Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 280

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 280 – The Story of Chris and the Monsters in the Dungeon

After they’d gone toe-to-toe with the Lizardmen on the upper floor for a few minutes,

The two were making steady progress deeper into the dungeon, but suddenly, Cain stopped.

“Ah, this is it.”

“What’s up with that? Is it a painting?”

“I’m not sure. But Sylvia wants to take a closer look.”

The corridor was still glowing a pale blue.

There was a painting on the wall that looked just like the one outside.

The painting on the wall was different from the one outside. It showed a girl crying.

“There are a lot of people around, so why is she crying?”

“I’m not sure. Just because there are people around doesn’t mean she likes it.”

“You know what? You’re right. So, what are we going to look into with the painting?”

“She only mentioned history and experience.”

Ain was frozen with his mouth half-open, even more confused.

“Don’t look so silly. You’ve heard about the ruins in Heim, right? She said she’s been intrigued by the paintings found there.”

“I-I see… I see…”

It’s probably best to not pursue it.

Ain surely couldn’t solve this problem with his own imagination.

He smiled a little, nodded, and started walking.

“Hey, wait. I’m still copying it.”

Cain said as he slid his pen across the paper, keeping Ain waiting for a few minutes.

He was peeking over his shoulder, and he seemed surprisingly skilled, leaving notes that were almost identical to the painting on the wall.

“…What are you looking at?”

“I just thought you were good at drawing.”

“…Huh.”

With an indescribable expression, Cain stared at Ain and then walked away.

“You’ve always been good at catching people off guard. I know you know that, but I’m not complimenting you.”

“E-eh… That’s not fair, right?”

“There’s nothing unfair about it. Here, have a drink.”

Cain threw the leather water bottle to Ain, then took some dried meat out of his pocket and started chewing on it.

It looked like they were taking a little break while they were walking.

“You haven’t neglected your training. That’s good.”

Ain smiled naturally, happy to have been recognized for his efforts.

“How’s training with Marco going? He’s strong, isn’t he?”

“Unfortunately, I’ve lost a few times.”

“You’ve only been training for a few years. We don’t have the hundreds of years of practice that Marco and I have. Don’t let it get you down.”

He felt like he was being told something obvious, but he couldn’t take it at face value.

He’s a competitive guy, so he never stops.

Cain, a few steps ahead, noticed Ain’s displeasure and smiled without turning around.

“That said, if you don’t insist on using a sword, we’ll lose. Even with Sylvia’s magic, my martial arts, and Arche’s power as the Demon Lord.”

The strength in Ain was incredible.

It’s even debatable whether there are any enemies left.

…But Cain hinted at their existence.

“If we were to fight Ain seriously now, only a god could defeat you.”

“A god…!?”

“It’s not so strange. I’m talking about the god who may be in the deepest part of this dungeon.”

“No, no, no! Do you really think it exists, Cain-san?”

The god Ain had in mind was the loli goddess.

He’d like to see her again, if possible. There were a few things he wished to thank her for.

“It exists. Otherwise, there’d be no explanation for the existence of dungeons.”

“…What do you mean?”

“The building itself has been here since I was a skeleton. Working backwards, that should be close to a thousand years.”

That’s too long.

Actually, Ain had never even heard about how Cain went from being a skeleton to a Dullahan.

But when he found out it had been around for a thousand years, the idea of a god existing didn’t seem so far-fetched.

“I’d like to fight the god one time, too. To see how strong a god is…”

As soon as Cain was done talking, he was done eating the dried meat.

Without stopping, they went up a new flight of stairs and slowly stepped onto it.

“Hey, you mentioned a red dragon.”

Cain clapped his hands.

“What do you want to know? How strong was it? Or why did it attack?”

“Well, actually, both.”

“To be honest, I’m not sure what it’s for. After all, it doesn’t speak. As for its strength, I’d say it was about as strong as Marco was at the time.”

“So that’s why Sylvia-san defeated it?”

Marco told Ain that, but he also said that Sylvia took it down pretty easily.

After hearing this story, it might not seem like a big deal, but…

“Oh, Arche was planning on doing it, but Sylvia wanted the materials.”

“…I don’t understand why…”

“Still, if it had been bigger, we wouldn’t have known.”

He said the red dragon that appeared at that time was about the size of the twins.

It was almost 30 meters long, which is huge by normal standards.

But since they live such long lives, it’d be a pain to keep them any bigger.

“Does it grow as big as a sea dragon?”

“Yeah, I guess so. It’d be a real pain if something that big came flying at us, but…”

Cain gave a sly smile, but it was hard to read him.

Even in this dungeon, he seemed elegant compared to his surroundings.

“It’s just idle talk, but if black dragons really exist, they might be that big.”

“Actually, I came here to ask you about black dragons.”

“I thought so, but ask Sylvia about that. She should know more than me.”

Ain nodded along to what he said.

But he hoped it would end up being nothing more than idle talk.

Well, he’s at least curious about its strength.

“Well, the next monster is already waiting. Let’s head to the back.”

They got to a new floor pretty quickly.

It was a different scene from the Lizardmen’s location—it was dimly lit and looked like a ruin.

The floor and walls were covered in soot, and the atmosphere was different from the pale blue space they had just been in.

“The next monster is waiting… What is it?”

“That’s it.”

Ain, who got there a few steps behind, also took a look around.

Then, he saw enemies he’d never fought before. Their bones made an eerie sound, clacking clack.

“I used to look like that too. You have to destroy the magic stones or you’ll die, so be careful.”

“They’re still armed…”

There were skeletons everywhere.

Their bones were gray, and they wore all kinds of armor made of leather and iron.

They all had rusty, blunt weapons that made them look like skeletons.

When they saw Ain and Cain, the skeletons started threatening everyone all at once.

