Slave Harem Volume 1, Chapter 8

Chapter 8

　Advance, advance, advance!

　Attack and conquer!

「Get out of my way, you monsters! Get the hell out of my way!」

　Zerius, who was in the lower layers, was driven by simmering ambition and anger.

　Accompanying him was a group of three strong men. They were the ones he had recruited to come to 『Sekhmet』. They all believe that Zerius is the real 『Thunder』.

　Most of the monsters they encountered along the way were defeated by Zerius, and the other men were no more than baggage handlers, so there was no reason for suspicion. He was really good at what he did.

　Even when small, lovely monsters appeared, unlike Mars, Zerius cut them down without any hesitation. The bodily fluids of the monsters were splattered all around him, and no one was alive after Zerius had passed.

　His white armor was covered in blood, and it was obvious what had happened before he came here.

　In order to call himself 『Thunder』, he wore electricity on his sword, but since this was not his original fighting style, he did not use it in battle.

　Zerius Laclair, twenty-two years old, is a man with nothing, according to his own values.

　He was born as the third son of a count family.

　Even though he was a count, Zerius' family was not rich enough to be called a count.

　By the time Zerius was born, they had sold most of their lands and lost their ancestral fortune in a business failure. In social circles, he was ridiculed as a nobleman in name only.

　The sense of inferiority he had felt as a child due to the weakness of his own family had greatly distorted his personality.

　He was originally a poor nobleman, and because of the noble tradition that the eldest son inherits everything, he did not receive any property.

　The only things he could inherit were his father's arrogance and his martial arts, which were as good as losing everything, yet he was still a nobleman.

　From an objective point of view, Zerius had a talent for combat.

　However, that alone was not enough to conquer dungeons. It is a world where talent is a given.

　There were several things that were lacking.

　One was money, one was companions, one was knowledge. And an achievement.

　As long as he had an achievement, he could manage the money and the companions. Because they will come to you.

　In other words, he was in a contradictory situation where he needed achievement in order to create one.

　A dead-end in all directions.

　It was more difficult than he had imagined having a bright future.

　No one would accept a half-hearted talent.

　Joining some party was one way to do it, but Zerius didn't think it was a good idea.

　First of all, he doesn't like the idea of splitting the credit.

　Moreover, almost all the credit goes to the leader alone.

　He doesn't want to go into dangerous dungeons too many times. He wants to get the treasure once and live a glorious life with wealth and fame.

　Then he can get back at those who mocked him.

　One day, while he was in such a hurry, Zerius heard a rumor that a dungeon called 『Ganymede』 had been conquered.

　However, there was no information about who had conquered that dungeon.

　The only information that came in was that the person who conquered it was called 『Thunder』.

　――In this situation, I could become that 『Thunder』.

　Thinking of usurping the honor, Zerius came forward that day.

　It was because someone else might think the same thing as he did.

　More than anything, he didn't want the real thing to come out. If he came forward first, he would be suspected, but he would be able to take over to some extent.

　In the analog world without the Internet or television, most information is spread by word of mouth. The power of diffusion was low. In fact, the person who is now called 『Thunder』 is Zerius, and the real one, Mars is just a boy.

　The risk was considered, of course.

　The real one was a dungeon conqueror, after all. He doesn't think he could win in a proper fight. If he was found, he might even be killed.

　Still, Zerius had a delusional certainty.

　――The real thing will never come out.

　The reason why there is no information about the conquerers is not because of the control of information by the nobles, but because they have not spoken out.

　When Zerius heard that the nobles were looking for 『Thunder』, his delusion turned into certainty.

　It's a feeling that Zerius, who seeks honor, doesn't quite understand, but this person wants to hide.

　If the real one had a huge fortune, the risk of having his life threatened would increase. Zerius thinks that he is trying to avoid that.

　Even if he can win the battle, it's not exhausting to be on guard at all times.

「Let's go down one more layer!」

　Zerius was filled with impatience that someone might take the treasure. And his first choice was the real 『Thunder』.

　Zerius' party was moving at a speed that was almost like running, and they were not allowed to rest well.

　This is also an action based on the magic of 『Body Strengthening』, but since it is like converting magic power into physical strength, the limit will eventually come at some point.

　Whenever Zerius issued a notice, the party members' expressions would tighten.

「Ze-Zerius-san, aren't we going a little too fast? If we don't take a break, we'll lose our strength and magic pow――」

「Shut up! Just shut up and follow me!」

　――Achievements, achievements, achievements!

　This is the only way to become a real 『Thunder』!

　His impatience for honor makes him ignore theories.

　Don't push yourself unnecessarily.

　Even such an obvious thing was not understood by Zerius, whose vision was clouded by impatience.

