After chopping off the Earth Dragon’s head, I sent out a single area sonar ping.
Right now, my magical power was below 20%. Honestly, my body felt sluggish, and if I let my guard down, I might lose consciousness.
However, the final step was still left.
The Miasma Stone. Unless I took this, the labyrinth wouldn’t stop operating. If I left it, another Earth Dragon might spawn…
I located its position with the area sonar. It was the place where the Earth Dragon had initially been. I headed toward the center of the 10th floor.
Upon reaching the center of the floor, I found a large altar with a pedestal on top, and a bright red stone, about five sends in size, was floating above it.
Seen up close from the altar, the stone’s blood-like red color evoked physiological disgust rather than a sense of beauty.
Enduring my revulsion, I slowly approached the pedestal. And then… I fearfully extended my right hand toward the red stone, which seemed to be the Miasma Stone…
The moment my right hand touched the stone, my ring began to glow blue. It was as if the blue light emanating from the ring was purifying the Miasma Stone, and the sense of revulsion gradually faded away…
By the time I noticed, the sense of revulsion had disappeared, and the Miasma Stone had rolled to the side of the pedestal.
I picked up the Miasma Stone and threw it into the “hole,” then ran toward the cave where El and the others were.
I was worried about Mother and the others, but for now, I wanted to get back to El and Ashera as quickly as possible.
Surely Mother and Naga would remove the debris from the 9th layer and come down to the 10th layer.
When I arrived at the cave, El was lying deep inside, and Ashera was standing at the entrance like a guardian protecting El.
“Ashera, the Earth Dragon is defeated.”
“That’s good…”
Saying that, Ashera sat down right there and whispered, as if summoning her last strength.
“Sorry, Aldo. I’ll sleep a little…”
“Ah, don’t worry, I’ll keep watch, so sleep peacefully.”
“Yeah…”
I laid Ashera down a little away from El. If she were too close, well… you know, what if I said I didn’t like it…
The cave extended about 30 meters in. I sat in front of the cave using air-conditioning magic while continuing to stand watch in place of Ashera.
Actually, I was pretending to be strong, but only a little over 10 percent of my magical power was left. If I relaxed, I might lose consciousness.
But it should take El and Ashera about four hours to wake up…
Whether I could endure until then… I was worried, but I’d fulfill my watch even if I had to bite on a stone!
After about two hours, as my consciousness started to grow hazy, I heard my mother’s voice.
“Al, you did your best. You can sleep now.”
I felt like I was about to give myself over to the familiar sound of my mother’s voice… but I slapped my own cheek… and argued back against that voice!
“Th-the Ice Witch would never say something so kind… This is an auditory hallucination. Endure it! I…”
With a bit of anger mixed in, I heard my mother’s voice again.
“I-I see… Al… I’ll forgive you for today. Go to sleep, okay?”
“Lies! The Ice Witch isn’t that kind… more… more… cruel… she should be…”
“…Enough! I said go to sleep already!”
“Geh-uu. Th-this relentlessness… is it really Mother?”
With those words, I received a wind bullet (non-lethal) to my stomach and lost consciousness.
I didn’t know how much time had passed… When I came to my senses, I was receiving a lap pillow. I admired Ashera’s chest from below. They’d grown quite a bit…
While I was looking at them with deep emotion, Naga glared at me, so I decided to stop pretending to sleep.
“Good morning.”
When I acted as if I had just woken up, everyone except Ashera had a look of exasperated laughter on their faces.
“Please tell me what’s going on.”
At my words, everyone showed a confused expression.
“On the contrary, we want you to explain the situation to us.”
Come to think of it, when we defeated the Earth Dragon and when I took the Miasma Stone, I was the only one there.
“Now that you mention it, that’s true. Then I’ll explain from the beginning. We descended to the 10th layer…”
From there, I explained in detail what had happened on the 10th layer.
Partway through, I had dropped out due to exhaustion of magical power, so I left the explanation of that part to El and Ashera.
“…So, in other words, I thought I heard my mother’s voice, and then a severe pain hit my stomach and I lost consciousness.”
“I-I see. In your stomach, huh…”
When I looked at my mother, who was acting slightly suspicious, she blatantly changed the subject.
“Aldo. That’s right. Where is the Miasma Stone? I searched through your stuff, but it wasn’t anywhere. You didn’t happen to lose it, did you?”
