Chapter 39

It feels good to wake up still hugging Roxane.

It’s also pleasant to savor the warmth of her embrace while still half-asleep.

“Mm…”

And when I wake up, getting a kiss from Roxane is the best feeling.

Roxane’s kiss is soft and sweet.

I gradually start to wake up, moving my tongue.

After a while of sucking on Roxane’s lips, I slowly let go.

“Good morning, master.”

“Good morning, Roxane.”

I open my eyes, but it’s pitch dark.

All my clothes, including my equipment, are on the mat next to the bed.

It’s a matter of practical living.

In the dark, I rely on my senses to put everything on.

I can’t afford to neglect going to the dungeon, and there’s nothing else to do.

Well, there is something else, but it’s not like I can do that.

I might think, “Just for one day, just for a little while,” but I need to draw the line somewhere.

With my current self, I could spend 24 hours in bed with Roxane without any reservations.

I’m tempted by a life of debauchery, but I’d lose control.

At least one more kiss.

Before warping, I pull Roxane closer.

I entwine and suck on her tongue.

“Mmm…”

Roxane lets out a light moan but doesn’t show any signs of refusal.

When I press her tongue with my lips, Roxane’s tongue moves around in my mouth.

After returning from the Baire dungeon and having a meal, I talk to Roxane.

“This blanched vegetable dish is quite good.”

“Thank you. The ham and eggs are also very delicious.”

For breakfast, we have bread I bought, a blanched vegetable dish Roxane made, and ham and eggs I made.

The blanched vegetable dish is blanched and dressed with vinegar, and the ham and eggs are just cooked, very simple dishes.

Simple as they are, they taste good. They can’t taste bad.

It’s difficult to make a broth, so these kinds of dishes are appropriate.

“I made the right choice with this bread.”

The bread from last night’s dinner was dry and not very tasty.

Being frugal doesn’t work.

The bread I bought on my way back from the dungeon today costs eight nals per loaf. Roxane and I split it.

“But is it okay for me to eat the same thing?”

“Since you’re going into the dungeon, your body is your capital.”

“Thank you. I’ll do my best.”

An egg costs five nals, and we each have two, so that’s ten nals.

The ham is cut from a 100-nal piece of smoked meat, so I consider it 15 nals per person, making it about 30 nals per person in total.

The leafy vegetables for the blanched dish, combined with the vegetables used for yesterday’s vegetable stew, cost a few nals.

I think this is quite a luxurious meal by the standards of this world.

The ham, just cut and cooked, is so delicious that it must be a high-quality product with salt and spices.

The portions are also generous.

I’ve gotten used to the two-meal-a-day lifestyle here.

Breakfast is after sunrise, and dinner is before sunset.

There’s a gap, so I’m quite hungry before breakfast.

I’m not willing to compromise on meals.

The average height of Japanese people in the Edo period and modern times differs by about 20 centimeters.

Since there’s no difference in DNA, it’s clear how important nutrition is.

It’s only two meals a day, there’s not much sweet stuff, and I go into the dungeon, so I don’t have to worry too much about gaining weight.

“I want to go to the Koolatar dungeon today.”

While eating, I also talk about my plans.

“Understood.”

“Also, I want to do something about the barren room.”

After all, it’s just a few pieces of furniture.

“I think a carpet would be good.”

“A carpet, to hang?”

“Yes.”

“To lay down?”

“Yes.”

According to Roxane, only the rich lay carpets.

In ordinary homes, carpets are used as wall hangings.

It’s a cultural difference.

In a world without wallpaper, it’s probably a good decoration.

“A carpet, huh. Have you been to the capital, Roxane?”

“Unfortunately, no. I want to clean the house, so why don’t you go during that time?”

“Then I’ll go to the capital in the morning. We’ll go to the Koolatar dungeon in the afternoon.”

“Understood.”

To warp to the Koolatar dungeon, I have to go in once myself.

I can stop by on my way back from the capital.

After breakfast, I warped from home to the adventurer’s guild in the capital.

I wandered around the capital, checking out what kind of stores were where.

The capital is large, with various stores scattered throughout.

The stores in Koolatar are mostly for explorers, so there aren’t many stores or types of goods.

The main focus is on equipment, drop items, and food stores that also buy equipment.

It’s fitting for the capital to have many stores and a wide variety of goods.

I found carpet stores, clothing stores, and spice stores and memorized their locations.

I didn’t buy anything just by looking.

