Ten days had passed since we resumed dungeon exploration.

During that time, we had entered the dungeon three times, including the first day.

It’s not like we were slacking off.

It was just that the hunts had been a bit tough, so we decided to limit our dungeon trips to once every three days.

We would focus for about two hours on an intense hunt, then spend the next two days lazing around.

That was the best approach for me.

Since we had gone to the dungeon yesterday, today was supposed to be a full day of relaxation… but—

“You’re heading to the lower floors? You, Fiora?”

Fiora had come to Seriana’s room, and it seemed she wanted to venture into the lower floors of the dungeon. Naturally, she had asked me to accompany her as a guard.

Well, rather than needing a guard, she was probably after 【Small Orbs】… Still, it was unusual for her to have business with the dungeon itself instead of just its materials.

However, she seemed to consider this quite important, as she got straight to the point as soon as she sat down on the sofa.

Seriana clearly hadn’t expected her to make such a request.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

“That’s unusual… If there’s a material you need from the dungeon, you could just put in a request with the stationed Knight Order, and they’d obtain it for you, wouldn’t they?”

“That’s true… I’ve also had a hand in adjusting some magic tools, and thanks to the base we established near the entrance to the middle floors, gathering materials from the dungeon has become much more efficient. But that’s not the issue.”

Fiora shook her head, then reached into the small pouch she had brought with her and pulled something out.

It resembled a combustion orb… but it was a bit larger and looked heavier.

About the size of a golf ball?

Even the little snakes seemed interested, extending their bodies from my sleeve to surround the orb.

“What’s that?”

Judging from the way the little snakes reacted, it was definitely some kind of magic tool…

“It’s a modified version of the combustion orb. You recently started using them again, didn’t you? There’s still plenty in stock, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to make some new ones. While I was at it, I had an idea.”

“Hmm?”

So far, I had taken down five Giant Apes in the lower floors, including the first day.

I had used seven combustion orbs.

Sometimes I needed two, either because the first missed or didn’t hit the head properly.

Still, as long as they hit their mark, they were incredibly effective. I didn’t see any particular need for improvements…

Yet Fiora started explaining without waiting for my response.

She had already switched into full-on lecture mode.

“The Knight Order had been requesting enhancements to the combustion orbs. They wanted a way to add more direct offensive power. So, I’ve been researching that bit by bit. But because of the nature of the material, I couldn’t test them freely in shallow areas.”

…What kind of thing was she trying to make?

“I heard that Lady Seriana entered the sealed dungeon, but at that time, this wasn’t finished yet, so I didn’t hand it over.”

“…Is it dangerous?”

Seriana’s voice took on a slightly rigid tone, likely uneasy about Fiora’s explanation.

“It won’t activate unless it directly hits a dungeon monster. The effect range is small, but it causes an explosion and generates extreme heat upon impact. The materials are a blend of several metal powders and monster cores.”

…Thermite, maybe?

That reaction involving aluminum powder to generate high temperatures.

I had never actually experimented with it myself, but I remembered something similar from my past life.

And on top of that, this one included an explosion… No wonder she couldn’t casually test it.

“That’s why I want to see the effect with my own eyes. I had been planning to test it in an open area on the upper floors when the opportunity arose, but with Sera around, we can go all the way to the lower floors, right? If it were just the two of us, I’d be worried about our defense, but Sera seems to be handling lower-floor monsters without issue, so I’d like to ask for her help with my experiment.”

“Hmm…”

I see.

Fiora’s firepower was comparable to Zighart’s, but when it came to direct combat, it was a different story.

Especially in terms of defense.

Well… Mages were originally supposed to be protected by a tank while they unleashed powerful magic.

With me around, she could count on both mobility and defense, which seemed to check all the boxes for her.

After finishing her explanation, Fiora looked at me expectantly.

All I had to do was head to the lower floors with her, help her test the item on monsters, then take down a few more creatures before heading back.

A simple job.

“I don’t see any problem with it, but what about you, Lady Seriana?”

“If it’s Fiora, then there shouldn’t be any issues… Very well. I’ll allow it.”

“Thank you. Sera, when would you be available? I can go anytime.”

Fiora responded happily to Seriana’s approval.

Looks like her switch was still on.

Might as well get this over with quickly.

“I’m fine with going anytime… How about today?”

“Oh? That works for me. Let’s do it.”

Fiora immediately jumped at my suggestion.

Well, she had helped me out a lot in various ways, so it was good to return the favor when I could.

Besides, I was a bit curious about the item myself.

An explosive, huh…? If it worked well, maybe I could use it too.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Sera・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind Garment】・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】【Red Sword】・24 cards

Seriana・【Area Identification】・【】・36 cards

Elena・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・4 cards

Alec・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・9 cards