Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Goddess's Tear
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"Hmm... Rapne! See anything over there?"
"...Nothing."
"Nothing on this side either."
"Argh! Where the hell is that damn guide rabbit?!"
The three of us were combing through the forest.
No, including me, all four of us were sprawled out in the grass like schoolgirls who'd lost their contacts, desperately searching for something.
"Ken! Don't you have some tool to catch animals easily? You know how to make stuff like that, right?!"
"No..."
Who do they think I am, Doraemon?
I did have a subspace pouch, but it only held spare rations, travel gear, and the like.
Everything else was just miscellaneous weapon materials.
There was no way I'd have some convenient gadget like that.
"Ugh... Why do we have to chase a rabbit just to find the goddess's temple of all things..."
Emily let out a deep sigh as she plopped down on the grass, completely fed up with this fruitless beast hunt.
As I racked my brain for some words of encouragement to offer her...
"...Huh?"
Beyond the patch of grass where Emily sat, peeking through the bushes, was a pot-like shape matching the illustration we'd received in the city.
White fur, long floppy ears.
A red gem on its forehead like an eyeball.
And finally, a straight line of spiky fur running from the crown of its head to its rear.
"Ah, the guide rabbit! Found it!"
The infamous guide rabbit.
The moment I spotted the rabbit adventurers used to navigate to specific dungeons, I pointed at it with a trembling hand and shouted.
"Ra, Rapne!"
"Yeah!"
When it came to instantaneous speed, no creature in the world could match Rapne.
At my call, a massive wave of mana erupted from her body, activating her skill Nerve Acceleration.
In the blink of an eye, the guide rabbit was flailing helplessly in Rapne's grasp, its ears pinched tight.
"Yahoo! Got it!"
"Good job, Rapne!"
"Hehe, feel free to praise me even more."
"Yeah, yeah. Good girl. Rapne's the best!"
After a half-day search, the first to celebrate our catch was Emily, who hopped around in glee.
I duly rewarded Rapne with a thorough head pat as she puffed up smugly, demanding more praise.
"Then all that's left is heading to the ruins."
Mary approached from a bit farther away, where she'd been searching, a faint smile on her lips.
Her fine blue bob haircut had a leaf stuck in it—she'd clearly been working hard.
'Finally, the last step...'
After wrapping up our short trip with Cietra in the previous village...
As payment for escorting her, I'd gotten information about the Goddess's Tear from Priest Proban.
The Goddess's Tear was the name of a pond that once existed somewhere in the Lillias Kingdom.
A legendary pond said to have received the goddess's blessing, making the surrounding land fertile.
As a place brimming with the goddess's holy power, it was a well-known spot among priests.
And so, we'd come to that land.
To the holy city of Benarium, east of the Lillias Kingdom.
The journey there had been smooth sailing, but we'd run into trouble the moment we arrived.
Just like all those other ancient temples.
The legendary pond had been enshrined in a commemorative temple.
And that temple had turned into a dungeon after a massive monster outbreak drove everyone away.
'...Or so the lore goes.'
Even if the creators loved temple-style dungeons, didn't this make the Lusism followers seem way too neglectful of their goddess's temple?
"So, what do we do next?"
"We tie a sturdy thread to it, let it go, and follow the thread."
In any case, we had business in that dungeon-turned temple.
Fortunately, the temple housing the Goddess's Tear was a famous dungeon in the area, one that adventurers frequented.
After people abandoned the temple grounds, monsters drawn by the goddess's holy power had flocked there in droves, making it a prime hunting spot for adventurers.
"Found it! This must be the place..."
"Yeah, no map would help in a spot like this."
"You really do need the rabbit to find it."
Once we had the guide rabbit, locating the temple entrance was a breeze.
Given the forest's maze-like layout, it was incredibly hard to navigate without the rabbit's unique senses.
That adventurer back then had been spot-on: catching the rabbit was faster than trying to use a map.
"No one's around?"
"Doesn't look like it."
Rapne and Emily, the most curious of us, took the lead with excited smiles.
Me and Mary followed behind into the entrance.
Like other temple dungeons, the first floor was a massive hall with an entrance leading underground.
There was a second floor too, but it was basically just for show.
