Chapter 9: A Fresh Start
Right after returning from the dungeon, I was supposed to be lying on the sofa.
And yet, for some reason, I found myself waking up in bed as the afternoon sun streamed in. What kind of phenomenon is this?
Maybe I overdid it playing around in the dungeon. My whole bodyās sore with muscle pain. I guess my first real adventure took more out of me than I expected.
ā¦That said, Masterās been unusually kind, even looking somewhat apologetic. He hasnāt tried anything weird, and heās even been spoiling me with fancy snacks loaded with sugar and spices.
Well, itās not like Iām complaining about him being kind, so Iāve decided not to think too hard about it.
"Haaah⦠Getting so sore I canāt walk just from a little dungeon fun⦠Iām kind of pathetic, arenāt I? I really need to build some stamina."
"Senpaiā¦"
This time, Iāve really learned my lessonāif you want to do anything, stamina is key. That was my declaration of resolve, but this is the reaction I get?
Why is Lulu looking at me with such pity in her eyes?
I recovered quickly. After a bit of rest, I was back to exploring the dungeon, and a fair amount of time has passed since then.
Even while I was recovering, Master barely laid a hand on me. He was strangely kind, which honestly gave me the creeps. Not that kindness is a bad thing, but I canāt help wondering what brought on the sudden change of heart.
Speaking of creepy⦠for a while after my first dungeon dive, I would start trembling every time I saw a horse in town. No idea why.
I donāt remember having any traumatic memories involving horses, so maybe I had some weird nightmare when I was exhausted?
Iāve mostly gotten over it now, so itās fineābut not knowing the cause of a change in yourself⦠thatās scary, isnāt it?
After getting through that strange spell, Iāve gained a fair bit of experience. Iāve gotten used to dungeon exploration and combat, and Iām not holding the party back nearly as much anymore.
The time it takes to clear the Peteshe Dungeon has been cut to about half of what it used to be. Now, weāve moved on to another dungeonāthe Underground Bell Tower Dungeon located near Peteshe.
The Underground Bell Tower Dungeon is about twice the size of the Peteshe Dungeon. Itās considered the kind of place a novice would tackle once theyāve gotten the hang of dungeon crawling. Master already cleared it solo ages ago, so this is just training for Lulu and me.
As a guy, adventurous stuff like this gets my blood pumping. Canāt be helped, right? Itās a fantasy world with dungeons, after all.
"There are a lot of enemies here that use magic. Backliners, stay sharp."
"Understood."
We were fully prepared. At the entrance, Master gave us the briefingāand now, itās go time!
ā¦Or so I thought, all pumped up and ready, but as usual, it turned into another Master domination speedrun.
Before I knew it, weād already reached the 20th floor out of 50. Without a single break.
So far, the enemies havenāt been all that different from the ones in Peteshe. Maybe a few goblins that could cast basic magic.
"Hm?"
Lulu twitched her ears and looked down the hallway.
I strained my ears too, curious what sheād picked upāand sure enough, I heard voices. Itās not rare to run into other parties in the dungeon, but since thereās always a risk of them being bandits or something, we have to stay alert.
"Shuuya-sama, I hear voices. Sounds like⦠one male, two females."
Iāve got decent ears, but when it comes to scouting, Luluās way ahead of me. Iām mainly there to help Master conserve manaālighting torches, unlocking treasure chests, that kind of thing. I attack sometimes too, but yeah.
"Got it. Stay alert. Sora, donāt stray from Lulu."
"Yessir!"
I gave a sharp nod and moved behind Lulu. If I cling too close, Iād get in her way, so I stayed just within armās reach and the two of us followed Masterās lead.
We advanced a bit farther down the hallway, and soon, I saw a familiar figureāa chestnut-haired boy with his back to us. I was sure Iād seen him somewhere before.
The boy turned around, probably noticing us, and gave off a wary vibe. Near him stood a flashy red-haired woman wearing a high-slit robe and holding a staff, and a quiet-looking girl with golden hair and a curvy figure that guys would no doubt find appealing.
They seemed to be his party members.
"Hello there."
"ā¦Hello."
In the dungeon, greetings are essential.
Master spoke cheerfully to avoid spooking them, but the boy gave Sora and Lulu a tense glance and frowned a little. Since neither of us were wearing our hoods, maybe thatās what drew his attention.
In general, long ears are associated with goblin or dwarf hybrids.
And among those, half-goblins donāt have the best reputation. Theyāre known to be stupid, crude, and violent.
For the record, the reason I got mistaken for a half-goblin and sold off was probably because I started out talking rough and acting like a delinquent. Looking back, I think it turned out to be a lucky move.
