Chapter 62

"Over there."

"Hmm. It's surprisingly close."

Alru, who had let go of the rock wall with one hand to point in a direction, was actually floating halfway in the air.

It's incredibly dangerous. I can't help but think of a video I saw from the Japanese era.

A cat walking on the railing of a high-rise apartment balcony. It wobbled and almost fell, making me nervous.

The cat itself, however, had a cool expression and its tail was held straight up.

Sequoia, unlike Alru, firmly grabbed the wall and only lowered her chin to check the location, then quickly turned her face forward.

Unlike Alru, she doesn't seem to make acrobatic movements. I feel a bit relieved...

If she did that, I'd probably faint even without trying.

Even now... even though I'm not looking down, cold sweat keeps flowing down my face.

"H-hurry up..."

My anguished cry echoes futilely off the cliff.

"Shut up. You'll fall."

"Ah!"

It might just be a threat. Perhaps it was a light joke to Sequoia, but it's serious for me.

Stop it, don't shake my body.

Ah, I can see below.

The light doesn't even reach the bottom. What, what is this?

The entrance to the abyss of darkness is where my consciousness reaches its limit.

Itchy, yummy...

◇◇◇

"Kiss?"

"Yes. In such situations, it's common to wake up with a kiss."

"Alru, I'll kiss you."

"Wait. It's obvious that I will do it."

"Sequoia, you've been saying that all along."

"Even I, a cat girl, sometimes feel bashful."

"Alru, I'll kiss you."

"Cat girls don't feel bashful..."

"For Joshua-sama. Then, Alru won't hesitate. I'll protect you from anyone."

Umm...

I can hear voices, but where am I?

I feel softness only on my head. The rest is the rough surface of the rock, prickly and uncomfortable.

When I open my eyes, Sequoia's face is up close.

I instinctively lean back and realize that Alru had been giving me a knee pillow.

"Joshua-sama, do you need a kiss?"

"Kiss? I don't understand, but my face feels sticky. Was I eaten by a frog or something?"

"No, Sequoia did it."

"Eh, eh..."

I wipe the mysterious sticky substance from my cheek and turn my gaze to Sequoia, who is looking away.

I grab her shoulder with my sticky hand and turn her around to face me.

"What is it?"

"Did you put any strange ideas into Alru's head?"

"I did nothing."

"That's good. Is this the entrance to a side cave?"

"Aye."

I take out a silk handkerchief specially made by Rumburg, wipe my face, and check the surroundings.

We are about 10 meters from the entrance. The light from outside makes the darkness inside even more glaring.

The cave is about 5 meters high and more than 4 meters wide. It's quite spacious.

There don't seem to be any large creatures around.

If we go to where the light doesn't reach, there might be bats clinging to the walls.

The rumored flying dragons probably can't enter a cave this size... I think. Probably, definitely.

"I just noticed a big problem."

"Hmm?"

"If we go deeper, we won't be able to see anything. We don't have a lantern."

"That's true. But, there's magic for that."

"Alru can see."

In response to my worry, Sequoia puffs out her small chest as if to say, "Leave it to me."

Alru, for her part, points to her eyes with both hands and smiles.

"Come closer."

"Okay."

As soon as I move closer to Sequoia, she grabs my arm and gives my hand a kiss.

"Wow. Magic is amazing."

"Hehe. With my power, darkness is as good as non-existent."

I can't help but praise Sequoia wholeheartedly.

I can see, I can see. The inside of the cave is clearly visible.

That said, it's not the same as seeing in a bright place. It's more like looking through a night vision scope.

I can't distinguish colors, but the visibility is perfect.

"Can Alru see like this naturally?"

"Yes! I am a cat girl. Darkness is my friend."

"Like a cat, you can see in the dark."

Alru is fine.

Okay, then let's move forward. Into the depths of the cave.

But before that, I need to confirm something with Sequoia.

"Sequoia, is there a spell to detect the presence in the depths?"

"By reading the flow of the wind, I can tell to some extent. But a cat girl would be more suitable."

"Cat girls have such abilities too..."

"That one... No, never mind."

Sequoia starts to say something but stops.

She must have noticed something, but since Alru isn't saying anything, I'll refrain from prying.

If Alru wants to talk about it, she'll tell me. I personally believe it's not good to interfere with someone's privacy.

"Alru, can you tell if there are any large creatures in the depths?"

"About a five-minute walk? There's nothing there."

"Alright. Let's start our exploration then."

"Okay!" I raise my right hand, and Sequoia and Alru join in.

Despite fainting and all, we've finally started our cave exploration.

◇◇◇

This cave is quite deep.

We've turned right and left, but there haven't been any forks so far.

It's easy to navigate without getting lost.

After about thirty minutes of walking, we reach a wider space.

Stalactites hang from the ceiling like icicles, and from the ground, there are table-like rocks and tall, straight columns.

The visibility is not great overall.

However, Alru seems to have reacted to something first, standing in front of us and putting a finger to her lips.

"Is something there?"

I whisper to her, and she nods in response. Her cat ears also bow down.

But the clueless little fox starts talking at a normal volume.

"Sure enough. A cat girl. This is a place where most people wouldn't notice."

"Hey, you should lower your voice."

"Don't worry. They are ambush predators. As long as we don't get close, there's no problem."

Sequoia must have noticed too.

There's something in the space ahead, right?

Hmm.

I take a step forward to get a better look, but I bump into Alru, who was facing me.

No, she stepped forward to block my path.

"It's dangerous."

"O-oh."

Alru hugs me, as if to say, "I won't let you go any further."

I get it, so stop hugging me, Alru.

Look, the little fox is pouting.