Lefiya POV
"Lefiya, it's time to go, okay?"
My roommate tapped me on the shoulder, and I stopped meditating.
"Yes, I'm coming right away."
I got up as usual, prepared myself, ate breakfast earlier than normal, and then meditated until it was time to leave. I've been doing this for the past three years. Meditation helps steady my mind, balancing a slight tension with a natural calm. I've always been clumsy, and before expeditions, my nerves would get the best of me, leading to mistakes.
But now, I'm able to keep calm thanks to Toki. He told me that being overly nervous is bad, but being too relaxed is no good either. So he suggested meditation to calm myself while maintaining some tension. Thanks to that, my mistakes have decreased.
As I thought this, my face grew warm. I remembered last night, just before leaving Toki's house, he kissed me. I told him not to see me off. Though I would've been happy, I was sure that if he did, my nerves would completely vanish. So I always declined.
That encouragement the night before was usual for me. But still... that was unfair. It was my first kiss, and it was such a surprise attack. It even hurt a little.
"Lefiya, I'm going ahead, okay?"
"Ah, yes! I'm coming right now!"
Shaking off my thoughts, I grabbed my gear. This time, we're heading into the unexplored 59th floor. I keep calm and expect little failure.
I left the room behind.
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Side out
I was in the dungeon with Bell and Lili. It felt nostalgic after such a long time. The reason was definitely Bete. Next chance I get, I'll kill him for sure.
It was also the first time in a while we formed a party with Bell and Lili. I waited at the central plaza at the usual time and was a bit surprised to see Bell and Lili had swapped equipment.
When I asked why, it was to prevent members of the Soma Familia from identifying Lili's true identity. Lili was disguised as a dog-person named Cianslope using transformation magic, but some sharp-eyed people might notice it was her. So, by switching gear, they trick those who might suspect.
This seemed like it was just adding to Lili's debt, but she said she'd repay it with her whole life and wasn't worried. ...I couldn't say it was half a joke anymore.
"By the way, the Loki Familia should be leaving for the expedition soon."
I pulled out my pocket watch from the shadows and checked the time. ...Speaking of which, Toki said no need to see him off yesterday, but if I stay on the main dungeon route, I might run into him. ...I have to find a way to avoid that.
"Is it that time already...? Huh? Toki, you didn't see Lefiya off?"
"Yeah, she told me she didn't want me to."
"I see."
"Bell-sama! Who is this Lefiya-sama?"
Lili reacted sharply to Bell saying a woman's name.
"She's Toki's girlfriend."
Whether Bell understood Lili's feelings or not, he said it matter-of-factly.
"Really, Toki-sama?"
"Well, sort of. I got Loki's permission, and Hermes probably doesn't even need permission."
If I told Hermes, he'd probably laugh so hard he'd clutch his stomach. It's annoying, so better not say it.
By the way, later I was embarrassed when Loki said he heard it directly from Bell, but that's another story.
Lili seemed relieved and sighed deeply.
At that moment, Bell twitched.
Something was wrong.
"Bell-sama?"
Lili noticed Bell's odd behavior and gave him a suspicious look.
"Is something bothering you?"
"...I don't know how to say this..."
"It might be important. Please tell us."
"I feel like we're being watched."
"Being watched?"
I looked around. We were on the 9th floor, a space filled only with short plants and grasses. There was nowhere to hide. The only people we passed were Ottar, the warrior I admired, and two other adventurers: an elf and a dark elf.
When I passed them, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. It happened so suddenly I froze, which made Bell and Lili suspicious. My body trembled. I wanted to spar with them, but I held back because it would've been rude. I barely controlled the urge, since I hardly knew them.
We hadn't encountered anyone else.
But if it was that"teacher." maybe they could observe Bell without me noticing.
"Bell, Lili, swap your equipment for now, just in case."
"...Okay."
"Y-yes."
Lili hesitated as we suddenly shifted atmosphere and began exchanging gear. Bell was now fully prepared but didn't look good.
"Toki, isn't this weird...?"
"...You noticed."
"Weird?"
"There are too few monsters."
"Since we arrived on the 9th floor, we haven't seen a single monster. The only thing was some goblins running away."
Bell nodded at my words. A tense, unspoken feeling hung over this floor. Bell looked like he was about to throw up.
"B-Bell-sama?"
"...Let's move on. To the 10th floor."
Bell covered his mouth and announced our plan.
Our goal this time was to break through to the 10th floor. We both probably didn't want to linger in this eerie place.
As we moved forward,
"──Vooo──"
My feet stopped.
"W-what was that...?"
I'd heard that roar five times before. Four times on expeditions with Asfi and the others, and once while exploring with Bell.
Though I didn't believe it was possible, I slowly turned and stared down the corridor.
And there it appeared.
"...Vuuu."
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One of its horns was strangely broken. Its fur was dyed a dark reddish-black. In its hands was a greatsword, not one from the Dungeon's Armory Landform.
Still, it was unmistakably a monster that should never be here.
A Minotaur. Our nightmare had arrived.
"Oooooooohhh...!"
"W-why is a Minotaur on the 9th floor...?"
I want to know too. But now wasn't the time for questions. What mattered was how to survive.
I looked quickly toward the path leading to the 10th floor.
There stood another Minotaur, even larger than the one behind us.
The word "variant" flashed through my mind. Occasionally, stronger-than-normal monsters are born in the dungeon. Adventurers call these terrifying creatures "variants", monsters far beyond the power of regular ones.