"Who are they?"
"Ah, rightāmy slaves."
Master answered casually, and Lulu and I bowed in sync to match his introduction. From the looks of it, the other party seems like a typical groupāno visible collars or anything.
ā¦Wait a second. Now that I get a closer look, I remember. Thatās the boy who once sold off his childhood friend!
Itās been over a month since then, hasnāt it? I wonder what happened to his childhood friend?
"...Making a girl your slave? I canāt approve of that."
The boyāCain-kun, was it?āhad the nerve to say that, and I couldnāt help but freeze up for a moment.
Coming from someone who enslaved and sold his own childhood friend, those words are rich. Before he lectures anyone, I want to ask him when he plans to go pick her up.
"ā¦Ouch. Right where it hurts. Well, it was by mutual agreement, and I plan to protect them properly."
Master gave a wry chuckle, clearly trying to keep the peaceābut I could tell he was a bit irritated. I just hope he doesnāt end up taking out his frustration on us later. If we end up back in that secret underground room again, Iāwaitā¦
Hold on. Have I ever been taken to an underground room?
ā¦Huh? Just thinking about it is making my whole body tremble.
"S-Senpai?"
"I-It's nothing, really⦠Itās just⦠when I think about⦠u-underground rooms Iāblblblblā"
"Ahhh, no, senpai, donāt think about it! Stop!"
Lulu hugged me tightly to her chest and gently stroked my head, but I couldnāt stop shaking.
Ababababababa.
Huh!?
W-What just happened to me? My memoryās hazy. We were in the dungeon⦠we met Cain-kun⦠he said something outrageous⦠and thenā¦?
"Shuuya-sama, senpaiās come back to her senses~"
"Oh, you okay, Sora?"
"Uh⦠yes�"
I realized I was swaying a bitāLulu was carrying me on her back as we walked. Huh⦠I really canāt remember. My memory lapses are getting worse lately. I hope itās not some weird illnessā¦
"Shuuya-sama, you definitely went too far. Even I was completely freaked out by that one."
"Yeah, yeah, I admit I went overboardā¦"
Why is Master getting scolded by Lulu? What even happened after the dungeon? I really want to know⦠but at the same time, I really donāt want to know. What am I supposed to do with this feeling?
"Oh, rightāwhat about that guyā¦?"
No use fretting. Time to switch gears. Cain-kun was nowhere in sightāguess we mustāve split up already. I wanted to ask about his childhood friend, though.
"He got all confrontational. Then when you collapsed, he used it as an excuse to run off⦠sigh."
Master let out an exaggerated sighāseems heās not too fond of Cain. Not that I can blame him. I donāt like the guy either.
"For now, just hang in there a little longer, senpai. Weāre almost at the portal that leads straight to the exit."
Looks like weād cut the exploration short and were heading out. Well, if one party member is down, it canāt be helped⦠Still, I feel pathetic.
We used the dedicated escape elevator that appears on every multiple-of-five floor to return to the dungeon entrance, then headed into the attached guild outpostāstandard for most dungeons.
While Master went to exchange the collected loot for money, Lulu and I stayed behind in the resting area.
Itās sort of like an open cafĆ©, or maybe a food court? A wide, open space with rows of tables and chairs. Adventurers gathered around, chatting and relaxing.
Some parties clinked their mugs together with joyous laughter, while others sat in silence, comforting weeping comrades in what looked like a wake. There were even crass men surrounded by armed women in collars. Truly a mixed crowd.
Dungeons are where drama happens. Best not to start pointless fights, so I tried not to make eye contact with anyone. I sipped the juice Master had ordered for me and munched on some snacks.
Thereās no law restricting alcohol by age here, but that doesnāt mean you should go getting drunk for no reason.
I had some chipsāthinly sliced root vegetables fried until crispāand a grilled platter of ham and bacon. Apparently, Master came up with all of these and spread the recipes around. Heās seriously living his best life in this other world. Just once, Iād like to be the one doing the ācheating.ā
"Huh? You guys�"
At the sound of a familiar voice I hadnāt heard in a while, my body tensed up on reflex. I turned to look behind meāand there she was.
Clarice, the red-haired mage.
Sheās the last person I wanted to run into without mentally preparing myself.
āC-Clarice-san?ā
Oops. My voice cracked a little there.
āHello there, little loser.ā
Lulu-san, Lulu-san, why do you have to provoke her in that sing-song tone, like you're about to slap a musical note at the end of your sentence?
