Chapter 20 – Let’s Go Dive the Dungeon with a Rock Drill

「Now, let me explain our mission this time」

Shouji declared with a devilish face and placed his hands on the desk with his back on the whiteboard.

The sleepy Stark leans his body on the sofa, Bando sat cross-legged on the billiards table, while Doldo sat in front on the exit door, munching a doughnut.

Just like before, the group gathered in a two-story fisherman’s cabin owned by Stark.

The meeting room in a worn-out building like an abandoned wooden house is reasonably large, it is perfect for a secret talk near the deserted port.

「Darling. What is wrong with this gathering?」

Lorelei, a newcomer to the gang, sat at Shouji’s feet and looked up at the man she had just met with a curious look on her face.

She was on her way home from school, in her school uniform, and had just sort of followed Shouji, whom she had met by chance on the street, she did not understand the sudden turn of events.

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「El es dsv byhl xsdlu」
「Ob? Pked’v usw byhl vldp sq xkzzksdp sa ps qasx yzz vbl rsvksdp usw psze?」
「El nswze prlde vbyv jkde sq xsdlu kd y dktbv kq ol oydvle vs. Jydes alxselzle bkp bswpl, Fvyaj’p tsv y nawpb okvb y tkaz yv y cya, yde Pszes yvl vss xwnb yv y qydnu alpvywaydv」
「Eykv, Fbswfk. R oydvle vs tkhl yzz xu zkvvzl casvblap vblka sod assx. Rv kp y dlnlppyau lmrldpl」
「Yl yde Nkdey yal tskdt vs tlv xyaakle. Fbl pyke pbl okzz iwkv vbl pbsr vss. Rv kp vsvyzzu qsa vbl qwvwal」
「Zsw pbswze vau pkazskd pvlyj okvb y zsv sq vawqqzl pywnl, kv kp qalyjkdt elzknkswp」

　Gqvla zkpvldkdt vs vbl vball sq vblx, Nsalzlk xwxczle「Gal usw twup plakswp?」okvb bla lulp byzq-nzsple vbld vwadle bla yvvldvksd cynj vs Fbswfk.

「Ebyv eke usw wpl kv qsa, eyazkdt?」
「Ayakswp vbkdtp. R tyhl Tszzu y cswiwlv sq flolzle qzsolap yp y nswavlpu, cswtbv y eakdj qsa xu qakldep obs valyvle xl y eakdj obld R oyp casjl, yde R kdhlpvle kd psxl pbyal qsa xsdlu zywdelakdt」
「Txxx. R oydv y cswiwlv sq qzsolap vss」

Fbl nwazle bla qkdtlap vbaswtb bla zsdt czsde byka vbyv bye qlzz sdvs vbl qzssa yde vwadle yoyu bla rswvkdt qynl yde clttle obkzl pwzjkdt.

「Rq usw okpb psxlvbkdt qasx y xyd, es dsv ypj bkx qsa kv qynl-vs-qynl. Mbyv oyu, kv okzz xyjlp bkx oydv vs es psxlvbkdt ycswv kv. Lso, zlv’p vyzj ycswv swa rzyd」

Mbkp vkxl, vblu okzz cl osajkdt yp tayhl ascclap vs rzwdela vbl valypwal qasx vbl nsarplp vbyv zkl kd y qyxswp ewdtlsd, 『Mbl Qbspv Ssye(ゴースト・ロード)』.

Fbswfk pjkzzqwzzu wple vbl kdqsaxyvksd dlvosaj sq vbl Gehldvwala’p Qwkze vs bkp yehydvytl.

Tl yeele vbl pvawnvwal sq vbl ewdtlsd, kvp ekqqknwzvklp, eydtlaswp rskdvp, lvn vs vbl xyr.

The overall picture was a terrain like an ant’s nest, but not so deep. The most important part is the deepest part where the most corpses are gathered, which is the treasury.

