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

Chapter 36: Masks and Truths

Walking as if nothing was wrong, I closed my HUD and spoke telepathically to the girls, pleased to note that, aside from Lili, everyone was already aware of our pursuers.

“I’m glad you all noticed so quickly. It seems the Apollo Familia didn’t want to wait until the War Game to make their move.” I said, keeping my face relaxed.

I saw Lili slightly tense from the corner of my eyes but credit to her, she quickly relaxed a second later.

“Should we take them out, Reinhard-sama?” Ram asked blankly, though the sharp look in her eyes said she was ready to act.

“They’re probably tasked with gathering information about us to use as an advantage in the War Game,” Naaza reasoned, trying to approach it logically.

“I’m with Nee-sama,” Rem added, her voice carrying heat. “We should take them out. Rem doesn’t like being spied on, especially when she’s enjoying a night out with Reinhard-kun.” Her eyes narrowed.

Est, walking to my right and holding my hand, gave the simplest response. “Eliminate.”

A nervous smile tugged at my lips, since the majority of them wanted to resort to violence. “I say we let them be for now. I don’t want to get in trouble with the Guild by starting a confrontation in the middle of the street.”

My expression then hardened. “But stay alert. If they attack, we take them out as efficiently as possible. Just because I don’t want problems with the Guild doesn’t mean I’ll tolerate anyone laying a hand on any of you, or on our home.”

“Is that a wise course of action, Reinhard-sama?” Lili asked hesitantly. “Even if they don’t attack, they’ll be spying on us.”

I was glad she wasn’t afraid to ask, and I answered with a small smile. “Ah, but that’s the thing, Lili. I don’t sense any malicious intent from them, which means they’ll likely stick to spying. And that… we can use to our advantage.”

Lili blinked, then her eyes widened in realization. “You mean feeding them false information?”

I almost patted her head for catching on so quickly, but refrained. “Bingo. In any battle, information is key to victory. If they want to spy on us, then we’ll feed them whatever we want them to see, and in the meantime, we’ll be spying on them in return.”

“Hihihi~ As expected of Reinhard-kun~” Rem cheered in my head.

“I still say we just crush them,” Ram muttered with a shrug. “But I’ll follow your lead, Reinhard-sama.”

“It’s a wise strategy,” Naaza agreed, giving a small nod.

“Good. But remember, this only works if their purpose really is surveillance leading up to the War Game. If they’re here for something else, we’ll adapt.”

“No, Lili thinks Reinhard-sama is right,” Lili said seriously, her tone making her look cute. “Even though Reinhard-sama is well-known across Orario, no one actually knows the full extent of his abilities, other than being good with a sword and having a potent healing miracle.”

“That’s because Reinhard-sama isn’t like the trash in this city who brag about their abilities to anyone who’ll listen,” Ram said sharply. Rem and Est nodded in perfect agreement.

“Now that I think about it, other than the Artemis Familia, Reinhard doesn’t really talk with many others, does he?” Naaza asked thoughtfully, tapping her chin.

“Exactly,” Lili nodded. “Even Lili had trouble finding any information on Reinhard-sama before she… somehow ended up in his party by chance. So it makes sense the Apollo Familia will want to learn everything they can.”

“Anyway, we can talk more tomorrow once we confirm if they’re still spying on us during the day too. We’re home.” I said saying the last part out loud as we reached the church doors.

As we stepped inside, I sharpened my senses one last time and felt the presences settle around the church, exactly as I’d predicted. I ignored it for now, greeting the others and eventually making my way to bed.

Tomorrow was going to be a busy day, training, planning, and if my hunch was correct, feeding the Apollo Familia false information.

‘And hunting those assholes from the Soma-Familia that took advantage of Lili.’

=====

Following Day

It turns out I had been right.

The next morning, as we made our way into the dungeon, I immediately noticed we were being shadowed by a different group of people. They were even brazen enough to follow us into the dungeon.

Sharing the news telepathically, I gave everyone simple instructions: follow my lead.

“Okay everyone, today we’ll be pushing for the 15th floor. I have confidence you can handle it after our last few days of training.” I announced with a smile, charging the group with energy.

“Yippee.” Ram raised one hand lazily in a deadpan cheer.

“Count on me, Reinhard-kun~!” Rem said brightly.

“I’ll guard the rear,” Naaza offered with a nod.

“Lili will be counting on everyone,” the little pallum added.

With that, we set off. Outwardly, it looked like a normal dive, but all of us stayed quietly on guard, aware of the observers tailing us at a distance. We never showed our true potential while they were within hearing or viewing range.

I deliberately made sure to do most of the work, creating the illusion that I was the only strong one of the party and everyone else was below me. If Apollo’s people bought that, they would underestimate us in the future.

