Let us go back home

This is a mega chapter. About 6.5K words long, that's way more than just 2 chapters.

Around 2 and a half?

Anyway, this chapter continues from where we left off while also finishing another Arc.

Next chapter we'll be continuing with the POVs with a few mentions of some things here and there.

We are very close to the de facto start of the Recruitment Arc, we just need a few more things to be done together with another Timeskip before we start it.

I hope you liked everything so far.

I'll be seeing you guys later, peace!

.

.

.

---------

/SLASH!/

/SPLIT!/

/POOF!/

"Haa… Hm…"

/Slice… Splatter…/

The next... Huh?

It's over?

'After a fierce fight, a golden-haired warrior finished her performance by penetrating her Adamantite blade at the heart of a Blue Lizardman, shattering its magic stone.'

'She swung her blade one more time, cleaning it of all of the blood and gore that plagued it as she looked for her next opponent…'

'But it was at that moment that she had a realization... She was completely alone.'

'She had killed everything around her, as such, she dropped her shoulders a little as she let out a small sigh, inspecting herself as she recovered from her previous berserk stupor.'

"..."

My blade…

'Even so, when the blood was cleaned from it, she saw for the first time in a while the terrible state her blade had taken.'

'Two weeks of almost incessant combat had dulled the edge of this indestructible blade that had been enchanted with the Durandal attribute.'

'She had the habit of cleaning it constantly to the point she could do it with her eyes closed... And that was exactly what happened.'

'One fight, two fights... Ten fights. Go back, sit down, clean the weapon with her eyes closed in order to rest as much as possible...'

'Repeat.'

"..."

'She looked around her, the darkness of the stone labyrinth was overwhelming, it was everything she could see.'

'The massive stone wall on her left indicates she was currently on the outer edge of the fourth ring of the White Palace.'

'It was very very dark, so much so a normal person would find themselves in pitch black darkness, but for her, it was relatively clear, so much so she could tell the color of the walls and ground.'

'White, a rare pure color in such a dark abyss.'

'And together with the bodies of the monsters beneath her, she wondered:'

Have I gotten stronger?

'Unfortunately, the monsters around her weren't enough to even pick her interest, they would die before she even had the time to draw her blade properly.'

'Much less to say, her wind.'

/Drip… Drip…/

'Amidst the butchered bodies and splintered earth, blood seeped from her clothes and hair as she stared around her.'

I need a bath and some rest...

'She could've prevented this with her wind, blocking the gore of the monsters from reaching her.'

'But this feeling, this sensation… It was something she wanted to experience again.'

'The feeling of fighting with everything you had in the darkness of the Dungeon.'

'She had no reason for wanting to experience it, the blood on her hair did nothing apart from being an extreme annoyance...'

'Yet, it made her remember something.'

/Step step step!/

'But amidst this devouring silence, a rhythmic echo made its way to her, becoming louder and louder.'

"Oiiii… Aisu!!..."

'A voice she knew very well, and cherished dearly.'

"I'm over here." Ais replied with a thin smile as she sheathed her blade

'People she could trust her back to.'

'Friends... Family.'

…

'Running towards her were 3 people.'

'Two Amazons and one Elf… It was obvious to say who they were.'

'They looked just as tattered and tired as her, their clothes were mostly rags, and if it weren't for their cloaks, things would be quite... Inappropriate.'

'Though that was for the Amazons, the little Elf looked just pitiful.'

'Her eyes were drowsy and sunken severely, her hair was messy and her fingers were full of bandages.'

'Her once pretty and colorful clothes were now reduced to a sorry state, her dress was less than even a miniskirt...'

'For an Elf like her, this was a bit toooo much...'

'At least she wore some shorts underneath it, they didn't really go well with his look, but better that than to flash her bottom around.'

'Even her stockings had been reduced to mere socks on her feet, displaying her legs for all to see...'

"M-Miss Ais… Ahh…"

/Thud!/

'After running after Ais for the past hour or so, Lefiya finally lost her strength as she fell onto the ground face first.'

'She did not move after that.'

"Lefiya…"

'Looking at the poor Elf with an understanding gaze, Ais approached her and helped her up, using her own body to help her stand.'

