Chapter 743: The Journey for the Turtle Cave Key
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 743: The Journey for the Turtle Cave Key
“So it turned out like this after all…”
“Sorry about this. Our Miriel was just in a hurry.”
Staring at the empty space where the monster had been, Alicia scratched her head with a wry, knowing smile.
“No, it’s fine. We hadn’t looked into the male’s respawn cycle either. Rather than guessing and pushing the schedule back, it’s better to just wait here and catch it the moment it revives.”
“Thanks for saying that.”
“Don’t mention it.”
We’re only cooperating because we both have something to gain. Why are you thanking me for something like this? It’s not like you.
The words rose to the tip of my tongue, but I exercised my patience and swallowed them.
On the surface, we were talking like the friends we’d always been, but I couldn’t treat her exactly the same as before I’d broken up with her.
I had to be especially careful about mentioning her unpretentious personality, as it could be misconstrued as me calling her unladylike.
And it seemed like that was something Alicia was extremely conscious of herself.
“So, are we just going to wait here until the male penguin appears?”
Though killing time without doing anything wasn’t ideal, Matilda seemed absolutely delighted by the fact that she wouldn’t have to sleep in the water while we waited.
She clung to my arm, her voice filled with an almost desperate hope.
I was a little worried she might slip into her pink mode, clinging to me like this in a place with no immediate danger, but it seemed she was holding it together.
Come to think of it, she hasn’t gone into pink mode once during this entire dungeon trip.
Is it because Alicia and the others are here?
I suppose clinging to me in her pink mode right in front of Alicia would be a pretty nasty thing to do.
See, Matilda? You can totally control your pink mode if you just put your mind to it.
So why don’t you do it more often?
“We could, but it feels like a bit of a waste of time.”
My original plan had been to get down to the 5th floor as quickly as possible and have the Goddess descend again.
Practical issues had forced me to postpone that plan and prioritize leveling up my job, but that didn’t mean my desire to see the Goddess had vanished.
It might only be a few days, but since we were already in the dungeon, I wanted to make the most of our time.
“However, I would not recommend passing through the wall to go back and forth.”
“That’s the problem, isn’t it?”
We’d been lucky not to be noticed so far, but the process of entering and exiting this area from the Emperor Penguin’s room was far too conspicuous.
Just as Diana said, coming and going to hunt on the upper floor while waiting for the male penguin to respawn would be like handing other adventurers the secret of the sub-layer on a silver platter.
“Huh? What’s the problem? We can just fight down below, can’t we?”
“Well, that’s a little…”
Indeed, traveling to and from the Turtle Cave wouldn’t be an issue at all.
But there was a reason we’d left the Turtle Cave so quickly during our last expedition.
Well, yes, we did rush back up because of Diana’s situation, but that wasn’t the only reason.
What I desperately needed right now was to raise the level of my Moon Shadow Warrior job and its attack skills.
And the turtles, known for their ridiculously high defense relative to their level, were the absolute worst opponents for level grinding.
You could say they were the polar opposite of the penguins, whose low defense made them perfect for it.
But Alicia didn’t know what kind of monsters were on the 4.5th floor, so her reaction was understandable.
“Ah, right. Since it’s a waste to just sit around, how about we go check out the Turtle Cave? If you guys are going to be fighting them from now on, it’d be better to get some intel beforehand, right?”
The thought that Alicia wouldn’t know about the Turtle Cave sparked an idea for how to use our time effectively while waiting for the male penguin to respawn.
It seemed unlikely I’d be able to level up during this time anyway.
And it would be better for Alicia’s party to learn how to fight the turtles from us, who had fought them before, before they started their own exploration.
Miriel may be suspicious, but now that we were allies helping each other, this was the least I could do.
