Chapter 130 – Dungeon (5)
The meeting place is the east gate of Kalita.
Several wagons were lined up, and the area around them was crowded with adventurers who arrived first.
If you look around a little more, you can see the administrative staff of the adventure team. Judging by the papers in their hands, it seems that they are supervising wagons and other items.
“Is Ariel okay?”
Seris raised a worried voice.
“What is there to do at the convent? She said she would take good care of Sister Nella too, so don’t worry about her.”
The biggest problem that arose when the three of us decided to go to the dungeon was, of course, Ariel. He can be taken by force, but Ariel without an elemental is just a burden. That said, leaving this helpless elf alone at home was a bit like that.
This guy could have an accident, or someone else could harbor malice.
What came to mind then was Sister Nella. We asked Sister Nella to babysit Ariel for a while, and she readily agreed.
“Sister Nella… That’s right. He is trustworthy.”
Anxiety drained from Seris’ face.
After that, we killed time by having a trivial conversation.
The buzz of adventurers nearby grew louder than before. Their eyes were focused on one place.
‘What?’
I turned my head after them. I saw four people walking. One man led the way, followed by the other three. Two of the three were people I knew.
‘Orca and Varian.’
Naturally, the identities of the two unknowns were predicted.
The woman walking next to the orca will be of silver rank, her peers.
She’s probably the bearish middle-aged who precedes her…
“Siegfried. Siegfried came out himself.”
One of the adventurers muttered in amazement. Other adventurers also expressed surprise in different ways.
And to my surprise, I was the same.
Siegfried.
A gold-ranked adventurer in Kalita and the adventure captain of the Red Heart Adventure Corps.
Orca’s father.
That was all I knew about him.
I looked at Siegfried as he walked toward the carriage. His steps were firm and firm. As he proceeded, the chaotically gathered adventurers split and opened the way.
When I saw it, I was genuinely amazed.
The reason the adventurers narrowed their place and opened the way wasn’t simply because he was a gold-grade adventurer. It’s not because they’re 1.5 times bigger than them.
‘Aura.’
That which is often seen in other people at the poles of one field.
Siegfried felt that too. An aura that is like a strong and solid iron wall, that is likely to be crushed if collided with it. Rather than opening the way for the adventurers, it would be more accurate to say that they unconsciously avoided it.
‘That’s a gold grade adventurer…’
Stairs that I will have to step on and climb someday.
‘…Can I get over it?’
That thick iron wall?
Having hardened my expression, I immediately burst into laughter.
It’s like worrying about the wall behind you when you can’t even cross the wall right in front of you.
It was ridiculous.
“Brother? Why are you laughing?”
“No.”
He stroked Kara’s head, who tilted her head.
There is a lot of time. You can do it slowly
Worrying for nothing is a luxury.
* * *
“Is that so?”
“Because it is. As for why this is so…”
She nodded her head at Orca’s excitedly explaining voice. She simultaneously tried to find a position that was less uncomfortable for her by changing the position of her hips.
But this damn cheap wagon didn’t allow me to be comfortable. She rattled and strained her hip bones.
“There…”
Meanwhile, Orca continued to chatter beside her. It would be nice if she was talking to herself, but it was a little annoying to ask me for an answer.
If you answered yes…
“Are you listening?”
Said she, taking her words back to focus.
‘I called out for no reason.’
I thought she was bored because she kept glancing at me from the moment I got into the carriage. So, on purpose, she opened up her story about magic she was familiar with…
“But do you know what is strange?”
“What is it?”
“That means…”
Even after several hours, her mouth did not close. When the conversation seemed to be over, she extended it by biting her tail with a new topic. It was as if her persistence had let go of her suppressed desire.
‘How did I endure during tea time?’
At that time, I saved a word. The words that the wizard had great patience came to mind.
As she responded appropriately to Orca’s explanation, she remembered Seris and Kara who were riding in the Patrick’s party carriage.
‘I wonder if Seris’s ass is okay.’
That wagon looked worse than the one I was riding in. Maybe he’s crying.
He smiled and turned her head.
I saw other party members riding in the same wagon. They laughed and chatted among themselves, or closed their eyes and rested.
‘…Should I have kept a reasonable distance from Orca like those people?’
If so, I think it would have been a little easier on the body and mind. She managed to hold back a sigh. When she turned her head, Marid, who had been arguing with me until recently, caught her eye.
In the end, she was sitting alone, perhaps abandoned by the other party members. She had a book in her hand, but she frowned and tousled her hair, but did not let go.
Perhaps she intends to take a break, she sighs and lifts her head. Upon spotting me, she gave a ferocious look, then turned her gaze back to her book.
‘They’re really studying writing.’
That’s just what I said
Well, if you want to become a voluntary slave, that’s fine with me. If Marid can read her documents, I won’t have to help Orca with her work.
An Orca would prefer an ambitious Marid to a reluctant one like me.
“Han Yuseong?”
So, it is a story that this high school student is not far away.
I decided to endure a little longer and smiled at Orca.
“Yes, I am listening.”
“That, yes. I mean…”
Orca was more excited for some reason.
* * *
After traveling by carriage for two days, we arrived at a place called White Wool Village.
The expedition did not stop at the village.
There was no need to stop by, and there was no way that many people could fit in that small town.
The carriage moved further past the village and stopped in front of a cliff where a dungeon appeared.
Orca, the most advanced, got off first and I followed. Then the other party members followed.
Shoot ah-
The sound of rushing water came from somewhere.
When I turned my head, I saw a huge cliff and a large stream of water flowing down from it.
“A waterfall… That’s it.”
“Waterfall. They say the dungeon is in there. Rather, stop beating yourself up and follow me. We should pitch our tents before it gets dark.”