Of course, I already had a plan to make up for this lack of real training: personal training by me back in the Demiplane, where we could fight without eyes watching us. Everyone had already agreed.

Not that Rem and Ram really needed much help from me since Rem was an excellent fighter and Ram after gaining her second horn was even stronger than me currently.

‘That’s right. Focus on me.’

=====

That Evening

After hours of training back in our Demiplane, Rem, Ram, and I slipped out with a simple excuse. Thankfully, no one questioned us too much, they were busy with War Game preparations and didn’t bat an eye when we said we were stepping out for a bit.

As for our destination? Tonight was the night we taught the scum who had tormented Lili a lesson.

Thanks to a combination of Trace and Information Defense, we were all but invisible to everyone and everything as we moved across the rooftops. And since Apollo’s men were still tailing the Familia home, I had used Yuuya’s teleportation ability to jump us to another part of the city, leaving them completely unaware.

My plan was simple.

Capture the main culprits, the thugs who had exploited and abused Lili, along with the Soma Familia’s Captain, Zanis Lustra, who had orchestrated so much of her misery. Then sell them all to the Company.

Given how deeply distrustful the Soma Familia was, they lived scattered rather than in a communal home, each too greedy and paranoid to rely on one another. That made our job easier.

After giving the twins their instructions, two targets each, I went for Zanis myself.

It didn’t take long.

Cloaked in the black-and-red armor of Yuuya’s Bloody Demon War Series, I crept to his office window. Sure enough, he was awake, greedily hunched over ledgers. With a thought, I teleported straight inside.

Before he could even scream, I engulfed him with my Shroud, binding him tight like a fly in a web. His muffled protests were silenced as I teleported away again, landing in the shadowed alleys of Daedalus Street.

I set the squirming bundle down on a rooftop and, for the first time, really looked at the infamous district.

The sight made my chest tighten.

Buildings were crumbling, worse than the state the abandoned church had been in when we first found it. People were gaunt, hungry, scavenging through garbage just to eat. Some were even children, no older than their early teens.

‘This place… it’s just like the slums in Lugunica,’ I thought grimly. The memory soured my mood.

Before I could linger on the thought, I sensed the twins approaching. They arrived carrying their quarry as if hauling bags of rice, and dropped the men unceremoniously at my feet.

“Mission accomplished, Reinhard-kun~” Rem reported, flashing a peace sign and a grin. Her eyes lingered on my armor. “By the way, you look so cool, Reinhard-kun~ Like a dark crimson-haired hero!”

Ram, in a similar pose but with her signature smirk, echoed her sister. “We handled the trash, Reinhard-sama. You look good like this~”

Their captives were none other than Canoe Belway, a middle-aged raccoon-man, his two usual human cronies, and Ged Raish, the main tormentors of Lili.

“Thank you, girls.” I smiled. The Shroud writhed and lashed out from my back, wrapping around the men in a heartbeat. In moments, they were bound like Zanis, and then… gone. Swallowed whole by the Company, erased from Orario as if they had never existed.

“Well, that takes care of that,” I said, dusting off my hands. “Now we should head home before anyone gets suspicious.”

The twins nodded. I placed a hand on each of their shoulders, but before teleporting, I turned to give Daedalus Street one last look.

The sight of those desperate people clung to me, gnawing at my thoughts. I hated leaving it alone. But there was nothing I could do for them tonight.

Significant changed required absurd amounts of money and rooting out all the most dangerous elements to make sure the place didn’t just go back to being a shithole within a month. Something that would take months at minimum to years to realize.

As we disappeared in a flash, none of us noticed a boy in the shadows, a child who had caught a fleeting glimpse of me. He hadn’t seen my face clearly, but he had seen the black armor, the crimson hair, and the aura of the night itself.

And in the days to come, that child would spread a story.

The story of the Darknight Hero who rose from the shadows of Daedalus Street.

=====

Days Later

Time moved quickly.

In almost no time at all, days passed as we continued our rigorous routine. Each morning, we descended into the dungeon for a few hours, all while carefully concealing our real strength under the ever-watchful eyes of Apollo’s spies. Afterward, we trained in earnest inside the Demiplane, where no one could see us.

I had even given Lili a trump card, something to be used only in the most desperate of moments. The gratitude in her eyes had been genuine, the relief almost overwhelming, knowing she finally had the ability to fight back.

Now, only a single day remained until the War Game. Both Lili and Naaza were visibly nervous, so I had decided to give everyone the day off to rest, relax, and shake off the tension.

For some strange reason, today was the first time in a while I had managed to leave the church without anyone tagging along. Lost in thought about tomorrow’s battle, I wandered aimlessly through Orario’s streets.

That’s when someone collided with me head-on.

Startled, I glanced down, only to find myself looking into a pair of grey eyes framed by soft grey hair and a radiant smile.

