Chapter 5: On the Way Back to the Surface with Charlotte △

The area boss had been defeated, leaving only the flag it carried behind.

The Skeleton General’s usual drop isn’t a flag. Normally, it drops some weird-looking stone. No one really knows what it’s for, so it’s considered worthless.

The man stared at the flag for a while, then tossed it away without a hint of interest.

"Wh—wha, wait!?"

I accidentally raised my voice.

I didn’t know Skeleton Generals even dropped flags! This thing could be incredibly valuable! And this guy just threw it carelessly onto the ground without knowing that!?

Does he have any idea how much this could sell for!? Rare irregular drops like these from dungeons can fetch absurd prices on the market. It could easily be worth six months, no, maybe even a full year’s earnings for an average adventurer.

Especially something from a floor boss—who knows what kind of price it could reach? I can’t even imagine.

As I hurried to pick up the flag, the man didn’t spare me a glance and started walking toward the deeper path ahead.

"Let’s go."

"That’s the way forward, you know!?"

Weren’t we supposed to head back after defeating the floor boss?

I yelled to stop him as he tried to press deeper into the dungeon.

He turned around with an annoyed look, his expression clearly saying I was being bothersome.

"If the floor boss was this weak, we won’t have any issues going further."

"Yes, we will! Do you even know what time it is? We don’t have any equipment for resting inside a dungeon!"

Seriously, what is going through his head? Is he stupid? He must be stupid.

He’s being way too reckless.

"Hmm… fair point. Resting gear would be essential. Judging from how the upper floors were, it doesn’t seem like we could take long breaks anyway. Any expedition force that fails to secure proper rest eventually gets wiped out."

"Exactly, exactly! Which is why we should just go home for today. Let’s do that."

Getting back alive is the most important thing. You can only enjoy wealth if you’re alive to spend it. Survival first, always.

Honestly, I just want to bring this loot back, cash it in, and be done with it. It’s heavy and gets in the way. Also, I want to change clothes. They’re mostly dry by now, but I still feel gross.

"…A reasonable argument. I’ll accept your suggestion—we’ll return to town."

I nodded so hard I thought my neck would snap. Please, just let us go home alive.

For some reason, my desperate agreement made the man sigh deeply.

Nothing notable happened on the way back. Any monsters that appeared were dealt with by him without effort.

That’s how we made it all the way to the dungeon entrance without any trouble.

"Yes! We made it out alive!"

Overcome with relief, I hurried past him and jogged toward the exit.

But as I approached the entrance, three rugged-looking men were standing there like gatekeepers.

Two of them were the pair whose arms this man had cut off earlier on the second floor.

I instantly turned around and ducked behind him for cover.

He clicked his tongue audibly, clearly irritated.

"What now?"

"Look, look over there! That’s the same pair from before! There’s no way this ends well!"

"So what?"

"Protect me!"

He let out another long, heavy sigh. Don’t look at me like that!

I’m a delicate girl who can’t survive without protection, okay? Dangerous fights are not my area of expertise—if trouble starts, I’m running.

"…Haa."

That sigh sounded less like agreement and more like resignation, as if dealing with me was just too bothersome.

But hey, if he doesn’t outright refuse, that’s as good as a yes! If he doesn’t deny it, he’s accepting it. Victory for me!

Honestly, it’s better this way. No lingering attachments. This guy is strong, sure, but he’s not the type I want to get too involved with anyway.

He’s hard to read, has zero sense of teamwork, and my cuteness doesn’t work on him at all. Totally frustrating.

That’s when the men finally noticed us.

"Aniki! That’s him! He’s the one who chopped off our arms!"

"Oh? Haven’t seen you around before. And you… you’re the poster girl from Wildcat’s Den, right? Green hair today, huh?"

"Hahaha… y-yeah…"

Crap. They recognized me from the surface.

If this turns into a scene, I’ll end up causing trouble for Master.

The two whose arms had been cut off had them reattached somehow.

Did they recover them after we were fighting the floor boss and get them fixed up on the surface? Or maybe they had a skilled healer patch them up?

Doesn’t matter how they did it. Good for them, I guess. Well… not so good for us right now!