「Are we going to descend from the top with a rope?」
「That way, we would be the prey of the wraith-type monsters that come to the surface」
「Quikk, can’t you just get rid of it?」
「It is difficult. I have a great way to fight the ghost, but I do not like to do it because of the mood problem」
「Listen Quikk. We are a gang with knives and guns. We are not going to be adventurers with shiny long sword and strange magic that slay terrible monsters」
「I know. I drew up the plan for this mission after taking several factors into consideration. One of them is this」

Shouji pointed at one of the picture on the wall with a pointer.

It showed a quarry worker crushing huge stones at a quarry and transporting the thin shards and pebbles somewhere with a wheelbarrow and a conveyor belt.

It an open cave that looks like a tunnel.

「It is a quarry twenty kilometers away from『The Ghost Road(ゴースト・ロード)』. Strictly speaking, it is not connected to the dungeon, but we can use a rock drill to connect it from here. There are no needless obstacles, we can travel parallel approximately, we can go straight to the deepest part, and there are no monsters along the way」
「A rock drill? where do you lease it?」
「I bought it. Here it is. It is the newest machine that smashes the gnome and then puts it in the fuel tank to move. I did a trial run, and the crushing capacity is perfect」

The rock drill, which weighed more than ten tons, was colored yellow, and the drill, as the symbol of destruction, was made of the legendary steel Orichalcum.

The blade rotates at more than 1000 RPM, and the horsepower reaches 10,000, Shouji said enthusiastically, while he read the catalog hidden under his desk, it seemed he really have done a run test, but for some reason a picture of Bodhi’s store building collapsed and shattered was shown.

The picture of a middle-aged man putting his hands on the ground in despair with his face covered by tears, appealed to the conscience of everyone here except Shouji, but the performance was understandable.

Fortunately,the fuel was gathered in Percibelk’s house. The gnomes, an earth-element spirit, was pathetically treated like a c*ckroach for fuel.

The source of the earth magic power was obtained one after another, furthermore when Shouji tries to catch it with a rope, Percibell’s favorability also increased.

「Darling. I have been thinking about it, if this is a famous dungeon, there will be no treasure left, right?」
「Good question. I thought so at first, but I changed my mind when I heard rumors of a wraith wearing a crown. Gravekeeper of the Dead. King of the Catacombs. There is a Wraith Lord」

The four of them was dumbfounded, then Shouji cleared his throat.

As a former adventurer, it is useless to talk about terms as if they are obvious because he know them.

「Wraith Lord is a collection of wraiths, and there are conditions for it’s creation. They need to live in the environment filled with vitality. If they cannot sustain themselves, the wraiths will disperse and seek out living humans. For such an environment, they need bait to attract humans. In other words, gold, silver, and treasures. Protecting it is what makes their existence possible」
「A ghost king, eh…… Shouji. Can you defeat it?」

Shouji was the only force who could fight against the monster, so Bando covered his mouth with his folded hands, trying to make sure that Shouji’s eyes were not lying.

「I am not expecting a fight. I have no problem defeating it if I were alone, but I cannot fight while protecting you guys」
「I do not know the technical details, but how do you settle this Wraith Lord thing?」
「I will leave it to this fellow」

Shouji pointed to a new picture with his pointer.

A slender woman with a side-tail is throwing a kiss at the picture.

She wears a long-sleeved jet-black man’s jacket, while the lower half is covered with golden leg armor made from carapace.

『Karma Leg Hero』Leschia Winter.

「I have seen her before, when I was running a ferry. She is a famous adventurer. The-Deva Leschia. They say she can fly more freely than a birdman」
「I know her too. She is an idol who often appears in the newspaper. She is the only Street-Corner-Heroes who has been given a white knight title by the king」
「Ah, I am her fan. I want her autograph」

The reactions of the three of them told him how well known Leschia was to the public, but Shouji hit her picture with pointer.

