Chapter 256: Crying Out Love in the Heart of the Lord's Castle
Chapter 256: Crying Out Love in the Heart of the Lord's Castle
All we were doing was heading to the 3rd Floor to confirm the passage, a simple task. We weren't likely to run into any monsters on the way, so there was no real reason for everyone to tag along.
But as Rachel and I headed for the passage, the rest of the party, except for Diana, followed us as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Sara and Leia, of course, and even Silvia.
And you're coming along, Silvia? You, who looks ready to bolt the second our eyes meet?
Sara, who could be surprisingly by-the-book, had stayed behind me even when we were safe with the mages from the association, but it seemed she had no intention of doing so in a place with zero risk of monsters.
This time, she started walking right beside me, sticking close. Not that she linked arms with me or anything; she just walked by my side with a prim expression.
She was putting on a prim, indifferent face, but she might have been a little wary of Rachel because of the commotion earlier.
This girl… she looks like she'd never do something like this, but then she goes and does something cute.
Don't worry. It's true that Rachel is beautiful, but I'm not going to cheat on you. You girls are the best.
I placed my hand on her lower back, where the Apostle's Seal would be, and pulled her closer to me.
Sara came to me without any resistance.
Her expression was still prim, but that just made her look even cuter.
“Ah, no fair, Sara!”
At that, Leia linked arms with me on the other side, pressing her ample chest against me.
Rachel watched me, flanked by Sara and Leia, with an amused expression, as if finding it cute.
She might have noticed that Sara was a little wary of her.
“A flower in each hand,” she teased me in a playful voice.
Needless to say, there wasn't a hint of jealousy in her voice.
And so, we descended the passage toward the 3rd Floor.
Even with both of them stuck to my sides, it didn't feel difficult to walk or cramped at all.
No, something else was far more cumbersome.
Damn it. Why didn't I take off my armor? This is a monster-free zone.
This passage leading to the 3rd Floor was quite steep and wasn't a well-paved path.
The ground was naturally uneven, and with every step, Leia's breasts, pressed against my arm, bounced and jiggled.
So why couldn't I feel it?! If only I didn't have this armor… sob!
“Oh my. It's a dead end.”
As we were making our way down, Rachel, who was leading the way, stopped.
Rachel was holding a glowing Magic Stone, which I was told was a kind of lantern processed to emit light when infused with mana.
Since Diana wasn't here to provide light, Rachel had taken the lead with that.
It was certainly bright enough to see where we were going, but it wasn't as bright as Diana's magic, which made our surroundings crystal clear.
That must be why she thought the snow-blocked path ahead was just a wall.
“Ah, that's blocked by snow. The exit to this passage is buried underneath it.”
“Oh, you're right. This might be a bit of a hassle.”
Rachel said, hastily pulling her hand back after lightly touching the wall of snow with her fingertips.
The way she brought her chilled fingertips to her lips and blew on them was slightly alluring.
“A hassle? Why?”
“Well, I can't use fire magic. But it's alright.”
Rachel stretched her hand forward and conjured a fierce wind, just like when she attacked the ants.
It felt a bit more violent than when Diana used her fire magic, but it still began to carve a path through the snow.
“Then I'll just go out and check for a moment. Now that I've seen the snow, there's little room for doubt, but I should still confirm that it's really the 3rd Floor.”
“What? You're going alone?”
“Yes. I'm only going to confirm if it's the 3rd Floor and come right back. And to be honest… casting a cold-resistance spell on all of you is a bit taxing.”
I see. It seems not being able to use fire magic left her with a slight weakness in that area.
“But it could be dangerous.”
Even though she had slaughtered those ants, that was something everyone in our party, except Leia, could do.
But the Ice Golem that appears up ahead is on a whole different level.
It's not that she couldn't handle one on her own, but there was no guarantee there would only be one. No matter how I thought about it, going alone seemed too risky.
“It's fine. I'm really just going to pop my head out and come right back.”
“Still. Then, how about you just cast the spell on me? Would that still be too much? I really think someone should go with you. We have to consider the 'what ifs'.”
“If you put it that way…”
As I insisted with a firm expression, Rachel seemed to realize she couldn't keep arguing to go alone and relented.
Maybe it was just my imagination, but her cheeks seemed a little red.
Oh, Rachel. You give off such a calm, mature older-sister vibe, but are you actually into forceful men?
Yeah, I know. I'm getting ahead of myself. Her cheeks are probably just flushed because of the swirling snow and the drop in temperature.
And even if she really is into forceful men, what am I going to do with that information?
It's not like I'm going to seduce her, and I'm not going to introduce her to another guy either.
“Then I'll go with Rachel.”
“Does it have to be you, Guwon…?”
“You know I'm the most suitable person here, right, Sara?”
Considering how she handled the ants earlier, it was safe to classify Rachel as a damage dealer. In that case, it wouldn't be a good choice for Sara, who's also a dealer, to go with her.
And it would be absurd for Leia, who can't protect herself, to tag along.
Silvia, who can also act as a tank like me, would be a possibility, but…
“Th-then, I'll…!”
