25 — Chapter 25

I understood perfectly why that cave was so unpopular.

The access was terrible.

Even from the nearest sparsely populated village, it took nearly two hours on foot.

Furthermore, that village didn’t even have a proper inn. Currently, one’s only option was to pay a villager to stay in a private home. To reach a settlement with an actual inn, you’d have to walk another hour.

With transportation this inconvenient, visitors would naturally be rare. Even my own records indicated that the location was completely unsuitable for placing important items or bosses.

In other words, it was a cave that had been utterly forsaken. I didn’t even know for sure what kind of monsters inhabited it. Perhaps a unique ecosystem had developed there.

As they entered the cave, Mage Selene illuminated the interior with a light spell. Without this magic, one would need torches or lanterns that lasted a long time, which was a nuisance as it occupied a hand.

“I’m tired… Can’t we rest a bit…? Forcing yourself to exercise doesn’t actually help build strength, you know.”

“Zenkei, don’t start saying things like that before we’ve even begun exploring. This is where the real work starts.”

Angelica took the lead. Given her profession, that was only natural.

Do your best. But don’t overdo it. The secret to dungeon exploration is a “three steps forward, two steps back” mentality. Being too reckless leads to unexpected injuries. It’s important to make steady progress, even if it’s at a snail’s pace.

“I feel like… there’s someone nearby thinking really preachy things…”

“What is with this mysterious sixth sense of yours? Let’s just move along.”

“No, I mean, it’s logically sound advice, but don’t you find it annoying when people actually say it out loud? I felt a presence thinking that kind of stuff.”

Angelica is remarkably sharp…

And she’s right; that kind of advice is annoying. I should make sure not to say things like that at home. It’ll only cause friction.

It’s the kind of information that sounds deep but is actually very basic. No guidebook tells you to “recklessly rush through a dungeon.” Being told something like that as if it were a grand revelation only builds resentment. Note to self: be careful, be careful…

“Is it the presence of a rare monster? Jaunis, do you sense anything like that?”

“I don’t think there are any around here. Well, it’ll be fine, won’t it?”

“This man… he is simply not to be trusted…”

Naharin the Priestess muttered with dissatisfaction. This Priestess seems to genuinely dislike Jaunis the Thief. Well, given their professions, I suppose it’s unavoidable.

At that moment, Angelica suddenly whipped around to look behind her.

I flinched! Had I been caught?!

“I definitely feel like I’m being watched…”

“Angelica-chan, no way. Even if someone were spying on the party, they’d do it in town or somewhere easier. No one’s such a bored ‘man of leisure’ that they’d follow us to a remote cave like this.”

Hey, I’m not a “man of leisure”! I’m getting my work done properly! How rude, this Thief!

“That’s true. There’s zero benefit for a stalker here.”

Angelica’s suspicions cleared. Thank you, Jaunis the Thief. Or should I think “you bastard” because of the “bored man” comment?

I mean, is it really okay for a Thief not to notice a tail? I definitely can’t entrust Angelica to a guy like this. Do your job properly.

After the group progressed for a while—

Large bats came swooping down.

Vampire venom bats, were they? They were supposed to inhabit this area. Individually, they weren’t much of a threat.

“Hmph, this is an easy win!”

Angelica gracefully sliced through a bat. Yes, her form is good.

However, that alone wasn’t enough to defeat them.

Dozens upon dozens of bats came pouring out from deeper within the cave.

“Whoa! How many of them are there?!”

Monsters of this type appear in great numbers to compensate for their individual weakness. The first one must have been a scout.

“Angelica, leave this to me!”

Mage Selene dealt damage to the entire swarm with a fire spell.

“Alright, I’m stepping up!”

“Looks like we can take out two at a time!”

The male martial artist Zenkei and the thief Jaunis each began dealing fatal blows to the bats. Both of them finished off a large number of bats in a short amount of time.

Hmph. They are still green, but it seems their coordination is decent enough.

Keep going just like that, Angelica.

“Again… I had this sensation that someone is watching us from somewhere with their arms crossed…”

“Angelica, aren’t you becoming a bit obsessive…?”

I suppose when it comes to my daughter, I harbor too many stray thoughts, and it’s making me get noticed…

The group steadily continued their exploration of the cave and eventually reached the fifth basement level.

However, around that point, the party was beginning to be pushed to their physical limits. While not quite a critical situation, they were at the stage where they should consider heading back.

Angelica and the others were resting in a small dead-end chamber.

“The monsters are stronger than I thought… This conquest is going to take some time…”

“Agreed. It is nearly time to turn back.”

The Priestess is a cautious one, I see. Hmph, a judgment made out of care for her comrades.

“Understood. Let’s call it a day here. Even if we camp outdoors, we should get out of the cave first. This isn’t a safe enough place to even take a nap.”

But just then, a large lizard entered the small chamber.

A great roar echoed through the room. It seemed to be flaunting its status as a terrifying existence.

This is bad. It’s an enemy I could kill in an instant, but my daughter and her friends will likely be forced into a grueling struggle.

Depending on how things go, I may have no choice but to slay the lizard and lend my aid. That would be synonymous with my tailing being discovered, which I’d rather avoid, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

The lizard seemed to have chosen Angelica as its primary target. It closed in rapidly.

“Kh! You want to fight me? Fine, let’s go! Come at me!”

Wait, Angelica, don’t step forward here! This isn’t a situation for a one-on-one duel!

However, at that moment, that thief Jaunis leaped out in front.

“Girls gotta look after their bodies, you know!”