Keiichiro walked over to the fallen Tsukasa.
He seemed to have lost consciousness, but he shouldn’t have taken any critical damage.
His blunder this time was purely due to the surprise attack and the difference in compatibility; normally, his skills were several levels above Oishi’s.
“Are you okay?”
Keiichiro lightly tapped Tsukasa’s cheek.
His brow furrowed.
“Nghh…”
A sound escaped Tsukasa’s lips.
It was a small stimulus, but it seemed sufficient to bring him back to consciousness.
Slowly, Tsukasa’s eyes opened.
Perhaps because he had just woken up, he looked sleepy.
Tsukasa looked back at Keiichiro, appearing drained.
Then he closed his eyes—
“Ngh… If it’s you, Onii-chan… it’s okay?”
He murmured sweetly.
Tsukasa kept his lips firmly sealed and didn’t move.
Without opening his eyes or getting up, he simply waited for Keiichiro to act.
“Okay for what?”
“Ow…”
When Keiichiro flicked his forehead, Tsukasa let out a small cry.
As if resigning himself, Tsukasa sat up, pressing his forehead.
“So, are you alright?”
Keiichiro asked.
As an Adventurer, he could grasp someone’s physical condition to some extent.
However, that didn’t change the fact that he wasn’t a medical expert.
Besides, this time it wasn’t just a physical issue.
Betrayal and assault by someone he thought was a comrade.
If anything, the problem was mental.
“Yeah. I’m the same cute and healthy me as always?”
Tsukasa tilted his head with a koten.
Smiling artfully, he didn’t look like he was hiding anything.
“……………………I see.”
“That was a looong pause.”
When Keiichiro responded after a delay, Tsukasa gave a carefree laugh.
He seemed more amused than saddened by the situation.
“You should be grateful I responded at all.”
Keiichiro scratched his head.
Tsukigase Tsukasa was, as he himself declared, male.
However, as an objective fact, his appearance was as beautiful as a young girl’s.
Anyone unaware would surely mistake him for a pretty girl.
Tsukasa utilized this appearance of his, putting on alluring gestures.
Reacting to it was irritating.
That was precisely why Keiichiro consciously maintained an air of indifference.
“Hey, Tsukigase.”
“What is it? Kageura Onii-chan.”
“…………”
Keiichiro deliberately ignored Tsukasa’s wheedling voice.
He looked around.
“What’s the deal with the exploration rights for this Dungeon?”
“I heard they won it at auction, I think.”
Tsukasa answered Keiichiro’s question.
“Well… I guess that makes sense if you plan on committing crimes in secret.”
Crimes within Dungeons leave little evidence.
Once the Boss is defeated, the Dungeon vanishes along with any proof.
However, that’s meaningless if witnessed on the spot.
To avoid unnecessary risks, securing exclusive exploration rights through auction was a natural step.
(Maybe I should ask an expert.)
“—Ibara-san. You’re here, aren’t you?”
Keiichiro spoke into the empty air.
Normally, this would be a futile action.
But he had a conviction.
“…You noticed, I see.”
A part of the scenery distorted.
The heat-haze-like shimmer turned black, eventually taking the form of a single woman.
Standing there was a woman in a suit with black hair cut around shoulder length—Ibara Natsume.
“Whoa!? Is that the [Stealth] Skill!? I didn’t notice at all!”
Apparently not having sensed Natsume’s presence, Tsukasa jumped in surprise.
Ignoring Tsukasa, who was expressing his shock with a loud cry, Natsume faced Keiichiro.
“And here I was, under the impression I could deceive half of all A-Rank Adventurers.”
Her confidence was not arrogance.
Her [Stealth] Skill was indeed quite high-level.
“The scorch marks from the magic I deflected earlier.”
“?” “?”
Keiichiro pointed at the ground.
He had reflected Kurata’s fire magic with an Arrow.
In doing so, the fierce flames had left scorch marks on the rocky area.
“See how the edge is scorched strangely?”
However, a portion of the scorch mark was indented.
The fan-shaped scorch mark was missing a small, albeit unnatural, piece.
“Seeing that, I figured someone was hiding there and deflected the magic to avoid getting hit.”
From that scorch mark, he had sensed another presence.
“And since they showed no sign of attacking me, they weren’t an enemy. The only person I could think of who would follow me into a Dungeon while hidden was you, Ibara-san.”
“Oooh! Kageura Onii-chan, you saw all that!”
“I think I understand why Ojou-sama holds you in high regard.”