“Hm? Oh… I see…”
But upon hearing my suggestion, Alicia’s expression grew complicated.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, there’s no better training than fighting an unknown opponent. Giving those guys intel on the monsters beforehand is…”
I see. Come to think of it, when she was training me on the way here, she always waited until after a fight was over to point out what I needed to fix or explain how to fight that monster more effectively.
So she wasn’t just trying to torment me.
She really does put a lot of thought into things.
Then again, calling a veteran instructor’s methods surprising is probably rude. It’s just that her image… you know.
“Right! We’ll leave them here, and just you and I… ah… uh… w-we can just go down for a second and fight one…!”
“I’ll go.”
After a moment of thought, Alicia slammed her fist into her palm as if she’d had a great idea and shouted her suggestion.
Partway through, she seemed to realize what she was saying, her words faltering as a faint blush crept onto her face.
Of course, the moment Alicia showed that reaction, our Hero stepped forward and cut her off in a cold voice.
“H-Huh?”
“Since we don’t know when the male penguin will appear, it’s best for Guwon to stay here as much as possible. What if the male penguin respawns while you’ve left with only him? Are you saying the others should hold off the male penguin, with its powerful attacks, until Guwon gets back? Why should we take such a risk?”
“N-No, I…”
“I also know about the monsters down there, so if you need information, I can go with you and explain everything. That should be fine, right?”
“W-Well, yes, but…”
Under Sara’s sharp, accusatory tone, Alicia was completely overwhelmed and couldn’t find the words to respond.
That’s Sara for you. Pushing back the great Alicia with words alone.
Of course, Alicia’s willingness to nod along meekly had a lot to do with the preceding situation.
Alicia might be hot-headed, but she wasn’t so ill-tempered that she’d lash out after being called out for a mistake she herself had made.
Besides, having just made a comment that sounded like she still had lingering feelings for me and was trying to make a move, it would be even harder for her to get angry at my girl.
Though, judging by her reaction, it seemed less like she’d said it with the intention of being alone with me and more like the words just tumbled out without thinking.
As Sara continued to relentlessly assail her, Alicia kept glancing my way, as if pleading for me to intervene.
It’s no use looking at me like that. Even I have a hard time stopping Sara when she’s this fired up. But I guess leaving them like this isn’t a good idea either.
If I let this continue, Sara would definitely get more and more heated and keep cornering Alicia.
She probably had some pent-up feelings toward the woman who I’d dumped.
If that happened, our newly formed alliance could start to crack right from the get-go.
“No, you can’t.”
“What?!”
When I stepped between them and said that, Sara’s eyes went wide as she stared at me, as if she couldn’t believe I would oppose her.
Hey. Don’t glare at me like that. I’m not kidding, you can be genuinely scary sometimes.
And isn’t it important to hear a person out?
“How could I send you alone with Alicia? It’s too dangerous. What if something happens? Someone could get hurt, so Leia has to go too. You’ll need the key to get back up from the other side anyway. And to protect you and Leia from behind, at least one of either Silvia or Matilda has to go along. That’s right. How could I possibly send you alone? If this pretty face of yours got even a single scratch…”
“A-Alright, that’s enough, you idiot.”
After hearing me out, the venom immediately drained from Sara’s face, and she blushed, her cheeks turning a cute shade of red.
Hah. I’m just that good.
In exchange, however, Alicia was now looking at me with a thoroughly displeased expression.
Hey. I get that it’s only natural to make a face like that when the guy who dumped you is acting all lovey-dovey with another woman, but just remember one thing. I did this to help you, okay?
“So, what’s the final decision? You want to go down and get a taste of the Turtle Cave? I can lend you some of my girls.”
“…Fine. Not that I need a whole entourage. I can protect one person by myself just fine.”
It seemed she really hadn’t meant anything improper earlier, because Alicia nodded without hesitation even after hearing that others would be going instead of me.
She looked a little annoyed, but that was unavoidable after watching me and Sara being all cutesy right in front of her.
“No, I’d be too worried. Oh, and just in case, Diana, you should go too.”