"It was about time you stopped running, you caused quite the mess." Tione said as she put her hands on her hips

Training like this is already quite taxing, it just becomes harder if we have a runaway princess to run after.

"... I'm sorry…"

I should've held myself back a little, I've inconvenienced them all.

"There is no need to apologize Aisu! We're in this together!" Tiona spoke as she raised her arms, flexing them in the air with a wide smile on her face

/Smell…/

'To this, Lefiya cringed as her armpits were dangerously close to her face…'

"Mugiii…" She said weakly as she deflated completely…

'This time, she was definitely KO'd.'

"Eh? Lefiya?!" Tiona exclaimed as she looked at her with a confused face

I don't smell that bad, do I?!

/Sniff…/

"..."

I DO!!!

"... I think it's about time for us to go back, no matter how good that deodorant is, it's not strong enough to… Well, you know what." Tione spoke slowly with a frown as she thought of the past few days

I had enough Dungeon for some time, for the next few days I want nothing but to sleep well, eat well, and laze around.

We made more than enough money for that at the very least... Hopefully.

'It had been close to two weeks since they departed to the Dungeon once more after witnessing the War game between Hestia's and Ishtar's Familias'

'Ais didn't know why she had rushed back to the Dungeon in such after witnessing it, but she was glad she wasn't alone.'

'The twins, together with the little Elf and a certain Warewolf… Albeit the latter vanished not long after they got inside.'

'Her desire to grow had overtaken her, something had been tugged within her heart.'

'It wasn't just that, hearing about the King and his companions going into the Dungeon as well only made this desire flare like a ragging fire.'

'As such, for the past few days, she saw herself a slave to her blade, more so than she usually was.'

'She almost reverted back to how she used to be, a demon that only sought power.'

'Albeit her goals hadn't changed from that time, she had learned a lot and matured considerably as a person.'

'At least in that regard, she wasn't alone, as her desire for strength was shared amidst all of them.'

"Let's go back to our camp and at least change our clothes... After that we can make our way back up, if we move fast, we should be able to reach the surface within a day." Tione spoke seriously as she cracked her neck

'Ais and Tiona nodded while Lefiya lost herself within her dreams...'

...

'To first understand what was happening, returning a bit to the past is a must...'

'Two weeks ago, they first made their way to the Middle Floors, but Ais quickly realized that it wasn't enough.'

'So she pushed for a harder challenge, deeper and deeper...'

'Until they stopped at the 28th floor to set up a base.'

'That was also when Bete parted from their group, saying he had something to do on his own.'

'Those words he said before making his way to the stairs of the 29th floor… That was the last time they saw him, and despite trusting the Warewolf, they couldn't help but feel a bit worried about his continuous absence after who knew how long.'

'As while they received help from the Loki Familia with supplies, Bete was on his own.'

'The only thing that prevented them from going after him were the rare rumors they heard in the city of the 28th floor regarding a certain white-haired wolf causing trouble in some of the bars every once in a while.'

'It seemed that Bete was also using the floor as his base, but he wasn't camping with them for some reason.'

'Still, Tione felt it was for the best, things wouldn't end well if they had to be mindful of that furry head all the time, though she still felt a bit sorry.'

'Bete likely did this so they could feel more comfortable, and also due to feeling weak himself.'

'Maybe the shame of now being the weaker one had caught up to him and now he didn't have the face to raise his head around them anymore.'

'Bete was a complicated guy, but he would be fine, he wasn't stupid enough to get himself killed on the Lower floors like that.'

'As for them, they focused their efforts on hunting and just that.'

'Using the 28th floor as the base, they kept attacking the 36th floor and below.'

'It may be strange, considering the 39th floor was a safe point and relatively closer to their objective…'

'But it was too dangerous to go there on their own, even if they wasted half a day walking to arrive on the Lower floors every single trip.'

'Besides, Tione was fed up with that floor, she had already camped there for quite some time as they waited for Udaeus to form.'

'As for their structure, Lefiya acted as the backline and also as a supporter, collecting the loot left behind by Ais and the Twins' rampage.'

