Live Dungeon!

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“……”

“C’mon, Amy, cheer up.”

“I’m not mad at all!”

Amy was, in fact, quite mad. The day before, she had seen Diniel putting Tsutomu in an arm lock on the castle balcony — in her perspective, a sign of them opening up to each other. The tension between them lingered into the next day, but Diniel seemed unfazed, sensing that Amy was not angry enough for it to be a concern.

“All right, let’s head back.”

With their business with the nobles at the castle concluded, Tsutomu and the others were finally granted permission to return to Dungeon City. Carriages had already been arranged, and the Explorers began boarding.

“I’ll be back in a month,” Weiss said. “Until then, Cecilia, take care of the Scarlet Devil Squad.”

“Got it.”

Weiss had to stay behind in the royal capital for some time to help restrain Meena, who was currently under examination by the capital’s research institutions. They were investigating how she controlled monsters, and it had been discovered that a spider-like creature was parasitically attached to her neck, hidden by her scarf. According to Meena, this parasite allowed her to control insect monsters. Another parasite, though of a different kind, was found on the neck of Orbis’s corpse.

Meena’s testimony also led to the discovery of a hidden Orbis Church base, where she and other followers were subjected to experimentation involving the parasite. She was the only one who survived the ordeal; the others had died. This base would soon be investigated for more information.

The royal capital had attempted to conceal the involvement of Orbis in the recent Stampede, but too many civilian witnesses had already spread the information via word of mouth and newspapers. Despite the widespread news, the royal family’s reputation remained largely unaffected, leaving the capital in quite a confusing situation.

“What a crowd…” Tsutomu muttered, looking around sleepily as he waited in front of the carriages bound for Dungeon City.

Hundreds of royal family members, nobles, knights, and servants were busy preparing for the journey. They were headed to God’s Dungeon to level up.

The king had also announced that the capital welcomed Explorers, with job offers posted in and around the castle. This had spurred many citizens to prepare for a trip to Dungeon City, hoping to climb the social ladder. The number of travelers was easily in the tens of thousands.

“It’s going to be a traffic jam,” Tsutomu sighed.

Given the possibility of encountering monsters along the way, the Explorers would lead the procession, but the sheer number of carriages and the narrow roads made delays inevitable. Tsutomu boarded the last carriage, and the driver soon set the horses in motion.

“……”

“……”

[It’s obvious they’re not getting along.]

Amy stared pointedly out the window, while Diniel, unbothered, read a book. Korinna, noticing the tension, chuckled dryly. Tsutomu glanced away from the duo and met eyes with a fidgeting Hannah sitting next to him.

“Umm, Teach… I’m really sorry about yesterday. I don’t remember much, but Korinna filled me in,” she said sheepishly.

“I have one piece of advice for you, Hannah: don’t let the drink take over.”

Though the wine had gone down easily, its high alcohol content had made it inevitable that Hannah would get drunk. Even Amira, who boasted of her drinking prowess, had ended up passed out as easily as her mother would, needing Daryl, as strong a drinker as Garm, to take care of her.

Hannah looked as though Tsutomu’s words had deeply moved her. She then bowed her head earnestly.

“And… I’m really sorry about everything.”

“Everything? Let’s see… defying my orders, using the Magic Fist recklessly, acting on emotion, getting easily deceived… what else?”

“Oof…”

“Well, you don’t need to worry about offending me just because you’re in the Clan. Look at Diniel — she never goes into the Dungeon on her days off. Amira always ropes me into training even on weekends. Xeno never shuts up about his wife, and Amy spends her days off on idol activities. Garm, Daryl, and Korinna do their own things too. As long as you don’t go overboard, it’s fine. Wanting to help the people isn’t something only you care about.”

Garm, Daryl, Xeno, and Korinna had probably felt the same way deep down. They just had the self-control to manage it. Tsutomu glanced at Daryl and Korinna before resting his hand on the relieved Hannah’s head.

“But, Hannah, you act too much on impulse. Just work on that, and everything else will be fine. Right, Leleia?”

“Huh?”

“…I don’t know why you brought me into this, but sure, that seems reasonable,” Leleia replied, scratching the green scales on her neck irritably.

With a confused expression, Hannah let Tsutomu pat her head. Leleia glared at him with a look of clear annoyance.

“Got it, Teach.”

“Good. Now, I’m going to catch some sleep in the back. Didn’t get much rest last night, you see. Wake me if you need anything.”

Yawning, Tsutomu moved to where the luggage was stored and lay down in a slightly larger space. He had not slept well the previous night, preoccupied with thoughts about their return to Dungeon City, and was now desperately tired.

Wrapping a towel over his eyes to block out the light, he turned on his side and drifted into sleep.

　▽▽

“Tsutomu has changed quite a bit, hasn’t he?” Amy remarked, glancing at Tsutomu, who was peacefully asleep.

Xeno, Leleia, and Korinna, the newer members, did not quite grasp her meaning, but Garm, with the longest history with Tsutomu, twitched an eyebrow. Daryl, Hannah, and Amira seemed to be deep in thought as well. Diniel, on the other hand, remained engrossed in her book.