She nudged my shoulder with her index finger. I stared at the waterfall for a while and then followed her.
“Mr. Orca. There is something I would like to ask of you.”
“Huh? What is it, tell me.”
“Can I get a separate tent for three people?”
“A three-person tent? That’s why… You, can’t you?”
Orca’s eyes narrowed. She looked at me with eyes that seemed to ask if she was right.
“Yes. I want to sleep with Seris and Kara.”
“…”
Orca’s eyes shook. I don’t know if it’s because of her mood, but her complexion seems to have darkened as well.
“Mr. Orca? Are you okay? Did you get motion sickness…”
“Oh, no. Are you okay.”
She shook her head, covering her face with her hands. She sighed and put her hand away, and her complexion returned to normal. It seems that it was also because of the mood.
“Didn’t you ask for a separate three-person tent? Sorry but that won’t work The number of tents assigned to each party is fixed.”
“But I heard there is quite a bit of room in the tent.”
“Yes. But that’s only for emergencies. You cannot use it for personal purposes.”
“At Varian-nim’s party, there was a lot of fuss about using one tent for two people. It seems that Juana-sama also intends to spend it alone with her boyfriend.”
“They are useless.”
Orca clicked her tongue with her cold expression.
“Yes?”
“No, I didn’t tell you, so don’t worry about it. More than that, even if they say they use it, that doesn’t mean it’s okay. What is that…”
Orca frowned as she pondered something.
“Oh yes, embezzlement. Embezzlement It’s stealing to extort the assets of the adventure party.”
I was dumbfounded by him.
What you’re saying is embezzlement.
“Isn’t embezzlement referring to when the assets of the adventure party are extorted for personal use? I’ll clean it up and return it. Then it’s not embezzlement, is it?”
“…No. It’s embezzlement. How do you know you’re going to tear up the tent?”
“I don’t tear it up. Orca-sama, is this the only trust between us?”
“Uh.”
Orca answered firmly. I lost her words for a moment, but I came back to her senses and persuaded her.
Every time that happened, she would come up with a very strange reason and say no.
Before I knew it, I arrived in front of the wagon. Orca exchanged greetings with the adventure team’s administrative staff.
“Yes, Mr. Orca. Can I give you the tent as I gave you last time?”
The administrative staff looked at Orca and said. Orca glanced at me. She bit her lip, closed her eyes, and with a sigh she said,
“…Add a tent for three.”
“Yes, an additional three-person tent. Could you wait a moment?”
The administrative staff went inside the wagon.
I spoke so quietly that only Orca could hear.
“Thank you, Orca-sama.”
“…Shut up.”
Orca looked very unhappy.
* * *
The Expedition Command decided to proceed with the exploration of the dungeon from the second day. Thanks to that, Sister Seris and I were able to rest comfortably inside the tent. The vigil did not have to stand still because they had been looking for a separate manpower from the adventure party.
“Yoosung, are you sleeping?”
Late at night, Seris’ voice filled the tent. Lying on my right side, she turned over to look at me.
“No, not yet. Didn’t you sleep, Seris?”
“I can’t sleep.”
“Are you nervous?”
“Little bit. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to move on a large scale like this since the bandit subjugation.”
A bandit subjugation commissioned by the great merchant family, the Reynald family.
There, Seris and I were in danger of being chased by Werther’s men.
It’s a similar situation to that time, so it seems a little uneasy.
I turned to her side and took Seris in her arms. Cerris has also left her body to make it easier for me to hold her. He stroked her back and had a small talk to relieve her anxiety.
“You know Andrew and Joey, right?”
“Know. It’s the chicken couple at Uncle Patrick’s party.”
“Yes. Those two will get married after this dungeon.”
“Marriage?”
When I asked back in surprise, Celis nodded her head. Her tall nose tickled my chest.
“Yes, I had an idea from the beginning, but it must have been solidified while making a lot of money as an elf the other day.”
“Okay?”
Well, the two of them are a couple who can’t live without each other, so if you can afford it, it’s worth getting married. Come to think of it, getting married now felt strange.
“That… Yoosung…”
Seris called me with a trembling voice.
“When shall we get married…?”
He looked at me and wiggled his fingers. I was speechless for a moment and couldn’t open my mouth. Then she hurriedly waved her hand.
“Oh, no, that’s not… I’m not rushing you! That, I’m just curious…”
Her eyes trembled to and fro. He gently stroked her hair to calm her down.
“Do you want to get married?”
Seris shyly nodded her head.
“Let’s get married. It’s too much right now, but later when I can afford it. Can you wait until then?”
“…Yes.”
Céris buried her face in my arms and hugged my back tightly. Not long after, she exhaled lightly and fell asleep.
She lowered her head and looked at Celis’ sleeping face.
“Hmm… Yooseong-san…”
It was really lovely to see her smiling and talking in her sleep.
But my expression hardened.
“It’s a marriage…”
I didn’t expect Celis to bring up such a story first. I wonder if I was very anxious that I would leave… A bitter feeling hung over me.
‘…I’m going to beat the demon king and whatever.’
Every night, when I saw Seris and Kara sleeping happily, the thoughts came back to me now.
‘I’m going to get rid of everything and buy a secluded house and garden just like Seris wanted and live comfortably.’
As for the main quest in the status window… I wonder if I can bypass it somehow.
I continued to have such weak thoughts. The guilt that had been hidden deep in her chest lifted her head. She became a sharpened blade, cutting through her chest.
-Yooseong-ah… My mother… I wish… I wish…
Her mother’s last words, which she couldn’t even remember properly, and which became part of her life, played in her head.
Whenever I heard that voice, I held on to my heart and moistened my eyes.
It was a repeat of that today.
