Chapter 73

〈 Chapter 73 〉 Four Legs

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If asked to name the individual among the Hero Party members who has defeated the most monsters, the majority of the citizens of the system would undoubtedly answer “Hero.”

However, a seasoned adventurer with multiple successful dungeon raids under their belt might need a moment to think, but would soon come to the obvious conclusion:

”Dawna!”

Suddenly, Apis’s loud voice pierced the air.

Soaring high above the ground on a notoriously fierce silver-maned griffon, they were currently heading towards the capital city of the system.

”I told you not to fiddle with magic tools while flying! You’re going to drop them!”

”Hah, is that all? Instead of appreciating my clever use of time, you’re busy criticizing me. Apis, I think you need to widen your perspective on the world a bit, don’t you?”

”What? You want to die?”

The reason these two, who had an almost cartoonish rivalry, temporarily left the party to engage in their own activities was quite simple.

The Hero and Bigtim were secretly recuperating at the monastery ahead of the blessing ceremony after being caught up in an unknown dungeon disaster.

The only individuals who could fill in the month-long gap while the Hero Party searched for the missing priest were them.

While Apis willingly took on the role of ensuring the Hero and priest could spend some quality time together, Dawna was less than pleased, having been dragged along without knowing the circumstances.

Still, she internally understood that someone had to take on this task, so even though she clearly showed her displeasure, she did not refuse.

”From the sound of your chatter, it seems your body and mind have fully recovered?”

”Hmm? Oh, are you referring to the aftereffects of the dungeon disaster? Of course! The curse that seeped into my body wasn’t that significant. It’s thanks to Bigtim backing me up, really. A perfectly rational choice, I must say. Losing my exceptional knowledge would be a tremendous loss to human history!”

”Yeah, I’ll take your word for it.”

Dawna’s indifferent tone suggested it wasn’t even worth responding to.

Apis seemed to gloss over Dawna’s self-absorption, yet the prominent veins on her forehead revealed her rising frustration.

”It was fortunate we were able to finish all our tasks before the blessing ceremony. Of course, that credit goes entirely to me. It’s pure luck that the recently regenerated dungeons are filled only with weaklings. I’ve mastered large-scale annihilation magic; whether it’s a lot or a little, enemies don’t pose a threat to me anymore. Though I suppose ‘weaklings’ is subjective from my perspective.”

”Right, you’re amazing.”

Apis retorted sarcastically to Dawna’s lengthy speech, but there was no denying the truth behind it.

Even weak monsters could become a significant threat when united.

This principle, so fundamentally true for adventurers, didn’t apply to the Hero Party due to Dawna’s immense contribution.

The legendary realm that even magic-rich elves aspire to reach: large-scale annihilation magic.

Dawna’s astonishing ability to eradicate countless monsters with a single incantation resembled a massacre rather than mere subjugation.

No, it could even be considered extermination.

”By the way, Lowville is unreasonably shameless! Skipping out on party duties for an entire month! While I! NO, while I’m toiling away in this agony, she’s out there having a blast in the capital!”

”Do you think that fool who’s been appointed the saint’s dedicated guardian can just lounge around? She’s probably rolling around just as much as we are!”

”That’s not the point! I can’t stand that he’s kept the fact that he became the saint’s dedicated guardian a secret from us all this time! He didn’t even show a bit of sincerity, thinking he could just brush it off with an apology! Lowville really! That casual demeanor hasn’t changed at all since our academy days!”

”Here we go again…”

Apis heaved a deep sigh, as if exasperated.

The fact that Regis and Dawna attended the same academy together was a tale Dawna loved to share whenever she could.

Dawna claimed she had frequently helped the shy Regis, known as the Madonna of the academy, who struggled to mingle with classmates.

The authenticity of her story was highly questionable, but with Dawna’s confident attitude and Regis’s occasional hesitant confirmations, the narrative had long become accepted as fact among the Hero Party.

‘Y-yes, I… I received a lot of help from Dawna back then…’

‘See! Even Lowville wouldn’t deny it!’

‘Sounds suspicious though…’

Though the sight of Regis avoiding her gaze piqued her curiosity, Apis was well aware he detested discussing his past, so she did not press further.

”Now, put that magic tool back in your pocket! I refuse to have a repeat of last time where it exploded from your back and you face-planted!”

”Haha, worry not! The item I’m fixing isn’t anything dangerous!”

”Fixing?”

A familiar object entered Apis’s view as she turned around absentmindedly.

The Right Eye of the God.

A crystal-type magic tool engraved with the detection magic formula independently developed by Dawna.

It had been shattered into thousands of pieces a few weeks ago by the Hero, but somehow it was restored to a pristine orb shape, albeit with some minor cracks.

”What are you working on… Seriously, how much time do you have on your hands to still be piecing that back together after it shattered?”

”Haha! Dedication! Dedication!”

Dawna beamed, interpreting Apis’s incredulous remarks as praise.

”Alright then! Let’s do a test run to celebrate its perfect repair! First, let’s see what the Hero is up to right now!”

”Hey! You can’t just spy on the Hero without permission!”

”What’s with all the fuss? Apis, it’s broad daylight; he’s probably just training or something. Right?”

Just as Dawna cleverly sidestepped Apis’s protests and was about to channel magic power into the crystal ball…

Zing.

「I also want to do naughty things with the priest in a tight space!」

Bing.

An ominous vision and voice abruptly flickered against the dark backdrop, resembling a jarring disconnection of an electrical appliance.

Dawna, in a panic, abruptly cut off the flow of magic energy that had circulated too intensely, momentarily holding her breath.

Had it been just a voice, she might not have reacted so dramatically.

But the angle of the crystal ball incidentally reflecting the Hero’s lower half accelerated Dawna’s imagination in a bad way.

There were legs. Four legs.

Moreover, above that screen, the Hero’s desperate voice and the familiar grunts of a man could be heard intermittently.

”N-No way…”

”I-I must have misconnected the magic circuits and displayed a completely different scene… I-I’ll try again!”

It wasn’t a mistake; it couldn’t be.

Dawna knew this better than anyone, yet she couldn’t process the shocking reality unfolding in front of her.

This led her to make a mistake she’d never normally commit: reassociating the entire circuit of the crystal tool.

Zing.

Thanks to that, this time the crystal ball displayed only sound, solely the Hero’s voice.

「You can’t do this to me after making my heart race like this! It’s so cruel! Are you playing with me, Priest! Is this what they mean by having fun!?」

「Is it okay if I just give it one little bite?」

「I’ll just give it a light nibble!」

「At the very least! Can I lick just the tip? Just the tip!?」

「How much will it cost me!? Fine! I won’t ask to lick it; if I can just smell it, I’ll give all my wealth, which I intended to donate to society, to you─」

Zap!

At that moment, a foreboding crack appeared in the crystal ball, now overstressed with magic.

This was another blunder Dawna would never normally make.

”····”

”····”

An oppressive silence momentarily unsettled the air, and the atmosphere between the two grew heavier.

「Hero… No… you can’t…」

「Just a little… Just a little more… Hah…」

「Ugh, ugh…」

After the sticky sounds of the intertwining couple faded, the crystal ball shattered entirely, and in that instant…

Crack.

A sound like an abstract concept severing echoed quietly through the heavy void.

*