Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru Chapter 109: In Search Of Comrades III

Chapter 109: In Search Of Comrades III

While walking through the city, Yukikaze and I took stock of the situation.

『The current participants of the fight against the dragon are team mber Souya, Rana-sama, Ea-sama, Lys-sama, dimu-sama, Frey-sama, Lazarissa-sama, Lutz-sama, and Gunrry. We have eight people and one entity』

「Oh, isn't there one more?」

I was talking about Gashuraku-san, a goblin who was in Frey's party for a ti.

He's a goblin among goblins, the chief of goblins, a vassal of the Demon King of the Forbidden Area, and soone who possesses the skills to easily win against the average adventurer.

「Contact Makina. Tell her to go see Demon King-sama and ask for Gashuraku-san's help」

『Understood, indeed』

Since I had tead up with Frey, there should be no problem getting Gashuraku-san to join us.

『Mya, mya, mya』

Yukikaze was owing like a cat.

「What's this?」

『The ssage to be conveyed was embedded within the audio data emitted just now. Sending transmissions without saying anything is boring, and the sound of compressed audio is unpleasant to humans, so Yukikaze tried to co up with sothing creative』

This must be one of the modifications she did to herself. What a weird modification though.

「And what did Makina say?」

『It seems that she will go right now』

「Got it」

I took a stroll around the city.

Getting lost would be troubleso, so I curbed my curiosity and didn't walk into places I wasn't familiar with.

The back alleys of Lemuria are a little bit like a dungeon. One ti, I got lost for half a day and Maria had to co pick up. That said, it wasn’t like I had so much ti to kill that I would go to a bar or sothing to do so.

Once Makina had contacted Gashuraku-san and gotten his consent, I'll need to tell all the participants to gather at the Adventurers' Guild tomorrow to do the registration.

If he refuses, I'll have to look for another participant.

However, I'm out of leads. The militant group that I had the closest ties with is Gladvain-sama's people. It's such a blow that they aren't allowed to participate.

I realized once again that I have too few connections with my peers in the adventuring business. It's ten this ti around, but there's a possibility that more will be needed in future. If that happens, I'm finished.

The words of the Guild President and Evetta-san are really haunting .

As I wandered around trying to figure out what to do, I found myself at the familiar store run by Tyutyu.

Rather than a store, it was more like an open space with a shack and so tables and chairs that were damaged from being exposed to the elents.

「Oh, it’s you, Souya. What's up-nya?」

A blonde cat beastkin spotted and wrapped her arms around mine. She was dressed in the lingerie-like clothes that beastkin won favored with an apron over them.

「Don't stick so close. Can I have so weak alcohol and so snacks to go with it?」

「Alright-nya?」

I greeted her, placed an order, and sat down at a table.

Tyutyu went into the shack at the back and soon ca back with a bottle of alcohol and so snacks.

「I don't see you here often, Souya-nya」

「Now that you ntion it………」

When was the last ti I was here? The wedding? I've been too busy to drop by, I suppose.

「But it's better to be a busy adventurer than an idle one-nya. An adventurer who doesn't work is no better than a bum-nya」

Tyutyu also sat down at the sa table.

The alcohol she had brought was diluted fruit wine, and the snacks were pickled nuts. This wasn't a fancy restaurant, so I ate them with my hands. Because I was hungry, they tasted good, regardless of their original flavor.

I munched on the nuts and washed them down with the wine. And that was it for lunch.

「How's it going these days? Earnings-wise」

「My store is still the sa as always-nya」

Certainly, the store looks as empty as ever.

I’ve never seen any custors here other than and one other person.

「But that's okay-nya. I'm only keeping this store open because it's what my mother left -nya. With what I earn from Master's bar and Otou-san's store, I have no trouble getting by-nya」

「Has this store always been like this?」

It's a bit of a rude question though.

