WebNovels

Chapter 108 - The Under Garden

After getting our food, I found myself sitting in a small circle with Lefiya and others. 

"So, how is it? Your first deep dungeon dive?" I asked Daphne and Cassandra, who have accompanied the party as supporters.

"Should you really be asking that?—Ow!" Lefiya muttered quietly, earning a bonk on her head from me.

"You are one unruly student, aren't you?" I spoke as she rubbed her head with small tears gathering at the corner of her eyes, "So?" I turned, resuming my conversation with Daphne and Cassandra.

"It is going easier than I expected. Cassandra and I were feeling quite nervous when we first entered the dungeon, but seeing everyone fighting gave us some confidence." Daphne answered as she took a sip of the soup.

Cassandra also nodded her head, agreeing with her friend. That's good. I was worried if she had any bad dreams of us encountering any monster that's out of our league, but looking at her behavior, that doesn't seem to be the case.

"So, Riviera would you, Finn, and Gareth would start participating in the fight from now?" Riviera gulped the food down before she answered.

"Yes, as monsters from now on would be stronger and appear more frequently, we would participate enough so the others don't get overwhelmed by the hordes of monsters," Riveria replied.

"I think it's better this way, even without Riveria and others, we have enough firepower to get to the lower floors easily," Asfi commented, which I agree with, since there are a lot of first-class adventurers in this party. 

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We continued our chatter for a while until finally Ryuu spoke up.

"It's getting late, we should go to sleep," Ryuu said, looking up at the dungeon ceiling, portraying a night sky filled with glittering stars. 

"Lion is right, we should be able to get good enough sleep since there are a lot of people, so the watch shifts won't be too long, if any at all," Alise spoke, stretching her body, getting ready to sleep.

Having decided that all of us got up and made our way to our respective tents, there were numerous large tents set up, separating men's and women's sections, with a few smaller ones as well, mainly for Riveria and for the captains.

I settled myself in my sleeping space, trying to get some shut-eye even though there was no sleep in my eyes. 

For a short while, I tried tossing and turning, but that was of no use, so I finally decided to take a short walk in the hopes that when I came back, I would be able to sleep better.

I exited my tent and was able to see the guard sitting near the fireplace while others made rounds around the tents' perimeters.

Giving them a nod as a thank you for their work, I walk around the floor filled with flowers. Even though it was nighttime, there was enough light for me to see the flower field; in fact, I believe the night only made the sight more beautiful.

Rustle Rustle I walked slowly through the flowers, letting the peaceful atmosphere wash over me. The petals brushed against my legs as I moved, releasing gentle waves of that sweet fragrance. It was quiet here, away from the camp—just the soft rustling of flowers and my own footsteps.

"Could not sleep?" I turned to face the direction the familiar voice came from and found Riveria standing there. 

"Yes, and you?" 

"I just wanted to walk around this place some more since we would be leaving early tomorrow morning," she explained, stepping closer towards me, "Besides, this is the only place that lets me enjoy this beautiful sight that resembles the royal elf garden without being interrupted by anyone."

"Royal garden, huh? That must be a beautiful palace if it can contend with this one." I said, looking over the flowers blooming, with Riveria doing the same.

We stood in comfortable silence for a moment, both lost in our own thoughts. Then Riveria's expression shifted, becoming almost playful—an expression I started to see more and more often now. Despite how mature, calm, or collected she looks, Riviera is surprisingly more playful than she lets on.

"Come," she said, beginning to walk deeper into the flower field. She clasped her hands behind her back, her hand motioning in a beckoning gesture as she glanced back at me. "There's something I want to show you."

The gesture was so unexpectedly playful, almost cat-like, that I couldn't help but smile. "Oh? And what might that be?"

"You'll see," she replied, that small smile still on her lips as she continued walking, occasionally looking back to make sure I was following. "It's my favorite spot on this floor. I don't show it to just anyone, you know," she said, a certain kind of smugness in her words.

"Oh? I'm greatly honored then," I said as I followed after her.

