Is It Wrong to Explore the Dungeon Even Though I’m Overpowered? (Danmachi SI- WC) (Patreon)

Chapter 25: The More Things Change

Watching as Lili finally ran out of steam, I saw her slump slightly, shoulders rising and falling with deep breaths, her gaze fixed on the floor. Satisfied that her meltdown had ended, I patted Rem’s head—who was still growling softly in the Pallum’s direction—before stepping forward.

Reaching out gently, I placed a hand on Lili’s head… and blinked in surprise as I felt soft, fur-covered ears under my fingertips.

‘Chienthrope ears?’ I thought, eyebrows lifting. ‘So this is that transformation magic—Cinder Ella. Impressive… even I was fooled for a moment.’

“W-What are you doing, Reinhard-sama!?” Lili squeaked, her head snapping up, cheeks flushed a bright red. “Don’t tell me… you’re a pervert too?!”

I blinked, realizing too late that I’d gotten lost in my thoughts. My hand had never stopped petting her head and, worse, my Sticky Fingers perk meant my touch was probably far more pleasant than intended.

Pulling back quickly, I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. “Ah—sorry. Please forgive me, Lili. I was just… surprised to feel Chienthrope ears. They were so soft I kind of lost track of what I was doing. I promise I wasn’t being weird.”

I bowed my head slightly, doing my best not to let on that I knew she was actually a Pallum using disguise magic.

“I knew it!” Lili exploded again, face crimson. “Hentai! Womanizer! Playboy! Enemy of all women!” She backed up a few steps, covering her chest with her arms like she was fending off a beast.

“Hmph! She should be thanking Reinhard-kun for getting to experience such a wonderful treat!” Rem declared proudly, stepping beside me with righteous indignation in her eyes. “No one gives better headpats than him!”

“...I won’t deny that,” Naaza mumbled under her breath, her own cheeks coloring. Then she cleared her throat and stepped in with the air of someone used to this. “Please excuse Reinhard. He sometimes gets caught in his thoughts and acts before thinking. He doesn’t mean any harm.”

Lowering my head in shame at having my habits aired so plainly, I muttered under my breath, “It’s not my fault… When I see cute, fluffy ears on a cute girl, I just can’t help but want to touch them…”

My words, as it turned out, only made things worse.

Naaza turned beet red and averted her gaze, nervously twirling a lock of her hair between her fingers.

Lili wasn’t much better—she crouched down, hiding her face in her hands, mumbling unintelligibly as she curled in on herself like a dying plant.

Rem, meanwhile, started muttering about learning transformation magic or at the very least finding some fake ears, just to experience the same treatment.

Realizing the chaos I’d caused, I lowered my head even further, bringing my hands together as I performed a perfect Japanese-style bow.

“Forgive me,” I said solemnly.

Silence.

No one replied.

Slightly depressed and deeply ashamed, I turned away and began collecting the rest of the dropped items off the ground—anything to distract from the awkwardness. But just as I was finishing, I froze.

Ants suddenly started spawning from all around us.

I immediately stepped forward, killing the first two monsters that emerged.

“Everyone! We’ve got incoming!” I shouted.

Rem instantly snapped out of her funk, flail in hand as she covered our rear. Naaza, sharp-eyed as always, picked off stragglers from a distance with clean precision.

I glanced behind and spotted Lili retreating to a safe distance, her eyes tracking the battlefield nervously.

Once the swarm had been dealt with, I approached her.

She narrowed her eyes warily and took a cautious step back, likely unsure of my intentions after the earlier incident.

But I stopped a few feet in front of her and gave her a soft, sincere smile, one I usually reserved only for those I trusted.

“It makes me happy,” I said gently, “that you finally felt relaxed enough to show us a bit of your real self, Lili.”

Her eyes widened slightly in confusion.

“That version of you—back there?” I continued, keeping my tone warm. “That’s the Lili I wouldn’t mind being friends with. Not the silent, closed-off one hiding behind a mask.”