「It used to be popular-nya. But my mother wasn't really interested in making money, and all she cared about was filling the custors' bellies-nya. In fact, she even had to borrow a little money to keep the store afloat-nya」

「I see. A store like that sounds nice」

Oddly enough, that way of thinking is very similar to soone else's.

I don't know who that is, but sothing in feels good about it.

「That's a weird thing to say-nya. I wish she had at least left her recipes behind though-nya」

「Did she have any specialties on the nu?」

「She did-nya. It was a white soup with lots of ingredients in it. I've heard that the king once ca here in secret to eat it-nya. But I don't know what any of the ingredients are, so I can't replicate it-nya. It's not a dish that uses expensive ingredients though. Not by any ans-nya」

………………A white soup. Hmmm.

If the availability of food in Lemuria hasn’t changed much over the years, then it just might be………but I don't have the ti for this right now. It wouldn't be a bad idea to lend Tyutyu a hand when I have a bit more ti on my hands though.

And then,

I received a ssage from Makina. I had it displayed on the LCD of my glasses.

『So sorry☆ It seems that Gashuraku-san is busy preparing for the goblins' festival to celebrate the coming of the winter, so he won't be back above-ground for quite so ti~. ☆（ゝω?）v』

I felt my face scrunch up from how irritating the ssage was.

「Is sothing the matter-nya?」

「Yeah, kind of. I wasn't able to get the help of soone I was counting on」

I had caused Tyutyu to worry for .

Thinking that there was nothing to lose, I tried asking her, but……

「Tyutyu, do you know any strong, trustworthy adventurers with ti on their hands………………Oh」

「I do-nya」

There’s one.

One such person.

I had forgotten about him.

Because I have not seen him working as an adventurer all that much.

「Where is he right now?」

「I think he's probably floating in the river over there again today-nya」

「I'll go look for him」

Leaving the money on the table, I got up from my seat.

Near Tyutyu's store, there was a waterway. I hurried over there and found the middle-aged ladies washing clothes in its cold water.

「Excuse , where is that person?」

「Oh, he was floating over there just now. He was in the way, so we sent him drifting in that direction」

「Is that so?」

I followed the flow of water down the waterway. In an area with more houses, I found a hairy drowned body that had gotten snagged on a wooden piling.

A group of children had gathered and were poking him with sticks.

「Barfuru-sama. Hey~」

I also poked him with my sheathed katana.

There was no reaction.

「Do any of you have a rock or sothing?」

「Yeah, here you go」

One of the children nearby handed a shattered brick. It was the size of my fist and quite heavy.

「Heave-ho」

I threw it.

The brick shattered into even smaller pieces when it hit the back of his head. It was quite a sturdy head.

「Hn………………Hnnn」

The beast-headed man rose up out of the water suddenly.

Kyaa~, went the children as they scattered and ran away.

「That was a good nap. Is it morning already?」

「It's already the afternoon」

Barfuru-sama is a massive beastkin.

In general, the n and won who are referred to as "beastkin" look like humans with animal parts attached, but this person is different. He looks like a human who had been transford into a wolf. If you ask , this person is what I would call a true beastkin.

According to him, he ca to look like this because of a curse.

Putting aside whether that's true or not……

「Barfuru-sama, I have a favor to ask of you」

He climbed out of the river and shook off the water like a dog.

Quite a lot of it got onto .

「Mmm. First, a drink」

「Yeah yeah」

We went back to Tyutyu's store together.

「Tyutyu, a wake-up drink for 」

「Alright-nya」

In the anti, we settled down at a table.

Tyutyu ca back with a few bottles of alcohol, but she didn't seem to have any intention of giving them to Barfuru-sama.

「Barfuru-sama, pay up first-nya」

「Souya」

「Yeah yeah」

I handed Tyutyu about 20 copper coins. For now, I should let him enjoy his drink first.

Barfuru-sama drank the alcohol, spilling so of it out the sides of his beast-like mouth. I waited until he had emptied about two bottles before I began.