◇

「There's a trail of monster corpses. ...... And it's quite old. The blood has already dried. I think it was a day ago. When Hazuki came to our room, Zerius was here. That guy's further along than I thought.」

　Mars observes the monster's blood that was spread on the ground.

　Reddish-brown color. Rough to the touch. It resembled paint that had dried and broken on a palette.

　There were some differences from human blood, and most of it was very sticky. The cracks after it dried were also noticeable, and Mars judged by that that it belonged to a monster.

　After wandering around for half a day, they descended to a lower layer, but they still couldn't see Zerius' back.

「Isn't this Zerius guy pretty strong after all? He can slice through even the biggest monsters. I might underestimate him a bit.」

「E-everyone said he was a good swordsman. He has good eyesight. That's why no one suspected that he wasn't the 『Thunder』.」

　The unmistakable sword line left on the monster's corpse was not bad, even from Mars' point of view.

　――If it wasn't for his personality, I'd be happy to have him as a companion.

　Mars thought for a moment, then quickly changed his mind. Mars remembered his mockery against Lilia and his violence against Hazuki.

「I hear something. ...... Is it a scrubbing sound? It's probably a monster, so be on the lookout for it. Especially pervert ones.」

　Lilia's ears twitched. She could hear a sound that didn't belong to them approaching from afar.

「C-corner, that corner, there's something! Tree roots. ......?」

　Hazuki saw a wobbly, burly branch growing out of the corner of the narrow passage.

「That's probably Treant! A monster that usually mimics a dead tree! If they catch you by the roots, they'll suck out all your bodily fluids!」

　What came around the corner was a strange monster that looked like a giant stump walking around.

　Lilia immediately recognized its true identity. It was a monster that Lilia was relatively familiar with since she used to live in the forest.

　They had to deal with the Treant that blocked the narrow path before they could move on, and the tentacle-like roots that grew and chased them. So far, they have been able to escape and get by on the large floor, but now they encountered a monster that they must defeat.

「Body fluids, maybe its blood. ......?　――Oh, it's a root, so it's uprooted? (?)」

「Can't you see that this is not a situation to tell a joke!? Pervert, your magic is fire magic, so you do it!」

「O-Okay! I'll turn that Treant into ashes!」

　Since she had never been in combat before, Hazuki was in a state of euphoria.

　She likes to use magic because it relieves stress.

「No, it's fine. The two of you should be careful of your surroundings. If we use Hazuki's magic here, we'll run out of oxygen. Besides, I'd better get used to it.」

　Mars made them step back and pulled out the sword at his waist.

　He doesn't feel guilty about killing Treant because it gives the impression of an inorganic object moving.

　Leaning forward, Mars leaps from his spot with both feet in the air.

　The tentacles of the roots reach out to catch him, but he cuts them off in midair, occasionally running over the remaining tentacles as he approaches the main body.

　He then swung with all his might and struck the Treant's stump with his sword.

　Mars was relieved to see the blade bite into it more easily than he had expected. His palm felt softer than cutting butter.

　――I knew that for a monster of this layer, once would be enough.

　After reconfirming his own power, Mars put his weight on it and cut it to the root, splitting the Treant in half.

　After one vertical slash, he made several horizontal cuts before collapsing.

　The Treant, which was cut into even smaller pieces and became like scrap wood, eventually stopped working altogether.

「It's not a magic sword, but it's a good sword, this one. It doesn't even have a spilled blade.」

　Mars checked his sword and said in a calm voice.

　There is no great emotional movement after defeating a monster.

「A-amazing.......I couldn't see it at all, Mars-san's move!」

「That's a tremendous physical ability. ...... No matter how close to fragile wood it is, you cut Treant like a piece of paper. ...... As expected of my master!」

　Lilia and Hazuki were in love with Mars' overwhelming ability.

　It's not that they doubted that Mars was a 『Thunder』, but the doubts they had in the back of their minds about his power were resolved.

　There was no waste at all, and Mars only used the most appropriate attack at the shortest distance. Lilia was made to think that the precision of his attacks as if he was being controlled by something.

　Treant was not a strong monster, but it was stubborn because it was made of wood.

　If you don't burn it, dry it, or cut it into pieces, it will keep moving forever.

「It was a slow-moving monster. It must have looked relatively fast.」

「It's like bread is good, but strawberries are even better, right?」

「...... No. Not the same at all. I think you should think more before you speak, Hazuki-chan.」

　Lilia wanted to ask Mars, but Hazuki's comment changed the atmosphere and she ended up not being able to ask him.

「Let's get some rest, shall we?」

　Mars calls out to Lilia and Hazuki. Lilia didn't say anything, but she had a look of exhaustion on her face. Mars had noticed this.

　The long ears of an elf are no mean feat, and Lilia notices the monster in the distance before anyone else does. She was also listening to the sounds of traps on the underground operations and told Mars.