'Thanks to that, they had accumulated a small mountain of magic stones back in their camp, money that would surely be of use when they returned.'

'As for where their supplies came from, as said before, Loki couldn't bare having Ais and the others rushing to the Dungeon again all on their own, so she had a small team go after them, and once they caught up to them, they handed them some supplies for their trip.'

'This only happened once though, even if she wanted to, Loki couldn't have others go after them multiple times a week when they were supposed to be resting from their previous expedition.'

'As Finn said, they are grown-ups, they should resolve the problems they themselves created.'

'Riveria agreed, even if she had been the one to suggest sending supplies in the first place.'

'Gareth understood their sentiments as well, everyone was tired from the Expedition, they couldn't have the frontlines of the next expedition waste their energy and vacation time covering up the mistakes they made.'

'A batch of supplies would suffice.'

'And this was the reason why Ais and company felt bad for Bete, poor guy must be having it hard going around in the 'wild' on his own...'

'Other than that, after living in the underground for so long, they just couldn't take it any longer, it's important to reinforce that, prior to this, they had just arrived from their longest expedition period.'

'An entire month in the Dungeon without a decent bath followed by two more weeks in the Dungeon…'

'Tione was at her wit's end, she only had a single nice bath and sleep on the surface in between their expeditions, she needed to go back and recharge her "Captain" batteries.'

'The only reason they were still there was due to Ais' obsession.'

'They wouldn't leave until she decided to, and the time for that had just arrived.'

"Alright."

'Ais nodded slowly, she was also tired and worn out, besides, she knew when to stop, she was taught that at least.'

'Her armor in tatters, her blade in shambles, and her support magician half-conscious, it was time for her to return.'

'Without them, she wouldn't be able to maintain this high-intensity training.'

"Oho! Look Aisu! A Lizardman Elite's Heart Scale! Now that's a rare drop." Tiona said with a large smile as she grabbed a palm-sized blue scale from the ground

/Tremble…/

'Just when Tiona crouched to grab the drop item, the walls started to shake…'

"Well… I guess it wouldn't be the Dungeon without some trouble." Tione replied with a small smile as she grabbed her Kukri daggers

Ahhh, my beautiful daggers... It's gonna cost a penny to have you all back in shape.

"Lefiya isn't in a good condition, we should return first." Ais said quickly as she carried the Elf on a piggy ride

"I'm sorry… Ais…" Lefiya said weekly as she opened her eyes, the commotion had awakened her not so long ago

"Don't be, you did well, now rest." She replied as she shook her head

"Uhum..."

"Alright! We'll clear the way, you just focus on running." Tione said as she turned around

/ROAR!/

"Let's go sis!" Tiona exclaimed as she swung Urga in the air

/BAM!/

…

/Later that day…/

/Step step…/

'Somewhere in the Upper floors, Lili and Antony made their way back up after their daily routine of Dungeon diving.'

"You did it again Master Antony, we've once again accumulated a lot of magic stones!" Lili spoke enthusiastically as her tail wagged beneath her large bag

Most of them are from the Middle floors, this is going to be a haul!

"There is no need to put me on a pedestal, you did a lot to." He replied with a smile as he touched his shoulder

"Albeit my injuries are still far from fully healing, I still managed to make quite the recovery while also curing my boredom, all thanks to your support."

"You're incredible Lili, you surpass all Supporters in my Familia."

'Antony wasn't lying.'

"I… Um… T-Thank you." She said with a slight blush

"That's why I've been thinking..."

'Lili, would you like to make a contract with me?"

"Eh?!"

A contract!

'After spending an entire week with him, Lili had mostly given up on all of her previous plans…'

'Because not only were they impossible to accomplish, they were also not necessary.'

'She made way more money by keeping him next to her rather than by swindling him off to make a bigger profit.'

'And even if she wanted to, there was no way for her to pull her leg on him.'

'Lili believed it was okay to swindle adventurers due to the harsh treatment she received from them over the years…'

'But this week she spent with him made her bring forth something she didn't want to remember… Her morals.'

'Not everyone deserved to be impaled on a pike, not everyone committed crimes… Generalizing the cruelty of adventurers made her as bad as them.'

