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

Chapter 44: The Girl from the Dungeon

Several Days Later

The light of a new day greeted us as we headed toward the Dungeon early in the morning like usual, though today was a little different. Both Rem and Ram were accompanying us this time, which was a rare treat.

The issue with Emma’s sister was taking longer to resolve than expected. According to my Bounty Tracker, Sophia was almost never alone, always surrounded by at least one member of the Aeshma Familia. That made it difficult to approach her directly and learn about her situation, or even whether she needed help at all.

Since Emma and I usually explored the Dungeon in the mornings, that left only the afternoons to investigate, and so far, no luck. Still, I knew it was only a matter of time. Emma didn’t seem too upset either thankfully; she was simply glad to know her sister appeared safe for now.

As we walked, I spotted a pair of familiar faces up ahead. Like every day for nearly a month now, we made our usual stop at the Hostess of Fertility, where we were greeted by Ryuu and Syr, and I received my daily bento.

“Good morning, Reinhard-kun~” Syr greeted cheerfully, wrapping her arms around me in a hug I was still getting used to, much to the visible annoyance of the girls behind me.

“Good morning, Syr. Ryuu.” I returned the hug briefly before turning to the elf, who smiled a bit more warmly than usual.

“Good morning, Reinhard-san. Everyone,” Ryuu greeted softly with a polite nod.

There had been another small change lately, Ryuu had started greeting me with more warmth since our heart-to-heart in the dungeon. I was happy about it, even if it sparked some jealousy from the others… Syr included. The first time she’d noticed, she had all but interrogated me until I explained that Ryuu and I had simply come to understand each other better. Ryuu had been quietly grateful for my intervention.

“Here, I got your bento ready~” Syr said brightly, pulling the box from her bag and handing it over with a radiant smile.

“Thanks. And here’s the one you lent me yesterday, I washed it as usual.” I said, swapping her box for mine.

“Hihihi, it’s no problem. I really look forward to this every day.” Syr giggled, blushing a little as she fluttered her lashes. “Though I am curious… have I been improving lately?” she asked, almost shyly.

Her expression was so earnest I couldn’t help but smile. “You have. Every day, your bentos get more delicious,” I said sincerely.

“Oh, you~” Syr blushed harder, hiding her face for a moment before mumbling under her breath, just loud enough for me to catch it. “If you wanted, I could cook for you every day…”

Her words made me pause, blinking in mild surprise before answering honestly, “I wouldn’t mind that, actually.”

Syr squeaked, covering her face completely now as her blush spread to her ears. “You heard that!? A-Anyway, I won’t keep you any longer! Have a good day, Reinhard-kun! Don’t forget to stop by when you can, okay? B-Bye!”

She spoke so fast I barely managed to nod before she bolted back inside the pub, leaving behind an amused Ryuu.

“As Syr said, good luck today, Reinhard-san. And if you ever need help, don’t hesitate to ask.” Ryuu gave a graceful bow and another warm smile before retreating after her coworker, her steps noticeably lighter than usual.

“Thanks, you two. See you later.” I waved after them, a small smile tugging at my lips before turning back to the others.

“Those maids get bolder every day,” Lili muttered, planting her hands on her hips as she shot me a mildly disapproving look. “And it doesn’t help that Reinhard-sama doesn’t discourage them.”

“Hmph, they’d better learn the pecking order if they’re planning to stick around.” Rem huffed, looping one of her arms through mine and leaning into it possessively.

“You said it, Rem. Those two are at the very end of the line for anything.” Ram added smugly, taking my other arm and mirroring her sister’s actions.

That left Lili and Naaza walking slightly ahead, one on each side, while Est rested quietly against my hip in her sword form. Together, we made our way toward the Dungeon, me in the center, essentially a very awkward armrest for twin maids.

I chose to say nothing, as usual. It was safer that way.

“By the way, Reinhard,” Naaza began after a few moments, glancing at the twins clinging to me. “Why are both Rem and Ram here today? Not that I mind them joining, of course.”

“We’ll be exploring past the eighteenth floor today,” I explained simply, “and I wanted both of them along as a safety precaution.”

My words made both Lili and Naaza freeze mid-step before spinning around with wide eyes.

“Y-You should have told Lili this beforehand, Reinhard-sama!” Lili exclaimed, half-worried, half-scolding. “Lili heard that from the nineteenth to the twenty-fourth floors, there’s a high chance of being poisoned if one doesn’t have the Abnormal Resistance development ability!”

“I could’ve used a heads-up too,” Naaza added with a cute little pout, her tail flicking and ears drooping slightly.