「Leschia may look cute on the outside, but inside, she is a fearsome freaking monster. We’re going to smash her against the Wraith Lord. Meanwhile, we will rob the treasures and make a run for it」
「Darling. Hearing from the story, it does not seems like she can be our comrade. So how are we going to smash her?」
「I approached Leschia and talk about subjugating a Wraith Lord. I recently made acquaintance with an extremely stupid priest. I asked her to help me because the world is in danger, and she agreed immediately. She is the head of『Silver Light Blade(Torch The Blade)』union, which is full of heroes who have fought in many battles. If the members of the legion that are scattered all over the place are gathered together, they will have the power of an common national army without any favoritism. They will definitely run through the dungeon without a doubt」
「Hey, darling. Are you sure you can fool them?」
「Even if Leschia knew that she had been fooled, it will be fine because she is a good person with a calm and stupid personality. There might be some fools under her command who will oppose me, but if I make it into a duel, it won’t be a problem」

Small talk followed after the discussion was concluded.

A detailed strategy meeting continued until it reached a conclusion.

They talked about the rock drill’s fuel sustainability, the timing of the raid, the risk of collapsing, the types of surveying tools they need to bring and how to handle them.

They also conducted a virtual simulation for each role division and grave robbery.

How to handle scattered skeletons and the expected age of the gemstones. How to sort out the good gems and the bad gems. The types of items and ornaments that need to be transported and the means of transporting them.

Among those include securing an untraceable destination for the sale―― And a way to counter the wraiths if each of them were to come across with it.

As professional criminals, the men discussed at length from morning till night, filling in the gaps in their plans.

One by one, one at a time, they would address their concerns and decide on the countermeasures.

「You guys could make it big if you used this passion more properly」
「We are professionals. We are not kids and we are not pessimistic about our current fate」

Shouji made a decisive statement to the casual praise.
Lorelei put a finger to her lips and tilted her head in a cute way.

「Then, why are you getting drunk?」

The four men closed their mouths like clams in response to Lorelei’s innocent question.

The majesty and dignity that had been in the air earlier disappeared, and a grim silence enveloped the place. It was as if time had stopped, and everyone was frozen with a serious look on their faces

Shouji glanced at Bando.

「…… Oi, Bando. Give her a rational explanations」
「…… Stark, we need your manhood here」
「…… Doldo, go tell that cheeky girl off」
「Ahhh, umm, you see…… Adults have a lot of circumstances and it is hard, you know?」

Lorelei who folded her arms while sit cross-legged, nods at Doldo’s kind answer.

Then she politely admitted her fault and smiled apologetically.

「Somehow, that…… I am sorry for saying such cheeky things. I will bake you a pizza as an apology. I am good at it. Do you have any favorite things?」
「I like hamburger on mine. My little brothers like it and I like it too」
「I like seafood. It would be good it there are lots of fresh squid」
「I like anything as long as there is cheese」
「What about you, darling?」
「Fried Shrimp」

　△　▼　△

Wearing an apron and a bandana, she stood in front of the kitchen worktable.

The four men were playing cards while Lorelei was kneading the dough on covered with flour.

The table was getting excited as the game heated up, it was a harsh game since the loser of the game have to use a communication stone to send a prank call to Master Flamed, Lord of the Underworld. the ruler of the underground guild to which they belonged,

It is a dangerous game, if one is unlucky, the communication will be analyzed and an assassin will be sent

It is an crazy game that can only be played by crazy potion addict like them.

The more dangerous it is, the more excited the daredevils get―― As expected, they had to choose their cards carefully if they were going to play.

They look at their cards with a much more serious face than they would if they were betting money, and concentrate on the game as they tilt their amber colored glasses.

「Amazing, this is the most exciting thing in my life. Shouji, is this communication stone really connected to Flamed? I have never seen or met him before」
「It is really connected. I stole it with my own hands from the top-secret account book in an underground guild vault」

The revelation that it was possible to prank call a genuine gangster’s home caused a great deal of excitement and increased the seriousness of the situation.

