Chapter 56 – My Hero
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“Elsie…”
Elsie told me she loves me.
Honestly, I’m incredibly happy!
But Elsie’s expression right now is so heartbreaking.
It’s like the main heroine in the final chapter of an all-ages harem manga, who, having already accepted that the protagonist has made up his mind, musters the courage to confess, fully prepared to be rejected!
That must be it.
She must have run off after seeing Noah and me smooching.
Or maybe she even saw me taking off Noah’s clothes?
I want to explain everything to Elsie right now, but I don’t think I can smooth things over with my words in her current state.
More than that, I want to talk about this after we get out of the dungeon.
This is a dungeon. When I looked down, there didn’t seem to be any monsters around, but the commotion might have attracted some.
Of course, I’d take care of any monsters that came, but it would be the worst if we kept getting interrupted while trying to have this important conversation.
If we keep having awkward moments, it’ll be even harder to ask later!
“Elsie… first…”
I was about to say, “Let’s get out of the dungeon,” when Elsie cut me off.
“I’m sorry, Rent… I’m sorry, Noah…”
“Sniff, huh? Me?”
“Rent is Noah’s hero… but I ended up falling in love with Rent…”
Hero? Why?
“Noah was just expressing her love for Rent, her partner… and I didn’t understand… but I still wanted to tell Rent how I feel…”
“H-hey, Elsie? Elsie!”
“Noah must be feeling uncomfortable too, right? But… this is the last time… please…”
What should I do?
It seems like Elsie is getting lost in her own world.
Noah, who had been sniffling, stopped crying and called out Elsie’s name in a panic.
“No, Elsie! Calm down!”
Noah shook Elsie’s shoulders.
“B-but… if not now…”
“No, because it’s now, let’s postpone this talk! Okay? This is a dungeon, isn’t it? There are monsters! It’s dangerous! Let’s talk after we get out! I, I also have something to talk to Elsie about!”
“So… Rent is trying to make it clear that he’s Noah’s hero… Yes, of course, that’s how it should be. Sorry, Noah. I… I don’t mind if Noah hits me…”
“No, I said let’s talk about that later! And I’m not going to hit you!? Rent! Help me!”
“U-uh!”
I don’t know how to respond to Noah’s plea for help, but I put my hand on Elsie’s shoulder and said,
“Elsie, aren’t you hungry? Let’s get out of the dungeon quickly. We were going to have breakfast together.”
Y-yes, in times like this, you emphasize pre-existing plans!
Thankfully, Elsie smiled and nodded.
“That’s right… maybe… this might be the last time we eat together…”
No, it wasn’t good at all.
It’s like Elsie is acting like a supporting heroine who’s stepping aside.
“B-but… if Rent and Noah allow it, maybe in the future…”
“W-what are you talking about, Elsie! We’re a party! We’ll keep eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner together! Why are you saying such things!?”
“Y-you’re right, Noah. Elsie! H-has something happened to you because of these guys?”
Could it be that these guys somehow figured out the relationship between Elsie and us and were poking at her sore spots in terms of romance to torment her, making her fall into this kind of thinking?
“No, it’s not that. It’s just… I’m getting in the way of Rent and Noah…”
Seeing Elsie continue to get lost in her own world, Noah shook Elsie’s shoulders even harder.
Boom boom!
“Seriously…!! Elsie! Just get up and let’s get out! We’ll talk about everything after we eat outside! Okay!”
“Y-yes… ugh, N-Noah… I’m dizzy…”
Noah stopped shaking her.
“Okay, let’s get up quickly! We’ll talk about everything outside! No more talking inside the dungeon!”
“Yes…”
Noah got up and helped Elsie up.
Noah looked at Elsie for a moment, then started tearing up again and hugged Elsie.
“I’m so… glad…”
“Noah…”
It’s a very heartwarming scene.
It would have been even more heartwarming if it weren’t for the trashy criminals sprawled around.
“Noah.”
“Huh? Sniff. What is it, Rent?”
“How should we take these guys with us?”
“Hmm, wouldn’t it be better to tie them up in one place with rope and drag them?”
“Do you have rope, Noah?”
“Ah… no.”
Then how should we move them?
“U-um… Rent.”
“Yeah, Elsie.”
“If you need rope, it might be… in that tent over there.”
Come to think of it, Elsie was tied up with rope.
If there’s any rope, it’s most likely in that tent.
“Thanks, Elsie. I’ll go look.”
I went into the tent to see if there was any rope.
There was a pillow and blanket in the center of the tent, and a wooden box inside.
“Is this it…”
I opened the wooden box.
Creak.
Inside the box were ropes and various other items.
“This is…”
Among them were bloodstained clothes and weapons.
They seemed to be the belongings of the adventurers who had been sacrificed.
“I should take this box too.”
I thought that I should return the belongings of yesterday’s victim and the victims from at least a few months ago to their companions or families.
Fortunately, there were several ropes.
I took out the ropes, closed the box, and went out of the tent.
“Noah, I got the ropes.”
“Ah, Rent! There’s… a problem.”
Noah said, sweating profusely.
“A problem? What is it? Did something happen to Elsie…”
“No, it’s not that… Elsie said that… if you don’t know the shortcut, it’s a 6-hour walk from the warp device… how do we get back?”
Six hours.
Six hours!?
“Huh? Really?”
“Yeah… they said that to scare Elsie…”
If it’s a 6-hour walk, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell where it is even if I jumped up with all my might and looked around.
It would take us a lot of time to find our way back on our own.
Besides, this is a place that criminals use as a hideout.
It was unlikely that there would be any adventurers around.
I looked down and the rope I was going to use came into view.
“Ah.”
I had a good idea.
