Chapter 262: The Deepening Secret of the Dungeon
Chapter 262: The Deepening Secret of the Dungeon
“Absolutely not!”
Before I could even answer, Diana was the first to object.
As she spoke, she wrapped her arms tightly around my neck. It felt a little different from when she was angry earlier.
Before, it felt like the rage consuming her entire body had unconsciously tightened her arms. This time, it felt like she was holding onto me as if to keep anyone from taking me away.
“Huh? Why?”
“I-In any case, no!”
I asked because I didn’t think it was something she needed to oppose so strongly, but Diana gave a completely illogical answer, which was very unlike her.
I figured we’d end up getting the penises while fighting anyway, and as long as the pay was good, it seemed like a request worth taking.
But my dear Diana hated the idea this much. Sorry, Alicia, but I guess I’ll have to refuse.
“Hey. So you’re saying you want us to hand over the penises. If that’s the case, go to the general store near the guild called Hans & Erina. I’ve supplied them with a large quantity of them.”
“Don’t underestimate the information network of a major clan. We figured that much out a long time ago. But the ones there are from 1st and 2nd-floor monsters at best, right? We can get penises from upper-floor monsters like that anytime we want. That’s not what our clan is looking for. We want the penises of monsters from much deeper floors, the kind that are a struggle just to fight.”
“What? In that case…”
“That’s right. The request I’m talking about is for you to follow our clan through the deep layers we frequent and use your Saint skills.”
“Guwon. Absolutely not.”
“Guwon. I object as well.”
The moment Alicia finished speaking, Sara and Leia, from either side of me, hugged my arms tightly and voiced their opposition, just like Diana.
“Hey. No need to be so scared. We’ll all do our best to protect him so he doesn’t get a single scratch. Huh? So just lend him to us for a little while. We’ll use him for a bit and bring him right back…”
“Ab-so-lute-ly NOT!”
Alicia tried to persuade Sara in a friendly tone, but I could practically see Sara’s anger gauge skyrocketing every time Alicia spoke.
It was obvious to anyone that Sara was wary of Alicia.
No, it wasn’t just Sara. Diana and Leia were the same.
I see. So that’s what this is about.
I finally understood why they were so against it.
At first, like Alicia, I thought they were just worried I might get hurt.
And I’m sure that was part of it. But it wasn’t the main reason.
They were wary of me and Alicia being together somewhere beyond their sight.
I was sure of it, judging by the way their hands tightened on me when Alicia said things like “lend him to us” or “use him for a bit and bring him back.”
“Hey, Alicia. If that’s the case, can we bring them along too?”
“Huh? You can’t use your skills without them?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then bringing them is a bit… Exploring the deep layers is dangerous, you know? Of course, we’ll risk our lives to protect you. But if the number of people we have to look after increases, it becomes that much harder to guarantee everyone’s safety.”
“Sorry. In that case, I’ll have to refuse the request.”
“Hey, hey. Don’t be like that. Are you really going to do this to me?”
“What is there between us?”
“Have you already forgotten that this big sister was the one who took your virginity?”
“Aaaargh! My arm!”
“Oh my. I’m sorry.”
The instant Alicia mentioned my virginity, Sara’s grip became incredibly strong.
She let go as soon as she heard me scream, but despite her words, Sara’s expression wasn’t the least bit apologetic.
Hey. Alicia. You idiot. They’re opposing this right now precisely because you took my virginity. Get a clue.
“I’ll have to refuse…”
“Hey, don’t be like that, just come with us once. You have no idea how much Miriel… our clan leader… has been pestering me since she found out I know you. It’s driving me crazy.”
“So in the end, it’s not about your spirit of adventure, but because you’re annoyed.”
“Of course my spirit of adventure is fired up, too. Thanks to you, exploring the dungeon has been fun lately. So, huh? Please? It’s a simple job where you just follow us safely from the back and use your skills, right? The pay is pretty damn good, too.”
“For an executive of a major clan to say that… Just how good is the pay?”
“A whopping 2,000 gold per dungeon trip…!”
“Yeah, no thanks. We’re overflowing with money.”
“Wait! Wait a minute! That’s not all! We’ll even share information!”
“Information? What kind of information?”
“We’ll share every secret passage we discover using the penises we get with your help. How about it? That’s a pretty good deal, isn’t it?”
“That does sound pretty good…”
“Guwon. Absolutely not.”
“Guwon, please don’t go.”
“Hmph. Not until dirt fills these eyes of mine!”
“Is sand okay? Hey. Kidding. I’m just kidding!”
They were all so serious in their opposition that I playfully gestured to pick up some sand from the ground, and Diana immediately started patting me in a light attack.
“But those terms seem pretty good.”
The Arachne Clan has a massive number of members, as I saw at their clan house before.
So many that it’s embarrassing to even compare them to us.
Of course, only a small fraction of those members would be adventurers who frequent the deep layers, but they’d still have more people than our clan.
Having a clan like that scout out secret passages and tell us about them is an excellent condition.
Well, that’s only if the Arachne Clan actually shares the information reliably.
“Guys. I want to give it a try.”
“Guwon!”
“I know what you’re worried about. But don’t worry. Am I that kind of person?”
“What kind of obvious question is that! You lecher!”
“Really? Do you honestly think I’d do that?”
“Well…”
When I met her gaze with a serious expression and asked again, Sara averted her eyes slightly and trailed off.
They had to know. They must have realized it keenly during the process of accepting Silvia.
Although we ended up letting Silvia into the party for other reasons, I had refused to accept her as one of my women even when all three of them were in favor of it.