Rem, meanwhile, looked unimpressed. “Rem doesn’t see what the big deal is,” she said with a shrug.

“Me neither,” Ram agreed immediately. “We’re already highly resistant to any poison, and we have Reinhard-sama’s potions to take care of anything else.”

Lili and Naaza blinked, clearly realizing they had overreacted. Both offered sheepish apologies soon after.

“Don’t worry about it, you two,” I said, waving their concern away with a small smile. “I’m the one who should apologize for not telling you earlier.”

Internally, though, I wasn’t worried in the slightest. Between Body Defense and my own ridiculous resistances, poison was practically irrelevant. Disease, toxins, radiation, none of it could truly affect us anymore. And, like Ram said, we had enough potions stocked to cure any ailment a dozen times over.

Still, seeing how earnest they were in worrying for me and each other… it was kind of nice.

=====

Dungeon — 19th Floor

Having already cleared everything below the eighteenth floor plenty of times, it didn’t take us long to reach the nineteenth after a brief meal and rest on the eighteenth.

Just as Lili had described, the place was thick with towering trees that stretched as far as the eye could see, no wonder people called the nineteenth through twenty-fourth floors the Large Tree Labyrinth.

Since entering, we’d encountered just about every type of monster native to this region: Bugbears, Battle Boars, a few Lizardmen, a Firebird, several Vouivre, some Mad Beetles, Dark Fungus, and a few Gun Libellula.

A few of them had tried to poison us, of course, only for their efforts to fail completely thanks to Body Defense. Eventually, we stopped to take a small break, mostly because Lili was having some trouble keeping pace with the rest of us.

“This place is huge,” I said, taking a long swig from my canteen before handing it to Est, who sat beside me in her human form. “It feels like the deeper we go, the larger the floors get.”

“At least the monsters haven’t been much stronger than before,” Ram said casually, not even looking winded as she scanned our surroundings for any sign of movement.

“Other than that Goliath, Rem hasn’t really seen anything strong yet,” Rem added innocently, wiping her flail clean of monster blood with a rag.

“That’s because Rem-sama and Ram-sama are super strong already,” Lili muttered, her voice small. “Lili can barely keep up with everyone…”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Naaza said kindly while checking her bowstring. “You’re already far stronger than I was as a Level 2 before meeting Reinhard.”

“That’s right, Lili.” I nodded and reached out to rest my hand on her head, gently ruffling her hair. “You’ve been doing great. It won’t be long before you handle these monsters just as easily as the ones above.”

Lili flushed pink under my hand, fidgeting a little. “…Is Lili really getting stronger?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Hearing that, my smile softened. I knelt down so our eyes were level. “Yes, Lili. You’re getting stronger every day. At this rate, you’ll surpass all your former Familia members before long, and you’ll only keep growing from there. Someday, I’m certain you’ll be the strongest Pallum in Orario… maybe even in history.”

Her eyes shimmered as she sniffled once, and before I could react, she buried her face in my chest, hugging me tightly.

“…Thank you for believing in Lili, Reinhard-sama,” she whispered, voice trembling. “It means the world to her. Lili knows all of this is only possible because of you.”

I chuckled softly, wrapping an arm around her small shoulders. “You give me too much credit. I only helped a little, you’re the one who put in all the work. Don’t sell yourself short, alright? You’re an irreplaceable member of our Familia and this party… I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

I felt the fabric of my shirt grow damp but said nothing, simply holding her as she let her emotions out.

Several quiet minutes passed before Lili finally pulled back, hastily wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve. Her smile was bright, even through her blush and red-rimmed eyes.

“Reinhard-sama is truly the most dangerous enemy for all women,” she said, half-sighing, half-smiling.

I blinked, just as she suddenly leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek.

When I looked at her in shock, Lili’s entire face was tomato-red, though her shy smile didn’t waver. “Lili will just have to make Reinhard-sama take responsibility for doing this to her,” she mumbled quickly before pulling up her hood and turning away. “Ahem… Lili is feeling better now. We can continue.”

For a moment, I just stood there, processing what had just happened. Then I exhaled, shaking my head with a small, helpless smile before turning to the others.

They said nothing, though judging by their expressions, a bit of jealousy was definitely in the air.

“Ready to continue, everyone?” I asked.

“Yeah!” came the unanimous response.

We spent a few more hours grinding through the nineteenth floor, even taking a quick peek into the twentieth before deciding to turn back. The layout was just as vast, and we figured it would be better to explore it properly another day.

