Three days have passed since preparations began for creating the guild.
The so-called application documents were merely a guide to guild creation; all that was needed was a signature, and the content wasn't complicated.
The biggest headache was the guild emblem design, which remained undecided.
I sketched several drafts while considering the general shape, but every time I tried to finalize the design, something felt missing, and I couldn't bring myself to settle on a decision.
It lacked that soul-stirring feeling. It needed a design that would make the woman wearing the emblem seem to declare, 'This is my female mark!', but inspiration just hadn't struck.
Lisbeth suggested making subtle adjustments to the text on the member emblems, but that only made the decision more difficult.
If the size were right, I'd love to get a precise tattoo on my lower abdomen, like my labia… but the current ambiguous size made me hesitant to use it there.
So I decided to reserve that area for a separate tattoo later, and the guild emblem would be tattooed on the back of my hand or another prominent location.
To be honest, I was more concerned about Lisbeth's reaction than the emblem design.
When I mentioned that I was preparing to create a guild and inquired about the emblem, Lisbeth smiled, but her expression subtly revealed a hint of loneliness. I immediately wanted to tell her, "Come with me"... but her expression seemed to suggest a struggle: "I want to follow Shimo, but is this really okay?" So, I held back my invitation.
After all, creating a guild would take considerable time... and more importantly, Lisbeth was just one step away. Letting her betray Ars after she actually took that step would lessen the guilt.
Therefore, the night passed more intensely than usual, satisfying Lisbeth as if to appease her.
And today was the day to challenge the new dungeon Ars had been assigned to.
This dungeon, named "Lippi," was a level higher than the Sorik dungeon I had visited before.
After a brief exploration, I discovered that the monsters here were far more aggressive and mobile than those in the previous Sorik dungeon.
They were not only agile in their evasion, but their attacks were also incredibly fierce; a moment's carelessness could result in a fatal blow.
Most importantly, unlike the simple, straight passages of Sorik, this place featured branching paths and other structures, finally giving it the appearance of a true dungeon.
"Whoa!" Swinging a blunt weapon like a baseball bat, the head of a wolf-like monster with saber-toothed claws exploded into smoke and dissipated.
Although the monsters had become stronger, my arm strength seemed sufficient to take them down in two or three blows.
While I had anticipated that it would be more comfortable than a bladed weapon, the feeling of the blunt weapon fitting snugly in my hand far exceeded my expectations.
Swinging with all my might without considering the blade's direction or the angle of the strike was indeed exhilarating… but right now, I looked more like a monster itself.
Thankfully, I was dealing with monsters that didn't leave corpses; if it were a monster, the scene would be horrific… I was really torn about whether to continue using this weapon.
"Blunt weapons are easier to use than I expected? Other adventurers might not even be able to kill one or two monsters even after swinging their swords all day... Your strength is definitely something else." Lisbeth smiled and approached, touching my arm muscles.
"I also find them quite easy to use, but I'm worried about the monster hunts later. The corpses will definitely be a gruesome sight."
"Yeah. Valuable leather monsters will be difficult. But it's the same with a sword, really." Lisbeth smiled, and for some reason, a look of rapture appeared on her face as she stroked my arm.
Hmm.
Ars is here too, how bold!
I already satisfied you so much last night... no, is it because I satisfied you that I'm acting like this?
I looked at Ars with some concern, only to find that he wasn't paying any attention to us, looking around with a serious expression.
Just as I was thinking, 'What's wrong with him?', Ars called out to us in a serious voice.
"What's wrong? What happened, Ars?" "...Looks like someone's already in the dungeon."
"Eh? Could it be... an unlicensed adventurer?" Lisbeth, who was blushing just moments before, instantly became tense and asked.
Unlicensed adventurers...I think that refers to criminals or outlaws without adventurer qualifications. The more powerful someone is, the less reason they have to commit crimes, so I've heard that unlicensed adventurers are mostly mediocre.
"We've been in the dungeon for about an hour, and there aren't any worthwhile spots to collect from, plus the number of monsters is surprisingly low. This is probably..."
