Chapter 19: The Discarded Prince Goes to a Dungeon
“Whoa, so this is a dungeon, huh?”
“Don’t stray too far from me. The deeper we go into this dungeon, the more dangerous it gets.”
Walking behind Rosemary, I felt a little excited about my first dungeon.
It wasn’t the common ruin-type, but a cave-type dungeon.
Blue, glowing crystals grew on the rock walls, emitting a faint light, so we didn’t even need torches.
According to Rosemary, those glowing blue stones are apparently Magic Stones.
“They mine a fair number of Magic Stones in the Kingdom too, but are they blue in the Empire?”
“Is it different in the Kingdom?”
“Yeah, in the Kingdom, they mine Red Magic Stones.”
“Wha- Red Magic Stones, you say!?”
“Whoa, that surprised me.”
The moment she heard “Red Magic Stones,” Rosemary’s eyes widened.
I wonder what’s wrong.
“I see, the Kingdom might be a treasure trove of resources.”
“What do you mean?”
“Blue Magic Stones have a high yield, but they contain little magical power.”
“Is that so? Then, Red Magic Stones are…”
“Mhm. They are rare Magic Stones that hold at least ten times more magical power than Blue Magic Stones. Processing them is difficult, and using them in other countries would incur higher costs, but…”
“With the Empire’s technology?”
“The returns would be far greater.”
“Hohh.”
The value of things is a mysterious thing, huh.
“…Hmm. When we win the war against the Kingdom, perhaps I’ll suggest to Mother that we deliberately demand exorbitant reparations and try to extort the mines where Red Magic Stones are found. –Oops, that wasn’t something to say in front of Reichel.”
“I don’t understand politics, and I have no lingering attachments to the Kingdom, so don’t worry about it.”
Ah, if I had to say, Hekton-mamma’s breasts are my only regret.
Now I have Rosemary, Alkalion, and Eliza, but those were my first love’s breasts in this world.
As I was thinking such things, Rosemary shot me a sharp glance.
“Whose chest were you thinking about just now?”
“Gulp. W-What are you talking about?”
“…Well, whatever. Let’s move on. Don’t fall behind.”
“Yessir~”
We steadily advanced through the dungeon.
At first, only weak monsters like slimes and goblins appeared, but gradually, their superior variants started showing up.
The deeper Rosemary went, the more frequently she got injured, but…
“Alright, healing up.”
I healed Rosemary’s injuries in seconds.
Watching her wounds heal in the blink of an eye, Rosemary muttered as if in disbelief.
“…Reichel, your power is truly astounding. I’ve aimed for the dungeon’s deepest part many times on Mother’s errands, but it’s never been this easy.”
“What did you do before?”
“Ordinary healing mages would just be a burden. I used to chug potions and force my way through.”
“W-Wow. That’s certainly worrying.”
“It’s not like that every time, you know? Only in highly urgent cases.”
No, being able to reach the deepest part of the dungeon with brute force tactics is amazing in its own right.
“…Reichel. There’s something I want to ask…”
“What is it?”
“Is that power of yours something you were born with?”
“…”
I was at a bit of a loss for words.
I couldn’t very well explain that it was a cheat ability bestowed by a goddess when I reincarnated into another world.
I should just try to gloss over it here.
That’s what I thought, but I couldn’t seem to make my mouth move as I wanted.
…With Rosemary, maybe it’s okay.
“My power is something I received from a goddess when I was reincarnated as a prince.”
No one would believe me even if I told the truth anyway.
At best, they’d just think I was joking.
However, contrary to my expectations, Rosemary placed a hand on her chin and fell into thought.
“I see, that makes sense.”
“Eh?”
Surprisingly, Rosemary nodded.
“The Refrigerator, the Dragon Carrier… Reichel, your ideas are sometimes astonishing. More than anything else–“
“More than anything else?”
“When you saw the Imperial Capital, Reichel, you seemed surprised as if you recognized something.”
“Eh, sharp!”
It’s true, when I saw the Imperial Capital, I was surprised to learn about things like the Magic Train.
