Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru

Chapter 108: In Search Of Comrades II

Chapter 108: In Search Of Comrades II

After pulling myself together, I headed for the second party.

Please, let it go smoothly, I prayed.

I arrived at the small inn run by an elderly couple. The person I was looking for lived on the second floor, but she was baking bread on the first floor today.

?Hello?

?Oh, it's you, Souya-san. What are you doing here??

When I greeted her casually, she responded with a smile.

?Actually, I came to invite you on an adventure?

?I'm kind of in the middle of something at the moment, so please have a seat and wait for a bit?

Doing as I was told, I sat at a nearby table.

She took loaves of bread out of an old oven and started lining them up on a rack.

The smell of freshly baked bread calmed me down. It washed away the turmoil caused by the Brave and her party earlier.

?Gunmerry, serve tea to the guest?

?Yes, right away?

A voice replied from the back of the building.

But people sure do change, don't they? Or rather, it's women who change easily, I suppose.

Not that long ago, Rutsuko-san wore unfashionable clothes that could be mistaken for a man's, but she’s currently wearing a frilly white blouse and a miniskirt. She also has on a pair of black knee-high socks that covered her legs.

It's simple, but it's an outfit with an undertone of innocence that oozes sexiness.

Her chestnut brown hair is curly, voluminous, and of medium length. She's petite and slender, and has the same type of mascot-like cuteness as Rana. To top it off, she's wearing an apron, evoking the image of a young wife.

It makes me think that she would make a good wife.

I ended up imagining Rutsuko-san saying, "Do you want food? A bath? Or?do?you?want...?"

?Here's some tea?

?Oh, thanks?

Gunmerry brought me a cup of tea.

?You………?

?Is there something wrong with myself??

?No no no, what happened to you??

When I saw it last, it was small, about 100cm tall, but it’s nearly 170cm tall now.

The helmet that looked like a bird's beak remained the same, as did the armor with a front plackart, with the only difference being that they had become the same size as those worn by normal people.

?Rutsuko-san, there's something very strange with Gunmerry!?

?Oh, that?

Rutsuko-san folded up her apron as she walked over.

?Look at how I'm dressed?

A bit shyly, she showed off her outfit to me.

?It suits you?

She looks like a high school student wife.

That sounds a bit like an AV's title.

?It was terrible. When I woke up one morning, all my clothes were gone and there was nothing but these kinds of clothes. What's more, my panties………………they, umm……………?

What kind of underwear are they?

Please let me see. Oh, I think I just might be able to see them.

?This skirt is really short, isn't it??

?Yes?

My sister's hot pants are even shorter though.

?They peek whenever they get a chance. The Gunmerrys?

?I see………?

I can understand.

Well, I'd probably do it too if I were small-sized. In fact, I used to do it when I was a kid.

?They were so persistent about it that I got angry and tied them up. Next thing I knew, they had become one?

?Huh, what??

Are these guys the slimes from Dragon Quest or something? They're becoming an increasingly mysterious creature.

?It's become more gentlemanly than before, so I consider it a good thing though?

Rutsuko-san set the apron down on top of a nearby shelf.

As it was high up for someone of her height, she had to stretch, reach out with both hands, and stand on tiptoe. Not letting that split second opening slip by, Gunmerry swiftly bent down to take a peek at her panties.

?Hmm??

Went Rutsuko-san as she looked back, but Gunmerry had already returned to a military-style "at attention" position.

It’s not gentlemanly at all.

It's just that its movements have become quicker and it’s doing it secretively instead.

Are things going to be alright, I wonder? Her chastity, and so forth.

?So, what's this about inviting me on an adventure??

Rutsuko-san joined me at the table.

I took a sip of the tea I had completely forgotten about. It tasted like corn.

?Have you heard that a dragon will be coming to the city in the near future??

?Yes, of course. It's the dragon that heralds the coming of winter, isn’t it? The bread I've been baking today is in preparation for the winter season?

?That makes things easier then. My party is planning to take part in the fight to drive off the dragon. Princess Rutsuko, I would very much like to enlist you and Gunmerry's help?

?Yeah, okay?

She replied quickly.

I was grateful for how readily she had accepted.

?Once things get going, I'll come back around. Umm, do you have any questions or concerns??

?Souya-san, I hope you don't mind, but I would like to discuss the reward?

That's certainly important.

Even if she's someone I'm close to, I still need to compensate her.

?Basically, I was thinking of dividing it according to the number of people in each party. As the party with the most members, my party will end up getting most of the reward though?

?Umm, can I ask for a personal favor as the reward??

?It'll depend on what it is?