　Being on the lookout for traps and monsters was far more tiring than moving normally.

　The distance they had walked so far was about 50 kilometers.

　As a dungeon, the lower layers are not in a straight line. Sometimes it's the same path over and over again, and sometimes it's another path that looks very similar. Even if you've only traveled about a kilometer, you may have wasted more than ten kilometers.

　There was a lot of moving up and down, so she was more tired beyond the distance.

　Mars also felt tired, though he didn't say it. Because Mars is the one who has to be most careful.

　Only Hazuki, who was unaware of such hardships, put on a cheerful face and chased after Mars.

　Hazuki was walking behind him, so all she had to do was be alert to the monsters that came out.

「I-I can still move! I'm using 『Body Strengthening』! You're not that tired, are you, Mars-san? Most of the monsters are either running away or hiding.」

「There's no reason to fight, right? Fight when you have no choice but to fight. What are you going to do if you increase the risk yourself? Are you a battle fanatic?」

　Whenever Mars and his companions saw a monster, they would hide in the shadows or lure it into a trap that had been set to defeat it.

　Combat is a last resort for Mars.

　He believes that you should avoid everything that can be avoided.

　――Since we're going to have to fight on the last layer anyway, we should conserve our strength until then.

　Most of the monsters that needed to be fought directly were already buried by Zerius, so there were few obstacles.

　For the occasional monster that they encounter, Hazuki will use magic or Lilia will use her bow from a distance to deal with it. When it seemed to be out of control, Mars would handle it.

　Hazuki was strangely eager to fight, even though Mars had told her to ignore the monsters.

　Hazuki's forte is fire magic.

　It's like ashes to ashes, and it burns up the monsters.

　Mars wondered if it was cremation because she was a Tomb Guard, but in this world, burial is common.

　From an objective point of view, Hazuki was a rather dangerous person.

　She would gloat over the flames she had set off.

　To Mars, Hazuki looked like an arsonist.

「I also wonder if we should go on a little further. As the perverted woman said, thanks to the 『Body Strengthening』, it is possible to push myself a little, and as long as we can rest in the relatively safe on the 【Treasure House of Dreams】, there is no need to take a break here.」

　Although she looks tired, Lilia says so and tries to move on.

　She can't forgive Zerius, the usurper of honor, for advancing ahead of Mars.

　If by any chance Zerius is able to accomplish the dungeon capture, all the hard work Mars has done so far will be in vain. She didn't like that either.

　Mars was in the lead, then Lilia, and finally Hazuki.

　As they walked, they suddenly heard the startling voice of Hazuki from behind.

「Ahh!? Nooo!」

「Hazuki-chan!?」

　With a *thck*, Mars could see the moment when Hazuki fell into the pit.

　Hazuki sank down with a look of despair on her face.

　――Why!? Even though It was fine when we passed there!?

　Was there a switch of some kind!

「Pervert!」

　Imagining the worst possible moment faster than Lilia's scream, Mars rushed towards the pit with all his might.

　With his hands on the edge of the deep hole, Mars peered into the pit.

　He doesn't want to see the horrible scene if he can help it. But he couldn't move forward without checking.

　If the hole was just a pit, there was a chance of survival.

「Hazuki-chan! Are you all right!? I'll get you out of there!」

「――Eh, ah, yes, I'm fine. ......? T-thank goodness! If Mars-san hadn't given me that cloth, I'd be dead for sure. ...... I-I think I'm gonna pee my pants.. ......」

　It seems that Hazuki had a piece of the 『Robe of Flowing』 in her skirt pocket, a piece of elf cloth that could float, which was in the treasury, and she floated up with her butt sticking out, looking fluffy and dumb.

　The robe was enchanted so that it would automatically activate when it left the ground.

　At the bottom of the hole were countless metal spears. If she had fallen, she would have become a cruel object. At the bottom, there were countless what appeared to be bones of some kind.

「That cloth is automatically activated? ...... Thank goodness ......, I seriously thought you were dead.」

　Mars caught Hazuki as she came to the surface and lowered her to the safe ground where she stood.

　Then he slumped.

　It was the first time in a long time that he had been really nervous.

　In his seventeen years here, he has yet to see a human die.

「Seriously.........don't make me worry.」

　Lilia said to Hazuki in a dumbfounded voice, and then she looked up.

　She realized that she had made a slip of the tongue.

「――Did you worry about me?」

「I-I'm not! ――I was just worried that it might have a negative impact on my mind and Mars'.」

「I-I was scared, but I'm a little bit happy. ...... I thought Lilia-san was going to say that I should have fallen. ......」

　Hmph, Lilia turned her head away, but Mars smiled a little.

