Chapter 838: Auden
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 838: Auden
I had strongly insisted on focusing on leveling up, but unfortunately, I couldn’t put it into practice.
Let me be clear, it wasn’t because my girls objected. After all, what happened just now was merely them playfully resisting my teasing; it wasn’t that they genuinely didn’t want to be with me.
The reason I couldn’t focus on leveling up was a bit simpler. Not long after Diana sent a messenger, Threon had already arrived at the mansion.
He’s being cooperative to an annoying degree. Still, he’s a Hero and a high-ranking noble, isn’t he? It would’ve been fine if he’d dragged his feet for a day. I would’ve cursed him, though.
Well, I did promise him that if I summoned the Goddess, I’d let him sit in and ask about the curse he’s afflicted with, so his attempt to be as cooperative as possible isn’t entirely incomprehensible.
…It’s a secret that I had completely forgotten about the promise I made with him just a moment ago.
“I understand Miriel’s… situation regarding Sauron Auden. As a devout follower of the Goddess and one who despises the Demon God, I want to offer the utmost cooperation I can. I want to, but…”
Anyway, we tried to explain the situation to Threon, who had come to the mansion, and sought his cooperation, but after hearing everything, his reaction was somehow unclear.
Well, it was perfectly understandable that he’d be agitated by the mention of Miriel Auden, given that his own family members had died due to their inferiority complex regarding Sauron Auden. But what did he mean by trailing off at the end?
“Is there some kind of problem?”
“You would know… or rather, Lady Telluna would know.”
At my question, he started to explain, then suddenly changed his words. I don’t know what he was trying to say, but it seems he thought I might not know. After all, I once fought fiercely with him without even knowing his name, only asking it after the duel was over. He probably remembered that.
Hmph. Correct, Hero. Unlike his appearance, his brain isn’t completely useless. Unlike his appearance. It’s an important point, so I said it twice.
“I am not an adventurer by profession. I only go into the Dungeon when the Guild requests cooperation. And even then, it’s always to places where the map is already complete, simply following the map. But this situation is different.”
“Hey, Threon. You call yourself a Hero, yet you don’t even have the courage to briefly visit the Dungeon? You said you’ve been to the 6th Floor many times. This time it’s the 5.5th Floor, so the difficulty will be much lower.”
I said that, but honestly, Threon’s opinion was quite understandable. There’s a saying that the most important member of a party venturing into the Dungeon isn’t a powerful attacker, a reliable tank, or an excellent healer, but a mapper. When exploring unknown areas, the role of a member with excellent spatial awareness is crucial. Since this guy isn’t even a proper adventurer, he wouldn’t possess such spatial awareness, so sending him into the Dungeon alone would be dangerous, he means.
“I’ve been wanting to ask since earlier, what’s with that ‘Threon’ name?” As I rested my chin in my hand, wondering what to do, he frowned and threw an irrelevant question at me.
Don’t you frown. You’re already single-handedly lowering the aesthetic standards of this room; if you frown, you’ll be even more unpleasant to look at.
“Huh? Trash Leon.”
“W-What…!”
At my answer, he seemed so shocked he was speechless, but I remained utterly unashamed.
“No, think about it. You might have done the same to me, but my first impression of you wasn’t exactly good, was it?”
Actually, it’s still not great, but I’m kind, so I decided not to say that much. And it’d be a hassle if he started bawling by himself again like last time.
Yeah. You probably know, but the latter part is my true feeling.
“So, I used to call you ‘Trash’ in my head. Well, after our duel and talking things over, that perception faded a bit, but once a word sticks, it’s hard to shake off. Even when I try to call you Leon, ‘Trash’ always comes first. No matter how hard I tried not to think of ‘Trash’ first, it didn’t work, so I just gave up.”
“Don’t give up on something like that so easily, you bastard! You’re supposed to be the Goddess’s messenger! Why are you so quick to give up?!”
“Hmph. It’s not that I’m quick to give up; it’s that I have excellent judgment, if you please. I boldly abandon what cannot be done and seek solutions within what can be done. There’s nothing more important than that for achieving one’s goals.”
“Why are you saying that with a face like you’ve said something profound! You cra— cough! It’s not cool at all!”
I’ve thought this before, but for a noble, he’s surprisingly lacking in dignity in his speech, or to put it bluntly, isn’t his mouth filthy? He was just about to swear again, wasn’t he, if Diana hadn’t been here?
No, well, he said his parents died when he was young, so of course, he wouldn’t have received proper upbringing.
Oh, and just for the record, what I just said was purely stating a fact, not at all meant as an insult to his parents. I am, after all, a person from the Land of Eastern Courtesy, and I know how to maintain that much decorum.
“No. I am cool.”
“G-Grrrgh!”
Anyway, when I shamelessly retorted, he couldn’t say a word and just frowned, looking utterly frustrated.
Hmph. It seems he can’t refute it. This coolness that even my enemies are forced to acknowledge, I myself fear it…
“That’s enough.” As I was basking in my victory over Threon, Diana lightly tapped my head with the tip of her staff.
“My apologies, young Leon. I shall apologize on his behalf, so please understand. This one doesn’t often get the chance to speak with friends of the same gender and age. He’s just excited.”
No, Diana. That’s not it. That makes it sound like he and I are friends. I don’t even know his last name, you know?
