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

Chapter 35: A Night Out

Following Day

Waking up to a new day, we immediately headed off into the dungeon for training after I made breakfast, which in itself caused a bit of a commotion, since my cooking had leveled up thanks to Faerie Feast.

“So gooood~ Senpai, how did your cooking get even better!? Please teach me your secret!”

“Nom, nom, nom, delicious~ So delicious~”

“I can’t stop crying, sniff.”

“Eww, please at least clean your nose.”

“I can’t live without your food anymore, Rein-kun!”

‘I wonder if I should tell them that my food can still get more delicious since I lowered the potency of the perk to just 1 percent? I only did that because I wanted to see the difference it made at a low setting…’ I thought privately, recalling their wild reactions from this morning.

Remembering the almost manic looks from the girls, I decided it was best to keep that little detail to myself for now.

As we made our way down one of the main streets, we passed the Hostess of Fertility and spotted Ryuu and a black-haired, green-eyed catgirl who was shorter than her. Using my Appraisal skill, I identified her as Chloe Rollo.

‘Chloe… I don’t remember her from the little I watched of the anime. In fact, my knowledge of this world is pretty limited. I should probably start saving up for that perk that gives me an overview of the main events of a world I visit,’ I thought as we approached them.

Naturally, they noticed us as well, though I think that was more due to the many whispers and pointed fingers from the street, everyone talking about us. Ryuu’s gaze landed on me with a complicated expression that caught me off guard. She had never looked at me that way before. Usually, she simply waved with a small smile whenever we passed by in the mornings on our way to the dungeon.

‘That’s right,’ I realized, my eyes widening for a brief second before smoothing back into my normal, relaxed expression. ‘By now, the whole city probably knows about the upcoming War Game with the Apollo Familia. If she’s heard that, then she also knows my full name.’

While my mind was preoccupied with the beautiful blonde elf and hoping nothing between us would change, I missed the slightly lewd, predatory smile that flickered across Chloe’s face for just a moment before vanishing.

“Good morning, Ryuu, and… friend,” I greeted as we came to a stop in front of them. “While I’ve seen you around the Hostess, this is our first proper meeting. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Reinhard. Pleasure to meet you.” I gave Ryuu a friendly smile before turning to the catgirl.

My words seemed to ground Ryuu, and she nodded in return. “Morning, Reinhard. Est-san, Ram-san, Rem-san, Naaza-san, and… your other friend.” Ryuu bowed politely to all of us and received polite greetings back from the girls. Then she turned to her companion, who was smiling brightly, specifically at me, with her tail wagging.

But before Ryuu could introduce her, the catgirl beat her to it.

“I can introduce myself just fine, Ryuu.” Chloe sauntered up to me with a wide grin and circled me slowly, as if inspecting prey, which triggered my senses in a strange way. “My name is Chloe Rollo. And now I can see why Syr and Ryuu are so interested in you~” Her grin widened as she stopped in front of me, completely ignoring the growls from the girls behind me.

Not knowing what to say, I glanced at Ryuu, who was blushing slightly, her ears red with embarrassment. She looked ready to reprimand her coworker, but Chloe spoke again before she could.

“By the way, Reinhard-kun, how old are you?” she asked, a strange gleam in her eyes and even a bit of drool forming at the corner of her lips, which she quickly licked away.

Her forwardness caught me off guard, but I already had a feeling about what kind of person Chloe was. So I answered plainly, “I’m seventeen.”

If anything, her expression only grew stranger. Her cheeks dusted red, she let out a weird giggle, eyes sparkling unnaturally. “How marvelous~”

That was enough for the girls. In unison, they stepped in front of me protectively, hands raised as if to physically ward her off, with Est taking the lead.

“Dangerous,” Est muttered flatly, eyes narrowed at Chloe.

“Stay away from Reinhard-kun, you thieving cat!” Rem shouted, teeth clenched.

“Hmph. As expected of a dirty old cat,” Ram added with heat in her voice.

Naaza and Lili didn’t speak, but both looked equally upset, glaring daggers at the older girl.

“I’m old, am I?” Chloe repeated, one eyebrow twitching.