“Noah.”
“Yeah, Rent. What should we…”
“Let’s get directions from someone who knows.”
“Huh?”
“First, I’ll gather them in one place. Noah, tie up that big guy and the guy who looks like an archer together. Just tie the priest-looking guy’s arms separately. Oh, and make it so we can drag him.”
“Okay, I got it.”
Noah tied the red-haired man and the archer man together, and tied the priest man’s arms behind his back.
I roughly tied the box to make a strap.
“Elsie, I have a favor to ask.”
“Yes, Rent. What is it?”
I pointed to the priest, who was still unconscious.
“Um… I know you don’t want to, but can you heal this guy’s face? His cheek is so swollen that he might not be able to answer properly if we ask for directions.”
I controlled my strength, but my punch to the priest’s face had swollen one side of his face. He wouldn’t be able to speak properly like this.
If he woke up in this state, he would probably scream in pain before he could say anything.
At my request, Elsie smiled and nodded.
“Yes, I understand. This is also… our last meal together…”
“P-please!”
I urged her to heal him before Elsie fell into her own world with negative thoughts again.
“Yes.”
Elsie used holy magic on the priest’s face.
“Heal.”
Was it because she had been promoted?
Even without holding a staff, the priest’s swollen face gradually subsided, leaving only a slight bruise.
“Elsie, that should be enough.”
“Yes…”
“Rent, are you going to make that guy guide us?”
“Yeah, the other two might resist violently if we just tie their arms.”
I had to prevent any possibility of Elsie and Noah getting hurt.
“Noah, hold onto the priest’s rope. I’ll drag these two. If the priest tries to resist, I’ll punch him in the face again.”
“Okay, I got it.”
Noah grabbed the rope tied to the priest, and I hit the priest’s face several times with my hand.
Slap slap slap.
“Ugh, ugh…”
After about 20 hits, the priest opened his eyes.
“H-hic! Monster!”
“Who’s the monster?”
Why do these guys call me a monster when they’re the ones who committed such heinous acts?
I grabbed the priest by the collar and lifted him up.
“Ugh!”
I made the priest stand properly on the ground and said to him while still holding his collar.
“Take us to the warp device right now. If you don’t, I’ll punch you on the other side of your face. You don’t want your face to end up like that, do you?”
I pointed to the red-haired man, whose nose was crushed and face was covered in blood, though the bleeding had stopped.
The priest’s face turned pale as he looked at the red-haired man and nodded.
“Y-yes, I understand…”
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The priest led the way with his arms tied,
Noah held the priest’s rope,
I walked beside the priest, dragging the two men and the box with a rope,
and Elsie walked right behind me.
“Are we going the right way?”
It had been about an hour since we started walking.
Honestly, I’m a bit hungry.
“Yes, yes! We are… Ah, we’ll be there soon. B-but…”
“But?”
“Soon, you’ll see a pack of Wolf Fangs…”
Wolf Fangs.
They’re the normal version of the Rage Fang monsters I caught.
“I-if a pack of Wolf Fangs appears, I don’t know about you, but Elsie and your other companion might be in danger…”
What is this guy talking about?
“So?”
“So, how about we make a deal? If you release me near the warp device… I’ll protect Elsie and your other companion. My protection will be impenetrable against the Wolf Fang’s attacks.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, that’s right! You came all the way here to save Elsie, which means your companions are important to you, right? Then, for their safety, you should make a deal with me here…”
Grrrrrrrrr
At that moment, several wolf-like monsters, smaller than Rage Fangs, appeared in front of us.
Those must be the Wolf Fangs.
“S-see! I was right! Come on, let’s make a deal! If you release me now, I’ll protect you both…”
I ignored the priest’s words and put the rope that tied the two men and the box down for a moment, then gathered dirt from the ground with both hands.
““Rent?””
“W-what are you doing!”
Elsie and Noah tilted their heads at my actions, and the priest was flustered.
I pressed the dirt I had gathered in my hands as hard as I could to make it flat.
Squeeeeeeeeze!
When I took my right hand off, a flat, shiny mineral-like object had formed on my left palm.
“Huh?”
The priest’s eyes widened as he looked at the mineral that had appeared in my hand.
I picked up the flattened mineral with my right finger and tore off a piece.
Tear!
Then, I threw the piece towards one of the Wolf Fangs.
Whoosh!
Boom!
The piece hit, and one of the Wolf Fang’s heads shattered into pieces.
“Gasp!”
Tear!
I tore off another piece of mineral and threw it at another Wolf Fang.
Whoosh!
Boom!
This time, another Wolf Fang’s torso exploded.
Grrrraaaaaaa!
Then, the Wolf Fangs all tried to attack me at once, so I quickly tore off pieces and threw them at the Wolf Fangs.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Boom boom boom boom boom!
The torsos and heads of the Wolf Fangs that jumped at me in the air exploded one after another.
Wow, a dirty fireworks show.
It’s a bit grotesque, but it’s much better than human forms, right?
Actually, I didn’t want to use this method, but the priest’s words were so absurd and annoying that I wanted to set an example.
Originally, I wanted to blow away the Wolf Fangs with the wind pressure from my punch and see Elsie’s white thighs peeking through the priest’s robe, but I refrained from doing so because that would mean showing Elsie’s thighs to this guy too.
I picked up the rope I had put on the ground again, put my arm around the priest’s shoulder, and said in a small voice that only he could hear.
“What the hell were you saying? I heard some nonsense that could get your head crushed in my hand…”
I was so annoyed that my voice lowered and my words became rough.
Making me use such rough language, he really is a heinous and trashy criminal.
“N-nothing at all…”
The priest was completely pale and sweating profusely as he continued to guide us.