As Keiichiro revealed his reasoning, Tsukasa reacted with exaggerated surprise.
Natsume, though her expression remained unchanged, voiced words of admiration.
(—Though I suppose a big part of it is because I’ve seen the strongest Assassin up close.)
Keiichiro muttered inwardly.
The Assassin class.
Its pinnacle.
Because he knew the S-Rank assassin renowned even as the 【Grim Reaper】.
“Ibara-san. In a case like this, what happens with the Dungeon rights?”
Keiichiro immediately got to the main point.
Ibara Natsume was a Dungeon Supervisor.
There was likely no one more knowledgeable about Dungeon rights than her.
“Committing a crime naturally results in the forfeiture of Dungeon exploration rights. Therefore, it would be natural for all rights to revert to Kageura-sama and Tsukigase-sama.”
Natsume’s words were as he had expected.
This time, the exploration rights for this Dungeon had been granted solely to Keiichiro’s party.
Even if Oishi and the others lost their rights as criminals, the entire party didn’t need to bear responsibility.
If the rights were granted on a party basis, it was natural to assume that Keiichiro and Tsukasa still retained their exploration rights.
“Furthermore, due to the special circumstances this time, it’s possible to relinquish the exploration rights as a special exception. There’s also the option to receive a partial refund of the bid amount and switch the Dungeon to free exploration.”
Natsume added this clarification.
Having the rights didn’t necessarily mean exploration was feasible.
Would they attempt to clear it as a duo?
Or judge their strength insufficient and reorganize the party?
If they didn’t feel it was worth monopolizing the exploration rights to that extent, they could return the Dungeon to a shared space along with a partial cashback.
It was common sense that once a Dungeon was won at auction, it had to be cleared responsibly.
But according to Natsume, if criminal activity was involved, relinquishing the rights was apparently possible.
“Hmm, hmm.”
“What do you want to do, Tsukigase? You were here first, so you have the right to decide how to handle the Dungeon.”
Keiichiro said.
He had only joined at the very end.
Tsukasa, who had been involved in the exploration longer than Keiichiro, should have priority in deciding the course of action.
That seemed like the proper way to do things.
“Hmm—”
Tsukasa placed a finger on his chin, thinking.
But only for a few seconds.
He nodded and turned back to Keiichiro.
“If possible… I’d like to try and clear as much as we can with Kageura Onii-chan… maybe.”
Tsukasa said hesitantly.
“I don’t want today’s exploration to end as just a bad memory.”
That was likely his honest opinion.
The terror of being suddenly attacked by his party.
To overcome that, he needed the validation of clearing this Dungeon himself.
If they gave up the Dungeon now, the memory of today would linger.
He didn’t want it to end with being attacked by a Bandit Gang and having everything ruined.
He decided this as a way to defy their despicable crime.
“No good?”
“No. — If anything, that’s exactly what I wanted.”
Keiichiro smiled.
If Tsukasa had wanted to relinquish the rights, he had been considering buying them himself.
He had originally requested a C-Rank Dungeon from Akino anyway.
He had no reason to let it go.
“Ibara-san—”
“I will hand over the 【Bandit Gang】 to the Dungeon Supervisor in charge of this Dungeon.”
Natsume said as she lifted Oishi and the others.
Her expression didn’t change at all, even while holding three adult men.
Considering the proficiency of her [Stealth] Skill, it was clear she was no ordinary Adventurer.
Even if Oishi and the others woke up on the way, Natsume likely wouldn’t be caught off guard.
“Thank you very much.”
“No. It’s my job.”
Natsume replied.
She turned her back to Keiichiro and left the area at a speed that made her seem to vanish.
“Alright then… shall we go?”
“Yeah!”
Natsume handled the transport of Oishi and the others.
Keiichiro and Tsukasa began their actions toward clearing the Dungeon.
☆
“Sei! Hah!”
A sharp slash tore through the Hound Wolf’s neck.
Fast, yet perfectly precise.
Tsukasa annihilated the monsters without any trouble.
“V!”
Surrounded by the corpses of Hound Wolves, Tsukasa flashed a peace sign.
He ran over to Keiichiro with nimble movements.
“Still, Kageura-oniichan’s… [Arrow]? That’s amazing! I’ve never seen a Skill like that before!”
Tsukasa said, sounding excited.
–Keiichiro had already revealed his [Arrow] Trap.
If they were going to clear a C-Rank Dungeon with just the two of them, the effect of the [Arrow] was essential.
