Chapter 47

This is the second update of the day.

I returned to the back of the boss room, where the statues of the goddesses stand.

A change occurred in everyone who had been praying.

In front of Jofle and Elise, a rare medal appeared; in front of Caro, ten silver coins; and in front of Oregairu, a scrub brush appeared.

As for me,

"Haru, do you know about life magic?"

When I asked Haru, there was no response. Then, Oregairu answered instead.

"Life magic is magic necessary for daily life. I believe you should be able to use purification magic first. It seems to be a spell that cleans your surroundings."

"…I see… It won’t help with escaping… Hey, Jofle, can you lend me the friendship ring? And if you have any incense that repels monsters, I’d like that too."

"Yeah, sure. It’s a thank you for the food."

Jofle took out the friendship ring and the incense that repels monsters from the leather bag at his waist and gave them to me.

With this…

"Haru—can I ask you something?"

"……!? A, ah, what is it?"

Haru, who had been deep in thought, was startled when I tapped her shoulder and asked her something.

"Put on this friendship ring. Caro and I will go out of the boss room first and draw the enemies away. Five minutes after I leave, everyone should leave here and escape to the 23rd floor."

"That’s dangerous, Master. If you need a decoy, I can—"

"No, this is something only I can do. Haru, trust me. Jofle, Elise, please carry the old man on the centaur and take him to the surface. Oregairu is a noble, so you might get a reward for delivering him."

"Yeah, got it. I’ll make sure to deliver the goods to the surface!"

"Just leave it to me like a leaky boat."

I’m actually delivering Sebastian, but Elise’s leaky boat analogy isn’t wrong. It’s probably a leaky boat that would make the tanuki of Mount Kachikachi turn blue.

"Caro, get on my back! We’re breaking through!"

"…Yes."

Caro hesitated for a moment, her expression darkening, but then she nodded, climbed onto my back, and wrapped her arms around my neck.

She’s light—like Mili.

"Let’s go."

I charged through the boss room and kicked open the door.

There, it had turned into a Minotaur’s lair.

…But—

"Slash!"

I kicked and shouted "Slash."

A vacuum wave extended vertically, eliminating two Minotaurs and severely wounding a third.

At the same time, a path opened up.

Sure enough, the increase in level earlier has boosted the power of my attacks.

"Hold on tight!"

The Minotaurs are hesitant to attack, knowing that if they attack me, Caro will be harmed.

It feels wrong to use Caro as a shield, but this is a chance.

We can make it.

I kicked the one-legged Minotaur (the one I cut off before entering the boss room) and kneed the Minotaur on the stairs in the jaw, causing it to fall. The following Minotaurs dodged to the left and right to avoid the falling Minotaur, and I dashed through the gap.

We successfully arrived at the 24th floor.

But there were Minotaurs overflowing on both sides.

To the left is the staircase to the 23rd floor. If we go to the 23rd floor, the frequency of Minotaurs will decrease, but the 23rd floor will no longer be a safe zone.

So, I started moving to the right.

"Keep your head down!"

I shouted and leaped horizontally, using the space between the two horns on the Minotaur’s head as a foothold.

Just under the ceiling, if Caro had raised her head a little more, or if I had flown a little higher, she would have been in trouble.

I kicked the heads of three Minotaurs and successfully landed in an empty spot.

Now, all we have to do is run.

After a spinning kick and a Slash to keep the Minotaurs at bay, I started running through the 24th floor.

[Ichinoshou’s level has increased]

The distance between the pursuing Minotaurs and me must have been enough to end the battle, as I received a level-up notification.

[Freeloader Skill: Dexterity UP (minor) obtained]

I had the Freeloader skill on. I’m glad to have obtained a useful skill, but I’m surprised I could take down a Minotaur with one hit. Since an apprentice swordsman can no longer level up, I’ll change the Freeloader skill to a Hammer User skill.

"Hey—"

"What is it?"

"Please leave Caro behind and escape! It’s impossible for you to escape alone, let alone with Caro on your back."

"Is that so? Didn’t you see just now? I can break through if necessary."

"The Minotaurs were confused just now, but they’ll come to take Caro by force soon. If that happens, you won’t be safe."

"My name is Ichinoshou. Remember it."

I said that.

"My name is Ichinoshou. Remember it."

"…Mr. Ichinoshou, Caro—"

"Why do you want to die? Being dead is scary, isn’t it?"

I’ve died once. I don’t want to go through that again. Well, we all die eventually.

