「Alec, I need to talk to you after breakfast.」
「Huh? Sure, but… about what?」
「I’m not really sure.」
「…I have no idea what you’re talking about, Mom.」
In the middle of breakfast, my mother suddenly said something strange.
――Wait. ‘Family?’
Father, Mother, Nana-san, and me, we were all eating together. But calling Nana-san “family” already feels a little premature.
It’s not that I want to exclude her or anything, but… isn’t that just a bit too soon?
After all, it’s only been ‘three days’ since I met her.
We first met the day before yesterday. Yesterday, we built a dungeon together. And today, today makes day three.
For some reason, whenever I let my guard down, I find myself slipping into “dad mode” around her.
But no, not yet. Not “dad”, not “family.” Those titles should come ‘after’ we’ve shared some heartfelt events together, right?
Anyway, back to Mother’s mysterious comment.
「So… you said you had something to tell me, right?」
「Yes, though honestly, I don’t really understand it myself.」
「You don’t… understand it?」
「It’s a strange story, so just wait for me after breakfast.」
「Uh, okay…」
I wonder what this is about.
Judging from her tone, it doesn’t sound like I’m in trouble or anything.
Could it be…?
◇
After breakfast, I sat restlessly at the table, waiting. Eventually, Mother came over.
「Ah, are you done?」
「Yes. Na-chan offered to handle the cleanup.」
「Na-chan…」
Mother was calling Nana-san by a nickname.
Yesterday, I thought Nana-san had dropped her approval rating with Mother, but apparently, she’s already made up for it.
「So, what’s this about, exactly?」
「Apparently, something strange has appeared between Meiyu Village and Lukmine Village.」
「Something strange…?」
As I suspected, it’s about a dungeon.
…Or rather, ‘the’ dungeon, right? What do you mean “something strange”?
「Right in the middle between the two villages, a dungeon, or something ‘like’ a dungeon, has appeared.」
It’s not “something like” a dungeon. It’s an actual dungeon.
――The Alec-Nana Tentative Open Close Parenthesis Dungeon, which Nana-san and I built yesterday.
When I checked the dungeon menu this morning, a large number of points had already accumulated.
Judging by the sudden spike, it was obvious, explorers must have discovered it.
The dungeon was discovered much sooner than I expected, and explorers had already arrived. Nana-san and I clasped hands and cheered, ‘waaai waaai’, over the news.
Right up until breakfast, I’d been checking the menu. Despite it being so early in the morning, five people were already inside the dungeon. I was tempted to peek at the live feed, but I managed to restrain myself.
…Still, I can’t believe the news spread this fast.
When I checked the menu before going to bed, there weren’t that many points yet. So the dungeon must have been discovered sometime around midnight.
And yet, by morning, the information had already reached our village. Word of mouth really shouldn’t be underestimated.
「So… when did you first hear about this dungeon?」
「Before breakfast. A few villagers came to tell us.」
「I see.」
「Your papa was asked to come as well.」
「…Oh. I see.」
Now that she mentioned it, Father had hurried out right after breakfast.
So, he’d been called in to investigate the Alec-Nana Tentative Open Close Parenthesis Dungeon, huh?
Not that it’s the kind of dungeon a ‘Sword Saint’ needs to storm into…
Still, having my own father examine my dungeon feels kind of embarrassing. There’s this awkward, prickly feeling…
It’s like having your parents find that cringeworthy poem you wrote in your notebook when you were twelve.
「So basically, a new dungeon suddenly appeared near the village, and someone discovered it?」
「Yes, it was found last night. Someone traveling from Lukmine Village to Meiyu Village noticed the ground glowing.」
「The ground was glowing?」
「Since the dungeon walls are covered with glowing moss, some of the light must have leaked out.」
Ah, that explains it.
I was worried no one would ever notice it, but I guess that was unnecessary.
「Where the light was leaking, a staircase leading underground had formed. Thinking, ‘I must find out what’s happening here’, the man resolved to descend.」
「Wow, that’s a responsible person.」
「He has a beloved wife and daughter waiting for him in Meiyu Village.」
「Ah, so it’s family love that drives him.」
「Thinking of his beloved wife, Lisaberte, he took his first step down the stairs, 」
Huh? Lisaberte?
「Then, thinking of his beloved daughter, Ralina, he took another….」
It was… Ralina papa.
So that’s how it is….
The very first explorer to step into the Alec-Nana Tentative Open Close Parenthesis Dungeon… was Ralina papa.
Now that I think about it, the day before yesterday, when I delivered those walking mushrooms, he wasn’t home. I was told he was away on a job in another village.
So, he must’ve returned yesterday, but late at night. Traveling through the dark, he noticed the glow of the luminescent moss.
「Though trembling with fear, he descended the stairs, one step at a time…」
「Trembling with fear… huh.」
…Is this Mother’s creative retelling? It feels kind of exaggerated, like she’s spicing it up for drama.
「‘So scary… so scary…’, he muttered as he reached the bottom of the stairs. And there….」
…Wait. Is this turning into a ghost story?
It feels like Mother’s story has somehow morphed into a campfire tale.
「In that room, there were three giant rats!」
「Oh, just giant rats, huh.」
I played along, matching Mother’s energy as best I could.
「He easily defeated the three rats, then cautiously looked around to see if any other monsters were lurking.」
「He took down three rats just like that, huh…」
「The room glowed faintly with the light of the moss. As he caught his breath in relief, he suddenly noticed something strange about one of the walls… Something, was moving.」
「A, a moving wall!?」
「He stepped closer… and then he realized, 『This wall… it’s alive!』」
「Kyaa!」
Since we’d apparently reached the big “scary twist” part, I offered a token scream for effect.
Mother looked very pleased with herself.
「――And that’s what supposedly happened yesterday.」
「I… see.」
So that’s what happened yesterday, huh.
Apparently, the rescue golem had blended perfectly into the surrounding wall and stayed hidden.
And so, the Alec-Nana Tentative Open Close Parenthesis Dungeon’s ‘first-ever exploration’, carried out by none other than Ralina papa, ended up feeling more like a horror story than an adventure.
Next chapter: Did you… defeat the rescue golem!?
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