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Legends and Dungeons, Merfolk and Fishmen – Part 01

“Hiyaaa!”

A colossal battle axe swung perilously close.

With a shriek, the fishman attempted to parry the blow with a trident, but the axe effortlessly cleaved through the spear, cutting the creature in half. Unable to even let out a dying wail, the fishman turned to ashes. The blood splattered all over Zappa’s body also turned to ash.

“Phew… Looks like that’s the last one.”

“Great job, Boss!”

The red-haired adventurer, who had confronted Hikaru at the dungeon entrance, rushed over with a towel.

“It’s nice not to reek of blood, but I still hate getting dirty,” Zappa said as he took it.

“Great job, Boss!”

“Let’s set up camp here for now.”

“Okay. Great job, Boss!”

Taking back the dirty towel with utmost reverence, the adventurer returned to his comrades, announcing, “We’re camping here today!”

The support members, already aware of the plan, were already in motion.

This cavern, vast as a baseball field located about five hours into the dungeon, once teemed with around thirty fishmen. However, Scorching Goblet had eradicated them all, leaving ash mounds scattered about.

The support members took out magic stones and sprayed a special liquid on the ashes to solidify them. This was to prevent the wind from dispersing the ash into their food and bed.

An artificial dungeon, Zappa thought as he gazed up at the high ceiling. We don’t have to worry about cave-ins, then.

The floor, walls, and ceiling emitted a faint light, outlining the entire structure. Defeated monsters turned into ash, leaving behind catalyst magic stones. These two features characterized artificial dungeons. Created by sorcery, they posed no threat of collapse or suffocation.

Zappa had no interest in tedious surveys of the surroundings. He preferred to enter and assess the situation. Artificial dungeons ensured a sound structure, but potential dangers such as vicious monsters and traps lingered. But dealing with them was simple: just kill them all. Simplicity was a wonderful thing.

“Sir Zappa, this is what we know so far about the dungeon.”

Skaer came over as Zappa removed his armor and settled on a spread-out mat. Holding a small notebook, his eyes glistened and his voice trembled in the presence of an esteemed figure.

“The monsters appear to emerge only from the water. The green ore on the walls and floor is undoubtedly jade, with varying qualities. The larger pieces seem to be quite valuable. Additionally, we’ve confirmed that the small golden grains in the water are indeed gold dust.”

“Hmm…”

“How would you like to proceed?”

“Take the huge jades. We don’t need the rest.”

“R-Really? Are we giving the rest to the other adventurers?”

“Collecting those bits and pieces is not worth the trouble. And between gold dust and magic stones, the latter’s market price is on the rise. Bringing back some magic stones should be enough. We need to make sure the other adventurers have a rewarding experience as well.”

Skaer’s eyes sparkled even more at Zappa’s generosity. “I-I understand.”

“I expected nothing less from Zappa. You really know how to make people happy.”

“Yeah! A genuine Rank A adventurer!”

At that moment, two women placed their hands on Zappa’s shoulders. They were female adventurers from other parties participating in the dungeon exploration.

“Whoa. I’m discussing matters with my party members right now.”

“You’re done, right? Join us for a drink!”

“Wow! Your arms are so big. Can I touch them more?”

The two inched closer to Zappa from both sides, each carrying leather bags that seemed to be filled with alcohol.

“You girls are such a handful.”

“So…”

“Skaer, fill the others in on what we just discussed. Oh, and, set up a partition here, please.”

“…Got it.”

Zappa was magnanimous, but he also had a soft spot for women. When approached like this, he’d let anyone in without discrimination. After getting his wallet stolen a few times in the past, the party members laid down the ironclad rule, “Never let Zappa handle the money.”

Leering at the squealing female adventurers, Zappa also started drinking. This was likely it for him for the day. Skaer, casting them a dark glance, left.

“That bastard.”

“They can hear you.”

“I don’t care. Rank A, my ass.”

Some admired popular adventurers, while others couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy.

Parties besides Scorching Goblet—male adventurers from groups that lost female members to Zappa—grumbled as they waded into the water, collecting specks of gold dust.

“…”

Skaer clenched his notebook tightly.

A brisk wind swept through. Dungeons maintained a constant temperature by circulating air, but this particular dungeon seemed colder than usual.

“A love story between a mermaid and a human, huh?”

The logs in the fireplace crackled, and with the year-end drawing near, nights by the lakeside had grown considerably chilly.

Hikaru and the others gathered around the flames, savoring a rich and delicious meal of herb-grilled fish caught in the lake.

In about a month, the lake would freeze, making fishing impossible. Fish at this time, storing fat in preparation for winter, were considered the most delicious.

“The chief said that there’s an awful truth hidden in the legend.”

Hikaru shared with Freya the information he had gathered from the man.

“To become human and give up her mermaid magic, a mermaid has to sacrifice the life of someone she loves. Without knowing this, the mermaid went through the ritual, became human, only to discover that the life of her beloved had been lost in the process.”

The legend painted a tragic picture, suggesting that, to destroy the wall between two lovers, a life must be paid.

Freya shivered, either due to the cold or the chilling undertones of the legend.

“Troubled couples who learn the truth then entertain the idea of a double suicide,” Freya said.

“Yes. So I understand the chief’s decision to hide the awful part and create the monument. On the other hand, he seemed burdened by guilt for concealing a portion of the story passed down through generations.”

“What’s your take on this? Is there a connection between this dungeon and the legend?”

“I think there might be. In fact, there’s less evidence to suggest otherwise. Besides, the monsters inside are fishmen, apparently.”

When Japanese people think of mermaids, they often envision the Little Mermaid, with the upper body being that of a woman and the lower body a fish. However, it wouldn’t be wrong to classify fish-like demi-humans with scaled bodies walking on two legs as “mermaids” as well.

“We can call it the Mermaid Dungeon, then.”

“…”

“Freya? What’s wrong?” Hikaru asked, sensing unease in Freya’s contemplative state.

She was typically optimistic, and given that the survey mission was progressing well, there was no reason for her to be lost in thought.

“Actually, I got in touch with the royal capital’s guild using the Linga Pen earlier.”

The Linga Quill Pen was a long-distance communication magic item. By writing on a magical slate, the characters were transferred to the corresponding slate at the destination.

After contacting the Vireocean guild, Angela quickly went to bed, saying, “Go ahead. I’m entering the dungeon early tomorrow morning.”

Although there was no need for a receptionist to enter the dungeon for a survey, she still wanted to accompany them, especially with the Scorching Goblet inside. She likely felt it was secure since they were a Rank A party.

Freya then sent a message to the guild at Ponsonia’s capital. Once she completed the reports, she received a message from Unken—apparently, he had visited the capital guild in person.

“Old man Unken went all the way to the capital?”

“He did. After learning that the Scorching Goblet was coming from Vireocean.”

“Does this mean there’s something about the Scorching Goblet after all?

Freya had mentioned that there were countless nasty rumors circulating around this party when they were in the border town. However, from what Hikaru had observed, Zappa’s behavior was much more proper than that of ordinary adventurers, and the party members seemed to get along well. For better or worse, it gave the impression of being a party centered around Zappa. Nothing more, nothing less.

“That’s right. Sir Unken’s message was, ‘Be careful of the Blue Hawk.’ ‘Blue Hawk’ is a code word indicating a Rank A party. The code word changes every year within Pond’s guild, so the message was meant for me alone.”

“I see.”

The Linga Quill Pen was excellent for long-distance communication, but at the same time, it was easy to intercept. To avoid any problems if tapped, guilds used code words.