As we were making our way back toward the staircase, I suddenly stopped. A familiar pulse of energy rippled through the air ahead of us, the unmistakable sign of a monster being born.

“Everyone, get ready,” I ordered quietly.

Just as I finished speaking, the wall ahead of us began to crack and pulse with life, and a soft light flared before birthing a new monster.

We’d seen this numerous times now. Normally, I wouldn’t have batted an eye, already used to the strangeness of the dungeon.

A moment later a Vouivre was born.

Only… this wasn’t like any Vouivre I’d ever seen.

Instead of a towering, dragon-like beast with wings and a serpentine lower body, what emerged was… a girl.

She was around 150 centimeters tall, just a little taller than Hestia, with light gray skin, faint blue scales scattered across her body, and a crimson gem gleaming on her forehead, the unmistakable proof of her race. But her form was human, fragile-looking, and she stood there completely naked, trembling slightly.

When she lifted her head, I froze.

Amber eyes — wide, innocent, and terrified — stared back at us.

“A Vouivre? Maybe it’s a newborn? Lili’s never heard of one like this before,” Lili muttered, already aiming her crossbow.

“I haven’t either,” Naaza said, her bowstring pulled taut.

But I wasn’t listening to them. All I could see was the fear in that girl’s eyes.

“Lower your weapons,” I said quietly but firmly, stepping forward to block their line of sight.

Ram and Rem, sensing the seriousness in my tone, immediately relaxed. Est shifted back into her human form beside me, silent but watchful.

Lili blinked in confusion. “What are you talking about, Reinhard-sama? That’s a monster! We have to kill it.”

Naaza frowned. “Do you want to test something first? Maybe a new ability?”

“I’ll explain later,” I said evenly, my voice carrying a sharp edge I rarely used. “For now, lower your weapons. I won’t ask again. You’re scaring her.”

That last part did it, they both hesitated, shocked by my tone, before reluctantly lowering their weapons.

The effect was immediate. The Vouivre girl’s trembling slowed, her eyes flicking from me to the others, her breathing evening out slightly.

Slowly, I approached her, making sure every step was deliberate, non-threatening. She watched me warily but didn’t retreat. When I was close enough, I knelt down to her level, offering a small, reassuring smile.

“Hello there,” I said softly. “Can you understand me?”

“Reinhard-sama! What are you doing? It’s a monster!” Lili blurted out, still not understanding.

I didn’t look back. “No monster has eyes like these.”

The girl blinked at me, lips parting as if to speak. No sound came out. After a few seconds of effort, she gave up and simply nodded, just a small, hesitant motion.

My smile widened slightly. “I knew it. You can understand me.” I pointed to myself and spoke slowly, enunciating carefully. “Reinhard. My name is Reinhard. Re-in-hard.”

She tried to mimic me. “R-Reeiinh… hard.”

I chuckled softly. “It’s a tough one, huh? You can call me Rein if that’s easier. At least I’m glad you can talk.”

Her amber eyes brightened, and she tried again. “R-Rein… Your name is Rein.”

“That’s right,” I said with a grin, reaching out and patting her head without thinking. She flinched immediately, and I quickly pulled back, raising my hands in apology. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just happy you got it right.”

Behind me, I could hear the girls muttering in disbelief, Lili and Naaza whispering about a monster that could talk, while Ram, Rem, and Est just watched calmly, used to far stranger things.

Before I could say anything else, I felt the faint presence of approaching monsters, several of them, closing in fast.

The Vouivre girl tensed, her whole body trembling again as she instinctively huddled closer to me.

That was all I needed to see to make my decision.

Without hesitation, I pulled a dark coat from my inventory and gently wrapped it around her small frame. She blinked up at me, confused, before shyly clutching the fabric tighter around herself.

“Alright,” I said, rising to my feet and offering her my hand with a calm smile. “I’ve made up my mind. We’re taking her with us.”

There was a chorus of startled noises behind me, but I ignored them. My focus stayed on the girl, whose hand trembled as she hesitated, then slowly reached out and took mine.

Her legs wobbled as she stood for the first time, but she steadied herself quickly.

‘Looks like you’re tougher than you seem,’ I thought, quietly impressed as I smiled down at her. ‘I guess we’ll need to come up with a name for you soon, huh?’

With the girl huddled close behind me, we swiftly dispatched the monsters that had been closing in before making our way toward the surface.

By the time we reached the familiar light of the upper floors, she was still clutching the hem of my coat, her steps small but steady.

‘Hestia and Artemis are definitely going to be surprised when I show up with her,’ I thought with a nervous smile.