Book 2: Chapter 4: (7)


    Switching off my head torch, I hid myself in the shadow of the wall in therge room of the dungeon.


    Very near me, lying face down on her belly, was thedy knight.


    In the distance, I could hear Deets voice and the voices of two men, getting closer. <i>Theyre finally here!</i>


    Sh-shes dead, see. Not even an eyelid twitching.


    B-but! The colour of her skin it really looks like shes alive.


    <i>That must be Klein and Barney.</i>


    I thought wed decided that she was dead? If we sell this dress armour and shield and divide the money between us, well make a pretty penny. Come on, hurry up and strip them off.


    <i>Thats Deets voice. Women are scary.</i> She was ying her part incredibly well.


    <i>Based on what Ive been told, that must be Klein.</i> He finally put a hand on the shield of the fallendy knight.


    Thats when it happened. Suddenly, thedy knight ced both hands on the ground and pushed herself into a sitting position, and turned to look Klein in the face.


    Klein Is that you? Barney Is that you?


    Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Ria?!


    <i>I bet their bloods running cold.</i> Klein and Barney both fell on their backsides.


    In a hoarse voice, Barney said,


    Y-y-y-y-y-y-y-youre alive?


    Yes Somehow or other youvee to help me, havent you?


    W-w-w-w-w-w-well, of course!


    Klein insisted that hede to help her. <i>Liar!</i>


    <i>Didnt Deet say they were going to split the money between them? She guessed that would be the case  it looks as if she was right.</i>


    <i>Knowing they cast theirrade aside so easily, I thought theyd be like this.</i>


    <i>I cant let Ria hear these things.</i>


    Im so happy Klein


    G-gah! Well, its only natural that wede to help out ourrade!


    Angrily, Deet said,


    Klein, what are you on about? Didnt you say youd moved on from Ria, and youre with me now? Whatever. Lets sell that womans dress armour and shield and split the profits.


    Kleins face was already deathly pale. It was impossible to tell which of them was supposed to be a corpse.


    W-w-w-w-w-w-well pay you a reward, Deet, dont worry.


    I see. Thank you very much. In that case, Ill hold my tongue.


    Thedy knight crawled weakly towards Klein. She looked up at him with pleading eyes.


    Klein.. What is she talking about? Surely you didnte to hold a memorial service for me?


    O-o-o-o-o-o-of course not! Deet just says strange things.


    Thats true You told me that, didnt you, Klein? Tee-hee-hee


    Thedy knightughed happily. There was something off about thatugh.


    Tee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee


    R-Ria?


    By the way, Klein Since you came to help me, you must have brought your own sword with you, right? Please give me back the sword that was granted to me by Lady Monica.


    U-um!


    Klein nced at Barney. <i>Hes probably looking to him for help.</i> Barney shook his head.


    Klein. We have to pay Deet. Theres nothing in the Principles of the Adventurers Guild that says you have to give it back just because she turned out to be alive!


    <i>These two really only think about themselves.</i>


    <i>In any case, its only because no-ones turned up alive before that there isnt a rule about it.</i>


    But they were so shameless that theyd probably use that as a reason to muscle their way through.


    <i>Time to put my n into action!</i> Stealthily, I reached out and pressed the button by the robot arm.


    Wh-whats that sound?


    The two men looked above them to where the sound wasing from.


    A s-suspended ceiling?


    In reality, it was an iron door, but the thickness of the door made it look like a suspended ceiling when viewed from below.


    Unable to stand up, the two of them tried to escape by scrambling backwards on their butts.


    But thedy knight,ughing, grabbed hold of their feet.


    Tee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee


    What are you doing?Klein almost screamed. At the same time, the face of thedy knight melted off, revealing her skull in an instant.


    Shizuku was also ying her part well. Perhaps because she was a slime, watching her turn the face from flesh into liquid and melt away was enough to freak me out, too.


    Aaaaaaggggghhh! L-let go of meeeeeeeeeeee!


    Klein and Barneys screams rang out.


    Please return Arias sword The sword of mithril. If you give it back, Ill think about letting you go


    I will! Ill give it baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!


    Thank you very much. But Ive thought about it, and Im not going to let go of you.


    Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!


    Klein and Barney seemed to have fainted.


    I pressed the button one more time. With a click, the iron door began to rise up again.


    Hey, you two are quite the actorsI said admiringly to Deet and Shizuku as I stood up.


    Thats because I was really angry!


    When a slime gets mad, they get really mad, you see!


    <i>Of course. Even I was angry.</i>


    I looked at the two unconscious figures.


    That Klein guys wet himself. Shall we do the same to Barney to make things equal in thememorative photo?


    I sshed some of the c that Id brought with me just in case onto Barneys crotch.


    Then I took a photo of the two of them with my camera.


    Right. I recorded them saying theyd return the sword on my smartphone, and Ive taken a picture with my camera as well. Deet, Shizuku, shall we go back to the apartment?