'Especially when she let out her anger on those that did nothing to deserve it.'

'She may tell herself that, swindling kind-hearted adventurers while stealing from bad-intentioned ones is a form of mercy, but that only makes her a villain.'

'She was making use of their compassion for herself, how was that any different from the adventurers that made use of her weakness against her?'

'Pushing her pain onto all adventurers as a way to diminish her own anguish was… Pathetic, but really, wasn't that what she was?'

'A punny and weak girl, a failure as a Supporter, the lowest of the low…'

'And that was why, she accepted her true self and made use of lowly tactics to survive because she had nothing else in her arsenal.'

'But now, being faced with the cruel truth in front of her every day was… Blinding.'

'She didn't want to accept it, because it made more than evident how ugly she truly was.'

'That was why she had steeled herself… Today would be the last day.'

'She had already gathered enough money for her freedom, she didn't know what she would do after, but she was essentially free.'

A contract…

'A contract wasn't something foreign to her, she made many throughout her life.'

'Contracts with adventurers where it guaranteed she would receive part of their incomes in the Dungeon while also binding her to said adventurer for a set period of time.'

'She rarely brought the matter of a contract forward, but when she did, it was never for a good cause.'

'She often used the contract to bind her pray to herself, so she could have a lot of time to plan and act, to swindle as much money out of them before kicking them away and resuming her own journey.'

'But this time, she knew she had no chance of that, hence, the thought of doing so just weakly vanished from her mind after some time.'

'That was why, hearing about it made her freeze in surprise.'

'She, out of everyone, was being offered a contract?'

'If it was before, she would've refused outright, or, just for the sake of it, accepted.'

'To create an opportunity so she could flee once they arrived at the surface.'

'Lili was used to not making adventurers mad, refusing them oftentimes resulted in her being assaulted, nothing serious ever came from it, but she broke her arms, legs, nose, and fingers multiple times due to their misplaced anger.'

'So she went into wonder, was it truly alright for her to accept it?'

'She was going to be free, she wanted nothing to do with the Dungeon… Or was that true?'

'She didn't know anything apart from being a Support, that was her life…'

'Did she hate the Dungeon? Yes, greatly.'

'Did she hate adventurers? Yes, immensely.'

'But did she know anything else? No, unfortunately.'

'She was born to carry, and carry she would.'

'Lili felt that this might be a chance, a way to change her life…'

'But she already felt like that before, it all crumbled down before she had the time to enjoy it fully.'

'Besides… What happened earlier this day made her heart sink and turn cold.'

…

/Earlier that day…/

'As usual, Lili made her way to the center of the city, the grand park surrounding Babel to meet with her current adventurer, Antony.'

If I count what I made yesterday and the day before… I made over 250K Valis.

I rarely had to make use of potions or other resources as Master Antony took care of it all quicklu…

Wait… Master?

'Lili stopped walking, looking at her reflection in a pond.'

Since when did I start addressing him as Master?

/Slap!/

'She slapped her two cheeks, leaving them red.'

Focus Liliruca, today shall be your last day in this dammed place!

I'll push Master Antony to the edge and have him hunt more than he has ever before… Even if it aggravates his injuries.

We'll go to the Middle Floors, so I must focus as that isn't an easy place where I can be lost in thoughts.

Throughout this venture, I have to try and hide as many Magic stones and drop items as I can, they'll be my emergency money in case the total doesn't add up.

Once we hunt all day, that amount we'll be enough for me to pay for my leave, and then…

/Clench!/

'She clenched her fists in anger.'

'In silence, Lili made her way to where she would meet him.'

'But when she finally arrived, she saw something terrifying, her worst nightmares…'

W-What are they doing here?!

Did… Did they follow me?!

'Far away in front of Lili was an adventurer with his arms around Atony's neck, one she knew very well.'

'Just the day before, after she parted ways with him, Lili went to pay her debt with the Soma Familia as per usual.'

'She gave them the money, was punched in the face, and made fun of, but she didn't care, she had paid them what was due.'

'She was aware her recent earnings would attract their attention eventually, but she didn't mind, she was very very close to finishing it all.'