My words clearly caught her off guard. Her eyes widened slightly, and she looked at me with renewed wariness, probably alarmed that I’d seen through her carefully constructed façade.

But when she saw my expression hadn’t changed—calm, sincere, and free of judgment—she quickly looked away, trying to play it off.

“Friends with Adventurers?” she muttered, slipping back into her practiced persona. “Lili could never think herself important enough for such a thing. Please don’t tease Lili, Reinhard-sama.”

I shook my head gently.

“It’s alright,” I said. “I can tell you have your reasons for acting the way you do. That’s why I won’t push any further.”

I took a quiet breath, then added softly.

“But please remember this, Lili. This world is vast. No one was born into it just to be alone.”

The words weren’t mine originally. They belonged to a giant from a world of pirates. Used to bring hope to a lonely girl much like the one before me.

Lili blinked, clearly stunned. She looked up at me, her expression unreadable as she opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when I stepped forward and offered her my hand.

She stared at it, confused.

“Anyway,” I said lightly, giving her an easy smile. “I’ll let my actions speak for me. So… are you up for continuing to the 15th floor?”

Lili looked at my hand again, then back at my face.

For a moment, I thought she might retreat behind that mask again, but instead, she let out a small sigh and reached out to clasp my hand in her own. Her grip was firm, though her hand felt small in mine.

“Lili would be an idiot to refuse,” she said seriously, “given how much we’ve already made.”

I grinned.

“Glad to have you with us.”

=====

Middle Floors

With Lili’s approval, we continued our descent, easily making our way into the Middle Floors. Rem and I handled most of the monsters without issue, while Naaza provided ranged support with her bow.

Even Lili pitched in occasionally, using her small crossbow to blind Hellhounds and disrupt their charge patterns.

It took us about an hour and a half to reach our destination—mostly because I wanted to map out the area on Yuuya’s Map skill.

As we paused for a quick break, having cleared out the nearby monsters, Lili suddenly spoke up.

“Reinhard-sama, Rem-sama… Are you two really Level 2 and 1?” she asked, eyeing us with suspicion. “Because from what I’ve seen, both of you are far stronger than any Level 2s I’ve ever met.”

“Reinhard was already scary strong when he was still Level 1,” Naaza replied casually, shrugging as she accepted one of the bentos I handed out. “Not really surprised anymore.”

“Reinhard-kun is the strongest~” Rem chimed in between bites, devouring her meal like she hadn’t eaten in days and ignoring her question.

“I… see,” Lili murmured, glancing at the two girls in confusion. Watching them inhale their food, she hesitated before pulling out her own small lunch, a modest meal compared to theirs.

“Here, Lili,” I said, reaching out and holding a bento box in front of her with a smile. “I always make extras in case of emergencies. Besides, well... we’ve got a few gluttons on our team.”

Lili blinked in surprise, hesitating before asking, “…Wait. You made this, Reinhard-sama?”

“Reinhard’s cooking is to die for~” Naaza added cheerfully, her eyes locked onto the box in my hand. “If you don’t want it, I’ll gladly take it off your hands~”

“Rem agrees. If you can’t appreciate Reinhard-kun’s cooking, hand it over,” Rem said, extending her hand with deadly seriousness.

The desperation in their eyes seemed to spark something in Lili. Some of her real expression cracked through as she quickly snatched the bento from my hands and hugged it to her chest, glaring at them.

“It’s mine! Hands off!”

I chuckled softly. “Thanks for the compliments, girls but no need to fight over food. I always make a few extras. Just let me know if you’re still hungry.”

As I said that, a familiar weight settled on my lap. Without missing a beat, I reached into my inventory and pulled out another bento, placing it gently on her legs.

Lili, still blissfully unaware of the new presence, opened her bento. The delicious aroma hit her instantly, and she visibly struggled to hold back her reaction. She eyed the meal with open suspicion.

“It’s not poisoned, you know.” I teased, grinning.