    Yeah.


    Yes!


    The monitor in the Western-style room showed the two of them lying inside the closed iron door.


    In ce of the mithril sword, Id casually put down the sword that Deet had bought on the surface in front of Kleins face.


    And to top it all off, printouts of thememorative photo


    Whats with that weird monologue?


    You sound like a chef.


    Deet gave me a wondering look, then nced at the monitor andughed.


    Oh, those two havee round. Theyre looking at the photos you put out, Thor! Heeheehee


    I opened the iron door and watched on the monitor as they scurried away like frightened bunnies.


    All thats left to do is deliver the mithril sword to Ria, whos by herself in the Japanese-style room, and then were done.


    I picked up the mithril sword and went into the Japanese-style room. Tactfully, neither Deet nor Shizuku followed me.


    When I entered the room, I found Ria sitting in the corner in her gym shorts, her hands sping her knees.


    Is it over?


    Its over.


    I handed the mithril sword to Ria.


    Oh!  This is the sword that Lady Monica bestowed upon me. Thank you so much.


    Shedding tears, Ria hugged the sword close. It made me very d to see her like that.


    <i>Shell probably never see those two again.</i>


    Id intended to stick thememorative photo up on the noticeboard in the Adventurers Guild  and to keep putting it there.


    But, from what Id seen on the monitor, there might not be any need for that.


    With regard to those two, everything had turned out fine. But there was still one thing that I had to do.


    Im so happy that you were angry on my behalf, Sir Thor.


    Huh?


    After all, I thought you were the gentle type, the kind who doesnt really get angry.


    Well, I guess its quite rare for me to get cross.


    <i>She probably means that I got mad at Klein and Barney.</i>


    One cant say that Klein and Barney are bad, as adventurers go.


    Ria I dont care about thew, or the Principles of the Adventurers Guild.


    Thats because youre Japanese, Sir Thor.


    No, its because Im me.


    What do you mean by that?


    It might be right ording to thew, or the rules of the Adventurers Guild. But wouldnt you rather decide for yourself whats right and whats wrong? What I wanted to say is, even if everyone else in the world thinks its right, if it makes you sad, Ria, then I think its wrong.


    Sir Thor


    I felt my face growing a little red. But I got the feeling that, if I was going to say things like this that made me look good, then I had to tell her the truth as well.


    Ria, the fact is theres something in particr I want to tell you.


    Wh-whats that?


    I looked down. It was hard for me to say it.


    Im not a wise sage. Im sorry.


    I couldnt see Rias face. But I couldnt run away from this forever.


    I lifted my head timidly.


    I knew that. Im the one who should be apologising.


    Ria was smiling from ear to ear.


    What? You already knew?


    I still dont know exactly what kind of person you are, Sir Thor, but all the same, I know that youre not a wise sage.


    <i>Thats true. I mustve seemed pretty weird.</i>


    But why are you saying sorry to me?


    Ria looked apologetic.


    I figured it out, but I kept pretending that I was still fooled.


    But why?


    Um I enjoyed living with you so much, Sir Thor, that I ended up depending on you and staying on here. Because youd forgiven me, and because I didnt have a sword, and because of the trauma Id suffered. I must have been a nuisance, right?


    What! Is that how you see it? Youve done me a favour by staying with me all this time


    <i>Besides, Ria couldnt really have returned to the surface, right?</i> Surely going back to that dark cave would have been more frightening than anything else.


    Incidentally, what kind of person are you, really?


    U-um, I wonder. Its difficult to exin, you see.


    As I sat cross-legged on the tatami, pondering, Ria knelt in front of me.


    She turned towards the handle of her sword.


    Huh?


    I dont mind who you are, Sir Thor.


    It looked like a pose Id seen somewhere. <i>I-is she really</i>


    For as long as I live, I pledge my sword and my fealty to you, Sir Thor


    What? W-wait a sec. Theres no need for that.


    I-is that so?


    <i>H-huh? Youre giving up that easily?</i>


    In that case, please ept me as your bride.


    Whaaaaaaaaaat? I um


    Whether Im your knight or your bride, its all the same to me. Please be my new master. I cant make it without a master. So please, choose one. If its at all possible, thetter


    Somehow, she seemed extremely happy.


    W-well, maybe youd better be my knight? Since youll be going to the surface of the other world as an adventurer


    Ria puffed out her cheeks and said in a clearly offhand way,


    I dedicate my sword and my fealty to you, Sir Thor.


    <i>Is this really the attitude of a knight?</i>


    There will be adventures too, of course. Feel free to choose Deet or Shizuku for those, Sir Thor.


    Ulp.


    <i>Deet doesnt mean anything to me, and Shizukus a white slime! </i>I should have retorted, but for some reason I couldnt reply.


    But if you want me not as a knight but as a bride, please dont hesitate to tell me at any point. Ill be waiting for you.


    As she said this, the blonde knight in gym shorts blushed bashfully and smiled.