Chapter 15

Today's second update.

In the morning, the Adventurer's Guild was bustling with adventurers seeking new quests.

I and Lirisia head to the bulletin board.

--Today, we plan to only take collection quests since we're exploring Hellrich's dungeon.

Lirisia takes one quest memo after another from the wall.

"Herb collection... and mushroom collection. Ah, we can also collect blue quail eggs... and then..."

I guess I can leave it to Lirisia.

After all, she finds them one after another with her monocle.

It seems to be an appraisal skill that angels possess.

While Lirisia was selecting, I idly looked at the quests.

Then I saw a surprising one and couldn't help but exclaim.

"Huh?"

"What's wrong?"

"There's another Hellrich quest..."

"Two of them were there!?"

Lirisia's violet eyes widened in surprise.

Then a man next to us spoke up.

"Are you Alek, the Hellrich killer? But yesterday it was in the forest, right? There's a rumor that it's appeared in the city."

"Huh? Hellrich in the capital!?"

I've been a hero for 30 years, and I've never heard of Hellrich appearing in a populated area.

Lirisia covered her mouth to muffle her voice.

"Having one of those in the capital is incredibly dangerous, isn't it?"

"Well, it's just a rumor for now. But several people have seen it. There have also been many mysterious disappearances. That's why they want it investigated."

Looking closely at the quest memo, it was a search quest, not a slaying quest. Difficulty: D Rank.

Lirisia, shaking her silver hair, asked.

"Is it the same Hellrich from the forest?"

"That's not possible. Hellrich has a very limited range. It can't move more than a hundred steps from its lair."

"I see. Even in castles or ruins, it doesn't leave the building, and some don't even leave their rooms," I added.

Lirisia looked down seriously.

"There's a risk of other monsters, so it might be better to observe the situation in the capital for a while..."

"No, no, miss, wait! You guys defeated it, right? It would be better if you were there, right? Right?"

The man was frantically pleading.

He was desperate, worried that if his words made us leave, everyone would look at him with disapproval.

I stared at the quest memo.

--Something feels off.

If several of its undead minions were seen, that would make sense, but multiple Hellrich bosses?

It must be a different one, as Lirisia suggested.

Curious, I picked up the quest memo.

I decided to take it, even if I fail.

Lirisia had finished her selection, so we headed to the counter together.

The adventurers who had been watching me started whispering.

"Another Hellrich...""Does he have a grudge against Hellrich?""That coolness is amazing.""No wonder Berial didn't show up."

--Huh? That big guy with the axe isn't here.

Well, it doesn't matter. He probably just got a bump, so he's not hurt.

Actually, it's refreshing that no one is bothering us.

At the counter, I handed the quest memo to the receptionist, who raised one eyebrow skillfully.

"Collection quests... and another Hellrich?"

"Huh? Is it bad to take similar quests in a row?"

"No, it's fine. It's just that this one isn't even confirmed to exist..."

"There are witnesses, right? What kind of Hellrich was it?"

"The one in the city was a black skeleton in a red robe."

"...That doesn't sound like the one from yesterday."

I lied. I hadn't finished looting the dungeon yet.

But it was definitely the one from yesterday.

The receptionist looked disappointed and shrugged.

"I see... I hope it was a misidentification."

"If we can't find it and fail the mission, what happens? Is there a penalty?"

"In this case, nothing. If it's a quest with a set deadline, there might be a fine for causing inconvenience."

"I see... Then I'll take this quest today."

"Sure--here's your adventurer card back."

The press machine formed our party, and we were given a card with the quest details.

We left the guild.

On the main street, the morning sun illuminated the cobblestones.

In the crowd, Lirisia leaned in and whispered softly.

"It's the same one, isn't it?"

"Yeah, the same one we defeated yesterday. But given Hellrich's habits, it's impossible... Is the dungeon involved somehow?"

"That's a strong possibility... Let's buy lanterns and ropes before we go."

"Got it."

Before heading to the forest, we bought necessary items for dungeon exploration at a general store and equipment shop.

Lanterns, ropes, blankets, matches, water bottles, small and large bags for collecting items, and a case to protect the collected eggs.

It cost us 36,000 goats in total.

Remaining funds: 32 large gold coins, 11 gold coins, 8 large silver coins, 8 silver coins. 3,318,800 goats.

◇ ◇ ◇

In the forest southeast of the capital.

Lirisia and I, equipped with dungeon exploration gear, headed to Hellrich's hut.

