Chapter 47: Dungeon (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 47: Dungeon (3)
Eri, Neria, and Ophelia accepted Cloud’s proposal.
The reason was obvious: his declaration that this dungeon would be their last journey together.
Eri wanted to be acknowledged. By the kind Cloud, of course, but also by the family she loved and hated, and beyond them, by the entire world.
Neria wanted to stay by Cloud’s side. Though things were a little awkward now, she held onto the hope that if she just stayed with him, they could one day go back to how they used to be.
Ophelia didn’t want to go back to the church. She didn’t want to waste her life trapped in that suffocating, oppressive building.
Though their reasons differed, each of them had a reason not to be separated from Cloud.
And so, they followed his proposal, but…
Grrr-arf!
Arf!
The kobolds blocking their path barked noisily. There were nine of them. Normally, the girls could have handled such a foe with ease, but not now.
The reason was simple.
This was their eleventh time fighting a pack of kobolds.
Their stamina, mana, and holy power were all beginning to run dry.
Yet the kobolds kept appearing, and there was no way to escape.
Why?
Because they were in a dead-end alley, blocked on three sides.
Naturally, it was Cloud who had driven them into this corner. It was also Cloud who had forced them to fight the kobolds without rest.
Why do we have to keep fighting kobolds here?
They’re low-level and don’t even give much experience.
The three women couldn’t fathom his intentions.
They simply did as he commanded, as best they could.
But no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t escape their limits.
“Hero! I don’t have enough holy power to maintain the buffs anymore!”
Ophelia was the first to reach her limit.
Having used up all her holy power, she could no longer sustain the buffs on her party members.
“No holy power? Then pray.”
Cloud answered as if it were a simple matter, but Ophelia was horrified.
“Here?!”
They were in the middle of a battle with kobolds. Spears and swords were flying, not to mention crossbow bolts.
How was she supposed to pray when she was trembling with fear?
“What? You can’t? Do it anyway!”
Cloud offered no compromise.
“...Understood.”
In the end, it was Ophelia who yielded.
Right, I’m a member of the Hero’s party, on a journey to defeat the Demon King.
She was bound to run out of holy power in a crisis sooner or later.
I’ll just think of this as practice.
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t afraid, but she had to trust her companions…
Just as Ophelia closed her eyes, knelt, and prepared to pray, a voice cut in.
“Hey! What are you doing!”
Cloud grabbed Ophelia’s wrist and roughly pulled her to her feet.
“I told you to gather holy power! Why are you sitting down and resting?!”
“What? Well, to gather holy power, I have to pray to Lady Iries…”
“Do you have to close your eyes and sit down to pray? While everyone else is fighting for their lives, you’re just going to take a break by yourself?”
“I wasn’t trying to take a break…”
“Shut up and grab your mace! You can pray while smashing a kobold’s skull with it, can’t you?!”
“H-How am I supposed to do something like that?! I’m not a paladin…”
“Not my problem. I trust your faith isn’t so cheap that it depends on your posture. Now hurry up and go smash some kobold skulls!”
Cloud unhooked the mace from Ophelia’s belt and shoved it into her hand.
“N-No, wait a second…”
“You’ve grown stronger. Charge!”
Cloud pushed Ophelia’s back.
“H-Hero?! I really can’t! I can’t do it…!”
“Eri! What are you doing?! Cast some magic, now!”
Ophelia pleaded, but Cloud, as if refusing any counterarguments, immediately turned his attention to Eri.
Startled by the sudden verbal assault, Eri began to make excuses.
“I-I’ve used almost all my mana! I don’t have any mana potions, so what am I supposed to do?!”
“Are you saving that thick staff to mince meat later? Use it to smash kobold skulls with Ophelia!”
“What?! I’m a mage! A mage! Not a warrior!”
“Shut up! I have no intention of raising you as a mage. From today on, you’re a battle mage. Got it?!”
“Wh-What?!”
“Cloud…! If you could come back over here soon…”
“Neria, you fucking moron! You’re the vanguard! What the hell are you doing looking back?! Are you trying to get us all killed?!”
“N-No, that wasn’t my intention…! I was just starting to feel overwhelmed…”
“You can say that without turning around, can’t you?!”
“Y-Yeah. I’m sorry…”
Neria swallowed her tears.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
“Sorry. My mouth’s gotten rough from working with adventurers. You understand, right?”
“…”
“…Yeah.”
“…Yes.”
*
By fighting kobolds, he reforged their combat styles. They were now able to react more flexibly in critical situations.
Furthermore, the prolonged battles had instilled in them a bit of grit.
But Cloud wasn’t satisfied.
He wanted them to have stronger willpower.
After pondering what to do, he simply decided to cut their sleeping hours.
From then on, they slept three hours a day. The rest of their time was spent clearing the dungeon.
For the three women, it was absolute hell.
