Chapter 77

The Phoenix

“Come to think of it, Kehma . Is the phoenix egg not hatched yet?”

Crap, I completely forgot .

“Y-yeah . Redra’s gradually getting better at not going into a reflexive egg smashing seizure when she sees eggs, so it’ll probably a good time . Let’s ask . ”

“Heeh~ . So it was something like that . It can’t be helped then . ”

“Right, right . It couldn’t be helped . ”

“… A~n~d~?”

“I forgot . Sorry . ”

Grah, Rokuko’s been getting better at guessing recently . That used to be plenty to deceive her .

“… You’re my partner . I know Kehma’s thing(s) since I watch him . ”

“What, my thing… stalker!?” [1]

“I-I’m not keeping records or anything, you’re my partner you know? One body and soul, you know? I’m not watching you to attack . ”

Attack huh, I’d get mad if you interrupted my sleep . I’d forgive you if there was a good reason though .

Well, I gave a letter to a golem and sent it to the [Flame Cavern] . Another use of the passage was a room that was made . There was no entrance in or out and the room was split in half between our [Cave of Desires]’ and their [Flame Cavern]’s territories . Since you couldn’t get into it if you didn’t have a dungeon’s [Deployment] function, adventurers wouldn’t be a hindrance either . We decided to make use of this room when we had mutual business to do .

Furthermore, although there weren’t any doors or windows, we didn’t have to worry about suffocation since it was still part of a dungeon .

“Ooh, it’s been a while, eh? Kehma . ”

“It’s been around a month since we met last and I made this room I think . ”

“That long huh . Is that some time for humans?”

The salamander’s, Ontentoo’s, face was distorted as he smirked while being happy about something . He’s the dungeon core of the [Flame Cavern] . An openhearted good guy . Although he’s a bit careless, he’s excellent . Although he’s a bit careless . Although he’s a bit careless . [2]

“Well, it’s fine to get Redra to use her breath according to the agreement . ”

To receive Redra’s breath, I intruded the [Flame Cavern] with Rokuko . We were guided to the fiftieth floor’s boss room . If it’s here, it can endure one of Redra’s all-out breaths .

Still, it looks like Redra is still a bit afraid of eggs . Shameful, despite being a dragon .

Though the phoenix will be hatched with a red dragon’s breath, I can’t even imagine what it’s going to become .

“Is it really safe!? It doesn’t walk or run right!?”

“It might walk if it doesn’t hurry up and hatch . So please do your best to heat it up… don’t crush it alright?”

“G-got it!”

I laid down a tile made from phoenix eggshell, setting the phoenix egg on top of it . By the way, Rokuko was waiting with me on the room opposite the boss room, the one with the dungeon core in it .

Rokuko and I didn’t have the fighting ability to stay in the boss room, where a breath that was able to obliterate the stone golems until there was nothing left would be used . Though since there was imprinting, I wanted to rush to it as soon as possible . That’s why Ontentoo said he’d gladly let us use this room .

Furthermore, Ontentoo took out his monitor to let us see what was going on in the boss room . Onentoo is such a nice guy .

“Here I go—…”

Redra breathed in slowly, releasing it all in one go . The sound of her breath filling the boss room, Redra heated the egg up by blowing on it with her breath .

Well, even though I say it’s the sound of her breathing, it’s at a level where light’s being emitted though .

The floor wasn’t turning into magma thanks to the egg being placed on the phoenix eggshell tile . The floor nearby it might be simmering though . Moreover, Rokuko was saying stuff like, “Look!” while staring into the monitor .

“Fuuu, fuu… . haa, haa, a-as expected, this one is a little tired…” [3]

After seriously letting out her breath for thirty minutes straight, she finally rested… What marvelous stamina, as expected of a red dragon .

“I’ll treat you to some ice cream later . ”

“[Ice Cream]? What’s that . ”

“A sweet and cold treat . I don’t know if it’ll suit your tastes, but I think it’s delicious . ”

“Heeh, this one will look forward to it! This one will keep going a little longer then! Fuuu, fuuu…”

She continued for another thirty minutes .

“Hmm? Oi, the egg moved, it’s starting to crack!”

