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

Chapter 51: An Unexpected Audience

Seeing the desperate, terrible longing in her emerald eyes, I knew there was only one answer I could give.

‘I guess it doesn’t really matter what kind of trouble awaits us. Ever since rescuing Wiene, we were already involved. We just have to be prepared for anything that comes our way.’

Letting my expression soften, I gave her a small, reassuring smile and nodded.

Marie’s eyes widened in sheer joy. “Of course I would.”

“Yiiipeee~!” she cheered, throwing her hands into the air and hugging me tighter, laughing with delight.

Beside me, I heard both Rem and Ram grumble under their breath.

“Guuu… I love that Reinhard-kun has such a kind, loving heart, it’s one of the things Rem loves most about him, but why did it have to come with the downside of attracting so many girls?” Rem murmured, biting her finger and casting a jealous glance toward Marie.

“I can't say I didn’t see this coming… but it’s still annoying,” Ram muttered, looking off to the side with a quiet pout.

Gently pulling away from Marie’s embrace, I smiled and patted her head. She paused mid-squirm, looking up at me with bright, expectant eyes.

“Before we go any further,” I said calmly, “let me inform Hestia and Artemis about my decision. I’d rather not surprise them again like I did when I brought Wiene home.”

Marie tilted her head in that same curious way. “Hestia? Artemis? Who are they, Reinhard?”

“Hestia is our Goddess,” I explained simply not wanting to confuse her, “and Artemis is another Goddess, a good friend of us and Hestia who lives together with us.”

She blinked as she processed that, then nodded thoughtfully. “So they already know about Wiene?”

“Yes, they do,” I replied with my own nod. “Now, just give me a moment while I speak to them.”

Marie looked confused, clearly unsure how I was going to manage that, but she stayed quiet and simply snuggled into my arms, still watching me curiously.

The answer was actually simple. With the Conjunction perk, anyone I’d shared my shroud with could communicate telepathically with me, regardless of distance, even across different worlds.

“Hestia, Artemis. Do you have a moment?” I called out silently.

It only took a moment before a wave of frantic energy rushed back at me.

“Rein-kun! What’s wrong!? Are you all okay!? You said to only use this method in an emergency while inside the dungeon!” Hestia’s voice rang out, already spiraling into panic.

“Rein, are you alright? Was the expedition too difficult?” Artemis chimed in next, usually the calm and measured one, but right now her voice held clear concern and a bit of fear.

Smiling at their reactions, I sent a wave of comfort and reassurance through our connection, easing their nerves. “Don’t worry, you two, we’re all fine. I just needed to contact you for something else. Something I want to share with you two.”

I could practically hear their twin sighs of relief, which warmed my heart. It was nice to be reminded how much they cared.

“Phew… that’s a relief. Rein-kun, you almost scared me half to death!” Hestia groaned, her voice shifting into a soft whine. “I expect cuddle time when you get back for stressing me out this much!”

“Stop acting like a child, Hestia,” Artemis sighed, though there was no bite in her words, only exhausted relief. A beat passed, and I felt her embarrassment seep into the link. “…Though, if Hestia’s getting cuddles anyway, and I know how you are, I expect the same.”

I smiled awkwardly. Yep. The conversation took a sudden turn pretty fast.

“Alright,” I finally said, letting the amusement pass. “You’ll both get your cuddles. But listen, after defeating the Monster Rex on the 27th floor earlier… we ran into another girl like Wiene.”

My tone turned serious, and I felt the shift in their attention instantly.

“…You actually found another girl like her?” Hestia asked, her earlier teasing and worry gone from her voice, replaced with something calm and serious.

“So there were more after all,” Artemis muttered, her tone matching Hestia’s. “And if you’re calling us, can I guess that you’ve already decided you want to bring this girl to live with us too, and you’re asking for our opinion?” she added knowingly.

“I bet she’s also a beauty, huh?” Hestia said in a monotone voice that was hard to read.

Internally wincing at being found out so fast, I responded with a sigh. “Seems I can’t get anything past you two.”

“Her name is Marie. She’s a mermaid,” I said gently. “My gut is telling me that, just like Wiene, she’s innocent. She just wants to see the sun one day. I… I couldn’t say no to her when she looked at me with those eyes, full of longing.”

There was a pause, but then I felt it, waves of love and fondness through the connection. It flustered me more than I’d like to admit, and Marie, who hadn’t stopped looking at me since I’d started, tilted her head curiously at my expression.

“Haah… What are we going to do with you, Rein-kun?” Hestia sighed, her voice soft and full of affection.