'But she was no fool, she was used to their ways of operation, that was why she moved in the shadows…'

'Still, how did they find him?!'

This… They must be convincing Mr. Antony to work with them…

'Lili assumed the worst.'

'There was no reason for Antony to take her side, she was 100% sure he would betray her in the end, and that was why, she clenched her teeth as she made a resolution.'

'She wouldn't fall first… Not this far in her journey.'

/SMACK!/

'And right she was.'

'In front of her… And everyone else around, Antony punched the guy whose arm was around his neck in the face, sending him to the ground as blood fell from his nose.'

/Conflict!/

'Following that, when he unsheathed his weapon, he successfully took him out again without relying on a weapon.'

'He was humiliated thoroughly.'

"Yes…!"

'And for the first time, Lili saw herself rooting for an adventurer.'

…

/Back to the present/

'That doesn't change anything though.' She thought to herself as they walked on the dark caverns

Mr. Antony is a nice person… But he cannot protect me forever.

They failed to get through to him, but my fate remains the same.

I must leave before they have the chance to get their hands on me…

'Lili was sure they would channel their anger on her, and to that, she was ready to flee.'

'For the entire Dungeon run of today, she made her preparations for what she would do later that day.'

'And… For a moment she thought… Why not ask for help?'

'But those thoughts were immediately washed away from her mind.'

'She had asked for help before, and no one answered.'

'Years… A decade almost.'

'Her tears had already run out.'

'The only one that can save her is herself.'

'As she said before, even if she sought her for help, for how long could he protect her?'

'What she failed to understand was that, if she got his help, then there wasn't anything they could do to her anymore…'

'But Lili never dealt with such strong adventurers before, so she was unaware of their importance.'

'She was nothing but a talentless normal girl trying her hardest to survive.'

'And amidst the intense pressure that kept building up in her heart and mind, the fact she could still think straight was already rather remarkable.'

'A single mistake here and there… Was acceptable.'

'Even if their origins aren't the cleanest out there.'

…

"Hupp… Here were are, 6th floor, we're almost there." Antony spoke with a smile as they walked out of the stairs connecting the 6th and 7th floors together

"Yes! We just need to follow this route and turn a right… Then left… In about 68 meters, though I'm sure you're already aware of that Master Antony."

'Smiling helplessly, Antony said:'

"Thank you for the praises, but there is no need to inflate my ego that much… Even if it's true."

'He smiled cheekily towards the end.'

/Step…/

"Come, after this, let us grab some food out there, you still need to give me an answer after all."

"... Yes!" Lili said with a smile

'This was… A true smile.'

/Step…/

/Clink!/

"!"

/PUSH!/

"?!"

'It all happened… Too fast.'

'In one moment, she was speaking with a smile on her face, and in the next one, she was being pushed forward with a lot of strength.'

'As she turned in the air, she felt the world slow down…'

'But when she expected to see a face full of scorn, she saw a distorted expression…'

'And then… A red flash.'

/BOOOOOOOOOM!/

"KYAA!"

'Lili's small body was thrown a few meters away but luckily, her bag cushioned her fall as she smashed against the walls, the magic stones and drop items overflowing from within her bag and spilling onto the ground…'

'Her ears were ringing and her head was spinning as blood seeped from her right cheek due to a rock splinter, but she had enough strength to raise her head.'

"Ahhh…"

'And she saw something horrifying.'

/Burn!/

'A flaming wall had engulfed the passage she was previously in.'

"Master Antony?..."

'But Antony was nowhere to be seen.'

/Silence…/

'It was then that reality started to sink in for her.'

'She wasn't being betrayed, she had been saved.'

'And the one that took her place…'

"N-No…" She said with a wobbly voice

"Tell me it's a joke… Please…"

'But no one replied to her.'

'It was when you lost something that you started to realize what it truly meant.'

'Lili was starting to understand the weight of the thing she had just lost.'

"Wew… That was a rough one." Someone said from behind her as he walked out from an alley

"!!!"

'She slowly turned her head, locking her eyes with a human adventurer with black hair.'

'He had a mocking and scornful expression on his face as he walked towards her.'