It would be better to bring Roxane when buying.

Also, perhaps due to the location, there were only high-end stores.

The clothing stores in Koolatar are like rural clothing stores, while those in the capital are like high-end boutiques in Ginza.

They look expensive.

Even though they’re on the first floor, there are steps to go up, a mat at the entrance, and a spacious interior.

There are fabrics in the back.

It’s probably a custom-made service.

I don’t know if it’s because it’s the capital or if the area around the adventurer’s guild is particularly high-end.

At least I found a store selling high-end carpets.

After buying various things yesterday, my remaining funds are limited.

I have two gold coins left, but my silver coins are down to less than a hundred.

On my way back from the capital, I lined up at the knight’s station to pay one silver coin for the entrance fee.

“Would you like a dungeon map?”

The knight’s station also sells maps for the Koolatar dungeon.

The knights are quite business-minded.

On the counter, there are rough brown papers lined up.

The papers have simple arrows drawn on them, forming a map.

“A map for each floor is 20 nals, a complete book of all floors is 1,000 nals, and a custom-made book on parchment is 20,000 nals.”

First of all, 20,000 nals is expensive.

It would be cheaper to buy the book rather than each map individually.

I don’t know if the book has 90 or 91 pages, as the 91st floor hasn’t been cleared yet.

However, the papers look flimsy and dirty.

They might fall apart in no time.

Buying the book might be a waste.

Should I buy the maps individually or the book?

“Give me the book.”

I decided to buy the book and handed it over.

If I buy the maps one by one, my progress might be guessed.

Not buying the map and not entering the dungeon would also seem strange.

I hope it won’t go to waste if I store it properly.

“Let’s see… It’s 11 silver coins in total.”

The knight tells me, looking troubled.

The 30% discount doesn’t seem to apply.

Being a knight and a salesperson must be tough.

I paid 11 silver coins, including the entrance fee, and headed to the dungeon entrance.

There were also guides at the dungeon entrance.

The guides for the Koolatar dungeon are said to be of high rank, as they pass on the achievements of the first emperor.

There are no parties that can clear the 90th floor, but they can go to the 91st floor.

They have been passing this knowledge down through generations.

I could pay to teleport to the 3rd or 4th floor, but I might need to start from the 1st floor for future purposes.

I entered the dungeon after the previous party.

Inside, it’s no different from the dungeon near Baire.

It’s a familiar, barren cave.

The difference is that the Koolatar dungeon is crowded with people.

There are people everywhere.

I wonder if it’s even possible to hunt.

Even as I move forward, the people don’t thin out.

I warp home to a less crowded spot.

It’s not strange for a guide to use a dungeon walk, so it’s fine as long as the no-chanting isn’t noticed.

“I’m back, Roxane.”

“Welcome back, master.”

Roxane greeted me when I returned home.

She stopped cleaning and bowed her head.

It would be perfect if she were wearing a maid’s uniform.

But it’s a rather expensive outfit, so it’s understandable that she doesn’t wear it for actual work.

“Did you learn that greeting at the Baire trading post?”

Roxane’s manners are well-refined.

She must have learned them from someone.

Her time with the slave traders probably wasn’t a pleasant memory, so I don’t want to bring it up too much.

But I asked this time.

It’s information I’ll need when buying the next slave.

“Yes, that’s right. Is it strange?”

“No, it’s wonderful.”

She must have learned it from the slave traders.

I move closer and pet her dog ears.

“Yes, thank you.”

“I went to the Koolatar dungeon. It’s crowded there.”

I quickly changed the topic.

“The Koolatar dungeon is easy to get maps for and is crowded, so the risk of encountering a room with a large number of monsters is low. Many monsters and people are defeated, so there are many magic crystals and treasure chests. It’s considered that the benefits outweigh the cost.”

“I understand that more magic crystals come from more defeated monsters, but why more treasure chests?”

Magic crystals are formed from the magic power that created the monsters.

With many people and many defeated monsters, more magic crystals are formed.

“The contents of the equipment and item boxes of people defeated by monsters are said to be the treasure chests.”

Hmm, that’s a rather grim story.

It’s quite straightforward.

With more people, more people are defeated.

So more treasure chests appear.

People gather, aiming for these treasure chests.

“But with so many people, can you even hunt?”

“The Koolatar dungeon is quite large, so it gets less crowded as you go deeper. Also, the 1st floor has many beginners, so it’s safer to have people around.”

“That makes sense.”

