The Saintess's Caution (1)
A little while earlier, back when Luin still hadn't regained consciousness.
Veronica rushed over in a panic to check on his condition. She couldn't shake off her anxiety that he might have fallen victim to some hidden trump card of the Ammo Black Monkeys that she didn't know about, leaving her no room for leisure.
Only after examining Luin's complexion could Veronica finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"It doesn't look like he's poisoned..."
Finding no other abnormalities, Veronica knelt down and pressed her ear to Luin's chest.
Thump, thump, thump. His heartbeat was normal.
Given that he'd collapsed right after the battle, it was most likely the backlash from drawing up too much mana.
At any rate, the fact that his life wasn't in danger was a tremendous relief.
She gazed down at Luin's face for a moment.
"......Zzz."
A strange sense of dissonance lingered from his serene expression, impossible to believe it belonged to someone who'd just been fighting monsters moments ago.
And up close, he looked far younger than she'd thought.
Veronica's gaze naturally drifted to the broken sword hilt nearby.
To think he faced those monsters with a sword like that......
All by himself, no less.
"That's truly astonishing skill."
She had no choice but to admit it honestly.
She was certain no one in the kingdom's knight orders could wield a sword at that level.
As time passed and her curiosity about Luin began to bubble up bit by bit, Veronica suddenly wrinkled her nose.
"...Ah."
Following the stench of the Ammo Black Monkeys' musk mixed with battle debris came the realization that her own clothes reeked terribly.
Veronica's eyes fixed naturally on her thighs.
"...This is a bit much."
She cautiously raised her hand.
She didn't have much mana left, but purifying this much was feasible, so she gathered her power right away.
A soft light soon spread from her fingertips, seeping into her clothes. The moisture and dirt vanished as if brushed away lightly, and the lingering smell dispersed in moments.
Finally, fresh air like sun-dried linens spread around Veronica.
"There, that's better."
Veronica looked down at Luin again.
Not only did the recent battle feel unreal, but gazing at him made a strange tickle stir in one corner of her chest for no reason.
In the end, a faint smile crept across her lips.
"Hee hee."
Her mind filled to the brim with thoughts of Luin, completely erasing the memories of 'Chris' that had occupied her just moments before.
To feel such deep goodwill toward a boy she'd only met for half a day...
What if this boy joined the hero party?
A subtle excitement fluttered somewhere in her chest.
At the same time, Veronica's fingers twitched faintly on her knee.
It was also a signal that her bad habit had kicked in.
Just when her mind relaxed a bit, it would immediately start rolling in another direction.
Like this.
"...If he really joins the party, would it be okay to tell them the truth as it is?"
A strange tightness gripped one corner of Veronica's chest.
If they learned of Luin's skill, would nothing really happen?
Would they just rejoice and welcome him?
"They might try to use him."
At that thought, Veronica's gaze wavered briefly.
She'd seen countless adventurers so far.
Talented people always drew attention—and were exploited just as much.
Especially at this level of skill; it was practically an inescapable fate.
......
Veronica bit her lip hard.
She wanted him to join the party more than anyone.
With him along, their journey ahead would be far safer.
Perhaps an entirely different path might open up, unlike anything before.
But.
Still.
This person...
What if he got caught up in needless trouble?
Veronica's gaze lingered on Luin's face again.
"I... might need to be a bit more careful."
The hero party's mood was heavy as they emerged from the labyrinth.
Under the temporary tent pitched near the entrance, the four sat facing each other in silence.
Even the hero's face, which had stubbornly insisted on re-entering the labyrinth moments ago, was now thickly etched with fatigue and anxiety.
Surprisingly, it was Giovanni who spoke first.
"Uh... how about going back in for another look? The saintess hasn't been gone that long. Maybe she's found her way..."
"Impossible."
The hero cut him off curtly.
"We'd get wiped out in our current state."
Though spoken calmly, a faint tremor lingered at the end of his words.
"Mana and stamina are both rock bottom, and searching without support is suicide."
He glared at the labyrinth entrance like it was his enemy.
"Damn it... better if we'd fallen together than leave her behind."
Giovanni fell silent at Edelic's uncharacteristically reckless words, so unlike his usual composure.
As silence flowed again, Rosemary, clutching her staff, spoke up.
"How about requesting support from the guild?"
"...Round trip to the capital takes two days. Support arrives in at least three."
Edelic clicked his tongue briefly.
"By then, we might find the body."
Rosemary squeezed her eyes shut at his cold conclusion.
"......"
This time, the beastkin Kate cautiously opened her mouth.
"Then how about asking another party for help..."
"None available."
The four turned simultaneously at the voice from behind.
The man entering the tent was the soldier guarding the entrance.
"The only party challenging the Grevi an Subsidence Zone right now is the hero party..."
"What?"
As Edelic's eyes narrowed, the soldier nodded.