She jumped in place at my voice, then quickly tried to compose herself. Huffing in embarrassment, she took her first bite… and froze.

A few seconds later, tears welled in her eyes as she quietly joined the others in devouring her food.

“This is sho good~” she mumbled between bites.

“I’m glad you like it,” I said, smiling. Then I felt a soft tug on my sleeve.

Looking down, I found the usual culprit.

“Reinhard. Thirsty,” came the quiet, monotone voice of Est, now seated on my lap and calmly munching her food as if she’d been there all along.

Her voice snapped Lili out of her bliss. She looked around, confused then froze when she saw the white-haired girl calmly sitting atop me.

“Huh!? When did she get here!?”

“What do you mean? She’s been here the whole time, Lili,” I said with a confused look, doing my best to keep a straight face as I handed Est a bottle of orange juice from my inventory. She accepted it wordlessly and began sipping, completely ignoring the chaos around her.

“No she hasn’t!” Lili snapped, shaking her head vigorously.

Catching on to my game, Rem quickly wiped the smirk off her face and turned to Lili with an innocent expression. “Are you feeling alright, Supporter-san? Est’s been with us since the beginning.”

“Stop trying to confuse Lili!” she wailed, clearly on the verge of another breakdown.

“Hmhm, alright you two, that’s enough,” Naaza said gently, stepping in with a light reprimand but not bothering to hide the amused smile tugging at her lips.

“You’re right, Naaza,” I said with a chuckle. I turned back to Lili as I rested a hand atop Est’s head. She closed her eyes contentedly, almost purring as she leaned into the contact.

“Lili, allow me to properly introduce you to the last member of our party, Est.”

I gave her a warm smile, holding Est a little closer.

“And I wasn’t lying, by the way. She has been with us since the beginning… You just didn’t notice because she was in her sword form.”

Lili froze.

“Est is a spirit weapon,” I explained, “and my partner in battle.”

The silence that followed was almost palpable. Lili stared at Est—the quiet girl curled against me, still sipping her juice—then slowly turned pale as realization hit her.

She remembered, with dawning horror, her earlier fleeting thought about stealing that beautiful sword.

“…Lili sees,” she muttered, eyes wide. Then, after a pause:

“…Reinhard-sama, at this point, Lili is certain you’ll make her go crazy with all the surprises you keep pulling out of nowhere.”

Her voice was completely flat.

“I’m sure you’ll get used to it,” I said with a small shrug, earning a half-hearted glare from Lili.

My expression softened as I added, more gently, “Besides… I don’t mind sharing all this with you. I trust you.”

She blinked, caught completely off guard. The glare vanished from her face, replaced by something unreadable.

Then, with a small shake of her head, she muttered, “You’re strange, Reinhard-sama.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that before,” I chuckled, thinking back to Arry and Rose both telling me something similar with their own little exasperated smiles.

Then I remembered something else.

“Oh—and Lili, about your earlier question?” I said, my grin widening. “I’m not actually Level 2 anymore. I hit Level 3 this morning.”

“WHAT?!” The shout came not just from Lili but from Naaza as well.

Before I could explain further, something interrupted us, a voice echoing faintly in the back of my mind.

“Rein! Help!”

Lante.

Her voice came through our mental connection, weak and full of panic.

My body moved before my thoughts caught up. Immediately zeroing on her location with Target Tracker.

“Est—sword form!” I barked, already standing. “Rem, carry Lili and follow me. There’s an emergency!”

Est shimmered into her blade form instantly.

Rem didn’t hesitate. She tossed her bento aside and scooped up a startled Lili in her arms, while I did the same to Naaza and surged into motion.

“What’s going on?!” Naaza shouted, holding tight as I sprinted, wind rushing past us at terrifying speed.

My face was calm but my grip on Est was tense.

“Lante and the others are in trouble,” I said flatly. “Please hold on tight. Rem, please do your best to keep up!”