“Ah. If it’s the Miasma Stone, it’s here…”
I said that and showed the hole, then took the Miasma Stone out from inside.
“Ah. I see. In that case, only you or El could take it out.”
“Yes.”
“Although it’ll reduce your magic power, put it back into the hole again.”
“Understood.”
When I tried to put the Miasma Stone into the hole I had made, El snatched it from the side and put it into the hole himself.
“El…”
“We still have a mop-up battle. Since the teleport trap has disappeared now, you’ll need more magic, Brother.”
“I see… thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
We needed to move on to the mop-up battle, but feeling relieved made me slightly hungry.
“Naga, I’m a little hungry.”
“That makes sense. It’s past 8:00 PM on the surface.”
Naga took a pocket watch from her pocket and told me the current time.
“We’ll have dinner immediately.”
I quickly started preparing dinner and considered the remaining rations. The remaining exploration schedule was probably about five days, including the mop-up battle and the recovery of the Earth Dragon.
“Shall we indulge a little today? I’ll bring out two honeyed treats.”
Mother, Naga, and Ashera were delighted, giggling with joy.
I exchanged a wry smile with El, then proceeded to cook using more spices than usual.
After dinner, I thought I’d clean up the 9th floor at least a little, but Mother and Naga stopped me.
“Even if your magic is drained and you’re sleeping, the fatigue from the Earth Dragon battle should still remain,” I was told.
Indeed, come to think of it, now was not the time to overexert myself.
To put it bluntly, from here on out, it was just a formality. Acting with a wide safety margin wouldn’t be a problem.
“Understood. I’ll rest to prepare for tomorrow.”
Mother and Naga nodded with smiles.
I intended to rest my mind, but since I hadn’t slept at all, I wasn’t sleepy at all.
As a result of our discussion, we decided that El, Ashera, and I would stand guard until we got sleepy, and then we’d have Mother and Naga take over.
Around the time Mother and the others started preparing to sleep, the ring glowed and Ao jumped out.
“No abnormalities—-“
Ao lazily curled up in midair and gave his usual report, then tried to leave immediately afterward.
“Ao, wait.”
“Hm? Aldo, do you need something?”
“Yeah. I’ve cleared the labyrinth.”
“!! Really? What about the Miasma Stone?”
“I got it. Here it is…”
I created a hole and took out the Miasma Stone.
“…I’m surprised. Not only the Miasma Stone, but you’ve also learned spatial magic…”
“Ah. I learned it by stepping on a teleportation trap. Anything I put in the hole can be taken out by either me or El.”
“That’s amazing. I’ve never seen or even heard of magic like that before…”
“Is that so?”
“Aldo, Elphas, it’s not just that there are two apostles. The techniques and magic you use are way too different compared to past apostles.”
“…”
“Once I create a domain with the Miasma Stone, I’ll go see the Spirit King once.”
“The Spirit King?”
“Yeah. I probably won’t be able to come out for about a week, so it might be better if either Aldo or Elphas stays in the Blue Ring.”
“Got it. I’ll think about it.”
“Well then, I’m heading back.”
“Ah, thank you, Ao.”
Ao skillfully tucked in his short forelegs and then disappeared.
I had El put the Miasma Stone into the hole, and after a while, my mom and the others started yawning.
“I think it’s about time I get some sleep.”
“Me too.”
“””Good night.”””
Mom and Naga went to lie down and fell asleep astonishingly fast… The battle against the Earth Dragon had taken about half a day, after all.
While waiting for us on the 9th floor, they’d probably had to clean up after the Minotaur and had experienced the mental fatigue unique to those who are kept waiting.
I thanked the two of them in my heart and bowed my head.
After confirming that my mom and the others were asleep, I spoke in a low voice to El and Ashera so as not to wake them.
“El, Ashera, I really appreciate your help again. When I suddenly lost consciousness due to magic exhaustion, you could easily have abandoned me, and that wouldn’t have been surprising.”
“It’s absolutely impossible for us to abandon you, Brother.”
“Yeah. Aldo can rely on us more.”
“I see… thank you.”
El and Ashera smiled a little embarrassedly.
“Also, I have something to discuss.”
“What is it?”
“What?”
“It’s about the materials from the Earth Dragon… I think there’ll be tough battles ahead.”
“Yes.”
“Yeah.”
