落とし穴番外：男たちのロマン (Part1)
**Dungeon Side Story: A Man’s Romance**
**Side: Yuki**
“……Well then.”
I stood up slowly from my floor chair.
“The appointed time is almost here.”
It was nearly nine o’clock. Usually, this would be the time I’d be buried in work. But today, I was taking it easy. The reason was simple: it was a day off. Some might call it heinous for a ruler to take a break, but here in Weed, we make sure to take our time off. Sure, there are plenty of times when trouble prevents it, but we always make up for those days later. Today was one of those make-up days.
And this wasn’t just any day off. Because…
*Ding-dong.*
The chime echoed through the house.
“Oh, they’re here.”
I headed to the entrance to greet them.
“Welcome.”
When I opened the door, there stood…
“Yo, Yuki-san.”
“Hey, Yuki-kun. We’re here.”
“Greetings.”
Taiki-kun, Taizo-san, and Zargis were standing there.
Yes, today wasn’t just a day off; it was a gathering of men. Which meant, for once, there were no wives acting as my bodyguards.
“I want to confirm the situation, so come on in.”
I led the three of them to my private room and served tea.
“It’s a bit late to ask, but isn’t it a problem for you to be without your wife-bodyguards, Yuki-san?”
“Indeed. More than that, the fact that they all managed to leave your side at the same time is quite surprising.”
“Truly. What exactly did you tell them?”
“It’s nothing strange. It’s been arranged that these three will act as my temporary guards. Besides, all my wives had unavoidable business today.”
Even on a day off, it’s usually impossible for me to be alone in a room. Having one of my wives acting as a bodyguard is the norm. But today, everyone happened to be busy, leaving me without my usual protection. I’d managed to smooth things over by calling in Taiki-kun and the others as replacements.
“Ah, I suppose they just assumed you’d be spending the day gaming as usual.”
“I see. That makes sense. That’s what we would usually assume, too.”
“But this time is different, right?”
“Exactly. Now, did everyone bring their identification?”
At my question, they all nodded and pulled out their IDs. However, the names written on them were not their own.
My ID read: *Aki.*
Taiki-kun’s ID read: *Fuyu.*
Taizo-san’s ID read: *Natsu.*
Zargis’s ID read: *Haru.*
Yes, a magnificent set of forged documents.
“No trails leading back to us?”
“None. I obtained them through the proper back-alley channels.”
“If we’d tried to get these out in the open, word would have reached the higher-ups. This was the only way.”
“…*Sigh*. I feel like I’m the one who’s going to get scolded the most, so please, make sure you follow up on this.”
“I know, I know. Let’s go.”
“““Right.”””
And so, armed with our fake IDs, we ventured out into the town. Of course, we weren’t just going out for a meal. The place we were heading to was…
“Welcome.”
The man who greeted us was a surly-looking old guy sitting behind a counter. This was an independent shop in the Adventurer District that dealt in arms and armor. In short, a weapon shop. For those of us who love RPGs, it was a place of dreams.
“Old man, mind if I take a look?”
“Go ahead. You’re trusting your life to your gear, so look closely. If you want anything from the display case, let me know.”
“Thanks.”
His response was surprisingly professional. Well, I suppose expecting restaurant-level hospitality from a craftsman like this is asking too much. Besides, it would be hard to answer if he greeted us with, “How would you like your weapons served today?”
Thinking this, we began to inspect the gear in the shop.
“Oh, is this a short sword?”
What I picked up was a blade too short to be a long sword, but too long to be a knife.
“Indeed. A short sword. It’s a staple in RPGs for having low attack power, but in reality, that’s not necessarily the case.”
“True. If you can’t swing a weapon properly, you can’t land an attack.”
Exactly. The feel of it in my hand was fine for a blade; the real question was whether I could swing it effectively. Conversely, holding a long sword or a bastard sword you can’t handle is just a waste of space. That’s why the weapons with the highest attack power in an RPG aren’t always the best ones.
“That’s right. The power drops. Well, *Dark Sou—* simulates that quite well.”
“Indeed. In that game, if you don’t have the specific stats, your damage is halved even if you swing the weapon.”
It’s interesting how everyone in this group understands gaming references. Still, we couldn’t just stand around staring forever.
“Well, sorry to cut the fun short, but time is limited and our budget is set. Let’s make our choices.”
“Agreed. But shouldn’t we choose our weapons based on our party composition?”
“True. I’m sure everyone has their own preferences, but what do you think?”
“Well, I’m always a back-line mage, so for once, I’d like to try being a front-line swordsman.”
Oh? Surprisingly, Zargis was the first to volunteer for the front line. I’d assumed he’d want to take it easy as a mage.
“In that case, I’ll take a break from being a researcher today and act as a front-line swordsman as well.”
*Freeze.*
At Taizo-san’s words, the three of us stiffened. It wouldn’t be polite to say what was on the tip of our tongues, but we couldn’t stay frozen forever. Remembering that he was a master of the Jigen-ryu style who had even managed to restrain Taiki-kun, the Hero, we immediately snapped back into action and continued our search.
“So, Taizo-san and Zargis on the front line. Zargis, are you really sure about that?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Since I’m using a different weapon than Taizo-san, I’ll take a spear. I’ll carry a short sword as a backup, of course.”
Zargis said this while eyeing the long sword Taizo-san was holding. Well, if Taizo-san was going with a long sword, a spear would be better for reach anyway.
“Then, I suppose I’ll provide support from the rear with a bow?”
“Oh, Taiki-kun, you can use a bow?”
“Yes. There were times when I had to do a bit of everything. I’m not exactly a marksman, but I can hit a target better than a beginner.”
“That’s good enough. Then I’ll be the mage and carry a crossbow.”
“That might be for the best. But if you’re a mage, shouldn’t you be carrying a staff?”
“Ah, come to think of it, normal mages do carry staves. Boosters, right?”
“Yes. A staff enhances and improves the efficiency of magic. It’s essential for a beginner. How about this one?”
Zargis handed me a staff. It was thick and heavy, with a large grip that looked nothing like a magic tool. Was this thing actually a blunt weapon?
“Can I even use this?”