Dungeon's Final Boss: Banished by My Boss, the Goddess, to Earth—So I'll Continue My Past Life - 21

Chapter 21: Gold-Plated Memories

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『Ah, Minister!』

『Minister Niitaka! What about Hasegawa-san!?』

『Hasegawa-san has declined to attend the press conference, so I am here in his place. I will answer within the limits of what I can disclose.』

『Minister, regarding Hasegawa-san’s participation in the dungeon raid at ●● Airport…』

『I personally requested Hasegawa-san’s participation.』

『Will Hasegawa-san be joining the Ministry of Dungeons?』

『Unfortunately, he will not be joining the Ministry. However, after discussions, he has agreed to cooperate in handling dungeons designated for immediate conquest. The raid at ●● Airport was also a trial operation to assess coordination with our prepared raid team.』

『Minister, even though he is S-rank, he still requires other raid teams?』

『He is a rare type of Awakened who can use both support and healing abilities. However, because of that, a team to assist in combat is also necessary.』

The minister’s press conference was broadcast on the evening news.

“What a mess this has turned into…”

I turned off the TV with the remote, cutting off the image of Minister Niitaka, and took a swig of my canned beer. I never expected my identity to be exposed so easily after my first mistake, nor that I’d end up in a position where the higher-ups could use me. Of course, I wasn’t about to let them use me for free, so I negotiated for compensation, but whether the outcome was favorable for me remained to be seen.

“Well, it’s not like I lost anything, though.”

I had become an Awakened, but that didn’t mean I wanted to bask in the spotlight. If I did, eventually, someone would notice that no magic stones or drop items appeared when I defeated monsters. That would definitely raise suspicions. However, if I positioned myself as an Awakened specializing in support and healing, I’d have a valid reason for avoiding direct combat. Aligning myself with Minister Niitaka and revealing my circumstances to him might have been the best move I could make under the circumstances.

That said… Yeah. I still didn’t like the idea of someone higher up holding my fate in their hands. I had finally been freed from that overly cost-conscious goddess, and I had no desire to be pressured by someone else now. That was my biggest concern. I had avoided becoming a bureaucrat for the Ministry of Dungeons, but they still held the key to my secret. That being said, if I ever got serious, I doubted they had any way to stop me. So, I told myself the situation was at least balanced on both sides. 

Yeah. It’s not that bad I guess.

…Hmm? I could hear footsteps coming up the stairs. This cheap apartment had thin walls, so sounds from outside carried easily. My senses were much sharper now than they were before. These walls might as well not exist. It was so distracting that I even used a barrier when sleeping.

These footsteps… They sounded like Mio-chan. But… Something about them seemed different.

Ding-dong.

My doorbell rang. Wondering what it could be, I opened the door—only to find Mio-chan standing there, tears streaming down her face.

“Mio-chan?”

“Ugh… Sniff… Jiro-san, congratulations on reaching S-rank.”

“Oh, uh, thanks. And?”

Was she crying because of that? No way. That couldn’t be it.

“I really do want to celebrate, but… Sniff…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Ugh…”

Still crying, Mio-chan reached into her item box and pulled something out.

It was her beloved pickaxe. It was broken. The pick section, which she used to strike ores, had snapped clean in half.

“Oh, so it finally broke?”

“This was made for me by a production-type Awakened I met when I first started, but I already lost contact with that person…”

“Ah, so you can’t get it repaired?”

“Yes…”

Production-type Awakened were incredible craftsmen when it came to weapons, armor, and tools. However, they had one major flaw. Only the original creator could repair their own work. Because of that, while they could make amazing one-of-a-kind items, they weren’t suited for mass production. That said, I had heard there were ways around that…

“I’ve been through so much with it, and now, to part with it like this… Sniff…”

Mio-chan continued crying.

“Well… For now, just come inside.”

I couldn’t leave her standing out there in this state. And at this hour, taking her somewhere else—what, a family restaurant? That didn’t seem right either. With no other choice, I let her into my apartment. I needed to get her something to drink. Coffee would take too long. Nothing else on hand… Eh, Elixir should do. It looked and tasted just like orange juice, anyway.

“Here, drink this.”

“Thank you.”

As Mio-chan sniffled and drank the Elixir, I examined the broken pickaxe. On the streams, people had called it a gold-plated pickaxe, but looking at the cross-section, the inside was gold-colored as well. However, the material itself wasn’t gold.

What could it be?

Based on the color alone, I could rule out mithril, orichalcum, and adamantite. If it was a gold-colored metal, possibilities include brass, pyrite, or chalcopyrite, but none of those seemed suitable for a pickaxe head. That meant it was likely a unique alloy created by the manufacturer.

“Hmm, interesting.”

“Huh?”

At my murmuring, Mio-chan lifted her head. She seemed a lot calmer now. Was that the effect of the Elixir?

“Mio-chan, why don’t we try finding the person who made this pickaxe?”

“Huh?”

“You said you lost contact with them, but they haven’t passed away or anything, right?”

“Well, no…”

“Then we should have a way to track them down.”

“Eh, but… Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?”

“No, no. I’ve become quite interested in this alloy myself.”

This information could be useful for me.

“Oh, right! In the meantime, until we find them, you can use this.”

I crafted a pickaxe inside my item box and handed it to Mio-chan.

“Eh? Wait, this… Isn’t this pickaxe too amazing for me?”

“Not really.”

“No, this is definitely amazing!”

More than anything, I was excited about the prospect of getting my hands on a new material. Any regrets I had about becoming an S-rank Awakened had already disappeared.

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