Chapter 18: Oblate

The goblin extermination was surprisingly easy.

First, the monster’s individual abilities are low.

They typically act in groups of three to four, but they don’t have any clear division of roles like a party.

There’s no scout among them, so it was easy to take the initiative.

Their attack power is also low, and the only somewhat troublesome aspect is their agility—moving around quickly due to their small size.

But that’s not an issue for Hyde.

(The monsters I fought in Rurya village were much more troublesome. Well, they could fly, though.)

It’s not just the monsters’ abilities, but the fact that this dungeon mainly consists of narrow corridors plays a role.

Compared to moving around in the vast outdoors, there’s a significant difference in the difficulty of extermination.

(I guess this is what you’d call an F-rank dungeon in that sense.)

While idly thinking about this, Hyde and Helen continued with the extermination, and before long, they had already finished the minimum required number of 20 monsters.

“What should we do?”

“I want to keep going a bit longer. Time hasn’t passed as much as I thought, and… it’s easy to fight here.”

“Thank you. Well then, shall we continue?”

If they can defeat more monsters, that’s even better, so Hyde has no reason to refuse.

“Shou, it’s hard to believe this is your first time. When I saw you at the guild, you looked like someone who was about to die any second.”

“Did I really look that way?”

He couldn’t help but give a wry smile at the harsh words.

“Well, you didn’t seem very knowledgeable about the guild or adventuring. And you didn’t listen to any of your seniors’ advice. I thought you were the type to rush ahead on your own.”

“If you put it that way, I can’t deny it…”

It’s true that he hasn’t listened to any of the advice from Helen or Nick.

It’s no wonder that they’ve been picking on him as a cocky rookie.

“…What?”

While walking ahead, Hyde glanced over his shoulder and met Helen’s gaze.

Her blue eyes, visible beneath her hood, were staring at him intently.

It’s a cool gaze, but after seeing her earlier innocent and childlike appearance, it now feels as though she’s only acting this way, which is strange.

Hyde shifted his gaze back to the front and asked.

“Helen, do you usually dive into dungeons at this time?”

“…Yes. There are fewer people at night.”

“Huh? But you said it’s harder to form a party at night.”

“I always go solo, so it doesn’t matter to me.”

“I see…”

He had asked about it when receiving the request, but Helen’s rank was D. She could take on E and F-rank dungeons solo.

(But… isn’t it tough to go solo as an archer?)

It would be one thing if she were a swordsman or a warrior, but for an archer who relies on mid to long-range attacks, it’s difficult to handle close combat situations. Even if she tries to maneuver to avoid that, unforeseen circumstances would likely still arise.

(I wonder if it has something to do with what Nick-san said. But she doesn’t seem like that kind of person…)

Every adventurer who has teamed up with Helen ends up meeting their downfall.

What could that mean?

“Hey.”

While pondering, Helen’s voice called out to him again.

“Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m fine. I still have plenty of energy.”

“I see… I’m glad.”

Her voice, filled with genuine relief, made Hyde decide to forget about it for the time being.

　◆ ◆ ◆

By the time the number of monsters slain exceeded 30, the warning voice from Helen, who had been shooting arrows from the rear, had disappeared.

When they first entered the dungeon, she had warned him in advance by saying, “Watch out,” before shooting her arrows. But now, only her battle cry as she pulled the bowstring could be heard.

Helen didn’t miss her targets, and Hyde avoided getting in the line of fire.

This mutual trust had developed between them in such a short time.

As a result, their tempo had increased, and the time spent on each battle had shortened.

It was at that moment, when he started feeling a strange sense of comfort from the flow, that Hyde’s 【All-seeing god’s eye】 sensed an anomaly behind them.

“Helen!”

“…Huh?”

Using 【Guidance of the Martial god】, Hyde closed the distance to Helen in an instant.

At that exact moment, the ground beneath her feet began to crumble.

“—Kyaa!”

Hyde caught Helen in his arms and jumped backward with the same momentum.

Hearing the sound of the ground collapsing behind them, he quickly checked that Helen was unharmed and let out a sigh of relief.

“Helen, are you okay?!”

“…Ah.”

“Helen…?”

As he had caught her, her hood had been shifted, revealing her face clearly.

Her features, which had been well-hidden under the hood, were now more prominent.

Her skin, whiter than he had expected, was now flushed red, and her mouth trembled slightly.

It wasn’t just her face that was red; her ears were equally flushed—and…

(Pointed… ears?)

Helen’s golden hair, silky and fine like threads of silk, fell over her ears, which were pointed sideways.

The only kind of people with such features would be…

It was at the moment when Hyde realized it that Helene let out a faint voice from within her chest.

“Stay away…”

“! I-I’m sorry!!”

Even though it was an emergency, Hyde quickly realized he had ended up in a position where he had knocked her down and hastily jumped back.

Helen slowly sat up, looking up anxiously while still seated on the ground.

“Thank you for helping me.”

“N-no, I should be the one apologizing.”

“Let’s go back today.”

“? Why?”

“Why? Well, your mana is completely drained, right?”

“…?”

For some reason, Hyde couldn’t quite follow the conversation with Helen. He looked at her, confused, and Helen slowly widened her eyes.

“Could it be… that you’re really okay?”

“Eh, yes. I was surprised when the ground suddenly collapsed, but… what was that?”

As Hyde voiced his question, Helen looked down. Then, her shoulders began to tremble, and soon, a strangled sob started escaping her lips.

“Hik… Iggh… Higu…”

“Eh?! W-what, uh…?”

At the sudden outburst of tears from Helen, Hyde couldn’t find the words to say and fumbled, deciding to be on alert and scan the surroundings. At the same time, he silently screamed in his mind.

“Did she really hate me hugging her that much?! Well, I guess she would, but still!!”

Helen’s suggestion to go back today seemed like the most tactful way of saying, “I don’t want to be with you anymore,” wrapped up as gently as possible.

With that doubt in his mind, Hyde was also on the verge of tears himself.

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