Chapter 4

*Bang*!

With a tremendous sound, the *Black Javelin* that Tio launched pierced the shoulder of the Lesser Dragon that was about to attack Iris.

*Gaaaaaah*!?

The Lesser Dragon let out a pained cry and crouched on the spot.

Seeing her companion fall, the Lesser Dragon behind Iris, enraged, ignored her and charged towards Tio.

"Take this, *Black Javelin*!"

Tio launched another pitch-black magic spear.

The magic spear flashed and darted, piercing the massive jaw of the Lesser Dragon and, in an instant, penetrated its skull.

"The finishing blow!"

Tio launched another *Black Javelin* at the head of the crouching dragon.

It also penetrated the skull, and the dragon collapsed, eyes rolled back.

"No... you took down two Lesser Dragons in an instant..."

Iris stared blankly at the two corpses.

Approaching her, Tio asked, "Are you okay?" while offering a healing potion.

"Huh, y-yes! Thank you... Wait, the exiled black mage!?"

Seeing Tio's face, Iris looked even more surprised.

Her thoughts were probably along the lines of, "How did a bottom-tier black mage...!?"

"We can talk later. Please heal your shoulder first."

"O-Okay. Thank you..."

Iris took the potion from Tio, who thrust it at her, and her cheeks turned slightly pink... or was it just a trick of the light?

In any case.

After Iris healed her shoulder, Tio asked about what had happened.

"I came here on a guild request to slay the B-rank monster, 'Minotaur Knight,' but I was surrounded by Lesser Dragons, which shouldn't be in this level... They suddenly appeared out of nowhere."

"Out of nowhere...?"

"Yes, I was caught off guard and couldn't hold my sword with my dominant hand, but you helped me..."

Iris answered Tio's questions with a dazed look.

This was a strange story.

A-rank monsters, Lesser Dragons, appearing in a level where they shouldn't be.

Monsters can suddenly appear in the dungeon, but they usually emerge from the walls.

For them to appear out of nowhere... it was hard to believe.

However, she didn't seem to be lying.

There was no reason for her to lie.

It would be best to report this to the Adventurer's Guild in the city—

Tio decided this.

"Um... Black Mage, may I ask your name...?"

Iris, who had been condescending earlier, now asked humbly, using "sama."

"My name is Tio. Please don't call me 'sama,' it's embarrassing," Tio replied with a wry smile.

To which Iris responded—

"Oh... Not only strong, but so humble and kind... *♡*"

She let out a sweet voice, bent down, and hugged Tio's arm.

*Smush*...! Through her battle gear, Tio felt a violently soft sensation on his arm.

Needless to say, it was Iris's large, well-endowed chest.

Because she was taller than Tio and bent down, her expression was clearly visible.

Her cheeks were a deeper shade of pink than before, and in her beautiful ice-blue eyes, small hearts seemed to float.

"H-Hey! I-Iris... right? What are you doing all of a sudden...?"

Tio panicked at the sudden turn of events.

He tried to pull his arm away to free himself from Iris... but—

"N-No! I don't want to let go...!"

Iris said, hugging Tio's arm even tighter.

"Um, maybe... you're still scared from what just happened?"

"Huh? Oh! Y-Yes! I'm still so scared... Can I stay like this until we leave the dungeon?"

Iris latched onto Tio's question as if it were the answer she was looking for.

The innocent Tio, understanding, agreed to let her.

"Oh, I almost forgot, *Black Storage*."

As if remembering, Tio activated his skill.

The two Lesser Dragon corpses were enveloped in pitch-black mist and vanished completely.

"T-Tio-sama, what just happened...?"

"Iris, it's a skill I have that works similarly to an item box."

"Similar to an item box... So you stored them!? Tio-sama, you're amazing!"

Iris exclaimed excitedly.

She pressed herself even closer to Tio, rubbing her cheek against his in a way that seemed like she was cuddling.

The bold physical contact made Tio's heart race even more.

Initially, Tio had thought Iris was a solitary, high-level adventurer...

But the way she rubbed her cheeks and happily wiggled her elf ears made her look like a spoiled pet cat.

While being overwhelmed by Iris's excessive physical contact, Tio kicked the monsters away with his EX skill and left the dungeon—

[To the Readers]

If you scroll down, there is a section to rate the work with [☆☆☆☆☆].

If you enjoyed it, I would be very grateful if you could support me!