Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru

Chapter 178: A Gathering Of Wolves, A Bunch Of Dogs I

【185th day】

『UUOOOOOOoooooooooo!』

The crowd roared with excitement.

I had tried to scare them a little, but it had the opposite effect on the bloodthirsty adventurers.

But if I had to face them as and when they popped up, it would interfere with my daily life and adventures. There's a limit to my restraint as well.

Whether it's my fault or not, more adventurers getting injured means fewer people exploring the dungeon, which in turn reduces the country's revenue.

Even if it's only a small amount at first, it could be the start of a downward spiral.

That's why this project was conceived.

I had been sat in a chair labeled with the somewhat perplexing name of "merchandise seat" and watched the lines from afar.

This was a corner of Gladvain-sama's dormitory.

This project was originally conceived by my person-in-charge, and I was able to borrow the clerical ladies through her connections.

Before I knew it, there’s even a participation gift thrown in. Moreover, it’s the pouch designed by Ea.

Ea’s pouch is different from the pouches provided by the Guild. The inside of her pouch has many small partitions that make taking items out a breeze, making it highly regarded.

Or rather, it's so sought after that supply can’t keep up with demand at all.

For there to be a line just for a single pouch, is it because of the elven brand, I wonder?

『UUOOOOOOoooooooooo!』

Before I knew it, the prizes have become quite impressive. The merchant company must be behind this. What a shrewd bunch.

「Oh, Evetta-chan」

「Stop using “-chan”」

My person-in-charge, who had become smaller recently, stood beside me.

I patted my lap to signify, "Come here, come here," but she ignored me.

「How was the 45th floor?」

I checked the surroundings just in case.

There was no one in sight, no one listening.

「It was dark and there was nothing there. Also, I started having hallucinations. I think I must be tired」

「What did you see?」

I found myself staring at Evetta-chan. Be it her appearance, attire, or atmosphere, the girl I saw in the dungeon had nothing in common with her. Neither did she have anything in common with the other clerical ladies, my wife, my sister, or any of the women from the alternate world standing in line.

In other words, as I thought, she's………

「I believe it's a girl from the world I’m from」

「You know, on that floof―――――floor of stars………」

Evetta-chan spoke in a faltering manner, correcting her lisp as she explained.

The following is a summary of what she told me.

Apparently, on that floor of stars, people see and hear apparitions of the people they've lost.

Once, an adventurer who was obsessed with the pursuit of fame made it to that floor with a horrific number of deaths on his hands. His adventures had been gruesome. He had shackled others using wealth and violence, and had no regard for their lives.

What awaited him on the floor of stars was the sight of all the deaths he had amassed up till that point.

The man went insane and disappeared into the darkness.

He apparently never returned to the surface again.

The one person that my party has lost is Irvin, but he died outside the dungeon, so rather than being a casualty of adventuring, he died after fulfilling his search for fame.

From the fact that no one heard his voice, it seems that everyone in the party has taken my account of his death as truth.

In terms of other people who have been lost, well, as I've heard from my party members, it's close relations.

For Rana and Ea, it was their mothers. For Otou-san, it was his old friends.

For Shuna, it was a dog……how cute of him.

Hmmm………………it's strange.

It only boggles my mind more. Who's the girl that I saw? I'm all alone in the world, almost as if born from the crotch of a tree. I don't have a single relative.

I can barely remember my parents, who I had argued with a shit ton. They're long gone, but I don't even think of them as family.

Who is she really?

My first love or something?

That's weird, my first love should have blonde plaited hair. She should be taller than that as well.

To begin with, she was 2D.

I have no idea.

No clue at all.

Even though I know absolutely nothing, my frustration grows.

「Souya, what's the matter? Are you alright?」

「Oh, my memory is just a little jumbled」

Evetta-chan felt my forehead.

「You don't seem to have a fever」

Even after becoming a child, she's still protective of me, and that's so incredibly endearing.

Isn't it fine? I was only going to put her on my lap. After all, our relationship has been returning to the way it was before.

