“Ugh!”
“Ugh ugh!”
Lemon and Apple, biting down on Shadow’s tendrils like a gag, went quiet, but the nearby elves erupted in cheers.
-Waaah!
Cheers of joy realizing the battle that nearly led to death was finally over.
However, I still had work to do.
I gestured for Lemon and Apple to follow me and headed towards Lydia and Benny.
“Lady Lydia. Benny. We still have one last thing to do.”
“Right. It’s about rescuing Manager Eve, isn’t it?”
“Well, now that we’ve come this far, it’s basically over, right?”
“Benny, do you know something?”
“What?”
Benny was in a scrimmage with Tania, looking like a worn-out marionette from all the magic she’d unleashed, pretending to be fine in front of me.
And I was no different.
Feigning a casual arm-around Benny, I half-collapsed and whispered in her ear.
“I feel like I’m dying… At this point, Benny wouldn’t be able to resist anything I do, right?”
“Eh.”
Benny’s purple eyes widened as she stuck her tongue out between her sharp teeth, wetting her lips.
“…What’s with that eager expression? If you do something naughty, are you really going to enjoy it before snitching to Ellie?”
“Am I going to enjoy it?!”
“Well, if Benny’s going to die, it shouldn’t be unfair, right?”
“…True. If I take a good hit from big sister Ellie, my body and head would separate right away.”
I chuckled at the shaking Benny, adding, “Besides, you took care of not just a couple but a dozen of those menti-level enemies at once. In the open, without any stealth. After that, I jumped into a fight between a high-ranking adventurer and a mentor-level heretic.”
“Ah… I forgot how well you fought. Jonah just took down the second-floor guardian and has become a third-floor adventurer, right?”
“That guardian, I defeated it alone just a few hours ago.”
“…Why did you do it alone?”
“I just hit it lightly, and it flipped out, coming right after me!”
Since I joined later, Benny didn’t know how I fought in the labyrinth, so I shrugged it off.
“Well, you can ask Lydia for the details… The point is, I’ve just been pretending to be fine by squeezing out my last bits of strength. And this act has to keep going until we rescue Eve safely.”
“Got it. How can I help?”
“It’s simple. Just cast a pain suppression spell and lend me Shadow; that’ll be enough.”
“Hang on.”
After a brief incantation, Benny tapped my forehead. Suddenly, my entire body felt dulled, and the pain that had been gnawing at me felt distant.
It felt natural to release Benny, as if I were hugging her to say thank you for her hard work after the battle. She looked a bit disappointed, but I couldn’t hold just one person, could I?
As Shadow crawled over to Benny’s call, I then lightly hugged Lydia.
Well, that was the plan.
As our chests naturally met, feeling the hope of humanity radiate from within, my body lost control and buried my face against her.
Molk.
After rubbing my face against Lydia’s chest a couple of times, I opened my mouth.
“Ugm…”
“Hmm?”
“Ah, that’s not it. Lady Lydia, can I ask you for help in any potential battle scenarios or tasks?”
“Sure. Leave it to me.”
Perhaps because she had done so much knightly work today, Lydia nodded with an unusually proud expression.
After scattering my reluctant feelings, I lightly waved to Shadow, who was staring blankly at me.
Understanding immediately, Shadow released the gag from Lemon and Apple and puffed up into a cushion-like shape.
After confirming that countless eyes sprouting from its body quietly closed, I climbed on top.
Then I gently patted it.
“Thanks.”
Krrng.
Shadow sounded drained, but seemed to enjoy my touch as it stirred its body.
Alright, this should do.
Riding on the back of a terrifying monster that words couldn’t describe, even if it wasn’t really a king of elves, felt perfect for my exit.
I straightened my waist, pretending to be solemn and looked up. My gaze met Rosemary, who wore a complicated expression in front of Tuberose.
“Um, well. Rosemary, you’ve seen it from the side, so you know this is…”
“Thank you for stopping my mother’s rampage.”
“Huh?”
I thought she wouldn’t be able to offer me a pleasant look, even if she didn’t blame me. After all, I had effectively killed Rosemary’s mother.
But Rosemary sincerely thanked me.
“Is, is it alright?”