Before the tension could escalate further, a voice from inside the Hostess called Chloe’s name. Both I and the still-embarrassed Ryuu exhaled in silent relief.

Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Chloe quickly dropped her scowl and replaced it with a sunny smile. “Not counting the rude little girls at your side, I do hope you visit the pub soon, Reinhard-kun~ I would just love to hear all about your adventures~”

With a wink and a wave, she flounced back inside, leaving Ryuu behind, who now appeared much more relaxed.

“Sorry about her,” Ryuu said, bowing her head slightly. “She’s a good person despite her flirty behavior.”

“Don’t worry about it, Ryuu,” I reassured her with a dismissive wave. “I could already tell she was a good person. I like to think I have a decent judge of character, and Miss Chloe gave me the same feeling you and Syr do, trustworthy.”

The girls beside me clearly didn’t agree, muttering under their breath in protest.

Ryuu, however, blinked in surprise at my words before hiding it behind a polite cough. “By the way, Reinhard, word is your Familia will be participating in a War Game soon. Is that true?” she asked, looking faintly worried.

I smiled at her concern and nodded. “It’s true, unfortunately. Apollo-sama seems to have a strange fixation on me, and things escalated into this.” I sighed lightly.

Ryuu frowned at that, a grimace pulling at her lips. “I’ve heard less-than-pleasant rumors about him. It is the unfortunate truth that not every deity who descends to the mortal realm has a… pleasant personality.”

“Yes. He’s the third I’ve met so far who’s been less than agreeable,” I admitted, thinking briefly of Soma, Resheph, and Apollo.

“Still,” I added with a smile as I rested my hands atop Rem and Ram’s heads, gently ruffling their hair and earning bright smiles in return, “I’ve also met many dependable friends since coming here, yourself included, Ryuu. That’s why I’ll work even harder to protect them.”

Caught off guard again, Ryuu blinked rapidly before a soft smile spread across her face. “Thank you for your kind words. Well then, I’ll let you be on your way, you’re heading into the dungeon, aren’t you? If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask. I can’t do much, but I’ll help however I can.”

“Just hearing that is more than enough,” I told her sincerely. “But very well, I’ll keep your words in mind. And we’ll actually see you later tonight. We’ve been wanting to eat out for a bit now with the whole Familia, but we haven’t had the time due to various circumstances. This would also be our first outing since Lili and Naaza joined.” I gestured toward the two, who smiled shyly.

Ryuu tilted her head, then nodded. “Very well. Then I’ll see you later tonight. Good luck in the dungeon.”

After exchanging farewells, we finally parted ways with the blonde elf and continued down the street.

“Reinhard-sama sure is popular,” Lili muttered with a pout.

“You’d better get used to it, Lili,” Naaza replied with a sigh, echoed by the Oni twins and Est.

“Reinhard-sama is just too handsome, a proper gentleman, really strong, and overall perfect,” Ram declared proudly, embarrassing me with her description. “There’s bound to be plenty of homewreckers.”

“Reinhard-kun is the best~ That’s why we gotta protect him from all the sleazy girls in this city,” Rem added.

“Alright girls, please stop talking about me, you’re embarrassing me,” I cut in quickly, earning sly grins all around. I coughed into my hand and continued.

“Anyway, I was planning for us to head down to the 18th floor today. With the Monster Rex still down for another few days, it’s the perfect opportunity for some focused training.”

“Sounds good to Rem.”

No one else voiced any objections, so with that decided, our day’s plan was set.

=====

Later That Evening

Since we had already been there before, we made good time down to the 18th floor and back, this time much easier with more of us and because the Monster Rex was still on cooldown.

Upon reaching home that evening, we informed everyone of our plans. While Hestia and Artemis seemed excited to accompany us, they unfortunately ended up declining and wished us to enjoy ourselves. Apparently, a lot of paperwork had to be done for the War Game, and Artemis was helping Hestia with it.

The others also declined, stating that since this was our first outing as a Familia, they would hold back for now. Still, they excitedly declared they would join us next time.

And so, once again, we found ourselves heading to the Hostess as we walked through the illuminated streets.

Glued to my sides were Rem and Est, with Ram walking beside her sister, while Naaza and Lili took the other side.

