Chapter 482: A Step Forward
Chapter 482: A Step Forward
“Ah, m-my mind too… hic. Y-Yes! They’re upstairs. This way! Please follow me!”
Silvia wiped her tears with her fist, but as she spoke, she dragged me along, refusing to let go of me for even a second.
Come to think of it, she hasn't been vibrating this whole time.
So shock therapy really does work.
Did my previous attempt to build her tolerance by deliberately making her say embarrassing things during sex fail simply because the shock wasn't big enough?
Alright. From now on, I’ll help build Silvia’s tolerance with even bigger shocks.
Unaware that her momentous future had just been decided, Silvia clung tightly to me and guided me to the room where the others were staying.
I wonder how she’d react if I pointed out that she’s clinging to me without trembling right now.
I wasn’t entirely without the urge to test it, but I decided to let it go for now.
When we arrived in front of the door to the room where my party was likely staying, Silvia knocked and spoke in a tearful voice again.
“E-Everyone! It’s Guwon! Guwon’s here!”
Hm? Everyone? Were they all staying in the same room?
Considering Silvia was downstairs by herself, I wondered if they were up to something.
Rachel told me they were being forced to rest, though.
“Silvia! Is Guwon…?!”
Almost simultaneously with Silvia’s cry, the door flew open with incredible force.
That’s a fast reaction. Well, I guess it just shows how worried they were about me.
I felt bad for the girls who must have been worried sick, but a warmth spread through my chest.
This is dangerous. I managed to hold it together thanks to Silvia earlier.
If I let my guard down, I feel like I’ll start crying.
The moments of hardship I’d endured flashed through my mind like a panoramic photo.
Still, it’s been a while. I can’t show them such a pathetic side of me.
“I’m back.”
I said, trying my best to remain composed as I looked at Sara’s face, who had appeared in the doorway.
In response, large teardrops began to well up in the cool eyes of Sara, whose expression had frozen solid as she stared at me.
Like Silvia, Sara’s face looked far more haggard than usual, which made my heart ache for no reason.
“Guwooooon!”
Sara rushed forward, threw her arms around my neck, and began to cry, rubbing her face against mine.
“Yeah, it’s me, Guwo—ack… S-Sara… M-My neck… just for a second, let go…”
“No! I’m never letting you go again!”
But if you don’t, my life is in danger.
Dammit. My life started flashing before my eyes.
To think I’d survive that whole ordeal only to die so meaninglessly here.
Still, if I have to die, dying in Sara’s arms might not be so bad…
“S-Sara! Stop!”
“Kyaa!”
“Gasp. Hack. Hack. Th-Thank you…”
Seeing my face turn pale, Diana must have used some magic, because Sara’s arms were suddenly flung wide open.
I seized the opportunity and quickly pulled Sara’s arms down to embrace my chest instead.
“Guwon!”
“You!”
At the same time, two large peaks enveloped my arms from either side.
It was Leia and Matilda.
“Guwon… Guwon… Guwon…”
Leia placed her hands on my cheeks, making me face her, and then started planting kisses all over my face indiscriminately.
It was as if she were marking her territory.
“You… it’s really you, isn’t it?”
Matilda, on the other hand, touched me all over as if seeing a ghost, checking my condition.
Normally, the moment she touched my body, she would have entered her pink-tinted mode with a dazed expression, but right now, Matilda was completely serious.
She seemed to be earnestly checking if I was hurt anywhere.
Of course, just like Sara, both Leia’s and Matilda’s faces were a mess of tears.
“…So you’ve finally returned. For someone who said they were heading straight for town, you’re quite late. Just how long did you intend to make us wait?”
And Diana, who had just saved my life, said with a slightly prim expression.
She spoke that way, but the corners of her eyes were already bright red.
Looking closer, I could see that the hem of the robe she was wearing was slightly damp.
It seemed that as the eldest, Diana felt she couldn’t just break down and rush over crying like the others.
Honestly, she’s usually so willful, but she always tries to act her age at important moments like this.
“Aren’t you going to cry, Diana?”
“D-Do I look like I would cry?! I already knew you were safe from your Guild Card and the fact that our shared lifespan was never broken! Besides, this Apostle’s Seal would disappear if you died, would it not?! It was obvious by every measure that you were safe!”
As she spoke, Diana pulled back her robe, lifting her top slightly and lowering her bottoms a bit to show me her Apostle’s Seal.
The Apostle’s Seal was still clearly visible in a faint color on her beautiful lower abdomen.
But for her to make such a gesture while retorting with such meticulous, logical points…
It was proof that Diana, too, was just barely suppressing a storm of emotions.
“Yeah, you’re right. But you were still worried, weren’t you?”
“W-Well, of course I was.”
“Your dear husband, who you were so worried about, has returned safe and sound. Now, are you still not going to cry?”
“I-I will not cry!”
Even as she said that, tears began to well up in her eyes.
Good. Just a little more.
No, it’s not that I want to see her cry.
I just think it’s not good to hold things in.
“Cry.”
“Are you just trying to make me cry?! Waaaaah!”
In the end, it seemed Diana couldn’t hold back any longer.
She stretched her arms out, trotted over to me, squeezed in between Sara and me, and after patting my stomach a few times, she wrapped her arms around my waist and began to sob.
