Something heavy was crushing me.
That was my first thought upon waking.
The second was:
Why is it warm?
I opened my eyes slowly, still half-asleep, only to immediately realize something was very, very wrong.
Soft pressure rested against both sides of my body.
Something else was sprawled directly across my chest.
I blinked once.
Twice.
Then turned my head carefully.
Yura.
Curled against my left side, silver hair spilling across my arm while her fox ears twitched faintly in her sleep.
I slowly turned the other direction.
Shina.
Sleeping peacefully against my right shoulder with one hand loosely gripping my shirt like I might disappear if she let go.
Then—
I looked downward.
Hera was literally lying on top of me.
Her head rested against my chest while one of her legs was somehow tangled with mine beneath the blanket.
Silence.
My brain stopped functioning temporarily.
How the hell did this happen?
I wasn't even a heavy sleeper.
Actually, after Muray's training, I barely slept deeply at all anymore.
So how did THREE girls sneak into my tent without me noticing?!
Magic.
It had to be magic.
There was no other explanation.
I carefully lifted my hand and realized it was resting against Shina's waist.
I immediately pulled it back like I'd touched fire.
Nope.
Absolutely not.
Danger.
Retreat.
Abort mission.
"You women need to wake up," I said flatly. "You're lying on a man first thing in the morning."
The reaction was instant chaos.
All three shot upward simultaneously.
Yura's tail puffed up completely.
Shina nearly headbutted the tent ceiling.
And Hera—
"…!"
The Elven princess stared at me in absolute horror before immediately pointing at the other two.
"This is their fault!"
"Liar!" Shina snapped back immediately, face burning red. "You were trying to monopolize him!"
"I was making sure you didn't!"
Yura looked seconds away from dying of embarrassment.
"W-We weren't doing anything weird!"
I stared at them silently.
Then slowly looked toward Hera.
"So this was your idea?"
Hera immediately looked away.
"…Maybe."
"DON'T LISTEN TO HER!"
Yura and Shina lunged simultaneously, covering Hera's mouth before she could continue.
Their teamwork was honestly terrifying.
I rubbed my forehead tiredly.
"Either way, this is not proper behavior for adventurers about to explore a dungeon."
Shina looked offended.
"We were cold!"
"There was a campfire."
"It wasn't enough!"
"…You're all unbelievable."
I shoved them gently toward the tent exit.
"Get dressed. We're dungeon diving today."
---
Once they finally left the tent, silence returned.
For a moment, I just sat there staring upward.
Then—
a memory surfaced.
---
Flashback
The rooftop tiles were warm beneath us.
Night stretched quietly over the city while distant lights flickered below like stars trapped on earth.
Joutu sat beside me silently, turning an engagement ring slowly between his fingers.
The same ring I helped him choose.
The same ring meant for the girl he planned to spend his life with.
Except she'd cheated on him.
With his best friend.
He laughed quietly.
Not a happy laugh.
The kind that sounded broken before it even left your throat.
"I guess we really can't trust women out here, Shiro," he muttered bitterly while staring at the ring. "They just do whatever they want."
Before I could respond, he threw it.
The silver band disappeared into the pond behind our house with barely a splash.
"You've still got me," I said quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "And my little sister too. We'll always be here."
Joutu smiled weakly after that.
But his eyes never recovered.
And that night—
watching someone I cared about shatter completely—
I made myself a promise.
I won't trust a girl fully.
I won't let anyone control my heart.
And I definitely won't let myself break because of someone else.
---
End Flashback
The memory lingered quietly even after I stepped outside.
Morning sunlight filtered through the trees while the girls prepared supplies nearby.
None of them noticed how distant my expression had become.
Good.
I preferred it that way.
---
The dungeon entrance rested deep within the northern section of the forest.
A massive cavern opening carved into stone like the mouth of some ancient beast.
Cold air drifted outward steadily.
Dark.
Heavy.
Old.
Yura summoned a floating orb of light first before stepping inside carefully.
I mirrored the spell beside her.
The cave walls glowed faintly blue as we descended deeper underground.
The further we walked—
the stranger the atmosphere became.
The walls narrowed.
The air thickened.
And eventually—
the tunnel opened into a massive chamber.
At the center stood a gigantic stone door covered in ancient runes.
Embedded within the structure were two large crystals.
One pitch black.
One brilliant gold.
"What are those?" I asked quietly.
Yura stepped closer carefully.
"Enchantment stones."
She brushed dust from the runes surrounding them.
"They amplify magical equipment and react to mana affinities." Her silver eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Looks like this mechanism specifically requires light and darkness."
Hera crossed her arms.
"I can't activate either."
"Same," Shina admitted.
Then all three looked at me.
Of course.
I sighed dramatically before stepping forward.
"Convenient."
Placing one hand against each crystal, I slowly channeled mana.
Darkness first.
The black crystal ignited immediately.
Then light.
The golden crystal flared brilliantly.
The entire chamber trembled.
Ancient gears groaned somewhere deep within the walls as the massive stone doors slowly creaked open.
Beyond them—
treasure.
Gold coins.
Weapons.
Artifacts.
Armor.
And—
"…Golems," I muttered.
Twenty armored constructs suddenly tore themselves free from the surrounding walls.
Stone eyes glowed bright blue.
Weapons formed from their arms instantly.
The girls reached for their weapons immediately.
"Stay back," I said calmly while drawing Edith and Zenith.
The twin blades connected instantly into a long spear.
"Earth golems are weak against water."
One of the constructs charged.
I spun the spear once before slamming the weapon against the ground.