The real dungeon started the moment you went underground.
"Alright, same as always: Rapne and I up front. Mary, guard the rear. Emily, support from the middle."
Compared to Tarros Tower, this dungeon was a cakewalk, so everyone nodded confidently.
'But I need to stay sharp.'
I still remembered the humiliation from that day in a similar temple basement, when I'd gone searching for the demon sword manual with Diena.
No need to worry the others ahead of time, though, so I kept my tension to myself as we headed for the dungeon entrance.
That's when it happened.
"Um, ex-excuse me...!"
A unfamiliar voice called out from the first-floor entrance we'd come through.
We all turned as one, just about to head underground.
The owner of that voice was none other than a little girl.
She looked about upper elementary school age.
"C-Could I maybe come in with you?!"
The little girl timidly made her request, her face full of fear.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Hmm, so Lize, you live alone with just your mom, then?"
"Y-Yes..."
The little girl who'd chased after us while we caught the rabbit was named Lize.
We were now walking through the first underground floor of the temple with her.
The monsters that appeared were low-level stuff: bats, giant rats, or spider types.
We had so much leeway that we could chat casually about her situation.
"Coming all the way here for the Goddess's Tear to help your mom— that's real admirable."
"...Eep."
She'd come to fetch the Goddess's Tear to make medicine for her sick mother.
Water from a pond brimming with holy power would work wonders on any illness.
"Still, it's way too dangerous for a kid to come alone. Why not just hire someone?"
While Emily asked out of curiosity, Mary spoke in a tone of concern, like gentle advice.
Lize, who'd been sticking close to Emily with a scared look, shrank even more and mumbled in a tiny voice.
"B-But... sob... w-we don't have any money at home."
It was a sadly common story.
"Whoa... Mary, I never pegged you for the type to ruthlessly poke at a little kid's sore spots."
"The Ice Queen of Dreadis Academy lives up to her name."
Rapne and Emily teamed up to tease Mary at the sight of Lize on the verge of tears.
With Mary so rarely showing any openings, this was their chance to poke and prod.
"Ugh, th-that's... S-Sorry."
Mary fidgeted with her fingers, looking genuinely apologetic at Lize's dejected face and the girls' playful scolding.
"Hey, you two. Quit picking on Mary."
"Eep, K-Ken... I'm..."
"It's fine. You didn't know."
No matter what, I couldn't just let those two gang up on her, so I stroked Mary's head and gave them a warning.
"Ugh—! Protecting your girlfriend like that!"
"Right? Ken's way too soft on his girl!"
You're girlfriends too, you know.
Even so, seeing the usually stoic Mary looking so down seemed to ease Lize's tension the most—she wiped away her sad expression and gave a faint smile.
"Um, o-oppa... your name is... Ken-oppa?"
At that moment, Lize peeked up at me from beside Emily, her cheeks flushing pink as she asked.
"Yeah, Ken Fineshine. Easy name to remember, right?"
Thankfully, the terrified look she'd had at first was mostly gone now. Lize beamed and nodded at my words.
In response, Rapne clung to my arm and turned to Lize with an innocent grin.
"Hey, Lize. Out of us sisters, who do you think suits this oppa the best?"
Rapne was probably trying to lighten the mood in her own way, asking the still-awkward Lize something friendly.
...Or maybe she was just genuinely curious.
And so, for the first time in a while, we tackled the dungeon with someone outside our usual quartet, chatting away and enjoying ourselves as we descended.
"Ah! The path to the third floor!"
For a party around S-rank like ours, the dungeon's monsters were laughably easy.
Needless to say, the frontline duo of me and Rapne cleared them in seconds, letting us plunge deep underground at a rapid pace.
Before we knew it, we were right in front of the third floor.
"Boss guardians are usually on the third floor, so stay sharp just in case."
The beings people here called "guardians" were basically dungeon bosses straight out of a game.
Typically, you'd find the dungeon's boss on the third floor.
Clearing it would probably lead us to the pond with the Goddess's Tear.
If not, we'd just have to search the dungeon further.
With that, I warned the now-relaxed group to prepare for anything and headed for the third-floor entrance.
'...Huh?'
For a split second then...
I got the feeling Lize was smiling even brighter than before.