'When she processed his identity, her will started to crack as she put the pieces together...'

"That worked better than I expected, all thanks to you I must say."

"M-Me?" Lili asked, trembling

"You think we didn't realize? All that money you have us, it was simple to trace it."

'He stopped in front of her, crouching to stare directly at her eyes.'

"You thought those simple movements of yours would be able to hide him from us, but a few coins here and there and finding out where you went was easy."

"..."

'Her hands on the ground, she started to clench them in anger.'

"An entire week making a lot of money, it wasn't hard to figure out when you would try to 'hit it big', the only thing we needed to do was wait for you do to so."

"Given your circumstances, it was obvious what you would try to do."

"YOU KILLED HIM!" Lili exclaimed in anger as she pulled a dagger from within her chest, slashing forward with everything she had

"?!"

/BURN!/

/BANG!/

'A flaming ball exploded from within the knife, it traveled across the cavern before hitting a distant wall, causing a loud explosion.'

'Her ultimate trump card, a Magic weapon!'

/Crack.../

'As the magic was released from within it, the magic blade shattered into many pieces, hundreds of thousands of Valis for a single slash...'

'Lili was a patient girl, she invested a lot of money in her own safety above her freedom, but to think she would use it here... On a day that was supposed to signify the turn of a new leaf...'

"BITCH! You almost burned me to a crisp!"

/SMACK!/

'The man barely managed to flee the fireball by rolling on the ground, but his weapon was now on the ground behind him, not that it mattered anyway...'

/KICK!/

/CRACK!/

'He kicked her right hand, aiming at her crossbow, shattering it from her wrist while sending her to the ground with an angry and disturbing expression.'

"I knew it, you had a lot of money hidden in you, a waste that you used it, but I'll blame it on me this time, I should've dealt with you immediately." He said as he shook his head

That was dangerous, if it wasn't for my Agility, she would've been given time to set that crossbow.

It was likely laced with poison, I'm sure of it, given her cowardly nature.

"ARG!"

'He grabbed her hair with violence, pulling her up from the ground.'

"It doesn't look like you have any surprises left for me so I'll make this quick."

'He seemed to be having some weird pleasure from this interaction.'

"You dragged him to the Lower floors and had him work to the bone just so you could make more… You dirty supporter!"

/SMACK!/

"ARG!"

'He threw her on the ground and kicked her stomach, making her recoil back as he raised his foot to step on her head.'

'But she did not resist, she didn't have the strength to do it anymore, it was all over.'

'All of her struggles, all of her pain…'

'The only adventurer that ever reached out his hand to her… Was dead.'

'And it was all her fault.'

"A great plan, to maximize on the gains since you were going to part your ways with him… Or did you perhaps choose this path because you believed you could stay with him after this was all over?"

"Wake up bitch, he was way beyond your league… Though not beyond the range of our trap hahaha!"

/KICK!/

"ARG!"

"Oh? Didn't I explain this before? I obviously brought some people with me, I may be Level 2, but I can't cover every single path."

"We followed you and then set a trap around the key areas, it was pretty simple, though a bit risky also."

"If another group passed by it could disrupt our plans you see…"

'He showed her a small blood-stained blade on his back.'

"I had to… Deal with some people before you, just to make sure."

'His expression changed from his carefree look to a gaze full of hatred.'

"So you better be full to the brim with money and spit out all your coins for me if you don't want to end up like him or those that came before you."

/KICK!/

"AHH! S-Stcho…p…"

'Lili's eyes were half hollow at this point as she tried her best to reach for her chest, raising a small golden key for him to see.'

"M-My savings… A Gnome Lockbox…"

/GRAB!/

/KICK!/

"Ah…"

How pathetic...

'She didn't even have the strength to scream anymore.'

"Simple, no? You should've just done this from the start."

'His objective in hands, it was time to leave, but not before tying the loose ends.'

"Haha… I must say, your tenacity was surprising, I never thought you'd last that long, much less pay your debt." He said with a sarcastic smile as he drew his sword

"I'll congratulate you, for a useless supporter, you did more than what I would expect, just a shame that… No one would maintain their promises with someone like you."

