Chapter 436
Chapter 436
“So, what’s the plan now? It’s pretty much confirmed that the sub-layers are all connected, which means there must be a passage to Layer 3.5 somewhere in here. Want to look for it?”
Unlike the Kobold Cave, the map of the Ant Nest was mostly complete. Not only had we pioneered the path from the entrance to the Queen Ant’s boss room, but since the Guild made it public, countless adventurers had been coming and going, diligently filling in the parts we’d missed.
After all, the adventurers who came here were the kind who found the 2nd Layer too easy but the 3rd Layer a bit of a struggle. Rather than making a beeline for the boss, they wandered around to build up their skills.
“Hmm. We’ve achieved our immediate goal. Finding a path to another layer will take time. How about we head back for now? Or do you have a hunch about where the path might be?”
“Well…”
Sensing something in my tone, Diana looked at me and posed the question.
Classic Diana. She always observes me so closely.
The truth was, I wasn’t entirely without a clue. Unlike the others, I had seen the male kobold with my own eyes.
I had three clues.
First, the monsters positioned near the giant Magic Stone in these sub-layers were just fakes; the male was the true boss.
Second, just like in the Kobold Cave, the male’s room in this Ant Nest was probably hidden in a place that would catch people off guard.
And finally, the fact that the Queen Ant had previously left her post to make her presence known to us.
Putting it all together, I could guess the general location.
But… I glanced at Matilda’s face.
She still looked fine, but I couldn’t push her too hard. As Diana said, we’d been in the dungeon for quite a while. Besides, even if I had a hunch, there was no guarantee it was correct.
Maybe it was best to head back for now.
“Alright. Let’s head back for now.”
If we invested a full day from here, we could probably make it to the town on the 2nd Layer. It was highly likely to be an all-night march, but it was better to suffer a little and get a good rest in a proper bed.
“Yes! Let’s do that!”
Matilda, who had been hiding her exhaustion, brightened up and agreed with my decision.
When she looks this happy, it kind of makes me want to tease her again. If I suddenly said, “Actually, let’s just keep exploring,” the look on her face would be priceless, wouldn’t it? …I kind of want to see it.
Desperately suppressing that scummy urge, I headed back to the 2nd Layer town with everyone.
As expected, we arrived just as the day was breaking. Well, even if I say the day was breaking, it’s not like you can see the sun inside the dungeon.
“Yaaawn… Let’s hurry back.”
Even with my superhuman stamina, pulling an all-nighter was pretty tiring. And it wasn’t just an all-nighter; we had been fighting our way here.
Those damn ants were weak, but they were a pain in the ass because they swarmed. The route from the entrance to the boss room was fine, since adventurers had cleared it out to some extent, but the path connected to the Kobold Cave happened to be in an area adventurers didn't frequent.
Thanks to that, the swarming ants were incredibly annoying. I was keenly reminded that even weak enemies are a nightmare when they come in hordes. I guess that’s why even a high-level adventurer like Silvia got so injured back then.
Anyway, for that reason, the thought of just staying at an inn here did cross my mind, but we decided to push on a little further and go home. Nothing beats resting in your own bed.
“Alright, I’ll go settle the Magic Sto—”
“Mmm… huaah… Wait a moment.”
After teleporting back to the Guild, I was about to send the others on their way and head to Rachel to cash in the Magic Stones when Diana stopped me.
“What’s wrong?”
I asked, turning my head back.
Why turn my head back? Because Diana was on my back, of course.
This girl. The moment we got out of the Ant Nest, she used her right to a piggyback ride at any time and had been sleeping soundly on my back ever since. The cheat.
Well, unlike the rest of us who had an easy walk, Diana had been using Light magic the entire time in both the Kobold Cave and the Ant Nest. She was probably a bit more tired than us. Knowing that, I carried her without complaint.
Anyway, the girl who had been snoozing on my back this whole time had suddenly woken up.
“The Magic Stone settlement… keep it secret… later… yaaawn…”
“What? Hey. What are you talking about? Speak cle—… she fell asleep again.”
This girl… Well, I got the gist of what she wanted to say. She wanted me to keep our trip to the Kobold Cave a secret, right?
I wondered what the point was, since we’d already announced that a penis was the key and that sub-layers like the Ant Nest existed… but Diana must have had her reasons for saying so.
Let’s just go back.
In the end, I decided to just report our return to Rachel without cashing in the Magic Stones.
For the record, I absolutely did not make this decision to avoid Rachel. It’s not like I thought that cashing in the stones would naturally lengthen my time with Rachel, forcing me to endure another awkward moment with her. I didn’t think that at all.
“Hello, Adventurer Guwon. Welcome back. Will you be settling your Magic Stones?”
Even just reporting our return got me this kind of attitude. If I had tried to cash in the stones, it definitely would have turned out that way.
Normally, she would have given me a brighter smile and said something like, “You were gone longer than usual this time.”
And what was this? “Adventurer Guwon.” That was how you’d treat a complete stranger.
“No, I just came to report our return. Have a good day.”
Slightly wounded by her business-like tone, I said only that and turned to leave.
“Eh? W-Wait a moment!”
But this time, Rachel, perhaps flustered by my attitude, called out to stop me as I was turning away.
