I Tried to Stop Her

I tried to stop her. I really, truly tried to stop her. I even told her we weren’t going there to play around. But Beatrice didn’t listen to a single word and claimed a corner of the carriage for herself.

“Wow~ It’s so bumpy~”

“That’s because it’s a carriage.”

“But our family’s carriage isn’t like this~”

“That’s because it’s a duke’s carriage.”

“Ah~”

I frowned at the ruined plan. Pressing my fingers against my temples, I asked how she’d found out.

“That’s~ a secret~”

“Good grief…”

I felt like throwing the whole favorability thing out the window. At this point, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even if I tried to ditch her, I wasn’t sure she’d actually leave.

Well, it’s not all bad.

From my perspective, having a reliable mage along isn’t a bad thing at all. The real problem was something else.

How the hell am I supposed to explain this?

The place I was heading to was a dungeon. A completely unknown one, at that. And conveniently, it just so happened to contain a weapon perfectly suited for me?

No matter what I said, she wouldn’t buy it.

“Isaac~”

“What.”

My voice came out sharper than intended while I was busy racking my brain. The cold tone made me flinch.

“Ah, sorry. What’s up, Bera?”

“Just~”

She’d probably called me out of boredom. I tried to go back to thinking.

“You don’t have to explain~”

“…Huh?”

“Wow~ Look outside~ The academy’s already gone~”

“…You know where we’re going?”

“Nope~”

“We’re currently—”

“Shh~”

A small, soft index finger landed on my lips.

“It doesn’t matter where~ If I’m with Isaac, I’ll follow you anywhere~ Because~”

We’re friends, right?

“…Hah.”

She really had a talent for saying things that could be dangerously misunderstood. Did she even realize how much a guy’s mood could swing from words like that?

“I don’t know anything anymore. You followed me on your own.”

“Not you, Bera~”

“…Bera followed you on her own.”

“Mm~”

Honestly, I couldn’t figure her out at all. I watched Beatrice—Bera—as she leaned back comfortably, repeating “wow~” over and over.

The dungeon I planned to visit today was considered quite high in difficulty. Since we had to go within three days of entering the academy, our specs would still be low, and the place itself was rather unusual. That’s why I’d tried to go alone without telling Bera. I couldn’t bring her somewhere so dangerous.

But then again…

“Bumpity-bump~ This is fun~”

I wasn’t even nervous anymore.

Friends. Come to think of it, Bera was my first friend here, but I was probably hers too. I’d never really felt the need for one. Being alone was comfortable enough.

But if this was what having a friend was like…

“Having fun?”

“Having fun~”

“Yeah? There’ll be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even more fun stuff once we get there.”

“Really~? Can I look forward to it~?”

“Sure. Look forward to it. It’ll be better than you expect.”

“Waa~ Isaac’s the best~”

“Isn’t your standard for ‘best’ a little low?”

“The best~ The best~”

Well. Not bad.

By the time our pointless conversation wound down, we’d already arrived at our destination. Looking back, bringing Bera along might’ve been the right call. If I’d come alone, the boredom would’ve been unbearable. I was reminded once again that for someone like me—raised on dopamine from the modern world—being stuck without a phone for hours was basically torture.

“Ughhh!”

I stretched lightly to loosen up my stiff body after the long carriage ride.

“Hup.”

“I’ll be right back.”

“Sure. Two hours in a place like this… You’re in your prime, after all.”

I ignored the muttered remark and headed into the forest. The contract stated the carriage would wait two hours before returning, so I picked up the pace.

“Bera, you’re following my footprints properly, right?”

“This is fun~ It’s like a cat~”

“A cat?”

“There’s this really cute animal~ But it’s too small to raise as livestock, so nobles keep them as pets~”

“Oh…”

Even in this world, cats survived because they were cute, huh.

“Does Bera have one too?”

“Too much trouble~”

“…Yeah, that’s very you—very Bera.”

Without realizing it, I was starting to care more than before. Had I always been this blunt? I almost called her “you” again. I needed to be careful.

Thanks to Bera, we moved a bit slower than if I’d been alone, but we still reached the spot in five minutes. How had no one discovered a dungeon this close to the road until now? Because you had to follow the exact same footprints without a single deviation.

“Wow~ It’s a dungeon~”

“You recognized it right away.”

“I’ve seen lots in books~”

That was the end of it. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠She didn’t ask why we had to follow the footprints or how I knew the dungeon was here. She just expressed her admiration and followed along.

“This dungeon’s going to be pretty dangerous. Especially for mages.”

“Me~?”

“Yeah. It might be tough for you, Bera.”

“It’s fine~”

A sigh escaped me at her completely carefree answer. Guess she’d have to experience it herself before she’d understand. Seeing is believing.

“Try casting a spell.”

“Any spell~?”

“Yeah, anything.”

“Then~”

The world was dyed in purple light. Whoa. I couldn’t help but admire it. The only magic I’d seen from others was basically just the dean’s, but I knew people with this much mana were rare. Enough to paint an aurora across the sky. Zzzap! Crackle! It was more like sparks than a proper aurora, but it was still magnificent enough to embroider the heavens.

That said, this was beyond what I’d expected. She might even have more than the dean.

“Hyah~”

The mana gathered into a single point and began to spin in place. Then—

“Blaze~”

A very familiar spell took shape. It was the first magic I’d been hit with after coming to this world—the most basic elemental magic. It succeeded perfectly, without any unnecessary flourishes.

But—

“Hmm~?”

The size was much smaller. The one she’d fired at me had been car-sized. Now it was only soccer-ball-sized.

That was the dungeon’s special trait. As expected, it didn’t work. I clicked my tongue in disappointment.

“Magic power is greatly reduced here.”

By about one-tenth, numerically speaking. In practical terms, it was impossible for a mage character to clear. I’d wondered if Bera might be an exception, but if it was already this bad before we even entered… she probably wouldn’t be much help here either.

As expected… the mage’s end.

There’s a reason that nickname exists.

“I’ll take the front. Bera, stay in the back.”

“I just need to support from behind~ Got it~”

She accepted it immediately, as usual. This was why I liked Bera. No pointless stubbornness, quick to acknowledge reality.

After lightly hopping in place to loosen up, I gripped the dagger provided by the academy. Why a dagger when its reach was short? Because it seemed the easiest to handle. Punching monsters to death would be tough, and I wasn’t good with swords. So the next best thing it was. They didn’t give out gauntlets or knuckles anyway. Not like anyone else would use them. It was already a miracle ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that an academy famous for magic even provided weapons. Without even this, I might’ve had to charge in bare-handed.

“Hoo.”

Preparations were complete. The dungeon was cave-shaped. Staring into the pitch-black interior sent a chill down my spine. Knowing roughly what kind of monsters lurked inside only made it worse.

“Let’s go in~”

“…Yeah.”

It was funny. She hadn’t really done anything special, yet Bera’s single remark melted away all my tension. Some kind of calming pill, she was.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay~”

Together, we stepped into the dungeon I’d originally planned to visit alone.

The dimly lit dungeon entrance rippled as if welcoming us. Then—fwoosh. Torches mounted on the walls ignited, brightly illuminating the interior.

—Kieeeek.

—Krrrk.

The moment we entered, the sounds of monsters echoed. Bera and I looked at each other. Our first dungeon since coming to this world. Our first dungeon together with a friend. Without needing to say who started it, both of us curled our lips upward.