Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Vol. 5 (16 page)

The light filtering down through the branches and leaves from the canopy above is soft. Leaves rustle in the trees above us, but we’re not the only ones out and about right now.

“Aiz, good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon…”

Members of
Loki Familia
greet Aiz as they walk past.

That’s right, she’s one of their leaders…

Forgetting something that important sends a twinge to my body. I belong to a different
Familia
, and yet here I am walking with her like this. No wonder I’ve been getting all these strange looks.

As proof, “welcoming” is the last word I would use to describe their attitude toward me. Men and women either look at me like I’m some kind of criminal or stare at me with very serious eyes.

An elf who just walked by, probably a magic user, didn’t stop glaring at me until she passed. I’m scared…!

I’d be overpowered in an instant if I tangled with any of them. They’re higher level than me, for sure. And I’m sure they aren’t exactly happy I’m walking around their campsite like this.

“Level eighteen…”

“Huh?”

Aiz suddenly speaks with her back to me.

I look up and see that she’s looking over her shoulder at me, her face in profile.

“You’ve…already made it to level eighteen…”

“Eh, umm…Just like I told Mr. Finn, you see, one thing led to another and we just kind of ended up here…We weren’t planning on it, though, and we a-almost died!”

I trip over my words as I try to respond and scratch my bandaged cheek.

Aiz spins on her heel to face me, as if she isn’t satisfied with such a weak answer.

“Did slaying that Minotaur make you Level Two?”

She’s not blinking at all. Her golden stare is rather intimidating, so I nod.

She stays like that for a moment before twisting her body like she’s trying to get a look at my back.

Then:
shuffle, shuffle
. She moves to my side. I do my best to shrink away, and break out in a cold sweat.

…Is she trying to look at my Status?

I don’t know why I’m getting that impression but once again,
shuffle, shuffle
. She moves once more. So do I.
Shuffle, shuffle
, step, step,
shuffle, shuffle
, step, step. What is going on?

Other members of her
Familia
are watching us. The white-haired boy glistening with sweat and the airheaded Aiz—it must look like we’re doing some kind of footwork practice…Out of nowhere:

“Wow—it’s really Argonaut!”

A very energetic voice reaches my ears.

Sure, I wasn’t expecting anyone to speak up, but it was what she called me that makes my heart skip a beat.

I quickly spin around to face the owner of the voice and see two girls with wheat-colored skin coming up to me.

“Tiona, Tione…”

“You’ve been busy, Aiz. I hear you’ve already talked to Finn?”

“I heard you’d been carried in, but you’re awake, too! You’re one lucky guy, Argonaut!”

Aiz called these two Tiona and Tione…twins, maybe? One has shorter black hair just long enough to cover her ears; the other’s is the same color and extends halfway down her back. Their clothes are different, but their faces are almost identical. Their height, too.

Based on how much tan skin is showing, it’d be a safe bet to say they’re Amazons. The long-haired one talks to Aiz first, while the one with short hair comes right up to me…However.

She’s called me “Argonaut” twice. That’s the same name as my Skill. Blood is tearing through my veins.

She knows?!
My mind is racing. I open and close my mouth, trying to speak, but nothing comes out. On my third or fourth attempt, words finally emerge.

“A-Argonaut? How do you mean…?”

“Ahh, don’t mind her. It’s just a name this blockhead came up with to call you.”

“All of us saw you fight that Minotaur! And watching you reminded me of this fairy tale I used to love when I was a kid. So, yeah, you were incredible!”

Somehow, my battle with the Minotaur on the ninth floor reminded her of the legend of Argonaut. I take a deep breath and feel the relief wash over me. It wasn’t my Skill, but this girl’s free-spirited personality that led her to dub me Argonaut. An adventurer’s Status,
basic abilities, Magic, and Skills are his lifeline. They’re best kept protected.

We start to introduce ourselves.

