Chapter 115: Labyrinth exploration Part 3

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Translator: Soafp

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Now, it’s time to test our coordination as a party.

The formation remains as before: Joe and I at the front, Naga-san and Mother in the middle, and Singari with Ashera.

Joe and I lead the way into the depths of the dungeon.

After a while, we come across a peculiar sight ahead. There’s a large hole in the wall, resembling a passage.

Approaching cautiously, we confirm it’s indeed a staircase.

“Naga-san, what should we do about the staircase?”

“Well… the second floor apparently has Windwolves mixed with Wild Boars.”

I show signs of hesitation, but Mother interjects.

“No, we shouldn’t.”

“Rafina… Do you have a reason for that?”

“This time, we planned only for the first floor. Changing plans in a new place could lead to trouble.”

“…You’re right. Let’s stick to just the first floor this time.”

“Thank you, Naga.”

Naga-san responds with a smile, and their interaction is reassuring to watch. They seem to understand each other from logical to intuitive perspectives… It’s like me and El.

Returning to focus, we continue through the dungeon.

After a while, we spot a pack of eight Windwolves.

“A pack of Windwolves. There are eight of them. What should we do?”

I report to Naga-san, and a slight tension is felt among the group.

“Let’s defeat them. Remember, magic is prohibited, as I mentioned earlier.”

Mother, however, seems dissatisfied and starts complaining.

“Naga, if I can’t use magic, then what should I do?”

Naga-san shrugs lightly and replies,

“How about mentoring the juniors? Also, please keep an eye out for any approaching monsters. If they get close, you can use magic.”

Mother sulks a bit, which I find secretly cute.

With the discussion settled, we advance slowly. Although everyone can handle solo encounters, getting complacent won’t help with training.

Rather than rushing in, we advance slowly without breaking formation.

Soon, the Windwolves notice us and move to surround us.

“Formation!”

Naga-san’s voice echoes. We all gather around Naga-san and Mother, back to back, preparing for the enemy’s attack. In reality, we can’t actually surround two people with three, but it’s a matter of positioning.

We are confident that if the enemies are Wind wolves, we won’t let any through to the rear.

The Wind wolves seem to have succeeded in surrounding us. Slowly, they begin closing in.

Staying put seems too passive. With magic prohibited and the formation intact, the only option left is throwing.

I sheath my short sword and equip two spare knives.

“Throwing.”

The knives pierce the foreheads of two Wind wolves, killing them instantly… leaving six remaining.

Enraged by their fallen comrades, the remaining Wind wolves attack us.

I retrieve the two knives with gravitational magic, targeting the two Wind wolves that are slightly farther away and might slip through to the rear.

Though not in the forehead, the knives should render them unable to move.

Drawing two short swords from my waist, I behead one of the Wind wolves in front of me.

Looking around, I see Ashera has defeated two, and Joe one.

Naga-san looks at me with a bewildered expression.

“Aldo-kun, throwing is also prohibited.”

My throwing is also prohibited… With the positions fixed, we can’t move around freely. Magic is also out of the question.

It seems we’re being told to act normally in this situation.

It’s only natural since we’re checking movements. Next time, we’ll stick to ordinary actions.

After battling the Wind wolves, we walked for about five minutes and discovered something suspicious in the corner of the passage—a strange light? Membrane?

“Naga-san, there’s something strange here…”

“Strange?”

In response to my words, Naga-san walks over to me.

“Oh, it’s not a strange object. Aldo-kun, you’ve done well.”

A treasure chest. In the library books, it was described as “covered in a membrane,” but seeing it in person is quite different. I imagined it to be like a garbage bag, but it’s actually a faintly glowing “light orb.” The color is mostly white, but there’s a slight reddish hue to it.

Apparently, the color changes as the contents become imbued with magic. This time, the contents seem to have little magical influence. However, it’s our first treasure chest. It’s hard not to feel excited, and as I move closer to the chest, Naga-san stops me.

“Aldo-kun, there’s a high possibility of traps.”

I had forgotten. The books also mentioned a high likelihood of traps.

“I’m sorry. I was reckless.”

“It’s your first time in a labyrinth, so it’s understandable.”

Naga-san turns to Ashera.

“Ashera-san, are there any other magical forces attached to the treasure chest?”

“Yeah… there’s a black magic force attached to the membrane…”

“I see. Can you attack only that magic force with your magic?”

“I think so.”

After finishing the conversation with Ashera, Naga-san looks at everyone and gives instructions.

“Then let’s all step back a bit.”

We step back about five meters from our previous position.

“Alright, Ashera-san. Please.”

“Understood.”

Ashera shoots a Windbullet (lethal type) at the treasure chest.

As the Windbullet passes over the chest, it pierces something. For a moment, I can see what looks like shards of glass.

“It’s done.”

“Thank you, Ashera-san.”

Now, all that’s left is to open the chest, but Naga-san is our healer. I can’t risk anything dangerous for her sake if there are any remaining traps. I look around… Mother, Ashera, Joe, and just one boy.

