Chapter 73 – If you keep teasing me, will you get scolded at night?
Chapter 72
With a thump, a large piece of magic ore fell out.
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
Me and the receptionist groaned at the same time. It had to be. More than I expected, a much larger chunk fell off.
It’s not as big as Estelle broke before, but it looks big enough. The receptionist, who must have done the promotion review often, was surprised, so he said everything.
“Now, I’ll weigh the magic ore for a while.”
“I will carry it.”
“Ah, thank you!”
I picked up the magic ore like I did before.
“Hmm?”
“Why is that?”
“Oh, no.”
…Before, it wasn’t so light. Have I grown that much?
When the magic ore was lightly placed on the scale, the receptionist was surprised once more by the weight.
“Wow…That’s great. You can be promoted to Class A right away!”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, enough! It looks like you’ve worked hard so far!”
I worked hard.
“Thank you.”
“Then, Adventurer Abel will be recorded as having been promoted to Class A! I will also revise the adventurer’s card, so could you return the existing adventurer’s card?”
“Here.”
After handing over the adventurer’s card, the receptionist nodded and said,
“Thank you for your hard work! The judging is over!”
“Ah, thank you.”
…I’ve gotten really strong.
After seeing indicators that can be compared like this, I feel like I can feel it.
Well, I’ve been working hard since I was possessed. Thanks to Estelle’s hard work…
“Yeah, by the way.”
“Yes?”
Do you have anything else to say?
Looking at the receptionist with her puzzled eyes, she said a little embarrassed.
“That…Do you have time? Either tonight or tomorrow evening.”
“…Yes?”
At that time, I remembered what Estelle had told me.
-All women are foxes. Did you know?
…Is that why you said that?
I said sorry to the shy receptionist.
“Sorry. I have a girlfriend.”
“Ah…Ah, ahahahaha…That’s right.”
The receptionist lowered her head apologetically and quickly avoided her seat. Left alone in the screening room, I scratched my cheek.
Something…It’s a strange feeling.
#
“Estel, Celine!”
Estel and Celine, who had been told to wait in the lobby, stood against the wall. When I did something by sticking to the wall, it seems that the two of them were looking at the requests posted on the bulletin board.
I told them the good news.
“I got an A grade.”
I showed you my new adventurer card. Instead of D, the letter A was proudly stamped on the adventurer grade plaque.
“Congratulations.”
Celine congratulated me plainly, and Estelle smiled at me.
“That poor warrior has grown up a lot ♡ You did a good job ♡”
…It feels good to hear him compliment me. Is it because I feel recognized?
“By the way, what happened?”
“…What’s going on?”
“Um… No.”
…Why do I feel so needlessly good? I was relieved internally, thankful that Estelle didn’t ask further.
“If Abel is also A-class… this would be good.”
Estelle pointed to a request. Seeing that, Celine also nodded her head and commented that it was appropriate.
What does it say? It looks like it’s written on something…
“It’s a request to clear the dungeon, stupid Abel♡”
“…A dungeon?”
The dungeon I know? The dungeon in the game?
It could be used in a different meaning in the world of this novel, so I asked Estelle.
“What is a dungeon?”
“Stupid♡ Don’t you know that? Abel lacks common sense~♡”
…Since a while ago, stupid fool. It’s cute, but it’s a bad habit.
I took a step closer to Estelle. Then, Estelle looked at me startled. She whispered quietly to her showing her cute reaction.
“If you keep teasing me, will you get scolded again at night?”
“…Wh, what are you talking about!?”
Estelle looked away from her as her face turned red.
From noble mtl dot com.
…This is kind of teasing. I think I know why Estelle always makes fun of me.
Leaving behind the shy Estelle, Celine explained the dungeon to me.
“A dungeon is not just a single type of monster, but a place where multiple types of monsters coexist. That’s why the nest with Mother is also classified as a type of dungeon.”
“Ah.”
That’s why it’s called a dungeon, a dangerous place where monsters live.
“The requirements written in this request require at least two A-rank adventurers. That means that there must be advanced troll level monsters in this dungeon.”
It’s a high-level monster…If you have a blessing, you can cut it down, but this request is for training, so I won’t give you a blessing like usual.
Can I cut without a blessing?
“And hero, dungeons are very different from fighting in the plains. It depends on the location of the dungeon, but the dungeon here seems to be a cave just by looking at the writing. There might not be enough space to wield the hero’s greatsword as usual.”
“Is it blocked by the cave wall or something?”
“Yes, that’s right. Changing the way of using the sword according to the given space would be a training.”
You should be careful. By the way, Celine is also pretty good at explaining things. I don’t know if he knows as well as Estelle, but I think he’s quite smart too.
…I’m the only fool.
