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

Chapter 42: Of Bonds and Blunders

The forest clearing was silent save for the soft rustle of leaves overhead. I sat cross-legged in the grass, Ryuu resting beside me with her head propped against my folded jacket. Her breathing was calm and steady, a faint little snore slipping past her lips.

I rubbed the back of my neck with a sheepish sigh. “Guess I overdid it, huh?” I muttered to no one in particular, watching as the breeze stirred her green cloak.

Minutes ticked by, and I stayed where I was, keeping quiet company with the sleeping elf. I wasn’t about to drag her back until she was ready. She’d bared her heart to me, walking away now would only make my words ring hollow.

Besides, I was sure if I walked back into camp carrying Ryuu in my arms, the other girls would get the wrong idea.

Finally, Ryuu stirred with a faint groan, eyelids fluttering open. She blinked up at me, confusion giving way to realization, and soon her pale cheeks flushed pink.

“…I… passed out, didn’t I?” she murmured, her voice faint but tinged with embarrassment.

“Yeah,” I admitted gently, offering her a small smile while looking away and scratching my cheek. “I figured you wanted to ask me something earlier, so I decided to let you rest until you woke up. I didn’t want the others to see you like this.”

Her lips parted slightly, a response on her lips, but all that came out was a quiet breath. She looked down at her hands, silent for a long moment, before whispering.

“…Thank you.”

“You’re most welcome.” I said, turning back to her with a soft smile before rising to my feet and unconsciously extending my hand to her to help her up.

It was only after she’d taken it that I realized my blunder, but by then it was too late. Judging by the pink dusting her cheeks, Ryuu had realized it too.

“Ahem.” Ryuu coughed politely into her hand as she composed herself, still holding on to me for a heartbeat longer. “At this point, something as simple as that can be overlooked.”

“I-I see.” I said a bit awkwardly, not sure how to respond.

Before I could pull my hand away, Ryuu stepped forward and clasped it with both of hers, her eyes soft. “Reinhard-san… you’re very kind. You are a human worthy of my respect.”

Blinking at her words, I was taken aback for a moment before smiling softly and placing my free hand over hers. “Thanks, Ryuu. That means a lot coming from you. Know that you also have my deep respect.”

She nodded gently, offering me a small smile of her own, one that made her face shine in a way that briefly stole my breath reminding me of how beautiful she truly was.

“You have my thanks.” Ryuu said again, a flush still growing on her cheeks.

I let out a nervous yet genuine laugh, scratching the back of my head with my free hand. “Perhaps we should stop thanking each other or we’ll never stop.”

This time Ryuu actually giggled, the sound light and uncharacteristic, before she finally released my hand. “Yes… perhaps we should.”

“You should smile more often, Ryuu. It really suits you.” The words slipped out before I could stop myself.

“…I-Is that so?” she asked softly, turning away from me and playing with a strand of her hair.

“Yes,” I muttered with a shy nod, then quickly tried to steer the conversation back on track. “A-Anyway, you wanted to ask me something, right? Ask away, and I’ll answer to the best of my ability.”

Ryuu seemed grateful for the change in topic. She walked back to the front of her old companions’ tomb, her hand brushing the weather-worn flag there, while I stayed respectfully at her back.

“Like I stated earlier,” she began softly, “I’m the only remaining member of my Familia. But I never told you which Familia it was, did I?” She paused, then looked at me over her shoulder with a curious expression. “I was a member of the Astraea Familia under my Goddess, Lady Astraea.”

“I see. So, you’re curious about my last name then?” I asked, turning to meet her eyes and seeing her nod. “Makes sense after what you’ve shared with me.”

“That’s right,” Ryuu said, her voice carrying both hope and nervousness.

‘Was she hoping I was related to her Goddess perhaps?’ I thought privately.

Letting out a quiet sigh, I shook my head, hating the brief flicker of sadness that crossed her face, but I wouldn’t lie to her.

“I’m afraid not,” I said at last, my voice quiet but steady. “As far as I’m concerned, my last name of Van Astrea has nothing to do with the Goddess of Justice. As a matter of fact, the only deity my family has ever come in contact with is the Divine Dragon Volcanica.” I revealed, deciding to trust her with some of my past.

Ryuu let out a light gasp and turned to me fully, her sky blue eyes wide. “A Divine Dragon, you say?” she asked in surprise.

Knowing some of the history of this world, I winced slightly but nodded anyway. “Do you remember the first day we met?” I asked, changing the conversation a bit, confusing her.

