“I see. So, that’s what happened. Hmph,” Estella said after Narias told everyone what happened and why he was alone, letting out a sigh at the end.


    “You look somewhat happy about it, Miss Alifur,” Nicky commented, noticing her sly smile at the end.


    “Sorry about that. I just can’t but smile when I see or hear students act so arrogant. That kind of behavior won’t get unpunished, I can tell you for certain. I bet those students and their entire club will be banned from entering the Magic Dungeon for a week or two, if not longer,” Estella explained why she reacted the way she did.


    “Banned from entering the Magic Dungeon?” Nicky gasped, covering her mouth with one hand, the others having similar or at least surprised reactions as well.


    “That being said… why are you exploring the Magic Dungeon on your own? Not to mention, coming all the way down here to the third floor?” Estella turned to Narias, giving him a somewhat angry look.


    “Eh? Ah, well… I thought I will… bring some supplies for later use for us,” Narias tried to explain himself.


    “That’s very caring of you, but it’s the third floor of the Magic Dungeon. What if something was to happen to you, eh?” Estella asked, raising her voice.


    Oh, man… Narias started to sweat.


    “S… sorry, I was just…” Narias didn’t know what to say, rubbing his cheek with one finger.


    “We were so worried about you when you got trapped inside the Magic Dungeon. How do you think we would feel if something was to happen to you again?” Ileena joined in, pressing her right hand close to her chest and looking worried.


    “Hey, it’s… ok. I’m strong enough to kill Pincer Ants without any trouble now. I’m… fine. See?” Narias explained himself, trying to show he was perfectly fine, his act looking to be quite silly too.


    “Sigh…” Estella dropped her head down before lifting it up to look at Narias again. “Yes, but… it doesn’t mean we wouldn’t be worried.” She added, averting her flushed face away.


    “I’m sorry, Estella, and Ileena too. I apologize to everyone here as well, but I truly am strong enough to kill monsters on the third floor with ease. In fact, with the Althyme Watch that I have now I can kill Pincer Ants with a single Fireball spell,” Narias explained.


    “What? Althyme…” Estella said thoughtfully, her cat-like ears flickering to the sides once.


    “Watch?” Ileena asked, tilting her head to the side.


    “Yes, this,” Narias said, pulling the sleeve on his left wrist up and revealing something that could’ve been called a wristwatch in Anthony’s world.


    However, it wasn’t exactly a watch per se. The Althyme Watch, as Narias called, was about two inches in diameter and had a somewhat hexagon shape, but was very smooth on the edges all around it. The middle of it was a play of colors, with one half of it being brighter while the other half contained darker colors, being almost completely black at one single spot. There were no arrows to show the time inside of the ‘watch’ either. Instead, there was a small, half an inch in length flashing dot at a certain spot near the inside edge of the hexagon shaped magical item.


    The Althyme Watch was imbedded inside a bracer which looked to be made out of an extraordinary, magically enchanted material. It looked to be made out of metal of sorts, but at the same time not. According to Narias, the bracer was made out of the Fiery Steel, a magic metal that is usually used to craft pure magical weapons and armor. It was shiny red and silver in color which just added to how magnificently beautiful the accessory looked.


    “Wooow…” everyone gasped in amazement, their eyes not blinking.


    “Now that’s… quite a treasure,” Estella finally said, being the first one to snap out of staring at it.


    “So, this is the Althyme Watch you have mentioned that would be made for you, Narias?” Ileena asked.


    “Yes. As it turns out, it not only shows time of the day, but also boosts my magic considerably. I was able to reach the boss monster’s lair on the first floor in less than four hours thanks to my Boost spell lasting longer and making me almost twice as fast as before too,” Narias said.


    “In less than four hours?” Ileena gasped in surprise.


    “Cool,” Growly commented.


    “Oh my,” Nicky exclaimed, looking in awe.


    “Yo’, boss, does that mean you’re now even faster than before-nya?” Xefys asked, looking to be more worried than impressed.


    “I guess so,” Narias said, showing a smile.


    “Nyah! Just you wait, boss, I will work twice as hard in order to catch up to you-nya,” Xefys declared, jumping to stand up before clenching his right fist in front of him.


