“Hah, so you guys are humans who came from the surface?”
Just as I was listening to Thanasis’s story, a girl suddenly called out to us.
The girl with deep green hair wore a provocative smile, her golden, slightly slanted eyes fixed on us.
It was Xanthos who spoke to her without missing a beat.
“Klyssa, your mission was to subjugate Demon Beasts. Why are you here?”
“Does thinning them out really take a whole day? I finished it a long time ago.”
The girl called Klyssa said that with a hint of pride.
But Xanthos continued, his expression as cold as ever.
“If your mission is over, you should return home, rest, or go out to the city. Why did you come to the barracks?”
“I came to see the humans who came from the surface. Visitors who haven’t appeared in a thousand years, and one of them is a creepy blue blob, so everyone in the city is worried.”
If the citizens suddenly saw me, panic would be inevitable. So, the information that a cube-shaped human came from outside is also circulating among the common people.
The reason we came to the barracks today was also because we were asked not to go out into the city until tomorrow, when the information would have spread.
“I heard that my old man is watching you guys like a hawk, so I thought you were dangerous, but I guess I was just worrying too much. You’re just a bunch of weaklings with no Mana.”
“Klyssa!”
Xanthos roared with a volume I’d never heard before. His usual iron mask only amplified the terror.
Since the atmosphere was getting awkward, I tried to mediate.
『Come on, Xanthos, we don’t mind at all. Right, Fiss?』
“Mm.”
Fiss, who was looking at the green-haired girl with interest, agreed.
『See? More importantly, can you introduce that girl? Judging by what you said earlier, are you two perhaps related?』
“…I appreciate your concern. She is Klyssa. Klyssa Sideros. My daughter.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Klyssa bowed with a carefree tone.
She called him “old man,” so I knew, but she was indeed his daughter.
But this girl, is she just exclusive, or do I sense a slight hostility?
Ugh, I want to avoid conflicts with humans. It was impossible for an outsider to be liked by everyone.
Well, whatever. For now, let’s introduce ourselves.
『I’m Kouya, and this is Fiss. I guess you know, but we came from the surface for sightseeing, nice to meet you… but if you’ve seen us, are you going home now?』
“Well, yeah, I’ll stay a little longer. You seem interesting.”
Klyssa touched my side with a casual pat on the back.
Immediately after, her arm was grabbed from the side. Xanthos, who had stood up with a burst of speed, moved in an instant.
He roughly threw Klyssa away and stood between me and her.
The girl landed with a cat-like spin, her face contorted with resentment.
“That hurt, what the hell are you doing, you damn old man!”
“Don’t be rude to our guests. Apologize and go home and behave yourself.”
His voice was a bit louder than usual, cold and ruthless.
But, scolding her like that won’t make a rebellious teenager listen, and as I expected,
“Tch, is your mission that important? Throwing your own daughter around, couldn’t you have done something else!?”
She was fuming with anger.
Well, Klyssa might have been a bit rude to someone she just met. But I don’t mind that much, and I can understand why Xanthos’s reaction seems a bit excessive.
But, from Xanthos’s position, that reaction is unavoidable…
…Guess I have no choice. I don’t want to be too wary, but I’ll step in here.
『Alright, calm down, Klyssa.』
“Don’t get so familiar with my name.”
『But isn’t Sideros confusing?』
“…I guess that’s true… fine, you can call me by my first name.”
She agreed easily, and I used Telepathy.
『And getting back to the main point, Xanthos didn’t throw you because he wanted to.』
“Huh?”
『It’s faster to show you than explain… Stealth, release.』
After canceling Zone Control, I released Stealth, which I always activate to hide my footsteps and Mana, for just a moment.
Releasing it completely might be too much of a shock, so I kept it to a slight loosening. But even that was enough of an impact,
“““Eh!?”””
The three underground people, including Thanasis, stared wide-eyed and gasped.
Unconsciously, Xanthos reached for his sword, then froze as if he had realized something.
I had already re-concealed my Mana, but the tension in the air didn’t ease at all.
I tried my best to ignore the situation and spoke to Klyssa.
『Well, I’m pretty strong, and normal humans can’t stop me. That’s why Xanthos is always with me, and the reason he threw you was because he had to move quickly so I wouldn’t get angry, right?』
“…………”
In the end, it was just a guess, so I tried to confirm if it was true, but seeing Xanthos’s somewhat embarrassed expression, I was probably not far off.
『So, could you not be so hostile to Xanthos?』
“I guess… I have no choice.”
Klyssa nodded, her words strained with tension.
…I still feel bad for making her listen by force. I’ll try not to release Stealth as much as possible.
“That’s the situation. We’re not playing around, so if you understand, go home now.”
“…………I don’t want to.”
Klyssa rejected Xanthos’s order again.
But she quickly added, as if flustered.
“I-It’s not like I’m trying to cause trouble, okay? Look, Kouya-san came for sightseeing, right? Then I’m the perfect guide since I know the city well. My old man and Thanasis-jii are always working, they don’t know anything about the city.”
“That’s unnecessary. I also do regular patrols of the city. More importantly, you are—”
“Well, well, isn’t it fine, Xanthos-dono? Kouya-dono doesn’t seem to mind either.”
An unexpected helping hand was extended to the girl.
It was Thanasis, who had been watching the parent-child squabble with a melancholy gaze. Perhaps he was lenient with young people, like a grandpa.
“Heh, the old man gets it.”
“But…”
“We don’t have much time to argue here, do we? Look, Fiss-dono’s gaze is fixed on the cafeteria, she must be hungry.”
“I’m hungry.”
“I also want to hear about the surface over a meal. For now, let her accompany us, and if there are any complaints, she can go home, wouldn’t that be fine?”
『I’m fine with that.』
“…Just don’t be rude.”
It had become lunchtime, so we decided to head to the cafeteria.
Seeing Thanasis hurriedly start collecting the Artifacts he had spread out, I remembered something I wanted to ask.
『Hey, Thanasis-san, I heard that this country is short on resources, but—』
And so, the second day in the Underground Kingdom passed.