Someone without a raiding permit actually came in. No, maybe they've already grabbed something valuable and run off.
"If they've already escaped, there's nothing left to take in the dungeon...but if they're still inside, it means we'll run into them, right?"
Ars nodded after hearing my words, continuing in a tense voice. "When encountering illegal adventurers in the labyrinth, killing them isn't considered a crime. The best-case scenario is to subdue them and take them to Ladia… But this is our first time encountering illegal adventurers, and they'll definitely fight back desperately. Whether we can subdue them or not…" It implies the criminals are cornered. The thought of possibly killing them is indeed unsettling. "...Should we just go back?"
"Hmm… If we retreat after reporting the discovery of illegal adventurers, the guild's rating will drop… The kingdom encourages killing illegal adventurers and bringing back evidence." The kingdom actually encourages killing; even for criminals, it's chilling.
After a moment's thought, Ars looked around at me, Lisbeth, and Claire and asked, "...Semo. Lisbeth. Is everything alright?"
Is he asking if we should continue even if it means killing?
But I wasn't that nervous. "Is it because I heard their skill level is mediocre? Although I'm level 18, honestly, I feel like anyone below level 20 could easily defeat them."
"We're not sure if we're still in the dungeon, let's go further in and see. If it doesn't work, we'll burn everyone down and run away."
"After I said that, Lisbeth nodded in agreement."
"Since Shimo says so, it should be fine. They're just some criminals hiding somewhere, right? Let's treat them as people we'll inevitably encounter in our adventures, and use them as experience."
Ars nodded and looked at Claire.
"Miss Claire. If we encounter illegal adventurers, we might have to kill them. Are you sure you're okay with that?"
"...While I want to avoid killing as much as possible...it's better than putting everyone in danger. Please try to subdue them if possible."
"But as a nun, I thought Claire would object, but it seems that's not the case."
"That's understandable, after all, this is Eisentia, whose common sense is different from Earth's. Their perception of criminals is probably different too."
"After deciding on our course of action when encountering illegal adventurers, we began our exploration of the dungeon again with a bit of tension." ...After exploring the dungeon for a while, I only encountered some monsters and never met any illegal adventurers.
Perhaps they've already left. Just as I was thinking this and relaxed, a strangely atmospheric room suddenly appeared ahead of me.
It was a dead-end room with no exit... The walls were a completely different color from before, and the floor was divided into three sections.
"Where am I? Something feels off..." As I looked around the center of the room, Lisbeth, who was surveying the room from behind, suddenly cried out.
"Shimo! Get out of here! This is...!" In an instant, blinding light enveloped the entire room, and I suddenly felt a sense of weightlessness, as if I were floating.
When the light faded and I slowly opened my eyes... I was standing alone in an unfamiliar space, no longer in the previous room.
Looking at the room where a thin stream of water flowed in one corner, I began to analyze the situation.
'Could it be... a trap?' Judging from Lisbeth's anxious shouts for evacuation... it was most likely one of those traps.
But a trap that can instantly teleport you...it really has that magical fantasy dungeon vibe, doesn't it?
'I need to find three people...but they've all been blown away somewhere...!?' A chill ran down my spine at the thought of the unseen Claire.
Now I'm checking if there are any illegal adventurers in the dungeon...what if Claire fell in alone like me?
No, regardless of whether there are illegal adventurers, what if Claire was teleported to a place with monsters?
Lisbeth and Ars are at least a mage and a warrior with combat abilities, but Claire, as a nun, has no combat power except for healing and blessing skills. Moreover, Claire, who can't even see, if she were blown away alone...I was just marveling at the teleportation trap and leisurely enjoying myself, but the thought of Claire made my heart sink, and I found myself blindly running.
'No! Human form is too slow!' I immediately transformed into my Marlborough form and began breaking through the dungeon at full speed. Clothes and weapons fell off during the transformation; the dungeon wouldn't disappear until all the creatures escaped anyway.
Finding Kleia first, then rejoining the other two should be fine.
'Please… I hope all three of them ended up in the same place!' I prayed fervently in my heart that they were safe, while simultaneously sprinting with all my might.