“As you go deeper, the number of people should decrease. Alternatively, you could explore at night when there are fewer people.”

If you fly from the other side of the planet, it would be daytime there.

But people probably don’t come from such a distance.

There might be a limit to the distance you can travel with a field walk.

“Then I’ll go to the Koolatar dungeon in the morning and the Baire dungeon today.”

“Understood.”

After that, I replenished the water used for cleaning and went to the Baire dungeon.

I make water with magic when I return, but it’s still not enough.

I need a lot of water for dinner, the toilet, and a bath before bed.

“Sorry, can you help me?”

I’ve used a lot of MP, so I warp to the 4th floor of the Baire dungeon.

Following Roxane’s guidance, I find a group of two Minos and one Green Caterpillar.

The Green Caterpillar is a nuisance if it spits silk, so I take care of it first.

Roxane deals with the two Minos.

But one of them targets me.

Its horn swings.

I dodge in a panic but can’t avoid it completely.

My left index finger, holding Durandal, gets caught between the horn and the sword.

Ouch!

It hurts so much that I almost cry.

I hit a bad spot.

It’s throbbing.

In retaliation, I slash the two Minos fiercely.

It’s a bit of a tantrum.

I know it’s my fault for being careless.

I thought it would be a short hunt, so I didn’t even wear leather gloves.

I gave Roxane leather mittens but didn’t put them on myself.

The magic crystals and item boxes are still in the item box.

It can’t be helped.

When I draw Durandal, I remove the skill that promotes crystallization and the skill that increases experience points.

I don’t know how the required experience points work, so I try not to mess with them.

For example, if you need to defeat 20 monsters to level up.

If you set the required experience points to one-tenth, you can level up by defeating two monsters.

What happens if you defeat one monster without the skill and then set the required experience points to one-tenth and defeat another?

Conversely, if you set the required experience points to one-tenth and defeat one monster, and then remove the skill and defeat ten monsters, will you level up?

I have a general idea, but it’s difficult to verify precisely.

It’s impossible to perfectly align the types and numbers of monsters on floors above the 2nd floor, and the experience points from one monster might not be the same.

I can’t attach or remove Durandal while verifying, so I have to verify with the six weapons attached.

This means I can’t allocate many bonus points to the required experience points or the experience points gained.

I might have to hunt hundreds of monsters.

Is there any benefit to verifying to this extent?

If you need to defeat 20 monsters to level up, and you defeat one without the skill and then set the required experience points to one-tenth and defeat another, you probably won’t level up.

Knowing this is probably enough.

After that, I try not to move the required experience points skill to avoid wasting it.

I returned home from the dungeon.

My finger still hurts, or so it seems.

I got complacent and let my guard down. The dungeon is a scary place, and it’s a good lesson.

I look at my index finger, but it seems to be fine.

From the pain, I thought there might be some internal bleeding, but it must have been healed by Durandal’s HP absorption.

“Is something wrong?”

Roxane asked, seeing me staring at my finger.

“I got a slight scratch.”

“Are you okay?”

She seems quite worried.

It’s my fault for ignoring her advice and not wearing the leather gloves.

“I’m not okay. Can you lick it for me?”

I hold out my index finger in front of Roxane’s face.

“Eh… um…”

Roxane seems confused but doesn’t refuse.

It seems okay.

I judge and move my finger closer to her mouth.

Roxane opens her lips.

Her pale pink lips slowly part, revealing a deep red interior.

Her tongue is a deep red and glossy.

Roxane moves her face closer to my finger and closes her lips.

My index finger is enveloped in a soft, warm, and gentle sensation.

Her thick tongue gently wraps around my finger.

Roxane closes her eyes and sucks on my finger.

Her chestnut-colored eyelashes, due to her werewolf heritage, are long and numerous.

They are not exactly seductive but are elegant.

She has the air of a well-dressed adult woman.

I let Roxane do as she pleases, not moving my finger.

Her tongue moves around my index finger several times, gently rubbing it.

In her gentle and loving mouth, my index finger is healed.

Her pale pink lips part again, revealing her deep red mouth.

A white thread forms between my finger and the roof of her mouth, but her tongue moves and licks it away.

Roxane’s face slowly moves away.

I barely resist the urge to follow up.

I want to follow up.

Roxane, what are you doing?

“Um, yes. The pain is completely gone. Thank you.”

“Yes…”

Roxane turns her face away, blushing.

“Is this some kind of skill?”

“No, it’s not.”