Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Sisters.
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Sisters.
The one who informed Veronica was Ermé.
Han Yuseong had wanted nothing to do with it.
'Veronica's participation is crucial.'
Descending all the way to the 10th floor.
They could reap enormous rewards in one go,
but Ermé trusted their rotten luck more.
'Just in case something happens.'
And if that something unfolded on the 10th floor, it would turn into a truly terrifying ordeal.
There could even be conflicts with other clans.
But if one particular person joined them...
'That worry would practically vanish.'
Veronica.
The Saintess of the Church. As the strongest Saintess the Church had ever produced, she could serve as a powerful deterrent.
And then.
Preparing for any unforeseen incidents.
Forging a connection with her party no matter what.
And if 'that event' occurred because of it, preventing Veronica's corruption.
That was Ermé's scheme.
There was just one concern.
Veronica might be weak to Han Yuseong, but...
Asking her out of the blue to head into the Labyrinth—would she even agree?
Tap. Tap.
Veronica's slender fingers drummed on the table.
The rhythm was stiff.
As if indirectly revealing her mood.
"Me? In the Labyrinth?"
Just as that doubt proved true.
Veronica scoffed at Ermé's words.
"Why the hell would I do that?"
"...Yuseong recommended you."
Ermé squeezed her eyes shut and lied. Betraying Yuseong like this filled her with guilt.
But her help was essential.
"What?"
Veronica's eyes widened at Ermé's words, then she closed them briefly.
When Ermé opened her eyes, she saw Veronica's lips trembling faintly.
Tap-tap-tap.
This time, the rhythm was different. Light and playful fingers drumming the table, as if excited.
Seeing those relaxed eyes and quivering lips, Ermé was half-convinced.
'As expected.'
The way to win her over was simpler than she'd thought.
Veronica had lived a life of constant praise. For her, being denied was what threw her off balance.
'She hated him intensely from their first meeting.'
Han Yuseong had loathed Veronica to the point of visible disgust.
That had piqued her interest.
And before long, her curiosity grew into something more.
'He acts like he hates her, but deep down, he's the one who truly recognizes her.'
That's why Veronica looked so pleased.
Whether he wanted to or not, Han Yuseong had steadily conquered her heart.
"Well, can't be helped, then."
Veronica brushed her silver hair behind her ear and flashed a confident smile.
"If you want it that badly, I suppose I can oblige."
Ermé beamed brightly.
*
...That was the whole story.
"......"
"Heh, hehe..."
Ermé stuck out her tongue and put on a cute act in front of me.
"B-But it couldn't be helped! If we suddenly said we needed more party members, only sketchy day-laborers would swarm us."
"...Veronica's reliable, though."
In terms of skill, at least.
Oh, and one other thing she's reliable at.
'Her personality.'
It's downright bitchy.
I grinned.
"S-Still, I got her to promise to behave. A-And she's been super well-behaved lately."
"Well-behaved?"
How was she before I left?
She was grabbing the arm of that girl trying to flirt with me and swinging her around.
"...She's on the well-behaved side."
That?
I thought as I glanced at Veronica.
She was looking back at me with a smug expression.
'Well, yeah, that's about as well-behaved as she gets.'
The problem, though...
"Se-Saintess?"
"S-Saintess! Eek!"
...was our clan members.
Their reactions were polar opposites.
The original members who knew Veronica's true nature kept their distance,
while the new recruits' eyes sparkled at the sight of her.
"To recruit the Saintess... impressive, truly."
"As expected of the Golden Witch. The buzz around Dawnbreak Clan as Cradle's most talked-about group isn't just hype."
The thugs—Finn and Pin—kept marveling,
and the dwarf Hansen was impressed too.
Viola, however, eyed Veronica warily.
"...Can you handle her?"
Viola, who had sidled up at some point, asked while staring at the smug Veronica.
"...Probably?"
"Probably what the hell..."
Viola rubbed her temple like she had a headache. Honestly, I wasn't sure either.
'Will she really come along without causing trouble?'
Ermé claimed she had her word,
but with Veronica, I doubted that promise would hold.
"What? Got nothing to say?"
"......"
"Hmm, you must be too embarrassed to say it out loud, right? Fine, I'll let it slide. I'm magnanimous like that."
Veronica crossed her legs and gazed at me,
her lips curling into a sly grin,
her eyes brimming with anticipation.
