How exactly was he supposed to explain this to Ryuu?
Ron had never truly thought about it. As a result, when he actually encountered her in the Dungeon, he genuinely had no idea how to face the elf.
It wasn't fear.
It was simply that, when he recalled how she had devoted herself wholeheartedly to instructing him during practical training, he couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt.
"Is… is it Senior Ryuu?"
"…"
The girl's entire body radiated an icy aura, yet the slight movement of her brows when she heard Ron's call already revealed her inner thoughts.
'Should she respond to him or not?'
Ryuu could sense the blood steadily seeping out from Ron's abdomen. If he wasn't treated in time, there was likely no chance he would leave the Dungeon alive.
Absolutely—
There was absolutely no way she was concerned about Ron!
She was merely worried that if this guy died in the Dungeon, the confusion in her heart would never be resolved. With that thought, the girl spoke in an extremely cold voice: "Don't misunderstand."
"Even if you really are going to die in the Dungeon, at least explain everything to me before you die."
"…"
As expected...
It really was all about the "abnormal situation."
Since things had already developed to this point, Ron decided to be completely frank.
"Senior Ryuu, if I said that all of this was just a coincidence, would you believe me?"
"After becoming an adventurer—"
"I ended up bearing the Dungeon's hatred. Just as you saw, that monster was something the Dungeon deliberately created in order to kill me."
"…"
The Dungeon's hatred?
Hearing Ron's explanation, Ryuu unconsciously slowed her steps. She was familiar with such a situation, though everything she knew about it had been told to her by Lady Astraea.
However, such restrictions should apply only to gods.
Why would it appear on Ron, who was merely an adventurer? She couldn't understand it. Yet what Ron said next made it difficult for her to maintain her cold expression.
"And besides…"
"Senior Ryuu, haven't you noticed that if we don't defeat it, we simply can't leave this place at all?"
Looking toward the exit of the passage ahead, Ryuu gradually made out the environment outside—like the arena of a trapped beast—and the massive monster standing there in utter stillness.
Could it be that everything this guy said was actually true?!
Bearing the Dungeon's hatred, Ron had caused the Dungeon to quietly alter what should have been a normal cave passage, without him even realizing it himself.
Forming an inescapable labyrinth-like environment…
She didn't want to recall the past.
But she also knew that the cause of the "abnormal situation" back then was, in truth, an ambush by Evilus, which only occurred after most of the floors had been blown apart.
And the severely injured Ron had done nothing at all.
The Dungeon still intended to keep this guy here. Realizing this, the girl suddenly felt that all of her inner conflict was, in fact, completely unnecessary…
"Causing an abnormal situation in the Dungeon is not something I can control."
"I don't have any other intentions."
"Finally having the chance to come to Orario, my only dream is to become an adventurer. That's also the reason I asked Senior Ryuu for guidance."
Ron did not hide anything.
And judging by the way the girl's steps had come to a halt, he was already more than halfway there. Seizing the moment, he continued: "Senior Ryuu once told me about the cause of the Dungeon's abnormal changes."
"That it's very likely Evilus stirring things up behind the scenes…"
"This is actually something I wanted to explain to you from the very beginning, but I never really had the chance. You can even find information about it in the Adventurers' Guild."
"My patron deity is Lady Hestia."
"…"
The girl stopped in her tracks.
The elf had never felt this awkward before. Ryuu could even clearly feel the heat continuously rising to her cheeks.
That's right.
Thinking carefully about the entire sequence of events, reason told her—
This matter might truly have nothing to do with Evilus. It was purely an abnormal change caused by the "Dungeon's hatred." If that was the case, then what exactly was her behavior just now supposed to be?
This was awful…
Facing Ron's sincere gaze, and the sight of him forcing a gentle smile despite being severely injured, an intense sense of guilt enveloped Ryuu's heart.
Her eyes shifted away.
"Are you… all right?"
"I think so."
At last, the reason had been explained clearly.
Ron finally let out a sigh of relief. Yet as he looked at the "Grafted Scion," which had returned to its original condition, a hard-to-describe sense of frustration welled up inside him. All that effort, just scraping away uselessly.
It was completely ruined…
And the simplified potion Airmid had given him was utterly incapable of healing such a severe abdominal wound. It could only suppress the pain and maintain a brief state of focus.
"…"
What do you mean, "I think so"?
Ryuu didn't know the exact cause of the injury, but looking at the blood continuing to pour out, emergency treatment was necessary in order to safely return to Orario.
She turned her back to the boy.
Rip.
Immediately afterward, the sound of fabric tearing could be heard.
Without any healing potions on hand, binding the wound was at least enough to slow the loss of blood. And so—
Ryuu did not hesitate as she tore open the soft fabric of her upper garment.
Fashioning it into a temporary long strip bandage.
The ice-cold indifference gradually melted within the girl's gentle tone as she softly said, "…It might hurt a little. Grit your teeth and bear with it."
"…"
Ron didn't think of himself as a pervert.
But as he looked at the girl's slender waist, and felt the gradual fading of the "Heal" magic, he could only sense his consciousness beginning to blur. It felt very bad.
Then again—
Having already told Ryuu even the most crucial matter, the "Dungeon's hatred," then even expending "Revival" to resurrect in front of her should be something quite reasonable, right?
"Thank you, Senior Ryuu."
Even if it was useless.
Being taken care of by a beautiful elf girl was still a rather nice experience.
Yet as the distance between them continued to close, the strands of hair falling against his cheek made Ron feel itchy. Staring at the other person like this also didn't feel appropriate.
He chose to turn his head aside, savoring the elf's gentleness.
But the scene that entered his sight—
Made alarm bells instantly ring in Ron's mind. Because, without making a sound, the massive body of the Grafted Scion had already blocked the entrance of the cave passage.
Due to its size, it was unable to launch an effective direct attack.
However, the repeating crossbow held in the hands of the Floor Boss Grafted Scion had silently trained its sights on him and Ryuu, clearly about to fire.
"Holy shit!"
Ron didn't bother worrying about propriety.
After all, with the "Revival" skill, he wasn't afraid of dying at all. But he knew very clearly—if Ryuu were the one to take it head-on, there was absolutely no way she could withstand it.
And within the girl's bewildered gaze—
Ron decisively rolled over to stand in front of Ryuu, pressing both hands firmly onto her shoulders, using his own body to form a defensive wall before her.
Whoosh!
As the volley of bolts flew at high speed, they tore through the air with a piercing shriek.
Without wearing any armor, the bolts pierced straight through his body. Blood spilled from the sieve-like wounds, dripping onto the girl's cheek.
As Ron's consciousness drifted—
The short sword sheathed and hanging against the inside of his thigh brushed against the elf before him. His mind recalled the conditions for defeating Ryuu during practical sparring.
He smiled and joked—
Though to Ryuu, that smile looked rather bleak.
"Senior Ryuu."
"If the practical… training still counts now, does that mean… I win?"
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