DELICIOUS IN DUNGEON
I overslept!
I can't hear his heartbeat.
Of course, you can't hear it from over his armor.
He finally managed to fall asleep a little while ago.
Seems like the food poisoning symptoms are letting up as well.
I see. So, I made a fuss over nothing.
Let him sleep a little longer.
It seems he was delirious all throughout the night.
You know, here in this dungeon, even the number of monsters
that are defeated by intruders are taken into account.
Even when we defeat monsters,
we're only maintaining the balance of the ecosystem.
But if we let them be, the monsters will wander into towns.
And the towns will hire adventurers to hunt the monsters.
It's designed so well.
What are you talking about?
The design of the dungeon, of course.
I studied it in school a long time ago.
But it was really tricky.
Hey, look.
That's Marcille from the graduate school, isn't it?
The most brilliant female student in the school's history!
I heard she assisted a teacher on her very first day here.
And I heard she's already on track to become the court mage.
Wow, that's amazing!
I didn't start as a teacher's assistant until my fifth day of school,
and as for becoming a court mage, it's just that my parent used to be one.
Today, I asked the teacher to let me join the class.
I hope we can get along.
-Y-Yeah! -Y-Yeah!
Today, we will try a spirit breeding experiment.
Everyone, take a jar each and go outside.
Prepare wooden planks with holes in them
and place them inside a jar, sandwiching them between layers of soil.
Create a barrier,
fill the jar with magic,
and release the spirits into it.
The tiny spirits live solely on the magic inside the jar.
If the magic is too strong or too weak, they will die.
Breeding spirits is considered the foundation of summoning magic.
Because its structure resembles that of a dungeon that houses monsters,
it's referred to as a "dungeonium."
When you're done, place your jar inside the darkroom.
We'll check on them a week from now.
Wow, your barrier is so pretty, Marcille!
Are you sure this is your first time?
But why are you studying summoning magic?
It's not your main field of study, is it?
I'm researching how to create a safe dungeon.
Right now, I'm focused on the ingredients of magic.
For example,
the way we currently gather Mandrakes is quite dangerous.
But if I can design a safe dungeon
and grow only beneficial monsters inside it,
I believe I could contribute to society.
Wow.
That's so cool.
Check out Marcille's barrier!
It's so beautiful!
I want to see it, too!
Let me see!
Watch out!
Are you okay?
T-Thanks.
The soil has impurities mixed in,
and there are many gaps in the barrier, causing the magic to weaken.
At this rate, the spirits inside won't be able to survive for long.
I hope your uniform didn't get dirty.
That girl is always covered in mud,
and she keeps skipping class, so she's always lagging behind.
Everyone, retrieve your jars
and check how many spirits are still alive.
Oh no, they're all dead!
They're just barely alive.
I bred a new spirit species!
That's mold.
If there are many spirits still alive, the fire will burn strongly.
Yours are almost in the same condition as they were a week ago.
Good work.
M-My jar!
Your spirits have multiplied quite a lot.
What should I do?
I'll take care of it.
How did you manage to do that?
I-I'm sorry.
There's this place that's always teeming with spirits,
and I thought that using it as a reference might work.
Teeming with spirits?
Where is this place?
U-Um...
This jar likely has just as many spirits as you'd find in a dungeon.
This will make a splendid sample.
It's inside a real dungeon.
This is where I sneak outside.
A hidden passage?
Are you always doing stuff like this?
Yup!
So, that's why you're lagging behind.
A grasshopper!
Raspberries!
Don't eat something so mysterious!
Don't touch them, either! They could be poisonous and dangerous!
T-They're not mysterious.
Grasshoppers and raspberries aren't poisonous, either.
It's a real dungeon.
I've never seen one before.
There's stagnant magic here, and the air is still.
It's a naturally formed cave.
Hey, it's dangerous!
Don't worry.
I come here often.
You'll be safe as long as you stay on the dry ground.
Wow.
Dungeons really are teeming with spirits.
I took the soil and water from here and placed them inside my jar.
I see.
What do you usually do when you come here?
I write letters and read books.
So, this is totally the result of her slacking off.
Anyway, this place seems pretty safe.
Hold on.
If I cultivate this place and plant Mandrakes,
I'll be able to use the dungeon's magic safely.
Yes, it should work.
It's a good distance from the water as well.
S-Slime!
We should burn all monsters!
N-No!
What did you do that for?
It won't venture into a sunlit area.
Slimes break down bat droppings and convert them into magic.
Without them, the dungeon will wither away.
Bats...
Here.
It's good.
If they taste this good, I'm sure other animals eat them, too.
I wonder what the bats here eat.
When do these raspberries bear fruit?
What animals feed on them?
Without knowing that, I won't be able to design a dungeon.
There's so much I don't know.
Thanks for bringing me here.
I thought all I had to do was study magic to improve.
But it seems like I was mistaken.
By the way, um...
I'm Falin. What's your name?
I'm Marcille.
Falin, I'd love to be friends with you.
