Episode 149: A Part-Time Job at the Beach!

After we resolved to fight together, we took a well-deserved break for the remainder of the day. The following morning, we set off for the Okinawa region, where the Mythology Dungeon had manifested.

We’d decided that revealing the full truth of the situation would be too dangerous, so we proceeded under the cover story that a group of S-Rank Adventurers was simply moving in to clear the area. Thanks to our track record with the [Great Sea of Stars], things progressed without a hitch. Well, except for one miserable detail.

"...I’m gonna be sick."

When it comes to traveling to Okinawa, your options are limited. This time, we went by plane. It had been a while since I’d flown on a commercial aircraft; I’d grown far too accustomed to letting Berg handle our aerial transport. As a result, the flight absolutely wrecked me.

It was pathetic. By the time we landed, I was so far past my limit that I couldn't move for an hour. I ended up recuperating at Tsubaki’s villa, which happened to be located nearby.

"This sucks."

I felt incredibly weak for someone born in the modern era, but I realized—with a grim sense of sincerity—that this is exactly what happens when you get used to luxury. While I waited for my body to stop spinning, the others went out to gather intel from the locals.

Ena’s golems were supposed to have scouted the place already, right?

A Dungeon is a place where the difficulty can spike at any moment, making it increasingly lethal. For that reason, the government had started using Ena’s golems to investigate areas judged to be high-risk, and the data they gathered had been handed over to us.

Basically, it’s a mythological melting pot... or maybe a "Lite" version of Mythologia.

The monster profiles in the documents mostly consisted of sea creatures from various legends. Since the Dungeon was named Oceanus, I’d assumed it would lean heavily toward Greek Mythology, but it looked like I needed to prepare for a wider range of threats.

The entities I'd encountered in Mythologia associated with the sea all had tricky, specialized abilities. More than anything, they were sadistic. The files mentioned Lorelei—the source of the song used by Levi—and something called Charybdis, which appeared to be a grotesque hybrid of a jellyfish and an octopus.

"So, you can breathe inside the Dungeon, but it's basically just the ocean... Great. How annoying."

The interior was described as a mystical path along the seabed, but anywhere off the trail was just open water. You’d never know when or where a monster might strike. Even the ground beneath your feet was apparently just the sea, meaning surprise attacks from below were a distinct possibility.

On paper, it was the highest possible difficulty level. I’d also heard that even Yamato, who’d gone to investigate right after the Dungeon appeared, still hadn't managed to clear it.

"And after we break through all that, we have to fight Levi."

I muttered the words to myself, lost in thought. It would be difficult. Dangerous, too. But since I’d decided to defeat her—since we’d all decided to win together—I had to face her.

"Reima? Feeling better yet?"

"...Ayane. Yeah, I’ve mostly recovered."

"Good. Listen, the locals have a favor to ask. Think you could help out?"

"Sure, I don't mind. What is it?"

"Well... helping out at a beach hut, I think?"

"...Huh?"

"Yakisoba's up! Limited quantities, so get it while it's hot!"

Kaiser, dressed in nothing but a pair of swim trunks, was hollering to draw in the crowd. I was busy grilling noodles using vegetables supplied from the Soul World. Beside me stood Baal—who insisted on wearing his full butler uniform despite the sweltering summer heat—and Shiki, who was wearing a hoodie in a different color than mine over his swimwear, mirroring my cooking efforts.

"...Talk about messed up priorities."

"Don't blame me, best friend," Kaiser replied. "This was the condition for them lending us a boat."

"Their business sense is a little too aggressive for my taste."

This was the result of asking the locals for a boat through government channels. Since a group of S-Rank Adventurers was a rare sight and a guaranteed media draw—and since it was the middle of summer with tourists everywhere—they wanted us to liven things up. I could see why they weren't taking it seriously; officially, the Dungeon wasn't considered an immediate threat yet. Still...

"We shouldn't be exhausting ourselves before we even hit the Dungeon."

"Well... we aren't planning to go in until tonight anyway, so it doesn't really matter, does it?"

"All the more reason to be resting."

"Think of it this way, best friend. Even before a big showdown, you need to blow off some steam."

In the distance, Ayane and Tsubaki were working hard to lure customers to our stall. Between their experience with live streaming and their sheer fame, they were experts at working a crowd. We were so flooded with customers that taking a break was out of the question. We were shorthanded, mostly because Laura had decided this "didn't suit her" and was currently napping in the shade. She really did things at her own pace.

"Lord, a change of pace is vital. Furthermore, interacting with your friends will surely serve you well."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it... Oh, hey, Baal. The line's moving faster, but who's serving the food?"

I'd just realized something. Shiki, Baal, and I were stuck at the grill. Kaiser, Ayane, and Tsubaki were barkers. Laura was off-duty. But this hut required servers to deliver the food. We were cranking out yakisoba, but who was actually taking it to the tables?

"Hmm. A fair point. I was told there was no one else... My Lord, why is that idiot here?"

As Baal spoke, the light died in his eyes. His voice, usually so energetic, sounded like it had been dragged from the bottom of a dark pit. I followed his gaze.

There she was: a beautiful girl with grey hair and goat-like horns, wearing an ensemble that was half-swimsuit, half-maid uniform. Lumia Asmodeus. The woman with green-tipped hair was expertly balancing multiple plates of yakisoba, moving with perfect posture and silent efficiency. She was getting the job done, sure, but I had no idea why she had manifested.

"Hey, Lust. Why are you here?"

"Only just noticed me, Gluttony? You're as dull as you are amusing."

"...The Lord didn't summon you."

"My desire to serve reached its breaking point. Obviously. Lately, you've been the only one summoned. I've been living with the constant sensation of being cuckolded, so I came out on my own."

"That is simply the gap in our levels of trust. It is your own fault for trying to corrupt our Lord with your sloppy work."

They continued to bicker while working. This was Lumia, the demon who claimed to be my maid—the representative of Lust from the Seven Deadly Sins.

"Have you no mirrors in that head of yours, Gluttony? Anyway, you can leave now. My Master's 'service points' have plummeted below critical levels. I'm about to lose control, so swap with me."

"Is your brain actually boiling?"

"Excuse me? It's unfair. I am the one-and-only maid meant to care for my Lord from 'goodnight' to 'good morning'—even unto the grave. I cannot allow my role to be usurped by a loudmouthed butler. Honestly, the mere existence of anyone else tending to my Lord is a crime I wish to scrub away. The fact that you're a fellow Sin just makes the verdict 'guilty.'"

She rattled all this off with a completely deadpan expression, venting a massive amount of pent-up frustration. I knew this was partially my fault for the lack of communication, but I also knew just how terrifying her desire to serve could be. I felt a phantom stomachache brewing... and to stabilize my mental state, I reached over and poked Shiki in the stomach while he stared at us with a look of pure judgment.