“…Should I really study?”
“Yes?”
“I feel like I don’t know too much.”
“Hero, you were originally someone who had nothing to do with this kind of thing. Of course. Even the saintess makes fun of me, but she understands everything.”
That’s true, but you can’t ask every day. There is no guarantee that they will always be by my side.
I’m not saying they’re leaving me somewhere, but they might be away for a while because something happened, right?
“Estel, then will you accept this request?”
Estelle, who was twisting her body about what she was imagining, heard my question and brought her to her senses.
“Yes?…Ah, that’s how it should be. The dungeon clearing request needs to be reported to the guild, so I’ll let you know.”
“Yes.”
Estelle went to report to the guild receptionist, and I looked at other requests with Celine. I didn’t know exactly what it was written on, but I could see the requests for A-rank or higher adventurers.
That’s because it says A in the requirements.
“Celine, what is this request?”
“That’s a request to kill the ogre that appeared in the mountain.”
“How many A-rank adventurers do you need?”
“At least three.”
Was the ogre that strong? As expected, it was a blessing that I killed an ogre with my skills at the time. It’s like a f*cking cheat key.
…Wait, then, what about Estelle, who killed the entire ogre group by herself?
“…I suddenly became afraid of Estelle.”
“Yes?”
I became terrified of my girlfriend, and Celine, unable to see the sight, only tilted her head at her.
#
The dungeon was located in the mountains south of Bourbon City. To be precise, the cave on the cliff of the waterfall connecting the mountain and the river was the dungeon we were looking for.
“Looks like there?”
“Yes, that’s right. Your perspective has broadened a bit, Abel♡”
…Aren’t you an idiot if you don’t know? There are openly kobolds in front of the cave, of course over there.
“You said that there are many monsters in dungeons. Then how do you usually attack?”
“Oh, Abel knows how to ask useful questions♡”
“…How do you know I’m such a fool?”
“Wasn’t it ♡”
This is absurd.
…Gee, are you really scolded? It’s scary now, but at night I win.
“Are you doing it without a blessing?”
“Yes, of course♡”
I took out the holy sword. But this… Isn’t there a way to use the part that has changed like a sawtooth?
Isn’t it specialized in tearing the skin? With that thought in mind, I raised the sword with the serrated part facing down.
“I’ll organize the entrance first.”
“Yes~♡ Cheer up, Abel&”
Estelle cheered me on with a pretty smile.
“…Yes.”
I took the holy sword and kicked the ground with a bang.
“Quik?”
“Quik! This, human!?”
The kobolds noticed my run, but it was too late. Because I was already wielding the holy sword.
Decapitated a kobold with a blade that turned into a serrated blade. Then, rather than cutting cleanly as the sharp teeth caught on the skin, the kobold was torn apart as if it had been torn apart.
“Quik!!”
The other kobold next to him swung his sword in the opposite direction he swung it, and cut it cleanly.
“…It’s awkward because it feels a bit stuck.”
It was definitely a different feeling than just cutting. It might be a little more effective when dealing with large monsters. You can tear open the skin and make a bigger wound.
There was nothing near the entrance except the kobold I just killed. I gestured to both of them. Estelle and Celine nodded and approached.
“How deep is the cave? The entrance is quite large.”
“It won’t be that deep. It’s like asking for only two people in the request, and it looks like it’s big enough to subjugate within a day.”
“Shall we go right in?”
“Yes. I don’t think there’s any need to hold back.”
I took the lead, followed by Estelle and Celine. As soon as we entered the cave, a problem arose.
“Estel.”
“Yes?”
“I can’t see anything.”
I feel like I’m blind with my eyes open.
Then Estelle giggled.
“Use magic, stupid Abel♡”
“Ah.”
There was magic. I put mana on my finger and drew a light ruler. Then, a ball of mana appeared and circled around me, shining brightly.
Thanks to that, I could see the surroundings brightly. This is a fully automatic moving flashlight.
“There is a lot of water.”
“I think it is a limestone cave. Be careful not to slip your feet.”
“Yes.”
After walking for a while, I started to see something in front of me.
“Kihik! It’s human, human! Kick, Kihihik!”
Green monsters smaller than children crawled out.
“It’s a goblin.”
There are kobolds and goblins. There are really many monsters living together.
The goblins salivated and shouted.
“Kihik, let’s kill the man and use the woman as a plaything!”
“Kihihik! It’s gonna be fun!!”
“Oh, I feel bad.”
Estel made a displeased expression. Celine didn’t seem to be in a good mood either.
But who do the monsters covet?
“It’s mine, you bastards.”
“Eh…”
There was no way a goblin or the like would hesitate in his movements.