When I look at Joe, everyone else does too.

Joe shrugs his shoulders and raises his hands as if giving up.

“Alright, I’ll do it then.”

Joe walks towards the treasure chest. He walks with a swagger, but his legs are trembling slightly.

“Joe, wait. I’ll go.”

If it’s poison or paralysis, Naga-san should be able to heal it. The only fear is an explosion trap, but with my Magic Shield and Reactive Armor, I should be able to withstand it.

While the contents of the chest may be damaged, I can’t weigh that against the danger to my comrades. I pass Joe and stand beside the treasure chest.

“Oi, Aldo. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I have this.”

I deploy my Magic Shield on my left arm, and Joe nods in agreement, stepping back.

Neither Naga-san nor Mother say anything, perhaps because I’m the most suitable candidate.

With the Reactive Armor in the shield and my right hand holding a short sword, I slowly insert the sword into the side of the treasure chest.

When the blade penetrates about five centimeters, the light from the chest bursts.

After the chest disappears, a staff, presumably well-used, lies on the ground.

I poke the staff with the short sword… It doesn’t seem to be anything special, but there’s a 0.1% chance it could be a mimic.

I poke it a few times, but the staff seems harmless.

I turn back to Naga-san and ask for instructions.

“Naga-san, a staff came out of it. What should we do?”

“Let me see.”

I think to myself that I don’t want to touch it, but it would be embarrassing to say so. So, reluctantly, I pick up the staff and quickly hand it over to Naga-san.

“T-thank you…”

Naga-san looks at me with a questioning gaze, but I pretend not to know anything.

As Naga-san examines the staff, Mother snatches it away from the side.

As Mother touches it, the staff begins to faintly glow.

Everyone tenses up and looks at the staff, but the light stops abruptly…

Then it starts glowing again… stops… glows…

It seems that whenever Mother does something, the staff lights up.

“Rafina, can you tell us what this is about?”

“This staff glows when I touch it.”

“…”

“…”

“And?”

“That’s all.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I infuse magic into the staff, it glows faintly.”

“And?”

“That’s it. Just glows. It doesn’t seem to do anything else.”

Everyone wears a somewhat awkward expression.

In that atmosphere, Naga-san mutters,

“Even with subtle abilities, magical items are invaluable. Let’s take it with us.”

Items engraved with magical circles and powered by magic stones to activate various effects are called magical tools. In contrast, magical items are tools that have absorbed magical power over a long time spent in dungeons.

While this glowing staff can create magical tools with the same effect, there are some magical items with unique abilities. One famous example is the “Staff of Lightning,” which can summon real lightning even on a cloudless day once a year.

Another example is the “Ring of Extraction.” Its counterpart, the “Ring of Sacrifice,” absorbs all damage dealt to the wearer. Such magical items are highly valued as heirlooms of nobility and royalty.

I remember Rosa once saying she wanted to see magical items.

“Naga-san, I’d like to show this to the magical item craftsman at home. Can I borrow it?”

“Items acquired by the party are treated as party assets. So, if the party members agree, there’s no problem. By the way, I don’t mind.”

As I look around, Joe, Mother, and Ashera nod in agreement.

“Thank you, everyone!”

“In that case, Aldo-kun, you should hold onto this staff. But don’t break it.”

I receive the staff from Naga-san and carefully put it into my backpack.

After that, we engage in several battles with Wind wolves. I think everyone moved as expected.

Mother and Ashera seemed bored the whole time, though…

“I think that’s enough. Shall we head back a little earlier than usual?”

Naga-san announces the end of our labyrinth exploration.

Everyone probably has some thoughts about it. When we return to the capital, there will be a meeting that’s basically a reflection session.

The return trip goes smoothly without any problems, and the horse escort is also safe.

We ride the horses back to the capital just like we did on the way there.

As we arrive at the adventurers’ guild, I notice the butler of the Blue Ring family, standing there.

As I dismount and approach Sir Seirie, he quietly informs me.

“There’s been a disturbance in the Blue Ring territory. Please return to the mansion immediately.”

“Disturbance” – is it a rebellion? An invasion of monsters? My mind is swirling with unfocused thoughts.

Suddenly, I feel a strong slap on my back.

“Aldo! Pull yourself together!”

I turn around to see Mother standing tall with a daring smile on her face.

“Who knows what’s going on, but… since they’ve crossed the Blue Ring family, we have to settle things properly!”

Haha… She truly is the Ice Witch. There’s no one more reliable than her!

“Al, Ashera, let’s head back to the mansion immediately.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Al, can you carry me and fly?”

“I think so.”

“Then please. As fast as you can.”

“Understood.”

We quickly bid farewell to Naga-san and Joe and dash into the sky above the capital.

A turmoil in Blue Ring… Ashera’s family is in the capital with my family. But there’s Tab, Yamato, everyone from the orphanage, Garl, Berret, Tamei… There are many important people to me in Blue Ring.

I feel a sense of urgency as we race towards the mansion.