by volume 2
“……!?”
“A person with a weapon engraved with
It was as if there was an ice blade placed against her neck. Even her toes seemed to be frozen.
There was no need to look. You would still understand that the elf girl was currently angry. The surrounding was filled with this kind of pressure.
She did not look back. She also did not wish to look back.
“Please don’t move”
She was unable to even bite down her teeth. Her breathing began to tremble. Her heart seemed to be jumping as fast as if it was popping out of her ribs.
The footstep sounds were quickly approaching. The space between them could not be called as a distance.
If that’s the case, there is no need to care that much. Just take a step and then another step, just escape first.
She desperately inserted strength into her knees that were about to break down, and at the moment when the other person’s foot left the ground, she kicked off from the ground and headed to the crossroad.
“I warned you”
A powerful impact attacked her arm at the moment she was about to enter the corner.
“Iguu!?”
The apple.
The apple exploded.
The red fruit directly hit the left arm that hid the dagger, turned into debris and scattered away. The impact was too strong.
“It would be better if I use more strength towards the abdomen”
“——“
The dagger also fell out from her sleeve, so she turned around and looked to the rear.
The elf had sky-blue eyes and a calm light emerging from it. Then she lifted her leg behind substantially and was currently looking at her.
So that was it. She, herself, was the ball. Don’t joke around.
In a hairsbreadth, the leg kicked out in front, and hit the abdomen just like what was announced in advance.
“FUGYAAAAA~~”
× × ×
“W…What?”
I was currently running at the guild headquarters located at the North-West Main Street Area.
A sharp impact sound echoed from the nearby alley.
In order to confirm that
The surrounding demi-human also imitated the same action as Bell —— In the next instant, from an alley, a large number of cats rushed out. Bell widened his crimson eyes to its limits.
Meow~ Meow~! It was a powerful torrent of cats that was pitifully escaping for an unknown reason. One by one, they passed through the legs of the pedestrians, causing the enter street to be forced into a chaotic state. Bell, who was steaming with sweat, looked at this scene, and a person approached the exit of the alley.
After probing around and looking at the situation inside the alley, suddenly, a petite figure emitted a large sound and fell in front of his toes.
“L…Lili!?”
“F…Fuu, ah……”
The figure that unexpected appeared was completely shaken, Bell kneeled down beside Lili.
“Hey, what is it!? What happened!?”
“T…This voice……Bell-sama?”
The petite body trembled slightly, Lili, like a newborn deer who was lying on the ground with both hands and legs, instantly revealed a tense expression, but it was soon replaced with a stiff smile.
“Actually, a violent woman……No, I was attacked by a wild dog……”
“A…Are you alright!?”
“Looks like I survived……”
Although the cream-colored robe could not hide anything, but Lili seemed to have suffered a serious injury. Bell first lifted her up and brought her to a location that was right in front of the alley.
Did I bring a potion, just when Bell was panicky about to reach into the small poach beside his thigh,
“I can’t believe that I actually let him escape……”
Zaaa, following the moaning sounds, Ryuu, from the elf race, appeared from the alley.
“It is Ryuu-san again! W…What on earth happened?”
“Ahhh, perfect. Actually, your……”
After saying up to this point, she noticed the powerless Lili on the floor and instantly narrowed her eyes.
Lili, just like a kitten, trembled, and was muttering something, and placed her hand on top of her hood that she was wearing.
“Cranel-san, please move away”
“Eh, W…Wait a minute!?”
“Hiiiiya~!”
Pushing away Bell, Ryuu stretched out her hand towards the robe, and lifted the hood without any hesitation.
What appeared in her eyes was a big eyes and fluffy, thick chestnut colored hair. There were also animal ears. Staring at Lili, who exposed a fearful expression, Ryuu only said “I’m sorry”, this kind of apology, and quickly put down the hood.
“W…What are you doing! Lili, are you okay!?”
“Y…Yes……”
“Sorry, I recognized the wrong person. Seems like my actions were too rash”
What was the situation? Bell was somewhat confused because of the sudden act. While supporting Lili, who was gently sliding towards the ground, he looked back and forth from the alley and Ryuu multiple times.
Quickly, the alley issued a patapata sound again, and Seal appeared while carrying two paper bags.
“R…Ryuu~! You can’t treat food like that! Mama will be angry!?”
“If that’s the case, then I will be very troubled……”
“About that, can you please explain the current situation……”
“Ah, Bell-san”
Good day, Seal politely bowed down towards him, Bell could only interact by saying “Ahhh, you too……”
Ryuu, who was temporarily quiet and was watching the interaction between the two of them, soon questioned Bell directly.
