EP.230 A Song for the Remaining Ashes (1)
The tremors of the earth had ceased.
The intermittent thunderous sounds and ringing in the ears had also quieted over time.
Was it Apis who did this?
If not, had the duel of the two grown so distant that no sounds could reach us anymore?
As much as I wanted to rush to the scene and confirm the truth, I had a heavy duty to keep the Hero next to me.
“Priest! How is your body doing now?”
“Yes, yes… I’m much better now, thanks to you. Hero…”
“If there’s anything you need from me! Please say anything! Artificial respiration! Cardiopulmonary resuscitation! My chest is ready!”
The Hero, who had been watching my pale complexion closely, suddenly threw off his outer robe and spoke loudly.
To offer artificial respiration and CPR to someone who was breathing fine was one thing, but to offer his own chest? Where on earth did that bizarre thought come from?
Could he have been negatively influenced by Apis’s bluster again?
A wave of concern suddenly surged within me.
“If a man touches a woman’s chest! Fatigue is relieved! And lifespan is extended! I heard it from Apis the other day! So, don’t worry! Feel free to fondle as much as you want!”
I had a hunch, and I was right.
Though I had no issue with Apis boasting to her comrades pretending to be a knowledgeable woman, I had earnestly asked her to refrain from filling the Hero’s head with such misconceptions.
I couldn’t help but feel a pang of resentment toward Apis for spreading baseless rumors to the Hero once again.
In this case, it could be seen that she wasn’t entirely wrong, which made it even more malicious.
“Hero…”
“Huh! What is it, Priest!”
I calmly restrained the Hero, who had crossed his arms and gripped the lower part of his robe.
It’s unbelievable that someone who fusses over the slightest thing in front of women is so careless with his own attire.
I was at a loss for words.
“Hero, think carefully. Do you know where we are and what we are doing right now?”
“….Hmm?”
At my soft question, the Hero’s upper body tilted like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The awkward silence that followed didn’t last long.
“Huh! That’s right! We were in a dungeon! Tackling the Demon King!”
The Hero’s upper body straightened up as if struck by lightning after his sudden outburst of awe.
It was always entertaining to see his body reflect what he was thinking so sincerely, but given the pressing situation, I decided to postpone the spectacle for another time.
“How are you feeling? Can you move?”
“Yes! I’m perfectly fine! In fact, thanks to being hugged by the Priest just a moment ago, I’m in peak condition!”
The Hero emphatically patted his chest and spoke to me, as if to prove a point.
It didn’t seem like he was boasting, and it appeared that his claim of being in good condition was indeed true.
Had he said he wasn’t feeling well, I would have used the last miracle to heal the Hero’s ailments, so I felt a little relieved.
“We shouldn’t be sitting here! We have to join our comrades right now! First, let’s go to Apis and Dawna, who are relatively close! This smell! They must be nearby!”
“W-wait! Just a moment, Hero!”
I hastily stopped the Hero again, who was about to head somewhere.
While his judgment was admirable, it wouldn’t do to let the Hero go until we knew if Dawna had completely regained her senses.
“Huh? Why not?”
“Th-that’s…”
His innocent question momentarily unsettled me.
For a brief moment, I considered being honest about the situation, but ultimately, I withdrew.
Be it for any other reason, revealing that Dawna, who had secretly harbored feelings for me, had harbored resentment against the Hero for being so close to her would only bring about another disaster.
If things went awry, it might end up with the Hero attempting to take Dawna’s life.
“Rather than finding Apis and Dawna, how about we look for Bigtim first?”
“Huh? You mean Bigtim?”
The Hero queried with a tone of confusion, and as soon as he processed those words, he quickly replied.
“It seems like Dawna and Apis are nearby, so we can find them easily. So, shouldn’t we prioritize looking for Bigtim, who is missing?”
“….”
The Hero fell into thought for a moment.
How long did that tense silence, fueled by his regular breathing, last?
Before long, the Hero’s eyes sparkled as he exclaimed in admiration.
“Indeed! Indeed! I understand! Like eating a loaf of bread, starting with the hard-to-eat parts first! We should tackle the more challenging tasks sequentially! Truly a Priest-like perspective!”
“Y-yes… You nailed it…”
Seeing the Hero accept my awkward explanation without a hint of skepticism made me genuinely worried for her future.
Thank goodness this world hadn’t developed voice phishing schemes yet.
If it had, the Hero’s household finances would have been long gone.
“Oh, by the way, Hero. How about it? Do you have any idea where the core of this dungeon might be?”
“No! Not at all!”
“Oh, I see…”
How many people could confidently say they didn’t know something like that?
A mix of confusion and awe briefly crossed my mind.
In dungeons, there’s a concept known as the ‘core’, which maintains its existence.
If the core isn’t found and destroyed, the dungeon will manifest in this world forever, endlessly birthing monsters.
Thus, how quickly and accurately a party can pinpoint the core’s location indicates their proficiency.
Among them, the Hero and Dawna’s tracking abilities were top-tier.
With Dawna’s detection magic and the Hero’s extraordinary instincts combined, there was nothing they couldn’t locate.
The Hero, upon stepping into the dungeon entrance, had previously pinpointed the core’s position accurately more than once.
The fact that he claimed to have no clue indicated that our dungeon crawl would turn into a prolonged battle.
“Hero, let’s hurry. I’m really sorry to ask this, but… could you carry me…?”
“Yes! I’m fine! In fact, getting close to you, Priest, boosts my physical capabilities tremendously! It’s a win-win! Besides, Apis also mentioned that some men prefer to ride on top of women!”
“….From now on, please invite me whenever you and Apis talk about these things.”
With that statement, I fell into deep thought.
It’s not uncommon for dungeon exploration to take longer than initially expected.
However, this time, several complex issues were catching us off-guard.
Generally, one can destroy the core of an ordinary dungeon as soon as it is discovered, but the Demon King’s core regenerates instantly if someone without the Blessing of the Saint breaks it.
If the Hero had safeguarded the precious blessing of the Saint, it would have been alright.
But currently, that invaluable blessing had unfairly settled into my body, causing myriad problems.
To survive until we find the core, which could be anywhere within this vast dungeon teeming with Saint candidates, was daunting.
Just imagining the future brought a dizzying headache and an eerie chill throughout my entire being.
While the unintended cooperation of the Hero and Dawna had immobilized the individual deemed responsible for this entire situation, my worries did not diminish.
I was starting to worry about the Saintess too.
I heard she was currently with Bigtim, the pinnacle of the system’s front line, so perhaps there was no major concern for now.
Yet, given the location, I couldn’t shake off a sense of unease.
“Alright! Then let’s get ready to depart! Please take my hand, Priest! I’ll help you get up!”
“Yes. Thank you, Hero…”
With the Hero’s support, I struggled to rise from the ground, still heavy as if it were glued down.
My body screamed for endless rest, but with a sense of mission for the world, I steeled myself.
Rustle.
“─!”
Just then.
The Spark of life faded completely, leaving only the horrifyingly ominous voice that quietly slithered from the remains reduced to nothing but ash.
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