"Did you really think anyone would ever keep their word with a Supporter?"

"... Don't… Don't…"

"How uneventful, well…"

/SPLURGE!/

"?!?! H-How come…?"

"!"

/Shing.../

/THUD!/

"Kekekeke… Ramue, you let your guard down." Another man with a deep voice said as he shook the blood out of it

'It was a rather fat man with strong arms… A beast human with raccoon ears.'

'Next to him was another human, though his looks were unimpressive and boring.'

"As if we would divide this with you idiot." He said as he turned to the Human

"Did you get it?"

"Right here." He said as he took out a bloodied sac from his back

/Throw… THUD!/

"?...!!!"

'Lili immediately recognized what it was.'

/KIIIIIII!! KIIIIIIII!!/

"Ahh… Ahhh!"

N-No...

'She could only wail in despair.'

"Seems like you know of it, the simplest, yet most effective way to deal with people in the Dungeon is to use it against them." He said with a cruel smile as he gestured for his companion to go grab her bag

"A wounded Killer ant's call will gather others nearby, and in no time at all, several dozens will have gathered."

"They'll devour you and their bodies down to the last drop and that should clean the troubles, so don't you worry, you won't make the journey on your own… HAHA!"

"We'll remember your contributions, consider your debts... Paid."

/Step…/

"Is that so?"

""??!!""

'From within the flames behind Lili, a man stepped out.'

'His shirt had been blown off and his pants were almost falling off…'

'Parts of his armor had melted and he had several burn scars all throughout his body.'

/Swoosh swoosh.../

'He spun his right arm around, stretching it.'

'It was as if nothing had happened to him.'

"That took me off guard, I knew you fuckers were around, I didn't expect you to put up a bomb on the damn ground though." Antony said slowly as he looked around

"Son of a bitch… You're not Level 2." The beast-man said as he took a step back

'He looked at his companion who had just finished packing Lili's bag, some of the loot had fallen on the ground, but it was better to be ready to retreat than to cry at the loss of a few dozen thousand.'

He took that explosion head first, his Endurance must be rather high, but this is to be expected from a Vanguard warrior.

Was he recovering in the dark while that idiot spoke with the Supporter? He might've taken a potion...

He looks heavily injured and his equipment is gone, his relationship with this girl is... Just acquaintances.

Yeah… Right, there is no need to fear him.

It's a shame we killed Ramue, he was the Level 2 of our group, it would've been better if they had tired each other out first…

But this is still good.

'They looked at each other and nodded.'

…

'At the same time, Antony's eyes locked with Lili's.'

"M-Master Antony…"

'She felt relieved, but equally devastated…'

"P-P-Please… Ru…"

"I'll only ask you this once. So be clear with me." He said in a heavy tone as he interrupted her

'Lili's eyes opened wide.'

"What do you want me to do?"

"..."

'Lili was confused, her head was a mess…'

'But she still had the will to say it.'

"R… Run away…"

"Please… Don't stay… Because of me…"

"..."

'Antony looked at her, and then at the two adventurers across them.'

"Alright."

"... !"

"Hahaha! That's right, there's no need to fight, she used you and now she's going to pay for it, why risk your neck for her aye?" The man said with a large smile

"..."

That's right, soon enough... They'll come.

/Kii Kiiii!/

If I hadn't betrayed his trust first, then all of this could've been averted.

But still, I...

'Lili's expression was dark, so she closed her as the sounds of the Killer ant echoed in the cave.'

/Step…/

"?"

'That was when she heard something near her.'

'She opened her eyes to see Antony… His back.'

'He was… Standing up for her.'

"W-Why… I told you to run!!"

"... No."

"Wh... What do you mean?!"

"Run away! As fast as you can! They're coming!" She exclaimed with the lingering strength she had

/KIIII KIIIIIIII!/

'But Antony did not turn back.'

"I said I would listen to what you had to say… But I never said I would do it."

"You see, I have my standards…"

"And to leave you here after everything they said doesn't quite go well with me."

"Tsk, so you chose the hard way pal." The beast man said as his expression sharpened

So it's a fight in the end, and the killer ants are coming, staying here any further will only lead to a slow death.