(It’s not scary, but it’s an unusual sight.)

They rattled their teeth and raised their weapons, looking pretty threatening.

The way these monsters moved, which he’d never seen on the ground before, reminded him that he was in a dungeon.

“You’ll find them in places like miasma caves. Or sometimes corpses in the mountains where no one visits turn into them.”

“Oh, yeah… I see…”

At least he was relieved to be in a place where he didn’t feel like moving forward.

He wasn’t against monsters; he just didn’t like creatures that created such a creepy vibe.

Also, he’s a bit annoyed that they have to destroy the magic stones.

“I was stronger when I was a skeleton. So don’t worry.”

“…Yes.”

Let’s fight for now.

He pulled out his sword and took a step forward, and the sword glowed.

He also spoke about the feature of Marco’s creation that reacts to undead creatures.

Then, the movements of dozens of skeletons suddenly stopped.

He was wondering what was going on.

“Cain-san. This is a bit of a surprise.”

“Yeah, I didn’t expect this either. That’s amazing.”

The skeletons fell apart like they had just lost their souls.

There was a series of dry, clinking sounds, and then the bones came together all at once.

They merged into a giant centipede-like form, connecting all their limbs with the weapons they held.

They had numerous legs, and they seemed quite mobile.

Before you know it, their heads had gotten huge, and with their pointy heads, they looked like ferocious beasts.

Weak creatures often gather in groups.

But even Cain had never seen skeletons merge before.

“I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to fight it too.”

“Then I’ll wait behind you.”

“Don’t be a dummy. I’ve never seen a monster like this before. Ain, you fight too.”

Actually, this was the first time they’ve fought together.

How much time will they spend fighting together? When Ain thought about it, he realized that he was surprisingly excited.

“I get it, but doesn’t it have too many magic stones?”

The chest, which resembles a human skeleton, is adorned with magic stones that resemble grapes.

Honestly, it looked gross, but there was something more important at stake.

“Yeah, there are a lot of them.”

“So, you’re telling me we have to destroy them all to defeat it?”

“This is the perfect opponent. Don’t let your guard down.”

It was an encounter with an unknown monster.

While Ain was cautious, Cain was brave and took the risk.

So, Ain also followed him and swung his sword at the centipede-like skeleton.

“Huh—they’re pretty quick!”

“Well, with a body like this…”

With so many legs, it’s no surprise it’s so agile.

The skeleton kept going, grinding against the cobblestones, dealing with the two who had attacked it.

It launched attacks from multiple limbs at once, spreading its body wide and repeating fierce attacks.

Sometimes it swung down, piercing the ground, sometimes it swept and grabbed, and finally, it closed in, biting down.

The way the combined skeletons fight is unusual, and it’s a battle the two have never experienced before.

“Ain! Get down!”

“Huh? Get down… What!?”

Cain’s swing cut through the very fabric of space itself.

He’s a total badass when it came to swords, and his moves were so intense they’d leave you speechless.

(Is this… Cain-san’s…!?)

The intensity felt up close was extraordinary.

The wind that touched his skin and his whole body made him feel Cain’s power.

Eventually, it hit the skeleton, and…

“What is this? It’s just a skeleton after all.”

The sound of dry bones grinding against each other echoed as the skeleton was sliced in two.

At the same time, the magic stone in its chest was shattered, making it clear that the blow was fatal.

The sword’s momentum tore through the wall and ceiling, reducing them to rubble.

This guy was in a league of his own.

Ain really admired him, but—

“Um, is it still alive?”

He had noticed something.

The magic stone Cain had destroyed was shattered.

But then, surprisingly, the magic stone started shining again, as bright as it had been before it was cut in half.

“Maybe we have to destroy all the magic stones at once…”

“Damn… Now that you mention it, that’s similar to the skeletons’ characteristics.”

Eventually, the bones gathered and formed a body just like before.

Was it the ferocity that had changed? It was moving more violently and crawling along the ground even more.

“This is our chance. I’ll immobilize it, and you can finish it off in one go.”

Cain could probably handle it alone.

Since they’re fighting together, that’s likely why they chose this tactic.

This was just what Ain wanted.

He nodded along to his words and jumped again at the combined skeleton.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

While Ain was in a fierce battle, the scene changed to the Demon Lord’s Castle.

Chris sat down in front of Sylvia, who was elegantly enjoying her tea.

Chris was still dealing with the tension, but she was feeling better than she was last night.

“Hah… The tea in the royal capital is delicious, isn’t it?”

“T-thank you very much… I’m glad you like it.”

She was worried that her skills weren’t good enough, but Sylvia seemed to be enjoying the tea she had made.

They talked without much purpose while drinking tea.

After they were done, she poured another cup.

After finishing her second cup, Sylvia looked into Chris’s eyes and opened her mouth.

“I have something to ask you, since Ain-kun isn’t here. Is that okay?”

“Y-yes… Since Ain-sama isn’t here? Yes, if it’s something I can answer…”

“Fufu, then I’ll accept that offer.”

With that, she stood up and slowly sat down next to Chris.

What’s going to happen? She took Chris’s hand, confused, and used her magic on her.

“This is what I wanted to ask you.”

Soon, fresh green leaves began to sprout from Chris’s hands.

The plant had beautiful green vines and many leaves.

“What is this, and why is it coming out of my body?” Chris thought.

Chris looked at Sylvia with eyes full of worry.

“S-Sylvia-san! What are you doing?

“Don’t worry. This is all coming from Chris-san’s body. All I did was give it a start.”

Sylvia stroked Chris’ head and asked, looking curious.

“Hey, Chris-san. When did you and Ain-kun get together?”

Unfortunately, she didn’t remember getting together with anyone.

But that was more than enough to make Chris’s face turn bright red.

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