“Reinhard! Good morning~ Did you miss me? I heard from Ryuu that you were asking about me~” Syr beamed, her arms pressed against my chest as if she had no intention of letting go.

‘That’s right. She was supposed to be back a few days ago,’ I realized, blinking. ‘But with all our preparations, I never had the chance to see her since we’ve been leaving for the dungeon at dawn.’

“Mou~ Are you ignoring me, Reinhard?” Syr pouted, giving my chest a light slap.

I chuckled warmly and pulled her into a proper hug. Syr stiffened, blushing fiercely before hugging me back, even tighter than I expected.

“It’s honestly so good to see you again, Syr,” I said sincerely, pulling back despite the sad little pout she gave. “It feels like it’s been weeks since I last saw you. I missed you, truly.”

Her blush deepened to her ears as she looked away, though a small smile betrayed her. “Mou… you’ve somehow gotten even better at talking to girls since I’ve been gone.”

Still flustered, she shook her head and faced me again, softer now. “…I missed you too,” she admitted in a near whisper, before quickly coughing into her hand and breaking our embrace.

“Anyway! Are you going to the dungeon? I brought your bento. I’ve been practicing, so let me know if I’ve improved, okay?” She produced a neatly wrapped lunch, tied with a blue bow, and offered it proudly.

Taking it with a smile, I nodded. “Thank you, Syr. I’m not heading to the dungeon today, but I’d be a fool to turn down your cooking. I’m curious to see how much you’ve improved.”

The last bento I had tried from Syr had actually not been than bad and at least she hadn’t mixed up salt for sugar, so I had been able to eat it with no complaints.

“There you go again, being a flirt. You’re going to make me blush~” she said, already pink-cheeked. Then, as if remembering, her eyes widened. “Oh! Ryuu mentioned your Familia got roped into a War Game with the Apollo Familia. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah. Some things happened, and it came to that. It’s tomorrow, actually. But don’t worry, we’ve been training hard. We don’t plan on losing.” I answered with a confident smile.

For a moment, something flickered in Syr’s eyes, an odd, sharp glint, before it vanished as quickly as it appeared. She smiled brightly. “Then I’ll be rooting for you~”

“Thank you, Syr.”

As I studied her, I realized something had changed about her since her return. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but… she seemed more genuine, somehow.

“Y-You’re staring too much, Reinhard…” Syr muttered, her voice shy, flustered, as she looked away like a bashful teenager.

‘Whatever it is, I think it’s a good change.’

“I apologize, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” I admitted. “It’s just… there’s something different about you. But I can’t quite place what it is.”

Her eyes widened, her blush vanishing for a heartbeat before she nervously fiddled with her hair. “I-Is that so? I-Is it a good change, at least?”

I smiled reassuringly. “Yes. Definitely. It feels like I’m seeing the real Syr now… and it makes me happy that you’re letting me see this side of you.”

In an instant, her face turned scarlet again as she covered it with her hands, even turning around to hide. “S-Stooop, Reinhard!~ There’s only so much my maidenly heart can take!”

“S-Sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s fine,” she interrupted quickly, peeking back with one eye still glowing red with embarrassment. “…H-Hey, Reinhard. When the War Game’s over, make sure to come celebrate at the Hostess, okay? I’ll be waiting for you~”

Before I could answer, she bolted inside, nearly colliding with Ryuu, who had just stepped outside. The elf blinked at Syr’s retreating form, then turned her calm gaze on me, a small, knowing smile forming.

“Good morning, Reinhard-san. I see you’ve already reunited with Syr.”

“Morning, Ryuu. Yes, I have.” I greeted, raising a hand slightly.

She studied me for a moment, then asked, “The War Game is tomorrow, isn’t it? Are you prepared?”

“Yes. As I told Syr, we’ve trained as much as possible. We’re confident we won’t lose.” I replied with a serious tone.

Ryuu regarded me quietly, then offered a faint, genuine smile. “I see. Please watch yourself tomorrow. Syr would feel bad if you got injured.”

Understanding her subtle words of support, I smiled back. “Thank you, Ryuu. Your advice has been invaluable these past days. I’ll do my best not to let your teachings go to waste.”

The tips of her ears turned red, and she quickly coughed into her hand. “R-Right. Then, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back. Knowing Syr, she’s probably slacking again. Good luck tomorrow, we’ll be cheering for you.”

“Thanks again, Ryuu. Have a good day.”

Continuing my walk, I silently pondered the changes I had noticed in Syr. Her expressions and actions no longer seemed faked, there was a natural warmth to her, something genuine. Aside from that single moment when I mentioned she felt different, every smile, every flustered look had come across as real.

‘I really hope you’re turning over a new leaf, Freya,’ I thought to myself, my chest tightening at the possibility. ‘I’d hate for things to end in conflict between us… especially now, when it feels like I’m finally beginning to see the real you.’