Upon arriving and making our way inside, our ears were immediately bombarded with a happy squeal from Anya.

“Reinhard-nyan!~ Welcome, welcome nya~ Huhuhu, I bet that klutz Syr will be super jealous-nyan of not being here.”

Anya spoke so quickly we could barely keep up, drawing the attention of everyone in the pub due to her volume.

Whispers spread as eyes turned toward us, with some muttering about the upcoming War Game.

Luckily, Mia quickly put a stop to that as she banged her hand on the counter, silencing the room.

Sending the dwarf woman a thankful look, I received a grin in return before we were joined by Ryuu, who had been busy until now.

“Let me handle this, Anya. You’re already serving a table.” Ryuu said softly as she came to a stop in front of us and greeted us with a small bow. “Welcome, we were expecting you. Please follow me.”

Anya suddenly remembered she was supposed to be serving and made a hasty retreat, waving cheerily at us.

“See you later Reinhard-nyan~ Make sure to eat lots and lots, okay? And come again when Syr is here, or else she might pout and get jealous-nyan~”

Waving goodbye to the girl, we followed Ryuu as she led us to a table large enough for all of us.

“That girl is still as hyper as ever.” Rem muttered with a blink, then shrugged. “Well, at least she’s much better than the other cat.”

“You said it, Rem.” Ram agreed.

“Sorry about making a scene with our arrival, Ryuu,” I said with a nervous smile.

“There’s nothing to apologize for when none of it was your fault.” Ryuu shook her head. “Besides, the Loki Familia often eats here, and they make much more noise, so don’t worry about it.”

Nodding, we reached our table. Upon sitting down, Ram and Naaza quickly claimed my sides, leaving the others to pout as they took the opposite chairs.

Everyone except Est, that is. Instead of looking for a new chair, she simply popped herself down onto my lap, looking smug as she did.

The others pouted at this while Ryuu raised an eyebrow but ultimately didn’t comment, instead pulling out a notepad to take our orders.

“Very well, I’ll be right back with your food.” Ryuu said with a small bow before leaving.

Settling in, we relaxed and tried to enjoy the atmosphere, doing our best to ignore the whispers.

“This place is a little noisy for my tastes, but I guess it has its appeal.” Ram muttered, leaning her head on her hand while subtly looking around. Her expression then turned dark. “If only these pigs would stop talking behind your back.”

“Should we teach them a lesson?” Rem asked eagerly.

“Calm down, everyone.” I stepped in as Est and Naaza looked like they were considering it. “It’s unfortunately the price of being somewhat famous. Soon enough it will pass, and everyone will treat me just like anyone else. I’m used to this, to be honest.”

The girls calmed down, though Lili blinked as if recalling something and spoke up. “That’s right. Lili is still new to this, so she keeps forgetting that Reinhard-sama, Rem-sama, and Ram-sama all come from the same world. A world where Reinhard-sama was already famous worldwide.”

“You’ll get used to it.” I said with a gentle smile, earning an embarrassed one in return.

“D-Do you ever plan on returning to your world, Reinhard?” Naaza suddenly asked, nervously grabbing everyone’s attention.

Blinking, I thought for a moment before answering honestly. “To be honest, there’s a high possibility. Many things are happening there that I feel partially responsible for since so many people placed their hopes in me.”

While the original Reinhard found himself shackled by such responsibilities, I thankfully didn’t feel the same. Unlike him, I could leave whenever I wished, and I would never allow myself to be chained down the way he had been.

“If you ask me, Reinhard-sama doesn’t owe that country anything.” Ram frowned, sliding her hand under the table to take mine, holding it comfortingly.

“Rem agrees. But if Reinhard-kun wishes to return, then Rem will accompany him as his personal maid and tackle any obstacle with him.” Rem said proudly, puffing out her chest.

Smiling in thanks, I was about to say something when another voice spoke.

“C-Can I go too?” Naaza asked timidly from my other side.

Turning to her, I was surprised by the question. She seemed nervous, almost afraid I would tell her no.

“If I ever do end up traveling back there, then I would be delighted if you joined me,” I reassured her with a smile before turning to everyone. “All of you.”

Naaza’s nervousness disappeared as she gave me a big smile and nodded firmly.