In the end,

The mysterious girl I saw on the 45th floor remained a mystery. Since I couldn't figure it out, I had no choice but to give up.

And then, the tournament started for the adventurers.

Since I had no interest in that sort of thing, I went over to help the clerical ladies.

It was just before noon.

「Souya, I’m here-nya」

With perfect timing, the storekeeper of the "A Respite From Adventuring" store herself arrived.

She was a beastkin with blonde hair and cat ears, and she was wearing a waitress outfit that looked like an old-fashioned nurse's uniform. It was Tyutyu, who had been dressing more conservatively lately.

「Thanks for coming. Sorry for making you deliver it here」

「It's no problem-nya. The young master of the Zavua store also wanted to try doing deliveries, so he helped out and gave me some money-nya」

That guy, he must be trying to expand the business.

I hope he doesn't overwhelm and put a strain on the store though.

「Souya, it smells delicious」

Evetta-chan tugged at my sleeve with gusto.

Attracted by the smell, the clerical ladies came over as well.

Tyutyu was holding two large metal containers by their handles. These containers were designed to keep food hot, and could keep broth nice and hot for about an hour.

Tyutyu gave me a cloth soaked with alcohol so that I could sterilize my hands. Then I started to prepare lunch.

First, I separated the containers.

The containers had a three-layered structure, similar to a multi-layered lunch box, with bread in the top layer, sausages in the middle layer, and several sauces in the bottom layer.

The bread were hot-dog buns made by Rutsuko-san. They were fluffy and chewy. Moreover, they were quite generous in size.

Using the tongs inside the layer with the bread, I placed a sausage into the opening in the middle of each of the hot-dog buns.

The sausages were masterpieces handmade by Ea and an acquaintance of hers from the Beastkin Forest. To make them easier to eat, cuts had been made across the entire sausage, and then they had been deep-fried briefly to make them crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

Last but not least, the sauces.

After much deliberation and research, Tyutyu and I had managed to narrow down the selection of sauces to just three after very reluctantly dropping many alternatives.

I mean, these hot-dogs are meant for delivery after all.

「Evetta-chan, there are three types of sauces. Which one do you want? This dark sauce is a mixture of ground meat and beans simmered for a long time and spicy seasonings. It's luxurious because you’re adding more meat on top of meat.

This yellow one is a mixture of stewed cabbage, carrots, and leeks, and a spicy and vinegary sauce called mustard. It’s delicious when eaten with ketchup, so you can add that too if you want.

This red one is cheese and tomato sauce. I carefully stir-fried some elven garlic, which doesn't have a strong odor, in olive oil, and then added coarsely cut tomatoes, and mixed them together. As a finishing touch, I added some fried onions and cheese. It's very child-friendly, so I recommend it」

「Hmm」

Evetta-chan tilted her head in an adorable manner.

『Hmm』

The ladies also struggled with the choice.

「Just give me all of them!」

「Alright~」

Fufu, Evetta-chan, I had anticipated that answer. That's why I put ingredients that'll help your breasts grow bigger in all three sauces!

I made all three kinds of hot-dogs and handed them to Evetta-chan.

She tried her best to hold all three of them in her small hands and took bites out of each one in turn.

「Souya, they're delicious!」

「No no, they're nothing special」

Her smile sure is dazzling. I liked her cool look from before though.

Evetta-chan ate the hot-dogs greedily until her cheeks were all………Ah, she choked.

I handed her a cup of tea.

There were also a water bottle and cups on the side of the container.

「Gulp, gulp」

She downed it in one go.

「It’s sweet potato tea with milk. Isn't it sweet?」

「It’s sweet~!」

She likes it, it seems.

The sweet potatoes I had used were actually grown by the Demon King underground. They taste exactly like the sweet potatoes from my world.

「Souya, I want all of them as well」

Gladvain-sama had joined the crowd nonchalantly.

I’m borrowing her property for the day, so I can't really refuse her, but this is bad.

Behind her, her kin were starting to line up one after another.

The way the people here eat, do I have enough, I wonder?