............ Kleia briefly experienced a floating sensation, then suddenly lost all awareness of the other three around her.
She frantically focused her senses, but could only perceive her own presence.
Was it some kind of trap in the dungeon? If so, she was now isolated from the three… If they couldn't find her… she would never escape the dungeon.
Thinking this, Kleia broke out in a cold sweat, fear spreading through her. 'Ah, no… I have to trust the three of you.' More important than that is whether they are safe…' Although she seemed to have been transported to an empty space, she couldn't guarantee that the three of them would suffer the same fate.
Even the illegal adventurers hadn't noticed; what if all three were in danger… Thinking this, Claire knelt down, clasped her hands, and began to pray.
'This is better than wandering aimlessly… Goddess… please protect those three…' Claire continued to pray and wait for the three.
As her legs grew numb and fatigue increased, three auras began to approach from afar.
'…Huh? This is…' Although Claire initially thought it was Arth's team, the Ethel she sensed from the three auras was completely different from the others. 'Could it be…' As tension spread through Claire's body, she knew she had to move away from the approaching aura… but moving through the underground city, where all the walls were the same color, was extremely difficult for Claire, whose eyesight was poor.
"Huh? Big brother. What's that lone woman here?"
"Really? And a nun at that?"
"Hehehe. Sister. Could she have fallen into a trap in the dungeon?" As Claire fumbled along the walls searching for an exit, three men exuding an ominous aura approached, laughing loudly. "...Huh? Big brother, that woman's eyes…" "...Could it be…" The three approaching men seemed flustered, then suddenly burst into laughter again.
These three laughing Ethels made Claire feel an unprecedentedly terrifying Ethel aura.
"Pfft, hahaha! What is this?! How could this happen?"
"Hahaha! Boss will definitely love this!?"
"Our sneaking into the dungeon was totally worth it!" One of the three laughing so loudly approached Clya and asked sarcastically.
"Miss... Sister Clya of Ladia. Right?"
"...!? Uh, how could this be...?" Clya, tense and uneasy, suddenly heard them say her name and involuntarily asked in return.
What exactly is Ethel that these three guys are...?
And they actually know me?
"Hehehe...! Ah, this is really...! Miss. How dare a nun recklessly wander into the dungeon? Tsk tsk...!"
"Thanks to you, we saved a lot of trouble."
"Boss will definitely reward us handsomely." Facing the confused Clya, the three chuckled for a while before one of them spoke.
"Ah~ You really do run into anything when you live long enough. But this nun, her figure and face are really hot, bro?"
"Hey, you too? I was just thinking about that too."
As she gradually sensed that unsettling emotion emanating from the three Ethel members, Clya's body began to tremble.
Although it was somewhat different… it was very similar to the emotion she felt from Shimo… and this emotion was now swelling within the three thugs before her.
"Don't, don't come any closer…"
"Hehehe. You can't even see, where do you think you're going to run to, Sister Clya?"
The man who seemed to be the leader stepped forward, speaking to Clya in a mocking tone.
"Since we're all going to die here anyway, let's have some fun before we die."
With that, the three beasts began tearing at Clya's nun's clothes.
............
"Haa…! Haa…!" She had been running for an unknown amount of time. It felt like she had been running at full speed for over an hour, but she had only encountered one or two monsters, and still hadn't found any of the three.
What should she do? If Claire had fallen into a dangerous place from the start, she might be...
"Gahhhhhh!!!" Just as I was gripped by unease, a woman's heart-wrenching scream rang out from afar.
Recognizing it was Claire's voice, I rushed over like a cannonball, only to find three men surrounding Claire...!
"No, stop this!" I saw one of the three tearing at Claire's nun's habit.
Could these bastards... be illegal adventurers? These guys are tearing Claire's clothes? A screaming woman. And men tearing at her clothes.
The instant I witnessed this, my blood vessels nearly burst, and a boiling heat surged through my body.
"You son of a bitch! Stop right now!?" I roared as I lunged at the bastard tearing at Claire's clothes.