Vending Machine - 133 - Teleportation Circle (Patreon)

Now that we had achieved our goal, it was time to return to the village. This time, instead of being loaded onto the cart, I was carried by Ramis.

I don’t mind being on the cart, but I still prefer to be carried by Ramis.

It may seem weird to others that I find being carried around by a girl comforting, but it was like returning home after a three-day work trip out of town. There is a sense of relief and comfort that could not be found elsewhere.

With Ramis in our party, we decided to take on the straight main road towards the entrance, confident in our ability to take on large groups of enemies. Even so, there seem to be far fewer enemies compared to yesterday.

Moreover, what enemies we did encounter appeared to have very little will to fight. The desperate feeling from yesterday appeared to have disappeared. The Fat Boar demons actually started to panic and run away when they realised how easily we defeated their companions.

This was completely different from yesterday when they would still relentlessly attack until every single one of them had been taken down. This change was truly unusual. We discussed it and concluded that:

“It was likely that a Commander may have been caught up in the flood and drowned.”

Hyurumi put it to words most succinctly as she relaxed inside the cart, her feet up on the edge. There was a wry smile on her face as the rest of us exchanged looks.

By the way, we have already informed Kikoyu and the others about the existence of these ‘commanders’ and they looked convinced too.

“It’s possible that they may have been controlling the Lava Demon and were trying to get it to somehow break the barrier around the Labyrinth. Too bad they were drowned along with the Lava Demon.”

[1] If that’s the case, the human manipulator must have really drowned or been struck to death by the sudden water flow. How pitiful for the Commander of this floor to die without even making their appearance.

“In other words, with the ‘commander’ gone, the problem on this Floor has been resolved?” asked Kikoyu earnestly.

“Perhaps, it’s hard to tell since we don’t have any proof one way or another. There is really no way for us to investigate this matter further,” said Hyurumi.

We did try to find out what sort of destruction we had wrecked with the sudden flooding. However, with how many ways the path split, there was no real way to find out what had happened. In the end, we decided to just give up and get out of this place.

[2] It would be great if we could grab the Labyrinth Commander and make them talk, but if they had been swept away by the current, the chances of survival would be slim.

[3] “Well, the dungeon won’t be broken even if we lose this floor,” said Director Bear. “In the end, it’s better to evacuate residents from this floor to Clearflow Lake for the moment. Until the dungeon stabilizes at least.”

In other words, it may be a wise move to abandon this floor since it rarely receives visitors anyway.

“So, the plan is to move everyone to Clearflow Lake?” asked Hyurumi.

“Haahh, there are probably mountains of paperwork just waiting for me there…” There was an oddly indescribable expression on Director Bear’s face.

I was just considering giving some relaxing Honey Lemon Juice to the Director when a small hand touched my side.

“Hakkon-san, it may be presumptuous of me, but if you wish to speak with Ramis-san, perhaps I could interpret for you?”

It was Kikoyu, of course. She was leaning out of the cart, her hand against my side. I wanted to answer ‘Yes’ immediately, but I swallowed that impulse. It may be petty pride, but I wish to communicate with her through my own abilities.

I have no idea when I can speak more fluently or learn <Telepathy>, but I still want to establish communication through my own ability. Not to mention, if I were to speak through Kikoyu, she would have access to all of our private discussions.

My goal is to one day have a heart-to-heart talk with Ramis, just the two of us. So, let’s be patient for now.

“It-is-fine”

"I see. I apologize for overstepping."

"No-thank you."

Kikoyu’s offer came from a place of kindness, so I am not going to criticize her. Therefore, I shall express my gratitude.

Surely, one day, I shall be able to speak more with Ramis. So, please wait for me until that day comes.

"Hm? Did you say something, Hakkon?"

"No"

I am frustrated by my lack of vocabulary and syllable count. However, one day, we shall be able to talk until our throats run dry.

Please read this at kitchennovel dot com ~

“The teleportation circle has been charged up! It’s all good! The flow of magic is normal!” Hyurumi shouted as she practically danced around the teleportation circle, trying to inspect everything at once.

Looks like she was really disappointed with herself for not seeing through the trick in the circle and was making it up by double-triple-checking everything. It was the first time I saw her being so cautious.

“Then, allow me to go alone first. It is my duty as a Director to ensure the safety of the residents.”

Director Bear stepped into the middle of the teleportation circle, a smile floating up to his face.

