Chapter: 651
Why the hell is she jumping in with me!?
I already abandoned my plan to sneak up from behind and drag her off—why is she following me!?
You’re supposed to be up there doing your job, you damn brat!
Seeing Nebera smiling gently as if she were enjoying a free fall made my seams want to burst.
The Nebera staying in this city was, in many ways, different from what I knew.
Where did the arrogant, overbearing brat go that loved to flaunt her power and never admitted her mistakes? The Nebera in this city had become a noble who cared for others.
I’d only been watching for a day, but it was clear she wasn’t the same opponent I had decided to shred to bits earlier.
So I decided to just slip in alone, clear the dungeon at lightning speed, and come back out.
That was until this woman insisted on following me.
[So, doesn’t that mean there’s no problem? Just do what you initially planned.]
‘No! It’s hard to justify what I’m going to do next!’
Sure, if she were someone I didn’t care about, I could just tell her, “I’ve got nothing to share with a loser like you. Just grovel on the ground; it’s probably easier for you.” I could even flip her off. But when I need to ask for her help, things change!
How am I supposed to explain the actions of a veteran gamer I’m about to take?!
Can you pull off serious work without mesugaki skills while still wearing the distortion that comes with it?!
Ugh! The more I think about it, the angrier I get!
Right! Let’s say she was surprised when I fell and caught her—fine!
Then, as a magician, she should’ve done something!
Someone like the Apostle of Magic could easily fly or teleport short distances or something!
Why is she trying to fall along with me, doing nothing!?
Is she a suicidal accomplice!? I’ve met plenty of disgusting perverts, but that’s a first! Impressive!
While I was seething with rage, the ground finally came into view.
An imperfect dungeon with holes everywhere.
It looked pretty much the same as I remembered.
“Hey, supporter. I know you can use magic, right?”
Instead of responding, Nebera drew a magic circle with a wooden stick.
Our bodies, once accelerating due to gravity, lost speed.
“Why didn’t you do anything when we first fell? What were you planning to do with just the two of us?”
“That was an accident. I intended to do something too, but…”
“Ha, that’s a transparent lie. Pathetic.”
“Why are you blaming me for suddenly not being able to cast magic?!”
I looked around while gripping a shield and mace.
I probably wouldn’t need to use weapons except for the boss battle, but you never know.
[Lucy, don’t worry. Just do as you please.]
‘Are you saying that too lightly because it’s not your problem?!’
[I haven’t fully come to terms with your bizarre actions either. I just trust you because it’s something you do.]
‘…Oh. Really?’
[Your friends would feel the same. It’s just that we believe in you. It’s not because we understand it with our heads. It’s something that can’t be grasped in the first place.]
The important thing isn’t convincing anyone about my antics. It’s about getting them to believe I’m trying to walk the right path.
Having heard Grandpa’s words, I sighed deeply, grabbed Nebera by the collar, and pulled her closer.
Her eyes, shining with the light of spring, held my face.
“Let me tell you this in advance so you don’t waste my time asking me questions—no matter what you see, don’t bother asking me. I don’t want to waste time on a minion like you.”
“Ha! Don’t worry! I’m the Apostle of Magic! There’s no way I’d be surprised by someone like you!”
Did you just say that out loud? You directly said you wouldn’t be surprised by anything!?
So now I can go ahead and dash without holding back.
Don’t worry, I won’t die.
I might faint from being too surprised, but…
I hoisted Nebera onto my shoulder and jumped into the hole beside me.
In the enormous chamber forming below, a golem the size that I could squish with a finger was waiting.
“Excuse me?”
The golem raised its hand as soon as it spotted us.
A massive shadow cast over the room that had just moments ago been bright.
“Aren’t we supposed to be running now!?”
It’s too bad the fairies aren’t awake yet. If this were in third person, it would’ve been way more fun.
“Ugh! If you keep this up, I swear—”
“Don’t do anything. You’re used to being a minion, right? Just watch.”
I didn’t even need to time it. This was scenery I’d seen again and again during a true ending speedrun.
Even now, with the time that had passed, my body naturally moved along the past memories.
*
The golem could rightly be described as a small hill.
Its hand matched that scale. A finger’s size was comparable to an average human and could cause a natural disaster just by swinging.
And that disaster was heading straight for us.
Nebera closed her eyes as the hand approached.
If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have let her follow me!
