Chapter Eighty-three: The Mysteries Just Keep Piling Up
What’s been bugging me about this whole situation is: "Why did Gomamiso take a liking to me in the first place?" If it was after I fed it, that would make sense, but it liked me even before that, which is strange.
“…Why did you take a liking to me, Gomamiso? I mean, I hadn’t even fed you, you know?”
‘Well, you smelled nice!’
“Smelled nice? I?”
‘Yes! You have a nice smell! You seemed kind!’
“…You really can communicate, huh… To me, it just sounds like meowing!”
“Don’t worry, Tori. All I hear is meowing too.”
As I pet Gomamiso’s throat, it purrs contentedly with narrowed eyes and opens its mouth wide.
…Wait, smell!? What kind of smell is nice to a cat!? Could it mean I stink!? I’ve been getting cleansing spells regularly, but could it be that I smell of sweat or something!? No way, seriously!? I instinctively sniffed my arm… but I couldn’t smell anything strange… though… Oh, but I’ve heard that "you can’t smell your own scent," so maybe I do have a weird smell…!
While I was panicking, Mr. Tori sat down in front of me, holding his head, and Mr. Ville tilted his head. Hmm? I feel like Mr. Ville and the rest could understand it when we were in the dungeon… Maybe that was because the Dungeon Core was nearby, acting like a speaker or translator?
“Come to think of it, Rin. What’s that cat saying?”
“Well… it’s saying something about me smelling nice, but do I really have a strange smell?”
“No, I wouldn’t say you have any particular scent, but… I can kind of understand what this little guy is saying. It’s hard to explain, but it’s like the scent of your soul, or the resonance of your mana… Something like that might have resonated with him.”
“Ah… um… So, should I take it as we got along well, that we’re compatible?”
“Well, that’s close enough.”
While Mr. Tori was groaning with his head in his hands, Mr. Ville reached out to Gomamiso. Gomamiso’s body twitches for a moment, thinking it might get hit, but the hand just gently strokes its cheek. As the hand moves from its cheek to its mouth and throat, Gomamiso narrows its eyes and purrs. Wow! Mr. Ville is quite skilled at this.
…Wait a minute!
I didn’t expect even Mr. Ville to say he understands the whole "I liked you because you smelled nice" thing! I’m relieved that I don’t have a strange smell, but what on earth is going on here!?
…Well. I don’t really get it, but I guess I’ll just accept that Gomamiso and I are compatible! All this talk about souls and mana is a bit beyond the concepts I’ve developed so far… Basically, I suppose it’s like we’re kindred spirits or soul siblings or something.
The other thing that’s been bothering me is why the Dungeon Boss, which was supposed to be the guardian of the Dungeon Core, abandoned its duty and came along with us… I think this might be because I accidentally turned what was supposed to be a powerful but generic monster "Dungeon Boss" into a unique individual by naming it… You know, like that theory in Japanese fantasy where "names are spells, and by naming something, you can bind various things to it"?
“I wonder if Gomamiso is no longer a Dungeon Boss because it became Gomamiso.”
“Well, since it became a unique named monster… that possibility can’t be ruled out.”
“I never imagined something like this would happen…”
‘I’m having fun, so it’s no problem!’
So, by naming it, the generic Dungeon Boss became a unique monster "Gomamiso," and because it became a unique monster, it was freed from its role as a "Dungeon Boss," and now enjoys life as the unique monster "Gomamiso"… Is that how it works?
While two of us are fluffing Gomamiso, Mr. Tori finally revived. He sat up and stared at us with half-dead eyes.
“It ain’t my place to say, but this is way beyond what a mere Guildmaster like me can handle…”
“Yes. About that, given how things have turned out, there’s no point for me to be stubborn. I was thinking we should ask for his judgment.”
“…Ville, if you say that’s best, it might be our only option. Really, this case is way out of my league!”
Mr. Tori and Mr. Ville exchanged a mysterious look.
From the nuance, it seems they’re talking about reporting to someone above the Guildmaster and asking for judgment, but who’s this "he" they’re referring to!?
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