Alone In Reflection
After defeating the Evil Apple Treant and returning safely to the surface, it was already lunchtime. The air was filled with the delightful aroma of curry, stimulating the empty stomachs of those who had been exercising vigorously.
"Chatter...laughter..."
"Dad!"
Among the paintballers in camouflage attire today, there were also many children and women running around gleefully, mixing in with them.
"My, it's quite lively here."
"Yes, indeed."
Walking alongside Ruu, scanning the surroundings, we got greeted with "Thank you for the meal!" from various directions. Just like last time, before entering the dungeon, we had prepared not only giant crabs but also kamado-uma meat, urging everyone to enjoy them.
Responding to such voices with a wave and searching for a vacant spot, I noticed Nabe-san calling out.
"Hey, Jung! Over here! There's a spot next to me!"
"Oh, it seems Nabe-san's spot is empty."
"Yes. Then, I'll go call Machi-chan and the others."
Approaching, next to Nabe-san was a woman of about the same age, along with a middle school-aged girl who bowed to us, so we exchanged greetings.
"Hello. Oh, you're here with your family today, Nabe-san?"
"Yeah. You know, things have been getting a bit dangerous lately. So I thought I'd have my daughter and wife level up."
With a slightly embarrassed expression on his face, Nabe-san explained the situation.
I see. That's why there are so many families here today. It wouldn't be too difficult to defeat monsters like ghost aloes with that spear.
"Is that so? Well, we originally took on the coaching gig for groping prevention."
"Ohh. The kids you brought along, Jung-kun, are all such beautiful ladies."
"Ah, hello, Nabe-san! You're here with your family today, right?"
"Hello~"
At that moment, Seraii-san and the others arrived with their meals. It seemed someone had made skewers with giant kamado-uma meat, vegetables, and crab soup, suitable for a large group.
"Here, Jung, I got some curry for you. Eat up."
"Oh, thanks. Hmm, but isn't there high-spirited ginseng in this?"
As expected of paintballers, once they find out something is edible, they immediately incorporate high-spirit ginseng into their cooking. Their survival skills are impressive, or rather, reliable.
"Alright, let's dig in! Puff. Hot!"
"Nabe-san, listen to this! We defeated a boss-class monster in the dungeon earlier!"
It was a delightful mealtime. Serai-san was enthusiastically biting into freshly grilled skewers, while Shark was already boasting to Nabe-san about the battle earlier.
As for me, curry is one of my favorite dishes, so I gratefully dug into the curry I received.
High spirit ginseng... Hmm, is that garlic inside? It's simmered down to be as soft as potatoes, but this is quite an impressive stamina curry.
"Look, see? Even these beautiful ladies here are fighting monsters in the dungeon like this. You should try challenging it, even just a little."
"...”
During the conversation, Nabe-san urged his daughter to try it. Even though they're here, the girls haven't gone into the dungeon yet? It seems Nabe-san's daughter is timid, and not suited for such rough activities. That's normal. If everyone were as fierce as Seki-san or Shark, that would be troublesome in its own way.
"After we finish eating, why don't you go to the dungeon with onee-sans? I'm sure it won't be so scary."
Seeing Nabe-san's daughter remain silent and look down, Nina-san suggested going into the dungeon together.
"That's right. Then we can protect you no matter what happens! Let's do it, okay?"
Serai-san agrees with Nina-san's suggestion and adds her support. Nabe-san's daughter nodded quietly. Nabe-san also smiled with relief and gratitude toward the two of them.
Yes, in this era where dungeons exist, and monsters crawl out from them. It's a different level of danger from wild boars or bears descending from the mountains. Nabe-san must be worried about his family as the head of the household since they can't always be together.
Nabe-san then turned his gaze toward me, nodded slightly, with a shy smile, and lowered his head in thanks.
.....
After lunch...
After helping with some cooking cleanup, I walked alone towards the paintball field.
I want to maintain a good relationship with the paintballers, so this kind of consideration is also important. I'm walking towards the paintball field alone because I want to have a little solitary reflection.
Yes, about the boss battle in the morning. It was a battle with many points to reflect on, both successful and unsuccessful.
I climbed onto one of the slightly elevated dumplings and looked out at the landscape with dried susuki swaying in the wind under the sunlight. What a calm and pleasant view. And while gazing at such scenery, I reminisced about the battle.
Firstly, despite using Aura Sight diligently to check, I failed to notice the presence of the Evil Apple Treant. That was because the Evil Apple Trean used superior concealment skill to my Aura Sight. Despite that, Shark, who noticed the presence of the Evil Apple Trean solely on instinct, was quite something.
It seems that when I'm alone, I'm cautious to the point of being timid, but when I'm with everyone, my attention tends to wander. The terrain of the dungeon, the presence of monsters, and the condition of each party member. Focusing on such things caused my concentration to waver from time to time.
Moreover, while engaging in a fight with large monsters that charge at us strategy worked out well, simultaneously leading the battle from the front and giving orders was still difficult. We had discussed before that Ina-san would take command in such cases, but this time, Ina-san was overwhelmed by the enemy's skill attacks. Keeping an eye on the movements of the boss monster while also paying attention to the movements of the members behind me was too much of a distraction.
Although Nina-san and Ruu only suffered symptoms similar to hay fever, if the poison had been more severe, it would have been a serious matter.
Yes, for now, I'll identify the problems and organize them, then we'll discuss them together later. There are parts that I can't figure out on my own, after all.
And so, the solitary reflection session ends here, and I relax my thoughts, gazing at the scenery.
"Hehe, but the Valkyrie sisters, huh?"
That's what Nabe-san's daughter mentioned earlier. It seems Admiral originally suggested it, but many paintballers also refer to Ruu and the others as Valkyries.
Well, they look like Valkyries in their armor-like shiny golden suits, so, understandably, he would call them that.
I also like the sound of the word "Valkyrie". Descending only to the brave warriors who have fallen on the battlefield, guiding their souls to Valhalla.
"But the Valkyries in Norse mythology aren't that simple."
The Valkyries only come to fetch the souls of brave warriors because they are collecting the souls of warriors to prepare for the upcoming final battle. So, although it's said, "Only the souls of warriors who have fallen will be picked up by the Valkyries as a badge of honor.". if you grasp their hands, from then on, until the day the final battle begins and even after death, there will be no peace, just endless days of hellish boot camp until the final battle begins.
In other words, Valkyries can be said to be a "beautifully decorated forced conscription of the dead, much like a love trap".
Therefore, the value of the souls of human warriors collected in this way is not great.
The Valkyries' leader, the goddess Brynhilde, bets the souls of human warriors as stakes in a bet with the great god Odin.
Yes, from the gods' perspective, the value of human souls feels somewhat negligible, and it's a really heartbreaking story.
Well, Brynhilde seems to be the most human-like existence in Norse mythology, and she's also a goddess who is said to have actually existed as a model for the Nibelungenlied and other works.
"Hey Jung, can I talk to you for a moment?"
I heard footsteps approaching, but when I turned around, Shark was standing behind me.
"Oh, Shark. What's up?"
"I have something to talk to you about..."
It seemed that Shark hadn't gone into the dungeon with Ruu and the others, as she wasn't armed. And she had something to tell me.
Hmm, I wonder what it could be.
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