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We all unsheathed our weapons and held them ready. And then we stepped foot into the fissure. The ceiling was falling away in several places… Not only that, but there were gaps all over the place, which let in a decent amount of sunlight. It was made of stone. But not just any stone. These were polished bricks that were stacked on top of each other. The fact that it suggested delicate human craftsmanship made it feel even eerier. It reminded me a little of the ancient elven ruins.

 

I expanded the reach of Presence Detection. There were a few monsters and also humans nearby. The closest was a small group of humans. But due to there being monsters near them, it was likely they would be fighting very soon. It would be ideal if we could reach them in time to help, but we had no map for this dungeon, which would make it difficult. And so after discussing it with the others, it was decided that we would instead try to minimize casualties by luring the monsters towards us.

 

“I can do mapping!”

“Will you do it for us?”

“Of course!”

 

Due to Lemon’s hidden ability, we would be able to map out the place as well. I had muttered about not having a map, and Lemon had raised her hand. It was nice having a capable junior with us…even though she was older. And so we switched directions a little. Manager would scout in the lead, I would be the middle guard, Daniela would be the leader and rear guard. Lemon would also support from the rear. And so I handed Lemon the hollow bag.

 

“Hey, wait a minute.”

“Huh?”

 

I took off the small figure that was strapped to the bag.

 

“That’s very cute.”

“Yeah. It’s important to me.”

 

It was ‘Gumi.’ A present from Merica, back in Senka village. I’d been carrying it for quite a while now, but it was in good shape. The string was durable too. But it would be better to put it away in the dungeon. I didn’t want to lose it…

 

“There are writing materials in the bag, so you can take them out.”

“Alright. …Hmm…this? Ah, there!”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“I want this.”

“You can’t have it.”

 

Lemon had become enchanted by the bag very quickly. But this was something that Russell had given me. And I would not be giving it up.

 

After we were fully prepared, Presence Detection alerted me of a monster approaching. Daniela gave the order, and I moved behind Manager.

 

“I’m the scout here. So I’ll mostly take a supporting role during the fight.”

“Uh, but aren’t I the middle guard…”

“Do your best, part-timer.”

“Hey!”

 

Manager grinned and then disappeared into the shadows. Before I could try and stop her, the monster turned the corner and showed itself. It was a Lamia. The torso of a human and the bottom half of a snake. It held a spear with a stone head. It immediately hissed menacingly upon seeing us.

“Alright, Asagi. Rindo will likely take it from the back. So you are free to attack it head on.”

“Ugh…”

 

I suppose I was. Not only was this thing in our way, but it seemed very happy to fight us. The fact that it was so human-like above the waist made me feel a little uneasy, but it was a monster. It would definitely kill us. And so I sighed and then grunted with determination. And with the black emperor sword in hand, I charged forward.

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