「How is your adventuring going lately?」

「So-so, I suppose」

「It’s going terribly-nya」

Tyutyu said as she wiped Barfuru-sama's beast head with a rag.

He suddenly started to look like a dosticated dog to .

「Good grief～～～～～～～～ The tab has grown so big-nya. It's about 30 gold coins in total-nya. I won't give him as much as a single bean anymore-nya」

「Please work, Barfuru-sama」

I feel ashad even though it's got nothing to do with .

I an, the king knows him personally, there are adventurers who think highly of him, and even Gladvain, the god of war, acknowledges his prowess.

He's as much of a drunk as the hero of a foreign movie is in the sequel.

「What are you implying? I don't work for cheap. And it just so happens that things are starting to stink up in the north. The ti for to show my true power is near. Mm-hmm」

「Barfuru-sama, if you don't pay your tab, you will be barred from my store-nya. I'm at the end of my patience-nya」

「Ugh, Tyutyu, umm, that's a problem for . They're so afraid of at most bars that they not only refuse to serve alcohol, they actually call the guards. This place is a haven that I can relax in. Even Gladvain said, "Abstain from alcohol at the dining table," and wouldn't let drink even a single drop」

「Pay your tab then. It's 35 gold coins」

「Ur, urgh」

Huh, didn't it just go up by five gold coins?

Leaving that aside, here's my chance.

「Barfuru-sama, I'll pay you 40 gold coins if you help with sothing」

According to Otou-san……

『Barfuru-sama? He's not an advanced adventurer, but purely as a vanguard, he's one of the five most powerful in Lemuria. In a certain way, he's a monster. He's not a person who’s bound by the limits of humanity』

That’s what I was told.

If I can hire soone like that for 40 gold coins, then it's an absolute bargain.

「What’s this thing that you want my help with?」

Barfuru-sama's face twisted as if he really, really didn't want to do it.

Despite his dog-like face, I could tell that very clearly from his expression.

「The dragon will be coming to this city soon, right?」

「Is it already that ti of year? A year sure goes by fast, huh?」

「It's only natural that the year goes by quickly if all you do is drink and sleep every day-nya」

Tyutyu's scathing sarcasm was brilliantly ignored by Barfuru-sama.

「Souya, is your intention to use my strength to fight off the dragon?」

「Oh, yes」

What else are you good for?

「If it was a dragon that crawled on the ground, I'd beat it easily. But the dragon that cos to Lemuria with the start of winter flies in the sky. How am I supposed to fight it?」

「We'll co up with a plan. We have several excellent magicians, so we'll find a way to bring it down sohow. Once it's on the ground, I’m counting on your strength, Barfuru-sama」

「Mmm, I refuse」

「Barfuru-sama! You're terrible-nya! Do so work-nya!」

Chastised by Tyutyu, Barfuru-sama explained himself.

「Tyutyu, this is different. It's a matter of principle for 」

「And what is this principle of yours?」

I'll ask just in case.

It was often the case with the warriors of the Myriad Kings, but there are many strong people in this alternate world who have odd self-imposed rules. Barfuru-sama just might be one of them.

「I don't like fights that involve all sorts of petty tricks. Besides, if I agree to do this, I'll have to listen to your orders, won't I? I don't like that」

It was hardly a good argunt.

He's just being willful.

「50 gold coins」

「Mmm?」

「How about if I pay you 50 gold coins?」

「Don't you look down on like that. It's not about the money」

Alright then……

「Tyutyu, how about 60 gold coins?」

……I’ll exploit his weakness.

「Barfuru-sama, accept it right away-nya. If you don't, I'm cutting ties with you-nya. And I'll close this store too-nya」

「What?! Souya, you dirty bastard! Tyutyu, is that really alright with you?! Isn't this the very important store that you inherited from Toto?!」

「It's a store where its only regular doesn't pay his tab-nya. My mother would understand-nya」

「Urgh」

Those words hit Barfuru-sama right where it hurts.

This seems to work very well on him.