Rosemary apparently found that reaction strange.
“People from other countries who come to the Imperial Capital are generally bewildered. However, Reichel, while bewildered, accepted it quickly. Could it be that you were reincarnated into this era from a future world, Reichel?”
“Close!! You’re on a really close track!!”
“Muu, I don’t get it. Tell me the answer.”
Taking a break, I told Rosemary about Earth, a world different from this one.
Roughly about a civilization a little over a hundred years more advanced than the current Empire.
Television, mobile phones, games, and so on.
Listening to stories about things that don’t exist in this world, Rosemary’s eyes sparkled.
She’s a little cute.
“…Amazing. Can civilization really develop that far? Television, in particular, is fascinating.”
“You think so?”
“Mhm. Conveying information constantly to all people through images instead of newspapers. It seems like it could be replicated in the Empire too.”
Come to think of it, when Rosemary and Eliza dueled before, they broadcasted images throughout the Imperial Capital, didn’t they?
Apparently, because those images are projected into the air, they don’t last even an hour.
They said that if they made something like a television to display them, it might reduce magic power consumption.
It seems they’ll need to consult with Yellowna about that, but either way, it feels like she could replicate it.
Television in another world, huh.
They probably won’t be able to make things like anime, but I wonder if I’ll be able to watch it by the time I get old and become a grandpa?
Literally isekai anime, I’d love to see that.
“Is there anything else interesting?”
“Eh? Hmm.”
Being asked that puts me in a spot.
I don’t really want to talk about weapons like guns or bombs.
It’s a world where those things don’t exist, so there’s probably no good in deliberately teaching about weapons that kill people.
Other than that…
“Things like cars and airplanes, there are many convenient means of transportation, I guess.”
“Hmm? What kind of things are those?”
“Umm.”
I explained it roughly.
Rosemary, who didn’t know about Earth, had such an exaggerated reaction to every little thing I said, it was amusing.
“To think one could fly by means other than Wyverns. The world Reichel was reincarnated from must have been incredibly developed.”
“Yeah.”
“…Hmm. It might be difficult to suddenly make ‘hiko-ki,’ but it seems like ‘kuruma’ could be made. When we get back, I’ll consult with Yellowna-neesama.”
“Between television and cars, Yellowna is going to be busy.”
“Hahaha, no doubt. –Well then, let’s end our rest here and get going.”
We stood up and once again started walking towards the deepest part of the dungeon.
However, a problem occurred here.
About halfway to the dungeon’s deepest part, we encountered a large monster.
“Mph, a Lesser Dragon!! Reichel, stay back!!”
“O-Okay!!”
Just as Rosemary told me, I moved to a corner of the room so as not to interfere with the fight.
And, at that moment.
A ‘click’ sound, like I’d stepped on some kind of switch, transmitted through my foot.
Looking down, the ground beneath my feet was caving in.
“Ah, sorry, Rosemary.”
“What is it!?”
“No, uh, it looks like I stepped on a trap.”
“Eh?”
“Uwah, my body’s started to glow!?”
“Tch, it’s a teleportation trap!! Get away from there immediately–“
Before Rosemary could finish speaking, her figure vanished.
No, the Lesser Dragon’s figure was gone too.
It seems I was the one who got teleported to a different location.
“…Well, I’m sure it’ll work out somehow!!”
I don’t die easily.
Gripping the dagger I had prepared for self-defense, just in case, I aimed for the deepest part of the dungeon.
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Afterword
A Little Digression
Author: “This protagonist has no sense of danger, huh.”
Rei: “HAHAHA”
☆Notice★
My new work, ‘The Strongest Villainous Archmage Masters Lifestyle Magic and Makes a Comeback as the Most Wicked with Unconventional, Overpowered Abilities!’ has started serialization. If you have time, please check it out. I plan to make this one quite quirky as well.
If you thought, “Civilization flexing feels good,” “Rosemary is cute,” or “Seriously no sense of danger, lol,” please leave your impressions, bookmarks, ★ ratings, and reviews.