While I was saying this, a Minotaur appeared from ahead.

It must have respawned in this area to replace the one I defeated earlier.

I kicked and used a Slash to send the Minotaur to the ground.

[Ichinoshou’s level has increased]

[Hammer User Skill: Hammer Equipment obtained]

[Job: Apprentice Blacksmith unlocked]

[Hammer User Skill: Brain Bash obtained]

There are a lot of things to think about, but of course, I’ll deal with them later.

I kept running and waited for Caro’s answer.

"Caro’s parents were killed by monsters."

"…I see, but that’s not uncommon in this world… Wait, you mean—"

"Yes, it was the night Caro’s ability awakened."

So, her parents died because of her ability.

That… must be painful.

"Caro’s parents were merchants. They borrowed money from the Merchant Guild to do business. When they died, their belongings were ransacked by monsters, and Caro, unable to pay back the debt, became a slave. But I thought it was a punishment for me. I can’t take it anymore. I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of Caro."

"…Ah, Caro, I haven’t told Haru this, but my parents are also dead. In an accident. When I was in high school—ah, no, when I was in school. And the accident was my fault."

Because the day my parents died was my sister’s birthday.

My father, mother, and I planned a surprise for Mili.

While I took Mili out to play, my parents secretly drove to the next town to buy a cake that Mili had wanted for a long time.

My mother was supposed to pick up the cake while my father planned to buy a steam engine book that Mili wanted from a nearby bookstore. I planned all of this.

But my parents died in an accident on the way.

The day that was supposed to be the best day for Mili turned into the worst day.

After that, I immediately dropped out of high school.

I thought I shouldn’t be happy. If I hadn’t planned the surprise party, my parents wouldn’t have died.

But when Mili found out I had dropped out of high school, she was very angry. Of course, I don’t regret it, but Mili was very angry and told me something.

"In my country, there’s a very important law called the Constitution. My little sister taught me that as long as you don’t do anything bad, you have the right to pursue happiness. She was still so small."

I showed Caro the height of my sister at that time, which was around my waist.

I still remember the words Mili said then.

They were the exact words of Article 13 of the Constitution of Japan.

"All the people shall be respected as individuals. Their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness shall, to the extent that it does not interfere with the public welfare, be the supreme consideration in legislation and in other governmental affairs."

I said this first.

It means that as long as you don’t interfere with the public welfare, you can pursue happiness. Since Caro thinks her ability interferes with others, I left it vague.

I still remember only Article 13 and the first sentence of Article 27 of the Constitution of Japan. Article 13 left such a strong impression on me.

I couldn’t believe that my little sister, who was still in elementary school, could recite the Constitution of Japan without looking. I reread it many times after that.

By the way, the first sentence of Article 27 is quite simple.

"All the people shall have the right to work and the obligation to work."

It’s an obligation I failed to fulfill. I was a bad adult who pursued rights but neglected obligations, and I still regret that. But that’s not relevant now.

"So, you can be happy too. No one should be unhappy, my sister told me. Caro’s parents would probably say the same thing—If you still think you shouldn’t be happy—"

I smiled and said this.

"I’ll make you happy, even if I have to force it. Caro, put this ring on the finger you like."

I gave the friendship ring to Caro, who was on my back, and had her put it on.

"Status Open, Carol."

I checked Carol’s status.

……………………………………………………

Name: Carol

Race: Half Dwarf

Job: Enchanter Lv1

HP: 15

MP: 20

Physical Attack: 4

Physical Defense: 8

Magic Attack: 6

Magic Defense: 5

Speed: 9

Luck: 10

Equipment: Slave Collar, Linen Clothing, Leather Boots

Skills: None

Unique Skill: Moon’s Enchanting Fragrance

Achievements: Labyrinth Explorer

Available Jobs: Commoner Lv3, Enchanter Lv1

……………………………………………………

Good, the party settings are complete.

Then, I made a request to Carol.

"Carol, check your status! This is the first step to your happiness!"

All reviews, ratings, and bookmarks are very encouraging. This morning, I saw that the number of ratings was 777, and my mood skyrocketed.

Thank you very much.

I’m truly sorry that I can’t respond to all the comments.

In the midst of all this, Chapter 2 is coming to a close, and it seems that Mili and the goddess are moving behind the scenes. I don’t know what will happen either.

I hope Chapter 3 will allow for a bit more of a slow life.

But that might be difficult, given the growth cheat.