"I did, but that is how… I like it."

"Going on an adventure was never meant to be easy."

/FWOOOSH!/

'Antony dashed forward, vanishing from their eyes.'

"WH…?"

/SMACK!/

/BAM!/

'Before the Demi-human had the chance to act, his head was slammed against the wall violently as Antony reappeared.'

"Fools, even if I'm injured I'm still…"

/SMACK!/

'Heis companion never had the chance to hear the rest as he also blacked out.'

/Silence…/

'Antony turned around, moving towards Lili.'

'She remained there, completely stunned.'

'The flames behind her still burned slightly, making his body shine in weak light.'

'He dealt with them... This easily?'

"Let's go home Lili, I've had enough of the Dungeon for a while." He said as he gave her his hand

"Can you stand? If not, I'll carry you the rest of the way." He said slowly as he wiped the blood from her face

"I-I-I… Can stand by myself…" She said weakly as her legs trembled

'This moment seemed to last forever.'

'Holding his hand, with the flames behind her…'

"Why…"

'But she couldn't move forward.'

"Hm? Is something wrong?"

"Why did you stay?" She asked without raising her head

"Why? Did I need a reason to?"

"Of course you need!!" She said as her voice exploded

'She took a step forward, getting closer to him, punching him lightly.'

"I'm just… I'm just a puny supporter… SO WHY?! WHY DO ALL OF THIS?!"

"WHY DID YOU PUSH ME OUT OF IT?! WHY DID YOU PUNCH THEM EARLIER?! WHY DID YOU… Save me?..."

'Silent tears started to fall from her eyes as she let go of the repressed emotions she kept sealed deep within her.'

'All of this stress had finally accumulated and burst in one fell swoop, this was what Lili truly hid inside her.'

'A deep sense of inferiority.'

"..."

'As for Antony, he was thinking of what to say.'

'Just what would she want to hear?'

"Lili… We've got to know each other for over a week."

"At the start, I won't lie, I saw through you immediately."

"The way you looked at me, the way you spoke, the way you walked and observed your surroundings… Your intentions were as clear as day to me."

"?!"

H-He knew?!... Then... Why...?

"But, as time passed, I learned more about you, what you like, the way you behave in the Dungeon to the way you treat me."

"I saw it all change."

"I came to understand that there was more to you than what you showed, seeing those people come after you said it all to me."

"I heard your words from beyond the wall of fire."

"..."

'Now she understood why he never mentioned what had happened before.'

'He was observing her, or better put, this may be his way of being kind to her.'

"I saved you for the same reason I would for any of my friends."

"Lili, you're my companion, irreplaceable, there is no way I would let you go over this minor setback, my will and strength isn't something so fickle like that."

"It seems a bit weak to say it like this, but I saved you because you are… You, for the person I came to know of in the Dungeon and up above."

"Above all, or not… We made a pact." He said as he took out a small piece of paper from his pants, it was all burnt out and it slowly turned to ash...

'But it was the simple contract they made on the surface, it didn't mean much, but that depends on who you ask.'

"You support me from the back, I protect you from the front."

"That was the promise I made to you when we shook hands beneath Babel, a promise between an Adventurer and his Supporters…"

"?!"

'He then pulled her for a hug, even if it hurt him a little bit.'

"Lili, I cannot comprehend what you went through… But on my notes, a Supporter is just as important as any other position."

"Forget what those losers had to say... And even if you cannot, then go beyond their expectations."

"This is a promise between me and you, it's not as simpler as a promise between adventurers."

"And those words stand tall until I bring you up above… Under my watch... I would like to say no harm would come to you, but I committed quite the blunder right now..."

'He then smiled a little.'

"Anyway... I wanted to say that... They'll continue into effect even when we're up there."

"?"

'Lili's tears finally started to dry up as she calmed down under his hug.'

"Now… If you can still stand, let us return… I feel a bit cold." He joked a little as he patted her head

"... Alright."

He is... Weird.

Very... Very...

Weird.

'Lili didn't say much, but she smiled, it was a warm smile.'

'She had made her decision.'

…

.

.

.

Notes

What do you think? Was it too dramatic?