　Even if her attitude is not good, Lilia is basically kind. She had a bad attitude towards Mars at first. He thinks it was even more so because he remembers that time.

　Rather than really disliking Hazuki, she probably just doesn't want to see her position change.

　When Hazuki says she was fine, Mars decides to walk a little further.

　He had a feeling of concern for Lilia, but Mars also wanted to go as far as he could if he had come this far.

　Zerius is working harder than he thought, and he doesn't want him to conquer the dungeons before he does. It would be a waste of all of his efforts so far. Mars was thinking the same thing as Lilia.

　But he had to be careful of new traps like the one he had just encountered. He has to sharpen all his nerves more than ever.

　The trap that Hazuki had fallen into earlier was probably loaded. Just like the capacity of an elevator, it is triggered when a certain amount of weight is applied. It's a subtype of that, and it seems to have been triggered by the total load for a given amount of time.

「W-why is there a trap there? I really thought I was going to die, you know?」

「It's a countermeasure against intruders. It's designed to kill them.」

「Hmm, I wonder. Maybe they're adjusting the number of monsters. There are a lot of monsters that get caught in traps and die on their own. That's why the ground is not flooded with monsters.」

　It's not that he was sure, it's just that he has a feeling about it, but that's what Mars thinks.

　The creator of the dungeon doesn't seem to have any malicious intent.

　It seems to him that the dungeon was created with some kind of intention. He just doesn't know what that intention is.

　One thing he can say is that the inside of the dungeon is one world. In a sense, it could be said to be another world within another world.

「――Mars-san, you don't seem to be very smart, but you know a lot of things, don't you?」

「You fucking pervert woman! How dare you say that!」

　Lilia hit Hazuki lightly on the head.

　Gururururu.

　After walking for a while, the three of them heard something that sounded like a buzz.

　Mars drew his sword and focused on the dark road ahead, with Lilia and Hazuki behind him.

　――a monster. Considering the volume of the voice, it could be big. ......

　Mars grows impatient, keeping a tired Lilia and Hazuki at the edge of his vision.

　At this moment, he was considering throwing Lilia and Hazuki into the 【Treasure House of Dreams】 and fighting alone.

「I-I'm sorry........... Just now is the sound of my stomach ......」

　Hazuki, her face dyed bright red, raised a small hand.

　She was being modest, but her stomach was insisting. It would not stop rumbling.

　It really sounded like the voice of a monster, and it kept echoing in the cave.

　Mars, who had completely lost his nerve, laughed out loud, and Lilia said with the most dumbfounded look on her face.

「Pervert women like to have something in their stomachs, don't they? Both their upper and lower mouths are greedy. As expected of the incarnation of the three major desires.」

「T-that's not the case down there!」

　Hazuki held her crotch through her skirt to hide it.

　This exposed a good deal of her white thighs, and Mars let his gaze wander.

「You were fingering yourself so hard, though, weren't you? You said, "My pussy feels good!"」

「I-I didn't say anything embarrassing like that!　――I didn't say that!」

「You said it about five times. It must have felt really good.」

「I-It was amazing. ......! It felt many times better than the masturbation I usually do. ...... ― N-no, it's different, I don't usually do that!」

　――This woman, she's an idiot!

　Mars and Lilia both thought the same thing. Even Hazuki herself thought it.

「How long have you been doing that?」

「I-I do it all the time when I'm alone and free. ...... ――I-It feels so good! I haven't been able to stop since I was little!」

　Hazuki blushed and shouted loudly.

　Mars got a light erection from the tremendous come-out.

「She's a pervert. ......」

「Yeah, ...... I've never masturbated before. ......」

「On the other hand, how do you use your alone time if you don't masturbate? If you woke up in the morning and masturbated, you're usually masturbated late at night, right?」 (?)

　Hazuki made a face as if she had just opened up.

　She had to admit that she was a little more interested in sex than others.

　When she is alone, there is a high probability that she will masturbate. And she will continue until she can't move.

「She's a hardcore pervert. ...... Anyway, let's go into the treasure house. We should eat, take a bath and go to bed. It's dangerous to move when you're tired. If you don't concentrate, you might get trapped like Hazuki did earlier, and the sound of Hazuki's stomach sounds like a monster's voice, which is scary.」

　Under normal circumstances, they would be resting in a space where monsters were present, keeping vigilant. Considering the mental fatigue, you often don't get enough rest.

　In the case of Mars, the 【Treasure House of Dreams】 was more of a cheat than bad magic.

　If he encounters a monster he can't defeat, he plans to flee to the treasury.

　This is why he brought Lilia with him.

　The most important thing for Mars to protect is Lilia.

　It's also a weakness of mine, I tend to think of things in terms of games, and I need to get rid of this habit as soon as possible, Mars thought impatiently.

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