“Yes?”
“Y-You’re not exchanging your Magic Stones?”
“No. I’m too tired. I’ll do it later.”
“Ah…”
But I just spat that out and started walking again.
I mean, I still hadn’t figured out why she was angry. I didn’t have time for that in the dungeon, and trying to think about it now was impossible with my sleep-addled brain.
I’m sorry, Rachel. I’ll figure it out and apologize properly later.
I offered a silent apology to her in my heart and headed straight back to the mansion.
By the time we got back, all of us were half-asleep and barely coherent. I couldn’t even remember how I managed to take Diana to her room and get back to my own.
Under the effects of Healing Sex, I could go at it all night and still be perfectly fine the next day. I never imagined that simply pulling an all-nighter would be this exhausting. It was a moment that made me truly appreciate the greatness of Healing Sex.
Anyway, after returning to my room, I didn’t even wash up and just dived straight into bed, losing consciousness immediately.
I came to my senses at 6 o’clock, as usual. But for it to be my usual wake-up time, something felt off.
Why is it… dark?
As my mind gradually awakened, I remembered the situation before I fell asleep. Right, I fell asleep during the day. Did that mean it was now 6 PM?
As I realized this and tried to get out of bed, I suddenly felt another sense of wrongness.
I was sure I had passed out on the bed the moment I got back. I didn’t remember taking off my armor, let alone washing up.
But my body felt refreshed, with no trace of the dungeon exploration, and I was dressed not in armor but in soft clothes.
What is this? I don’t own clothes like these.
No, there was something more important.
On my left side, covering half my body, I felt a squishy, soft, cozy, and warm sensation—an unbelievably pleasant feeling. And it came with a lovely scent as a bonus.
I knew this feeling well.
Turning my head slightly to the side, the angelic sleeping face of my angel filled my vision.
“Leia?”
“Ngh, mmm…”
When I called her name, Leia shifted slightly, letting out a sound that was somehow alluring. As her body moved, her breasts, which had been resting against my arm, changed shape, massaging my bicep in a way that was nothing short of ecstatic.
Is this heaven? No. This is definitely heaven.
“…Mmm… Guwon?”
Leia slowly opened her eyes. She turned her still-sleepy eyes toward me, smiled faintly, and then pulled my face into her chest.
“Ehehe… It’s Guwon… Guwon…”
Ugh! Thank you! Thank you!
A half-asleep angel was, as expected, the absolute best.
As I shed tears of joy, feeling the soft, squishy sensation all over my face, Leia’s mind seemed to be gradually waking up.
“Oh, my… I… Eek! G-Guwon?! Are you okay?!”
“About what?”
“What do you mean, ‘about what’… you’re crying!”
“Hm? No, I’m fine. These are tears of joy.”
“Huh? …Oh, Guwon, you. You’re such a tease. You surprised me.”
After my reply, Leia paused in thought for a moment. Then, as if she understood what I meant, her face flushed red. She quickly turned her back to me, her tail gently swatting my chest.
I wrapped my arms around her from behind, brought my lips to her ear, and whispered.
“But why are you here, Leia?”
“Well… it’s my turn today.”
“Oh? Well, that’s true, but… are you sure you’re okay with this? I just completely passed out.”
I hadn’t even been aware that I’d slept with Leia, let alone had sex with her.
“It’s alright. Just being able to spend time alone with you in the same place is enough to make me happy.”
But the angel’s reply was, as always, befitting of an angel.
Ugh. Why does she have to be so damn nice?
If you live your life being that kind, you’ll only ever get taken advantage of. You have to be selfish sometimes.
“Then these clothes… and washing up… did you do all that, Leia?”
“Y-Yes… Well… you were sleeping in your armor, so…”
Leia answered with a blush, pointing a hand to one side of the room. My gear was neatly organized and placed there.
I see. That must have been tough. I feel bad.
No, wait. Leia has a high level, and maybe because she’s a Gumiho, her Strength stat isn’t too bad. So maybe it wasn’t that hard for her?
She might have easily lifted my body and washed every nook and cranny… wait a minute.
Right. That means Leia touched and washed every inch of my sleeping body!
Why was I asleep?! Why didn’t I wake up?!
You stupid bastard!
Dammit! Remember! Remember that feeling!
Of course, no matter how much I struggled, there was no way I could recall a sensation I felt while I was asleep.
I wonder if this is what it feels like to black out at a club, only to wake up next to a gorgeous woman with no memory of having sex.
This is the worst.
No. Let’s not despair. I can’t turn back the lost time. But I can make up for it from now on.
Unlike the guy in my example, I have the power to continue the act!
“Even though we’re awake now, if we get up, our days and nights will stay flipped. We can’t have that. People should be awake during the day and sleep at night. So, it’s probably best to reset our internal clocks, right?”
“Huh? What do you mean…”
Leia tilted her head, not understanding my muttering.
“I’m saying we should stay like this until morning.”
“Ah…”
As I tightened my arms around her body, Leia let out a sweet-sounding sigh.
“You’re okay with that, right, Leia?”
“Mmm… yes…”
I whispered as I blew a breath of air onto her pointed ear peeking out above her head. Leia’s ear twitched a few times as if tickled, and she replied in a sweet voice.