Just Calm Down (2): No Loot Left Behind
In the middle of a secluded alleyway, God knows where.
◈ Effect: Consumed upon death to resurrect the user once.
◈ Effect: Doubles all experience points gained while equipped.
Before I even had a chance to process what was happening, we were forcibly teleported back to town.
Though I had obtained two rare items and a massive chunk of experience points as clear rewards, I wasn't happy in the slightest.
A proper dungeon run is supposed to be about scouring every single nook and cranny from the bottom up, suffering like a dog to reach the boss room, and finally clearing it with blood, sweat, and tears.
That is the true romance of a first-try clear. I never expected to beat it in such a mind-numbingly anticlimactic way.
Forget a sense of accomplishment; the outcome was so hollow that a dry laugh kept escaping my lips.
"Is this... Benevria...?"
"..."
"H-how did this happen?! Why are we in Benevria...?"
As I stood there nursing my bitter disappointment, Adelaide's panicked voice pierced my ears.
"I can't believe it. We were literally just inside the dungeon a second ago!"
"We were."
"Then why are we suddenly in Benevria? Did we really make it out of the dungeon?!"
"It appears so."
My response was purely businesslike, but Adelaide didn't care about my dry tone. She was absolutely ecstatic.
The terror that had made her shiver just moments ago had vanished without a trace.
As if she had been living solely for this moment, Adelaide leapt to her feet and cheered repeatedly.
I watched her celebrate from right beside her, blinking slowly. But her joy was short-lived.
"Ah... wait. I was exiled from the Empire. I'm not supposed to ever return here..."
Adelaide's voice suddenly trembled with horror.
In the blink of an eye, the color drained from her face, leaving her deathly pale.
Her legs gave out, and she collapsed back onto the ground.
"W-what should I do...? If my family or the people who framed me recognize my face..."
Judging by her reaction, this was indeed Adelaide's hometown—the tragic land from which she had been exiled after being falsely accused.
"Well, we can cross that bridge when we get to it."
"No, you don't understand! You have no idea how much they hate me..."
Adelaide's voice trailed off as she bit her lower lip.
"The moment I'm spotted, I'll be dragged away on the spot. If I'm unlucky, they might even execute me publicly."
"..."
"I shouldn't have been celebrating just because we got out. Out of the frying pan and into the fire... Of all places, why here..."
Adelaide let out a despairing sigh.
A torrent of pessimistic thoughts poured from her lips, but I remained completely unfazed.
In fact, I wasn't even paying attention to what she was saying.
Because something a million times more important was currently occupying my mind.
"...Wait, why are you being so lukewarm about this?"
"Pardon?"
"Do you not realize how serious our situation is right now?"
"Ah, I have a general idea. But I'm just as flustered as you are."
Adelaide furrowed her brow at my response.
"Don't tell me... is it because we were forcibly returned to the Empire from the dungeon?"
"No. I swept up every single valuable item in that dungeon, so I have no regrets about the place itself."
"Then what on earth is the problem...?"
"I left all those valuable items back at our base camp."
"..."
"Which is why I am currently in an extremely foul mood."
What grated on my nerves far more than the unsatisfying dungeon clear was one simple fact:
The loot I had risked my life to farm was currently sitting abandoned at our base camp inside the dungeon.
And to make matters worse, I had neatly organized them so they'd be easy to find.
"We need to go back to that dungeon before someone else finds them."
"You want to go back to that dungeon...?"
"Yes. All the items I gathered are still there."
Just thinking about the loot left behind made my stomach churn with agony.
I had gone through hell to get those items. Giving up on them now was utterly out of the question.
It was unacceptable. Such an option did not exist in my vocabulary.
"W-wait a minute...! Once the dungeon boss dies, the dungeon collapses! It won't hold together!"
"I figured that might be the case. But we can't be absolutely sure yet."
"What do you mean we can't be sure?! Do you really need to see it with your own eyes to believe it?"
"I'd rather not do this either, but there are simply too many items left behind."
Faced with my ironclad stubbornness, Adelaide eventually buried her face in her hands and let out a long, weary sigh.
"I know dungeon loot is valuable, but this is just too..."
