I eventually reach the fifth floor of the
[Sage's Playground] and proceed deeper and deeper, knocking away the monsters
as I go.
Even though it is the lowest floor, it is
still the first dungeon. After defeating the boss and the event monster, the
Gargoyle, there are no powerful monsters.
“...Huh?”
“You…
Baskerville!”
Just as I was about to reach the deepest
part of the dungeon, I encountered a group coming back from the back of the
dungeon.
It is Leon, the protagonist of [DunBrave
1]. Ciel and Nagisa, the heroines, are following behind Leon.
The faces of the three of them showed
obvious signs of fatigue. It seems that they had fought off the gargoyles at
the end of the dungeon, rested for a while, and then returned.
“It seems
that all three of you are safe. Surely you are the descendants of heroes!”
“Safe...?
How did you know we were in danger?”
Leon suddenly looks at me with suspicion.
Is this man, by any chance, suspecting me
of being the mastermind behind the Gargoyles? Even though Zenon is a villainous
character, this is a very serious false accusation.
“I don't
know about your fearful face, but a powerful monster came out from the depths
of the dungeon just now. I was just wondering if you guys had encountered it
too”
“You were
attacked by that monster too? I'm surprised you survived”
“Yeah. I'm
okay, but some of our classmates got hurt”
“Oh no...
it's my fault for letting the monster go...!”
Leon's face is contorted with regret. His
childhood friend Ciel is standing next to him, holding his hand in a caring
manner.
“No...?
It's not Leon's fault. If Leon hadn't been there, Nagisa and I might have been
killed. You protected us...!”
“But if I'd
defeated it properly my classmates wouldn't have been attacked. What kind of a
descendant of a hero...!? I'm powerless!”
“Leon...!”
“......”
Leon's group started to make a commotion
with their own regrets. Ciel, his childhood friend, and of course Nagisa are
behind them, expressionless and biting their back teeth.
I shrug my shoulders and try to put a
damper on the funeral-like atmosphere.
“I'm sorry
to interrupt your excitement, but those who were hit by the gargoyle are not
dead, just wounded. The gargoyle has already been defeated. I've given
medicines to the wounded, so they should be fine”
“Eh...?”
Leon and Ciel's eyes rolled back... and
they cheered.
“Really?
They're safe... thank God!”
“You're
lucky, I'm sure Leon's damage has weakened the enemy. He protected us after
all!”
Leon and Ciel shouted gaily and hugged
each other. I exhale bitterly as I watch their joyful faces.
In the original scenario, Leon would have
grown dramatically out of his intense regret because an enemy he had missed had
killed his classmate.
However, Leon in front of me does not
seem to be so regretful. In this situation, he may not grow as the scenario
suggests.
Now, what should I do?
I don't think it's wrong to save my
classmates, but I can't imagine how much this will affect his efforts to defeat
the Demon Lord.
I wrinkle my brow and shake my head.
There's no use thinking about it from here. For now, let's do what I can for
now.
“Well then,
I'd better be going. Take care of yourself and go home”
“Ah...
Baskerville!”
Leon stops me in a panic as I'm about to
go on.
I turn around to see if he still wants to
talk to me... but Leon remains silent with a difficult look on his face and is
reluctant to speak.
“I'm in a
hurry. If you have something to say, do it quickly”
“Thank you.
I appreciate it. You gave medicine to a classmate who got hurt, didn't you? You
cleaned up my mess”
I couldn't help but open my eyes to see
Leon, who was reluctant to express his gratitude.
I had never expected that Leon, who had
been so hostile to me since I entered the school, would express his gratitude
to me.
He is a hero, after all. He seems to be a
man who always does what he is supposed to do.
“But...
Don't get me wrong, okay? I will never forgive an evil like you. You'll get
what's coming to you!”
“Ah, Leon!”
With these words, Leon walks toward the
exit of the dungeon. Ciel follows behind him.
“...Baskerville!”
“Hmm?”
But... for some reason, Nagisa stays
where she is, staring at me.
“Was it you
who killed the gargoyle?”
“What if I
told you I did?”
“I knew it.
You were the only one who wore a different air in the class, but I guess my
eyes were not mistaken”
Nagisa's eyes narrowed and the corners of
her lips lifted happily.
“I'd like
to see you make a move. Fighting with the strong is a good way to learn how to
be strong”
Nagisa said nothing more and followed the
two who had gone ahead of her.
I, left behind, look up at the stone
ceiling and sigh deeply.
“Alas... I
think I've caught the attention of a troublesome person. I hate to think of all
the trouble ahead”
Snorting lightly and smiling coldly, I
proceeded to the deepest part of the dungeon to achieve my goal.
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