“Right behind you, Reinhard-kun!” Rem called back, struggling slightly to match my pace without the Divine Protection of Wind Evasion, but keeping up all the same.

Monsters appeared in front of us, but they never had a chance. One slash from Est, and they fell without slowing me down.

‘So it’s true what they say… The Dungeon waits for the moment your guard drops before it strikes.’

Suddenly remembering a faster route, I shifted course.

“Rem! Follow me!”

Without hesitation, I leapt into one of the chasms of the Cave Labyrinth, plunging toward the lower floors at breakneck speed and Rem jumping behind me without a word.

‘And we were making such good progress with Lili, too…’

=====

Middle Floors — 17th Floor

‘Not again…’

That was the only thought running through Lante’s mind as she and Rethusa fought with everything they had to keep the Monster Rex, Goliath, from reaching and slaughtering the newer members of their group.

‘And the day had started out so well, too…’ Lante winced, narrowly dodging a massive boulder hurled her way. As she landed, she hissed in pain, pressing a hand against her bleeding side, a wound she’d sustained earlier while shielding Iris, one of the younger girls in their squad, from a killing blow.

Like they’d done every day for the past week, Lante and Rethusa had taken their respective groups—seven girls each—into the Dungeon. Spirits had been high, especially with Rein finally back. It meant warm meals again. And in Lante’s case, that meant one of the best parts of her day had returned.

Feeling confident with the new recruits and bolstered by the Shrouds Rein had gifted them, they decided to guide the girls to the Middle Floors for the first time. Nothing reckless—just down to the 13th Floor to get them used to the terrain.

They didn’t expect what happened next.

It wasn’t monsters that forced them into this desperate fight—it was humans.

While resting after clearing an area, a group of four Soma Familia adventurers had come sprinting past, dragging a horde of monsters behind them.

A Pass Parade.

Realizing they couldn’t fight and protect the new girls at the same time, Lante and Rethusa immediately moved to retreat—Rethusa taking point, Lante covering the rear.

That would’ve been enough… if not for the cowards who caused it.

In a selfish bid to escape, the Soma adventurers caused a cave-in, sealing off the only safe passage behind them.

Trapped.

With monsters swarming the other paths and the girls still not ready to fight such a force, they made the only choice left—they pushed forward.

Toward the 18th Floor.

It was a gamble. The Monster Rex shouldn’t have respawned yet—not so soon after the last expedition. If they were lucky, the 17th floor would be clear.

They weren’t lucky.

The journey alone had already claimed their stamina. Some of the girls passed out. Others suffered broken limbs from collapsing tunnels or minor ambushes. Rethusa and Lante—empowered by their Shrouds—were the only ones still able to fight, and even then, just barely.

All the while, memories of Antares kept rising, haunting them.

Even if they weren’t the originals, even if they came from a parallel world, their pain was real. They had lived through hell in their own timeline, and now it felt like it was happening again.

Then they reached the 17th Floor.

It was supposed to be empty.

They let their guard down.

The Goliath had respawned.

And it attacked.

That was how they ended up here—cut off, injured, outmatched. Desperately trying to protect unconscious, terrified rookies from the monster in front of them.

Bleeding and cornered, Lante had only one option left.

She hadn’t wanted to rely on him. Not unless she had no choice. Not unless it was life or death.

Now?

There was no choice.

So she called him.

“Rein… please help us.”

That had been minutes ago and now Lante was barely able to remain standing. Her earlier injury had drained too much blood; her limbs felt heavy, and her mind was growing numb.

“Lante!” Rethusa’s voice rang out in warning.

Lante turned slowly, just in time to see a massive limb crashing toward her but her body refused to move.

She was too weak.

The last thing she saw before darkness took her was the look of despair on Rethusa’s normally unreadable face.

‘Sorry, Rethusa… Please, live on—for both of us.’

‘Sorry, Rein… Looks like I won’t get to tease you again… or tell you how much you mean to me.’