The stairs from the 35th to the 36th floor had become a vortex.
Unable to defy gravity, the water from the 35th floor was being swallowed downwards.
We plunged into the vortex and descended the waterfall-like stairs. We landed on the ground with a splat, as if being struck.
What awaited us on the 36th floor was not a corridor full of water, but a shallow area.
It was a relief not to be submerged continuously. Still, the water level was considerably higher than on the 34th floor. Looking around, the appearance of the place had also changed.
We could see springs flowing from the side walls and sporadic aquatic plants growing.
“It’s better than being underwater, but this is also difficult to move in,”
We began to advance through the corridor, parting the water.
Dia and Reaper, in particular, seemed to be struggling. Simply due to their height, they were almost swimming.
Among them, Snow was the only one who seemed unfazed.
“Huh? Is it difficult to move in…?”
Snow walked with great strides, as if walking on land.
“Hey, Snow. If you have the energy, could you carry either Dia or Reaper?”
It would be easy for her, given her strength.
Ideally, we wanted to avoid uneven fatigue.
“Huh? Carry…?”
However, Snow looked troubled.
It seemed her personality wouldn’t allow her to easily agree.
As I was contemplating how to persuade her, Reaper started the negotiation.
“Please, big sister. I can swim, but big sister Dia has a harder time.”
“M-m-mm…!”
“I know you’re lazy, big sister. So, lend me your ear for a moment—”
With that, Reaper tried to whisper to Snow. I quickly created a hole in ‘Dimension’ to prevent them from overhearing their private conversation. As far as I could tell within my range, I adhere to a policy of respecting others’ privacy, so I couldn’t listen to their whispering.
Furthermore, I wanted Snow to witness this stance. If Reapor and I continue to show consideration for others, perhaps she will eventually reflect on her actions and stop eavesdropping.
I held such a fragile hope.
The two whispered to each other secretly.
And as a result, Snow’s face brightened, and she nodded energetically.
“—Yes, I understand. Leave it to me, Reaper!”
“Phew, that’s good…”
“Alright, I’ll place them on both my shoulders. It’ll be wobbly, so you two up there, help maintain balance.”
“Okay, please do-”
Snow casually placed them on her shoulders as if carrying sacks of rice and started walking. However, her shoulders weren’t particularly broad, so she was forcing a place for them to sit with her outstretched hands.
It was an astonishing sight from the outside.
Snow was tall but slender. The sight of her slight body carrying two girls was physically impossible in our original world.
Moreover, her walking speed was abnormal.
She moved through the difficult water as if on a stroll. I suspected she wasn’t carrying people but rather hollow styrofoam, so light was her step.
It was a vivid demonstration of the high specs of a Dragon Person.
In any case, this would reduce the fatigue of our two little ones.
While Dia thanked Snow, I conveyed my gratitude to Reaper with my eyes. Reaper, being in sync with me, understood me without misinterpretation and blushed slightly, giving a shy smile.
“Now we can rest assured. Let’s move forward.”
With me at the front, we proceeded on the 36th floor. Exploring this floor was not much different from usual, just a slight increase in fatigue.
The enemies’ levels had risen, but so had ours.
Without much trouble, we found the stairs—
“W-what, again…”
The stairs leading to the 37th floor were once again submerged.
“What do we do, big brother…? We still have some energy left…”
Reaper asked for my judgment.
Thanks to Snow, everyone could still manage another swim.
I checked everyone’s Status in front of the stairs and pondered.
“…No, let’s head back today. We’ve confirmed the paths of the 35th and 36th floors, which is enough.”
We couldn’t be optimistic that the underwater layers ahead would have the same structure as the upper floors.
It would be best to take the shortest route this time and challenge the 37th floor with less fatigue.
We also realized the need to increase the number of air-filled leather bags. And from yesterday’s reflection, I wanted to act with a larger margin of safety.
I chose to retreat based on a comprehensive assessment.
Dia looked a little dissatisfied, but she couldn’t strongly object from her position being carried.
Seeing Snow happy that we could return sooner, I created a ‘Connection’ beside her.
Thus, we ended our exploration and returned to the ship.
We returned—but what awaited us was a sea of fire.
“Wh-what, just a moment…”
Smoke billowed, and the ship was burning like firewood. The sails had burned and torn, and the mast looked like it would fall any moment. The intensity of the fire was enough to convince me it would sink if it continued to burn.
“Wh-what are you doing…?”
The only reason I could maintain a semblance of composure was that the ship burning was not the ‘Living Legend’ but an unknown vessel.
Nonetheless, my heart throbbed with anxiety at the re-enactment of a scene that had become one of my traumas.
“Fufufufufu!”
“Ahahahahahaha!”
Maria and Rustiara, oblivious to my voice, were laughing heartily on deck.
Their enjoyment of watching the ship burn and sink was maniacal.
Summoning my courage, I shouted at them in a loud voice.
“Hey! You two over there, what are you doing!?”
“Ah, Kanami-san, welcome back.”
“Welcome back, Kanami.”
The two greeted me with casual smiles.
However, their smiles were frightening.
“I told you to be lenient!? Why is an unknown ship burning right there!?”
“Fufu, what bad luck for them to come while I was left in charge!”