So long as it's not too much trouble, I'll do anything.

?Souya-san! ………………Oh, wa, wait a minute. Let me prepare myself first?

Rutsuko-san took a deep breath, then drank my cup of tea in one gulp.

Gunmerry cheered her on with a fist pump. Behind it, I saw an image of a famous tennis player.

Frey and Lazarissa are quite a weird pair, but these guys don't lose to them at all.

?If we drive off the dragon! Please go on a date with meeee!?

?Oh, okay?

It’s fine if it’s only that much.

There just so happens to be a place I want to bring Rana to that I’ve wanted to check out first. I could have gone with Ea, Maria, or Lanseal, but if I went with one of them, there's a good chance that I'll get found out.

?………………Huh, really??

?Yeah, really?

Why are you asking me back when you're the one who requested it?

?Souya-san. You're married, right? Won't your wife get angry??

?It's fine. I'll keep it a secret, so it'll be fine. Besides, I don't think she'll be mad even if she finds out?

I want to take her there as a surprise, so I would rather she didn't find out though.

But Rana isn't the sort of person who would get angry over something like this. Even if it’s a date, it's probably nothing more than having a meal together. No problem(in Cantonese[1]).

?Err, my mental image of Souya-san's wife is getting a little confusing. What kind of person is she??

?Did I not tell you about her? She's an elf from the nearby Heures Forest. She's a magician?

I won't mention the fact that she's royalty for now.

She's been disowned by her father and everything.

?Is she beautiful??

?Rather than beautiful, I'd say she's more of the cute type?

?Ggh, our characteristics overlap. What about her figure??

?Hmm? It’s so-so?

Even if I'm trying to be flattering, it's difficult to say that Rutsuko-san's are big. So I think it would be rude of me to talk about Rana's boobs. I'll also keep that fact to myself.

?How did the two of you meet??

?She helped me when I was on the verge of death. I narrowly escaped death that day?

?A fateful meeting?!?

I should also keep secret why I was on the verge of death. It was, well, the barbaric act of a man with no one to rely on and nothing to lose. I do feel that it was a mistake. Now that I have people to protect, I would never do such a thing.

?So………am I right to assume that it was you who proposed, Souya-san??

?No, she's the one who proposed to me?

?So assertive!?

Rana is the one who proposed first. I re-proposed to her after that though.

Oh………hers was for a pretend marriage, wasn't it? I had forgotten about that. Remembering it makes a bit of a gloomy feeling well up in my chest.

But what's with this constant stream of questions?

?Huh??

Gunmerry whispered something into Rutsuko-san's ear. I couldn't quite make out what it was muttering.

?Really?! Is that how it is with elves?!?

?Princess, myself will root for you?

?Okay!?

Rutsuko-san and Gunmerry exchange a one-handed high-five.

It's wonderful that you two get along so well, but that strange creature in the armor there had peeked at your panties just now.

I'll double-check it with her.

?So, I'll take it that you're okay with taking part in the battle??

?Of course! I'll beat it to a pulp and turn it into steak! I'll make it into a purse and a bag!?

?Myself will fight with everything I have?

?Yeah!?

?Yay!?

They high-fived each other with both hands. I got caught up in the moment and high-fived them too.

And so, I managed to recruit the second party with ease.

………………The number of flags I've raised has doubled.

[1] Souya says “???”, which is the Japanese version of the Cantonese phrase “???/???(mou man tai)”. As ? isn’t a kanji available in the Japanese language, “?” is used to replace it. But it is definitively Cantonese as “no problem” in normal Japanese is “????“.

If you’re wondering why Souya knows this phrase, it’s probably because it’s a movie. No Problem(???/???) is a Hong Kong comedy film released in 1999. However, it was actually a Japan-led production and the lead role was played by Takashi Okamura, one half of the comedy duo Ninety-nine. A sequel was released in 2002.

Alternatively, it could also be a reference to Digimon Tamers. XD

Haha, the Gunmerrys have combined to become one pervy Gunmerry. By the way, do you remember them being happy at being kicked by Lanseal last volume? I wonder, was that the event that awakened their interest in panties, or was it there all along? By the way, this combined Gunmerry refers to himself as “myself(??)”, but I’m having trouble getting the nuance across. It’s meant to be an arrogant way to say “I/me”, the opposite of something like “my humble self”.

So many tennis players do the fist pump, or “guts pose”, that I sincerely have no idea who the referenced famous tennis player could be. Nadal maybe?

Hahaha, that part at the end. I love this author’s sense of humor so much. Who’s Souya going to recruit next and will he end up raising yet another death flag? Stay tuned!