Besides, he was starting to feel like he didn’t need to hide it from Tsukasa.
“Yeah… It’s a Unique Skill.”
“Whoa! Kageura-oniichan, you have a Unique Skill!?”
When the topic turned to Unique Skills, Tsukasa’s eyes sparkled.
That’s how much Adventurers admired Unique Skills.
“To think you’d tell me something like that~”
Tsukasa grinned suggestively.
Revealing information about a Unique Skill carried the meaning of a sign of trust.
Normally, information regarding Unique Skills was delicate.
(Well, he doesn’t seem like a bad guy.)
They were comrades who had faced the same crisis together.
Besides, Tsukasa had worried about Keiichiro even when he himself was in danger.
If it was him, telling him probably wouldn’t lead to any trouble.
“–Could it be~, you’ve actually fallen for me?”
–The moment he thought that, it developed into trouble.
Although, it was a different kind of trouble than he had anticipated.
“…Ah, is that so. If we talk any more, I don’t think I can control myself, so let’s not talk from now on.”
Keiichiro started walking, leaving Tsukasa behind.
Then, Tsukasa grabbed his clothes in a panic.
“Waaah, wait! It was a joke! Don’t react like you’re seriously annoyed! Just laugh it off and ignore it…!”
“So you recommend ignoring it?”
Tsukasa clung to him.
It couldn’t be helped that a sigh escaped Keiichiro’s lips.
That said, he hadn’t intended to be genuinely harsh.
Keiichiro matched his pace with Tsukasa’s.
The two walked through the Dungeon side-by-side.
Then, Tsukasa peered into Keiichiro’s face beside him–
“Hey, hey, Kageura-oniichan.”
“…………”
“I’m already being ignored!?”
Tsukasa was dumbfounded.
“No, no, no, no! Kageura-oniichan! This time it’s something proper!”
“…What is it?”
Keiichiro stopped walking.
Honestly, he wasn’t expecting much.
“Isn’t that the Boss Room?”
“…Looks like it.”
But it was actually useful information.
The direction Tsukasa indicated.
There was a door there.
There were no walls or room.
Just a door, sitting solemnly in the rocky area.
That strange gateway was undoubtedly the Boss Room.
“Should we go?”
Tsukasa asked.
Would the two of them challenge the Boss?
It was the final confirmation.
“I’m fine with it, but–are you okay with it, Tsukigase?”
“Yup! Tsukasa, you know? Wants to go with Kageura-oniichan, just the two of us… Nnnh~”
“…………”
“Don’t leave me behind…”
Keiichiro headed towards the Boss Room alone.
☆
“First one in~!”
Tsukasa opened the door with the force of a charge.
And he was the first one to enter the Boss Room.
“The scenery hasn’t changed much, huh. The Boss isn’t here either.”
Tsukasa checked his surroundings.
A wide rocky area spread out.
It was a circular area with a radius of about 50 meters.
Beyond that, a forest stretched out.
“Don’t let your guard down. In high-rank Dungeons, there have been cases where Monsters clung to the ceiling or hid behind the door.”
Keiichiro warned him, just in case.
There was no ceiling here.
And considering the Monsters inside the Dungeon were wolf-types, the possibility of a bird-type Monster suddenly appearing was unlikely.
However, there was still a chance that a Monster could be aiming for a surprise attack.
Even if the probability was low, it wasn’t something to be careless about.
“Heeh…? Knowing things like that, could it be that Kageura-oniichan is actually–“
Tsukasa’s probing gaze.
But the situation changed in an instant.
“!”
All they felt was a presence.
However, Keiichiro and Tsukasa jumped back from their spots simultaneously.
Judging by the result, that action was the correct one.
Because the rocky ground where Tsukasa had been just moments ago was shattered.
“…Did you see that just now?”
“No…”
Keiichiro shook his head.
From his position, he had a clear view of Tsukasa.
If an enemy had been approaching, there was no way he would have missed it.
“If even I, who was behind Tsukigase, couldn’t see it… does that mean it’s invisible?”
Then, he should probably assume they ‘physically couldn’t see it’.
“A wolf-type Monster. Possessing the [Stealth] Skill. The possibilities are–“
Keiichiro pondered.
In his mind, one Monster surfaced.
“A Stealth Wolf.”
A wolf-type Monster possessing the [Stealth] Skill.
Its rank is–B-Rank.
The next Boss is a wolf-type Monster with stealth capabilities.