Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku

◇

"My, that’s quite a big magic core. It looks as if it’s the magic core of the floormaster--"

Even though Arisa has half of her face covered in bandage, she presents the huge magic core while looking proud.

The face of the guild staff who received the magic core while looking slightly surprised froze. Since she has item appraisal skill, she probably understands what that magic core is.

She turns toward me, moving like a rusty robot.

"Umm, this is perhaps."

"That’s right! We’ve defeated the floormaster of the upper layer!"

Arisa answers but the guild staff matches her eyes with me, staring as if she wants me to deny it.

Does she really not want to believe it?

"Yes, it’s the magic core of the floormaster."

After I declared so, that guild staff fell down fainting. It’ll be troubling if the magic core is dropped, so I catch it together with her.

I’ve never seen her before, wonder if it’s a beginner staff?

An older guild staff behind her contacted the guild and took over to nurse the fainted staff.

As for us, we’re going to the labyrinth city with his guidance.

Since it seems to be customary for the party who’ve defeated the floormaster to carry the magic core, I bring it along with me.

◇

Noise spread when we exited the west gate.

There were some uproar when we got out of the labyrinth gate, but it’s even bigger here.

We are equipped with old equipments which have been made to look damaged, and also used special make-up and bandages to make it looks like we had a fierce battle.

We don’t actually have any real injury, but defeating a floor master without any injury would lessen the authenticity, so we make it like such.

『Oy! Those [Wound-free Pendragon] bunch are injured!?』

『It’s true! Even the Shield Princess’s shield’s been split in two!』

By Shield Princess, do they mean Nana?

However, [Wound-free] is too exaggerated. They just have always been healed before we return to the surface, there is never a case where the members, including the three rear guards, are not injured.

『They couldn’t possibly challenge the Floormaster right?』

『No way that can be even for the Pendragon bunch.』

『Yeah, even the [Depth Round Dance] guys who went out in fanfare after gathering several Red Iron bunch got partially destroyed when they tried to hunt the magic core needed to summon the floormaster, let alone the floormaster itself.』

So such a thing happened when I was running around to many places.

We continue to go toward the explorer guild while I vaguely listening to the hustle and bustle around.

『Those two armored children the Black Spear Liza is carrying aren’t death right?』

『Ah, since she’s carrying them well they’re probably alright? Look, they’re even waving hands.』

Pochi and Tama who are playing dead wave their hands sociably.

There’s no point in their serious injury make-up like this. Well, it’s fine.

"Fuhahaha! See this well!"

Arisa whom I’m giving a ride on my shoulder raises the beach ball-sized floormaster’s magic core up high, showing it off to the surrounding.

Buzz, buzz, explorers and the townspeople are exchanging words noisily.

Arisa is dressed with bloodied-bandage that looks like an eyepatch on her face, acting like she has some serious injury. She’s properly equipped the blond hair wig together with a hood.

"This is!"

Arisa stops at that interval.

The people around who are making buzzes hold their breath together, anticipating the next words.

"This is the Floormaster’s, 『Thunder Squid』’s Magic Core!"

When Arisa declared so, explosion-like uproar burst out.

She really is someone who likes to show off.

◇

"Geez, you’ve really gone and done it, defeating the floormaster."

"Yes, although it was thanks to the alliance with these people."

I reported the detail of the subjugation in the guildmaster’s office.

Each of the people who act as if they were the party leaders who participated in the subjugation are in this room.

The other members are in my mansion under the pretext of healing their injuries.

"Then, you challenged with 7 group of 72 people, and came back with 15 survivors huh. There are a lot of victims, but this is the shortest record."

"That’s because the parties’ composition prioritized firepower."

I was slightly surprised about the shortest record, but I made (Poker Face) skill to work hard.

For the time being, let’s make up some story.

Nevertheless, even though I had properly added the calculated time needed to travel in the labyrinth, and there should have been time loss from when I destroyed the dog-head demon lord, we still got the shortest record huh.

Secretary-san continues the talk while lining up various documents on the desk.

"Then, there are five parties of 15 people, 『Pendragon』, 『Samurai General』, 『Blue Rose』, 『Twin Oni』, and 『Blessing of Great Spirit』 that apply for Mithril Plate, are there not?"

"I will politely decline."

"It’s unnecessary for us."

"Same."

"I do not intend to be affiliated with a brat who haven’t even lived for 50 years."

"U, umm..."

These masters should have done another rehearsal for their performance. Looks like the contents of the lecture from the party yesterday have all but vanished.

Since Secretary-san seems troubled with the unexpected replies, I send her a lifeboat.

"We will apply for it."

"Y, yes, then, other parties besides 『Pendragon』 will not apply, am I right?"

"Long-winded."

"We’ll leave Sir Pendragon to manage the rest."

Looks like the guildmaster and secretary-san have decided to pull back after the masters said so. The guildmaster allowed them to go out of the room.

They probably intend to negotiate with them later.

The guildmaster and secretary-san wished for me to negotiate for them, but I indirectly declined.

They asked me regarding the masters’ origin, but I deceived them by saying that I just scouted people who seemed strong outside the labyrinth city so I didn’t know the detail.

I was asked to choose one among the treasures, so I selected the [Item Appraisal] orb.

It seems to be a skill that’s coveted on the same level as [Item Box] among the treasure orbs.

I’m planning of letting Lulu uses it for appraising ingredients.

