The Saintess Serious Mode

After asking Rin for the favor, I returned to the master room. On foot.

Rokuko isnt in the core room right now. Shes still monitoring the saintess in her room in the inn.

Without Rokuko to bring me into it, theres no choice for me but to walk there. Its a bit inconvenient I kind of want a master room retrieval worker.

Still, I wonder what she means by getting serious?

Itd take no time at all getting back if I exited the inns dummy core via the master room after entering the dungeon core from the core room, but I took a moment to think in the master room.

Using this and that, this room is kept at a good temperature, its comfort isnt bad at all. Thinking about it, its better than the futon in my room.

From the fighting Ive seen so far, I cant think that the saintess would ever win against Rin in close combat. Shes only able to avoid three or four attacks at the most. I dont think itd be any easier for her even if she used magic.

Rumble.

Just then, there was an earthquake.

Nnn? Magnitude 2, maybe 3?

Yep, isnt that surprising eh, wait a sec. Wasnt the master room in a different dimension? Why is it shaking?

Around the time I tilted my head in thought, Rokuko stampeded into the master room.

Kehma! Hey, its bad!

Whats wrong? An earthquake around that strong isnt really worth getting worked up about.

Earthquake? What are you talking about!? The saintess attack, her attack!

Huh?

Whatre you saying, theres no way her attack on Rin would cause something like an earthquake, right? is what I thought while checking the map, but it does look like Rins still fine. The saintess is still in front of the dungeon in the first place.

Her attendant was also with her, shouldering the simple altar that looked like a rucksack.

The attendant bowed to the saintess before heading back to the hotel. The saintess headed into the dungeon.

What is it?

Look here.

Rokuko opened the menu and showed me something. It looks to be of the saintess from a bit ago.

Its showing the saintess offering a prayer to the altar.

Muttering something, she was praying so intensely that she was sweating. I tried turning up the audio.

[Death to dungeons, death to dungeons, break the cores, break the cores. Light Gods enemies are here. Oh Light Gods divine protection, place the power of the seal here now. Death to dungeons, death to dungeons]

What a scary child. And yet the saintess was shining white. The normally invisible magical power was actually illuminating the room, the density was just that high rather, the heck is this?

Thats the first time Ive heard such a long incantation do you know what kind of magic it is?

Ah, so that was an incantation? What a horrible one, oi.

Then, I heard the incantations key word spoken.

[Following the gods agreement, for three days, seal this dungeon[Treaty].]

The magical power that had been gathering around the saintess blasted out towards the dungeon.

Looks like thats what caused the earthquake. Still, the village didnt shake at all. Rokuko and all of the dungeon monsters seem to have felt the quake though.

As humans, neither Meat nor Ichika appear to have felt it though so Im also a monster? Huh.

The recording ended there.

Seal the dungeon? The heck kind of thing is that

Seal? , look, Kehma! The DP catalog!

Eh?

When I opened the menu to check out the DP catalog

with red seals across the board, they said [Use Disabled: 71 Hours Remaining].

Sealing DP functions thats a thing?

Installing rooms and traps, as well as summoning monsters. Theyre all sealed. The only thing we can do is restore traps and damaged walls.

The gachas sealed too cant sell weapons and armor either. Ah, it looks like we can still get daily necessities, sweet bun kinds of items and treasure items like jewels.

I dont really understand, but she said something about a [Gods Agreement] at the end of the incantation. So there was a thing like that?

This really is a dungeon seal, huh.

Not being able to set up new traps and rooms meant that the dungeons growth and change would halt. It makes things like augmenting passages and similar stuff impossible. Moreover, thinking about the fighting strength side of things, you wouldnt be able to summon monsters or reinforce them with arms. It means that youd only be able to watch. That is, normally.

O-oooh really!?

Though we can still manage since we have [Create Golem], ordinary dungeons probably wouldnt have any hands or legs to use.

R-right! Good job Kehma! Now, repel that saintess!

Yeah. Guess Ill do my best making golems?

Still, speaking of dungeon monsters what about Rin, whos just a free-loader at our dungeon?

Well, even if it was affected, itd probably just have felt the quake, so its all good.

I headed to Nerunes laboratory, which was researching magic gole err, gargoyles.

*

Nerune was working together with Gar-kun, her gargoyle assistant, engraving magical formations into golem-made clay boards. Taking a look, it seems to be a magic formation that emits fire like a lighter. Its pretty small, about three centimeters in diameter. There were eight arranged in a circular pattern.

Ah, master. What do you think? I got the idea from that cake the other day, I tried making it able to heat things efficiently by arranging the eight magic formations into a circle~

Looks like a portable stove. By the way, hows the magic formation research going?

Yeah~, right now Im using a scale where I can make several magic formations with a single magic stone, so Im practicing drawing tiny magic formations~. Its a lot easier writing on these clay boards I got from Goshujin-sama, so I can make them really small~ [1]

It really is extremely detailed. I seriously want a magnifying glass Nn?

You can miniaturize it if you can draw those elaborate grooves I mean, if you can engrave them?

Yes, itll be a completed magic formation once a magic stone is melted into the grooves. But my eyes and dexterity isnt enough going any smaller

I took out the DP catalog Yep, I cant use any of it after all. Still though, magnifying glasses fall under the category of daily necessities so I was able to exchange for it without any problems.

This is!? What is is, eh, everythings so big~!?

There arent lens or glasses in this world?

Lens? Glasses~? There are~, they come with gods vanguard when theyre summoned, equipped items that correct vision right~?

Ah, so thats how they got here? So there wouldnt be any convex lens if there was never a farsighted hero, huh.

Come to think of it, I head that things below crystal balls when you use them look large~

Yeah, thats also a convex lens. Well, itd be hard to engrave formations using a ball-shape though.

Now then, this solves her sight problem. Next is dexterity huh lets think about that later.

That aside, this should work Nerune, how many magic formations can you make by yourself per day?

U-ummm in one day, ten in my limit, I think. Im not confident in accurately engraving any more than that~

The only problem is that you cant engrave the magic formations?

Only problem? Thats the most important part you know~. After that is occasionally dissolving magic stones~. If not for engraving, one or two hundred in a days no different, as long as theres magic stones its alright you know~?

Thats the most important part. Magic stones are treasure-type items, so I can buy them with DP.

Well then, wanna do it? Two hundred a day.

When I said that, Nerune just looked at me with wide eyes.

I just came up with a way to mass produce magic formations.

Itd be embarrassing if it failed after going this far though.

I have to answer the saintess seriousness with my own.

Footnotes:

She calls him Goshujin-sama here. Author mistake? Or perhaps a verbal slip? She normally says Masuta-