“Seems like Soto told Kinue not to wash her underwear with Kehma’s for a while.”
“Ah, she actually followed through with it. How did Kinue react?”
“She seemed happy because it increased her workload.”
Hmm, such a hard worker. Kinue is indeed a workaholic.
I wonder if it would be better to make her rest, even if it’s a bit forced…
“It’s hard to give Kinue time off because no one can replace her. The current shift schedule is already tight, especially at the cafeteria.”
“What does she do when she has time off, usually?”
“She stores pre-made meals in the [Storage].”
I see, since the [Storage] stops time, it’s possible to keep the pre-made meals fresh.
“So, what make did Soto saying that?”
“Well, I was practicing my [Super Transformation] skill and thought it would be fun to surprise Soto.”
“You mean that Hero skill? …What’s its current level?”
“Level 7. I can use the transformed form’s skills now too.”
“That’s amazing. So, can you use Dragon Breath?”
“I can’t unless I practice. I’ll ask Redra to teach me next time.”
Dragon Breath seems like a powerful finishing move.
[Elemental Burst] is overwhelmingly faster and easier, but transforming into a dragon and using Dragon Breath has a strong visual impact. It’s a great showy move.
I should be able to adjust its power, too.
The next time I practice, I’ll borrow the appearance of the Dragon King (Core No. 5).
“By the way, are you alright with the soul contamination?”
“Yeah, that’s what worries me a bit… If only there was a Hero I could use and discard just to check the contamination effect caused by the Hero skill.”
“About that, did you know that my sister is researching Hero skills?”
“…ah, is that so?”
The Hero expert is not the fellow Hero, but Haku, a dignitary from the country that employs and manages Heroes.
She’s in the perfect position to make objective observations, but it’s ironic, since as a dungeon core she’s actually supposed to be the enemy of the Heroes.
“Your level increased after that dungeon battle with Core No. 10, right? Let’s have Sis take care of the you then. I’ll send her an email.”
“Mmm, that’s true. It’s better than trying to diagnose myself…”
Amateur attempts can lead to serious injuries, after all. So, yeah. Let’s go with that.
“Ah, I just thought of a great way to make sure Kinue gets proper rest! Kehma can transform into Kinue and work in her place. You can use Kinue’s [Cook] skill, right?”
“It’s decided, let’s have Kinue work hard from now and forever.”
So the matter settled, because there’s no way I’m doing her job.
* * *
“Kehma, Sis replied. She’s sending a Hero Skill expert.”
“A Hero Skill expert…? There’s such a person?”
A Hero is a very rare existence, and even more so an expert in their skills. It’s surprising that someone like that exists.
“They happen to be in Pavella right now, so they’ll be here soon.”
“So soon? Even if Haku is the one who contacts them… can they get here that quickly? Or does it mean they are someone who could use [possession]?”
If so, it would mean that they are someone related to the dungeon.
For example, if it were the Four Heavenly Kings, like Wraith and Dolce, she would not say they are [an expert in hero skills].
“What is their name?”
“I’m told I’ll know when they arrive, but that’s it.”
“N? Do you mean they’re someone we knew?”
A dungeon-related person we know. Not telling us the name means they want to surprise us? In that case, it’s someone unexpected, but…
“…Is it Wataru? No, Wataru isn’t really dungeon-related.”
“Why not wait for them to arrive instead of guessing?”
“How about this? if Rokuko guesses right, I’ll give you a nice present, like a dress or something.”
“Really? …”
Rokuko puts her hand over her mouth and begins to think seriously.
Her beautiful eyes blinked as if she realized and said
“Ah…”
As if she had a flash of insight, her voice slipped out.
“…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, I used the process of elimination, and there’s only one person who fits the criteria…”
I urge Rokuko, who is hesitant, to give me her answer.
“Well, first of all, the fact that they’re in Pavella and are someone Sis and we know already narrows it down quite a bit. And if they know about Heroes… the only person left is…”
“Who?”
“Leona.”
…No way, Leona?
She’s supposed to be Haku’s enemy, that’s just ridiculous.
“…What about the possibilities of Otento or Redra?”
“Those two are in Mt. Zia, not Pavella. They might know about Heroes, but Sis definitely knows more, so they wouldn’t be called [experts].”
“Ah.”
A person whom Haku would call an [expert] means they know more about Heroes than her, and if that’s the case… indeed, I can’t think of anyone other than Leona.
“Right, what about the possibility of the 10th core from the Holy Kingdom?”
“No way, we’ve already defeated it, remember? And Kehma was the one who dealt the finishing blow.”
“Well, I mean, maybe it somehow survived!”
“Nah, I don’t think so… And even if it did, I can’t imagine Sis introducing it as an expert.”
On the other hand, if it’s Leona, she could easily communicate through email. It’s hard not to think that Leona is the answer no matter how we look at it.
“But if we’ve set up so many flags, isn’t it possible that it’s not Leona?”
“Then who could it be? Just say it.”
“Uh, [Father], maybe?”
“Well, if it was the God of Light, that could make sense that he’s an expert… But it’s not like he could just hanging around in Pavella.”
Ugh, she’s right… The gods of darkness and light can’t easily descend to the world because their influence is too great. If we were to meet them, it would be in a dream world using something like the [God’s Comforter]…
“Well, we just have to wait patiently. If Sis is introducing them, there must be a reason, and I’m sure they won’t cause any harm. There’s no need to be scared, right?”
“Y-yeah, sure. I’m not scared. It’d take a lot to scare me.”
“That’s true, Leona is quite ‘a lot’ indeed.”
I can’t help it; she’s like a complete upgraded version of me you know!?
Just then, Niku arrived.
“Master, a guest who is an expert on heroes… has arrived? Please come to the reception room…?”
This is obviously too early. Even if you receive the request and move ASAP, how far do you think it is from Pavella to here? Well, if you can use [Teleport], that’s still possible. Also… Niku’s eyes were clearly confused, and while guiding us to the reception room, she seemed to be mumbling, “Why is that person a guest?”
“Um, so who’s the guest?”
“Y-yes! well, it’s…”
As I braced myself and asked, Niku said the name.
“It’s Karinisoto-sama.”
“Eh?”
“Huh?”
Rokuko and I tilted our heads.
“Soto?”
“No, not Soto, but Karinisoto-sama…? Huh?”
Niku looked confused, her hand on her cheek and her eyes swirling. What’s going on here? I looked at Rokuko, who shook her head.
“Sorry, I don’t understand either… Anyway, let’s go to the reception room?”
“Yeah, let’s go and see what’s happening in the reception room.”
And so, Kehma and Rokuko went to meet the expert on heroes, Karinisoto.
…What on earth is going on???