“Yes,” she said softly, nodding her head as a small smile flickered over her face. “It was a day I’ll never forget.”

“Thank you,” I returned her smile. “Do you remember Syr commenting about the emblem I was wearing over my clothes? I told her it belonged to my family.”

Blinking, Ryuu nodded again. “Yes… now that you mention it, I don’t see it anywhere on your clothes anymore.” She tilted her head, scanning my coat.

“Knowing a bit of the history of Orario and its trouble with dragons, I thought it best to remove it to save myself some trouble in the future,” I admitted with a sigh. “That emblem depicted our connection with the Divine Dragon.”

Ryuu grew contemplative for a moment, then looked back at me with a trace of unease. “R-Reinhard-san, this dragon your family had contact with… it wouldn’t happen to be black, and only have one eye, would it?”

Smiling reassuringly, I shook my head. She slumped slightly in relief. “I get what you’re asking, and rest assured, the Divine Dragon Volcanica and the Black Dragon you’re thinking of have nothing in common. As far as I know, Volcanica was a true Divine Dragon, and its scales were blue, not black.”

“I see… I apologize for assuming the worst.” Ryuu dipped her head in a genuine bow.

“There’s nothing to apologize for, Ryuu.” I smiled, placing my hand gently on her shoulder to straighten her up again. “But do you see now why I decided not to wear my family sigil openly?”

She gave me a relieved smile and nodded. “Yes. It was a wise idea on your part. Most people in Orario, and even around the world, don’t have a pleasant history with dragons.”

“I’m aware. Trust me.” Thinking about it for a moment, I reached into my inventory and, for the first time in what felt like forever, took out Reid.

Ryuu’s eyes widened as they landed on the gleaming blade. “T-That sword… what is it?” she breathed, awe in her tone.

“This is the Dragon Sword Reid,” I said quietly, my fingers curling around the grip. For a brief moment it almost felt as though the weapon pulsed in anticipation, wanting to be unsheathed. I frowned down at it.

‘Maybe it wants to be used more often… but it shouldn’t be so picky about when it wants to be drawn,’ I thought, sending it an annoyed look before focusing on Ryuu again.

“As the name suggests, this sword has bathed in the blood of thousands of dragons and has been passed down in my family for about four hundred years. The grooves on the sheath, known as the Dragon Claw, were said to have been caused by the Divine Dragon’s claws.”

I tilted the hilt slightly toward her. “If you look here, at the guard, you can see where my family got the idea for our emblem.”

“You’re right,” Ryuu murmured, leaning closer. “It does look almost identical.”

“Unfortunately,” I said with a sigh, “Reid is very picky. It will only allow itself to be drawn when it senses a worthy adversary.”

“Won’t allow itself?” Ryuu raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying the sword is sentient, perhaps like Est-san?”

“No,” I shook my head. “Not to that extent. Est is special, and pretty soon she’ll become much stronger than Reid. She has the capacity to grow after all.” A soft smile tugged at my lips as I thought of my cute sword spirit.

“I see… You seem to care a great deal about Est-san,” Ryuu observed, looking at me curiously.

“Of course.” I answered instantly, as if it were obvious. “Est is my partner in battle and she’s irreplaceable to me.”

Ryuu let a small smile grace her face again. “You seem to have found great friends, Reinhard-san. Please make sure to treasure every moment with them while you can,” she said softly.

‘Speaking from experience, huh?’ I thought, a bit sadly, but quickly shook it off and smiled with a nod. “I do, and I most definitely will.”

“Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me something so personal,” Ryuu said, giving me a polite bow. “Please rest assured that none of it will leave my mouth.”

“I thought I said you didn’t have to bow,” I teased lightly before softening my tone. “And it was nothing. You were brave enough to share your story with me, so it’s only fair I do the same.”

Seeing that she still looked like she wanted to thank me again, I decided to steer the conversation elsewhere. “By the way, Ryuu… what’s your bounty amount?”

Ryuu blinked, tilting her head slightly, but answered nonetheless. “It’s eighty million valis.”

She shook her head soon after and turned, her green cloak swaying gently as she started back toward the forest path. “Anyway, we should return to the others before they start worrying and come looking for us.”

“Yes, that’s a good idea,” I agreed, though my mind was elsewhere.

‘Eighty million, huh? I could probably round that up myself if I make a solo expedition to the thirtieth floor. I need to scout ahead anyway if we plan to descend deeper safely,’ I thought silently, already piecing together a plan to help her.

