The dragon arrived at the center of a place that was more of a base than a simple village, located before a wide, deep forest.
Upon landing, Nina handed me a single silver coin as a tip.
This way, she would arrive punctually for our return, and even wait if I was a little late.
“This place is also used for Knight training.”
“Indeed, it feels like the people guarding it are of that caliber.”
“I recognize some of them. Is your potion supply good?”
Although all sorts of items were neatly sold there, I already had a large stock.
I took out ten potions from my supply and discreetly transferred them from my Item Box into the Porter Bag I received from the Guild.
I’ll have to make do with these unless I’m in a truly dangerous situation.
“Let’s go right away.”
“Right. This Forest of Abyssal Depths is a place where adventurers earning from D-class Party to single C-class adventurers make their living.
If one is efficient, Magic Stones will accumulate quickly, but it’s also a place where one can easily die if they get carried away and become careless.”
“I see. If Hero Magic’s Heal isn’t enough, I’ll have to use potions right away, won’t I?”
Come to think of it, I wonder what Nina’s level is.
Is it around mine, or higher? I’ll have to watch her fight closely today.
“First, I’ll be running at maximum speed to our destination. Can you keep up?”
“Y-Yes!”
I cast the Hero Magic, Rapid Pace, on myself without incantation, increasing my speed.
“Then, let’s go, Deles.”
Whoa, that’s fast!
Her strides are longer because of her large body, so her speed increases proportionally when she runs fast, I suppose.
I followed behind her. It felt easy because Nina in front of me was clearing the path.
“Monsters will appear soon, but don’t mind them and just keep up.”
“Yes, Nina-san!”
Indeed, slimes, goblins, and little boars came at us, but she ran through the forest, batting them away as if not even acknowledging them.
Her unconcerned advance against their attacks was as if she were clad in steel.
This is what a Tank class does: a warrior type that stands on the front lines with one or two large shields, taking all the enemy’s attacks while their allies defeat the enemies. She was doing that with her body alone.
(So reliable!)
Looking at her back, I saw the image of the female swordsman who was my former fiancée and overlapped her with Nina.
While I was lost in thought, we arrived at an Orc village. This large one must have the Magic Stones for the quest.
“Stay hidden behind me at all times, understand?”
“Yes!!”
The moment I replied, Nina drew the huge Berserk Sword from her back with one hand.
It was effortless. Orcs swarmed towards us, surrounding us. About thirty of them.
“Hnnnuu!!”
As she gracefully swung the greatsword, the Orcs transformed into bloody meat chunks one after another.
The fact that Orcs with such thick waists were split in half from their abdomen showed just how sharp that sword was!
To avoid getting in the way, I was doing my best to stick close to Nina’s back.
I’ve never been more grateful for my small, agile body.
*Slash, Slash, Slash-slash-slash!!!*
After a while of dancing, they were all wiped out in an instant.
Her perfect mastery of that sword was so magnificent, it felt like I could charge money just for watching.
It was completely different from my clumsy movements yesterday, where the sword seemed to be handling me.
“Now, the Magic Stones.”
“Y-Yes, that’s right! Please wait a moment.”
When I tried to gather them all, Nina also helped me.
“No, this is my job.”
“What are you saying? Aren’t we in the same Party?”
Sigh. This is a far cry from my former Harem Party. Back then, I was the Hero and the errand boy.
After we both extracted the Magic Stones, we collected thirty-four. If it’s like this from the start, today’s work should be over soon.
“Will they fit in the Porter Bag?”
“Ah! …Yes, I’ll put them in.”
I opened the mouth of my Item Bag, which was already full of potions, and created an opening to my Item Box with my Hero Skill, then tossed the Magic Stones in.
It should be fine as it looks like they’re going into the Item Bag.
“Did everything fit?”
“Yes, somehow.”
“Then let’s go.”
Huh? What about disposing of the corpses? I thought, but we moved on without hesitation.
With the flesh mashed up to that extent, they certainly couldn’t be sold as food.
If there were a Magician, they could burn them up, but we could only leave them as they were.
“Next is a swarm of Big Alligators.”
Around noon, when the sun was at its highest, we arrived at an open area.
“This is the stage for the latter half of our quest: an uncharted Dungeon.”
“There’s a magical seal on the entrance.”
“Yes, it’s a magic that only Heroes of the Knights can break. I should still be able to enter. Before that.”
Nina began taking out many sandwiches from her Item Box.
“Let’s have lunch. Because of the Magic Circle seal here, monsters can’t get close.”
“Y-Yes, I’ll go fetch some water.”
“We have water already. Drink without hesitation.”
She even produced a water jug and cups. She’s so well-prepared. This is supposed to be the job of a Porter, yet…
The luxurious sandwiches looked like they were specially made at that fancy inn this morning. I eagerly took one. Mmmmn, delicious!
She seems to have given me one without meat, which is easier to eat. The high-class medicinal herbs taste like magic power recovery.
“Mmm, excuse me, Nina-san. I haven’t actually done anything yet.”
“No, just having you behind me is immensely reassuring. Deles might be the first person to stay by my side and not get caught up in the chaos.”
“I-Is that so?”
