Chapter 4: Saintess ①
Thinking about Puffy was agonizing. It was a cliché expression, but my heart ached as if it were dying. Tears flowed uncontrollably, and I had to hide my face from everyone, crying even more in solitude. Of course, I hadn’t asked Ryuguin anything about it.
Would time solve everything? I was foolishly hoping for that.
Now, let’s shift the mood and talk about the Saintess.
Though I had been calling her the Saintess, she, of course, had a name. Those with keen eyes might have already noticed, but her name is Mika.
However, I thought it would be rude to call her Mika without her permission. At least, that’s what I believed.
“Hey, Mika! Do you have any snacks?”
Ryuguin’s charming voice echoed inside the carriage as usual.
Since it was a carriage protected by a barrier, we faced no battles and smoothly arrived at the town near the Newly Constructed Ultimate Labyrinth. Yet, Ryuguin acted arrogantly throughout the journey.
“Hey, Yamada! Tell us something interesting!”
That kind of prompt was the most annoying.
Three weeks passed like this. It was just a short trip, but I had gained something. I had a vague understanding of the character of Saintess Mika.
I learned something during our journey in the carriage. Saintess Mika was surprisingly fond of food.
Though she was a Saintess sent by the church advocating austerity, she reacted sharply during our casual conversation in the carriage. The topic was, quite simply, sweets.
Thinking it was just a coincidence, I shared the story of the most delicious apple pie I had ever eaten with Ryuguin and Saintess Mika. Freshly baked apple pies were all delicious, but the expensive ones had a different kind of butter. They also used liquor to enhance the flavor of the apples. As I rambled on about this trivial topic,
“I’m in the mood for something salty rather than sweet right now. Isn’t there something else we should be talking about?” Ryuguin interrupted, urging me to change the subject without a hint of shame.
But I didn’t miss it. The moment Ryuguin suggested changing the topic, Saintess Mika shook her head slightly.
Noticing my gaze, she said, “I’m fine with continuing this conversation.”
“Do you like apple pie?” I asked.
She hesitated, looking somewhat troubled.
“Hmm, I see. Then, once things settle down, I’ll make you an apple pie. But only if I can gather the ingredients.”
At my casual offer, she nodded eagerly.
“Please do.”
“Sure thing.”
Though her words were few, she had emotions. It was obvious, but I was reminded of that once again.
When I first arrived in this world, I had thought, “Is she a robot or something?” But now, I couldn’t possibly think that way.
Of course, even though I had studied about the labyrinth in the castle, I was still a novice when it came to the real thing.
The kings had taken that into consideration. When we arrived in the town, the Guild Master of that town, who was an elf, was scheduled to assist us.
After arriving in the town, I quickly began discussions with the Guild Master, and preparations for our dungeon exploration started.
The frontline was Ryuguin, the Hero. I, Ichiro Yamada, was the tank and skirmisher in the middle. The rear was occupied by the healer, Saintess Mika.
We were lacking. Severely lacking. In fact, this party wouldn’t function at all!
The cause was clear. Ryuguin, the Hero, was nothing more than a decorative piece. He kept saying, “It’s fine, it’s fine, just leave it to me,” but he was struggling just to hold his sword up!
This was bad! Really bad! With the main attacker down, we were left with just a tank and a healer. What was this? We were just waiting to be slaughtered!
I pressed my head down in anxiety.
“How much Healing Magic can you use, Saintess?” I asked.
Saintess Mika answered without changing her expression. “I can use it as many times as necessary. I have never run out of mana. Even if my arms are torn off, my stomach has a hole, or my head is crushed, I can heal myself.”
I was left speechless. Her capabilities were utterly extraordinary. It was no wonder she was revered as a Saintess.
“Alright! Saintess, I’m going to put you in a bit of danger, but I’ll protect you for sure. So, when I get hurt, I’ll leave it to you!”
I steeled myself for what felt like the umpteenth time since coming to this world.
The plan was simple. I would be the main attacker and the main shield. Saintess Mika would be the healer. No scouts.
It was utterly insane.
But if the healer could use Healing Magic almost infinitely, then it wasn’t impossible. The key was my determination and whether I would carry it out.
The dungeon exploration with just the two of us (plus Ryuguin) was incredibly intense. When it came to dungeons, traps were the first hurdle. Navigating the traps was practically the starting line.
Now, let’s take a moment to reflect on my party. There were no scouts or trap specialists in sight. So what should we do?
The answer was simple: there was nothing we could do. After much deliberation, I resolved to say, “Saintess, I’m counting on you,” and I triggered every trap we encountered.
There were times when poisonous mist rained down, causing my skin to rot. There were times when spears shot out from the walls, impaling me. And of course, I fell into a pit filled with spears and got skewered.
Yet, sadly, even with these threats, traps were merely an appetizer in the grand scheme of dungeon exploration.
The main course, of course, was the monsters.
We were exploring the Newly Constructed Ultimate Labyrinth, which was no ordinary dungeon. We were bound to struggle against the overwhelming strength of the monsters that appeared one after another.
But I had my abilities honed through hellish training, albeit for a short time, and most importantly, I had the Saintess who could use Healing Magic almost without limit.
I endured all the damage myself, gritting my teeth. I cut down every enemy that stood in our way.
Of course, I was hit by monsters, torn apart, my bones shattered, thrown somewhere, crashed into a wall, my insides ruptured, and I had bled profusely countless times.
Yeah, it was clear even without thinking too hard. This was undoubtedly a tactical blunder.
Why hadn’t I trained Ryuguin and utilized him as a combat force? Was it because I had given up on having him fight? That was certainly part of it.
But I had no idea how to talk to the eloquent Ryuguin to persuade him to take things seriously.
Should I have just left him at the castle? Unfortunately, I felt lonely without anyone from my hometown besides Ryuguin.
Moreover, upon reflection, I realized that deep down, I was worried that leaving Ryuguin at the castle would allow him to get closer to the Princess.
Jealousy, loneliness, and resentment swirled within me, emotions I couldn’t control, leading me to make the absurd choice of bringing along a narcissistic burden who couldn’t even be counted as a combat force.
It was clear that this was a mistake.
There was a tool borrowed from the Guild called a Portal. By setting up a portal in the dungeon, we could explore from there, which was quite convenient.
I thought it might be applicable to spatial transfer magic, but it seemed that it operated using the dungeon’s own mana, so it couldn’t be activated outside the dungeon.
Saintess Mika and I continued to fight, steadily and surely exploring deeper and deeper, setting up portals and retreating, repeating this training day after day.
In the lower levels of the dungeon, there were Forbidden Species Designated Monsters. It wasn’t just one or two.
There were Cursed Dragons and Avalanche Dragons, among other Forbidden Dragon Species, as well as Greed Ants and other monsters from the Deadly Series.
Even if just one of those monsters were to attack the city, it would be enough to bring about total destruction. Time and again, we faced this formidable foe, retreating and challenging it over and over, risking our lives in a relentless cycle of trial and error until we finally managed to defeat it.
After implementing precarious strategies that felt like walking on thin ice and enduring grueling training that drove us to the brink of madness, we finally overcame every obstacle and reached the deepest part of its lair—by that time, six months had already passed.