Rustiara, in an theatrical tone, bragged about her accomplishment.
Instantly discerning that she was no use, I yelled at the beast-woman in a maid outfit who, like me, had a dark expression in the corner.
“Sera-san! Why didn’t you stop them!?”
“Well, I did stop the arson… However, the opponent was also quite something… I couldn’t strongly oppose the young lady, and, well…?”
As expected, with Rustiara, she’s useless!
I buried my head in my hands and looked towards the crumbling unknown ship.
This is the worst. This is beyond a reasonable amount of trouble. I had become a criminal out of necessity in the Allied Nations, but I wanted to be an irreproachable adventurer elsewhere. That plan was crumbling along with the burning ship.
Seeing my expression, Maria hurriedly began to explain.
“N-no, Kanami-san. There are circumstances! Circumstances!”
“Circumstances? What kind…?”
“That ship initially disguised itself as a merchant ship and came to negotiate with us… But as soon as the crew representative saw me, a child, their attitude changed, and they attacked us.”
“R-really?”
“Yes!”
Maria raised her voice. She seemed somewhat shocked by my lack of trust.
At that point, Rustiara interjected.
“They were pirates, you see. As they approached the battlefield, unauthorized ships seemed to be increasing. After all, Maria-chan was keeping Kanami’s promise. She threatened the attackers with fire in the morning and sent them away. But then another pirate ship approached us in the afternoon. They probably leaked our ship’s location to their companions. Moreover, they could ‘return leniently’ even if their attack failed, so of course, they’d attack multiple times. And there were only three girls aboard. Anyone would hear that and think we were easy prey.”
Rustiara explained with sarcasm.
She was defending Maria and implicitly stating that my judgment was wrong.
“Maria-chan, who was obeying Kanami’s orders, was in trouble, so I gave permission on my own authority. ‘Let’s burn the ships of those coming from now on!’ For deterrence! Maria-chan, who was frustrated, wholeheartedly agreed with that plan. And it led to the current situation—!”
“Your guts to instantly burn a ship are terrifying… but I understand there are circumstances…”
Even without using ‘Parallel Thinking’, I understood the cause.
I had been too lenient.
Maria had tried to adhere to my lukewarm instructions to the letter. Rustiara, seeing this, defended her. Sera-san also judged Rustiara’s instructions to be correct over mine.
Morally, I might have been right, but considering everyone’s safety, I was wrong.
It was an indefensible misjudgment.
“I’m sorry for yelling, Maria and Rustiara. It was my fault.”
I had spoken as if I were absolutely certain I was never wrong.
Perhaps I thought that with my increased Level and ‘Parallel Thinking,’ I was smarter than anyone else.
No, I definitely thought so. That’s why I had yelled so much.
Feeling the weight of my own foolishness, my gaze naturally fell downward.
The battle with the Galflad Jelly in the labyrinth, the conversation with Hairi, and this arrogance—the failures wouldn’t stop. No matter how much stronger I became, I hated that I was still the same as before.
“Rustiara-san! That was too harsh! You should say things more gently! Kanami-san blames himself for everything!”
“But the facts are the facts… I was quite gentle just now, wasn’t I?”
“No, I didn’t miss it. You snagged the end of Kanami’s words and said it sarcastically, ‘Since they could return leniently—.’ That kind of talk would hurt Kanami’s fragile heart.”
“No, if you don’t say it like that, he won’t realize his mistake. Especially Kanami—”
Perhaps because I was so pathetic, Maria was concerned about me.
More than that, the fact that she thought of me that way was a shock…
Maria seemed worried about my self-deprecating nature.
Indeed, my insisting that everything was my fault after the incident with Maria’s battle seemed to have been a mistake. She was desperately trying to prevent me from taking responsibility.
To avoid worrying Maria further, I replied with a bit of a bravado.
“Thank you, Maria. It’s okay now. It’s a fact that I made a mistake, so I will reflect on it properly. Of course, I won’t dwell on it more than necessary, so don’t worry.”
I stepped between Rustiara and Maria to stop their argument.
Then, to maintain balance, I admonished them both to reflect.
“…But regarding burning the ship, you two should also reflect. Anyone would panic if they came home to a massive blaze.”
“Ah, yes. It was definitely overkill to burn it… There were many other ways to prevent them from continuing their voyage…”
Maria became meek.
But Rustiara remained her usual self.
Confirming that the atmosphere had slightly lightened, she spoke in a cheerful voice to further brighten the mood.
“Alright, all settled! I’m reflecting a little too! …So, how was the labyrinth?”
“…Ah, we went up to the 37th floor, but it was underwater again, so we returned with plenty of buffer.”
“I see. So, can we go to the 39th floor tomorrow…?”
“I think so.”
The original goal was within reach.
We had also advanced considerably on our journey and were quite close to the mainland. We might arrive tomorrow or the day after.
Rustiara listened to the progress report with a solemn expression.
“You’re making good progress. In that case, I’ll join the labyrinth exploration party tomorrow too. I’ll be the one to make the finish!”
Rustiara was as optimistic as ever.
I had tried to emulate her, but I couldn’t match the original. I tended to become despondent over minor things.
With a sigh, I shifted my perspective, just like Rustiara.
We were making good progress.
We were steadily moving forward—