Considering the cave’s narrowness, I didn’t swing the Holy Sword wide to the side, but instead raised it up or stabbed it forward.
Goblins were easily defeated, befitting monsters classified as the weakest. I tried to pay attention to see if there was more hiding, but it seemed like all I could see.
“It’s all done. Let’s go… Estelle?”
“My, mine…”
Estelle blushed and twisted her body. For some reason, Celine was slightly averting her gaze.
…Are you shy? But what about Celine?
“Two people?”
“Hot…Yes, I’ll go.”
“…I’ll follow you.”
Celine’s reaction bothered me a little, but she stopped caring and moved on.
Every time I went through the cave, monsters appeared as if I was breaking a certain stage. Low-level monsters like Gnoll and Lizardman, as well as intermediate-level monsters like Hobgoblins and Orcs often popped up.
Still, we were going through the cave with ease, but at one point, for the first time, we felt helpless.
“This is…”
It was a crossroads. The road was divided in two.
“What should I do?”
“I should start with one side, then go to the other side~♡”
“Um.”
But you don’t know how long the road will be. Will it be time to go back and forth?
“Wouldn’t it be a little short of time?”
“It’s okay if Abel defeats the monsters quickly~♡”
“Heh heh…”
You are saying to work hard.
…Yes, it also serves as my training.
“Then let’s go from the right.”
“Yes~♡”
After moving forward along the road to the right, we arrived at a large hollow. I was very nervous about the appearance of a place that was never made naturally.
“…What is it?”
But nothing came out.
“Why doesn’t anything come out?”
“Okay.”
“Are you hiding?”
Estelle and Celine also looked around. However, they also shook their heads as if they hadn’t noticed anything special.
No one is there in a cavity this big? No matter how you look at it, this feels like a boss room.
“It would be foolish to go out there to the center, right?”
“That’s true, but… I don’t think the answer will come out even if I’m like this. If something happens, I’ll stop you, so let’s go.”
That’s kind of reassuring.
“Then Celine and I will go forward. Estelle, please follow me.”
“Yes.”
I took the lead, followed by Celine, followed by Estelle. As I moved my steps to the center of the cavity, I heard a clicking sound.
“…What are you talking about?”
“Yes?”
Did I hear?
“I think I just heard something click.”
“Crackling…?”
Estelle slightly lifted her head with a meaningful expression. I followed her and looked up at her. And at that moment, something fell from the sky.
Boom!!!
“… Huh?”
#
What fell from the sky was a large iron cage.
Abel was fine. However, Celine and Estelle, who followed, were not safe. They were trapped in an iron cage that fell from the sky.
From noble mtl dot com.
“Estel, Celine! Are you okay!?”
“Yes…I am not hurt…”
It’s rattled. Estelle grabbed her by the bars and tried to shake her, but she didn’t budge.
“It must have been a trap.”
“A trap?”
“Yes, this…Is made of metal with high divine resistance. Usually, it’s an item that criminals only use when they have divine abilities, but how did the monsters have it?”
“…Then you can’t come out?”
“I don’t think Seongbeopgi will listen.”
“Well, then what should I do?”
Abel was bewildered by the situation she was experiencing for the first time. She said to Abel that Estelle was fine, and she smiled.
“It’s okay, Abel. Don’t panic and look around calmly.”
Abel nodded her head and looked around her. And there were figures that caught Abel’s eyes. It was a monster. A giant monster far larger than a human and holding a club in one hand.
“…A troll.”
“Kelkel, you humans… You fell into a nice trap.”
It was a troll. When the troll appeared, other monsters also appeared around it. There were especially many goblins and orcs.
“Kihihik! Kill humans!”
“Chwiik! That human looks strong! Be careful with that sword, Chwiiik!”
The demons looked wary when they saw Abel’s holy sword. Abel caught her breath and took stock of her situation.
‘…Twelve Orcs, Twenty Goblins. Four kobolds. Two hobgoblins, a gnoll chieftain… And maybe even a troll.’
Abel glanced behind her. Estelle seemed unwilling to give her a blessing just yet. That’s what…
‘… She must be saying that she can do it without a blessing.’
Abel believed Estelle’s her point of view more than her own point of view. He first grasped her own situation.
I had to fight while protecting the two saints trapped behind her. There is no problem in wielding the holy sword as much as you want because the cavity is wide, but it was the first time I had experienced a situation where I fought while protecting someone trapped.
So Abel, who was a bit nervous, tried to change her mind.
‘…I wonder if it’s any different from helping the soldiers.’
All you have to do is slice the monsters first before their attacks reach the target. If so, kobolds shooting crossbows were the first targets to be eliminated.
“Whoa.”
Abel took a deep breath and then inhaled, gripping her holy sword tightly.
“Let’s do it.”