The girl who calls me Argonaut is Tiona Hyrute and the long-haired girl is Tione Hyrute…Wait a minute. The Amazonian Hyrute sisters? Aren’t they famous top-class adventurers just like Aiz?

Sure, I’d never seen them face-to-face or knew their first names, but it took me way too long to figure it out.

“The fact that you’re here means you’ve reached Level Two, am I right? I know you can take down a Minotaur on your own, but you’re something else, kiddo.”

“Ah! He’s blushing! So cute!”

“…”

Their teasing makes me smile, but to be honest, I can’t focus on what they’re saying.

My eyes keep drifting toward the wide expanses of healthy, wheat-colored skin.

Tiona only has one strip of fabric wrapped around her chest. Her pareu-style skirt goes down to her knees, but her stomach is completely exposed. Meanwhile, Tione’s attire looks like little more than underwear—bra and panties…That is to say, there’s no safe place to put my eyes. It’s either watch her large breasts sway as she moves or follow her long, slender waist down…

This pressure is a new kind of overwhelming.

Surrounded by beautiful girls who are more than likely a few years older than me…I feel like I could pass out at any moment.

((((Don’t get cocky!))))

“
—”

I didn’t exactly hear that so much as I felt it.

It came from all the men around the camp with their eyes on us—cold, glaring eyes.

The color drains from my face in an instant.

“I—I’m going to go check on my friends?!”

I think I hear someone say, “Ah, there he goes,” while I make my escape.

I nearly fall several times as I dash like a madman to put some distance between the girls and me.

The forest is getting darker.

The “sunlight” coming down through the many leaves above my head is getting dimmer…The light from the crystals is fading.

“Afternoon” in the Dungeon is over. “Night” is about to begin.

It really is getting dark…

I take a look outside the tent.

There is no red twilight between the two; the “sky” goes from blue to black. While it does feel a little strange that the natural progression outside it doesn’t exist down here, it’s still amazing to me that night can fall in the Dungeon.

I leave the tent entrance and go back inside.

Lilly and Welf are still sleeping. Even though there is nothing to do, I feel like I’m taking care of them as I look at their peaceful faces.

The campsite gets livelier as time passes. I space out for a little bit, but they’re probably making dinner right now.

“Hnnn…”

Welf’s body moves. At the same time, the blanket over Lilly starts shifting little by little.

Another wave of relief flows through my body.

“…Where are we?”

“Mr. Bell…?”

Both of them slowly blink their eyes as they look around. Knowing that both of them are alive takes the last bit of weight off my shoulders, and I can finally breathe easy.

I talk to them, my voice loose and calm.

“Lilly, Welf, are you two okay? Do you know who I am?”

“…Lilly doesn’t think there will be a day when she doesn’t recognize Mr. Bell’s face.”

“Ah…Li’l E’s just as sassy as ever, I hear. Nothin’ wrong with me. Heya, Bell.”

A smile works its way across Lilly’s lips as Welf responds like his usual self.

I grin from ear to ear and wait for both of them to wake up completely.

They’re both a little bit woozy after opening their eyes, but once their heads are clear enough they sit up on their own. They stay on the ground, blankets covering their legs as I explain everything that’s happened.

First, that we made it safely to the eighteenth floor. Next, that
Loki Familia
is taking care of us.

I try to be as simple and precise as possible. Both of them sit quietly, staring at me until I finish. Then…they apologize.

“Lilly’s so very sorry, Mr. Bell…”

“Held you back there, didn’t I…Sorry, man.”

“I-it’s not like that at all!”

Both of them fall silent as words come pouring out of my mouth.

I sound almost angry as I unleash everything all at once. If Lilly hadn’t been there, we would’ve wandered aimlessly around the Dungeon for who knows how long. If Welf hadn’t been there, the hellhounds would’ve roasted us alive.

Lilly’s and Welf’s eyes seem to shrink away as they quietly listen to my tirade.

“It’s thanks to the two of you, thanks to all of us…that we’re here right now, that we survived.”

