently.]

“Will they? Well, if they don’t give it to me, I’ll just buy it. Seems like they’ve earned a lot.”

Quietly answering Gore who responded to my muttering, I hasten my steps as I walk alone through downtown Aiti. The place I’m going to now is a bit dangerous, so I can’t bring my companions. As I cross through downtown Aiti under Gore’s guidance, feeling like a tourist and looking around, it’s quite similar to the game yet different.

In the game, the town claimed to be scientifically advanced with numerous shops selling electronic devices, and while they weren’t usable stores, there were many NPC-like figures repeatedly soliciting customers. But in this city, there are only one or two large buildings with such shops, and there’s hardly any soliciting. I feel a strange disconnect, thinking how exaggerated the game version was, as I arrive at my destination.

“Is this it?”

[Yes. Shall we go in right away?]

“Let’s go.”

“Stop.”

“Who are you?”

The moment I try to enter the destination building, level 200 guards wearing silver armor block my way. Well, honestly, I didn’t think they wouldn’t try to stop me.

“I just have someone to see here. I’d appreciate it if you’d let me through.”

“The council members have no scheduled meetings with outsiders today. You, take off your mask and identify yourself first.”

A mysterious man wearing Chikuyo’s fox mask that’s been selling in marketplaces lately—it would be strange if the guards didn’t care and just let me pass, right? Of course, I have no intention of complying, so I just smile faintly, and the guards immediately draw their swords and start ordering me not to move. Well.

“That’s something you’ll have to handle with your own skills. It’s not something I need to comply with.”

-BOOM!!!

“”⎯⎯⎯⎯?!?!””

-SCREEEECH⎯⎯⎯⎯!!!

Without even taking a stance, I blow away the guards with the wind pressure from a casually thrown punch, and destroy the entrance of my destination, the massive [Neity Council Building]. As an annoying warning siren blares, guards begin to pour out. All of them are equipped with swords and spears, or shields and bows. Considering that the magical guns I bought for Ragni and the staff I had made for Ira were weapons made in this country, the equipment of these guards is ridiculously inadequate.

“How is it possible that not a single one uses them? Now that Ira’s group has become popular, wouldn’t it make sense to use them?”

[From what I’ve observed, surprisingly, citizens seem to accept magic and spirit arts without resistance. It’s just that some stubborn, hardline citizens or guards badmouth Ira and her friends, or pick fights with supportive audience members like earlier.]

Listening to Gore’s response about how close-minded old folks are the problem everywhere, I leisurely step into the building. The man who jumps out in front—whose status window shows [Council Building Guard Captain] with a level in the early 400s—points his sword at me and starts shouting.

“You!! Do you know where you are, causing trouble!! Take off your mask and surrender immediately!!”

“I don’t want to.”

“Wh-what?!”

What, is refusing that shocking? Seeing the guard captain make his eyes as big as saucers, genuinely surprised, even I tilt my head in confusion. Gore then tells me that this man is the second strongest in the city after the current chairperson, and everyone living in this city knows him.

Ah, so he thought I would cower before him? Isn’t that a bit too self-absorbed?

“Eek!! Arrest that man immediately!!! If he resists, you can cut off his limbs, I don’t care!!!”

“My goodness, how dreadful!”

As he directs killing intent toward me and orders his subordinates to charge, I cover my mouth and cry out in an exaggeratedly surprised manner. They seem to think I’m mocking them and charge even more fiercely. Well.

-CRASH!!!

“””””ARGHHHH?!”””””

“Huh?!”

“Gah!”

They gathered like a mob of monsters, so I couldn’t help but send them flying satisfyingly. Anyway, thinking that people don’t enjoy being sent flying, I ask Gore about the guard captain who’s standing there with trembling pupils, unable to comprehend the situation.

[He probably knows nothing. He’s just attached to them because they pay well, but he doesn’t seem particularly loyal. Of course, he hasn’t done anything himself either.]

“I see, I see.”

As I navigate through the guards who have been thrown like insects and fallen, approaching the guard captain, he flinches and tries to create distance by stepping back with his sword raised.

Well, a masked madman who talks to himself and nods alone, who just sent people flying with a single punch—if you’re not intimidated by that, you’d be the strange one. I can fully understand his reaction.

“But understanding doesn’t mean I’ll be considerate.”

“Wh-what are you?!!”

“Who am I?”

Hmm, even if I answer that I’m Jack, he wouldn’t know anyway, and I’m wearing this ill-fitting fox mask precisely to avoid being identified, so how should I answer? I stroke my chin with one hand, pondering slightly, and he seems to think this is an opening as he immediately swings his sword at me, but I easily catch the blade with my free hand and pull up the corners of my mouth to answer.

“Hello. I’m a stalker fan of that popular beastkin.”

“Eek?! Wh-what kind of strength…!!”

Watching the man struggle to pull his captured sword free, I slowly move the hand that was stroking my chin and bring my fist close to his face. The middle-aged man lets out a shrill scream like a woman, and I quietly tell him to relax as I continue.

“I’m just here to smash all the dangerous weapons I’ve heard about. I won’t kill you people who have nothing to do with this.”

“Wh-what…?!”

-THWACK!!

“⎯⎯⎯?!!”

After knocking out the guard captain with a light flick to the forehead rather than a punch, I enter the building under Gore’s guidance.

[The weapons are in the underground storage. And it seems Bereta is not here right now.]

“Is that so? Well, he’s just a weakling who doesn’t even qualify as a mid-boss. There’s no particular need to kill him now.”

I just find it extremely reprehensible that he created guns that only kill people in a fantasy world, so I’ll dispose of those immediately. With such righteous thoughts, I leisurely headed underground.