“Oh, really? Then let’s enter the room soon . ”

“Wait a few . You’ll need to take care, it’s amazingly hot in the room right now . ”

“… Eh, about how hot is it?”

“Hmm, saying it a way that’s easy for a human to understand… about the same as inside a kiln . Guess it can burn meat?”

That’s dangerous . But that meant she was emitting a super high temperature behind those doors?

Opening the entrance door to the boss room, we waited for it to cool down for a while . Meanwhile, there was a knocking sound coming from the inside of the egg as its crack grew… I wonder if it’s fussing over how it goes about opening its egg? Very meticulous work . The crack being made was beautifully straight in the horizontal direction . It’ll make it all the way around if it keeps going .

Let’s ask if it’s still no good for Rokuko, who was standing next to me, to head in . ”

“… Alright, should be good now . ”

When Ontentoo said that, Rokuko leapt into the room that was now cooled to be around as hot as an average sauna .

Hot air drafted in from the open door, it felt like it was enough to burn . Although I also entered the room slowly following Rokuko, the heat was painful to my bare skin .

“It’s hot! Where’s the egg! It’s hot!”

“Oh, you came, Rokuko! It’s here! It’ll hatch soon!”

When Redra called out to her, the egg’s crack was just a little away from going all the way around it .

*

Then, the phoenix hatched .

The chick was small, but it’s feathers were white, like they were shining . I guess that’s just the kind of bird it is and is born fully feathered .

“Hooh, a phoenix huh? It’s wings don’t look red though… think I heard somewhere that god’s vanguard’s pet is a blue phoenix?”

Blue huh? It’s the color of perfect combustion . Rather, there’s a phoenix like that too huh . Maybe its color changes to the color of the flames its bathed in when it’s hatched or something?

“Heeey, I’m Feni’s owner~, look at me~”

“Pi~!”

Feni, is that the phoenix’s name? I said it when she named Gobsuke, but Rokuko is pretty direct when it comes to names…

It flapped its wings when Rokuko called out to it . Though it doesn’t seem to be able to fly yet, looks like it properly recognized its owner .

“By the way, isn’t it too hot to touch?”

“It’s probably safe . Phoenix flames aren’t hot, they’re magic after all . Its fire is the same as mine… It’s also alright to eat since it has to use a skill to produce fire, bind it with an order before it’s too late . ” [4]

I see, so that’s how it is . I followed Ontentoo’s advice and ordered it to not attack comrades .

“Hey now, let me see . I also want to touch it . ”

“Eh, what do you want? To pluck its feathers this time?”

“Oi oi, what do you think I am?”

Pluck its feathers huh… a phoenix’s feathers… that might also be good, but well, yeah . right now I just want to touch it . I reached my hand out towards Feni .

“Pi—!”

“Ada—!? Wai—, that hurts, that hurts!”

“Kehma, it doesn’t like you . ”

It used its beak… maybe it remembers being destroyed over and over as an egg? Phoenixes are unexpectedly the type to hold grudges…

“Grah, I’ll feed it then . Ontentoo, what do phoenixes eat?”

“They eat flames . Oi Redra, serve it some breath . ”

“Yeah! Step away a bit!”

Leaving Feni, Rokuko and I moved away before Redra fired off a serious breath… Even the aftermath from behind her feels hot .

“Pi pi~♪”

Feni was glad as it bathed in the breath . Kukuku, good, keep eating… huh? But isn’t Redra the one feeding it now instead of me? Crap .

… Maybe I should practice a bit of fire magic?

Footnotes:

Sort of a pun going on here . Rokuko said she knows him since she watches him a lot, but [yoku miteru] (watch a lot) also means [takes a close/good look] and is what she really meant, but Kehma played it as her stalking him and watching him a lot . 抜けているところもあるが、優秀なところもある。抜けてるところもあるが。抜けてるところもあるが。 From what I can tell, 抜けている is stupid/absentminded and it goes on to use the [Wordplay] ultimate ability . Not sure what the difference between 抜けている and 抜けてる is here . Note that “FuFu” is onomatopoeia for breathing heavily in Japanese, and that onomatopoeia is commonly used in Japanese to replace more ‘standard’ words . Keima’s description of the events was mirroring her actual breathing sounds . This line seems a bit all over the place . Sorry for confusion it may cause…