Water exploded outward violently.
A spiraling vortex tore through the nearest cluster of golems, crushing two instantly.
Then I moved.
I launched upward, landing atop another construct before driving the spear directly through its core.
The golem shattered apart beneath me.
"Oh water," I chanted calmly while flipping backward through the air, "bring forth disaster and swallow my enemies."
Blue magic circles bloomed across the chamber walls.
"Tsunami."
A massive wave erupted instantly.
The underground chamber shook violently as water consumed half the constructs completely.
Four more disintegrated immediately.
The remaining golems charged all at once.
Honestly?
That was more exciting.
I split the spear back into twin blades mid-combat and dove directly into them.
Stone shattered beneath every strike.
My Dragon Eyes activated instinctively again.
The world slowed.
I could see the mana cores inside each construct clearly now.
Weak points.
Movement paths.
Attack timing.
One slash.
Another.
Another.
Eventually silence returned.
Dust drifted slowly through the ruined chamber.
I looked back toward the girls.
All three were staring at me like I'd personally offended reality.
"What?"
Shina pointed shakily toward the destroyed battlefield.
"You just soloed twenty golems!"
"They were weak."
"We're GREEN RANK adventurers!"
"…Fair point."
---
The treasure room itself was absurd.
Gold coins overflowed from shattered chests while enchanted relics lined the walls.
Hera nearly forgot her royal composure entirely.
"These artifacts are ancient…"
Yura carefully inspected several magical rings nearby while Shina stuffed gold into storage bags with frightening efficiency.
Meanwhile I found books.
Naturally.
Then—
something changed.
The atmosphere turned heavy instantly.
Cold.
Wrong.
Every instinct inside my body screamed danger.
No…
Not here.
Black smoke suddenly erupted from the far end of the chamber.
Three figures slowly emerged.
Devourers.
A Minotaur.
A massive Cyclops with a glowing gemstone embedded into its eye.
And floating behind them—
a grotesque mermaid-like creature radiating malicious mana.
I immediately stepped forward.
"You three run," I ordered sharply. "Get to Kyoko."
"We're staying," Yura replied instantly while drawing her bow.
Shina stepped beside her.
Then Hera.
I stared at them briefly.
Idiots.
Brave idiots.
"…Fine."
I raised my swords slowly.
"Then let's finish this quickly."
The Cyclops roared first.
I fired a massive fireball directly into its face before dashing toward the Minotaur alongside Shina.
Lightning exploded around her blades as we crossed paths simultaneously.
The creature's legs separated cleanly.
Before it could regenerate, I spun once and removed its head entirely.
Behind us, the mermaid launched a barrage of compressed water spears.
I immediately raised a dark barrier around the girls.
The attacks exploded harmlessly against it.
Yura's arrows flew past my shoulder a second later.
Mid-flight—
they split into dozens.
Every projectile pierced the mermaid simultaneously.
The Cyclops ripped a boulder from the ground and hurled it toward us.
I met it head-on.
Magic surged through my legs.
My kick shattered the entire thing apart midair.
Hera manipulated the debris instantly with wind magic, redirecting the fragments back toward the Cyclops while Yura sliced through its exposed core.
The giant collapsed.
Only the mermaid remained.
Shina slammed lightning directly into its body while Hera sealed it in place using earth magic.
I stepped forward calmly afterward.
One slash.
Silence.
The Devourer dissolved into black ash.
The chamber finally went still.
I exhaled slowly before looking back toward the girls.
"Good job," I said honestly. "You've all gotten stronger."
Hera smiled slightly.
Then—
the entire dungeon shook violently.
Cracks spread across the ceiling instantly.
"It's collapsing!" Yura shouted.
Wonderful.
I reacted instinctively.
Space warped around my hands strangely.
Different from ordinary magic.
Thinner.
Sharper.
Like pulling invisible threads apart.
I visualized an exit.
A doorway.
A path outside.
The air distorted.
Then—
a glowing portal ripped open before us.
All four girls froze.
I stared at my own hands in confusion.
"…Go!" I shouted immediately.
We sprinted through the portal just as the dungeon collapsed entirely behind us.
The moment we emerged outside, everyone stopped.
The girls stared at me.
No one spoke for several seconds.
Finally—
"I…" I looked down at my hands quietly. "I think I learned a new type of magic."
Yura blinked.
"That was space manipulation."
"…That sounds dangerous."
"EXTREMELY dangerous," Hera corrected immediately.
Honestly?
Yeah.
Probably.
I summoned Kyoko shortly afterward.
The dragon descended from the sky gracefully while I rubbed my forehead tiredly.
"We're heading home," I muttered. "Trip's over."
Then I looked toward Hera.
"What about you?"
"She's coming with us," Yura and Shina answered simultaneously.
I stared at them.
"…You invited royalty into our house without asking me?"
"She already practically lives in your tent," Hera muttered.
"YOU WERE THE ONE LYING ON ME."
Yura and Shina immediately exploded again.
Kyoko looked deeply entertained by all of this.
I sighed heavily while climbing onto the dragon's back.
"Well…"
I glanced toward Hera as Exium slowly appeared on the distant horizon.
"Should a princess really abandon her kingdom?"
Hera looked toward the sky quietly for a moment.
"I hold the title," she answered softly. "But my older sister will inherit the throne someday."
Wind brushed through her mint-colored hair.
"She's better suited for that life than I am."
I almost asked why she still called herself a princess then.
But something in her expression stopped me.
So instead—
I just looked ahead toward the capital growing larger in the distance.
Somehow…
our little party kept getting bigger.