Chapter 642: Guwon, the Pure-hearted Man
Chapter 642: Guwon, the Pure-hearted Man
“Haa… I guess I’ll never get used to sleeping underwater.”
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who felt like it had been ages since we’d last been in the dungeon.
Well, Matilda never had a high tolerance for the dungeon to begin with, so that was probably part of it.
While Matilda had finally managed to get used to the dungeon’s mana, thanks to staying on the 4th Floor the entire time I was stranded, it seemed she still wasn’t accustomed to the lifestyle here, where you have to sleep underwater. Unlike Sara, Diana, and Leia, both she and Silvia couldn’t swim back then, so they had apparently spent most of their time inside the town.
“Really? I think it’s pretty fun. Floating around while you sleep isn’t something you get to experience in a normal life.”
I replied lightly to Matilda’s comment as I took breakfast out of my inventory.
“You were stranded here, weren’t you? I don’t know whether to call you an optimist or…”
Matilda muttered in response, sounding a little dumbfounded, but also as if she was relieved to see I truly didn’t seem to have any trauma.
She was still worried? Man, she really worries about others a lot.
Well, considering she’s shouldering that curse all by herself, it’s obvious she’s the type to put others first.
Anyway, if she really couldn’t get used to sleeping here, that was a problem worth considering.
Matilda is the shield responsible for the safety of our rear guard.
It would be trouble if sleep issues caused problems.
“Then how about I put in some effort so you can sleep in a familiar environment?”
“W-What are you suddenly saying?! We’re inside the dungeon!”
I had said it out of pure goodwill, without any of those kinds of feelings, but for some reason, Matilda shouted with a blushing face.
“…Huh?”
“W-What’s with that look! I’m the one who has no idea what’s going on!”
“No, I was just saying that if I summon a wind spirit to create a space like this while you sleep, you’d be able to sleep on the floor… For reference, what were you thinking, Matilda?”
“Th-That’s…!”
When I said that, Matilda’s face turned bright red, and she stammered, unable to answer.
Well, even if she didn’t say it, I could pretty much guess from the way her expression changed in real-time as I was explaining.
But that’s no fun.
“Matilda. You can tell me, can’t you?”
I paused my breakfast preparations for a moment, wrapped my arms around Matilda’s waist, and spoke sweetly.
Of course, Matilda immediately entered her pink mode and answered me honestly.
“Ah, ahh… Yes… I, like this… in your arms…”
In other words, this is what happened.
She hadn’t understood the “familiar environment” I mentioned as sleeping on the floor, but as sleeping in my arms.
But the last time was the first time Matilda and I had ever slept together, just the two of us.
Of course, we’d all slept together a few times, but was it enough for sleeping in my arms to become “familiar”?
“You can’t be that used to sleeping in my arms yet, can you, Matilda?”
“It’s alright. If it’s in your arms, I… I can get used to a little awkwardness quickly. I want to get used to it. With you, I’m sure…”
In her pink mode, Matilda, while still shy, honestly laid her heart bare.
To be honest, I was starting to get a little embarrassed.
No, I mean, I was the one who created this atmosphere in the first place. I guess you could say I got a little swept up in the mood myself.
When I came to my senses, I realized everyone was staring at us, which made me feel even more embarrassed for no reason.
…If I tried to slip away now by saying I had to finish preparing breakfast, I’d look incredibly lame, wouldn’t I?
“Uh, yeah. R-Right. I also, with Matilda…”
“Haa… If you use spirits while you sleep, what will you do for mana? If you use your magic to summon a wind spirit all night, you won’t be able to use your mana properly during the day’s exploration.”
As I babbled with a burning face, Diana, unable to watch any longer, sighed and extended a helping hand.
Of course, I silently thanked Diana and eagerly grabbed that lifeline.
“Kukukuk! A foolish question. Obviously, I’d recover my mana with Healing Sex…!”
“I-In the dungeon? You mean… with penetration? B-But everyone else is watching… Ahh…! Still, if we put up a tent…”
Ah, shoot! I was trying to pass it off as a joke!
But Matilda, in her pink mode, took the bait of my playful words.
Dammit! No! This can’t be happening! I can’t escape this pink atmosphere! Diana!
“……”
I once again sent Diana a look begging for salvation, but she just shook her head and turned away from me.
No. Hey! Don’t give up! Help me! Hey! Sara! You’re usually the first one to jump in out of jealousy, why are you so quiet now…!
“…Just you try having sex in front of me… in the dungeon…!”
No. Hey. Don’t let your weird fetish kick in at a time like this, you! I’m not gonna do it!
Dammit. I guess the only one I can count on is my angel! Angel!
“C-Cardinal Matilda! You mustn’t!”
Fortunately, my angel didn’t let me down.
The angel stepped between Matilda and me, forcing us apart.
I’m saved! Finally free from the pink space!
That was close. I used to just take advantage of that pink space however I wanted, but now that Matilda and I are close enough to have performed the Apostle Appointment, I get embarrassed too.
That Matilda. To be so honest and open with her feelings in that kind of atmosphere.
I’ll have to be extremely careful when using her pink mode from now on.
Anyway, Leia saved me this time. As expected of my angel… huh, what? Angel?
Turning my gaze to my angel, I realized she was looking at me with what was, for her, an angry expression.
Even that expression is so delicate and beautiful.
“Guwon-ssi! You, of all people, know the taboos of us priests…!”
“No. Sorry. Yeah. I apologize.”
She was beautiful, but I couldn’t keep joking around, so I apologized sincerely.
Especially right after I’d wasted Diana’s helping hand like that.