    “I’ll be looking forward to it, Xefys,” Narias said.


    “Ahem, so… Will you be going back right after you leave the supplies or…” Estella suddenly asked, trying not to look directly at Narias, but trying to sound casual.


    “Ah, no. I was planning to explore more of the third floor. Huh? I meant…” Narias caught himself a little too late after he sayd a little too much.


    “What? You plan to continue your exploration?” Estella asked, turning to look directly at him again.


    “Well…” Narias said, averting his eyes away.


    “You…” Estella squinted her eyes before letting out a deep sigh, placing her hands on her waist. “I shouldn’t have asked.”


    “Sorry, but… I thought I could explore a bit more of the third floor of the Magic Dungeon to familiarize myself with it and maybe find another Supply Point room,” Narias revealed his intentions.


    “Narias,” Ileena said, sounding a little worried.


    “Right…” Narias said, scratching his cheek with one finger before letting out a deep sigh himself.


    “But you better be careful, you hear me?” Estella stated suddenly, pointing her finger at Narias’s chest.


    “What? But Miss Alifur…” Ileena spoke up, giving Estella a look full of worry.


    “Yes, I know and I am worried about Narias too,” Estella said, throwing a glance at Narias before turning to face Ileena. “But at the same time, he’s a fully certified Guide now and we are ought to trust him. Besides, Magic Dungeon is dangerous no matter how you look at it or which floor you’re on.”


    “Right,” Ileena said, knowing Estella was right.


    “Thank you, Estella,” Narias said, showing a smile.


    “Don’t thank me just yet, my dearest boyfriend,” Estella stated almost angrily, squinting her eyes when she looked directly at Narias, almost making him jump too. “You have to promise you will be extra careful and come back safe and sound. Understood?” She added, glaring at Narias menacingly.


    “Eeh? Yes, ma’am,” Narias shot an answer almost instantaneously.


    “Sigh,” Estella relaxed, dropping her shoulders down before straightening up again. “Anyway, we were planning to have some rest before going back home. What… is your plan from this point onwards?”


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    “I was planning to leave the supplies and move out right away. It is almost noon now according to Althyme Watch and I had a long rest after I have killed the boss monster on the second floor,” Narias informed.


    “What about food? Would you like to eat something before heading out?” Ileena asked him, feeling hopeful.


    “Ahm… No, not really,” Narias said, noticing the expressions on his girlfriends’ faces change to mildly sad ones right after.


    Huh? Was it something I said? Narias couldn’t understand before noticing Nicky pressing herself closer to Growly, the two of them making themselves comfortable to have some rest. Oh, that’s why. It finally dawned on him.


    “On the second thought, maybe having a short nap is a good idea after all,” Narias said, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand before getting his blanket out of his backpack.


    “Yes, you need to be at full strength if you want to continue exploring the Magic Dungeon, especially by yourself,” Estella said, a sly grin entering her lips, her tail jumping up joyfully before she forcibly wrapped it around her waist.


    “Would you mind if I sleep next to you, Narias?” Ileena asked, laying down her blanket next to his.


    “Huh? What?” Estella exclaimed quietly.


    “No, not at all,” Narias said, fixing his own blanket so it would be more comfortable for both of them.


    “Sigh… Ok, fine. I guess I’ll… sleep over there,” Estella said, about to walk to lay down at the spot she was lying before Narias showed up.


    “Why? You don’t want to lie next to me, Estella?” Narias asked, Estella’s ears shooting up.


    “Ah? Ahem… Well, if you insist,” Estella said, blushing like no tomorrow. She glanced at the other four students that she came here with, all four of them already lying down and most probably pretending to be asleep too. Estella let out a deep sigh before picking up her blanket and walking to lay down next to Narias on the opposite side of where Ileena was lying next to him. “You really have no shame, do you?” She whispered into his ear.


    “If you mean that I didn’t want to leave you sleeping by yourself, then no,” Narias whispered back, showing a satisfied smile.


    “You’re such a trouble, you know,” Estella said, hugging Narias’s arm before giving him a kiss on a cheek, her tail dancing playfully for a few seconds before calming down.


    “Good night, Narias,” Ileena whispered, giving Narias a kiss on a cheek from the other side.