「Souya, don’t worry-nya」

「Tyutyu, will everything be okay?」

「I knew it would end up like this, so I called for help in advance-nya」

「As expected of you, Storekeeper」

「It's nothing special-nya」

For the time being, I handed all three kinds of hot-dogs to Gladvain-sama.

The god of war bit into them with gusto and then offered her impressions.

「Delicious. And you can eat them with one hand, so they’re ideal combat rations」

The generously-sized hot-dogs that were meant to satisfy adventurers' appetites were finished off in about three bites.

「Souya, give me one more with the yellow sauce. Add plenty of that sauce you call ketchup as well」

「………Got it」

After gobbling all of them up, she ordered a fourth one.

Her competitive spirit kindled, Evetta-chan ate her hot-dogs as quickly as she could. Then she choked again and Gladvain-sama wiped her mouth for her.

Somehow, it was quite the beautiful sight.

But Okaa-sama, if you don't leave soon, the line won't move.

「Mmm, oh no. Come, Evetta. We can eat over there」

After taking the fourth hot-dog, Okaa-sama left the line with Evetta-chan under her arm.

「Give me the one with the yellow sauce! With lots of ketchup!」

「Alright」

Next, it was the kin's turn, and they came at me hungrily.

I served the starved beasts. Beside me, Tyutyu worked steadily to serve the clerical ladies.

Hmm, no matter how I look at it, there's not enough.

At a quick glance, there are less than 30 servings left. I don't even want to imagine what would happen if I had no food for the starved kin.

I mean, don't you guys have your own lunch?

Go eat over there, for crying out loud.

As I grew anxious, help arrived sooner than expected.

「It's been a while since I've been here. This place still reeks as badly of sweat as ever」

「It's also been a while since I've been here. This place still lacks a feminine touch as much as ever」

It was the king of elves and the king of adventurers.

And the guards of those two were carrying containers of hot-dogs.

「Isn’t that Melm and Lemuria? What a surprise to see you two here」

With Evetta-chan still under her arm, Gladvain-sama headed towards them.

「Long time no see. Gladvain-sama. You’re as beautiful as ever」

「No need for the lip service, Lemuria」

「………………」

The king of elves nonchalantly tried to flee.

「There you go again, my former kin who ran away on his own. I'd like to have a word with you, so let's talk inside」

「………………」

I've never seen Melm look as distressed as he did then. Honestly, it serves him right.

「Also, Lemuria, I've heard a lot of rumors about your womanizing ways. Join us inside」

「………………」

Good, go.

Go and get yelled at.

The two kings were led into the dormitory by the god of war. The kings' guards stayed behind, and one of them came up to me.

「Souya-dono」

「Oh, sorry about this, captain of the guard」

The captain of the guard is a short, dog-eared beastkin. He looks weak, but I've heard that he's incredibly strong.

To make the captain of the guard carry stuff for him, what a terrible king.

He put the container down, and the other guards followed suit and put the containers they were carrying down as well.

「Hey, foreigner」

The one who had called out to me in a prickly voice was one of the king of elves' guards.

He had the beauty of elves, long hair, and wore beautiful ceremonial armor. He was armed with a sword and a narrow shield, which was unusual for elves.

Rumor has it that he's a master swordsman.

He and I have a slightly complicated relationship. He's the elder brother of my wife and sister, or in other words, my brother-in-law.

『The dark one』

For some reason, the captain of the guard and my brother-in-law spoke in unison.

「?」

What the heck? I wondered before realizing that they were talking about the hot-dog sauce.

「Oh, yeah, got it. I'll make them right away」

『Wait, I'll have the red one after all』

They spoke in unison again.

The beastkin and the elf stared at each other. The tension between the two was palpable.

「Back off, beastkin」

「I don't need to do anything you say, elf」

Sparks flew……

The two of them went to the back of the line. The rest of the kings' guards followed suit.

I collected myself and got back to making hot-dogs.

I wonder why I'm still making food even after becoming an advanced adventurer. Well, it's very typical of me, I suppose.

A little distance away, the tournament was underway.