She led me through the flowers, weaving between the silver-barked trees with the ease of someone who had done this many times before. The way she moved was graceful, purposeful, yet there was something almost childlike in her enthusiasm—a side of Riveria I doubted many people got to see.

"How much farther?" I asked after a few minutes of walking.

"Patience," she chided, though her tone was light and gentle.

We walked for a bit longer, the sounds of the camp fading completely behind us, until we reached a small clearing. 

In the center stood a particularly large tree, its branches laden with blossoms that seemed to glow more brightly than the others. Beneath it, the flowers formed a natural circle, and a small spring bubbled up from the ground, its water crystal clear and reflecting the dungeon ceiling starlight from above.

"Wow," I breathed, taking in the sight.

"I found this place during my first expedition to this floor," Riveria said softly, moving to sit by the spring.

I sat down next to her, careful not to crush any flowers. Up close, I could see the water in the spring was moving in gentle, swirling patterns, as if dancing to music only it could hear.

"It's beautiful," I said. "Thank you for sharing it with me," I said, looking up towards her, only to be greeted by another breathtaking sight, the light reflected by the spring fell on Riveira, with her perfect features, she looked like a goddess who descended to the mortal realm.

"Arin?" Her voice jolted me out of my thoughts. I turn my gaze away from her.

"Sorry about that, I just spaced out for a second." I made an excuse, but Riveria seems to have decided that she won't let it pass this time.

"Are you not spacing out a lot lately?" She spoke, a teasing smile gracing her soft, pink lips.

"And whose fault do you think it is?" I bit back, while Riveria only tilted her head.

"Whose indeed~~?" Hearing her speak in that sing-song voice only made me annoyed as I gave her a slight glare, which only seemed to amuse her more.

"Fufufu, My apologies, I was just teasing you," 

"You know, the sincerity of that apology is already lost when you laughed at it," I said, unable to keep the smile from my own face despite my mock annoyance.

"Is that so?" Riveria's eyes sparkled with amusement as she looked at me. "Then perhaps I should apologize again? Though I make no promises about not laughing this time either."

"Don't bother. I know a lost cause when I see one," I replied, shaking my head. "Though you better be prepared, I always get my revenge." 

"Oh," her eyes widen in realization that any time she teased me, I teased her ten times more. "Now, now, Arin, it's just some good fun. Why would you want to take revenge for that?"

"Maybe because I'm petty? Now let's go back, we have to wake up early tomorrow, or today, should I say?" I said, getting up from the spot, while Riveria tried to cling to my cloak.

"Wait, wait! I take it back!" She tugged at the fabric, her dignified composure completely abandoned. "I won't tease you anymore—at least not tonight!"

"Not tonight?" I raised an eyebrow, looking down at her. "That's a very specific timeframe. What about tomorrow?"

"That's... negotiable?" She tried, her emerald eyes looking up at me with an expression that was dangerously close to pleading.

I had to bite back a laugh. This was a side of Riveria that almost no one ever saw—the proud, composed Nine Hell reduced to clinging to my cloak like a child who didn't want to go home. It was adorable, and she clearly knew exactly what she was doing.

"Negotiable, huh?" I pretended to consider it. "I don't know... I'm feeling pretty petty right now."

"Arin," she said, her voice taking on a warning tone even as she maintained her grip on my cloak. "You wouldn't dare."

"Wouldn't I?" I grinned down at her. "You started this, remember? 'Whose indeed~~?'" I mimicked her sing-song voice, which earned me an indignant gasp.

"I do not sound like that!"

"You absolutely do."

"You're impossible."

"I prefer 'appropriately retaliatory.'"

"That's not even a proper word."

"I forget the part where that's my problem," I concluded the war of words and started walking back to the campsite. Riveria, seeing that I won't budge, just followed behind me, no longer intending to stop my revenge plan.

"Then good night, Riveria," I said, stopping in front of her tent.

"Um, Good night, Arin," she replied, entering her tent, while I also went back to my sleeping spot. This time, I didn't have any trouble falling asleep.

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