Hunting was already difficult from the 15th floor down, where the monsters were around their level. Now, with their sleep cut short…
The physical and mental fatigue was no joke.
Once, they had carefully and logically laid out their case, begging him to let them sleep just five hours a day, but…
“No. Not changing my mind. Get back to it.”
He had rejected them coldly.
According to him, he was moderating it just enough so they wouldn’t die.
Eri desperately wanted to argue, How is this ‘just enough so we don’t die’?
But she couldn’t.
Because Cloud was also sleeping only three hours a day.
If she complained any more, he would be disappointed in her.
That couldn’t happen.
Eri recalled what had happened a short while ago. Cloud had been ready to part ways with them simply because they had tried to choose an easier path.
That meant Cloud had no lingering attachment to them.
He wouldn’t care if they separated at any time.
What on earth happened to him these past few months? He’s a completely different person.
She could understand if he hated or resented them, but…
Wasn’t this just indifference?
No, on second thought, it didn’t seem like indifference either.
“Here, Eri. A new magic book I found today. How many days will it take you to learn it?”
He kept finding magic books somewhere and bringing them to her.
He kept shoving magic books at her, one after another.
“…Three days is enough.”
“You don’t have to push yourself by cutting into your sleep. We have plenty of time.”
“No. Three days is enough.”
…And she would accept it, studying by cutting into her already insufficient sleep.
Cloud told her it was fine, but Eri herself was anxious.
She was afraid he would find her useless.
Afraid he would cast her aside.
“You’re always working so hard, Eri. Sir Hero, perhaps we should light a campfire and rest…”
“Right, Ophelia, I have something for you this time, too.”
Cloud said, pulling out a worn holy text. Ophelia’s eyes widened.
“…Huh? W-Why is that in a place like a dungeon…?”
“Beats me. Maybe the person who made this dungeon was a devout believer! Here, take it.”
Cloud placed the holy text in Ophelia’s palm.
Seeing it, Ophelia’s shoulders slumped.
“Ophelia, how long do you think it’ll take you to learn this?”
Ophelia’s ears perked up.
If she emphasized that she wasn’t very smart, she might get more time than Eri.
Just as that hope bloomed within her…
“Ophelia will be fine with three days, too. She’s smart like me.”
Eri herself crushed that hope.
Cloud looked slightly impressed.
“Really?”
“Yes. Ophelia is a Saint Candidate. A nun who isn’t smart can’t become a Saint Candidate.”
“I guess that’s true. Alright, Ophelia gets three days, then. Neria, let’s light a fire and get ready to rest.”
“W-Wait a moment…! Sir Hero…?!”
Ophelia called out in a desperate voice, but Cloud didn’t look back.
She looked at Eri with a face full of despair.
“Eri… why…?”
“…Sorry.”
Eri couldn’t bring herself to say it was because she felt lonely being the only one awake while everyone else slept.
*
[Hellfire]
A magic circle formed beneath the three gargoyles, and scorching flames erupted from it.
Two of the three gargoyles couldn’t withstand the inferno and died.
The last one, despite being critically wounded, somehow managed to charge forward, trying to slash Eri with its sharp claws.
Clang!
The gargoyle’s claws were blocked by Neria’s shield.
The moment the gargoyle tried to attack again, a thick mace came crashing down on its head.
Kaaaargh!
The gargoyle staggered, letting out a savage cry. Regardless, the rain of mace blows on its head didn’t stop.
The mace only stopped once the gargoyle’s head had been smashed to pieces.
A success.
The results of their recent training were clearly showing.
I watched the three women with a satisfied gaze.
“…The flames in the center were weak. Was it a problem with the formula? No. Maybe my concentration was off. Get it together, Eri. You can do it. You can do it.”
Eri, clutching her staff and muttering darkly.
“…”
Neria, polishing her shield with dead eyes.
“Hehehe… This is what happens when you dare defy the teachings of Lady Iries. Ah, but as a monster, you probably couldn’t have understood Lady Iries’s profound will anyway. How pitiful… I pray you are reborn as a faithful servant who can follow her word next time…”
Ophelia, sneering at the gargoyle’s corpse.
Hmm. Looks like they’re at their limit.
Any more and they’ll break.
They seem to have the basics down, so I should let them rest now.
I turned to them and spoke.
“You’ve all worked hard, sleeping only three hours a day. Let’s just get to the next boss room, and after that, you can sleep as much as you want.”
At my words, the three women’s eyes flashed. They exchanged glances, and then…
They started running like mad.
I was stunned for a moment… then I came to my senses and chased after them.
“Hey! You guys understood me, right?! We’re resting before the boss, not after we beat it! No, more importantly, do you even know where the boss room is?! Stop for a second! I said stop!!”
And so, after many twists and turns, we defeated the 30th-floor boss, the Minotaur, and were able to enter the reward room.
“O, clearer of the dungeon. Welcome. I greet you.”
In the reward room, there was an angel.
One that hadn’t been in the game.