Everyone ate their hot-dogs as they watched.

Maybe they were hungry, or maybe they just couldn't concentrate, but a lot of the battles were rather lackluster.

After everyone had been served their hot-dogs, together with Tyutyu, I checked to see how much of the sauces remained.

「Hmmm, that was unexpected-nya. The most popular one was the dark sauce-nya」

「Yeah, that's unexpected」

The dark sauce had been the first to run out, followed by the yellow sauce, and the only one that hadn't run out was the red sauce.

Should I try to improve the red one, I wonder?

「Maybe they didn't like the onions?」

「Yeah, I think it's delicious though-nya」

「I like it too, but………maybe it's because of what's happening around us?」

「Oh, that's definitely a factor-nya. When there's a fight going on nearby, you'd want something more stimulating-nya. The red sauce tastes too mild for how it looks-nya」

「But there must be something non-spicy. After all, it's for children to eat as well」

「Let's leave them as is for now-nya. Next time, I'll let the children of the flame religion try it and ask them what they think-nya」

「Please do. Because the opinions of those who eat the food are very important」

「I know-nya. I'll handle the cleanup, so you should go have some too, Souya-nya」

「Sorry, I'll leave it to you」

Tyutyu kissed me on the ear.

It's something of a greeting that she's been giving me a lot of lately.

Leaving the cleanup to her, I went back to my chair with a hot-dog topped with the red sauce and a cup of sweet potato tea with milk in each hand.

「Itadakimasu」

I ate all by myself.

As I bit into it, the sausage's juices burst out inside my mouth. The taste of the hot-dog bun that doesn't clash with the taste of the meat was really nostalgic. While it was soft and fluffy, its surface was crispy and crunchy.

These two things alone would have been enough to satisfy me.

However, a product that's sold for money won't sell on its simplicity alone. It needs to be flamboyant.

And the sauce for that flamboyance……

「Hmmm」

I think it's delicious. It's one of the sauces that survived a rigorous selection process, so it can't possibly taste bad.

The acidity of the tomatoes blends well with the cheese to create a delicious flavor. The flavor the garlic delivers is also good, as are the onions that have been added. If I had to pick out one thing to complain about, it would be that it's too mild, I guess.

「―――――Hey」

I guess it needs to have a kick to it. There are some people who don't like that though, so I'll need to exercise some restraint.

「Hey!」

I heard someone call out to me, so I quickly turned towards the voice.

「Souya! Did you save some for me?」

「No, I didn't. Maybe next time」

「What?!」

While yelling, Shuna sent his opponent flying.

Hmm? Opponent?

「Good grief. Even after becoming kings, they're still a pair of unruly boys」

Gladvain-sama returned with Evetta-chan riding piggyback.

「Umm, Okaa-sama」

「Hmm? If you can't finish it, shall I eat half for you?」

No, I'm not giving you my hot-dog. You sure can eat as well, huh?

「That's not it. Why is Shuna fighting?」

「On my authority, I had him entered into the intermediate adventurer tournament. If they lose to him, then they aren't at the level of advanced adventurers yet. It'll save you and those who want to fight you some trouble. And in the first place, if the leader loses, it'll be a problem for the whole party. Am I wrong?」

「No, thank you for being so considerate」

Indeed, when the leader is disgraced, the entire party is disgraced.

We already have a man here who bears the disgrace of having attempted to abduct a child, but that is that and this is this.

But there's one thing that concerns me.

「Umm, Okaa-sama, supposing Shuna makes it all the way through the tournament, won't I have to fight against him?」

「Yeah, you will. Is there a problem?」

「Eh, well, a problem, you say……」

A problem……it seems to me like there is one.

When Souya has a feeling like that, you just know that Shuna is going to win the tournament, isn’t it? Well, Shuna vs Souya might be fun now that he’s so much better than he was before.

Still, for a tournament to spring up just because of the massive number of people wanting to challenge Souya, our MC sure has grown, hasn’t he?

Well, we’re off to an interesting start, and we’ll be seeing several more returning characters in this volume, so stay tuned!

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