“Cranel-san. Did you bring that black dagger today?”
“Ah, right!? You two, did you see a dagger that was completely black from top to bottom!?”
Looking at Bell, who seemed to have remembered and began to panic, Ryuu and Seal exchanged a gaze.
After Ryuu turned her gaze back to Bell’s body, she pulled out a simple dagger from her arms.
“Is this it?”
“——UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”
Bell’s cry seemed to completely resound through the evening sky.
Hearing this large sound that could scare off others, various females from other races all unanimously shrunk back their shoulders.
Even Ryuu-san, who was usually calm, also widened her sky-blue eyes.
“Thank you!! Really, thank you!!”
“……Cranel-san, about this, I am very troubled. This kind of thing should not be done to me, but should be done to Seal, who is next to me……”
“Ryuu, what are you saying!?”
Bell, who was almost in tears, gashi, used his two hands to wrap around Ryuu’s smooth white hands. He quickly approached, revealing a childish crying face, and she looked away unlike usual.
Hearing the cry from Seal, Bell, goshi goshi, rubbed his face and received the pitched-black dagger.
“Ah, that’s good……Kami-sama, sorry, I will absolutely never lose it again……”
“Lose……?”
Bell held the dagger to his forehead and uttered an oath, that garbage seemed to have recovered its feeling and was dyed a purplish-blue light again.
It had turned back from a simple piece of metal to
Gyo, Lili originally large eyes became even wider.
“Sorry, really. Where did you find this dagger?”
“Yes, in fact a Hobbit was holding it”
“Hobbit?”
Towards Ryuu’s answer, Bell was stunned.
The beastman girl that was standing nearby seemed to be nervous underneath her hood.
“Could it be, just
now……”
“Ahhh, Although I was chasing after the Hobbit earlier, but it seemed like he escaped……That was why I suspected her, who was here. It was my mistake.”
“Mistake, could it be……?”
“Yes. She seemed to be a dog person. And the Hobbit that I was chasing after was a male”
Bell, who had finished listening to the explanation, finally expressed an “I see” expression towards the whole incident. However, on the other hand, Lili revealed a mixed expression of being tired and being relieved.
“Is there a male Hobbit nearby? Do you remember?”
“No, I can’t remember anything……”
“Then, that Hobbit picked up the thing you lost. It was lucky that I had seen your dagger yesterday in the alley. Because it was a slightly special dagger, so I was able to recognize it by looking at it just for a bit”
“Ahhh, so that’s it”
While Bell was talking with Ryuu, Lili always seemed to be in a bad mood.
Seal seemed to quietly observe Lili through the gap between the two paper bags she was carrying.
Soon, Ryuu used the excuse of that they are still shopping as a reason to say goodbye. Bell, once again, thanked the two of them. Ryuu nodded with an unchanging expression, while Seal claimed that she did nothing and gave a wry smile.
Then, Bell, in order for them to enter the alley again, moved away. At this moment.
Seal, slowly moved her mouth near Lili’s ears.
“——Don’t get too carried away okay?”
“!!”
Zoku, goosebumps appeared all over Lili’s body.
Her petite body swayed pitifully.
Seal seemed to stand up as if nothing had happened and returned back into the alley with Ryuu, who had a puzzled expression.
“Lili, what did Seal-san say to you just now?”
“N…Nothing……About that, Bell-sama?”
“What?”
“Those people, who are they?”
“They are employees in a bar. Inside
“……Bell-sama”
“Eh?”
“Absolutely never bring Lili there, please……”
Looking at Lili, who was smiling through her tears, Bell could only “Eh, ahh, yes……?”reply like that. Looking at her, who had an expression that seemed to describe her having a unstable mental state, quietly shed sweat.
Shrouded under the sunset, this Main Street area seemed to have finally become quiet, Bell and Lili temporarily shared a strange atmosphere.
× × ×
The following day.
Lili and I rushed into the dungeon early in the morning. Under the phosphorescence ceiling that was similar to the Magic Stone Lamps that were sold above ground, the two of us steadily reached the soil ground of the 1st floor.
In the end, I still hired Lili as a Supporter.
After carefully thinking about it, while blocking off the suspicions I had in my heart, I followed my own feelings and readily selected this choice. Kami-sama also agreed. Since we had come this far, there was no need to be confused.
Lili and I did not set a specific deadline and exchanged a team member contract, then until today.
“……Bell-sama?”
“Eh?”
“That dagger, where did you hide it……?”
“Nnnn, in order for me to not lose it again, I hid it together with the sheath inside my hand armor. Because there was a storage space in it.”