“To be honest, it’s not. But my sorrow must end with me. My mother committed a clear wrong and got her due; as her daughter, I must clean it up. I still have my elven fellows and the Cradle Association left.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
In return, as if thanking me, Rosemary held her ground, even despite her own hardships, and I made a decision.
“I’ll leave the tasks of cleaning up the Cradle Association and this place to you, Rosemary.”
“Eh?”
Rosemary’s eyes widened at the sudden promotion. After all, she was likely the successor of the Cradle Association, so there shouldn’t be much friction in the succession process.
I patted her shoulder a couple of times and turned away.
“Wait a second! What do you mean…?”
Just as Rosemary tried to grab me, she looked back at the elves gathering behind her and realized.
The follow-up to this incident wouldn’t be easy.
Later, I’d ask how the One Who Devours the Twilight became involved with the guild, but for the next few days, she’d have her work cut out for her.
Claiming my share must wait until all of this is over.
“Let’s go.”
Muttering to myself, I lightly tapped my side, and Shadow quietly crossed the floor.
Following were Lydia, Benny, and Lemon and Apple, who pretended to have their lips zipped.
As we left, we turned our backs on the elves’ gazes and silent salutes before finally exiting the banquet hall.
As soon as we stepped outside, the first thing that caught my eye was the corpses of the two guards who had been blocking Lemon and Apple just moments ago.
“Tsk. Surely, it can’t look like this down to the first floor, right?”
“Since they were operational, if it looked like that, the guild or temple’s forces would’ve rushed in immediately.”
“Really. Since no support came, it seems the lower floors are fine. I’m not sure whether to be glad about that…”
Sighing, still on Shadow, I descended the stairs we had climbed.
As Lydia said, the scenery got more intact the further down we went. It seemed some sort of soundproof magic was cast; I couldn’t hear any noise from above at all.
Arriving on the first floor, we were met with puzzled looks from the calm staff and patrons.
Eve said she was underground.
But no matter how I looked around, I couldn’t see a path down. It was probably some sort of secret passage.
…And Rosemary would surely know well.
Did Tuberose endow her daughter with usefulness at the last moment to prevent any potential rage?
I never intended to blame Rosemary, but Tuberose’s split-second judgment skill was quite remarkable.
If we went below, she probably had various plans set to prepare for any unexpected situations.
But we didn’t need to get involved with that.
On a bustling first floor, I gestured to the relatively unharmed Lydia among us.
Boom!
As if waiting for the signal, Lydia stomped the ground, her aura filling the air.
The floor cracked open, and all the patrons’ gazes promptly converged on us.
I smiled broadly at the fearful expressions.
“Alright! The Cradle Association’s business for today is over! Guests, please make your way out!”
“…It’s inappropriate to do this here. Lady Lydia, you have a reputation as a fair adventurer; why are you undertaking such unseemly acts?”
“For details, ask above.”
I answered shortly, stomping onto the ground again.
KABOOM!
The cracks intensified, and the patrons began exiting one by one.
Though their gazes weren’t particularly pleasant… No adventurer had the courage or skill to stand before Lydia.
They’d surely understand the events of today when the next day arrived.
Once I confirmed that both the guests and staff had withdrawn, I poked Lydia in the back.
“Lady Lydia, shall we go for a serious downward thrust?”
“Yeah.”
Nodding, Lydia raised her enormous greatsword, which matched her size.
Exactly the same posture she had shown to the steel-armored guy, though the aura contained within was now considerably weakened. Rather than appearing like a pillar, it barely enveloped the greatsword.
Still, its power shouldn’t be underestimated.
KABOOOM!
A sound close to an explosion rang out. The basic defensive and preservation spells solidified the floor, breaking it apart instantly to reveal the underground.
As expected, the underground was plastered with all sorts of devices.
Considering Tuberose’s objective, the traps wouldn’t threaten our lives. But if we tried to force our way through, it would’ve been a bit challenging.
But we skipped all that.
As the dust was settling, I stared down eagerly. And finally, I found her.
Eve, bound by thorny vines and trapped in what looked like a glass tube.
Shadow promptly shattered the glass and severed the vines.
Was she freed without quite knowing what had happened? Unlike her usual self, Eve wore a blank expression as she was now free from the heavy atmosphere.
With a playful smirk, I said to her, “I didn’t expect you to be hiding here. Have you missed me during this time, Eve?”
It took me far too long to say that.