“Honestly,” Artemis added, “out of both our Familias, you somehow give us the most trouble, and you’re supposed to be the most responsible.”

“I—I apologize for that…” I muttered, embarrassed. Apologizing was the only thing I could really do.

“Hihihi~ An embarrassed Rein-kun. How rare,” Hestia teased gently, but then, thankfully, dialed it back. “To answer your question: do what you think is best, Rein-kun. You have, and will always have, my full support.”

“I wouldn’t even be here if you didn’t have that kind of heart,” Artemis said softly, no teasing now. “From the day you rescued me, you’ve had my full trust. Just follow what comes naturally, and we’ll back you up the best we can.”

It went unsaid, but I knew, by bringing Marie with us, we’d be one step closer to uncovering the mystery behind the Xenos.

Struck silent for a moment by their words, I felt a smile curl on my lips and sent a pulse of warmth and gratitude through our bond, letting them feel how deeply I appreciated them.

“Thanks, Hestia. Thanks, Artemis. I’ll see you both soon.”

I received their farewells in return and let the connection fade, then focused back on the present, finding Marie still gazing at me with curiosity.

“Did you already talk to them?” she asked, tilting her head this way and that. Her eyes suddenly widened. “Oh! Do you have some kind of ability that lets you talk to them mentally!?”

A little surprised by her deduction based on her attitude so far, I nodded. “That’s right, and I’ve got good news. They’re in full agreement with me.”

“That’s wonderful news~!” Marie beamed, squirming happily in my arms again. “So does that mean we can go to the surface now!?”

I gave her a hesitant smile. “Well… it’ll be a bit harder to sneak you out of the Dungeon since, uh… you don’t have legs.”

At that, her fins drooped and her smile faded just a little.

Noticing the shift, I hurried to continue. “Which means… we might have to come back for you another day once my ability has had the chance to effect you and disguise you as a human. Tell me, Marie, do you have somewhere safe you can stay until we return?”

Perking up again, Marie suddenly held both my cheeks, soft but firm, and stared into my eyes.

“D-Do you really promise to come back for me tomorrow, Reinhard? Y-You’re not just saying that, right? You’ll really return?” she asked, her voice soft and vulnerable, tears threatening to fall from her emerald eyes.

Seeing her like that didn’t suit her at all. I much preferred her usual bubbly, innocent self, this sad expression felt completely out of place.

Resting my hands gently over hers, I offered a reassuring smile. “Unless something unexpected happens, I promise to come back for you tomorrow, Marie. I’ve got a lot of questions for you… and I want you to meet Wiene. I bet you two will get along fabulously.”

Marie searched my eyes, looking for any hint of a lie. When she found none, she slowly relaxed. With a small sniff, she pushed her tears back and gave my hands a warm squeeze.

“Okay… I believe you,” she whispered with a nod. Then, just like that, her usual brightness returned. “Oh, and don’t worry about me~ I’m really fast! No one can catch me once I dive underwater.”

Suddenly remembering something, her eyes widened.

“There are other Xenos like me who pass through here sometimes to check on me. I’d join them, but none of their homes are built for someone like me.” She gave a small pout, gesturing to her tail.

My brows rose slightly at that, but I quickly schooled my expression. Behind Marie, I noticed that Rem and Ram had stopped sulking and were now fully tuned into the conversation.

‘So there really are communities of Xenos, scattered throughout the Dungeon. Probably as a failsafe in case one place is discovered…’ I noted mentally.

“That’s good to know,” I replied with a nod. “My backup plan was just camping out in the Dungeon until the process was complete, but this works better.”

Turning my attention back to Marie, I gave her a soft smile. “Now hold still, okay? I’m going to grant you some of my power. It’ll let me disguise you as a human later.”

“Oooh~ It looks so shiny!” Marie beamed as my shroud began materializing behind me. She obeyed and stayed still, eyes wide with curiosity as the glowing threads wrapped around her.

As soon as the connection locked in, I willed the shroud away. Marie blinked, then looked down at herself in wonder.

“I feel amazing~ Like your power is giving me a warm hug. Hihihi, you’re amazing, Reinhard! I feel so strong now!” she giggled and, not missing a beat, hugged me tightly again.

Just then, I felt a familiar presence at my side. Est had returned in her human form, tugging gently at my sleeve.

“Reinhard. Hungry,” she said simply, her large violet eyes fixed on me with quiet pleading.

Smiling, I gave her a nod, only for Marie to tilt her head in curiosity at the new arrival.

“Marie, meet Est, my sword spirit and companion in battle,” I introduced.

Marie’s eyes lit up as she studied Est. “Nice to meet you, Est! You’re really pretty~!”