"Lately, the danger level in the subsidence zone has spiked, so most parties turned back from the mid-layers."
No one could easily speak after that.
Just then, as Edelic's hollow gaze turned toward the labyrinth entrance, a cloaked figure wrapped head to toe in a mantle stood outside the tent.
The deep hood hid their face, so the soldier approached with a suspicious frown.
"This is a restricted area. May I see your adventurer license, please..."
"Ah."
A relaxed voice drifted from within the cloak.
"Sounds like you're looking for someone."
The figure tilted their head slightly.
"Thought maybe it's the person I'm looking for."
The hand clutching the cloak moved leisurely, shrugging off the mantle from the shoulders to reveal the hidden figure.
The soldier froze first at the sight.
"An elf...?"
Pale green hair like spring leaves and ears longer than a human's.
Unmistakably an elf.
The hero party's gazes snapped toward her as well.
She shook off the cloak nonchalantly and spoke.
"My companion went inside too. How about teaming up?"
The soldier bristled.
"Please wait a moment... The only party on expedition in the Grevi an Subsidence Zone is the hero party. Your companion's inside?"
The air turned icy in an instant, and Edelic's eyes narrowed appraisingly.
Elves weren't rare, but appearing at this timing was too suspicious.
The hero's gaze scanned her up and down.
"If you're in a party, explain why there's no entry record."
"Records aren't everything. Not like there's only one way in."
The elf's eyes slowly swept over them before turning to the labyrinth entrance.
"There's a small cave under the cliffs around the dungeon. Barely big enough for one person..."
Her slender finger pointed to the edge of the dungeon area.
"Small humans could squeeze through easily. Probably how my companion got in."
"Crazy talk... Your party's the type that digs their own graves?"
Edelic's lips twisted in a sneer.
Not without reason—diving into an unknown passage that might lead anywhere in the dungeon was as good as sticking your neck on the chopping block.
"And teaming up? We do need support right now."
Edelic stepped forward.
"Problem is, can you handle it?"
"Wondering what help I can provide?"
"Quick on the uptake. Good."
"Sorry, but with my tracking skill alone, finding them's a breeze."
The elf tilted her head slightly, her voice sharpening.
"I'm not brain-dead enough to crawl into the subsidence zone solo."
"From the illusion district, huh? All talk and bluster. Easy to say anything."
"Hero, my ass—just a swollen gut. Want me to prove it right now?"
The hero and elf's gazes clashed in midair, tension thickening the air.
The atmosphere screamed that one wrong step would draw swords, leaving onlookers holding their breath.
In that powder-keg moment, Kate's cat ears perked straight up.
"Wha, wait. This smell?..."
Kate bolted out of the tent, sniffing around wildly.
Then she yelped in shock.
"I-it's Veronica!"
At Kate's shout, everyone poured out of the tent.
At the dungeon entrance where gazes converged, a staggering figure emerged.
Her clothes were caked in dust and dirt from the grueling ordeal.
Edelic approached with a face pale as a ghost.
"Veronica!"
But midway, his eyes widened.
He spotted someone piggybacked on Veronica and instantly went on guard.
"Veronica, who's that? And how'd you get out of the underground layer?"
Veronica took a few more steps before stopping.
She caught her breath, then slowly lifted her head.
"...Thanks to this boy. He showed me the way out from deep inside the dungeon."
All eyes turned to Luin at once.
"Hah... that kid?"
"He found the way out of the underground layer?"
Edelic exhaled shortly, and even Giovanni chimed in.
Luin, piggybacked on the saintess, felt their stares boring into him.
"......"
He had plenty to say, but his mouth wouldn't cooperate, leaving him just opening and closing it silently.
Edelic crossed his arms and looked down at Luin.
"Fine, whatever."
His eyes shifted to Veronica.
"Underground layer means monsters too. You got lucky to survive..."
Veronica's eyes flickered briefly.
"...We got lucky. Didn't run into any monsters."
Of course, a lie to hide Luin's skills and protect him.
But no one contradicted her immediately.
After all, surviving an encounter with monsters would be even harder to believe.
In any case, only Veronica and Luin knew the truth.
Just as she sighed in relief at no further prying, a graceful woman stepped forward.
The elf who'd called the boy her companion.
"...Found you."
The elf muttered lowly and reached out, but Veronica grabbed her wrist.
"Wait. Who are you?"
"I'm his partner. Hand him over and mind your own business."
"...I-is that true?"
Veronica glanced at the hero party.
They just shrugged without a word.
But then, a squirming motion came from the opposite side.
Veronica turned her head slightly at the presence on her back.
Luin, piggybacked there, was barely lifting a finger and waggling it.
Like beckoning someone.
The elf's eyes lit up at the gesture.
"Luin?"
She lit up and leaned in close.
"Finally coming to find me?!"
Luin whispered right into Isadora's ear as she drew near.
"...Cut the crap."
"Go wash your feet and get some sleep."