“I’m pretty confident that it would be alright this time, but I guess someone should try it out first. If this happens to fail, please accept my apologies, Director.”

“I trust you. If it really did fail, it is worth going first as it would ensure the safety of others. I will not regret it.”

Director Bear truly deserves respect as a leader. If one thinks logically, it may be better for the future of Clearflow Lake Floor for the Director to go later, and take command of the people now.

Still, I think it is really admirable for the leader to take the initiative to face a crisis for the sake of others.

I have seen plenty of mayors and councillors who only know how to spout fine words, but rarely put themselves in danger for the sake of others. Just how many true leaders there are in this world?

Hyurumi touched the edge of the teleportation circle and muttered something under her breath. It must be some sort of keyword that activates the circle. Blue light suddenly poured out of the teleportation circle and Director Bear disappeared in the light.

The last time this happened, a red light appeared. However, this time a more normal colour had appeared.

Once the light reached the ceiling, there was no sign of Director Bear.

“The magical flow remains normal. I can feel the connection of this teleportation circle with the one above. Yes, it’s a success!”

Hyurumi declared, fist clenched with joy.

She had made some bold statements earlier, but it looked like she was really nervous about whether the circle was actually working.

“Well, let’s go in turns. You there, you guys go next!”

The inhabitants of the Labyrinth Floor had been collected and would be transported to Clearflow Lake in groups of five. Once the inhabitants have gone over, Kikoyu and her team also stepped onto the teleportation circle. They plan to settle in Clearflow Lake for the time being and decide on their next move. It would be great to have their help, but Kikoyu’s party have their own goals, so we can’t really force them to join us.

“Alright, it's just us left. Let's go together.”

Hyurumi also stepped into the teleportation circle. Ramis moved to the middle of the circle with me on her back.

At last, we can finally return to Clearflow Lake Floor, right? It had been almost a month since I left that place, right? I haven’t been keeping track of the number of days, but there’s a vague feeling that the peak of summer must have passed by then.

Even if we were gone or something happened to us, the elderly couple and the gatekeepers would still be there. the Director of Beginner’s Floor is also there now, so there’s no need to worry about the chain of command. It’s reassuring to think that we would be returning to a place of order, if not peace.

“I’m going to active it now~”

“Okay~”

“Welcome”

Ramis and I reply cheerfully.

Once we arrive on the other side, I must get my stocks ready for my regulars.

Karios and Gols must be waiting impatiently for me. Should I surprise them by showing off some products from the <Auto-vending Convenience Store>?

I also want to know what happened to the people who moved from the Beginner’s Floor, especially the orphans. Are they getting along well there?

I should give them their favourite food and sweets.

While I am going down the list of things to do once I get back to Clearflow Lake Floor, the teleportation circle activated and red light seemed up from the ground.

…Wait, red light?!

“What’s going on?! There was nothing with the circle just now?!”

Hyurumi shouted as she glared at the increasingly bright light. She was shaking her head in confusion and screaming.

“We have to get out!” Ramis shouted back.

“No! If we leave the circle after it’s activated, we could leave parts of our bodies behind!”

A partial body teleportation would be a disaster!

What should we do? The teleportation will really activate in a few more seconds. Can’t we do anything---?

“No! I don’t want to leave Hakkon!!”

Ramis set me down, only to turn around to grab me tightly from the front.

I don’t want to be separated from Ramis either. However, this situation could repeat itself like that time. We’ll have no idea where anyone is transported to. We could only hope that we would all be transported to the same Floor. So long as everyone is together… wait, together?

Raising my volume to the max, I called out, “Co-me he-re”

Hyurumi, who looked like she was on the verge of collapsing looked up reflexively. Fortunately, her quick brain instantly understood my message and she immediately ran over to us.

She practically threw herself over and stuck to my side along with Ramis.

It was a gamble of sort, but not a bad bet. I activated <Barrier> around us for extra reassurance. Perhaps this way, the teleportation circle would think of us as one entity and teleport us together to the same floor.

As the ominous red light rose around us, Ramis and Hyurumi closed their eyes and held onto me tightly.

Please, let everyone be teleported to the same place!

[Gumihou: Woah, okay. I did not expect that to happen.]

[1] Re-worded it so that it sounded less repetitive

[2] Added detail for the text to make sense

[3] "Well, even if they were in a different place, they wouldn't be able to release the labyrinth barrier."

Absolutely no idea what this was supposed to mean.