“No. I'll go. As a man, I don't feel right staying in a safe place while sending a woman to do something dangerous.”
“H-haaa…”
Silvia, who had stepped forward with spirit, thinking she was the right person for the job, immediately deflated and crumbled at my words.
To be honest, in a world where female adventurers overwhelmingly outnumber male ones, that's a pretty out-of-place thing to say, but so what? I'm not from this world.
It's impossible to completely change a way of thinking that's been fixed for over twenty years to fit the common sense of this world. And I don't want to, either.
“Okay… Be careful.”
In the end, Sara said it with a slight sigh, as if she'd known all along and was just complaining for the sake of it.
I gave the spot above Sara's butt, where her Apostle's Seal was, a playful pat, and then said goodbye to Leia.
“I'll be right back.”
“Yes. Please be safe.”
Leia said, gently placing a hand over the spot where her own Apostle's Seal was.
Ugh. My angel. Don't look at me like that.
I can't just touch yours in front of everyone.
Even though it's not on her breast, if I touched it, it would look to others like I was trying to stick my hand in her cleavage.
I'll make sure to touch my angel's seal plenty later. Making that vow to myself, I headed toward the snow-covered passage with Rachel.
“You all get along so well.”
“Huh? Haha. It's all thanks to my virtuous character.”
“Hehe. It really seems so.”
Aaargh! When you affirm my smooth-talking so directly, it just makes me embarrassed!
Older women might be a hard counter for a guy like me. Not that I mind.
Anyway, as Rachel cleared the way with her magic, we finally managed to emerge onto the 3rd Floor.
“Yes. It's the 3rd Floor, as expected. It's a bit cold. You said you haven't confirmed the exact location yet, right?”
Rachel said, lightly rubbing her exposed skin.
Since she couldn't use fire magic, the chill definitely seeped into my skin more than it did with Diana.
I was fine since my whole body was covered, but Rachel might have been a little cold.
“Yes. I'll report it once we start exploring in earnest.”
I answered as I took a robe out of my inventory and draped it over Rachel's shoulders.
Rachel's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but she soon lowered her head in thanks and fastened the front of the robe.
“Hehe. I'll be counting on you. Well then, let's head ba—kyaak!”
Ruuuumble
The moment Rachel smiled and turned to leave, the ground suddenly shook and the passage we'd just come through collapsed.
The tremor nearly sent Rachel, who was in the middle of turning, to the ground, but since I was still standing firm, I managed to keep my balance and catch her before she fell.
Monsters really have no manners. Good thing I came along.
About five meters in front of us, a giant Ice Golem was rising from where it had been buried in the snow, revealing itself.
“I'll block it from the front, so please handle the attacks.”
“Y-yes.”
When I spoke to Rachel, who was still in my arms, she answered flusteredly as she righted her posture.
To be honest, I was a little nervous myself.
I was once again taking on the role of a tank against an Ice Golem, a monster I had completely failed to tank last time.
Can I do it this time?
I should be able to, right? I even learned the ropes from Silvia.
The truth is, I didn't just hug and fool around with Silvia under the pretext of 'special training'.
I did ask her for some tips on tanking.
Well, I only heard the verbal explanation and didn't do any practical training.
Anyway, according to Silvia, the important thing is to draw aggro by attacking at the same time as the dealers.
She said that even if my attack power is weaker, if I attack in sync with the dealers, the monster is more likely to focus on me since I'm closer.
It would be difficult for me to do that now with Sara and Diana's relentless barrage of attacks, but with only Rachel as the dealer, I should be able to manage somehow.
I clenched my fists and charged at the Ice Golem.
No Saint skills needed. This was a physical brawl that relied purely on attack and defense power.
I threw a punch, determined to shatter its ice.
CRACK! With a satisfying cracking sound, a fissure appeared on its leg, but that was it.
The golem swung its fist at me as if it hadn't taken any damage at all.
Well, it's fine. I only hit it to get the initial aggro.
I'm not frustrated at all. Really.
Damn it. I haven't had any time to level up my Martial Artist skills lately.
Unlike when she fought the ants, Rachel seemed to be going for ranged attacks, launching wind magic from a distance.
Watching the golem's body chip away, the power of her magic seemed to be on par with one of Sara's arrows.
I couldn't tell if that meant Sara the Hero's attack power was just that incredible, or if wind magic simply had a bad matchup against an Ice Golem.
Anyway, it wasn't bad. As long as I could hold its aggro, we should be able to take care of this one monster easily.
I watched Rachel out of the corner of my eye, reading her attack timing and striking the Ice Golem in sync.
It took some time, but in the end, we managed to take the creature down easily without me ever losing its aggro.
“Alright, let's go… Rachel, look out!”
“What? Kyaa!”
As I collected the Ice Golem's Magic Stone and turned back to Rachel, I saw something else appear behind her.
I couldn't see it clearly through the fierce blizzard, but at a glance, it looked like a human figure.
But you can't let your guard down just because something has a human shape in the middle of a dungeon.
I rushed to Rachel, grabbed her arm, and pulled her toward me.
Instantly, a sharp spear passed through the space where her head had just been.
A monster, after all.