Chapter 35: Only Seek a Clear Conscience, and Face Oneself with Honesty! (Please Read) (Patreon)

Rozz couldn't shake the feeling that Lili was somehow drifting toward becoming some kind of "mom-type." But he had to admit — these Tater Tots were really good. No wonder there was a line at the stall every morning!

Once breakfast was sorted, he glanced over at the Supporter girl beside him. His usual easygoing smile returned as he made a suggestion:

"Let's go."

"Mm."

"What's up ahead is basically hell, you know!"

"So what?"

Even the catchphrase that had slipped from Lili's mouth was something she'd picked up from Rozz these past few days. But the moment she noticed him looking at her, she lowered her head, a little embarrassed.

She murmured softly, "Last night... Nwankwo found me. He said no matter what, I have to get it done today."

"Knowing him," she went on, "he'll definitely be watching us from Central Park. So when the time comes, what do we do... Orario's out of the question."

Rozz had already thought this through.

At the very least, Orario's public order was enforced by the Ganesha Familia's guard corps, and open combat here was strictly forbidden.

If there was one place suited for a fight, it was undoubtedly the Dungeon.

The Dungeon operated under the Dark Forest Theory — countless Adventurers descended to explore its depths every day, and not all of them made it back alive. Something like that could never be traced back to him.

He said, his tone easy, "We're definitely heading down into the Dungeon today. It just depends on whether they've got the nerve to follow."

That would mean they'd come intending to kill him — and if it came to blows, Rozz's conscience would be perfectly clear.

"..."

Even though the smile stayed on the black-haired boy's face, Lili could still catch, in his tone, the killing intent buried beneath it.

She nodded seriously. "Lili knows what to do."

As for her future standing within the Soma Familia?

The girl hadn't given it any thought — but if Nwankwo died in the Dungeon, no blame would ever fall on her, no matter what.

How could a mere Supporter possibly defeat an Adventurer?

Still, some nervousness was unavoidable. But Lili believed Rozz could handle it, even if things took the worst possible turn.

Then — at the very least, it would make up for that regret from her childhood, the one born of her own cowardice, the one she'd never been able to undo.

"Let's go."

"..."

Noticing the shift in the girl's mood, Rozz — himself still a green recruit — decided this called for some grand, sweeping declaration. Too bad his Boldness stat hadn't leveled up enough yet.

As for that tired meme paying homage to Gojo-sensei, he had a feeling that if he wasn't careful, he'd end up cut in half down in the Dungeon, delivering his own "Mamba out" finale.

After thinking it over, Rozz spoke lightly — not just to Lili, but to himself as well: "Just act with a clear conscience, and face yourself without shame."

"Okay!"

The outcome turned out exactly as Lili had predicted. The moment they reached Central Park, Rozz felt the eyes of several Adventurers on them — greedy stares, made with no attempt to hide it.

It wasn't unfamiliar, either. A few days earlier, Rozz had actually seen these men before, though he'd only lingered a moment back then and hadn't thought of them as enemies. After all, there really were a lot of Adventurers around.

But the threat in the middle-aged Beastman Adventurer's eyes right now was thick and unmistakable — clearly aimed at Lili beside him.

—

"Boss."

"You really think... that if we do this, Lili will actually behave and steal the weapon for us so we can sell it and buy divine wine?"

"..."

Faced with his lackey's curiosity, Nwankwo let out a cold snort. He didn't doubt for a second that Lili — a Supporter sitting at the very bottom of the Soma Familia's food chain — would dare defy him.

Even if she tried something, she'd be the only one to suffer for it.

As for Rozz — Nwankwo had never once taken this rookie, barely an Adventurer for any length of time, seriously. At most, he figured the kid had decent talent.

But Orario was full of talented Adventurers who'd met their end in the Dungeon before they ever had the chance to grow. Talent alone meant nothing!

If Lili managed to steal it out, that would naturally save him the trouble. But if things didn't go as planned, he'd simply take matters into his own hands.

Maybe that would actually maximize the profit...

The moment that thought crossed his mind, the smile at the corners of Nwankwo's mouth grew impossible to hold back. The scar tugging at the corner of his eye made his whole presence turn distinctly cold.

"Two plans."

"If Lili pulls off stealing the weapon, we'll act like nothing happened. But if it doesn't go smoothly, we'll handle it ourselves."

"I gotta say..."

"I'm actually hoping for the second option. Getting to use a weapon that good this early on — who knows how much money he's carrying!"

"..."

The moment he spotted his target — the fat-lamb Adventurer and the Supporter Lili approaching — Nwankwo's gaze swept over them, thick with menace.

As if to say: "You'd better shape up."

But then the girl up ahead stopped, turned, and looked back at him — and something about her, Nwankwo realized, was different from usual. She normally kept her head down, meek as a beaten dog.

But now, the Supporter girl wasn't wearing her cloak's hood. She simply... raised her head and looked at him, calm and steady.

Nwankwo hated that look.

It was as if the lackey he'd always been able to order around at will had suddenly shed every pretense and stood before him as an equal.

What right did a lowly Pallum Supporter have to act this way?

Just as the middle-aged Adventurer was racking his brain trying to make sense of it, he saw Lili — standing firm in the distance ahead — suddenly raise her arm and flip him off with her middle finger.

"!!"

Unsurprisingly, that defiant gesture shattered every scrap of the arrogance Nwankwo had built around seeing himself as a "dominator." His heart pounded violently, and rage began to cloud his mind.

But the moment he spotted the Ganesha Familia's guard corps patrolling Central Park, reason took over and reined in his urge to lash out.

At the same time, the sliver of composure he'd regained let him see the truth of the situation clearly — from start to finish, Lili had never intended to cooperate with him at all.

Had she just been playing along to buy time?

Just as that bold suspicion took root in the middle-aged Adventurer's mind, Rozz and Lili didn't linger — they turned and headed straight for the Dungeon.

"Come on..."

"Follow them!!"

The words came out practically forced through Nwankwo's clenched teeth. A rebellious blood bag held no value to him now — but Rozz, just as much a fat lamb, was naturally something to be dealt with along the way!

The middle-aged Adventurer glanced around and noticed one of his crew was missing. "Where the hell did Simon run off to?"

"Simon, huh..."

"He told me last night he didn't make it home from Pleasure Quarter — probably passed out on top of some woman. Want me to go find him now?"

The lanky Adventurer scratched his head, clearly clueless about what was going on.

Nwankwo's expression turned dark. He gave a sharp, cold snort. "This is a rare opportunity. When it's time to split the money..."

"tell him to get as far away from me as possible!!"