Dungeon of Precious Stones Again (4)
"Come on, let's regain our focus and keep going~"
“”Okay~””
We resumed our conquest of the third floor.
"Still, it's just a regular tunnel, isn't it? After the first floor being like that, I thought the following spaces would be more splendid.""Everyone thinks that at first."
"Oh, really?"
Since the first floor was impressive, everyone expected something grander for the second floor. But it turned out to be just an ordinary floor, which was a bit disappointing.
"But you know... ah, can I say that?"
"Is it about the upcoming information? Feel free to share."
"Is that so? Well then, from the eleventh floor, things will change drastically."
“"Really?”"With a smirk, Dill-san provided information about the lower floors.
"From the eleventh floor? So, does that mean the tunnels will remain the same up to the tenth floor?"
"Yeah, that's the idea."
“"Alright, let's hurry!"”
“”N?””
Upon hearing about the information beyond the eleventh floor, the children's motivation surged. Seeing their enthusiasm, Dill-san and I exchanged glances involuntarily.
"Allen, Elena, I'll say it again, no running, okay?"
“”Ehh~””
I thought I'd give them a reminder, but it seemed they still had the urge to run.
"Dill-san, why don’t you ride on Joule?”
"Or maybe Feat?"
“”Ah, why not Vector?””
"......"
We shouldn't push Dill-san too hard. It seems they are suggesting we let Joule or others carry Dill-san on their back instead of making him run.
"Takumi, ride on what, exactly?”
"Oh... they mean my contracted beasts."
"Takumi, you have contracted beasts, too? And it's a large one that can carry people for a ride! Moreover, there are multiple? That's amazing!"
"Well, I got lucky."
Since I didn't contract them by my own efforts, it feels kind of awkward to receive praise.
"But let's hold off on having Joule and the others come along until we get a little further down."
“”Ehh~””
Dill-san is here to deal with troublesome adventurers, so it wouldn't be wise to call Joule and others and increase the potential for trouble. We should wait until we're past the fourth or fifth floor, where adventurers often visit for mining, before calling them.
"Then, how about I carry him on my back?"
“”That’s out of question!””
When Joule and the others were rejected, Kaiser came up with another suggestion. However, it was such an outrageous idea that Dill-san and I immediately rejected it.
"Should Allen carry him?"
"Should Elena give it a try?"
"No, no, no! What are you guys even saying!?"
After Kaiser's idea got rejected, for some reason, the children also volunteered. Seeing Dill-san flustered, the children started grinning mischievously, enjoying their antics.
"Allen, Elena, stop teasing Dill-san!"
“”Sure~””
"You were just teasing!"
Dill-san shoulders drooped in dejection.
"Allen, Elena, you have been getting mischievous lately~ But remember, it's not okay to do things that people dislike."
“"What if they don't dislike it?"”
"... Huh? Well, if they don't dislike it… it’s okay? No, it's not good. People who enjoy making mischief of others are unreliable, so you shouldn't get close to them."
“”Okay~””
I was cautioning them to stop their mischief, but it seems like it turned into a warning about something else in the end... Well, whatever.
"Dill-san, sorry about that."
"Well, it's fine. So, what's the plan? Are we just going to continue as usual?"
"Oh, right, that's what we were talking about."
"You forgot about it?"
"Hahaha~"
Right, we were supposed to stop the children from doing endurance marathons.
"For now, let's just move on to the sixth floor. We're going to do some mining, right?"
"”Oh, that's right!"”
They seemed to have been planning to go straight to the eleventh floor, but they just remembered about the mining at the sixth floor. So, we decided to resume our journey as usual.
"Huh? Why are there kids?"
"What are you... Oh, you're right!?"
As we progressed smoothly and walked through the fourth floor, we encountered more adventurers. It seems like there are many people mining on the fourth floor.
"Eh, kids!?"
"Huh!?"
And every time we encountered someone, they were surprised to see the kids. But well, for now, no one has bothered us.
“”... Muu~””
"Why are Allen and Elena sulking so much?"
"Because~... nobody's bothering us~~~"
"No, no, no, what are you saying? It's better not to be bothered, you know?"
The children were seemingly expecting to be bothered, but they showed disappointment as they weren't bothered at all.
"If someone bothers, can beat them up, right?"
“You said is okay, if not unconscious.”
"Yeah, that's exactly what I said! But I didn't mean you should be so eager to do it! Let's just go peacefully~~~"
"”Ehh~””
… Why are Allen and Elena so eager for combat? Could it be that they're not children of the Water God but rather children of the War God? Or is this just a phase of being willful or rebellious? It's a puzzling situation.
"Save that energy for dealing with monsters. That's fine. But remember, if you cause any trouble, you might be banned from entering this dungeon again."
"”Is that so?"”
"That's right. You are allowed to enter because you got a ‘permit,’ but if they're told 'no more,' you won't be able to come back."
"”Is that how it is~ Then, won’t beat them up.””
"Yeah yeah, that's the way."
Since they agreed to the persuasion somehow, we hurriedly advanced through the crowded fourth and fifth floors, aiming to conquer them quickly.
"Ahh?! Why are there kids here!"
Unfortunately, just as we were about to head to the stairs leading to the sixth floor, we encountered some unsavory-looking men.
"Takumi, what should we do? Should I just knock them out?"
"Hah?! What are you talking about!!"
"......"
Furthermore, Kaiser audibly asked me how to handle the situation. Since I had previously instructed him to ask or consult before taking any action, I couldn't blame Kaiser, but I earnestly wished he had confirmed with me through telepathy at least.
"Wait a moment! Barden-san, hold on!"
"Oh? Dill?"
"Huh? Dill-san, you know him?"
… One of the unsavory-looking men, Barden-san, seemed to be acquainted with Dill-san.