“My fighting style is often called ‘berserker’ by my colleagues. I don’t discriminate between allies and enemies.
So, Deles, who hides perfectly, is wonderful.”
“I-I’m honored by your praise…”
I’m not used to being praised, so even words like these make me happy.
In my previous Party, it was expected that I could do everything, and doing it perfectly was the bare minimum.
“We’ve exceeded a hundred Magic Stones.”
“Yes, with the Forest Tigers from earlier, we reached one hundred and nine.”
“For some reason, my movements today have been exceptionally sharp.
It’s probably because I can fight without holding back with Deles here. I’m grateful.”
Ah, that’s thanks to my unique Hero Skill.
I’m thinking of revealing my past and abilities, including that, once this trial Party period is over.
After finishing lunch, Nina placed her hand on the Dungeon door and muttered some magic.
“~~~~~~… Open!”
With the final word, the magic circle that flickered into existence disappeared, and the door opened.
Immediately, about five Devil Bats, roughly human-sized, flew out from within.
She mercilessly cut them down with the Berserk Sword. Perhaps the special characteristic of that sword is that only the Magic Stones remain undamaged.
“Now, let’s go in. It shouldn’t be a Dungeon with a Demon Lord, so don’t worry.”
Saying that, she removed the Berserk Sword, sheath and all, from her back and placed it in her Magic Box.
Instead, she took out a regular-sized, though still large by Nina’s standards, magnificent sword clearly meant for a Hero.
“That is…!”
“The Princess Sword. The Berserk Sword is too cumbersome in narrow Dungeons, so I’ll use this one.”
When I thought about it, it made perfect sense. I followed her.
With Light Magic, usable even by a low-level Hero, I lit the way as we went deeper.
Not only Devil Bats but also monsters like Nute Mouses came at us, but this time she precisely struck their weak points and took them down.
Yes, I can recover the corpses this way. Without a word, I stored them in my Item Box…
This way, I can extract the Magic Stones after disassembling them later, which allows for a smooth progression. Yes, it seems we’ll finish faster than I expected.
“We’ll go as far as we can. I’ll leave the decision to turn back to you.”
“Yes!”
As we go deeper into the Dungeon, the enemies naturally become stronger.
The incredibly swift spider-type monster, Quick Spider, was also pierced in its critical point with the Princess Sword as if threading a needle, and the grotesque insect-type monster, High Centipede, was slashed without hesitation. Truly, I had nothing required of me.
“…I’m starting to enjoy this.”
“I-Is that so?”
“Fufufu, Deles, you’ll be surprised when we get back to the Adventurer Guild.”
Around the tenth and eleventh floors underground, we encountered some resistance, but they were still overcome without difficulty.
When we descended to the twelfth floor, the Dungeon’s atmosphere changed. It was a high-ceilinged floor, filled with the unique magic of the lowest level.
“You know the characteristics of a Dungeon, don’t you?”
“Yes, Dungeons are built by monsters, just as people build castles and towns.”
“That’s right. And just as large Dungeons have Demon Lords or their executives, even this level of Dungeon has a Boss.”
“It feels like it won’t be like before anymore, doesn’t it?”
“When my Magic Power runs out, please give me Potions. I’ve entrusted my life to them.”
Ah, so she intends to keep attacking without guarding.
If she takes a hit, she’ll cast Hero Heal on herself and not let up her attacks.
And when her Magic Power runs out, she’ll rely on the Potions from me… She probably wants me to not only let her drink them but also splash them on me for their effects.
(If I’m truly in pinch, I’ll cast my Platinum Heal without incantation.)
We arrived at what was clearly the door to the Boss’s chamber.
After focusing for a moment, we entered. There stood a Great Cyclops.
The wide floor felt like a final battleground. It immediately attacked using two large clubs! It’s fast!
“Kuuu!!”
With swift movements, she deflected both clubs as they swung down, but she could only block them, not send them flying.
The Great Cyclops relentlessly swung its arms, and its movements were so fast that we were on the defensive.
This was the moment her biggest weakness was revealed, even though I had been watching Nina closely. Nonetheless, she was managing to block everything.
She’s like a Tank class using a sword. In that case, I should defeat it with the Pride Sword during this opening, but I don’t have it anymore…
What can someone who abandoned being a Hero do now? I’ll use Hero Magic without being found out! With that thought, I cast the magic, Deep Slow, on the enemy without incantation!
“!!!”
Seizing the moment when the monster’s movements clearly slowed, I severed its neck!
Normally, this would be an attack requiring precise timing and a willingness to sacrifice oneself, but with the opponent’s attack faltering to such an extent, it was easily finished. And so, this Dungeon was cleared.
“Fuu, we’re done.”
“It was anticlimactic at the end. As expected of Nina-san.”
“…Can this be stored in the Item Box as well?”
“Yes, along with the severed head. It looks like we can get a large Magic Stone from this.”
“Mission complete. It’s almost too perfect.”
Pretending to put it in my Item Bag, I stored it in my Item Box.
I was nervously wondering if its absorption into the small bag would seem unnatural…
“Now then, Deles, I’ll ask you in a place where no one else is around, you are a Hero, aren’t you?”
I’ve been found out!!!!
