By Web Novel Written by Minkansukii ミンカンスキー
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「…….Saino, be honest with me. What the hell is that?」
We were in the living room in my house.
And Harumachi-Sensei was interrogating me about what she discovered.
Her eyes were adamant for answers.
She had already put two and two together, that I was probably exploring the labyrinth beneath my house.
The dead give away was me dressed up in full adventuring gear.
But why was she standing at the Labyrinth’s entrance when she should have left my house not long ago.
When I asked Sensei that, she replied that she was about to leave, but heard a voice call out to her, and she followed that voice down the stairs toward my houses basement.
Since air is drawn towards the dungeon in my basement, its possible that through a gap in the door, the sound of wind resembled a voice.
Its really a mystery for me, because from my point of view there’s no way someone from inside the dungeon could be heard on the outside, much less call for Sensei directly.
In any case, I messed up big time, I need to fix this some how. But is there a way to actually repair this situation.
Hence I just spoke my mind in a strong voice.
「Sensei, this is a bit hard to explain…….」
I tried to say the things that were going through my head, but in the end it would come out as common excuses. But I couldn’t think of a better way to describe what that place was.
The cat was out of the bag, I couldn’t hide the dungeons existence, so it was better to try and disclose what I knew as best as I could. Realizing I had run out of options, I spilled everything I knew.
「I have no idea how it happened, or why there’s a dungeon that goes deep under my house. But before I realized it, my basement just changed into a labyrinth」
「…….That sounds really hard to believe」
「I know, even I was stunned the first time I saw it. But in a way…… It got me really excited」
「So you were exploring that place on your own?」
「Yes Sensei」
At this point I couldn’t lie about the existence of the dungeon anymore, but I could withhold some truths from Sensei and explain the just the general stuff.
The only thing I left out were existences of the special drops within the treasure chests. And the detailed notes left behind within the chests themselves.
Placing a hand to her chin Sensei was deep in thought after listening to my explanation.
And after a while she looked towards me inquisitively.
「So what’s it like going into that place, whats beyond this corridor?」
「Well the path is like a maze, the walls are built sturdily so there’s no risk of any sort of collapse.」
「Is that right?…. Hmmm…..」
Listening to my explanation Harumachi-Sensei considers my words. Her facial expression was that of someone seriously contemplating something, almost picturesque but that wasn’t my concern right now. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to explore this place, so I patiently waited for Sensei’s answer.
And then after about a minute.
Sensei who’d been deep in thought began nodding her head as if coming to a conclusion.
「I get it now, so Saino. I’ll accompany you on this exploration」
「………..Huh?」
「If Saino is setting out to do something dangerous, it’s my duty as a teacher to make sure you are fine. And in a way, I’m also curious about this place and want to see it for myself」
「…………」
Flabbergast by Sensei’s conviction I couldn’t retort back having seen the burning sense of duty within her eyes.
Harumachi-Sensei is truly through and through an educator of the highest caliber. For those who take their job seriously, It’s a teachers duty to ensure the safety of the students in their charge.
But in that regard, that becomes more troublesome for me. The labyrinth beneath my house is filled with monsters, and it is highly likely Harumachi-Sensei is going to judge that my exploration is dangerous.
If it comes to that, she’ll likely prohibit me from exploring, in the worst case, she could notify the authorities, bringing light to the existence of a labyrinth beneath my house.
And by that time, it’ll be all over.
「……I’m not going to let you say “no”」
Sensei stared back at me with a strong resolve.
Leaving me no choice but weakly reply back “yes”, while despairing inside.
◇◆◇◆◇
And so I prepared some adventurer equipment for Harumachi-Sensei. They were my mother’s, like a used safari jacket and several tools. The area around her chest a bit tight, but overall the fit was just perfect. Sensei changed clothes quickly and also carried a backpack with her, and after that we immediately set off for the dungeons entrance.