Do you have a death wish? You can go get yourself roasted like a cat if you want, but please donāt drag me into it. I happen to be sitting right between you and Clarice-san, you know?
Wait a minute⦠Are you doing this on purpose? Are you trying to make it look like an accident and take me out with her?
āHmph. Still as rude as ever, you mangy cat and half-incubus. Iāll have to tell Shuuya-kun to train you properly.ā
Just when I was thinking things might explode at any second, Clarice-san surprised me by staying calm. Did something good happen to her? She actually looks like sheās in a really good mood.
And please donāt lump me in with them. Iāve done nothing, and yet my reputation keeps plummeting. Also, Iām not an incubus!
āHmm? That didnāt get to you?ā
Lulu, if it had gotten to her, weād be nothing but crispy ashes by now.
āIāve already found a new love. I have no interest in some man from my past.ā
Looking all smug, she picked up a crispy slice of bacon from the plate beside me and popped it into her mouth.
So sheās already moved on, huh?
With your nerveāsnacking on someone elseās slaveās food like itās the most natural thing in the worldāyouāll probably survive just fine anywhere. So please, go be happy. Preferably far, far away from us.
āA new romance, huh?ā
Lulu, donāt lean in like youāre gossip-hungry! We should be getting her to leave, not giving her a mic. Sheās scary. Like, genuinely scary. You never know where her switch isāshe gives me the chills.
āInterested?ā
āOf course!ā
Some things never change. No matter the world or status, girls will be girls⦠I guess Iāll put up with this.
āSo, you see⦠After that, I got a bit reckless and started taking on all kinds of dangerous jobs. And on one of those jobs, someone in the team really scolded me. Told me, āYou need to take better care of yourself.ā I was so moved. Likeāah, someone actually sees me. Someone cares about me.ā
With eyes shining, Clarice-san spoke like a girl in love. Honestly, she sounded way more grounded than I expected. Maybe getting her heart broken once helped her calm down. Perhaps I was wrong to be so dismissive.
āAnd then I felt itādestiny! I had to know more about him. So I asked around the guild, got info from his friends about where he might be.ā
āWow, thatās pretty bold!ā
Quite the shift for a tsundere. But maybe being proactive like that really is the path to happiness.
āEventually, I spotted him while he was out shopping, followed him, and figured out where he was staying. He seemed to be planning a long stay, so I rented the room next to his and started learning all about what he liked.ā
Okay⦠Okay?
āHeās got this rugged, manly face, but he has a real sweet tooth. I saw him buying honey cookies at the market, all shy about itāit was adorable. But he doesnāt seem to like sweet potato cookies. I left some handmade ones by his pillow, but he didnāt eat them.ā
O-oh no. The vibe just took a nosedive. Lulu, stop darting your eyes aroundāthis is your mess. Fix it.
āBut I wanted to make him happy, so I bought all sorts of sweets and left them at his door every day. I even added little notes. Like, āIām always watching you.ā And you know what? He was so happy! He started looking around for me whenever he was outside! I thought it was my big chance⦠but I got too embarrassed to approach him. Iām so hopeless. My past failure kept flashing through my mind, and I just couldnāt bring myself to go through with it.ā
āR-Right⦠Totallyā¦ā
Lulu and I locked eyes, both of us nearly in tears.
ā(Senpai this is badāthis is way beyond what I expected!)ā
ā(I told you this was a bad idea, idiot! What do we even do now!?)ā
Whether she noticed our horror or not, Clarice-san, now fully revved up, went on to passionately recount her efforts in the name of love.
āAnd I kept watching over him like that⦠until recently, when he started acting strange. I got worried and asked him about it at the guild. Thatās when he told me someone had been stalking him nonstopānever showing themselves, just always lurking. So I said Iād protect him! That was what sparked it allāā
This ghost story went on until Master finally came back. Iāve never been more thankful to see him in my life...
āāADVENTURE RESULTāā
ćEXPć
MAX Combo: 1
BATTLE TOTAL: 4
āćSora Lv.11ć +2
āćLulu Lv.4ć +2
āā
āā
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Sora Lv.11 [118] ā Lv.12 [120] Level Up!!
Lulu Lv.4 [43] ā [45]
ćRECORDć
[MAX COMBO] >> 21
[MAX HIT] >> 21
ćPARTYć
[Shuuya] [Lv.32] HP 440/440 MP 720/720 [Normal]
[Sora] [Lv.12] HP 20/30 MP 110/110 [Trauma Lv.1]
[Lulu] [Lv.4] HP 352/352 MP 24/24 [Normal]
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ćCommentć
"S-Scary."
"Scary..."
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