Volume 5 Chapter 18 Sylphid
Balthazar is dead.
Takeru, the priest of the Goddess Holy Church. And the kidnapped students who sided with the Goddess Holy Church. And... Rosho.
Elk stands up after retrieving the treasure.
Soara was looking down, but when Elk stood up, she gently tugged at his sleeve.
Then, Sylphid flies around Elk and the others.
"Hey, hey. Why do you look so sad?"
"...Aren't you sad?"
"No! Because papa took really good care of me. Papa said he would always protect me while I was in his belly. Papa loved me so much. So, I knew goodbye was coming, and I decided to send him off with a smile!"
"...You."
"Not you! I'm Sylphid!"
Sylphid flaps her transparent, rainbow-colored wings.
She has long pink hair and a body like a human. The only difference is the butterfly wings on her back and the two antennae on her head. She's only about 20cm (8in) tall, but just as Elk thinks this, Soara covers her eyes.
"Whoa, what's going on?"
"You can't look any more."
"Huh?"
"Because this girl is naked."
Yes, Sylphid is naked.
Since her body is like a human's, she has a chest too.
Elk doesn't really care, but it seems to bother Soara.
She takes a handkerchief from her bag and wraps it around Sylphid's body.
"Wow, it looks like a dress!"
"When we get home, I'll make you some proper clothes."
"Thank you, um..."
"Oh, I'm Soara. Nice to meet you!"
"Soara! Nice to meet you!"
Sylphid and Soara became friends.
They couldn't stay here forever.
Elk, Soara, and Sylphid went outside.
"Now, how do we get out of here... Do you think we can just walk out?"
"Um... but we have to go."
"Yeah."
"Hey, hey, do you want to go outside, Elk?"
"Yeah."
"Then, I'll guide you! I might know the way outside!"
""Eh?""
Sylphid flew around Elk and the others.
"Okay, this way!"
* * *
Because of the treasure, all the bugs in the dungeon gathered in the deepest part, so no monsters appeared.
Sylphid's guidance seemed random... it felt like they were just wandering through winding paths and forks.
But Sylphid was right.
"Over there, the exit!"
""...We made it.""
It was the entrance to the dungeon they recognized.
It felt like they were just walking randomly, but they had reached the exit.
Elk and Soara looked at each other and high-fived.
Then, Soara hugged Sylphid.
"Thank you, Sylphid."
"Yeah! Hey, hey, I'm hungry!"
"I'll give you lots of delicious food later."
"But wait. Sylphid, hide just in case."
"Eh, why, Elk?"
"Just in case. So, Soara... what do you think of Sylphid?"
"...I've never seen such a tiny person. She has butterfly wings on her back."
"Right? It would be a hassle if she got caught... Hmm, how do we cover it up?"
"...Then, let's say she was in the treasure room of the dungeon?"
"...That works."
The two nodded.
Soara pulled the collar of her clothes and brought Sylphid inside.
"Wow, so fluffy! Soara, your boobs are big!"
"......"
Elk looked away.
Then, the two headed to the dungeon entrance───....
"Listen up!! Something is definitely happening inside the dungeon. We need to defeat the unidentified monster and, if possible, rescue the students───..."
Bob was gathering adventurers and giving orders in front of the dungeon.
However, he was taken aback when he saw Elk and Soara.
The adventurers noticed Bob's strange behavior and turned around... and there were Elk and Soara.
"Uh, um... we're back. Haha."
Elk gave a vague smile and said some unclear words.
* * *
"So, what happened?"
"......"
Before they could even catch up, Elk and Soara were being pressed by Bob.
They were outside the dungeon, in a room at the inn.
Elwood, Janet, and Kaya were waiting in the next room.
Elk made up his mind and took out a green jewel from his pocket.
"What's this───...... wait, wait, wait. No way."
"...It's a treasure."
"Seriously!?"
Bob was shocked and asked Elk.
"No way, did you... go to the deepest part of the dungeon?"
"Yes. I fought a priest from the Goddess Holy Church there."
"The Goddess Holy Church, that cult group that attacked the academy and kidnapped students, right? They warned adventurers about them too..."
"...I fought a guy named Takeru there."
He kept quiet about Balthazar.
There was no point in explaining in detail to Bob, who was just an ordinary adventurer.
Bob seemed more interested in the treasure than Elk's story.
"This is bad... but, a treasure, huh?"
"What's going to happen if we find it?"
"The dungeon will disappear. It won't vanish right away, but... probably within a month, this place will just be ruins."
"...Wait, could it be?"
Elk turns pale.
The rule is that once you retrieve the treasure from the dungeon, you have to submit it to the managing country. This is a rule that even the Adventurers' Guild must follow.
However, if you don't retrieve the treasure, you can investigate the dungeon and collect treasures as many times as you want. If you retrieve the treasure, the dungeon will disappear... which means, for the Adventurers' Guild, it's better not to retrieve the dungeon's treasure.
Elk turns pale and asks Bob.
"Um, could it be... I did something really bad?"
"...Yeah."
"Is there a way to put it back where it was?"
"Impossible. Once you retrieve it, the dungeon is already facing its end."
"W-What should we do?"
"Hmm... If it gets known that a rookie like you retrieved the dungeon's treasure, it will stand out a lot."
"Then, then! I'll give this to Mister Bob!"
"Huh?"
"If we say the teacher found it, it should be fine... right?"
"...Well, I guess it would be okay for me. If A-class veteran adventurer Bob got the treasure from the 'Nest of Insect Poison,' it would stand out, but not as much as you. Plus, the last time the treasure was retrieved was years ago. Soon, if we don't retrieve the treasures from the explored dungeons and present them to the Galatinne Kingdom, there might be a review of the dungeon management by the Adventurers' Guild and the kingdom."
"Then please!!"
"So, is that okay?"
"...Huh? "
"You're saying you'll give me all the credit? You're just a missing person who happened to find their way back to the exit. I'm the adventurer who found the treasure in the dungeon. Are you okay with that? "
"Yes."
Elk answered immediately.
Honestly, he wasn't interested in the treasure at all. What mattered to Elk was the destruction of the Goddess Holy Church and getting revenge on his family.
He didn't want to get involved in any trouble, especially not create it himself.
Elk checked with Soara.
"Soara. Is that okay? "
"Yeah."
"So, please."
"...Sigh~."
Bob received the treasure.
"Alright. I'll say that I got the treasure from the 'Nest of Insect Poison.' But in return, the reward from the kingdom will be split in half. Sorry, but I need to look good, or I might get suspected."
"Of course, that's fine. Just a little payment for your trouble."
"Hah, you're pretty bold, aren't you?"
Bob laughed heartily.
After laughing for a while, he said, "Well then."
"We'll stay at the inn tonight and head back tomorrow. The dungeon training ends here."
And so, Elk and the others' long day came to an end.
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