Valdahlia Underground Cave.
Septequifa's mother is there.
If that's the case, I have no choice but to chase after him. That's my promise to Septequifa.
He always keeps his promises to a woman he has once slept with. He keeps his promises to a man to a certain extent.
That's my motto.
So no matter what, my top priority is to follow Septequifa's mother.
"What?! At a time when we are about to fully unify Niosebuku?!"
Tamagushi is the one who panics.
It seems you're still dying to make me the ruler of Niosebuku, but I've told you many times that I'm not interested.
Well, if the remaining successor candidates were to spread the damage abroad, I cannot overlook it, but if that happens, I will immediately take action.
Therefore, I would like Tamagushi to remain in the royal capital of Niosebuku and continue to protect the women who were in the harem and the prisoner of war camps.
Well, I have a new power.
"flying!!"
Yes, this Sao.
Now you can fly.
Take a swift flight across the sky.
What I mean is, just the other day I received a blessing from the wind spirit Harp.
"Air Stigma".
The blessings I receive from the spirits seem to be more powerful than I imagined, and with the help of the nature avatars I can do most things.
It's a piece of cake to catch the wind and fly freely.
And if you just fly in a straight line through the empty sky, you'll reach your destination in no time.
Whatever, you can do it as a day trip.
Well, it depends on how much time it takes there.
And then we arrived at our destination.
Valdahlia Underground Cave.
Located hundreds of kilometers north of the capital of Niosebuku, it is an underground labyrinth deep in the mountains.
It doesn't seem to be a dungeon or anything like that, but a naturally formed underground space.
What on earth is Septequifa's mother doing here?
We reached the entrance to the cave without any problems.
Outside, we found clear traces of a campsite. There was no sign of anyone, but food scraps and pieces of tents were scattered everywhere.
"You have to clean up after camping...!"
The freshness of these traces confirmed to me that someone had passed through here just a few days ago.
But was it from outside into the inside, or from inside out?
I don't know that much.
But we decided to enter the water cave anyway.
In order to pursue our target, we must carefully check whether there are people in this underground space.
The cave was much larger than I expected, and most of the cavern was filled with water.
"Groundwater...?!"
It is likely that water did not flow into the cave, but rather that an underground flow of water formed the cave.
Water flowing in the darkness.
It was just quiet inside.
The only sound he could hear was his own footsteps, so loud that it was certain that there were no people, or even monsters, living in this water cave.
"But it's so quiet..."
Maybe the person I'm looking for isn't here anymore?
Even if it's not your intended destination, if there is even one person there you will be able to hear some sounds of daily life.
In a cave, sound carries well as it reflects off all four walls, so there's no way you'll miss it.
It's so silent up to here...
"...No one here?"
Is Septequifa's mother not in this underground cavern, or if she is, has she already left?
That would be a problem in itself, as it would mean we would have no clues at all.
I thought about this and felt lost for a while...
Bang!
And then the sound of water!?
"What? What? What?!"
A waterway running through the cave.
Was it the sound of someone jumping in there? Or was it the opposite, the sound of someone crawling up?
Given the circumstances, it seems more likely that he "crawled his way up."
I have already confirmed that I don't think there is anyone else wandering around the cave.
However, it is impossible to see underwater using sound.
In this natural space.
It wouldn't be strange if there were fish or aquatic insects living in the water.
Maybe even monsters.
There's no way to deal with those guys even if they were targeting me from the water!
I didn't know what to do so I just kept my guard up, but...
Stick, stick, stick...
Is that footsteps?
It was the sound of wet feet sticking to the ground and then letting go.
Is it gradually getting closer?
"It's rare to see someone in a place like this."
"Whaaaaaat?!"
I get startled when someone suddenly calls out to me!
I managed to squint my eyes in the dark and saw a woman standing there.
Her whole body was soaked, and water was dripping from the ends of her hair.
Just from seeing how wet she was, I could tell that the sound of water earlier was her crawling out of the water.
"Why are there people in the water?!"
"The best of Niosebuku shouldn't be scared of something like this. Get out of here."
As I stepped aside as instructed, the woman continued on ahead and sat down against the wall.
It was dark and hard to notice, but it seemed that the luggage was packed there.
I took a towel out of it and wiped my head.
"Um... what exactly are you doing here?"
"Have you not heard anything from your superiors? You came here to help me...!"
help?
Something doesn't seem to be going smoothly.
Does she think I'm something wrong? And I don't know who she is.
At times like these...it's important to go back to basics first.
"...Why don't we start by introducing ourselves?"
"Huh?"
Yes, the basis of human relationships is greetings!!
"My name is Sao. I came here looking for someone called Dakifa...!"
Dakifa.
I'm pretty sure that was Septequifa's mother's name.