「 All right. Saino let’s go」
「………Yes Sensei」
Having re-tied my shoelaces, Sensei encourages me to start the exploration. I nodded towards her feebly, sighing to myself before stepping forth into the Labyrinth.
Inwardly I was full of despair.
If at any point we were to come across a monster, Sensei would immediately conclude this to be a precarious place. And based on what I’ve experienced so far, if we keep exploring this dungeon, in about 30 minutes we’ll definitely come across a monster.
This was a disaster.
「……Please follow me」
For now I went ahead of Sensei and proceeded down the stone corridor. I didn’t want to put a woman in danger, and I already knew the path I was taking like the back of my hand.
It would also be safer with me going first and having Sensei trail behind me. Going forward, Sensei and I went down the stairs and into the 1st Floor.
But――
「……!?」
I noticed something strange and instinctively stopped.
The moment I stepped down these stairs I could feel there was a change in wind pressure, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. And reaching the bottom of the stairs at the entrance of the 1st Floor, it felt subtly different than before.
Wasn’t the path before just a straight shot!?…..
The first time I explored the 1st Floor there was only single path, yet now there was a fork branching to the left of the straight path.
Rather than a straightaway there was an intersection, more like a T-split. The reason for the change in wind pressure was because the structure of the dungeon changed as well.
「Saino? What’s wrong?」
「Ah, oh……Nothing, it’s nothing」
I hurriedly raised the awareness in my mind while answering Sensei appropriately. And a theory emerged of what caused the dungeon’s change.
The reason for this straight path, is because it leads directly to the 2nd Floor and this branch is probably for the 1st Floor. The stairs going down into the 2nd Floor were in the center of the 400 meter square 1st Floor.
In other words, the rough 200 meters we walked just now was that straight path to the 2nd Floor. Reviewing the evidence of the corridor we traversed, it matched my hypothesis so far.
I wonder what caused it to turn out this way. Could it have been related to when I finished acquiring the final item on the 1st Floor? Maybe, once one completely gathers a floors’ items then a direct path to the next floor appears.
Or another possibility is that I’ve defeated all the enemies of the 1st Floor. Fighting through floor after floor in a dungeon doesn’t have much merit, so having a shortcut like this isn’t so bad.
……Either way, this labyrinth is quite canny.
………All right then. Seems like its all or nothing now…..
Making up my mind I stepped onto this new path. I had half given up on being exposed to Sensei, but knowing this is a direct passage to the next floor, I just followed it.
The further you dive into a dungeon, there is a high chance to always run into a monster. But with this direct path to the 2nd Floor, I can now traverse the Labyrinth without having to be in that situation.
And that’s why――
I’ll search for a magic item on the 2nd Floor and immediately use it on Sensei……
Hopefully its an item which can alter memories or something to control her thoughts, that way I can persuade Sensei from stopping me……
I raised a fist in my mind. The odds aren’t looking that great, but I’m willing to bet on it. In order to break out of this situation, I’ll need the power of a magical item.
「…….This way」
「Mm-hm」
Sensei obediently trails me as I advance further ahead. There’s no other way around it. It’s her first time on an exploration, so it’s best if she follows behind me.
If I remember correctly, there are four enemies on the 2nd Floor, “Electric Sheep”, “Mandrake”, “Laughing Jack-O-Lantern”, “Spiny Bagworm”….. I’ve already memorized all their traits. So things should be fine……..
Recalling all the information I read about the 2nd Floor, I devised a plan on how to combat them while exploring. The Level of the monsters on this floor are between 5~10. My current Level is 7, so I should be able to win.
Right now it’s just me and Sensei standing at the top of the stairs going down to the 2nd Floor.
「…………」
Gulping down my saliva, I proceeded down the stairs and Sensei followed silently behind me. The stairs themselves were quite long. I wonder if they were similar to the 1st Floor, which were about 50 steps deep. And soon we reached the end of the stairs as the next floor came into view.
(!!!) It’s the 2nd Floor!…...
