Chapter 16

The empty bed.

The room was silent, not even the sound of breathing could be heard.

Yuel, who should have been there, was not.

It was late at night.

Only a faint moonlight filtered through the window.

Dawn was still far off.

Where could she be at this hour—

Suddenly, Yuel's troubled expression from yesterday came to mind.

A bad feeling.

A sense of unease that something was wrong.

...No, maybe she just went to the bathroom.

I should check first.

I went down to the ground floor of the inn and knocked on the bathroom door.

No response.

"If I work even harder, then maybe..."

Yuel's words from yesterday echoed in my mind.

Work hard.

It must mean working hard in the dungeon.

...Could she have gone to the dungeon at this hour?

All alone.

No, that can't be.

There's no way Yuel would go to the dungeon while I'm sleeping.

She should have asked for my permission.

...Or, have I pushed Yuel to the point where she couldn't even do that?

If.

If she did go to the dungeon.

If Yuel went to the boss room.

Yuel could probably handle up to the seventh floor alone.

In fact, it might be better for her to go alone.

But, if "work harder" means achieving even greater results—

—If Yuel went to the boss room.

The rare drops from the boss would be a clear and significant achievement for Yuel to show me.

If that's the case, it's bad.

Yuel can't defeat the boss.

The Huge Slime is a massive creature, three meters in diameter.

In contrast, Yuel's weapon is a knife, only twenty to thirty centimeters long.

Even though Yuel is agile and skilled with the knife, her body is that of a child.

How long would it take to whittle down such a massive body with such a small knife?

A prolonged battle, dodging and attacking, accumulating fatigue, and eventually being crushed by the Huge Slime when she's too tired to move.

Such an image—

—just thinking about it makes my heart race.

I have to find her.

Yuel might already be on her way to the boss room.

Yesterday, Yuel said she was fine.

She was smiling at the end.

Maybe she didn't go to the dungeon at all.

Maybe she's just taking a walk because the moon is beautiful tonight.

But.

However.

I can't just sit still.

"Ha... ha... ha..."

I ran down the main street that leads to the dungeon.

The town was quiet.

The dungeon was still far away.

Did Yuel really go to the dungeon?

I have no proof.

But, considering our conversation yesterday, I should assume she did.

Suddenly, I saw a drunkard sitting on the road.

...Maybe he saw Yuel.

"Hey, have you seen a Dark Elf girl about this size?"

I want him to say he saw her.

I want him to say she didn't go to the dungeon.

If he does, I can go back to the inn and wait for Yuel.

I can get rid of this growing anxiety.

"Huh?"

"Tell me. Did you see her? Did you not?"

"...Yeah, I saw her."

"! How long ago? Do you know where she went?"

Tell me quickly.

I grabbed the drunkard's shoulder a bit too hard.

"What the hell, man. She went that way. About ten minutes ago!"

The drunkard pushed my arm away and pointed in a direction.

...His finger pointed towards the center of town, the direction of the dungeon.

The faintly glowing walls of the dungeon.

I ran through the dungeon, relying on the stakes that marked the shortest route.

As I ran down the corridor, I saw a Fangrabbit.

Fangrabbits are fast.

Even if I tried to run, it would catch up.

I ran up to it and swung my mace.

"!"

It easily dodged.

Then, a sharp pain shot through my arm.

I saw the Fangrabbit had bitten my right arm.

My clothes were torn, and blood was seeping through.

I tried to pull it off, but the Fangrabbit's jaws were firmly clamped onto my arm, refusing to let go.

Shaking my arm and trying to pry its jaws open with my left hand didn't work.

"Damn it...!"

I can't afford to waste time on the first floor.

—If I don't hurry, Yuel will reach the boss room.

I slammed the Fangrabbit against the wall with my arm still in its mouth.

"Ugh...!"

Each time I slammed it, the Fangrabbit's teeth dug deeper.

The sharp, piercing pain turned into a heavy, dull ache, and then a strange, unpleasant pain.

But.

This will heal.

It's a healable injury.

I kept telling myself this and increased the force of my slams.

On the third or fourth hit, the Fangrabbit turned into light and disappeared.

"Ha... ha... ha..."

Without Yuel, I struggle even against a Fangrabbit.

Should I go back and get someone to help?

No, it's the middle of the night.

I don't know where Eito and Ruruka are staying.

The Adventurer's Guild was almost empty.

Negotiating with strangers would take time.

I don't have the kind of money to make someone say yes immediately.