'...Whatever.'
Makes me wanna flick her forehead.
The issue was...
"...We might have to put up with this crap all the way to the 10th floor."
*
When we arrived at the Adventurer's Guild,
I realized Ermé's luggage was surprisingly light.
"Hehe, notice it? It's a new sub-space bag I got."
"Ho, those aren't cheap."
"Splurged this time. Now that we've been promoted to clan status, our party's grown, right?"
"Yeah."
"And... with this, I can store fresh ingredients too."
"...No way."
"Hehe... To boost morale..."
Frontline, backline, and now a cook too?
Is that how it is?
'...Whatever, she'll probably whip something up later.'
We've got Ermé, after all.
I gave Ermé a lingering look, then turned forward.
Rishiel was there, wearing an awkward expression.
"What's up?"
"It's not been long since I started living as a soul... but this feels off."
"Yeah?"
"And I still can't fathom your intentions. Freeing someone like me, then heading straight to the beastkin lands."
"...More than that, I just trusted you."
"......"
Rishiel's ears flushed slightly.
Weak to direct compliments, huh?
"Thank you. I will repay your trust in kind."
"...Yeah."
Truth be told, I'd tossed her in as a temp fix since she seemed okay.
Surprisingly, no one else saw her as much of a threat.
"Wasn't it your decision from the start? I trust you. What more do we need?"
"......"
The glasses guy had said that,
and the other members echoed the sentiment.
Though Finn, Hansen, and Viola still eyed her warily.
'Well, that's normal.'
Time would sort it out.
More annoying was...
"Hah..."
Volkan's expression.
Like he couldn't believe I'd gathered this crew.
I got where he was coming from.
No helping it.
As the most normal one here, I had to keep my head straight.
"You know what they say."
Volkan sidled up and whispered conspiratorially.
His tone grated— he looked like he was about to mess with me.
"What."
"In a group of crazies, the one who seems most normal is the one to watch out for."
"...You talking about me?"
"One's a mad dog. One's the Golden Witch. One's a vengeful ghost. One's a money-grubber."
"......"
"And the clan's prospective recruit is the Execution Princess... That glasses guy might look normal, but turns out he's the straightest actor in the bunch."
The glasses guy did act the most normally.
Maybe because his main body was glasses.
"But who's the money-grubber?"
"That one."
Volkan pointed at Teresa.
Teresa, a money-grubber?
She likes cash, sure, but not that bad.
'...No clue.'
Maybe I'd been too indifferent to my party members.
I wrapped up the chat with Volkan.
Finn and Hansen stared at us with curious looks.
Probably 'cause I'm the only one who plays along with that senile old coot.
-......
I felt the holy sword's exasperation, but I headed for the entrance.
The gate was about to open.
*
"......"
The cool, somehow unpleasant air unique to the cave.
I opened my eyes calmly. Checking the map and calculating our position...
'A bit far this time.'
I turned back.
Party 1: Ermé, Rishiel, Marcel, Hansen, Rozante.
Party 2: Han Yuseong, Teresa, Finn, Viola, Veronica.
Power-wise, Party 2 was overwhelmingly stronger.
'...But aside from Teresa, it's all troublemakers.'
Viola seemed feisty too, from our first meeting.
"Long time no see."
Veronica approached with a haughty look.
"Stinks in here. Hate it. Let's punch through the 5th floor quick."
She meant the Plains Stage.
I'd never been either.
'Like a beastkin beach, maybe.'
That might make sense.
Whatever the layout, descending the stairs led to a bizarre beach.
Once the party gathered, I prepped to move out.
"With Hansen leading that way, better hurry."
"He good at navigation?"
"Famous for it. Great scout, high attack, and can protect a mage if needed."
"You recruited a solid guy."
"...You wanna talk?"
Veronica gave me a dumbfounded look.
I'd meant it.
'Doesn't read people.'
I scouted ahead.
"...We going the right way?"
"Yep."
Teresa answered Viola.
"Yuseong's never lost his way."
"...For real?"
"I'm a thief, duh."
"...Right."
A short while later.
"We're here."
Boss room.
Unfortunately, someone had already cleared it—no boss in sight.
"...Pretty spread out? They still haven't shown."
We were far too.
About 30 minutes later, Ermé appeared in the distance.
...Supposed to be competent.
Even at the tail end, this is too late.
Looks like Ermé got scammed on Hansen.