“Hm? Me as well?”
“Yep.”
Diana, who hadn’t been included in my earlier speech, looked at me with a puzzled expression, as if she’d assumed she wasn’t going.
I walked over to her and whispered in her ear.
“If the mood gets tense, I need you to step in. We’re allies, after all.”
Seeing how things were, I had no idea what kind of friction might occur between Sara and Alicia when I wasn’t around.
If a situation like that arose, the only one who could properly handle it was Diana.
“Hmm… I don’t think you need to worry. The mood is unlikely to get tense as long as you are not present… but very well, I understand.”
Diana replied with a voice tinged with a slight sigh, then gave a nod.
“What are you two whispering about?”
“Nothing. Just asking Diana to go along to prepare for any contingencies. So, who’s going to be the tank protecting the rearguard? Matilda, you want to go? Or Silvia?”
“Pardon? Well…”
“Of course…”
Silvia and Matilda simultaneously looked at each other.
And as the silent staring contest continued, their eyes increasingly took on the look of competitors. Before long, a rare confrontation between a Royal Guard Knight and a Cardinal had begun.
If one of them went with Alicia, the other would naturally be left up here, alone with me.
It was a golden opportunity that neither Silvia nor Matilda had any intention of missing.
“Lady Silvia? Isn’t the role of the tank yours to fill?”
“I believe protecting the rearguard is your duty, Lady Matilda.”
Matilda tried to pressure Silvia with a slightly haughty tone, but Silvia, a high noble herself, parried the Cardinal’s pressure with an emotionless voice, as if it had no effect on her.
Ooh. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Silvia and Matilda like this. They’re both acting just like they did when we first met.
Is this what they’re like when I’m not around?
Honestly, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t curious about what would happen if they actually threw down.
But a man who just stands by and watches that happen doesn’t deserve a harem, right?
“Both of you! Stop fighting over me!”
I jumped between them and, channeling a tragic heroine, cried out in a melodramatic tone.
Normally, a sharp retort to my foolishness would have broken the tension, but there was a variable I hadn’t accounted for.
My opponents were that Silvia and that Matilda.
“Hyaah?!”
“Y-You! No! If it means I can be with you, I’ll…!”
Silvia shuddered as if she’d just remembered I was right next to her in a safe space, while Matilda went into full pink mode, clinging to me and, for some reason, matching my melodramatic tone.
I’d forgotten. Silvia’s concentration is so incredible that she rarely shows her cute side inside a dungeon, and Matilda hadn’t gone into pink mode this entire time.
“Wh-Wha? Hey, wait a minute. What do you mean, ‘if it means you can be with me’? What are you going to do?! Stop! No, just get off me! There are other people watching!”
I frantically tried to peel Matilda off, but as always, the strength of our Holy Knight-slash-Cardinal was immense.
“…You picked the wrong people to joke with.”
“No. Hey. Wait. Hey, you guys! Don’t just stand there and watch…”
“U-Uuh…! I-I also, to be w-with you, Guwon…!”
And to make matters worse, seeing Matilda openly clinging to me and rubbing her face against me, Silvia also caught fire and began to latch onto me.
Hey! Silvia! Usually you act like you’re at death’s door whenever I ask you to come here, so why now of all times!
I mean, I’m happy you’re coming to me on your own, but did it have to be right now?
Stop! It’s hard enough getting Matilda off, and now you too! When two powerhouses like you grab on, I really can’t escape!
“Gahk! Wait! Keuk… Girls… this isn’t a contest to see who can hug tighter… Gyaaaah…”
“…Looks like he has his own struggles.”
As I was being put in a double submission hold by Silvia and Matilda, Alicia’s bemused voice reached my ears.
I guess this also counted as us being lovey-dovey, but it seemed this particular sight didn’t inspire any jealousy in her.
Not that I was in any position to worry about that right now.
Seriously… I’m really gonna die…