Sōzoku Shita Sofu no Ie no Urayama ni Danjon ga Dekimashita

Takuya and Misuzu Descend to the Ground

We decided to eat lunch in the spacious room with the great view.

I placed the bento box on the oval table in my room, and we sat side by side on the chairs.

Inside was my favorite: chicken tatsuta-age (fried marinated chicken).

Misuzu, who’s been learning to cook from her mother, had woken up early to prepare it for us.

It was full of love and tasted absolutely delicious!

Hehe.

After finishing our lunch, we headed to the audience chamber.

We thanked the high-level spirit and told them we would be returning to the surface for now.

That treasure chest seemed to be the type that appears only once after opening—it never reappears.

The branch chief had said some chests appear repeatedly, others only once.

No monsters had appeared since.

We worried that monsters might come back now that the chest was gone, but for the moment, it was safe.

Even if monsters showed up again, the wind spirits would surely wipe them out.

I thought about the chest’s contents.

The set of equipment we got today probably matches Misuzu’s water-element set.

We hadn’t gotten an official appraisal yet.

Misuzu’s equipment was S-rank.

There are several lakes on the third basement floor, each filled with fierce fish monsters.

Finding treasure chests underwater in those lakes is difficult.

It’s the same with the sky castle.

The ground forces on the open plains are no match for the sky forces stationed in the castle.

To get the treasure, you have to avoid the sky forces’ attacks, climb the castle, take control, and defeat the boss.

Maybe the dungeon rank made by humans isn’t what decides the treasure inside.

Perhaps it’s the difficulty of acquiring the treasure itself.

That’s my guess.

I’ll share this theory with the branch chief when I report back.

It’s up to them to decide.

We left the castle and retraced our steps.

Reaching the edge of the clouds, I wrapped my left arm around Misuzu’s waist and held her close.

Then we jumped from the clouds!

Our bodies slowly descended.

When we reached the ground, Misuzu summoned Snow, who had stayed on the clouds.

Snow safely joined us, and we headed for the dungeon exit.