Est tilted her head, finally turning her gaze towards the Mermaid and studying her for a moment. Then, she turned back to me and gave a silent thumbs-up. “I like her. Nice addition to the harem, Reinhard.”

I sighed. “Est…”

Waving Rem and Ram over, I started leading us toward a nearby clearing where we could eat in peace, deliberately ignoring Marie’s next question.

“What’s a harem, Reinhard? Is it fun?”

Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one who heard her.

“Complete airhead,” Ram muttered with a quiet click of her tongue.

“A harem is a group of girls who all love Reinhard-kun and only Reinhard-kun~” Rem said cheerfully, as if stating a fact of life. “As a matter of fact, everyone here, besides you, is already a part of it!”

Marie paused to think for a moment… then beamed like the sun. “Well, I love Reinhard too! Does that mean I can be part of your harem as well~?”

I blinked.

Marie had just fast-forwarded through the entire “capturing” process by casually dropping a love confession like it was nothing.

‘…Welp. I guess now we just wait for the Anthropize perk to kick in.’

=====

Several Hours Later

After sharing a meal with Marie, who immediately fell in love with my cooking, we left her by the lake with a few bentos so she could enjoy the food while we were away. She gave us another one of her enthusiastic hugs, followed by a cheerful promise to wait for our return.

It didn’t take long to get back to the 18th floor. With just the three of us, we cut our way through the monsters quickly and reached the entrance without issue. As we approached the camp we’d set up the night before, a new sight made us slow to a stop.

There were other tents now, surrounding ours.

We exchanged glances before turning our eyes to the camp. There stood Lili and Naaza, side by side, chatting with another group. They were doing their best to appear calm and collected… but I could tell by the way Lili fiddled with her gloves and how Naaza’s tail twitched behind her that they were a little on edge.

“Seems the girls have visitors,” I muttered quietly, narrowing my eyes on the unfamiliar tents.

“What are your orders, Reinhard-sama?” Ram asked in a low voice, her expression unreadable.

“Naaza-san and Lili-san look nervous,” Rem added, frowning slightly. “Are they enemies?”

I turned my gaze to the people standing across from them, two elves, a human, and an Amazon. Even without introductions, I recognized them instantly.

Lefiya Viridis. Riveria Ljos Alf. Ais Wallenstein. Tiona Hiryute.

Members of the Loki Familia, one of the top two Familias in all of Orario.

As if sensing our gaze, all four turned to face us. Lefiya followed her companions’ lead a second later, blinking curiously at me.

Naaza and Lili visibly relaxed at our return, both smiling and waving discreetly.

As for the Loki girls… their reactions varied.

Lefiya’s eyes held a mix of curiosity and what oddly resembled envy, and she was only looking at me. Riveria’s face was calm but guarded, her gaze sharp and unreadable. Tiona, meanwhile, gave us a huge grin, waving enthusiastically like we were old friends.

And then there was Ais Wallenstein.

Her golden eyes were locked onto me with quiet intensity. Her expression was unreadable, but the way she watched me… it felt like she was dissecting every layer of my being. Focused. Curious. Almost feline, like a cat silently stalking something shiny.

“…Why don’t we go say hello?” I murmured to Rem and Ram, keeping my tone light. “No reason not to be civil.”

They nodded wordlessly and followed as I resumed walking toward the campsite.

Even with the Loki girls watching, I kept my attention on Lili and Naaza, offering them a reassuring smile.

“Sorry for taking so long,” I said warmly. “Did anything happen while we were away?”

“Not at all, Reinhard-sama,” Lili replied, shaking her head. She quickly stepped to my side, looking relieved. “Naaza-sama and Lili just explored the town a bit, then came back to rest.”

“Thanks for checking in, but really, you were only gone a few hours,” Naaza added, her tail slowly relaxing as she joined us.

“Good.” I nodded, glad they were safe and seemingly unharmed.

Now that that was out of the way, I finally turned to face the Loki girls. Their expressions hadn’t changed much. But this time, I returned their attention with a relaxed smile of my own.

“Hello there. Thank you for keeping our companions company,” I said politely. “Aside from Miss Ais, I believe this is our first time meeting.”

I dipped into a bow, manners kicking in from all my memories serving as a knight in the Re:Zero world.

“My name is Reinhard van Astrea. Captain of the Hestia Familia.”

Straightening up, I locked eyes with each of them in turn.

“May I have the honor of hearing your names?”

For a brief moment, no one responded.

The Loki girls glanced at one another, except for Ais, who hadn’t looked away from me once. She studied me as if trying to crack open a secret just out of reach.

‘Does she want something from me?’