"Seems like our boys had some trouble with you, didn’t they?"

"I don’t care. They picked the fight, I ended it. And I’m pretty sure I told you two never to show your faces again."

His sharp glare pierced straight through the two men standing behind their leader.

They flinched at the memory of what he’d done to them earlier, but their so-called aniki stepped forward, shielding them.

"That so? Then you should know this isn’t something we can just let slide."

They were clearly approaching with hostility.

I had finally thought we could return to the surface, and now I just wanted no more trouble.

"…What are you trying to say? Speak up. I’ll listen—at least to some extent."

"Heh, so you can understand that much, huh? Rich kid."

"Want to get cut?"

Killing intent radiated once again. Just that alone was enough to overwhelm us… everyone except one.

The aniki who had stepped forward earlier raised both hands in surrender. Even in the midst of this murderous aura, he was sweating but moving calmly—a sure sign of a true fighter.

"Alright, alright. We just came to make sure this conversation doesn’t happen outside."

"Oh?"

Apparently, they weren’t planning to fight. The man’s killing intent faded.

Good. Maybe we’re safe.

"My dear underlings shouldn’t have their careers as adventurers tarnished by such a trivial dispute, right? If you involved parties keep quiet, we won’t have to expend unnecessary effort either."

A trivial dispute, huh.

As the one who had been attacked, it didn’t sit right with me, but… that was basically true.

Incidents like this happen every day in this town. Arguing endlessly serves no purpose.

Still, adventurers who cause trouble are frowned upon. Nobody wants someone prone to problems in the same party, and the city patrols keep an eye on them.

It’s generally disadvantageous. If they were part of some underground group, that would change things—but it didn’t seem like that was the case here.

Better to resolve things peacefully. The priority is survival tomorrow, above all else. Safety first.

"That’s all you wanted to say?"

"Do you understand now?"

"Yeah. I understand that you’re absurdly foolish."

—What is this man even saying?

Provocation? He’s provoking them? Why pour fuel on a fire that was about to die out peacefully?

The trio immediately understood they were being provoked. Furrowing their brows, anger painted their faces.

"—Do you realize what you just said?"

"Yeah. I said you’re fools."

"Hey, while someone’s trying to keep things calm, is it fun to add more sparks?"

The aniki’s demeanor changed.

The sheer presence of a man who has survived countless violent encounters was exposed without concealment.

I might have soiled myself if I didn’t have resistance. Well… nothing to lose now.

This man… standing calmly in the face of that pressure is astonishing.

"Peaceful? You dared speak so freely after imposing your demands unilaterally?"

"Are you sane?"

"Or… did you chicken out?"

The man didn’t budge an inch. Even the aniki faltered.

This wasn’t mere killing intent. It was the raw presence of a storm emanating from him, incomparable to anything the aniki had.

The two behind him were dizzy from intimidation alone.

For some reason, the aniki glanced briefly at me and seemed to ponder something.

"…What’s your goal?"

Is he backing down? Has he sensed the difference in skill from the sheer pressure displayed?

"I have no goal. I’m just denying the arrogance of anyone thinking they can command me."

"So, as long as it doesn’t harm you, you have no intention to act against us?"

"I have no time to waste on things that don’t serve my purpose."

Why are you so aggressive!?

"Fine. Then forget everything that happened in this dungeon today. It’s better for both our sakes."

"Good. If you’re not interested in trouble, that works. Come on, let’s go."

The man passed by the trio and began ascending the stairs to the surface.

I lagged slightly behind, glancing between his back and the trio, then hurriedly ran past them. Fortunately, no one called after me, and I made it up the stairs to the surface safely.

Once we reached the top, we had successfully returned to the surface.

Looking at the result, we hadn’t just survived—we had an unusually bountiful outcome. Truly, turning misfortune into fortune.

I couldn’t stay still any longer. Released from extreme tension, I immediately dashed off.

I could feel the flag I carried attracting attention, but I ran as if fleeing, heading to cash in the loot.

"Now, about the contact info—"

The man’s voice from behind was swallowed by the crowd.

Of course, I couldn’t hear the tongue-click he made either.