“Shall we make equipment for everyone from the Earth Dragon’s hide?”
“That’s a great idea!”
“I want bracers too!”
“Ah, let’s have bracers made as well. Considering the size of the Earth Dragon, we should be able to make enough for Joe and the others who’ve helped us.”
“That’s right. We’ll definitely continue to be in Joe-san and the others’ debt.”
“I agree.”
“All that’s left is the weapons… I’ve realized that if we use ultra-vibration, we’ll need at least mithril.”
“Yes. Since we already have magical weapons, I’ve only been paying attention to armor until now…”
“I think if my gauntlets have mithril in them, the power of my magic fist will probably increase.”
“Then I guess I’ll talk to Naga and Mom about it tomorrow morning.”
“Yes.”
“Yeah.”
After that, we spent the night talking about the labyrinth in general, the Earth Dragon, our vacation coming to an end, and this whole series of chaotic events.
The next morning, while making breakfast, I tried telling Naga and the others what I had talked about with El and Ashera the night before.
“…So, I was thinking that maybe we could make everyone’s equipment out of the Earth Dragon’s hide.”
At my words, Mom and Naga looked at each other and gave a wry smile.
“Is it bad?”
“No. It’s not bad, but are you three really okay with this?”
We didn’t know what the problem was, but for the time being, we nodded.
“I see. If the three of you are okay with it, we have no complaints. I’m sure Jogna-kun and the others will thank you too.”
“Thank?”
Honestly, the conversation somehow didn’t quite make sense. As I was wondering whether I was overlooking something, Ms. Naga explained.
“Regarding the Earth Dragon this time, you defeated it as a trio. Is that okay so far?”
“Yes.”
“Naturally, it would be unfair not to give some consideration in the distribution to the members who defeated the labyrinth master. Up to this point, is that okay?”
“Yes…”
“The problem is the proportion… Jogna and the others handle transporting the earth dragons and clearing monsters up to the 4th floor. Rafina and I accompany and clear up to the 9th floor, and also transport earth dragons. Considering this, generally speaking, the Earth Dragon share would be about three parts for Jogna and the others, one and a half parts for Rafina and me, and about eight parts for you three, Aldo-kun.”
“Huh? That much?”
“Yes. The opponent is an Earth Dragon. Normally, they’d only get a share of the materials from the clearing battle, so it wouldn’t be unusual if their share of the Earth Dragon itself was zero.”
“Is that so…”
“So, having armor made for them from the Earth Dragon’s hide would actually mean they’re getting more than their original reward.”
“I see… But considering the future, I still want to make armor for everyone.”
“Understood. We’ll treat it as a gesture of goodwill from you three, Aldo-kun. The rest is the honor of slaying an Earth Dragon. For a Dragon Slayer, there’ll surely be plenty of offers…”
“Is that so…”
“However, this is just speaking generally. I need to think carefully about whether it’s okay to make this public as it is…”
Ms. Naga was worried that if we stood out too much, it might interfere with our everyday lives.
I wanted to rely on Mom for this matter.
“Let’s consult with Father first. Even if we end up reporting it to the King, it’s difficult to decide whether to tell the general public.”
“That’s true. It could interfere with our everyday life.”
“Yes. In any case, let’s say that this time, Naga and I took the lead in the extermination.”
“Huh? Me? No way. An Earth Dragon… that means a Dragon Slayer, right? No way, no way!”
“It’s just a title. If it’s the Healer of Fresh Green, there’s no problem.”
“What the… That makes it sound scary… Men will stop coming near me…”
“Even now, you won’t come closer, huh. Same here. Same.”
Ms. Naga began to emit a terrifying murderous aura… At this rate, wouldn’t even the Earth Dragon run away…
“S-sorry… Naga… I might have said a little too much…”
That Ice Witch was breaking into a cold sweat and apologizing!
“Hah. I get it… Introduce me to a wonderful man through Blue Ring, okay?”
“O-okay. I swear by the name of the Ice Witch to find you a wonderful man.”
The Ice Witch muttered something terrifying in a low voice, like ‘If something goes wrong, I can just pin it on Aldo or El.’
We don’t use ads!
If you enjoyed our translation, please consider buying us a cup…
Thanks!!!
Become a Patron!
We don’t use ads!
If you enjoyed our translation, please consider buying us a cup…
Thanks!!!
Become a Patron!