Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha (LN) - Volume 5 - Chapter SS4

On Sorcerers, Magic Gunners, And Their Loved Ones 

I had no idea where I was. Rentt Faina and I had entered the New Moon Dungeon, but now it seemed I was in a different dungeon entirely. Of course, scholar that I am, I knew of this phenomenon. It was a teleporter trap. Not only that, it was a rare variety that sent you to another dungeon entirely. Most ordinary teleporter traps were connected to another location in the same dungeon, but, every once in a while, they would take you somewhere else. However, the New Moon Dungeon was a little dungeon in the middle of nowhere, and we weren’t especially deep inside it. No such trap should have been present, and yet I had to conclude otherwise. 

In any case, this wasn’t that big of a problem. Most inter-dungeon teleporters were said to go both ways, so a teleporter back to my previous location would appear somewhere on this same floor. Dungeons were by no means fully understood, though. I couldn’t say this for certain, but there always seemed to be ways to escape from traps with your life. Dungeons were oddly fair and balanced in that way, so this theory about teleporters was highly likely to be correct. Even if I was wrong, I could simply find my way to this dungeon’s exit. I could use my magic vision to see the flow of mana, which would show me where the exit was located. I’d make it out somehow. 

If there was a problem in all of this, it was the likelihood that Rentt got caught in the teleporter trap at the same time. But he had a magic item called the Map of Akasha that could map out any dungeon. He would probably be fine. For a moment, I thought he might be worried about me, but when I thought back to when I got caught in the trap, he seemed to disappear first. He was walking a bit ahead of me, so he likely assumed I missed the trap. He must have thought I was still in the New Moon Dungeon and wasn’t worth worrying about, unfortunately. 

“You there. Do you have some business with me?” I called out past the corner up ahead, but not because I was losing my mind and talking to myself. Somebody had to be there because I could sense their mana. They were otherwise fully hidden, so I could tell they were fairly competent. They could conceal their mana decently well too, but not well enough to escape my sight. If they intended to attack me, though, there was a high chance I couldn’t win. 

Thankfully, they didn’t seem hostile, so I tried speaking to them. I stood there for three whole minutes, but they did nothing. I had to assume I was safe. They were probably just watching me after my sudden appearance in the dungeon. 

“Strange, I thought I had a knack for hiding.” A person with turquoise hair appeared holding a magic gun in each hand. 

They approached me with caution, and now that I could see them in person, I confirmed they were quite powerful. Also, surprisingly, they were female. She was slender and had the air of a noble, but she dressed like an adventurer. Her armor was easy to move in, and I could imagine she was quick on her feet in battle. I thought she looked gallant. 

“I certainly couldn’t see or hear you, but mana is my specialty. No matter how you try to hide it, if there’s mana present, I will sense it,” I said. 

“It sounds like I need to train more. But it doesn’t seem I need to be too wary of you, thankfully. I’m Katia Chorale, an A-class adventurer. Who are you?” 

“I’m Lorraine Vivie, a Silver-class adventurer and scholar. A-class, though? That means I’m on a whole other continent. I didn’t know inter-dungeon teleporters could send you so far,” I pondered to myself, fascinated and shocked from a scholarly perspective. 

“Is that right?” Katia nodded, understanding the situation. “Fell into a teleporter trap, did you? That’s unfortunate. There’s no way to sense them, so it happens to the best of us.” 

“I’m glad I ran into an A-class. Saves time when I don’t have to explain things. Have you been caught in one of these traps before?” 

A-class was equivalent to the better Gold-class adventurers, in terms of Yaaran’s ranking system. A young woman would find it hard to reach that level based on strength alone, but this woman certainly had enough power. She likely had experience with all manner of rare traps. 

“Yes, but I ended up in a dungeon I was familiar with, at least. I assume you’re looking for a teleporter that’ll bring you back. Do you need help?” 

“I’d appreciate some assistance, if you’re willing. I don’t have much in the way of money or materials to pay you back with, though. I was only prepared to explore the early areas of an unremarkable dungeon, you see.” 

“I make enough money regardless, so it’s fine. Now let’s go,” Katia said and walked off. 

I followed after her. 

“Maybe it’s not my place to say this, but that doesn’t sound like a man who’ll fall for you easily,” I said as we walked through the dungeon. 

“Right?!” Katia agreed. “It’s like he’s been through so much in life, and it doesn’t seem like any sort of seduction will work. But if I just told him directly, I’m sure he’d dance around it somehow. What should I do? I’ve never felt this way before.” 

We ended up talking about love. I never imagined this was the conversation I’d have after being flung into another dungeon, but at the same time, we were still doing the job we needed to do. Every time monsters attacked, my sorcery or Katia’s magic guns blasted them away. 

Katia was talking about an adventurer she was interested in, a man named Georg. She wanted to draw his attention, but she didn’t know how and wanted to vent about it. I didn’t exactly have much experience with love myself, though, and I didn’t know what to do about it in my own life. I couldn’t come up with any good advice. 

“It seems like you have someone who loves you back. I’m jealous,” she said. It was clear who she meant. A certain undead man. 

“Oh, really? Neither of us have said anything of the sort to each other.” 

“You don’t have to say it out loud as long as there’s a mutual understanding. Aw, I wish I had that in my life.” 

“I’m sure you’ll be fine. You’re beautiful and strong. Men like the one you’re after should have a soft spot for women like you.” 

“You think so? I hope you’re right. Oh, here we are!” Katia said and pointed to the teleporter trap back to the New Moon Dungeon. The magic circle had a dull glow, but it looked far more complex than most. This had to be it. 

“So it seems,” I said. “This is where we part ways, I suppose. I would have liked to chat more, but there’s no telling when this teleporter might disappear. There’s no time to waste.” 

“Yes, you’re right,” Katia acknowledged. “Well, just because you live on a distant continent doesn’t mean we’ll never see each other again. I’ll definitely come see you eventually. Hopefully we will have both gotten what we want by then.” 

“Hopefully, yes. Goodbye now,” I said and stepped into the magic circle. Black mist rose up from below and blinded me. 

The last I saw of Katia, she had a smile as pretty as a flower. I didn’t know what kind of man could resist the advances of such a beauty.