My Room Has Become a Dungeon's Rest Area (LN) - Book 2: Chapter 4: (5)

I thought they might want to talk about something in particular that night, but we just talked about exploring the dungeon, like we always did.

「I think we’ve got better at coordinating with each other.」

「I agree. I’ve finally started to mesh with your attack and defence, Klein.」

Klein had been smiling, but now he turned bright red.

「Huh? Did I say something impolite, Klein? I’ve had a little bit to drink, so please accept my apologies.」

「N-no. It’s not that.」

For some reason, Barney was grinning as he watched our back and forth.

「R-ria. I’ve been thinking, okay.」

「Y-yes?」

「Why don’t we explore the fifth level?」

The fifth level underground? I had the impression that it was still a bit too soon for that. Either the two of them would need to level up, or we would need to add another party member.

「Klein. The fifth level is still dangerous for us.」

「But if we go to the fifth level, we’ll be able to earn even more. You need money, right, Ria?」

「You knew that, did you……?」

I had never told the two of them directly, but there were plenty of people in the Guild’s tavern who knew my reasons for exploring the dungeon.

「M-my bad.」

「N-no. It’s okay. It’s not like I’m trying to hide it.」

Klein gave me an unbothered smile as he replied,「Oh, me too, you know. I wanna earn loads of money!」

「I see. Money is a necessary thing.」

「I-it’s not like that! I wanna…… the orphanage…… with you……」

「Huh? When you say ‘you’, do you mean me?」

「U-uh, no, it’s nothing…… So, money. At any rate, I want money.」

What Klein said didn’t quite get to the point. Besides, we might need money, but the monsters on the fifth level were dangerous.

「From the fifth level onwards, there is more variation in enemies. Just in case, shall we at least add another member to our party?」

「As if anyone would want to join us!」

Klein suddenly thumped the table.

「Klein! Don’t take it out on Aria!」

「O-oh…… My bad.」

Apparently I’d touched a sore spot with Klein. My feelings of guilt got ahead of me, and against my better judgement I ended up saying, 「Shall we go to the fifth level?」

「R-really?」

「Yes. But if we think it’s not going to work out, we’re definitely retreating.」

「Well, obviously. Right, Barney?」

「Oh, you idiot! You’re letting yourself get carried away. But I’ll bring you back, even if you get struck down.」

♦︎ ♦︎ ♦︎

Repelled by the shell of the giant centipede, Klein’s cracked iron sword broke.

「Damn! What a cheap piece of crap!」

The giant centipede attacked the now defenceless Klein. Just in time, I got my shield between him and the centipede’s head.

「Ice Wind!」

Barney called on his ice magic, and the centipede’s legs stopped moving.

Now’s my chance!

I threw my mithril sword, which hit Klein’s foot.

「Klein! Use this!」

「Ah! Thank you!」

Stepping within reach of the giant centipede, Klein struck off its head with a single blow.

「Whew, that was a close one!」

「Only because you don’t look after your weapons properly!」Barney yelled at Klein. That might be true, but…

「No, it’s because we’re out of our depth five levels down, after all.」

Barney apologised to me.

「Sorry. If only the two of us were as strong as you, Aria…… We’re completely holding you back……」

「That’s not true at all. I couldn’t deal with things here all by myself. Well, we’re running low on rations, too, so let’s withdraw.」

The two of them, who were always light-hearted and laughing, nodded seriously.

「Ria, would you lend me your sword until we get back to the surface?」

「Of course. I’m the tank, and you’re the fighter, so that makes sense, Klein. I’m counting on you.」

That’s true. In reality, I had been depending on Klein already up to this point.

「Thank you. At any rate, this sword cuts pretty well, doesn’t it?」

「It’s made of mithril.」

「Mithril?! You mean, 100% mithril?」

「Yep! This sword reminds me of Lady Monica, who granted it to me when I was serving her as a knight.」

「Oh, really? Well then, I’d better take good care of it!」

Saying these things, we started for home.

A goblin appeared from a tunnel.

「Yeehee!」

Although we were chatting amongst ourselves, that didn’t mean that we had let our guard down.

Klein immediately jumped out and slashed the goblin diagonally from hip to shoulder. The goblin was felled in a single stroke. But something didn’t feel right.

「Even killing orcs would be a walk in the park with this sword!」

「The wound’s too shallow, Klein!」

「Huh?」

The mithril sword was slightly shorter than Klein’s iron sword.

Miscalculating the distance between himself and the goblin, Klein had made his slashing attack too shallow, and had not killed the goblin instantly.

Before it died, the goblin let fly a blow dart in Klein’s direction.