“Maybe you’re right. Ever since the Stampede, he seems… softer,” Daryl observed.

“…True. Normally, he would’ve declined if you asked him out for a meal in Dungeon City,” Garm added.

Garm had heard Daryl repeatedly brag about successfully inviting Tsutomu to a meal, but he still could not imagine Tsutomu spending his free time on anything other than God’s Dungeon.

“Wait, Teach is gonna eat out with you, Daryl? Just the two of you?”

“Well, actually, Sir Garm introduced me to the Clan, so I wanted to treat both him and Sir Tsutomu as thanks. Then Sir Tsutomu agreed, much to my surprise…” Daryl explained.

“Wow,” Hannah said, looking impressed.

She then glanced at Amy, recalling how the latter had once complained that Tsutomu never spent his days off with her.

Amy, noticing the look, flashed a slightly intimidating smile and slid over to sit next to Hannah, who recoiled slightly as Amy approached like a cat.

“Got something to say? Don’t hold back,” Amy prodded.

“N-no, nothing at all!”

“Oh yeah? Maybe you were thinking, ‘Dungeon City’s top idol got beaten to it by Daryl,’ right? Don’t get cheeky just because he patted your head just now! It should’ve been me, not you~~!” Amy teased, poking at Hannah’s wings.

“Ah! Not the wings!” Hannah yelped, flailing.

Diniel, sitting across from them, sighed, marking her place in her book before closing it.

“You don’t get to complain, Amy. You’re chasing after Tsutomu because you have fun doing it,” she proceeded to say.

“…Yeah, maybe, but it’s rare for someone not to fall head over heels for me!”

“What a narcissist,” Hannah muttered.

“Quiet, you!”

“Gyah!”

Amy was famous in Dungeon City, and known to almost everyone. Yet, Tsutomu had never treated her as special, looking at her like she was just another member of the team. When she had called him a ‘Lucky Boy’ during the Shell Crab battle, he had given her such a cold look that she felt she’d be kicked from the party if she did not apologize.

It was this indifference that had intrigued her, making her want to pursue him.

“But Dini, you said you supported me! What was yesterday about!?”

“That was Tsutomu’s fault. He annoyed me.”

“What!? How!? You’ve never even gotten mad at me!”

Amy returned to her seat, playfully hitting Diniel’s shoulder. The commotion in the carriage drew a puzzled glance from the driver.

“…But… but! Something did happen between me and Tsutomu in the Royal Capital! He patted my head! He even touched my ears!”

Amy’s voice quivered as she desperately tried to maintain her idol persona, tears welling up in her eyes. Most of the group looked at her with a mixture of pity and bemusement.

Amira, who had been lounging with a bored expression, suddenly grinned as if she’d thought of something amusing. Her smile was eerily reminiscent of Camille’s.

“Well, Tsutomu tried to get physical with me,” she declared.

The air in the carriage froze. Only Korinna, who had spent a lot of time with Amira recently, recognized the lie and rolled her eyes. The other clan members reacted with shock.

Hannah’s breath quickened, Daryl turned beet red, Garm and Korinna looked exasperated, Xeno responded with an American-style ‘Oh my God,’ and Amy, trying to keep her composure, seemed utterly deflated.

“What do you mean?” Leleia asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Just what I said. I invited him to my room, teased him a bit, and he jumped at the chance. Guess he had a lot pent up,” Amira replied, her gaze challenging Leleia’s.

Leleia’s usually cool demeanor vanished, replaced by a look of open jealousy as she glared toward the baggage area.

“Amira, you shouldn’t lie like that,” Korinna said, trying to diffuse the situation.

“Who says I’m lying? Go ask Tsutomu yourself.”

“…Ehh, I highly doubt it…”

Amy’s face had gone as white as her hair, looking ready to float away on a breeze. Diniel waved a hand in front of her eyes, checking if she was still conscious.

“I’ll confirm this,” Leleia said.

“Hey, don’t wake Tsutomu over something so trivial,” Garm interjected.

“He said to wake him if we needed anything,” Leleia insisted.

“He meant in emergencies, like if monsters attacked. Calm down.”

“This IS an emergency. Our leader has made an advance on a member, violating his own rule about relationships within the Clan. He needs to explain himself.”

“Amira is just joking around like Guild Master Camille does. It’s a harmless prank,” Garm said, trying to placate her.

Leleia’s eyes were fixed in determination as Garm struggled to hold her back. Amira watched with a smirk.

“He might look gentle, but he’s pretty damn wild, you know?” She taunted.

“Garm, move aside. I’m questioning Tsutomu,” Leleia demanded.

“Amira, enough of your shenanigans.”

“Aaaaaaaaah!”

“Oh no, Amy’s broken. Korinna, heal her.”

“I can’t heal emotional wounds…”

“Wild…”

“Who knew Teach had such a strong libido…” Hannah chuckled.

“Hahaha! Looks like everyone’s having fun!” the driver in the front remarked to Ollie.

As chaos erupted inside the carriage, Tsutomu remained soundly asleep in the baggage area. Ollie glanced back at the commotion, chuckled, and then focused on the road ahead as the carriage peacefully continued toward Dungeon City.

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