“I…Is that so……”
Towards Lili, who bowed her head in disappoint, I tilted my head.
From the beginning, Lili did not seem to have any spirit. Although she was still smiling, she was lifeless. What happened?
“……Bell-sama, once again, thank you for hiring Lili. Because I do not wish to be abandoned by Bell-sama, Lili will work hard”
“What abandon, I will absolutely not do such things. Moreover, there are no other Supporters that I know of aside from Lili”
“That’s great……Just joking, Lili does not believe that Bell-sama will do such a thing. Because Bell-sama seemed to be surprisingly gentle.
Looks like I was still not used to it, this sense of distance.
Although Lili originally was not that reserved, but gentle huh. I do not know why, but it seems to give me a tingly feeling.
“Bell-sama, may I inquire what is the schedule for today?”
“Nnnn, today I also plan to go to the 7th floor. Then I plan to stay until evening. Is there any problems for Lili?”
“If that is what Bell-sama decided, then Lili will obey. However, is this alright? After all, Lili is only a Supporter, and cannot help as a fighting force. It may become a situation where Bell-sama will have to continuously fight?”
“No problem. After all, I was usually fighting by myself, and today I allowed Kami-sama to update my accumulated
It was not because of a playful manner that I had explored the dungeon everyday by myself.
But thanks to fighting alone, I’ve already gotten used to long battles. Also, Eina-san had also taught me properly. Adjusting my pace was one of my rare strengths that I was proud of.
More importantly, after receiving the updated
The growth rate of my
……Only that, I do not know why Kami-sama’s mood worsened when she saw my perfect condition’s
“Compared to that, it may create a bigger burden to Lili, right? If loot continues to drop, the luggage will become heavier and heavier……”
I looked at Lili, who was beside me. That petite body was only up to the height of my abdomen. It must be extremely difficult to walk around the dungeon while carrying that much luggage.
“Please do not worry, Bell-sama. After all, Lili is also granted a
I also believe that must be the case……But in the end, I was still not able to explain.
Lili’s backpack was larger than the standard size. Even before we began to recover items, it was already filled.
“Also, Lili has a Supportive Skill. Even if there is an accident, it should not affect my transporting operations”
“Ahhhh! Lili had already gotten a Skill!?”
Amazing! Envious! I did not try to conceal these feelings as I cried out.
To my surprise, Lili only shook her head with a wry smile.
“It is only true that I have one, but it is a useless skill. It is not that kind of
“However, that is already good. Unlike me, who still do not have a single skill……”
I heard that because
“I am really jealous. Aren’t Skill and Magic really difficult to obtain right? I also do not have Magic……Ah, while we’re at it, it can’t be that Lili also obtained Magic right?”
“……Unfortunately, Lily also have not obtained Magic. I’ve heard that many people will never be able to see their own magic during their life, so Lili is probably also in this kind of situation”
That was true. Even the Magic inside
obtain this possibility.
When I was young, I had often been immersed in books about heroes. I daydreamed myself using multiple magics. Because I had these fantasies before, I had hoped that such a terrifying thing will not happen……Just like this, towards my imagination that I had hated and trembled slightly, it was noticed by Lili.
As long as you are not the companion of the same
It was obvious if you carefully think about it. After all, a person’s information about their
I, who heard the reply, began to deeply reflect my idiotic speech.
“Also, is it really enough to just pay the advanced payment for the contract?”
While I searched for the presence of Monsters, I asked about the contract’s contents again to Lili.
When we were performing the contract ritual at Babel earlier, I was told this by Lili. The reward would be a part of the revenue earned through exploring the dungeon.
I, at any rate, seemed to be standing at the side of the employer. I still need to have some pride……
“Ahah, it’s okay. Bell-sama did not form a party with another, so when we are dividing it, it will not be very cumbersome……And”
And? I took advantage and asked.
Lili, changed her cheerful attitude that she always had……In the depths of her bangs, a cold gaze emerged from it.
“……And, this way, it will be more convenient for Bell-sama, right?”
“Eh?”
Following the words of the unfinished sentence, there was a bit of sarcasm and a somewhat self-mocking gaze.
I do not know why Lili used such a gaze to look over here, and I panicked.
Then before a second passed, Lili’s revealed a smile again, as if nothing had happened, and showed over her usual joyful atmosphere.
“Then let’s go faster. As long as Bell-sama works hard and allow Lili’s revenue to increase, then there is no issues!”
“Nnnn, Yes……”
It will be more convenient for me……?
In order words, I will not pay Lili, is that it?
Or is there another meaning?
I really do not understand. What is Lili trying to say.