"No way…?"
We were caught in a pincer attack. There was no way to run to either side, and if this kept up, it could mean total annihilation. That was something I absolutely couldn't allow!
"Hey, Bell!!"
I called out to my partner, but Bell didn't respond. I saw him trembling, fear born from past trauma was holding him captive.
I slapped him sharply to snap him out of it and forced him to face me.
"Get a grip! If we stay like this, we'll all die! That means Lili too!"
"Lili… die?"
Bell looked at Lili in shock. She was desperately signaling for us to retreat. Seeing her, a faint spark of fighting spirit kindled in Bell's eyes beneath the fear.
"What do we do…?"
"We'll draw the Minotaurs' attention. We have to buy time."
"Th-That's…!?"
"Lili, ditch your backpack and head straight up. If we time it right, you might run into the 'Loki Familia' just starting their expedition. Ask them for help. If it comes down to it, give them my name and Bell's."
"N-No way! I can't leave you two behind!"
"Hesitating only lowers everyone's chance of survival! We don't have time to argue!"
My determination frightened Lili, but she reluctantly nodded.
"Bell, you take the one behind! I'll handle the big one in front!"
I drew the halberd and knife my master had made for me from the shadows. My heart pounded so loud it felt like all other sounds were fading away.
"Let's go!"
I shouted to steel myself and charged at the Minotaur. The distance, over ten meters, quickly closed.
This 'variant' Minotaur wielded a halberd, swinging it down toward me. My back heated up as my skill activated, but compared to what I'd felt against Bete-san, it was a weak, faint heat.
I leapt to dodge the halberd's strike and kicked the beast's bull-like jaw with my right foot. Its head jerked back.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
I spun mid-air to the right, swinging my halberd, slicing through its neck.
Its head flew off effortlessly. The body collapsed on bent knees, turning to ash, leaving behind a magic stone. The halberd clattered to the ground.
I stood dumbfounded at how easily the Minotaur fell. That momentary lapse was my mistake.
A loud thud hit behind me. Snapping around, I saw Bell being slammed away by the other Minotaur.
My mind went blank. Then fury surged through me.
"YAHHHHHHH!!"
I charged at the beast. My skill activated again, but this time the heat was barely a flicker compared to before.
Fueled by rage, I delivered a right roundhouse kick, sending the massive body flying left.
I rushed to Bell's side, breathless.
"Bell, are you okay!?"
I'd made the wrong choice. I should've drawn both Minotaurs alone. Bell wouldn't have gotten hurt that way.
Regret and self-reproach flooded me, but Bell was definitely still breathing.
"! …T-to-gi?"
He was alive. I exhaled in relief, dropping to my knees to examine him. His light armor was torn to pieces from the impact, but no serious injuries showed. I let out a deep breath.
I heard the Minotaur behind us rising. I clenched my jaw, stood up, and faced it.
Knife and halberd ready, I glared at the monster, which hesitated for a moment.
"Wait here, Bell. I swear I'll protect you."
Yes. I will protect him. From the Minotaur, and from that other thing.
As I readied myself to step forward, Bell's demeanor changed.
Like being snapped back, I turned to see him standing firm, no longer trembling. What radiated from him now was pure anger and fighting spirit.
Bell grabbed my arm.
"…I can't let this happen."
His grip was crushing, his face filled with rage, not at me, but at himself. It reminded me of the day he stormed out of the tavern, the look he wore then.
"I can't be the only one you save!"
He pushed me away and stepped forward to face the Minotaur alone. I was stunned by his transformation but quickly came to my senses, trying to stop him.
But his back was that of an adventurer, the one I had admired.
"Bell…"
He drew his Bazelard sword from his protector on his right and the Hestia Knife from his left hip.
The Minotaur's eyes widened as it faced Bell and grinned Svartágely. It raised its greatsword, moving with undeniable intelligence.
"This ends now!"
Bell charged, and the Minotaur met him head-on. The distance between them vanished in an instant as they clashed.
The Minotaur's greatsword swung, and Bell's knife deftly parried. When Bell tried to slip into its blind spot, the beast slashed to prevent it.
This was a life-or-death duel. Even from where I stood, it looked desperate. Reinforcements could end this quickly.
But I didn't want to interfere. I didn't know why. I knew helping would be wise. It was the safe choice. Yet, I didn't want to get in the way.
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At first, I looked down on him.
I didn't mean to, but now I see it was there, deep inside, in every word and thought.
I was the adventurer who'd traveled the world; he was just a simple farmer. Maybe I wanted someone to measure myself against.
How arrogant I was.
That turned into jealousy.
His unbelievable growth speed. His talent as an adventurer.
No matter what, I was just a wannabe assassin adventurer. But he was different, he soaked up knowledge like a sponge, blossoming with raw talent.
I envied him.
So when I hit level 2 first, I was happy. Nothing made me happier than outpacing him.
Though I called him my friend, my rival… I was cruel in my heart.
Hey, Bell. Can I still be your friend?
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Note: This chapter might have mixed reactions, and I'm aware there are plenty of plot holes
Yes, I know, I should've just finished off the Minotaur after knocking it back, or followed up immediately. There are many critiques to be had. But if I didn't write it this way, Bell and the Minotaur's fight wouldn't have happened.
Next time, the story will be from Bell's side. Look forward to seeing Bell's feelings, different from the original.
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