They were, naturally lightly intoxicated, and they had all been given a bumpy stone that fit in the palm of their hands for punishment―― They were playing a game with their red face around the dining table where the communication with color scheme was put.

What they were doing was a joker draw, just a simple old maid game.

「Hey, this is insane, right?」
「That why it is okay…… Wait, I am already finished」

Stark, who was cheering, stand up, and Doldo, who was freaking out also finished and breathed a sigh of relief.

Now it became a one-on-one battle between Bando and Shouji, Bando, the owner of the Joker, shuffled his cards to try to stir things up.

He deliberately thrust one card straight up to emphasize it, and offered two cards.

「Bando, it is useless even if you try to fool me. I am drinking a Sensory-Potion right now. It is the latest Ear-Potion. I can hear your heartbeat. Heartbeats do not lie」
「Come, Shouji. Let me see what a hero can do」

The two of them glared at each other, having exchanged taunts and provocations.

He stretched his trembling hands out. Shouji selected a card and slowly drew―― The card is a joker.

「You’ve gotta be kidding me…… My power is not working」
「Nice, now it is my turn to draw」

The game was continued once again. Shouji hid his cards and shuffled it in a hurry, but Bando had a composed look.

It is not surprising, since he had spotted some chips in the four corners of the cards and was able to distinguish between the Joker and the other cards. It was a small trick, but it was not cheating, because he had not set it up himself.

The cards were drawn once again―― Bando dodged the joker and win.

Bando threw his hands up in the air triumphantly and asked for an applause. Then, Stark and Doldo clapped their hands.

The loser was decided. The hero had been defeated tragically.

「Damn! It is my lost! It cannot be helped…… I will make a call」

Gritting his teeth, Shouji honestly manipulated the color scheme of the communication stone and connected the communication line to the home of Master Flamed, the Lord of the Underworld.

After the phone ringing, an elderly man answered.

『Hello?』

Shouji gulped, and then laid out the lines he had prepared just in case.

「I am the Flying Jackal of the Royal Knights, Commander of the Royal Western Army under the King. I have contacted you to declare war on you filthy Underground Guilds」
「Pffftt!」

Stark held his mouth as he stifled the sudden laugh.

Shouji even went to trouble himself by making a stern face and imitating the voice. No one but the said person himself could tell whether he looked exactly like him or not, but he really did.

『I am sorry, but I am the butler, Master Flamed-sama is currently out to see the opera』
「Shut up! Listen, I am going to say this just once, so listen carefully. I have planted a bomb in the Kirin branch of the Error Knife. It is a fireworks display to start the war. I will have all my men rise up and drive you all into the ground. I will kill your master with the pride of a knight on the line. Tell your master to wash his neck!」
『….., I-I will inform it』

The butler, judging it to be a serious call, returns his reply while being freaked out.

Shouji lowered the tone of his voice, to instigates fear into him.

「If by any chance…… If you have any desire to end this peacefully, then take a close-up of Flamed’s anus and send it to my house in the royal capital」
『Ah, a-anus is it?』
「Yeah, it is anus. Either way, I am looking forward to it, farewell then」

Shouji turned off the communication stone.

He broke into a smile and high-fived the three men one after the other, shouting「Yes!」 and high-fived the three men one after another.

They tap danced and wiggled their hips and drank glasses of strong liquors together.

This time, they planned to call the palace of His Holiness the Pope, the leader of the religious state, but stopped halfway when they realized that they did not know the color scheme number.

The men, drunk and unable to resist to pick a fight with anything, were looking for their next prey, but stopped when Lorelei brought them pizzas.

「Why do men get so excited about such stupid things…… Darling, you drink too much」

Lorelei, holding a pizza plate in both hands and arranging the various pizzas, she is busy preparing the meal while letting out a distressed「Haaa」 breath.