I also overheard the name during interviews in the royal capital of Niosebuku.
"Ah, then your first objective has been achieved. I am Daqifa after all."
"on second thoughts!"
We did it!
Septequifa's mother has finally been discovered!!
After taking various detours, such as attacking the capital of Niosebuku, mincing the third prince, and even having sex with all the women in the harem, he finally met her!!
"Hmm? The first objective?"
"Well, isn't that right? Meeting up with me here doesn't mean we've achieved all our objectives, right? In fact, this is where the real action begins."
"What are you doing here, Daqifa?"
"Now that I think of it, your superiors didn't teach you anything. Well, if they did, you wouldn't come to a place like this. For the Niosebuku soldiers, whose only purpose is to kill each other, it seems like missions here are extremely boring."
It seems she thinks I'm a soldier sent from Niosebuku.
To help her with whatever she's doing here.
I don't know exactly what I'm doing.
"The guys who came before you complained and went home. They said it's not the job of a proud Niosebuku soldier. But remember that."
Dakifa... Septekifa's mother approached me and grabbed me by the collar.
Being a woman and a dwarf, she wasn't taller than me, but the gaze she casts up at me is still sharp and pins me down.
"What I'm trying to do here is the third prince's pet project. He has given me permission, and he's been pushing me to make sure it succeeds. If you refuse to carry out the mission on your own, you'll be defying Gangasurah, who will one day become king, so remember that."
The third prince's pet project?
What on earth did you want this guy to do, that bastard Gangasutra?
"The guys who were sent before you have probably been killed by now. Have you seen them?"
"Now that I think about it, I think there was a time when the third prince personally executed someone…?!"
"Then it was your predecessor who was executed. That means Gangastora has high hopes for success here, to the point that he executed him with his own hands. If you don't want to be executed too, then you'll have to help me with all your might."
Her tone conveyed obvious intimidation.
He must be confident that he has the support of the third prince, Gangasurah, who is an absolute authority in what he does.
I won't let a mere private complain.
That much conviction wafts from her lips.
In that case, I guess I'll be a bit more forceful here as well...
If you don't share accurate information, you can't have a proper conversation.
"Gangasutra is no more."
"......teeth?"
"I killed him."
"Huh?!"
I could tell she misunderstood me.
They likely thought that he was a Niosebuku soldier sent from the royal capital.
A remote and foreign place like this. No one would come here without a reason. So, she probably thought that someone who did have business there was a soldier sent to assist her.
So we need to clear up that misunderstanding.
"I'm not from this country. I'm a foreigner. I come from a country that sees this country as an eyesore and wants it to disappear... let's just say that."
"That's the same as saying nothing at all. There are countless countries that think the niosebuku is an eyesore and want it gone."
I guess so.
"So you went undercover and took Gangastora's head to destroy Niosebuku?"
"I appreciate your quick understanding."
"Ha, who would believe you?! In this unexplored depths, there's no way to get a glimpse of what the royal capital is like! There's no way to prove your lie!"
Well, there's something she's right about that.
Is it unreasonable to proceed based on information that cannot be proven?
"...But maybe you really are an outsider. You don't have the slightest hint of manliness..."
"What exactly does that mean?"
"They're simple-minded and only value being 'strong'. And they think it's okay to look down on weaker people. That's why they find people with technology like me to be an eyesore…!!"
I'm sure I'm not mistaken when I hear a sense of real bitterness in his tone.
I felt like I had a glimpse of what she must have felt while living in this country.
"Well, I understand that you're not the help I was hoping for. So then, what on earth are you doing here, in this deserted bottomless place?"
It's not nothing.
You are here.
It is because of you, Septequifa's mother, that I have come all the way to this remote place.
I promised Septequifa that I would bring her mother back.
Septequifa's grandfather, the Dwarf King, is surely anxiously awaiting his daughter's safe return.
That's why we should explain the situation here and immediately urge him to return to the Dwarven nation.
But before that, there was something I really wanted to see.
"...Um, can I ask you a question?"
"What is it?"
"Why are you naked?"
"Hmm? Ah, this. Well, you were just underwater a moment ago, so your clothes are obviously off."
That's right...I haven't mentioned it until now, but Dakifa...she's dressed like Septekifa's mother.
I was completely naked with nothing to wear.
Since she is Septequifa's mother, she must be quite old.
And yet his dark skin, like polished steel, is glistening with countless droplets of water stuck to it.
"Dwarves have short limbs and are not good at swimming. If they wear clothes that absorb water and become heavy, they might sink and not be able to float. So it makes sense to go into the water completely naked."
As she says this, the female dwarf generously exposes her nipples and vagina in front of the male.
...Hmm, this is.
Looks like there was something I had to do before I could talk.