Even now, I intend to differentiate between the three of them and Silvia.
Of course, we have skinship under the pretext of special training, but that’s just for fun.
I have never once whispered words of genuine love or initiated any acts with her.
Seeing that must have deepened their trust in me.
They were just blinded by jealousy because the woman in question was the one who took my virginity.
“You trust your man, right?”
“I trust you… I do, but that woman…”
“Don’t worry. Back then, I had just arrived in this world and didn’t know anything, so I just got swept up in it. I won’t be taken so easily now.”
“I’ve had enough of you people. Hey! I’m not interested in some pathetic little dick either, you know?! If I wanted to, I could pick and choose any man I want! What do I have to be desperate about…!”
Alright, just shut up for a second. Do you have any idea who I’m trying to persuade these girls for right now?
I shot Alicia a sharp glare filled with that sentiment, and she finally seemed to read the mood and quieted down.
Maybe what I said earlier—that she couldn’t get a man because she was so bad at reading the room—had an effect.
Well, she was still muttering to herself, but I’ll let that slide.
I looked back and forth between Sara and Leia, then gave Diana’s thigh, who was on my back, a firm squeeze as I spoke.
“Guys. I want to try this request. It’s not just about the good pay. I want to see what a place like the deep layers is like with my own eyes and experience it for myself.”
Was that a bit of a cheap shot? At my words, they all fell silent and looked at me with tender eyes.
When a man says he wants to experience the wider world like this, there aren’t many women who would stand in his way.
And there was no way my kind-hearted girls would do that.
“If that’s the case, then with this one and these people here… No. It’s nothing. I understand.”
For a moment, Diana gestured toward the elder sisters from the Mage Association as if to make a suggestion, but she quickly shook her head and spoke.
It was true that we could probably explore the deep layers if we brought the elder sisters along.
But that could hardly be called a proper exploration.
Besides, these women were novices when it came to dungeon exploration.
They didn't even have adventurer cards to begin with, and we were only able to pass when we teleported to the 2nd floor after Diana said something.
No matter how strong they were, dungeon exploration was another matter entirely. And my Diana wasn’t the type of person who would force those women to explore the deep layers just to give me that experience.
“Guwon… Yes. I understand.”
“You absolutely cannot cheat on us. And you must only use your skills on monsters! Don’t use them on people!”
In the end, not only Diana but Leia and Sara also gave me their permission to take the request.
“Thank you, guys. I’m a really lucky guy.”
“You’re just figuring that out? So you’d better treat us right from now on.”
“Yeah. Of course.”
I gave Sara and Leia a tight hug, patted Diana’s butt lightly, and then looked back at Alicia.
“Alright. I’ll accept the request. But there’s one thing I need to confirm first.”
“…What is it?”
Perhaps finding the sight of us being all lovey-dovey unbearable, Alicia looked at us with an expression that said, ‘What a spectacle,’ as she spoke.
“You said you’d tell us about any secret passages you find with the penises I get for you, but how can I trust that? You could just lie and say you didn’t find any, couldn’t you?”
“Huh? About that… Then you can just make a Mana Contract with our clan leader, can’t you? Our clan leader can use magic too!”
Alicia was flustered for a moment, then shouted as if throwing caution to the wind.
“You definitely didn’t discuss this with your clan leader beforehand, did you? Is it okay to sell out your own clan leader like that?”
“It’s fine! She was the one pestering me in the first place!”
She really did have a fiery personality.
“Hmm? Wait a moment. Your clan leader is a mage?”
“Huh? No? Not a pure mage, she’s a magic swordswoman… Ah, but she uses magic, so if we make a Mana Contract, she’ll definitely honor it. Really!”
“No, I’m not doubting you. I see. So she uses magic. Guwon, when you go to meet the Arachne clan leader, I shall accompany you. I will confirm that the Mana Contract is properly formed.”
Diana, it’s painfully obvious that’s not your only motive.
Well, not that it matters.
“Anyway, I understand the request. I’ll come by your clan house in a few days to discuss the details. As you can see, we just got back from a dungeon trip today.”
“Alright. Then you have to come within a few days. You have to!”
“I said I got it. Just make sure you talk to your clan leader.”
“Don’t worry about that. She’s the one who was nagging me in the first place. Ah! I’m finally free from that annoying nagging!”
This girl wasn’t even trying to hide her true feelings. Well, whatever.
“Then we’ll be off. Let’s go, you lot! Kanna, you especially better be ready!”
“W-Why me…”
“It’s obvious you were the one who dragged Serena and Amy along! I’ll show you hell when we get back, so be prepared!”
“W-Wait! Alicia! Instructor! Aaargh!”
Alicia gave me a wave, then grabbed Kanna by the ear and started dragging her away.
Serena and Amy bowed to us before following after Alicia and Kanna.
“No matter how many times I see her, she’s got such a fiery personality.”
“…You know, I thought something was strange for a while now.”
“Huh? What is?”
“You said you were just forced into it, right? Then why do you two seem so close? I just thought it was her personality, but hearing what you just said, it sounds like you’ve met her since then?”
“Yeah. I was wandering around town alone once and got invited to their clan house, and they even tried to recruit me…”
“After you met us?”
“Yeah. Ah, it was before I met Leia… Wait a minute. Sara.”
“Hoh. So you received a recruitment offer at the Arachne clan house. Just what kind of recruitment offer was it? I’ve heard that Arachne’s recruitment methods are quite… intense.”
“Wait a minute, Diana?!”
“…Guwon?”
Aack! My angel! Please stop looking at me like that!
Even after she left, Alicia was the type of girl who left problems in her wake.