Let’s not joke around anymore, at least for the morning.
After getting scolded by Leia, I was finally able to return to the breakfast preparations I’d stopped earlier.
Since all the food was in my inventory, no progress had been made on breakfast while I was messing around with Matilda.
Huu. How did things get like this?
Right. It all started with Matilda having a hard time adjusting to the 4th Floor.
Well, Matilda’s issue was just the starting point. The situation blew up because I needlessly put her into pink mode.
Meaning, it wasn’t Matilda’s fault at all.
Her reaction was the normal one, anyway.
If anything, Silvia is the strange one for having adapted perfectly despite being in the exact same situation as Matilda.
Glancing over to Matilda’s side, I saw Silvia sitting still and waiting for breakfast to be ready, like a dog that had been told to “stay.”
She feels apologetic about leaving all the breakfast prep to me.
But since preparing the meal basically just involves taking food out of my inventory, there’s nothing for her to help with.
Unless, of course, I leave the dishes out and get distracted like I just did.
Silvia, fidgeting like that, looked like she had indeed completely adapted to life on the 4th Floor.
Though, on the other hand, it seemed she still couldn’t get used to the situation of me preparing the meal.
She usually brushes off most things by saying it’s part of a knight’s training or whatever.
What on earth does a knight’s training even entail? If I get the chance, I’d love to see what it is they do.
Of course, I’d absolutely refuse to do it myself.
“Silvia.”
“Y-Yes?!”
When I called her name, Silvia flinched and trembled as if embarrassed at being caught staring.
Even though we’re in the dungeon, we’re preparing a meal right after waking up, so it seems she hasn’t entered combat mode yet.
No, I knew you were staring from the start, you know?
You stalk and peek at me every chance you get when we’re on the surface, too. What’s with the act now?
“Don’t be so tense.”
“Guwoooon…!”
As I tried to ease Silvia’s tension with a light tone, Sara shot me a look from the side, one that said, “Are you at it again?”
No! I’m not trying to mess with her this time!
“Could you help hand out the dishes?”
I hurriedly said what I’d intended to before Sara could say anything.
Seeing her fidgeting apologetically was cute, but it felt a little pitiful to just leave her like that.
So I decided to kindly give Silvia something to do.
This time it’s kindness, not a prank. See?
“Y-Yes!”
But at my suggestion, Silvia’s face brightened, and she nodded enthusiastically.
It seems she really did want something to do. She’s truly the loyal dog type, down to her bones.
Seeing her smiling so brightly made the desire to pull her into a tight hug and nuzzle her well up inside me, but after the mess I just made by joking around, I couldn’t do it again.
I had no choice but to suppress that desire.
Anyway, after sleeping underwater on the 4th Floor for the first time in a while and finishing our meal, we set out to explore the dungeon again.
Aren’t we strong enough to just go straight to the 4.5th Floor without needing to waste our energy here?
We had spent yesterday hunting monsters so comfortably that such a thought had crossed my mind, but that didn’t mean we were actually going to the 4.5th Floor right now.
This may be around the middle of the 4th Floor, but it’s still near the town.
Since it’s a place many adventurers frequent, the chances of dangerous monsters appearing are close to zero.
In fact, we didn’t encounter a single large monster, like a whale, yesterday. Meaning, it was too early to get complacent.
Therefore, I decided we would leisurely hunt monsters today as well, moving toward the location of the 4th Floor’s Layer Boss.
We stopped for lunch along the way, and until evening, we spent our time hunting monsters as peacefully and comfortably as we had yesterday, without any incidents.
No. It was even smoother than yesterday.
Perhaps seeing me constantly joking around finally made them feel completely at ease, because both Sara and Silvia, who had been overexerting themselves yesterday, hunted with a more relaxed pace.
Thanks to that, I finally got a chance to draw the monsters’ aggro, which meant I could test the power of the Moonshadow Warrior to my heart’s content.
Well, even though I’d changed jobs, my job level itself was low compared to the 4th Floor’s standards, and the underwater environment made it difficult to properly utilize its swift movements.
Of course, thanks to my stats being much higher than my level would suggest, I didn’t struggle in combat or anything.
Anyway, we were hunting without incident like that, but around evening, we finally encountered something out of the ordinary.
Well, I say “out of the ordinary” in a grand way, but it wasn’t actually that big of a deal.
I simply spotted some familiar faces.
The Arachne trio we’ve known since the 1st Floor.
For some reason, Alicia wasn’t with them today; the three of them were swimming through the water by themselves.
Since the last I’d seen them, they were being dragged around by Alicia and looked like they were on the verge of death, seeing them moving so energetically felt somewhat strange.
I see. So they’ve finally been freed from Alicia’s clutches.
Of course, my experience was nothing compared to theirs, but as someone who also recently escaped Alicia’s clutches, I felt a slight sense of kinship.
No. When you think about it, they’re also from the Arachne Clan, so I should probably be wary that they’re all in it together.
But well, it should be fine. It’s just that trio.
“Hey! Kanna! Serena! Amy!”
Thinking nothing of it, I happily waved and called out their names.
We were underwater, so it’s not like they could hear my voice, but they had grown enough to be able to adventure on the 4th Floor as a trio.
They must have been paying close attention to their surroundings, because they spotted me waving right away and swam over.
“It’s been a while, Guwon-ssi.”
“…Long time no see.”
“Hello…. Leia! It’s been so long!”
But unlike me, who was happy to see them and felt a sense of kinship, the three of them greeted me with somewhat awkward expressions.
It didn’t feel like they were being hostile or wary… so why were they acting like that?