“…Well said.”

“We would’ve died if one of us wasn’t here. Lilly agrees.”

Their confidence seems to be coming back. Their faces transform from grimaces into actual smiles.

At the same time, I feel a little bit embarrassed about my outburst.

A moment later, all three of us wrinkle our faces as we laugh with one another.

“…Dinner’s ready. Are you okay?”

“Ah, yes!”

I jump to my feet in response to a voice coming from outside the tent. Aiz pokes her head in.

Lilly’s and Welf’s jaws drop as the Kenki appears in front of their very eyes.

“Th-thank you, really. Sharing food with us and all…”

“It’s nothing…Can you come outside?”

I freeze for a moment. I’ve got a bad feeling about going out there, but they’ve done so much to help us, so…it would be rude not to say hi, wouldn’t it?

I look back at Lilly and Welf and use my eyes to ask them if it’s okay. Both of them nod.

They climb to their feet and all of us follow Aiz out of the tent and toward the camp.

“Hey, Bell. How do you know the Kenki?”

“Umm…It’s a long story.”

“Mr. Bell. Please tell Lilly all about it sometime soon.”

I’m lending my shoulder to Welf once again and Lilly is smiling beside me, but it’s a little frightening.

That story is one embarrassing moment after another, so I’d rather not tell her if I can help it…

The three of us force an empty laugh as we keep up with Aiz.

Lilly and Welf start looking around and taking everything in. We reach the center of camp in no time.

“Humph, it’s them…”

A large number of people are sitting in a circle in the open space at the center of their campsite. A few specialized magic-stone lamps are set up in the middle. Bright and flickering, they look almost like flames. If I remember right, this design is called a “campfire.”

This big circle isn’t just made up of
Loki Familia
members.
Hephaistos Familia
’s High Smiths are here, too. Aiz explains what is going on as Welf recognizes someone in the circle and groans.

“H-hello there……”

All eyes are on us. We make our way to an empty spot and take a seat.

The moment my rear touches ground,
plop
, Aiz sits down on my right. Lilly takes a seat on my left and Welf on the other side of her. We’ve naturally sat down according to rank…which is kind of scary.

I’ve sat next to Aiz before, during our morning training
sessions…but it still feels like there’s a lot of distance between my idol and me. I don’t know if it’ll ever go away.

I sneak a peek in her direction. However, she notices right away and makes eye contact. Her golden hair is silky and shiny, like she’s just taken a bath. Come to think of it, the air around her smells like a pure hot spring.

“Something wrong?”

“…N-no! Everything’s fine!”

I can feel my face heating up, so I break off eye contact before my face starts burning red.

“Everyone, please listen. As I’ve told many of you, we are hosting some guests tonight. All of them courageously risked their lives to save one another, and managed to safely arrive on the eighteenth floor. I won’t ask you to be friendly with them. However, I would like you to respect them as fellow adventurers while they’re with us…Now then, let’s have a fresh start.”

“Wow, he’s really good at this…”

Mr. Finn walks to the center of the circle and addresses everyone. He appeals to everyone’s pride as adventurers to help avoid arguments and fights. Sounds like Lilly is really impressed by his approach.

At long last, the food arrives. Two or three fruits to a person.

They’re red fruits, shaped like gourds. The amber-colored flesh inside looks sweet…I’ve never seen anything like this on the surface. They must grow here on the eighteenth floor. I carefully take a bite out of the fruit that looks like cotton dipped in honey. No wonder it’s been named the “honey cloud.”

My mouth is instantly filled with a thick, sweet juice—and I almost spit it out.

It’s sweet—much too sweet. I’m not all that good with sweet stuff to begin with, but this is making me tear up. I feel like I’m gonna die! Doing my best to swallow, I take a look around. The female members of
Loki Familia
seem to be enjoying it. Just one bite and their faces melt, their hands on their cheeks. I can tell that shivers are running down their spines.