◇

The next day, we are made to participate in a parade jointly sponsored by the guildmaster and the viceroy.

Looks like we have to ride on three separate gaudily decorated horse-drawn carriages and parade around the town.

The masters have all gone back to Boruenan Forest yesterday, so it’s just our members now.

The very first carriage has me, Arisa and Mia. The second has Pochi, Tama, Liza, and the last in line has Lulu and Nana.

Besides me, the members’ composition seem to have been decided in a lottery lot yesterday, but to even have a preliminary lottery draw to decide the drawing turn is too strict. They must have really been looking forward to this parade.

Everyone has dressed up, on top of that they’ve also equipped the equipments taken from the loot, sprinkling smiles around.

Of course I’ve also worn a robe more formal than usual, and a gold-braided short mantle that Arisa’s picked.

『Arisa-cha~n, look here~』

『Mia-sama, your figure is so beautiful, it dazzles my eyes!』

『Arisa! I’ll treat you to some skewers later!』

『Ah, Mia-sama. Your fresh profile today is like a refreshing lily of the valley--』

Oh, Mia is popular. When I commended her, "You’re quite popular", she strongly denied, "NO." I might have been unthoughtful. Gonna reflect on it.

Still, I feel sorry for Arisa who get called only by little girls and brats.

I leave it alone since Arisa must also not want to be consoled for it. Arisa has been sending glances to me while muttering, "Another brat huh~", but since there can be time when gentleness is painful, the correct answer should be to ignore her.

Some prostitute-like onee-sans wave at me along the way while calling, "Young master~", so I wave back at them. It goes without saying that Arisa and Mia pinched me from both side.

While being led by [Pendora] children who are swinging a rod that had flower basket on the tip, the parade train entered the venue for the unveiling of the floormaster subjugation.

◇

And then, we safely finished debuting the floormaster subjugation which took two hours.

Although the first subjugation greeting was embarrassing, it was quite painful when I had to listen to celebratory messages from the nobles, the city personages like the Mithril and Red Iron explorers while smiling.

Afterward, Arisa debuted the loot by reciting them in entertainer-like way of speaking, in addition to Mia’s musical performance, the excitement of the people doubled, making the tension on the venue increased dangerously.

After all the programs from before have finished, the buffet party on the venue begins.

Various dishes and liquor have been prepared on the stalls on this venue, and they’re all free to take.

It seems the cost is burdened by the Explorer Guild--or rather the King himself. I didn’t particularly mind paying for it myself, but since it was a custom, I decided to rely on the kindness.

"But hey, is it really alright?"

"What is?"

Arisa talked to me while looking awkward when we were walking to the waiting room of the venue.

"I mean, you’ve always said that you don’t want to stand out right."

"I don’t mind. I didn’t want to stand out because I was afraid that some strange guy would have an eye on our girls before they could protect themselves."

Right now, they should be able to do something against even an army, as long as there is no poison or powerful trap involved.

I’ve built enough personal connections too, so if there’s someone influential that’s hostile to us, I will naturally hear about them, and I can just make use of the enemy of my enemy to quickly eliminate them.

In my case, demon lord flags seemed like it’d be raised if I were to eliminate people who set their eyes on me, so I didn’t want to stand out. It would be hard to enjoy the trip if we were being chased by the people around us.

For the same reason, I don’t intend to reveal the fact that hero Nanashi is me myself to anyone besides my companions.

I don’t want to become like the hero Hayato who’s too busy with official businesses he doesn’t have time to play.

"However, won’t we get pushed with some weird positions from Shiga Kingdom?"

"It’s probably alright. Most positions besides the guildmaster’s minister, and the general are filled with nobles. Even if they come to invite us, it’s probably for a position such as a knight captain or intelligence right? If something like that happens, I’ll pull my connections to refuse them so it’s fine."

Rather, the possibility of me becoming a chef in royal palace looks way higher.

◇

I carry the presented loot from before to a safe underground while being accompanied by some guild staff.

It’s the job of the guild staff and the royal knight to bring them to the royal capital from here on. I’ve put a marker on the Item Appraisal orb just in case.

"Everyone, thanks for your hard work. I’m going to greet some big-shots on the buffet party now, how about everyone? You can get back and rest on the mansion if you’re tired okay?"

"No we won’t! I’m going to have a live stage with Mia and the others!"

"Nn."

"Tama is a fascinating dancer~?"

"Pochi is also going to dance spin, spin nodesu!"

The four youth troupe live performance huh.

"That sounds fun. I’ll go see it later."

"Nn, promise."

"You have to absolutely come okay?!"

"I’ll work hard~"

"We’ll make the best stage!"

These energetic four seem fine, but how about other members?

"Master I will go to the orphanage to collect Shiro and Crow."

"I cannot rest in the mansion. Because I have the mission of conquering all the meat on the stalls!"

These two are unchanging.

"Master, I have been asked to perform on the labyrinth monstrous-fish dismantling show, is it alright if I go?"

"Of course it’s alright. However, use the normal kitchen knife from the mansion okay."

"Yes!"

Still, the labyrinth monstrous fish only appear in the middle layer, I wonder who hunted it?

There shouldn’t be enough time between our return to the present, so it might be a leftover item from the viceroy’s request.

I walk back to the ground floor of the guild while hearing everyone’s plan.

There, we reunited with a nostalgic person.