"Nothing happened here…!"
Guede's voice was trembling. To Ryuu, it clearly sounded like he was suppressing some kind of emotion.
Which made sense—after all, he'd fought that many monsters alone, and his body was covered in wounds.
None of the cuts were fatal, but they were spread across him from head to toe. It had to hurt badly. If he'd passed out on the spot, that wouldn't have been strange at all.
To endure that pain and still act so calm—was this what people called "manly spirit"…?
Unfortunately, most elves were germaphobes, and Ryuu was no exception.
Just holding the unconscious prum girl in her arms was already testing her tolerance.
If she also had to physically support a conscious adult man, that was simply unacceptable.
So instead, she quickly chanted and cast Noah Heal on Guede from a distance.
Wrapped in restorative magic, Guede immediately felt his injuries knitting shut.
During the earlier fight—counting even the potions Lili had left in her backpack—he'd already used up every healing potion he had.
This spell couldn't have come at a better time.
At least now he wouldn't have to limp back to the surface in agony.
Even so, Guede turned his back, rubbed his mouth with one hand, and opened his system panel to take a look.
—System
Name: Guede
Divinity (unobservable): None
Familia: Hestia Familia
Level: Lv.1
Strength: SSS 1551
Endurance: SSS 1603
Agility: SSS 1523
Dexterity: SSS 1511
Magic: I 0
Skills:
Three-Color Haki — Observation (Unlocked) / Armament (Unlocks at Lv.2) / Conqueror's (Unlocks at Lv.3)
Enhanced Fallen One
Ultimate Pursuer
Brave One's Reward
He was out of combat now, so this was his true panel.
These were the biggest gains from today's "adventure."
He'd been too focused on survival to carefully balance stat growth, so his four attributes weren't perfectly even—but that was a minor issue. Tomorrow he could just dive back in and grind until they averaged out.
And the trembling in his voice earlier?
It wasn't pain.
It was because he wanted to burst out laughing after such a satisfying fight.
But then his Observation Haki detected human presence within range.
So he forced his expression into a tight mask, doing everything he could to hold the laughter back.
Crossing his arms had also been a way to hide how his lungs were shaking from suppressed amusement.
Either way, he still couldn't laugh—if he did, not only would it ruin his composure, it might even split his healing wounds open.
"Rest here for a bit. The spell needs a short time to fully take effect. Don't worry—while you recover, I'll keep watch."
After casting, Ryuu set the prum girl down on a relatively flat patch of ground.
"This girl asked me to come save you. Though… given the situation, you don't seem to need help."
"But I'll do what an adventurer should do when they encounter an injured adventurer."
"Thanks," Guede said, not bothering with empty politeness. He sat down where he was and waited for the recovery to finish.
After that battle, he really had expended a lot.
Sure, he could've dragged himself to the surface—but if he could avoid that, why wouldn't he?
Either way, he'd remember this favor.
This masked Miss "Lyonn"—one of the poster girls of The Hostess of Fertility.
Ryuu nodded, exhaled softly, drew her wooden sword, and moved to the side. Then she pressed her left index finger against the face covering over her mouth, looking at Guede.
"And one more thing… don't tell anyone about me."
"Relax. The person I met in the dungeon was some unknown adventurer named Lyonn. I didn't see Miss Ryuu from the tavern."
Guede nodded with solemn seriousness.
Ryuu didn't find anything odd about that. She nodded as well, stopped paying attention to him, and began her watch in earnest.
Are airheads part of the standard kit for the strong…?
Guede couldn't help thinking that—though he immediately dismissed it as unrelated.
…
After some time resting, Guede's injuries were mostly healed, no longer affecting his movement or ability to fight.
Lili—lying on the ground—furrowed her brows, then slowly opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was the dungeon's white mist and ceiling.
A single heartbeat of blankness, and the memories before she'd blacked out reconnected.
She jolted upright, looking around wildly—then spotted Guede not far away.
She scanned him from head to toe, and only after confirming he was fine did she finally breathe out in relief.
"You're awake? Then let's move—back to the surface."
Guede had noticed her waking up already. Now that she was alert again, there was no reason to waste time. The proper thing to do was go topside, eat a massive meal, then collapse into bed and sleep until he woke naturally.
As for saving her life—Guede really hadn't made a big deal of it.
It had been a simple, instinctive act.
"Oh… okay…"
Lili was thrown off by how calm he was. She nodded, then by habit grabbed the backpack set aside nearby and began checking its contents.
"I used up the healing potions. Once we're on the surface, you need to restock immediately."
"Yes… no…"
Something was still strange.
Guede's attitude was so casual that Lili nearly fooled herself into treating it as nothing.
But she owed him her life.
How could she just let it blur into vagueness like that—pretend it wasn't a big deal?
She'd passed out after meeting that unknown Miss Lyonn, so she didn't know what happened afterward—
but the battle with the juvenile dragons must have been brutal. And Lili knew she bore a large part of the blame for how things had turned out.
So she released the backpack, took a deep breath to steady herself, then walked up to Guede and bowed deeply.
"Adventurer sir… my name is Liliruca Arde. Thank you for saving Lili's life."
"Lili knows a life-saving debt can't be priced. So if you ever need anything—anything at all—please call for Lili. Lili will repay you with everything she can."
"Got it. If I get the chance, I won't hesitate to use you. Let's go."
Guede didn't refuse.
They were strangers meeting for the first time. He'd saved her life; she wanted to repay him—accepting that was only natural.
Still… he did find her change admirable.
Up until today, she'd clearly lived by sneaking, slacking, and cutting corners—so her personality had to be pretty awful.
Otherwise she wouldn't have trapped herself and cornered herself into a death sentence.
But now she had a clear, unwavering will—ready to pay back her debt even if it cost her dearly.
That kind of shift was a major step in the right direction.
It looked like facing death had forced her to wake up to a lot of things.
On Lili's side, after receiving his straightforward acceptance, she finally felt her heart loosen.
Quietly, she made a decision.
From this point on, she'd earn the money she needed to leave her familia openly and honestly—and start a new life.
And in the future, she wanted to aim to become someone like this adventurer—
Not by fighting like him, of course—but by learning the good qualities he carried.
"Um… sir, could you tell me your name?"
"Guede."
"Okay! Lili will remember!"
I'll be upright and honorable… like Mr. Guede!
-------
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