Chapter 80

"Let's go! Master Craft!"

Of course, the one who clung tightly to my arm was the lizardman Shururu.

"Um, Shururu-san? It's hard to walk like this..."

"Then I'll do this!"

Before I knew it, I was carried in a princess hold.

By me.

"Pheww!"

Jitaro whistled. I'll definitely get him back later!

"Shururu!? Please put me down!"

"This way, you don't have to walk, right?"

"No, no, no! Look! Shururu will get tired!"

"It's fine! I drank Master Craft's stamina potion!"

"That's not what I meant!?"

In a state of near panic, I couldn't think of how to stop her.

Reifan sighed with a wry smile.

"Craft-kun, why don't you just admit it's embarrassing?"

"Huh? Oh, right! Shururu! It's super embarrassing! Please put me down!"

"I'm fine, though."

"I'm the one who's embarrassed!"

"I see... I guess I have no choice."

Reluctantly, she put me down.

As Shururu was about to cling to my arm again, I quickly moved to stand next to Jitaro.

Shururu looked at me with a disappointed expression, biting her finger.

Wait, Shururu-san. I don't dislike you, but when you come at me like this, I want to run away!

"Leidock! The preparations are ready, let's go!"

"O-oh, right. Sure."

When I approached Leidock as if seeking help, he was flanked by Sollar and Eva on either side!

The tension between them, with Leidock in the middle, was intense!

"Sollar-san, I don't think the ranger needs to be right next to the commander, do you?"

"You don't need to be so close either, do you?"

The exchange of glares was so intense it seemed to make a sound.

I couldn't help but flinch.

"Everyone! Let's go! Form up! Sollar will be the lead scout, Shururu will guide the way with Jitaro! Eva will be with Craft, Marilyn, and Bardack in the center!"

"But I want to stay with Master Leidock..."

"I'm a skirmisher!"

"Troubled, Leidock shouted.

"Get lost."

"Craft-san is also guilty, you know?"

"Shut up."

I used to be a poor, powerless magician, so no women ever came close to me, but things are different now.

Of course, I'm interested in girls! But I have no experience in this area, so I don't know how to handle it!

Most of all, deciding on someone to be with forever isn't something I can do easily!

"Eh? Craft-kun, do you want to get married?"

"Reifan... No, that's not what I meant, but if we're going to be together, we need to think about it, right?"

"Ah, yeah. You're serious, huh."

What's going on?

I didn't say anything wrong, but I got a slightly sympathetic look...

No, it must be my imagination!

"Craft! Let's go!"

"Sorry, Leidock! Everyone, get ready and form up!"

"I'm ready."

Reifan, the mage's bodyguard, pouted a little.

Eva reluctantly came over, and we set off.

◆

After walking through the forest for a while, Shururu bounced back and clung to me.

"That's the cave you can see over there!"

"Shururu! You don't need to come back every time!"

We gathered and cautiously observed from a distance.

Only Sollar approached to check the safety.

"It looks fine from the outside."

"Yeah, but if the lizardman warriors haven't returned, it might be otherworldly."

"If so, it's a bit troublesome."

A dungeon connected to another world can't be judged by its appearance.

There are several patterns of dungeons, so once inside, we can make some predictions, but we have to go in to find out.

On the other hand, if the cave hasn't otherworldly transformed, there's a high possibility of powerful monsters inside. Otherwise, it's unnatural for the warriors not to return.

While discussing this with Leidock, Sollar returned.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. It's definitely otherworldly. But it's a cave-type dungeon, so it might be a bit larger."

"A cave-type dungeon. It seems there might be resources."

"Why didn't you return to the village first, even though it's otherworldly?"

At that, Shururu loosened her grip on my arm.

"We've only found a few otherworldly dungeons. And the ones we found, the warriors were able to conquer. So I thought this one would be fine too."

I see. The dungeons they've found so far haven't been too large or dangerous.

Considering the lizardman population, finding an otherworldly dungeon is rare.

"That's not good. If they're not used to dungeon exploration, they might have fallen into a trap."

"Eh? There are traps in dungeons?"

"Right. You haven't encountered such dungeons before. We might need to act quickly. Let's go in."

"But shouldn't Shururu go back to the village?"

"I can protect myself!"

Leidock scratched the back of his head.

"...I'm worried about sending her back alone. There's a possibility of encountering Baron's survivors. Considering the amount of food the warriors took, it would take too long to return to the village now. Alright. Shururu, you must not participate in any combat."

"I can protect Master Craft!"

"Alright, stay close to Craft."

"Okay!"

What!?

Of course, I have no objection to protecting Shururu, but it's hard to move when she clings to me!

Especially, the soft parts are distracting!

"Craft-kun... I have to report this to Myuna too."

"Why Myuna now!?"

I stroked the creepy rabbit plushie Myuna gave me.

So that's it, unlike Kyle, she's reporting on my poor performance!

I want to be a reliable older brother!

"Anyway, Shururu! Dungeon exploration can be life-threatening, so please don't cling to me!"

"Okay."

Shururu released her arms and took a small step back.

If this was Jurala, who has a more lizard-like build, it wouldn't be a problem, but Shururu is almost human-like, and her chest is noticeable, so I can't help but be aware of it!

Finally, Reifan came to my rescue.

"Shururu-san, otherworldly dungeons are dangerous, so no clinging once we're inside."

"Understood. Instead, I'll protect Master Craft!"

"I appreciate your determination, but don't overdo it."

Shururu is very enthusiastic, which is a bit worrying, but she seems to understand the boundaries.

"Alright, let's form up and go in. Everyone, stay alert."

"Alright!"

The relaxed atmosphere suddenly became tense.

"Reifan, you're still not used to dungeons, so follow my or Leidock's instructions."

"Okay. I'm counting on you, Craft-kun!"

"Alright, leave it to me."

We entered the otherworldly dungeon.

The dungeon we found and conquered on the way to this village was quite different. The previous one had a building-like structure with stone walls, but this one is a cave-type.

This type has poor visibility and is easy to get lost in.

"The lizardmen probably got caught in a trap and fled deeper in."

Sollar quickly identified the trap and concluded.

"Can you follow the tracks?"

"Leave it to me."

Following the tracks, we moved deeper in, and monsters began to attack one after another.

It's a mystery how they survive, but the presence of many monsters is a common feature of otherworldly dungeons.

Of course.

In the past, this would have been a dungeon where we'd run away barefoot, but with Leidock's party, the Casper sisters, me, Reifan, and Jitaro, it was like a picnic.

"Master Craftaaa!"

"Master Leidockaaa!"

Can't we be a bit more serious?

In the end, Sollar disarmed the traps, and the monsters were instantly killed as they appeared.

We followed the lizardmen's tracks without much trouble.

Then, deep inside, there was a huge, conspicuous door.

"The lizardmen are probably inside."

Sollar carefully examined the trap and put her ear to the door.

"! There are battle sounds coming from inside! It's a large-scale battle!"

"Damn! We don't have time to check! Let's go in!"

"Alright!"

The warriors Moda and Leidock kicked open the door, revealing a large space.

Naturally, a large number of monsters were battling the lizardmen.

"Everyone!"

"Shururu!? Humans!?!"

The bloodied lizardmen turned to face us.

It seemed they were in a dire situation, with no time to spare.