But it seemed Diana wasn’t the only one who thought so; looking around, everyone had an expression of agreement. Especially our Angel, who even wore a somewhat pleased smile. It was as if she was watching friends grow up together through their squabbles.
No wonder our Angel hadn’t said a single word of caution until I acted like this.
I felt somewhat uneasy, but I couldn’t tease Threon any further at this point. After all, Diana had already delivered the finishing blow.
“You, every single day… cough… Yes…” Look at him. He’s practically dying of envy.
To say that a guy surrounded by beautiful women like this doesn’t often get the chance to speak with friends of the same gender and age, in other words, means he’s too busy playing with women every day.
He’s already a guy full of complexes about his looks and his inability to satisfy women… Oh, come to think of it, Diana wasn’t there during his duel with me, was she? If she had heard that cry from his soul, which had evoked my pity without me even realizing it, Diana would never have spoken so carelessly.
Thinking about that time, I felt sorry for him again for no reason, so I decided to stop teasing him further.
“Anyway, the problem is getting lost, right? If we just assign a mapper, investigating the 5.5th Floor and returning won’t be an issue?”
“That’s right! As a Hero, in combat, I surpass even Miriel—!”
“No. Enough with your boasting.”
What do you mean, ‘surpass Miriel’? From what I heard, they’re evenly matched. He even said so himself before. See? This is what happens when I try to feel a little pity for him.
“But assigning a mapper… Guwon-ssi, do we have someone like that?”
Finding someone with mapping abilities is difficult to begin with, and now there are many additional conditions. They must be able to keep secrets properly, and they need enough combat power to accompany Threon on the 5.5th Floor. No matter how formidable Threon’s combat power is, he can’t perfectly protect one person while fighting at the 5.5th Floor’s level.
And I only knew one person who met all those conditions. And probably, only one face came to Leia’s mind as well.
Even though she asked as if she didn’t know, at the same time, Leia came closer and hugged my arm tightly, as if tucking it between her breasts. Then, as if telling me not to go, she looked me straight in the eye and shook her head.
Angel. I’d be happy and everything would be great if you kept doing that, but Threon is watching and practically dying of envy. Well, it’s not that important, though.
“Leia. It can’t be helped. I have no choice but to go with him.” Whether Threon was envious or not, I gently stroked Leia’s cheek with one hand and said that, looking her straight in the eye.
Yes. In terms of mapping ability, there’s no one better than me, who literally sees a map being created everywhere I go. Moreover, with me, there’s no need to worry about keeping secrets, and there’s no issue with combat power either.
“But…”
“It’s fine. You might have forgotten because I’ve been sealing my Saint skills in the Dungeon lately, but if I just use my Saint skills, I’m invincible against living creatures, you know? The 5.5th Floor is just an extension of the 5th Floor anyway. All the monsters there will be living creatures with sexual desires, so there’s no chance I’ll be in danger. And if it really gets dangerous, I’ll just throw that guy as a shield and escape alone with Shadow Movement. You saw it, didn’t you? How excellent my Shadow Movement skill is.”
Well, the last time I used it was when I went in alone to get hurt, so saying this might be counterproductive.
“Hey!” Some noise came from the front, but I thoroughly ignored it and only looked straight at Leia.
“Ah…” As I slowly stroked Leia’s cheek again, Leia’s ears drooped and trembled.
“So, okay? It’s fine. I won’t say something foolish like I’ll shoulder it all alone again, but this is still my mission. Please let me fulfill this much of a role.”
“Yes…” Realizing she couldn’t break my resolve, Leia finally nodded slowly, even as she wore a sad expression.
“But then how will you fool the Arachne? Guwon, you’re currently pretending to be unconscious.” And it wasn’t just Leia who was convinced by my words. Although I had spoken while looking at Leia because she was clinging to me and trying to stop me, my words just now were originally meant for all my girls. Sara, looking slightly jealous that I had only looked at Leia while speaking, but still seemingly convinced, said that.
“That won’t be a problem. With this…” Of course, I had thought through countermeasures for that before agreeing to go.
To prove it, I took a bracelet from my inventory and put it on my wrist. And at that moment, my eye level began to gradually lower, accompanied by a dizzying sensation that I still hadn’t gotten used to, even after experiencing it several times.
“I absolutely cannot let you go! No! Absolutely not! You have to listen to your big sister, right?! The Dungeon is dangerous! Going to such a dangerous place alone! No! Absolutely not!” “No, wait, I’m going with him, so…” “Absolutely not!”
And as soon as my vision stabilized, Leia clung to me even more tightly than before. She hugged me so hard, practically burying my face in her chest, and shook me, desperately trying to stop me from going to the Dungeon. She was so desperate that our Angel interrupted what others were saying—no, she completely ignored them and just spoke her mind.
Threon. It’s a bit late to say this, but I’m sorry for teasing you earlier. I sincerely apologize. Even without my teasing, your life is already a continuous string of suffering.
With my now-smaller hands, I pushed against Leia’s soft chest, barely securing an air pocket, and I couldn’t hide my pity for Threon.
“But Leia.”
“It’s ‘Big Sister’!”
“Big Sister Leia.”
“No!” No, Angel. I haven’t even said anything yet. Well, what I was going to say was already decided, but still.
As if struck directly in the heart by my voice, which was thinner and higher than usual, Leia tightened her arms around me even more, adamantly refusing to let me go to the Dungeon.