Chapter 67

The day after being given an unfair punishment by the guild, I visited the shared apartment where Sieg and the others lived.

"Sorry for coming so suddenly."

"It's fine, don't worry about it. What's up?"

Sieg, who was maintaining a magic sword alone in the shared apartment, welcomed me into his home despite my sudden visit. However, Sieg's good mood didn't last long.

"Actually, I've been banned from entering and exiting the dungeon."

"......What?"

The next moment, Sieg was left speechless upon hearing my words. I then explained the entire situation to him, including the events leading up to this point, that Narsena was checking with the guild, and that I wanted to have the ban on entering and exiting the dungeon lifted.

"......What are those guild people thinking?"

By the time I finished explaining everything, the shock on Sieg's face had turned to anger. He still held the magic sword he had been maintaining, and it looked like he might storm the guild. I felt a sense of urgency.

"......Damn."

However, Sieg didn't head to the guild. After a moment, he cursed and let go of the magic sword. Even if the guild was at fault, storming in wouldn't solve anything. It might even make the situation worse. No matter how agitated he was, Sieg wouldn't make a wrong judgment.

The current situation was no longer something that could be resolved by force.

That was why I had come to consult Sieg. As a direct subordinate of the guild, Sieg had considerable authority. I thought he might be able to get the guild to lift the unfair punishment.

"Rauスト and the others owe us for the Armia and Phoenix incidents. So, I intend to help you as much as I can with this matter. ...But, I can't lift the ban on entering and exiting the dungeon."

"......What?"

...My hope was cruelly shattered by Sieg's words.

"......In this case, it's beyond my authority."

Sieg's words were filled with guilt towards me. That was the best proof that his words were not a lie. Understanding that even Sieg couldn't do anything, I bit my lip. Seeing my reaction, Sieg continued, his face showing a look of pain.

"Only the branch manager has the authority to ban entry to the dungeon. Even with my authority, I can't overturn the decision of the branch manager of this dungeon city, no matter what."

"Wh-What? The branch manager!"

The mention of the branch manager by Sieg left me shaken.

If my memory serves me correctly, I've never had any dealings with the branch manager of this dungeon city, so there's no reason for me to be hated. Moreover, the cause of this incident was the dispute between the War God's Great Sword and our party. It's clearly strange for someone as high-ranking as the branch manager to get involved in such a minor dispute.

I turned to Sieg, trying to find the answer to why the branch manager had targeted me. But it was in vain.

"......I'm sorry. I don't know either."

The puzzled expression on his face showed that Sieg also didn't know the answer. This meant that the branch manager's unfair punishment against me was carried out for reasons even Sieg couldn't understand. Realizing this, I felt an inexplicable fear and my face twitched.

Why, and for what purpose, did the branch manager target me? Various speculations and imaginations dominated my mind.

"There is one thing I can say. You should leave the dungeon city as soon as possible."

Sieg's serious voice the next moment brought me back to reality.

"Even though I don't know the reason, it's clear that the branch manager of this dungeon city is plotting something against you. It would be best to leave the dungeon city quickly. In the capital, I have connections, and you can easily make a name for yourselves."

Sieg's suggestion was the best course of action. His words were undeniably sound and showed his concern for me. It was clear that Sieg had genuinely thought about it and was truly concerned for me.

"......Thank you for your concern. But, I still want to stay in the dungeon city."

Even though I understood, I couldn't accept his suggestion. Surprised that I would refuse, Sieg looked at me with shock. Feeling guilty about his reaction, I still couldn't nod to Sieg's proposal.

"I absolutely can't leave the dungeon city right now. At the very least, not until an adventurer who can supply materials from the lower levels to the city appears to replace us."

As I said this, the faces of the people in the city, who had become familiar to me over the past month, came to mind. The dungeon city had never been a place I could like. I don't remember when I started to feel attached to the dungeon city.

However, I was certain that the reason I started to feel attached to the dungeon city was the people in the city. Indeed, my current happiness is due to Narsena's presence, and she is irreplaceable.

But, the people in the city have also added more color to my life.

"I don't want to destroy the city of this dungeon city. Sieg's suggestion is truly appreciated, but I still can't leave this place."

That's why I couldn't nod to Sieg's suggestion to leave the dungeon city. I knew that leaving the dungeon city would mean abandoning the city. I wanted to stay in the dungeon city at least until an adventurer who could replace us appeared and the city could function without us.

There was more than one reason why I wanted to stay in the dungeon city.

"Besides......"

I hesitated for a moment before speaking about the other reason. It was a very personal matter, and I didn't want to share it with others. But, remembering that I had already told Sieg about my feelings for Narsena, I smiled faintly and spoke.

"There's something else I want to do in the dungeon city for Narsena."

"Narsena?"

Sieg's face showed confusion at my words.

"Yes. It's about Narsena's family."

But, my next words caused a slight shock to appear on Sieg's face. Seeing this, I realized that Sieg also knew about Narsena's family.

"Narsena seems to think she's hiding it well, but I know her family is noble. ...And that she has conflicts with them."

"......That much..."

Sieg showed surprise at my words, but for me, knowing about Narsena's family was not difficult. It's easy to understand that if a noble's son or daughter wants to be an adventurer, their noble parents would oppose it. And from Narsena's reaction to the trip to the capital yesterday, it was easy to imagine the situation.

"Most likely, Narsena's parents will never accept my existence. A rough adventurer like me, different from the beautiful adventurers in the capital, being with Narsena."

And I could imagine more than that. Remembering the complaints I had overheard from other adventurers about nobles, I was certain that I wouldn't be accepted by the nobles. No, maybe I could be accepted by the nobles. This wasn't arrogance; it was a fact. Still, the nobles would never allow my marriage to Narsena now.

"That's why I want to achieve something that even the nobles can't ignore."

Understanding this, I made a decision. It was a great achievement that I never would have thought possible when I was a defective healer. But, strangely, my heart didn't waver at this fact. It seemed to say that such things were trivial.

Thinking about this unexpected transformation and the girl who was the reason for it, I spoke.

"I intend to become a top-tier adventurer in this dungeon city."

The story expanded more than I thought, and the climax of Chapter 2 will start from the next part.

...I didn't expect the prologue of Chapter 2 to be this long.