Is it that all the won around are strong, or is it simply that all the n around are weak against won? Otou-san too, despite everything, can't stand up to the proprietress. King Lemuria is also like that with his daughter. The sa goes for .

Why is this, I wonder?

Oh, this is what people call birds of a feather flocking together, I suppose.

「But you know, Tyutyu, you also don't want to see being ordered about by a lower-ranked adventurer, do you? Isn't that just uncool?」

「Is that sothing a man who can't even pay for his own drinks should be saying-nya?」

「………………」

Barfuru-sama fell silent.

I couldn't help pitying him.

「Say, what's the deepest floor that you've reached, Barfuru-sama?」

「The 30th floor. Speaking of which, what about you? I'd bet it's only――」

「It's the sa for . Well, to be exact, it’s the bottom of the 30th floor」

「Souya, that's amazing-nya. There aren't many adventurers who can descend the dungeon this fast-nya」

「………………Well, I live for battle, and as such, I have no interest in sothing like clearing the dungeon. Also, clearing floors isn't all there is to an adventurer」

I've heard many people say the sa thing, but I've never found it less convincing than when hearing it from him.

「Barfuru-sama, please lend a hand in fighting off the dragon」

「Barfuru-sama, work a little and show Nya how cool you are-nya」

「Ggrrrr」

Barfuru-sama snarled in reluctance.

「Urggrrrr」

He growled so more.

Just how much do you not want to work, you bastard?

「Haaah～」

Tyutyu let out a deep~ sigh and put on a look of profound weariness.

「I understand-nya. I've grown tired of this, Barfuru-sama. I'm putting this store and the mories associated with my mother to rest right here and now-nya」

「H, hang on a minute, Tyutyu. Think it over again for a mont」

When Barfuru-sama tried to dissuade her, Tyutyu flung her apron at him.

「Then go and take the dragon's head-nya! You good-for-nothing!」

A furious Tyutyu stord off with her tail bristling.

This was the first ti I had ever seen her angry.

「Ggrrooaarr!」

The beast-headed man with an apron over his head quivered.

「Souya! It's all your fault!」

「No, it's mostly your own fault」

Barfuru-sama grabbed by the chest and lashed out at , but I brushed it off as it was only misplaced anger.

「What are you going to do? Tyutyu might really not forgive you unless you take the dragon's head or sothing」

「Ggrrrr」

「Can you do it by yourself? Can you fly in the sky?」

「――――――――――――you a hand」

「Huh, what was that?」

I put my hand to my ear in the "I can't hear you" pose.

If we're going to work together, we'll have to put our lives in each other's hands. The chain of command needs to be clear.

「I’ll lend you a hand. In fighting off the dragon」

「Alright, I'm counting on you」

「Once the fight is over………just you wait」

His eyes were filled with a rather serious intent to kill. However, because he had an apron on his head, the nacing effect was reduced by 30%.

「Ha ha ha」

I don't even know what kind of flag it is that I've raised this ti.

I'm starting to not care anymore.

Small note, many cultures in the east, like China, Japan, and so on, celebrate the winter solstice(though they all seem to call it different nas), which marks the coming of winter, and have nurous traditions involved with it. I know I know, many cultures actually view the winter solstice as the middle of winter or mid-winter, and not the start of winter. That’s why, to prevent confusion, I’ve not translated it as “winter solstice” and have kept referring to it as “the coming/start of winter”, which is what the Japanese culture believes, but I thought I should at least leave a note about it here. It’s also a tiny bit of lore, I guess. (???)?

I am stumped on the reference though. Anyone have any ideas?

Now that I think about it, Gashuraku-san’s deepest floor reached is also the 30th floor. Is this floor that hard to clear? Including Barfuru-sama, that’s 2 strong people who have gotten stuck here.

And the flag raising continues haha. But with that, he has the ten people needed! One more chapter till this arc ends though, so will he raise one final flag in the last chapter?! Stay tuned!