After making sure most of the pizzas were lined up, Shouji then reached one hand around Lorelei’s neck and pulled her close.

「Life has to be happy, you know. In the end, the guy who does what he wants to do and died, wins」
「Darling, you reek of alcohol. You even rubs all over my mounds……」

Lorelei was not happy with the way her soft developing mounds were being squeezed, but she was not complaining either, then she leans her body and put her buttocks on Shouji’s lap.

She snuggled closer, rubbed my cheeks, and took advantage of the opportunity to get pampered. The corners of her eyes drooped and she cleared her throat pleasantly.

Bando, sensing the strange atmosphere, bellowed.

「Shouji, it is fine for you to flirt with your wife, but please think about us too and order prostitutes using the communication stone」
「I have already called. I called five, one for me, Stark, Doldo, Bando, and Lorelei」
「As expected of you, Quikk. It is perfect」

Stark, who was munching on a squid, gave a thumbs up, then Shouji gave him a thumbs up in return.

「I do not need it! What is it! Why I am being included too?!」

Shouji, who had been checking the numbers while bending his fingers, mumbles “That’s weird” gave up adding halfway through and started chewing the pizza with a blank expression.

The remaining three people gobbled up the pizza without a care in the world.

「It is good」
「It is delicious」
「So tasty」
「Seconds please」
「It will be baked soon, so just wait. Darling, wait, let me go」
「Yeah……」

Lorelei, who worries about the kitchen, struggles from his arms and flutters, so he releases it, then Shouji concentrates on enjoying the juiciness of the shrimps that overflows from the pizza.

The shrimps were fried, but it was fifty-fifty with the boiled things, it was devised so that you would not get bored.

「By the way, Shouji. If you fight with Leschia, can you win?」
「It is easy…… Is what I would like to say, but I do not know. I will just say that it will be difficult」
「No matter who it is, they will die if they get shot at the back of their head with a pistol. That’s fine, right, Bando? We are not kids that likes to compares」
「Get me Leschia-chan’s autograph, please. I beg you」
「Okay, okay. But, The-Deva Leschia, eh…… It is a useful card, but I have to be careful with it」

Like a bomb, it must be handled with care or it will burn himself.

He should also have a countermeasure plan in place too.

Just in case.

「Darling, I have been thinking about it, why don’t we just work together with this Leschia to conquer the dungeon」

It was a suggestion that had never come up among the men.

It was an unspoken understanding that had been missing from the beginning, and Shouji stopped eating and grinned widely.

「Lorelei. Listen, there is a fatal difference between her and us」
「What, please do not tell me you want to make easy money. That is not going to work because you were working hard on the plan」
「It is not like that. Bando, give this naive young lady some answers」
「Okay, Shouji. Listen, Miss Leschia is a wonderful lady, as her reputations says, let’s say that she agreed to work with us. She is a powerful card. If we put her as a vanguard, she could easily cleared the dungeon. But there is a problem at the end. In other words, it is about the shares」
「It is better to have less risk even if the share is reduced. It is only natural that those who work harder would get more」
「Of course, it is as what ojou-chan said. I do not have objection at all. The person who works hard gets more reward. It is just a matter of common sense」

Lorelei folded her arms while pouting at Bando’s for treating her as a child.

Stark is enjoying his drink and Doldo is devouring his pizza.

In the end, being at a loss at the answer, she shook Shouji’s shoulder sweetly, she appealed at him with her eyes looking for help, while showing her confusion.

「Darling. This is like some kind of nasty quiz」
「Lorelei. We are villains, but we are fair. And Leschia is a good person, and fair. This give birth to a very dangerous consequence. Bando, it is about time to put on the punch line」

Taking a deep breath, Bando concludes with a solemn look.

　―― Good and Evil.

　―― Light and Dark.

　―― Front and Behind.

They expressed their incompatible relationship like water and oil in one word.

「We do not want to pay taxes」