On the way, Lirisia used her monocle to harvest herbs and mushrooms as we ventured deeper into the forest.

Today, Lirisia even examined tree branches.

"Ah! --There it is!"

Suddenly, she spread her wings and lightly kicked off the ground.

With that, she gracefully flew up to a high branch.

Lirisia reached into a bird's nest with a sad smile.

"Sorry, I'll take one."

--It was the blue quail egg collection quest.

With the egg in hand, Lirisia spread her wings and descended.

In the green forest, with sunlight slanting through the leaves, the angel with white wings flying looked like a religious painting.

--To think I can embrace this breathtakingly divine angel... I can't help but feel grateful that I didn't give up on life.

As I gazed in awe, Lirisia, who had returned to the ground, tilted her head and approached me.

"What's wrong, Master?"

"No, I was just thinking how beautiful and cute you are."

"Don't suddenly compliment me like that!"

Lirisia blushed and turned away.

But I didn't miss her white wings fluttering happily.

It was a shame that she quickly put them away.

--It's for the best, though, since it would be a problem if someone saw.

◇ ◇ ◇

In the late afternoon, we reached Hellrich's hut deep in the forest.

By this point, there were no other adventurers around.

Most finish their quests closer to the entrance.

I can cover more distance than other adventurers because the Holy Wave prevents encounters with enemies.

"It took longer than expected."

"I'm sorry, I kept collecting things..."

She had collected herbs, mushrooms, bird and insect eggs whenever she found them.

That's why it took a bit longer.

I patted Lirisia's head and said,

"No, it's fine. I'm happy you worked so hard."

"Thank you, Master!"

Lirisia blushed and leaned into me.

We entered the hut, which was tidy from our cleanup yesterday.

When we opened the wardrobe in the back, darkness spread.

--But I closed the door again.

Lirisia, standing next to me, tilted her head. Her silver hair flowed smoothly.

"What's wrong, Master?"

"Let's have an early dinner first. It's easier to prepare here."

"Oh! That's right! --I'll start preparing right away!"

Lirisia, swaying her white habit, ran to the kitchen.

She started a fire in the stove and looked around.

"Where's the water?"

"I think it was behind the hut."

"I'll check!"

Lirisia ran off, swinging her slender arms and legs.

I followed her to a pump well behind the hut.

Lirisia pulled the lever with her thin arms.

At first, it was just air.

I helped her.

Gradually, red water started to flow.

Finally, a large amount of clean water gushed out.

"It's here! This is drinkable!"

"Yeah, it's good water."

We filled a bucket and returned to the hut.

We prepared the meal.

Warm soup, steaming sausages.

The bread was plain but went well with the soup and meat.

"It's delicious!"

"Thanks to Lirisia."

"No, for Master."

Lirisia smiled while munching on the bread.

As I ate, I thought about how adorable this angel is.

After finishing our early dinner, feeling satisfied, I wanted to fulfill another desire.

I had been admiring the shining angel all day and wanted to embrace her softness.

There was an unused bed, and no one seemed to be around to watch.

--But I didn't.

There was something more important to do first.

I grabbed Lirisia's slender wrist.

She looked back at me with wide violet eyes.

"What is it, Master?"

"Let's do some post-meal exercise."

Standing up, Lirisia blushed and looked embarrassed. Her white habit was disheveled.

"No, Master! Not here! We could be attacked by a monster at any time! And getting tired before the dungeon exploration..."

She spoke quickly, further disheveling her habit and revealing a bold glimpse of her cleavage, while trying to move towards the bed despite her words.

"What are you saying? I want to practice our teamwork in the dungeon."

"A--"

Lirisia's face turned bright red, and she looked down.

I leaned in close to her cute ear.

"Or would you prefer to confirm our love on the bed?"

"Ugh... Master is being mean..."

Her violet eyes were moist with tears as she looked up at me.

--When she makes such a tempting face, I almost want to pounce on her.

When her dignified beauty breaks, she becomes incredibly adorable.

But because I care for her so much, I wanted to ensure we were prepared for the dungeon.

I want to protect Lirisia and never lose her!

Suppressing my desire, I led Lirisia outside by the hand.

Amazing! Double digits!

Ranked 23rd in the genre and 94th overall for the day!

Thanks to everyone who bookmarked and rated it. I'm glad you found it interesting.

To celebrate the double digits, I'll update again tonight!

Next chapter → 16. Dungeon Practice