Taking a small breather I observed the current state of things. The atmosphere was slightly different compared to the 1st Floor. The walls, ceiling and floor are another shade of color, could these be a different type of stone?
The first Floor had a gray shade, while the 2nd Floor has a green shade. While the color appears to be different, the overall shape and size matches the structure of the 1st Floors corridors.
The stability of the structure remains the same, so their shouldn’t be any change to how we would fight in this place. The torches lighting our way are also lit in regular intervals, so in case of emergency there should be no problem of grabbing them off the walls to use as a weapon.
「……………..This way」
After pausing for a bit to get my bearings, I place my right hand on the wall and begin to follow the path before me. If you don’t know the exact way to go, just use the “right-hand rule”.
On the 1st Floor, I was able to navigate the place and find my first item this way, wait I need to focus, I don’t want to jinx things.
「Why are these things here, this place is a little strange…… Why are there torches all over the place?……」
「I don’t really know the answer. But common sense doesn’t apply over here」
「I see….. In a way, I’m starting to understand that feeling on wanting to go on an adventure」
Replying to my vague response, Sensei taps the stone wall.
The excitement of exploring an undiscovered place. It seems Sensei is beginning to feel the same, even if its just a little. Astonishingly, Sensei may have the qualities of an Adventurer within her too.
Carefully walking down the stone corridor, we were fortunate enough not to encounter any monsters
It’s been awhile since we’ve stepped onto the 2nd Floor, but so far the labyrinth has been pretty calm. And about 15 minutes from exploring the 2nd Floor. After turning the corner for the tenth time, I couldn’t help but feel my chest tighten as my heart throbbed with excitement by what I saw.
It’s a small room!…..
Roughly 5~6 meters from where I turned the corner. The same entrance-way like all the other times, was right before me. And in this small room would be a treasure chest like the ones on the 1st Floor.
「……Sensei, it’s this way, quietly」
*???* 「Okay」
Slightly confused, Sensei follows my instructions by keeping her lips sealed. After making sure, I soften my footsteps while approaching the small rooms entrance, and carefully peaked inside.
….. It’s there, the treasure chest. And there’s a….”Laughing Jack-O-Lantern”
In every small room, like all the others before it, there is a monster and a treasure chest.
The treasure chest in the center looks the same as usual, but there’s a gigantic Jack-O-Lantern smiling wide right next to it.
Its big enough that an adult could fit inside it. It’s a little difficult to see from this angle but, the gap on its face really looks like a nefarious grin.
Like those small pumpkin’s you’d find during Halloween. Observing it closely with one eye, I saw the number 10 appear in my mind.
Damn it….. Why does it have to be the strongest enemy, at a time like this?…….
I grasp the handle of my knife, while grumbling to myself.
It felt good that we didn’t come across any monsters, but our luck gave out at the very end.
「Sensei, can you wait here for a minute?」
「……….?? …….. Oh, alright」
She didn’t really understand what was going on, but she obediently followed my request.
With Sensei behind me, she couldn’t really see inside the small room. I wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out, but I drew my knife.
………All right, Time to do this!!
And resolving myself, I stepped foot into the small room.
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Translated by: Kaimana Editor: NarK0Lepsi
Kai: The Heroines given names all take after the Four Seasons
春 = Spring (Harumachi)
夏 = Summer (Natsuno)
秋 = Autumn (Akitsu)
冬 = Winter (Fuyushima)
So the Alternate Title for this chapter can be: “Persuading Haru-Sensei“
As for the MC his name is a bit of joke, since his given name 斎 can be interpreted as “Abstinence, Purification, or Congratulatory Gift”
Narko: Thank you for the lesson Kai and the extra work. We should’ve just stuck with the alternate title, not everyone can get nuances, I would prefer to read something that doesn’t need me to overthink it, especially ecchi/smut.
As for this MC, I swear everytime he just bolts into the room, I want to change his dialogue to “Leeeerrroooy Jeeeeeeenkkiiiiiiiiinnnnnzzzz!!“
