Chapter 278: Let’s Go Back to Japan
“Whoa, let’s step back a bit.”
The moment I spotted the guns raised by the newcomers, I warned my team. Without a moment’s hesitation, we all shifted sideways, and a barrage of gunfire erupted around us. The line of fire hadn’t been aimed at us, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
“Guuuh!?”
The Majin Tribe member, who was about to unleash a spell on us, collapsed to his knees. One of his companions fell forward, motionless.
“There are new arrivals!”
“Wait! If you look closely, they have two arms!?”
“What!? Seriously!?”
“Could it be… our missing comrades!?”
The group of ten lowered their weapons and cautiously approached us. They looked like Japanese people with black hair and black eyes. I had heard that the Dungeon connected to the Majin Tribe’s world, but I hadn’t expected them to infiltrate this deeply. It seemed they hadn’t forgotten to finish off the Majin Tribe members on their way here.
“I can’t understand their language…”
El muttered with a sullen expression.
“Maybe it’s best if you stay quiet, El. It seems like there’s a communication barrier between the Majin Tribe and the Japanese.”
“Ah, got it. It would be troublesome if they misunderstood us.”
While I didn’t think anyone would mistake us for Majin Tribe members given our two arms, it was better to be cautious. The lack of a common language could lead to a hasty conclusion that we were allies of the Majin Tribe.
“Are you all okay?”
As I observed the newcomers with a hint of wariness, the man at the front spoke up. He appeared to be in his thirties, with short, neatly trimmed hair and a rather intense expression. His bulging muscles only amplified the heat radiating from his face.
“Yes, we’re fine. No injuries to report.”
“Is that so? That’s a relief. I never expected to meet other Japanese people in a place like this.”
He laughed heartily, but then suddenly his laughter faded. He seemed to be just like us, a fellow Japanese.
“I’m Kusakabe Koutarou, leader of the Seventh Squad. You can relax now; everything’s under control. But I must say, to see children and pets with you… Is everyone here?”
Kusakabe scanned our group, taking in our numbers. Nil, in his usual small dog form, would likely pass as just a pet, as long as no one noticed the number of tails he had. But what exactly was this Seventh Squad?
“Nice to meet you. I’m Mizumoto Shu. I haven’t seen anyone else around.”
“I see…”
He stroked his chin, deep in thought.
“…But it’s troubling that people are still going missing.”
As I recalled the earlier mention of missing individuals, Kusakabe looked up and faced me again.
“Ah, I’m sorry. There are still Japanese people going missing.”
Missing? Does that mean they entered the Dungeon and never returned? That could simply mean they died inside the Dungeon. I had heard that while bodies wouldn’t disappear immediately, if left unattended, they could be absorbed by the Dungeon. But then I realized my misunderstanding. If there were multiple entrances to the Dungeon, this world of the Majin Tribe could be considered outside the Dungeon, meaning the bodies wouldn’t vanish. Plus, I had no idea if Kusakabe was even aware of the phenomenon of bodies disappearing in the Dungeon.
“…I see.”
I decided not to elaborate further; explaining everything would be a hassle. Still, this didn’t feel like a situation where I could simply say, “Well, we’re heading back now.”
“For more details, ask Asuka over there. …I’ll leave the rest to you.”
He pointed to a person behind him and began to lead his squad toward the castle.
“Alright, let’s head back. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to take you all home safely.”
The only one left, a woman named Asuka, turned around and flashed a bright smile. A portion of her hair was dyed in rainbow colors, and her ears were adorned with numerous colorful earrings, making her quite the flamboyant figure.
Where exactly are we going back to? It must be Japan, right? I had planned to return to Fairy Valley to relax after finishing my tasks, but I had also intended to gather supplies in Japan.
“Um, are you sure you can manage on your own?”
Rio, seemingly concerned, asked the question I had in mind.
“I can get us back all at once, so it’s fine. The giants usually run away when they see us anyway.”
With that, Asuka turned on her heel and began to walk ahead.
“Following her means we’ll get back, but where exactly is that?”
Ivan whispered, curious, but while I could make guesses, I had no definitive answers.
“Well, if we follow her, we’ll find out, right?”
“Even if we end up somewhere strange, we can still get back.”
“…Huh? What are you doing? I’m leaving you behind!”
Noticing we weren’t following, Asuka turned back and called out to us.
“Coming!”
After exchanging glances and reaching a consensus, we decided to follow her.
We navigated through the back streets of the Majin Tribe’s town. As we entered a certain path, the number of Majin Tribe corpses scattered around began to increase.
“There it is.”
Asuka pointed to a stone building that resembled a small hut. The area around it was littered with the bodies of the Majin Tribe, clearly indicating that this hut had been fiercely defended. I assumed it was the entrance to the Dungeon, but it didn’t seem particularly well-guarded. I wondered if a Stampede had occurred here.
Stopping in front of the hut’s entrance, Asuka turned to us and began to check each of us in turn. …Gradually, her brow furrowed, and her gaze focused on Ivan and Phonia.
“…Huh? Ears? You have ears on your head? Huh?”
She kept darting her eyes back and forth between Ivan’s Beastman group and us.
“What’s wrong? Is there something about our ears?”
“They moved!?”
As Ivan twitched his ears, Asuka took a step back in surprise. It seemed she had only just noticed the presence of Beastmen.
“Of course, ears are supposed to be on our heads. Now, let’s hurry up and go.”
“Eh? But still… Ah, well, I guess it’s better to deal with this later…”
She seemed to be grappling with something, but eventually, she appeared to convince herself, and the conversation moved forward.
“For now, there’s a Teleportation Device inside here that will take us straight back to the entrance of the Dungeon in Japan. So we’ll be home soon.”
Her tone had taken on a slightly defensive edge, but it seemed that was indeed the case. Unlike the other Dungeon, where we had to walk down stairs to descend a level, this was much more convenient.