"Ah... I'm really sorry for making you worry." Vera had the group sit down and served each of them a bowl of warm red fluorescent mushroom soup.
The swordsman took a sip, his eyes lighting up slightly, but his thoughts quickly moved away from this peculiar delicacy and he asked, "Why have you been stuck here for so long? Did you run into some trouble?"
"We... were asked by the Puki and the Tree Demons to restore the vitality of this layer." Vera pointed to the sprouting demon plant seedlings dotting the surrounding soil and explained a bit sheepishly.
After all, he was too embarrassed to say that they had been captured to work because they angered the Puki.
"Luckily, we're almost done."
The swordsman glanced at Vera with suspicion, thinking to himself if this guy's overly helpful nature had worsened to the point of even including demons in the scope of his care.
Either way, the fact that everyone survived was the best news.