I wouldn’t get there in time to block it with my shield. I’d lent him my sword. In that moment, I had to block the blow dart with the palm of my empty right hand.

「Ulp」

In an instant, my body grew heavy. I’m paralysed. Barney kicked the goblin, and Klein now split its head in two.

「I-I’m sorry…… We’re so deep in the dungeon, and I think I’ve been paralysed.」

「R-Ria!」

「Outta my way!」

Klein was dithering around me. Barney sent him flying and began to recite an antidote spell.

But the numbness in my body was getting worse, not improving at all.

「It’s no good. The paralysis poison is too strong for my level of magic to have any effect……」

Klein’s expression was one of despair.

This kind of paralysis poison would keep me immobile for at least a day. For that time, these two would have to protect me while I couldn’t move, and fight off any monsters who approached.

In essence, that meant almost our entire party would be destroyed.

Carrying me would be even more dangerous. One of them would have to deal with monsters who attacked, alone, while the other protected their burden.

「Barney! Keep up the antidote spell!」

Although Klein was shouting at him, Barney had already given up on casting the antidote spell.

I knew why Barney had stopped.

「Hey! Are you listening to me, Barney?」

「I have to preserve a little bit of magic for getting back to the surface.」

「Oh really? If we don’t heal Ria, we won’t be able to go back!」

「……There’s nothing for it. We’ll have to leave Aria.」

Klein grabbed Barney by the collar.

「What are you saying, asshole?!」

If Klein had been his normal self, he would have thumped Barney. Perhaps the reason that he didn’t was because I was already growing weak.

「Klein, please, stop.」

「R-Ria…」

「Barney’s right.」

Klein took his hand off Barney’s collar and crouched down beside me.

「Do you remember the point in the ‘Principles of the Adventurer’s Guild’ about emergency situations like this? Take the things you need from your fallen comrade and leave as soon as possible, because monsters will start to gather.」

Barney stood up.

「When all is said and done, what we need is rations…… and a sword……」

Since I was the tank, I had been carrying the rations for the three of us. Barney took them. I was completely unable to move, so I could only watch to check that he had them.

「Goodbye, Aria. Thank you for everything.」

「My pleasure….. Don’t let your guard down on the way home, will you, Barney?」

There was a good chance that the two of them would not make it back to the surface, but Barney was level-headed; perhaps they would be all right.

Maybe, after they had left me, I would have a moment to pray for their safety. I didn’t know.

「Klein. You should say your final farewells to Aria, too.」

Klein was still seated, and refusing to budge.

His face, turned upwards, was stained with tears.

「Ria! I’ll always xxxxxx!」

Not wanting to follow what he was saying, I didn’t catch his words, but I understood their meaning.

What a dim-witted girl I was. There were many moments that I could look back on now, but until he said that, I didn’t realise how he felt.

But being told that as I was left behind didn’t make me happy at all.

「Don’t say that now. Coward!」I just about managed to shout back at him with all my might.

「Well, see ya, Ria.」

I somehow made my numb face smile at Klein’s last words to me. He might be awkward, but he’s not a bad guy.

Barney grabbed Klein’s arm and began to walk in the direction of the surface.

I still held on to a faint hope that, having had time to explore, I might be the only one who knew the way back to the surface, but Barney seemed to know it as well. Trust him to have worked it out.

The two of them disappeared. I had to do what I could before fear and paralysis poison overtook me.

「I don’t know whether the rumours about them are true or not, but I want to avoid ending up being attacked by a goblin or an orc.」

Using the stone wall to support me, I somehow managed to stand up.

My tears overflowed as I walked.

「Klein. Didn’t I tell you that the sword was my memento of Lady Monica? I wanted you to leave it with me.」

Rationally, I knew that the two of them needed the sword in order to survive this situation.

But I had to complain in order to get strength into my legs.

「C-could that be a ‘room’?!」

‘Rooms’ are spaces constructed within a dungeon which can be closed off from the inside.

There were occasionally places like that in the Dungeon of Yomi which someone had prepared, where adventurers could camp out safely.

「But sometimes they end up turning into monster dens. Or they’re full of traps.」

But as long as it wasn’t a goblin or orc den, it would be perfect.

Dragging my completely numb legs, I somehow made it into the room.

As I’d expected, there was a button for closing the door.

Collapsed against the wall I was using as a crutch, just about running on empty, I looked around the room.

「I can’t see all the way to the back of the room, but it looks like I’ve hit the jackpot.」

I might be able to lie here until the paralysis poison wears off. I had no sword and no rations, so my death was assured…… But it was infinitely preferable to being defiled by a goblin before I died.