“I’m Reinhard’s contracted spirit. Where he goes, I go.” Est said firmly from my lap, taking my hand and pressing it against her head until I patted her.

“I-I guess Lili wouldn’t mind exploring a new world.” Lili admitted next.

“You already know my answer.” Ram smirked smugly.

“Of course, Reinhard-kun~” Rem added warmly.

Before too long our food arrived, and just like last time, Ryuu joined us, much to the girls’ confusion.

“It was Mia’s idea,” Ryuu explained, almost as if she’d read my thoughts. She looked a little embarrassed, probably because this time she was here without Syr.

“I see. Then please relax and enjoy yourself, Ryuu,” I said with a welcoming smile.

Ryuu gave a small nod, appearing relaxed, though the faint red tint on her ears betrayed her embarrassment.

The girls looked slightly annoyed but, to my relief, didn’t say anything.

As we settled into conversation, someone finally decided to be brave—or stupid enough—to approach us. Their stereotypical, mocking laughter carried across the pub.

“The Sword Saint sure is living the life, huh? Not even a month into being an adventurer and already surrounded by beauties,” one sneered, leering openly at the girls around me. Their frowns deepened instantly.

“Meanwhile, we’ve been at it for years with nothing to show for it,” another thug added with an arrogant smirk. “Surely you wouldn’t mind letting a few of these beauties sit with us, right?”

“With the War Game coming up, they won’t be part of your Familia much longer anyway,” the third chimed in smugly, as if our defeat were already guaranteed.

My eyebrow twitched at their audacity, and I could feel the murderous auras radiating from the girls beside me. I didn’t even have to respond, Ryuu beat me to it.

Expression frosty, eyes narrowed, she held her fork like a weapon. “Please leave,” she said coldly, though her tone made it clear this wasn’t a request. “Trash like you doesn’t deserve to be in Reinhard-san’s presence.”

“Reinhard-kun, can Rem take care of them?” Rem asked with a wide, deceptively sweet smile. Her eyes, however, blazed with rage.

“Pigs,” Lili muttered in disgust.

“All they need to do is oink now, and the picture would be complete,” Ram added dryly, fists clenched tightly.

Naaza and Est, for their part, didn’t even acknowledge the men and simply continued eating as if nothing were happening.

“Now listen here, missy—” one of them started, only to be cut off when Mia slammed down our next round of dishes with just a little too much force.

“No fighting in my bar,” Mia barked. “Take it outside.”

Her words alone were enough. The three would-be tough guys paled instantly and scurried away like frightened rats.

The tension drained from the girls as they relaxed again.

“Thanks for that, Mia-san,” I said with a grateful smile.

Smirking, the dwarf woman shrugged. “Just keep ordering, and I’ll consider us even.” Then she walked away.

“Haah, well at least that didn’t escalate,” I muttered quietly, though a private thought followed. ‘Why do I have the feeling that after today, things like this will only become more common?’

“Forget about them, Reinhard. They’re just jealous,” Naaza said, finally looking up from her meal with a smile. “We should ignore them and enjoy our food.”

“Good idea, Naaza,” I agreed with a nod as the atmosphere settled once more.

Seeing the perfect opportunity, I turned to the elf across from me, curious about something.

“By the way, Ryuu… do you know when Syr will be returning?” I asked after finishing a forkful of pasta.

Ryuu neatly dabbed her mouth with a napkin before answering. “Her vacation should end tomorrow. So the day after, is my best guess.”

“I see. Thank you.”

‘So she’ll be here for the War Game then,’ I thought silently, ignoring the jealous little pouts from the girls who clearly didn’t appreciate me asking after another woman.

No more interruptions came, and we enjoyed a few more hours of chatter. Ryuu even opened up a little, sharing tips about the Middle Floors, knowledge we thanked her for profusely, much to her embarrassment.

Eventually, the night came to an end. We bade Ryuu farewell and began the walk back home.

But as we made our way through the streets, I noticed movement in the shadows above us, someone tailing us from the rooftops. Without breaking stride, I quietly activated my Target Tracker.

A moment later, I smiled faintly and kept walking. ‘What do you know? A fly wandered into the spider’s nest. At least we won’t have to go looking for some of them.’