Rhode narrowed his eyes, smiling as he watched the heartwarming scene of the girls laughing and playing.
The girls' pleasant laughter healed his heart, which was somewhat weary from the prolonged battle.
After walking a little further, the gurgling sound of a small river came from a distance.
"We're here! It's still so beautiful!"
Nize, full of energy, cheered excitedly from the front.
Rhode also curiously surveyed the surrounding scenery; the peaceful atmosphere even made him momentarily forget that he was still in the Dungeon.
While surrounded by a dreamlike array of crystals and green, the branches overhead had disappeared, and clusters of chrysanthemum-shaped crystals emitted a warm glow, replacing the sun.
The crystals shimmered with an incredible mystery, capable of making one's innermost heart transparent. Sunlight, different from that on the surface, dappled through the gaps in the leaves, filling everyone's bodies, worn from continuous fighting, with warmth and healing.
Although the occasional sounds were not birdsong but the cries of monsters, they still sounded peaceful.
Nize sat on a tree branch she had just climbed, stretching languidly.
"In this Dungeon, which is nothing but trouble, only this 18th floor is amazing. If there were no monsters, I'd want to build a house and live here."
Noin raised her hands high.
"Ah, I agree too!"
Leyana, the young mage whose braided pigtails hung on either side, narrowed her eyes and sighed softly.
"It's nice, truly like a paradise... Hey, Rhode, if I die, can you bury me here?"
Rhode disliked such 'setting a flag' topics, and the thought that the girl in the original timeline was indeed buried here made him show a rare expression of displeasure.
"Why are you suddenly saying something like that?"
Although there was no sense of tragedy, as if it were a casual remark, a genuine wish, not a joke, was revealed within it.
"Hahaha, I didn't expect Rhode, who is usually so composed, to get angry with his own people."
"I didn't expect Leyana, with the lowest presence, to achieve something I couldn't!"
"Uh... Alise, is that really something to be proud of?"
"But I suddenly feel a little relieved. Rhode, like us, can be happy and troubled, and even has some stubbornness like Maliu... Before, you always gave me a dreamlike feeling."
So-called companions are probably not those who never quarrel, but those who, even after a disagreement, will once again hold hands and walk forward together without any barriers in their hearts.
In the past few days, Rhode had indeed been very kind to them, but there was always a feeling of excessive respect.
Now, occasionally throwing a tantrum, made the girls feel even closer to him.
Rhode endured the girls' successive teasing and laughter, finding himself helpless with these guys, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Maliu followed up on Leyana's topic and thought seriously.
"Not building a house here, but a tombstone, that also sounds good. When you're dead, you don't have to worry about monsters anymore. I'll be buried here too."
"Me too~"
"Then I'll definitely live in the most beautiful and exquisite tomb!"
"Being with everyone is enough~"
"So, I'm counting on you, Rhode, if that day ever comes."
Rhode rolled his eyes at Iska, who was embracing his neck.
"Why are you all entrusting me?"
This sixteen-year-old Amazonian girl, with her black hair tied back, wore conservative clothes, but reserved the Amazonian tribe's warmth and familiarity exclusively for Rhode.
Unlike her kin, Iska's focus was neither on males nor on combat, but on [dressing up].
Her makeup skills were ranked first in the Familia; truly, she was probably the most girlish among them.
Iska rubbed her cheek against Rhode's, then winked at him.
"Because we always feel that if we have to die, Rhode will definitely be the last one!"
"No matter what situation you face, Rhode always has a plan and a solution. That's what I believe."
Rhode playfully tapped her cheek with his forehead.
"Don't imagine me as someone comparable to a god; I'm just a mere newcomer who has just embarked on an adventure."
Iska shook her head disdainfully, her eyes undoubtedly conveying the meaning, "'A mere newcomer'? Do you think any normal person would believe that?"
Nize jumped down from the branch and shrugged.
"We are adventurers, and it's said that one day we will lose our lives..."
"Or is Rhode not yet prepared for death and loss?"
Rhode responded to the girls' question with a determined gaze.
"No, my resolve is that I will not let anyone I care about die. Even if it's a 'what if,' I will try everything to bring the deceased back to life."
"If I can't even do that, then my journey to this world would be meaningless!"
The seriousness and obsession revealed in his words left the girls stunned into silence.
They probably never expected to hear such an absurd, almost comical, vow.
But surprisingly, when Rhode said such words, they inexplicably felt a sense of trust.
This idiot means what he says!
From this moment on, all the girls' gazes towards Rhode subtly changed.
Finally, Alise broke the somewhat delicate atmosphere with an unseasonably cheerful smile.
"So you want to live forever with us, Rhode? You're really both greedy and possessive!"
"But..."
Alise narrowed her eyes as if gazing at starlight.
Her voice, unlike her usual tone, was clear, transparent, and incredibly gentle.
"I don't dislike it."
Her beautiful crimson hair floated ethereally.
That brilliant smile was like the sun, and like a vibrant crimson flower.
Finally, at Alise's suggestion, the girls unanimously decided to go bathe in the small lake in the forest.
Iska, who was actually very reserved, even flirtatiously and boldly invited Rhode, but was then scared away by Maliu, who, with narrowed eyes and a terrifying smile, wielded her mace and shouted, "I shall punish this shameless Amazon on behalf of the Goddess of Justice!"
Rhode and Alise lay on a small slope hidden by trees, not too far from the lake, where they could faintly hear the girls' splashing.
"In this era, wanting to die without regrets is also a difficult dream to achieve."
Alise suddenly said this, and Rhode thought she was referring to the Dark Faction's disruption of peace.
"Don't worry, I still have a score to settle with them. I will fight them with you all."
Alise suddenly snorted, puffed out her cheeks, and angrily flipped over to pin Rhode beneath her, glaring down at him with a resentful look.
"Are you really an idiot?"
Rhode's eyes widened slightly; even he, no matter how slow, understood Alise's meaning, he just never thought it would be so soon, and that Alise would be the first to make a move.
"Because as the captain, I naturally have to be first! I can't lose to them!"
She saw through Rhode's greedy heart but still responded with a cheerful smile.
Alise frankly and directly expressed her feelings, gracefully untying her ponytail with her right hand.
Crimson strands fell, brushing Rhode's cheek with the gentle breeze.
Rhode watched the shy yet somewhat bold, watery affection in her eyes.
After a long while.
Alise stammered in a soft voice.
"Hey, what do we do next...? The Goddess didn't teach me..."
Rhode's eyes widened, then he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Uh, heh heh hahahaha!"
So she just purely mustered up the courage, without even considering what to do next?
Just go for it, no matter what; only Alise would do something like that.
And to actually complain about Astrea at a time like this, you wouldn't seriously expect that virgin Goddess to teach you such things, would you?
Aren't you truly afraid of the Goddess, angered by embarrassment, chasing you down with a sword?
"Idiot, idiot, don't laugh at me! I'll bite you!!!"
Alise, flushed with anger, leaned down, trying to take a big bite out of Rhode, but Rhode suddenly sat up and lightly kissed her lips instead.
Alise's pupils suddenly dilated, then she wrapped her arms around Rhode's neck and slowly closed her eyes.