Chapter 63

"Phew... Finally, my senses have returned."

"Right! I'm really feeling the value of having Noll and the others around again."

After our break, we started moving through the dungeon to regroup with Noll and the others. Along the way, we were attacked by various goblins, but with Cisaha, we easily took them down. She seemed a bit slower than usual, probably because her and Noll's abilities hadn't improved, but her movements were still far more refined than mine.

I relied on Excalibur's attack power and the reduced stun time to push through. It takes two attacks to defeat black and red goblins, but with the increased attack speed, I could stab twice in quick succession. The speed at which I could raise the pot lid to defend also improved, so I could block attacks even after seeing them.

Still, it felt slower compared to when Estelle's support magic was in effect, and I felt a bit off. I tried to move as I usually would, but my body didn't follow. Cisaha, too, was jabbing and throwing straight punches at the goblins, but it seemed she was struggling more than usual. Maybe we've relied too much on their ability improvements. It's dangerous when our senses suddenly change like this, especially in a situation like this. If it were a stronger monster, it could have been fatal.

"Have we made much progress? Can you still not find Noll and the others?"

"There's no reaction on the map... It might be that this floor is just really large."

We've been wandering for nearly an hour, but there's still no sign of Noll and the others on the map. They were supposed to contact us if they found a way to the next floor, so I assume they're still on this floor, but we haven't encountered them yet.

"Goblins, goblins, one after another... Is this a Goblin Dungeon?"

"Right—Watch out! This guy!"

Goblins kept appearing. Just as I was focused on them, a fireball flew towards me. I blocked it with the pot lid and ran towards the direction it came from, ignoring the sword-wielding goblins in front of me. I stabbed the goblin with the staff with Excalibur.

"Phew, only the goblins that use magic are dangerous."

"They have penetration power, after all."

When I turned around after defeating the magic-using goblin, the others had already been taken care of by Cisaha. She was just finishing off the last one with her staff.

I usually handle the magic-using goblins because I have higher magic resistance than Cisaha. If I get hit while attacking, it's not a big deal. When I ignore other goblins, my defensive stance means I take almost no damage from their attacks. Plus, I have a support spell from Cisaha that boosts my defense. She's a priest, so she can use those support spells, even if I sometimes forget.

"You seem to lack confidence, but you're getting better at fighting, Ohtsuka."

"Hmm? Really?"

Am I getting better? I do get hit less often by enemy attacks now, and I can prioritize which ones to attack first. But compared to them, I'm still far behind.

"That's exactly why you seem to lack confidence. Come on, say something like, 'I'll protect you!'"

"But... Cisaha is stronger than me."

She leaned forward, pointing at me with one finger and resting her other hand on her hip. Her voice changed slightly, and the part where she said "I'll protect you" sounded more masculine. She's in a really good mood. But it's still awkward to hear that from her. She always ends up causing trouble when she gains confidence... That's why I can't really feel confident.

"I'm a girl, too, you know. I want to hear lines like that! That's why, Ohtsuka, you're so—"

"Stop right there!"

What was she about to say? She almost said something that would make me doubt if she's really a priest. Noll often calls herself a maiden, but if Cisaha is a girl, I hope she can show some modesty. She seemed so pure and honest when we first met... Well, she's still honest, but in a bad way.

"Anyway, the increase in magic stones suggests that Noll and the others are fighting somewhere."

"Really... Wow! They're increasing a lot."

"Yeah, only rare types are appearing here. If we weren't in this situation, I'd be happy about it..."

Magic stones kept appearing in the gift box on my phone. We've defeated a lot of black and red goblins, so we've earned quite a few magic stones. But even when we're not fighting, the number keeps increasing. Noll and the others must be taking down goblins in a big way. The number of magic stones has increased from 596 to 689. Even the current amount is a significant improvement over what we usually earn in a day. I would have been jumping for joy, but the situation makes it hard to celebrate. It feels like Sage Time.