The most brilliant female student in the school's history?
That's gotta be false.
It's true!
Back in school, I was a top-notch student, you know!
Anyway, this dungeon is a mind-boggling place.
It's calculated to a tee,
and continuously circulates enormous amounts of magic.
If this lunatic magician really exists,
he's definitely far from being sane.
Senshi, it would be best for you to find another place to live.
That's none of your concern.
In the first place, you hate magic,
but this dungeon itself is constructed from magic!
I can't hear you.
I see.
So she was talking about you.
When my sister had just enrolled in magic school,
her letters to me were full of worry.
But ever since she told me that she had made a friend,
it seemed like she was enjoying every day.
She said you were an amazing person.
She was always complimenting you.
She complimented you, too.
She said she respected you.
Did she, now?
What's he good at?
He's really good at imitating a dog.
Oh, well, I guess this isn't the time to be whining.
All right.
Let's go and rescue Falin as soon as we can!
Come on!
If you're awake, get up already!
Here's where we are now.
And this is the place the orcs mentioned where the Red Dragon was spotted.
It should take us about two days to get there.
The dragon probably won't stay in one place,
but it's not the sort of monster that roams around, either.
Ideally, we'll set up camp only two times more.
Once at the halfway point
and then again just before we reach the Red Dragon.
We'll kick Laios out of bed when the candle burns out.
Make sure to be ready.
Our next break is going to be a little way off.
I want to wipe myself down.
Where?
I'll do it in the corner of the room.
Be quick about it.
We'll be waiting outside.
You can stay here.
I can do it clothed, you know.
If you say so.
I'm bothering them, aren't I?
Maybe I should've studied illusion magic.
But that's not the issue, is it?
It was easier when half of us were girls.
This is where we part.
What? Do you really have to leave now?
We still don't know what happened to Falin.
Sorry, but we have to make a living, too.
Just thinking about it is making me upset.
And I thought they were our friends!
Get up, Laios!
Hey, wake up!
It's time to go!
There.
Oops. I boiled too much water.
U...
Undine!
What is it?
My staff!
My Water-Walk...
The water is moving.
You can't use weapons! We need fire.
Fire?
I could start a fire.
Marcille, do something on your own!
Easier said than done.
I hope I can hit it.
Marcille, don't just stand there!
Stay away from the water!
Your Water-Walk effects have worn off!
Marcille!
This is bad! Keep moving!
I can't get away from it with this leg.
Where is it hiding?
She's moving so slowly. I can't bear to watch!
Just give me a moment to start a fire!
It won't be ready in time...
I'm running low on magic.
I have to make my next attack count.
Where is it?
There must be some sort of sign.
There!
It's colored with blood.
It's so fast.
Marcille!
Hey.
It's...
There's only one thing to do.
Run!
Marcille, how are you doing?
I stopped the bleeding, but I'm low on blood and magic.
I can't make a full recovery.
Sorry.
Don't be.
Rest for a bit.
Yeah.
I should've paid more attention to Falin's healing magic lessons.
Hey, Laios.
What do we do now?
We can't continue on with a mage out of magic.
And we can't move forward without Water-Walk either.
Let's wait for other adventurers to come by.
One of them might be a healer or a mage.
You really think a helpful adventurer will just happen to show up?
We don't even have anything to offer in return anyway.
The only thing we have is Kelpie meat.
Better hope our adventurer is starving, then.
This source of nutrition is a precious rarity in this dungeon.
That's beside the point!
Meat.
Do you have its liver as well?
Of course.
After all, the liver is rich in iron.
Iron...
This means...
-A barbecue! -A barbecue!
Mane, neck, liver,
ribs, tail, round, loin,
and vegetables.
KELPIE GRILLED MEAT
Marcille.
Can you sit up?
We prepared something nice for you.
Round meat.
What about the liver?
The guts should be cooked thoroughly.
Sorry, Marcille. I'll be eating first.
It's not so gamey.
Yeah, it's a bit stringy, but it's good.
Does it taste more like a horse or a marine animal?
It's too bad I haven't had the chance to try either, so I can't say.
Rib meat.
The fat tastes sweet.
It's so soft.
Marcille, the liver is done.
Tenderloin meat.
It melts in your mouth.
I love this.
More liver for you, Marcille.
Tail meat.
It's good.
It tastes pretty interesting.
Have more, Marcille.
More liver, Marcille.
Is it good, Marcille?
Eat up, Marcille.
How do you like it, Marcille?
Let me eat the other parts, too!
Looks like she's regained some energy.
Liver sure is potent.
But what are we going to do about her magic shortage?
If only there was a meat that could replenish magic.
Why did you stuff magic grass in a Basilisk?
I believe it was the best choice.
Is it just me, or do you also smell something?
It's coming from below.
What is that smell?
Is it the scent of grilling meat?
Someone must be cooking.
What, seriously?
What kind of fool
cooks meat in a place like this?
Subtitle translation by: Ai Matsuoka