Chapter 9

"Are you hurt?"

The black-haired girl, looking worried, ran over to Rio with a start.

"Blood! You're bleeding! Are you okay? Does it hurt? I can use healing magic, so I can fix it right away—"

"It's already healed. I treated it myself and just didn't bother to wipe the blood off."

"Huh? Oh, I see. That's a relief~"

The girl, who had been momentarily stunned, now wore a relieved smile, as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

It was then that he noticed it.

On the side of her neck, there was a small '☆' symbol.

It was a mark of honor.

It meant she had already cleared one of the seven major dungeons.

"Are you Mirei Dragna?"

"Eh?" The girl blinked her eyes.

"Do you know me?"

Rio suppressed a sigh. "I guess so. There's probably no one on this island who doesn't know you. You're the reincarnation of Reiva Nibelk, the 'Young Dragon Princess' Mirei Dragna, a celebrity."

"Wh-what! Compared to the legendary magic swordsman, I'm just... just..."

The girl—Mirei—shook her head vigorously, her ponytail swinging back and forth.

Mirei Dragna's name began to spread about half a year ago.

The news that an 11-year-old child had joined the strongest adventurer group at the time was the catalyst.

The child had grown rapidly, reaching level 30 in just half a year. Moreover, she was a true "genius," wielding both exceptional sword skills and a wide variety of magic.

There was a reason for this.

Her innate skill was [Evolution Ultimate].

It was a simple yet extremely powerful skill that allowed her to grow rapidly in all aspects. The experience points needed for level-ups were halved, and the same applied to skill levels. The most astonishing part was that there was no limit to her growth. She could surpass the level cap of 100 and the skill level cap of 10.

Because this skill was possessed by the legendary magic swordsman Reiva Nibelk, people eventually began to call Mirei her reincarnation, or the embodiment of the strongest dragon, dubbing her the 'Young Dragon Princess' due to her youth.

Rio bowed his head, trying to remain calm.

"Thank you for helping me when I was in danger. My luggage was about to be crushed."

"No, no—wait, you're worried about that first!?"

"Sorry," Mirei cleared her throat.

"Anyway, if you want to thank someone, you should thank the trio of adventurers who hired you. We met them by chance on a higher floor, and they said, 'Help our companion!' When I asked, it turned out that you, their supporter, were in trouble. So I ran as fast as I could."

A female knight's face flashed in Rio's mind.

It seemed 'Wished Fortune' had been obtained this time. On the other hand, he was worried about whether the return journey would be safe.

"Huh? 'We'?"

"Yeah, I was with my senior, but... I left her behind. Actually, I don't think she wanted to come. She's a good person at heart, but she can be quite cold. She often teases me too."

"Usually, people don't help others without expecting anything in return."

"Usually, people don't expect anything in return for helping others. My grandparents always said that."

Her sparkling eyes were incredibly clear.

"Your grandparents sound like kind people."

Rio had no grandparents.

He had briefly thought that the girl in front of him might be someone else, but that was quickly dispelled.

"Yes! They raised me with great care, even though I wasn't related to them by blood."

"I see."

Rio, after being taken in by the goddess, had no idea where or how his sister Mirei was living.

He still wasn't sure if the girl in front of him was his sister.

He wanted to ask, but if she was his sister, he might inadvertently reveal too much.

He had no intention of claiming to be her brother now, and he didn't deserve her forgiveness.

While he was pondering what to do, Mirei continued to chatter away.

"Apparently, a very beautiful woman appeared and said, 'This isn't my child, but please raise her. This isn't my child, but!' and then she just handed over 3-year-old me."

What was the power of a goddess?

"Because she looked so pitiful, they took me in without asking any questions."

What was the dignity of a goddess?

(There's no doubt about it now, right?)

With all the circumstantial evidence, this girl was definitely his sister Mirei.

(I never thought Mirei Dragna would be my sister...)

He had heard the rumors and deliberately avoided contacting the group she belonged to. He never expected to meet her by chance like this.

"Surely that beautiful woman targeted them. My grandparents were very kind people. But I was lucky. I was raised by good people."

Her carefree smile suggested she had lived a happy life.

It was a fact that truly brought Rio a sense of relief.

"Then, why did you become an adventurer? You could die."

It was probably a harsh thing to say, but Mirei smiled brightly.

"Adventurers can earn a lot of money if they work hard. I wanted to repay them even a little bit."

"R-really..."

"Ah! I almost forgot!"

With a loud voice, Mirei ran to where the Low Cyclops had been. She bent down to pick up the dropped money, sighed contentedly, and returned to Rio.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she continued talking.

"Of course, I also have a wish I want to fulfill—"

Just as Mirei started fidgeting, a voice echoed through the cave.

"Hey, Mirei! Where are you?"

A growling, beast-like voice.

Looking in the direction of the voice, a non-human figure was approaching.

It had a wolf's head, and its body was covered in fur from the neck down. It was a male werewolf with a muscular, sturdy build and blue-black fur. He carried a longsword, as tall as Rio, on his back.

On his left chest, visible through the open shirt, were three '☆' marks.

"Ah, Galf! You're late!"

Mirei puffed out her cheeks.

"Huh? You're the one who took off first."

Galf approached with a bored expression.

"So, is this the luggage carrier you left behind? Huh, he's still alive."

"Don't say that so disappointedly!"

"Tch, the weak die in the dungeon. Can't be bothered with every little thing. So, it's a shame you helped him. Leave him here—huh?"

Galf approached Rio, getting so close their noses almost touched, and peered into his eyes.

"Black hair, black eyes, a young luggage carrier. Hm, are you the 'indestructible luggage carrier' they were talking about?"

"Eh?" Mirei, surprised for some reason, glanced at Rio, who returned his gaze to Galf.

"No one has called me that directly, but I guess that's me."

"Hahaha!"

Galf burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.

"Those guys are idiots, aren't they? Asking for help to save someone who can't die."

"!"

Rio held up a hand to stop Mirei, who looked like she wanted to say something.

"True, I don't die, but I'm grateful to her because I didn't have to feel pain. My luggage is also safe."

In contrast to Mirei's sudden smile, Galf narrowed his eyes.

"Hm, well, let me test you a bit."

He reached for the longsword on his back, but—

"Galf, I don't like that kind of joke."

With a click, she pushed the tsuba of her sword with her thumb. Her other hand gripped the hilt.

The adorable girl from before was gone, and Mirei now glared sharply at Galf.

"Do you think you can match me?"

"I'll buy you enough time to escape. I'll do my best."

Just before they both grabbed their weapons, the atmosphere was tense.

(Mirei did that thing where she 'cuts the scabbard,' right?)

Rio was thinking about something trivial.

But this was his sister's crisis.

Galf was a powerful level 60+ adventurer, and while he wouldn't kill her, Mirei getting hurt was something he absolutely wanted to avoid.

Rio put down his heavy luggage.

"I don't mind. But I still don't like pain, so if you're going to test me, please do it just once."

He stood there, as if daring Galf to come at him.

By the way, I haven't mentioned this before, but in this world, there are beastmen, elves, and other races. ΩΩΩ<What!?

Next time, the special day of today will come to an end.