"After we regroup, we could set up camp here and hunt for a few days."

"Hmm, I think it's better to avoid that. We don't know when or where monsters will appear."

"You're right."

I thought about setting up a base and hunting for a few days after regrouping, but Cisaha quickly rejected the idea. If goblins keep appearing from anywhere and attack us day and night, it would be tough to hunt. It would be nice if we could set up a beacon here, but that's not possible.

"Anyway, we seem to have reached another place where something might happen."

"Yeah, this place looks like something will happen."

As we continued to be attacked by goblins, we arrived at a fairly large area, about the same size as the room we were teleported to. Cisaha and I didn't enter the space but peeked inside from the entrance. There were no enemies, and nothing stood out.

But that made it suspicious. This is such a large space. Something will definitely happen if we go in.

"Is that a passage in the back?"

"Maybe there's something there if we go further back."

At the back of the space, there was a long, narrow hole, similar to the passage we were in. It probably leads to another path. I considered running through it before anything happened, but the distance was too far.

"What do you think?"

"If we go the safe route, it's better to regroup with Noll and the others first. But if we've walked this far without regrouping, they might be further back in that passage."

Looking at the map, a large area was already mapped out, but there was still no sign of Noll and the others. It's possible they're not on this side. Thinking about it, I wanted to go further back.

But to get there, we'd have to cross this room. I hope we don't get teleported again... The presence of a passage suggests a trap, but it's probably not a teleportation trap.

"Let's wait here. Noll and the others might come from that direction."

I want to regroup quickly, but it's too risky to go through this room. They might contact us, so let's wait here without rushing.

●

"Ugh... Do we really have to go there?"

"It seems they're not on this side. From the movement of the monsters on the map, none of them are heading to other areas."

We've been waiting for a few minutes. We've been fending off occasional goblin attacks, but there's no sign of Noll and the others. Looking at the map, most of the monsters are moving towards us, probably to eliminate the intruders.

This suggests that Noll and the others are not on this side.

"Damn, I still can't reach Noll..."

"We have no choice but to push forward."

"That's the only option..."

I've been trying to call Noll multiple times, but she never answers. The call goes to voicemail, saying the number is out of range. We were able to call before, so they must have moved. But if they did, they should have contacted us.

Checking the increase in magic stones, there's no change. They're not fighting at all.

I'm getting worried. Scary, but we have no choice but to move forward.

"Alright, let's go. Cisaha, I'll protect you, so stay close."

"Wh-what?"

I decided to push forward with determination and said the line Cisaha wanted to hear. It's just the two of us now, and it's my job to protect her. I said it with resolve, but she looked surprised and opened her eyes wide.

Hey, what's with that reaction? I said it despite feeling embarrassed, and this is how you react?

"What's wrong... Didn't you say you wanted to hear it? Give me a proper response."

"I didn't expect you to actually say it."

"Hey... You..."

She smiled, raising the corners of her mouth and resting her hand on her chin. She looked really amused.

I've never seen such an annoying smile in my life. It's not a smile a priest or a girl should have. It's terrible, really terrible. I shouldn't have taken her seriously...

"But my heart skipped a beat. What are you planning to do, trying to make me fall for you? I might start blushing."

"I didn't say it with that intention! Ugh... Don't tell Estelle and the others. It's embarrassing."

She put her hand on her cheek, looking embarrassed. She said "blushing" in a playful way, but her cheeks were slightly red.

It would be embarrassing if Noll and the others found out. Why did I even say it? "I'll protect you"... Ugh, it's so embarrassing. This is really embarrassing!

"Of course, I won't tell them. Estelle would get angry."

"Estelle is scary when she's angry."

"Yes... She's scary. She might make you unable to laugh or cry."

I don't understand, but Cisaha agreed not to tell anyone.

I don't know why Estelle would get angry, but if she does, I don't want her to know. She's really scary when she's angry.

With the tension easing, we decided to enter the room.