"It is reckless, yes. But you need to escape this place anyway, don't you?"
"...What?"
The moment the words left my mouth, Adelaide, who had been staring blankly at the ground, slowly raised her head.
"Since it sounds like you're in a position where you can't afford to be seen here, why don't we leave this place together?"
"...That's the best news I've heard all day, but isn't your motive a bit too transparent?"
"I have no idea what motive you're referring to."
"You don't know where the dungeon is, so you're trying to drag me along."
I had tried to play it cool, but Adelaide saw right through me.
Her eyes narrowed, filled once more with suspicion and wariness.
"Did you really think I wouldn't notice?"
"Well, what does it matter? In the end, it's a win-win scenario for both of us."
"That might be true, but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth."
Adelaide spoke in a disgruntled tone, her eyes narrowing even further. But once again, I didn't react.
"If it bothers you that much, then there's nothing to be done. Let's just forget I said anything."
It was true that I had been temporarily blinded by the loot left in the dungeon.
But I had absolutely no intention of forcing the issue if it made someone else this uncomfortable.
I had proposed it because I thought it was mutually beneficial, but I hadn't expected her to find it so offensive.
"I spoke too carelessly. I apologize."
"W-what...? Wait, why are you giving up so fast?"
"If it's a no, it's a no."
"No, that's not what I meant..."
"I can always farm more items. I'll look for it on my own, and if I can't find it, I'll just move on."
With that calm declaration, I turned my back on Adelaide without hesitation.
Just as I was about to walk away,
"F-fine, I'll do it...! I'll guide you. Like you said, it's a win-win anyway."
Adelaide's unexpected reply came out rather petulantly.
"I thought you didn't want to."
"I was just playing hard to get! I wanted to show you I'm not an easy woman."
"I have never once thought of you as an easy woman."
For some reason, my casual reply made Adelaide's entire face flush bright red.
Her eyebrows furrowed into a steep angle, and she pouted like a duck.
"You never let anything slide, do you? You don't have a single drop of consideration in you."
"My apologies. I'm usually not like this, but my mind is a bit preoccupied right now."
Having barely salvaged the negotiation that had been on the brink of collapse, I was just about to establish a proper partnership with Adelaide when—
"Over here, over here...!"
An urgent voice suddenly echoed from the end of the alley.
"It's Adelaide! The exiled Adelaide is right here!"
The man standing at the end of the alley was dressed in very ordinary clothes.
But his shouts and the finger he kept pointing at us were dripping with greedy malice.
"O-oh no... I think we were talking too loudly..."
Soon, a crowd of men in military uniforms rushed into the narrow, dark alleyway.
Their uniforms bore the distinct crest of the Empire. They were clearly the Imperial Guard responsible for keeping the peace in the city.
"Adelaide... How did you sneak back into the Empire?!"
"Defying the Emperor's decree and setting foot here is a grave offense. It is a capital crime worthy of summary execution on the spot."
The sharp, authoritative voices of the Imperial Guard rang out solemnly.
Every single one of them had their eyes locked onto Adelaide.
"It seems you had help from the fellow beside you."
"...It's true I received help. But it wasn't help to get here."
Before I knew it, Adelaide was standing tall and dignified.
Her voice, too, was completely different from when she had been talking to me.
"Are you playing word games with me?"
"I am merely stating the facts."
"You received help, but not to get here? Even a passing dog would laugh at such nonsense."
The guards scoffed at Adelaide's words and began drawing their swords one by one.
"Not only did you slander the Saintess, but you also dragged the Crown Prince's honor through the mud."
"..."
"And now, you have shamelessly set foot inside the Empire again in defiance of the imperial decree."
"..."
"You deserve to die a thousand deaths! How dare you show your face here!"
They looked ready to strike Adelaide down at any second.
"To think you would spit on His Highness's mercy..."
It was undoubtedly a hair-trigger situation.
But unfortunately, none of this mattered to me right now.
"What are you plotting this time, Adela—!"
—BOOM!
A thick cloud of dust kicked up from the brief commotion.
Lightly shaking out my arm, which I had swung instead of my greatsword,
I looked at the Imperial Guards embedded in the wall and spoke flatly.
"Move."