    “Good… night…” Narias said hesitantly, knowing it wasn’t nighttime, but he let it go in the end.


    {after about three hours}


    “Hi,” Narias said after Estella opened her eyes, both of them lying sideways and looking at each other.


    “Huh? Oh, hi,” Estella said before closing her eyes and snuggling closer to Narias.


    “Oh… ok,” Narias said in a half whisper, relaxing to allow himself and Estella stay there for a while longer.


    “Is… something wrong?” Estella asked, her tail starting to dance in the air playfully.


    “No, it’s ok. We can stay like that for a while longer if you want,” Narias said in a half whisper.


    “What? You still have some cake left, Growly?” Suddenly, the two of them heard Nicky speak up. She was trying to be quiet, but the current Supply Point room was rather small, so everyone could hear it.


    “I kept it for you,” Growly responded.


    “Aah, you’re so sweet. Let’s share it then,” Nicky was quick to offer to share the cake, smiling delightfully.


    “Huh? Wait, where… are we?” Estella asked, looking and sounding confused.


    “What do you mean?” Narias asked her back.


    “Oh, that’s…” Estella lifted her eyes up, seeing the stone walls and remembering where they were. She almost jumped to sit up, instantly noticing everyone else was awake and eating or drinking something, including Ileena. “S… sorry, I…”


    “It’s ok. Did you have a good rest, Estella?” Narias asked her, sitting up himself.


    “Yeah, I… Wait, was I the last one to wake up? How long was I asleep?” Estella wanted to know.


    “About three hours,” said Narias.


    “Three hours?” Estella gasped. “When did everyone else wake up then?”


    “Ileena woke up last and it was about quarter of an hour ago,” he said.


    “What?” Estella exclaimed in surprise, clearly not able to believe it. “Sigh… You could’ve woken me up, you know.”


    “Yes, but everyone agreed to let you sleep longer,” said Narias. “Besides, you looked like you were having a very pleasant dream.”


    “Huh? You… were watching me while I was asleep?” Estella asked, a not so humble blush jumping on her cheeks.


    “Well, yeah. I wasn’t very sleepy to begin with, actually. I think I was the first one to wake up, but since all of you needed some rest, I simply stayed put waiting for everyone to wake up,” Narias told her.


    “Sigh…” Estella dropped her eyes down, feeling ashamed. “Sorry, I need to talk to everyone.” She said, standing up before walking to where her group of students was. “Ahem… I’m sorry for… oversleeping.”


    “It’s ok, Miss Alifur. We’re not in a hurry,” Sorilani said with a smile.


    “You’re our Guide and watching over us must be very tiring. It’s better if you have a good rest, Miss Alifur,” Nicky chipped in.


    “Yes, we don’t mind waiting-nya,” Xefys added before continuing to eat his food.


    “Right… Thank you. I’ll go… have something to eat and then we can move out,” Estella said before turning to get her backpack.


    “Being a Guide must be very demanding,” Ileena commented after Estella sat down to eat.


    “It’s more mentally demanding than physically, but yes, you are quite right about that,” Estella confirmed it. “Of course, that doesn’t change the fact that I overslept.”


    “You shouldn’t be too harsh on yourself, Estella. You know, I also become worried about you and Ileena, and about everyone else when they go into the Magic Dungeon,” Narias said.


    “I guess it goes both ways. Humph,” Estella said, showing a pleased smile. “Ok, let’s eat something.”


    Estella wasn’t exactly hungry, but they weren’t in a rush to leave the Supply Point room either. The group has enjoyed some small talk, sharing their experiences about their dungeon exploration, Narias revealing he has got another Fanged Whitemane Wolf’s Fur as a drop from the Fanged Whiteman Wolf that he had killed. The interesting part about it was, Narias said he has killed the boss monster before it could use its Enraged Howl to boost its strength and bring its pack back to life, receiving a few gasps and stares, and making an impression on his friends and both of his girlfriends too.