At this rate, it’s hard to tell if she’s crying because she’s happy I’m back or because I’m bullying her. Not that it really matters.
Diana probably feels she can cry her heart out now that she has the excuse that I made her cry.
Right. You did a good job playing the role of the eldest. You can cry all you want now.
“…I’m home.”
I said, pulling the five of them, all huddled together, into a tight group hug.
Am I not savoring the most harem-like moment of my life right now?
I desperately suppressed the tears that threatened to fall, inspired by my girls, by thinking such foolish thoughts.
Didn’t I just make Diana cry by saying it’s not good to hold back?
This is a different situation.
It’s not that I’m not crying because of some macho idea that men can’t cry.
If I start crying now, my girls will just worry even more, wondering if I really suffered that much.
To ease their worries as much as possible, it’s best for me to act as okay as I can.
Anyway, after a while of hugging, crying, and comforting each other, sharing the joy of our reunion, we were finally able to calm down a little.
“So, what were you all doing gathered here? You’re not all staying in one room, are you? I heard you’re being forced to rest.”
“H-How did you know that…!”
“I have my ways. So, what were you doing?”
“Just a little more planning for your rescue…”
Just as I thought. I had a feeling that was it.
There was a map of the 4th Floor spread out on the table over there.
“I know you’re doing it for me, but you need to rest when you’re supposed to. Do you all realize how terrible you look?”
As I spoke, I gently caressed the cheek of Sara, who was still in my arms.
Sara always had a mature, cool face without any baby fat, but her cheek felt even thinner than usual, or maybe it was just my imagination.
“Guwon. Do I look terrible?”
“Well, you’re still beautiful, though.”
I nodded while lightly patting the back of Sara, who looked a little shocked.
Sara was always mature for her age, but it seemed the emotional toll had been truly severe.
Right now, she had completely regressed to a childlike state… well, maybe not that far. She was acting her actual age.
For the record, her declaration that she would never let go was still in effect, as her two arms were wrapped firmly around my body.
“Anyway, I’m back safely now, so why don’t you all get some rest? You haven’t rested at all this whole time, have you?”
“B-But I want to know in detail how much you suffered and how you made it here, Guwon. In the end, we weren’t any help at all, but at least I want to hear your story and share even a little of the ordeal you went through. Please let us do that much.”
But Leia took my hand, clasping it tightly between both of hers as she spoke.
Seeing the firm resolve shining in her eyes, it seemed she wouldn’t back down until I told them everything.
“Leia. He must be tired, having just returned…”
“Ah, aaah! Y-You’re right. I’m sorry. How could I not have considered something so obvious…”
However, at Matilda’s point, Leia immediately relented and bowed her head as if she were truly sorry.
“No, I’m not tired at all. I was sleeping soundly until just a moment ago. Alright. I’ll tell you. It’s not like I suffered as much as you think, though.”
I recounted my journey, cherry-picking only the good parts.
How I figured out how to raise my job levels effectively, used that to grow rapidly, slaughtered monsters on my way, and approached the town.
And how Rachel found me then and brought me here.
“So, I didn’t suffer at all. It just feels like I was in the dungeon for a little while longer than usual.”
I didn’t even mention the hardships I’d faced, but telling a little lie was far better than seeing my girls look sad.
Especially if I told them I’d been carrying around a monster’s lung as a conversation partner. They would absolutely lose their minds.
I also omitted most of the details about Rachel, simply saying she found me and guided me here.
I decided that now was not the time to talk about my relationship with Rachel.
For now, I thought it was right to just share the joy of our reunion.
Besides, Silvia and Matilda didn’t know anything about the talk of concubines or anything like that.
…Come to think of it, it was because of those two that I brought up all that nonsense about a harem to get permission for relationships with other women, but in the end, I ended up kissing Rachel before either of them.
I didn’t feel that way myself, but maybe, just as Rachel said, I had gotten a little emotional back then from feeling the warmth of another person after so long.
Well, even so, my desire to have a deeper relationship with Rachel hasn’t changed, and I don’t regret kissing her.
I just felt a little sorry that I kissed her before Silvia or Matilda.
“It’s a good thing you were safe, even with your job level increase. Weren’t plant-type monsters a bad match-up for you?”
“Ah, yeah. I solved that by just not going anywhere near the surface. It’s not like I had any reason to go to the surface by myself anyway…”
“Kuh…”
As I said that, Silvia and Matilda flinched, their expressions turning deeply apologetic.
“Ah, no. I’m not saying you guys are baggage. …Isn’t that a bit of an overreaction?”
“…It’s because those two can’t swim, so they couldn’t even join the search party for you. Cardinal Matilda at least helped by casting fatigue-recovery magic on us when we returned to town intermittently, but Silvia…”
Leia brought her lips to my ear and whispered, explaining the situation to my bewildered self.
I see. So that’s why Silvia was all alone in the dining hall, fidgeting restlessly.
“It’s fine, I’m telling you. I ended up being perfectly okay, and you can just learn how to swim. Don’t worry about it.”
“Hyaaat! Y-Yes!”
When I placed a hand on Silvia’s head and patted it reassuringly, she replied, her face bright red.
Ah, she’s started vibrating again.