I genuinely resigned myself to die, but I didn’t want it to be like this!
Nebera gripped her hand tightly while she trembled and shut her eyes.
And soon, a chime echoed in her ears.
Like the sound of a well-maintained bell, the noise made her shiver, and when she opened her eyes, she saw a girl with a mocking grin and the shield raised above her head, with a golem stumbling backward, losing balance.
“OW!”
The painful jolt reminded her that this scene was all too real.
“Shut your mouth. Don’t bite your tongue and act cute. Hearing that face of yours make such sounds makes me want to vomit.”
“What?! Is that how it is… AAHHH?!!”
Just as Nebera was about to argue, Lucy accelerated forward, leaping atop the fallen golem.
Then she dashed over the golem’s head and jumped through a gap in an unfinished wall.
The fall began anew, alongside the darkness.
What’s going on?! What’s going on?! Why are we jumping again, and making such a fuss?!
In her confusion, Nebera suddenly noticed a light flying in from far away.
“Attack! There’s an attack coming!”
“I have eyes, you know?!”
When the flames hit Lucy’s shield, a sizzling heat spread around.
Feeling her skin pricking and her heartbeat quickening, Nebera realized that the explosion’s impact offset her falling speed. Was this on purpose?
– Hahaha! To think the cursed apostle of the gods and a loser would be together!
Before Nebera could hide her shock, a grotesque voice echoed from below.
The Lich. The great mage who refused death.
Not an ordinary foe.
It was formidable. I couldn’t win without going all out!
“What’s a loser for the God of Magic, you say?♡ Just a pathetic idiot who wasted their life without achieving anything!♡ Can’t even have their name remembered in death, huh?♡”
“…You little brat!”
Seeing the Lich channeling its power, Nebera shouted, trying to breathe freely, but Lucy ignored her.
Ugh! Why is this brat so strong! And she looks like she has only bones!
“I’ll make you regret those words!”
That lunatic! Is she planning to wipe this entire room off the map?!
At that moment, a massive burst of magical energy caused Nebera to panic, but Lucy simply grinned and jumped up slightly.
The magic fired, crashing into Lucy’s shield, and the two of them were launched away like they were caught in a storm.
Nebera thought she might hit the wall and opened her eyes in fear, but that didn’t happen.
Because there was no wall where they were flying toward.
And once again, the fall began.
“Supporter. Get ready now.”
Lucy called out from her hair as they soared in the sky.
“Do I really have to do anything?! You were going to do it anyway!”
“This time, there’s not going to be any need for that. This pathetic dungeon is coming to an end.”
“…Ending?!”
As some time passed and Lucy landed on the ground, she lowered the now-holy Nebera to the floor.
If it were any other time, she would’ve complained, but Nebera couldn’t utter a word.
The presence standing before her radiated an imperiousness that was too daunting to bear.
What… is that?
A massive body with sharp veins showing through its skin.
And the tips of those veins had something like sharp claws, each inscribed with curses.
The mouth drooled as it revealed double rows of shark-like teeth, and its eyes, pulsating red, looked utterly lifeless.
“A visitor at this hour, huh.”
In stark contrast to the horrid voice scraping against metal, the monster spoke politely.
That discrepancy sent a chill down Nebera’s spine.
“This is troublesome. The shop hasn’t even opened yet.”
“Ahahaha! You were just sleeping this whole time, and you’re still being lazy?♡ Are you that afraid of meeting people outside?♡”
But the small girl standing before Nebera didn’t tremble in the slightest; instead, she stepped forward with a grin.
“Shouldn’t you be the one to be scared?”
“What?♡ A hideous monster trying to attack me?♡ Pfft♡ Go ahead!♡ You don’t have the guts, do you?♡”
As she mockingly tugged at the end of her cloak, the monster fell silent.
About two seconds later, with a refreshing sound, Nebera’s head spun away.
The monster’s claws could not leave a scratch on the white shield and bounced off.
“Do you really want to see my insides?♡ It’s hilarious how desperate you are~♡”
Objectively speaking, the girl didn’t seem like a dependable person at all.
With her appearance and tone, she should have seemed utterly unreliable.
Yet strangely, Nebera found her small back somehow reassuring. It made her forget the fear that had briefly taken hold.
“Can I smash it?”
“Use ice magic. I want to see that disgusting monster shiver in fear.”
“Ha! That sounds fun!”
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