I was chatting about various things with Garado.
He'd been traveling from dungeon to dungeon as a delver.
"I've teamed up with three others. Figured I'd earn a bit here, then head to the royal capital."
"The royal capital?"
"There are dungeons around there too. Earn some there, then keep heading south."
"Huh… Planning to go around the entire continent?"
"I've been considering that too. Oh right — dungeons have been changing lately."
"How so?"
"Dungeon girls. Dungeon ladies."
"?"
When I stared at him blankly, Garado continued.
"The will of the dungeon — that sort of thing. It's been showing up as young girls or women now."
"…Ah… One of those incarnation booms, huh."
"Seems like it. Everyone's going crazy over local dungeon girls and ladies."
Like some kind of local idol.
"Is that really a thing?"
"Some of them even take the form of monsters."
"Monsters?"
"They're startling at first, but they can hold a proper conversation, so you get used to it. They were popular with women and kids because of how they looked."
It sounded like those local mascots they have everywhere.
"That's amazing."
"I hear even dungeons that used to be declining are slowly coming back to life thanks to those town revitalization efforts."
"There are some in Hydrangea too, you know."
"Really… right. Hydrangea used to be a dungeon too."
"Yes. The dungeon girl is doing her best out there."
"I see… I'd like to meet her sometime when I go back."
"You definitely can."
Incarnation boom, huh.
I wonder where all this is heading—the whole dungeon scene, that is.
After hearing a story that somehow made me feel even a little bit responsible, I parted ways with Garado.
The incarnation boom. I should ask Isibara about it in detail next time I see him.
"So, what should I do now?"
It was still too early to head back, and even if I did, there wasn't much to do.
"Six months ago, this was a mountain of garbage."
As I mused on that, the wind blew.
Just a little cold.
"Guess autumn's almost here."
And in the blink of an eye, winter would arrive.
Winter in this frontier region was short.
"Right. Maybe I'll check out Arifa's shop."
Once I'd made up my mind, I went. That shop, though — there were an awful lot of people.
"Step right up, it's finally here — Hayahn Trading's newest product!"
The salesgirl announced it with great enthusiasm. Hayahn Trading, apparently.
And their new product? I approached the shop with equal parts worry and anxiety.
In front of the store, a salesgirl dressed in a cute outfit was presenting the merchandise.
Red, blue, yellow, green, white, and black square boxes were lined up all over the table.
What was that—?
"Hey there, delvers! Food you eat in the dungeon — don't you think it leaves something to be desired? Sick of cold, hard preserved meals? Food is life! If you're eating bad food, your dungeon exploration won't go well. You lose motivation. Haven't any of you experienced that?"
Most of the gathered delvers nodded.
"Those cold meals end here. From now on, you'll want warm food. Everyone — don't you agree?"
"Yeah, yeah!"
"If only it were that easy."
"How are we even supposed to eat warm food?"
"I mean, sure, maybe at night, but who can light a campfire during the day?"
"Nobody wants to fuss over their lunch break like that."
Right, exactly. Something that involved for a lunch break was just too much hassle.
"Hayahn Trading is here to solve your problem! This new product is sure to assist all you delvers on your explorations. I'm sure you've figured it out, but the product is this box. This plain, unremarkable-looking box, but..."
The salesgirl opened a box she'd had ready. A thin wisp of steam rose from inside.
The breeze carried the steam past, and I caught a faint hint of warmth.
"A bento box with a warming function. It's called the 'Warm Box'."
"A heated bento box!?"
"Whoa, that's some serious steam."
"Does it actually stay warm?!"
The product name aside, this must be what Hayahn mentioned before.
So it's finished, huh.
Well, I'm not buying it.
Come to think of it, this ring terminal that can make calls.
If I sold it, things would get pretty wild.
That's why I told Hayahn and everyone else to keep quiet about it.
Anyway, Arifa's shop.
"Huh, is she closed...?"
The shop was shuttered.
That's unusual. I was going to bring up Agaro, but oh well.
Going home already doesn't feel quite right yet.
Maybe I'll wander around Hydrangea a bit more.
An occasional solo stroll isn't bad.
"Oh, this general store."
I popped in on a whim.
In the back, there was a shelf lined with scrolls, and just a single bookshelf.
This was the same place I'd browsed with Pakira.
"Traditional Recipes of the Folklore Kingdom…"
I picked it up and flipped through the pages. Some kind of stew with several varieties of leafy greens and onions.
The leafy greens — cabbage, napa cabbage, komatsuna, lettuce, and maybe spinach?
Hm? Curious, I checked the title.
"Folklore Kingdom…"
Wait, I've seen this somewhere… Ah.
"This country."
That's right.
It was the Folklore Kingdom. This country.
Three days later.
The Seihou faith. Hydrangea Cathedral. The Hall of Souls.
Nyaoshi the monk was carefully polishing the soul egg at the center with a cloth.
"This one is quite precious, you know."
Behind Nyaoshi the monk stood a crystal.
A person's image appeared in the crystal, but Nyaoshi didn't turn around.
This crystal could transmit both voice and images, even over long distances.
However, it was single-use. Which made it an extremely expensive Legacy.
"Indeed. So then, what business does someone from the Paleido have with a humble god's bread-bean?"
"Would it help if I said I'm here about the vessel of our Underworld God Yomido?"
"Ah, that matter."
'Finally, the date for the escort has been decided.'
"As for that matter, I must decline to participate."
'What did you say? Did I hear you wrong?'
"I must decline. I have a very solid reason for this."
'Oh?'
"Truly, I have been incredibly fortunate. Is it the fruit of my daily conduct? Of the prayers I never miss? It must be the will of the god's bread-bean after all."
'Enough with the platitudes.'
"A cleric's platitudes are part of the package. Now, let us speak of the matter at hand. Today, a single boy came to this space between souls. If I said his name was Wof, you would understand."
'The witch's apprentice. I am aware he is close to the vessel of our Underworld God Yomido. What of it?'
"Due to the restrictions, you cannot speak of the details either, but—his escort will surely be opposed by him, correct?"
'There are times when it cannot be helped. We would prefer to proceed smoothly, you understand.'
"I do not wish to oppose him. I do not wish to die. That is the reason."
'...You, who have reached the level of a True Incarnation God?'
"Yes. In that case, fighting Alverde would be preferable. Ah, that reminds me, there was a rumor he had defeated Alverde once."
'That is merely a rumor, surely.'
"It might surprisingly be true."
'...No, surely not...'
"Furthermore, the Kings of the Dead will not stand idly by if the Underworld God Yomido is involved."
'The Kings of the Dead will understand.'
"I'd rather not praise you for your fanatical tendencies."
'So you won't cooperate.'
"Correct. Whatever Paled does this time is none of my concern."
'...I don't like it, but the day of reckoning won't change.'
"Be my guest. Do as you please."
'I've finally found it. Finally located it. A vessel for Lord Yomido.'
"...I understand how you feel, but—"
That was when it happened.
The door to the Soul Chamber burst open.
"Ba-ha-ha! Th-this is terrible!"
The pink-haired nun came rushing in.
"What's the matter? How noisy."
"Lakaka. Nyao-shi Monk! Makaka. Terrible, terrible! Just now, back there, something called the 'Wind Death King Audition' was going on and—"
'...What?'
"Huh?"
Everything rewound three days.