The boss room Yuel is heading to can't be exited until the boss is defeated.

I have to stop Yuel before she reaches the boss room.

She's already ten minutes ahead of me.

If I go back now, I might not make it in time.

"I have no choice but to keep going."

I don't need to fight the monsters.

I just need to run through.

Besides, I have healing magic.

As long as I don't die... I can heal.

I just need to catch up to Yuel and then we can go back together.

The longer I wait, the deeper into the dungeon Yuel will go.

I can't turn back now.

I ran, and ran, and ran.

I was bitten, slammed against walls, and kept running.

Finally, I saw the stairs to the second floor.

But I still couldn't catch up to Yuel.

I ran through the second and third floors without stopping.

The main route had fewer monsters, but they still appeared.

I ignored the Salt Puppets and kept running.

I was stabbed by a Goblin and kept running.

I endured the punches from a Green Ivy and kept running.

I was knocked back by a Big Chick and kept running.

It hurt.

I thought I might die many times.

When surrounded by Goblins.

When chased by a Big Chick.

I ran, dodged, and fought back with my mace.

I wanted to turn back.

I wanted to be back in bed at the inn.

I wanted to be drinking at the bar.

But if I turn back now, Yuel will go to the boss room.

I'm not tough enough to turn back knowing that.

I still have a chance to catch up.

I followed the stakes, turning corners as I ran.

Suddenly, my balance was thrown off.

My body floated for a moment.

I was slammed headfirst into the ground.

The rough ground scraped my cheek, and blood flowed.

I tried to stand up, but my hand slipped.

What is this—

I turned around and saw a Giant Ant, covered in blood, chewing on something.

In its mouth was a brown leather boot.

...That's my... foot.

My right foot, the tip was gone.

Red.

My thoughts turned red.

I was hit.

It hurt. It was hot. It was disgusting.

I didn't notice it lurking in the shadows.

Blood was flowing.

The Giant Ant was approaching.

Its blood-soaked mandibles clicked, clicked, and clicked.

It's bad.

It's bad.

I need to heal.

"—Ex Heal...!"

My foot regrew, the flesh bulging and forming.

The warm sensation eased the pain.

I quickly moved away from the Giant Ant, and its mandibles snapped shut where my left foot had been a moment ago.

I kept running.

I still couldn't catch up.

If I go down these stairs, it will be the seventh floor.

Has Yuel already reached the seventh floor?

My clothes were already stained red with blood, torn and full of holes from running and ignoring the monsters to catch up to Yuel.

I might still be able to catch up.

Yuel might be right around the corner.

I dodged a Slime that charged at me and kept running.

I ran straight towards the center of the floor.

—And I reached the boss room.

I reached it.

I reached it without catching up to Yuel.

Did I not make it in time?

No, if I go into the boss room, Yuel might be in the middle of a battle right now.

The ornate, grand door stood out in the plain, unadorned dungeon.

If I open this door and go in now...

"Hey, Shiki? ...! What happened? You're covered in blood!"

"What's with you, you're all beat up. Are you okay?"

—Suddenly, I was called from behind.

It was Eito and Gazer.

Looking to the side, I saw a few other adventurers.

There was a man who looked like a mage.

The seventh floor is where many parties stay overnight.

It must be a temporary party.

I'm saved.

This will work.

"Eito, Gazer! When I woke up, Yuel was gone... Yuel might be fighting the boss!"

At my words, Eito looked shocked.

And Gazer...

...Had an expression that said, "What are you talking about?"

"What are you talking about, Shiki? Yuel should be at the bar at this time."

He said something ridiculous.

"What!?"

"Yuel is at the bar, right? What, did you forget?"

I don't understand.

"What, what do you mean? I forgot? I never even heard such a story."

"Remember, that time. When you drank the Fire Dragon Slayer, Yuel said she wanted to give you a present and needed money to do it. But she didn't want to trouble you, so she said she would work while you were sleeping. And you said, 'Good luck.' She's a really earnest kid. By the way, I told her to work at the bar."

Ah, I remember.

I mean, I heard it, but I didn't really listen and just nodded along.

That's what she meant.

The drunkard must have seen Yuel heading to the bar, which is in the same direction as the dungeon.

...What.

Was it just my mistake?

I went through so much pain, almost died multiple times.

Just a false alarm.

No, but it's good.

It was a wasted effort, but I'm glad Yuel is safe.

...No, it's not good.

"Um, Eito, Gazer."

"What's up, all of a sudden?"

"......Please send me back to the surface."