    The second boss monster has dropped a strange item for Narias to say the least. It was called the Heavy Iron Sandals. They contained no magic and were rather heavy for a pair of shoes, just like its name implied, so Narias thought it was a rather low-quality item. However, that’s where Growly intervened, telling Narias it was a really good find. Growly said that the Heavy Iron Sandals were very useful for blacksmiths or anyone who works at a job that involves crafting, because the Heavy Iron Sandals help protect one’s feet not only from getting accidentally hurt, but from getting burned or frostbitten too. When someone is working at the furnace or is crafting items that involve using Frost Magic, they usually wear some sort of heat or frost protective clothing so they wouldn’t get burned or frostbitten. The Heavy Iron Sandals are perfect for keeping one’s feet safe from either of those. Growly said he and his dad already have a pair of sandals each, so he wouldn’t need them, but it could sell for a decent price.


    When it came time for the group to share what they had found inside the Magic Dungeon, the excitement level dropped down bellow zero. Other than the Magic Crystals that the boss monsters drop inside the Magic Dungeon, Estella’s group was unlucky to get a few bones from both of the boss monsters that they had killed. Still, the bones fetched a small price on the market, so it was better than nothing.


    “Ok, well, it’s time to go,” Estella finally said, standing up. “Pick up your bags and let’s get a move on.”


    “Oh, I’m so sorry. I still need a minute to pack everything up,” Nicky said, but instead of putting whatever she had taken out of her backpack, she started taking more stuff out.


    “Huh? Hey, why are you taking things out of your backpack, Nicky?” Estella asked, wearing a puzzled look on her face.


    “So I can put it all back more neatly,” Nicky explained, continuing to empty it.


    “Yes, so do I,” Sorilani added before following Nicky’s example.


    “Nya, I’m all re… almost ready,” Xefys said, about to throw his backpack on his back, but then took it off before placing it on the ground in front of him. “I just need to double check if I got everything packed-nya.”


    “Huh? What are you…” Estella blinked in surprise, becoming completely confused.


    “Can I walk you out, Narias?” Ileena asked him in the meantime.


    “Oh, yeah, sure,” Narias said before turning to Estella. “Estella?”


    “Hm? Ah, ahem… Ok,” Estella said before turning to the other four seemingly busy students. “Ileena and I will walk Narias out. We’ll be back soon, so make sure you are ready to move out before we come back.”


    “Yes, Miss Alifur,” Nicky said, the other students saying the same thing, Estella turning to follow Narias and Ileena right after.


    “Well, be careful on your way back,” Narias said, standing right at the end of the small tunnel leading into the Magic Dungeon.


    “It is us who should be telling you that, you know,” Estella said, pouting her lips.


    “Yes, I will be careful too,” Narias said, showing a smile.


    “Take care of yourself Narias and I’ll see you when you get back,” said Ileena, stepping closer to give him a kiss.


    “Yes, I’ll make sure I won’t stay here for too long,” said Narias after receiving the kiss.


    “Let me know when you’re back as well,” said Estella, not being shy with her kiss either.


    “Yes, of course,” said Narias. “Well, I’ll be off.” He added before stepping into the dungeon, his presence vanishing from Estella’s and Ileena’s eyes.


    “Sigh, I am so damn worried about him, you know,” Estella said, dropping her head down.


    “Yes, so am I,” said Ileena, adding a mild sigh.


    “Ok, let’s go pick up the rest of the group and head back,” Estella said, turning around to go, but then suddenly stopped. “On a side note, it was you who talked to the others about letting us see Narias off, wasn’t it?”


    “Only partly. It was Nicky’s suggestion for the most part. She’s… rather bright about these type of matters,” Ileena confessed.


    “Is she now? I guess I’ll have to thank her then. Also, I apologize for snatching Narias from you during our sleep,” Estella added, becoming a little embarrassed.


    “It’s ok. I am not upset, Miss Alifur,” said Ileena. “You must’ve been more tired than usual too.”


    “Maybe. It’s just that… I would always sleep by myself inside the Magic Dungeon and this was the first time I slept next to… someone else. Sorry, I meant Narias and… it felt really pleasant and that’s why my body probably wanted to sleep longer,” Estella admitted hesitantly.


    “I understand. I feel the same way,” Ileena told her.


    “Humph,” Estella smirked. “Ok, let’s go.” She added, both of them going to where the other four students were waiting for them.