Moments later I was pulled from my thoughts by a small weight suddenly landing on my back. Turning my head, I saw the familiar white hair and violet eyes of Est as she planted a soft kiss on my cheek. “Welcome back,” she said with a gentle smile.

“Thanks, Est. Hope we didn’t take too long,” I said with a smile, turning to face the others, only to stop mid-step, blinking at the scene before me.

While the girls were all sitting around the campfire, a short distance behind them lay a pile of unconscious adventurers, all sporting various bruises and swollen faces.

Raising an eyebrow, I shifted my gaze to the group. Ram looked smug (if slightly irritated), while Naaza and Lili both wore scowls directed at the heap of unconscious men.

“Do I want to know what happened?” I asked dryly.

“Hmph! Those idiots thought it would be smart to try and kidnap us, to get back at you or something equally stupid,” Ram said, crossing her arms with a scowl. “They’re lucky I didn’t turn them into chunks of meat.”

“The jerks tried to ambush us while we were eating!” Lili huffed. “Lili agrees with Ram-sama, they’re lucky we went easy on them.”

“They probably wanted to use us to get to you Reinhard,” Naaza added with an uncharacteristic frown. “They were mumbling some nonsense before Rem-san beat them all up.”

Looking over the unconscious men, I didn’t recognize any of them, just a few more jealous fools, or other opportunists probably. I sighed. “Great job taking care of the pests, Ram. I’ll make sure to reward you later.”

Her scowl melted instantly, replaced by a faint blush and a small, proud smile as I patted her pink hair.

“Hihihi~ It was the least I could do, Reinhard-sama,” Ram said sweetly, leaning slightly against my hand.

“Anyway, we’re heading back now, everyone. Please get ready.” I said, retracting my hand, earning a small pout from Ram, though she nodded and began helping pack up.

With nothing more to say, we broke down camp—quickly, thanks to my inventory—and began the journey back to the surface, cutting through monsters as they appeared.

This time, however, I noticed something different, Ryuu stuck a little closer to me. She fought alongside us seamlessly, her movements sharper and more confident, as if some burden she’d been carrying had lifted slightly.

By the time we emerged from the dungeon, she truly felt like part of the team.

As we exchanged farewells at the entrance, Ryuu’s expression was lighter than before, soft, calm… almost peaceful.

‘I’m glad she trusted me enough to share her past,’ I thought with a small smile. ‘Now it’s my turn to help her. I can start by getting rid of her bounty and maybe asking her if she wants to join our part in the future. She would be welcomed with open arms I’m sure.’

Then, with a quieter sigh, I added to myself, ‘Though I still have to deal with finding Emma’s sister first…’

=====

A While Later

After dinner with everyone, I pulled Emma aside and, as promised, told her that I’d help her find her sister now that I finally had some free time.

Which was how we ended up walking through the busy streets of Orario together, heading toward the place where my ability said Sophia, Emma’s sister, was currently located.

Of course, with Emma being… well, Emma, actually reaching that place was proving to be a challenge.

“This way, Senpai~! I’m sure I saw a girl with my sister’s hair color over here!” Emma said cheerfully, tugging me along behind her for what had to be the fifth time today.

I couldn’t help but chuckle, letting her drag me without resistance. It wasn’t even the first time she’d done this, sometimes she’d veer off just because she’d spotted something shiny, or an interesting stall, or even a cute animal, or something that she thought I would find cool.

‘I’m starting to feel a little sorry for your fellow Familia members, Emma,’ I thought with a small smile. ‘Having to keep up with your energy every day must be exhausting. Not to mention you getting lost all the time.’

Then again, watching the pure happiness on her face as she smiled and hummed to herself, I couldn’t bring myself to complain.

‘Still… I think I get it now. That smile and that energy of yours, they’re contagious. And honestly… super cute.’

I was pulled from my thoughts as Emma suddenly led us toward a young, beautiful woman dressed in a deep purple outfit. Now that I looked closer, her long hair did share the same color as Sophia’s. She was speaking with an elf maid, silver-gray hair, amber eyes, calm expression, the picture of quiet grace.

All rational thought vanished the instant Emma, without a shred of hesitation or awareness, launched herself forward and hugged the girl from behind with all her strength.

“Sister Sophia!~ I’ve missed you so much!~” she squealed, eyes closed in pure joy.

The woman froze mid-sentence, completely rigid, while the elf beside her blinked in stunned silence.

I dragged a hand down my face with a groan, already feeling the secondhand embarrassment.

‘Of course… why did I ever think this would go smoothly?’