Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Vol. 4 (8 page)

I know that Lilly and Lyu have a little bit of bad blood from an incident when Lilly was still a thief, but it’s never come up, and Lilly is laughing and looks like she’s having a great time. Syr is smiling ear to ear, while Lyu is responding to their questions as seriously as ever.

I wonder if something happened before I got here. I keep catching Lilly looking at me out of the corner of her eye.

“Now, Bell, drink lots and lots. You’re the star of the show tonight. Or maybe, would you like something to eat?”

“T-thank you…”

Suddenly Syr is at my side, waiting on me hand and foot.

Getting me more ale, loading up my plate with food, filling my jug, she’s zipping around all over the place. And for some reason, Lilly’s usual smile is scary.

Even though I’m feeling kind of awkward, Syr looks like she’s enjoying herself.

“I could be wrong…but you seem to be in a very good mood, Syr.”

“Do you really think so?”

I think she blushed a little bit just now. I can’t tell anymore because she’s hiding her cheek with her hand and giggling behind her shoulder like someone’s tickling her.

“It might be a bit bold of me to say this but…I feel like I helped you when I gave you that book. And thinking about that makes me, I don’t know, happy.”

She must be talking about the grimoire. She won’t take her warm gaze off of me.

Our eyes meet and she smiles even wider. It’s almost intimidating.

The muscles in my face are locked in place. What does it look like right now?

“If I may say, Mr. Cranell, congratulations to you. To think that you would be able to level up on your own…I seem to have underestimated you.”

“I-it’s nothing…”

At the same time, I get a compliment from the other side of the table.

Lyu’s expression hasn’t changed at all, but I’m still embarrassed.

“M-many people helped me out; it’s all thanks to them. Even you, Lyu…”

“There is no need for modesty. Of all the level-two categorized monsters, defeating a Minotaur is worthy of praise. Mr. Cranell, you are allowed to be proud of your accomplishment.”

Lyu said everything in a very deliberate, serious voice. She looks at me with a refined gaze from across the table.

I just noticed something about myself: I’m not good at taking compliments.

My face is turning red and my throat is so tight that getting the word “thanks” out of my mouth takes everything I have.

To top it all off, Syr is giggling at me…

“Lilly was worried sick about you. Her heart was breaking over and over…”

“I-I’m sorry, Lilly…”

“…But you looked really cool, Mr. Bell.”

I can’t take much more of this…

Lilly leaning up to my shoulder with her big smile is the finishing blow.

Her cheeks are rosy pink, and those large, chestnut-colored eyes of hers are so close I can see myself in them.

It could be the alcohol, but my entire body feels hot.

“Mr. Cranell, what is your plan going forward?”

“?”

“I am curious about what the two of you are planning.”

After talking with Lilly, I hear Lyu’s voice again as I’m trying my best to fight off the effects of the ale. Without really taking time to think about her question, I start talking about my plan for tomorrow.

“Well, tomorrow Lilly and I are going to go buy some new equipment. My old armor was completely destroyed.”

“…About that, Mr. Bell.”

“What is it, Lilly?”

“There are many things at the shop where Lilly is staying that need to be done…It doesn’t look like she will be able to join you tomorrow.”

“What, really?”

I can see Lilly shrinking in her chair, looking very apologetic. But considering all the shop has done for her after everything that’s happened, it can’t be helped…so I tell her not to worry about it and start thinking about what I should do.

I want to start going into the Dungeon again soon, and I need new armor in order to do that.

I should be able to find new equipment on my own, right? I could go by myself tomorrow.

Sure, I’m not as good at judging quality…but this will be a good learning experience.

“In that case, are you going to go shopping alone tomorrow, Bell?”

“It looks that way.”

“Then, would it be all right if I came with you?”

“Huh?!” Syr’s suggestion catches me off guard; I can only choke up a surprised response.

Lilly jumps, too, but soon crosses her arms and lowers one shoulder at Syr. She looks like a boxer before a fight…

“Wh-why do you ask?”

“I need to buy some things pretty soon anyway…I might get in the way, but if it’s okay with you, Bell, I want to go shopping with you.”

“No, Mr. Bell! Miss Syr only wants you there to carry her bags! That’s right, Lilly can see your hidden agenda! Mr. Bell, she’s planning to make you carry so much that your bones will crack! Turn her down!”

“I-I’m not going to buy that much…”

A bead of sweat rolls down my face after Lilly’s outburst. She’s standing right next to me, so I look up in Syr’s direction.

But she seems unfazed and smirks at Lilly. “Why would I do something like that?” says Syr, with her light gray eyes gazing warmly down at me.

Wh-what do I do…?

I don’t mind going shopping with her, and I’d feel bad to refuse her invitation…Ah—then again, things tend to happen when I go along with her suggestions. There was the night when I came here for the first time…And just a few days ago I ended up washing dishes to help her out.

I’m trapped between Lilly’s objections and Syr’s warm smile. Just as I’m about to crumble under the pressure—the wooden floor creaks.

A large shadow falls over Syr from behind.

“Don’t push yer luck!”

“Ugahh!!”

Wham!
A tray appears out of nowhere, slicing through the air at an angle, and slams into the back of Syr’s head.

It’s Mia. She’s standing and glaring menacingly down at Syr. She must’ve hit her pretty hard; Syr is holding her head, with tears bubbling up in the corners of her eyes.

“Don’ be thinkin’ you can take time off that easily, ya little brat. Gettin’ full o’ yourself, eh? What’s the big idea, playin’ hooky whenever ya feel like it,” Mia growls under her breath.

Supporting her shaking body by putting her elbows on the table, Syr looks back, only to see Mia’s burning death-stare.

She twists her body to face Mia directly. I can’t see her face, just her light gray hair tied into its usual bun with a ponytail coming out the middle. But based on her aura, I’d say she’s glaring right back at Mia.

“Those eyes’ll get’cha nowhere. Here, I’m the law, got that? Lyu, keep an eye on ’er tomorrow.”

Mia’s nostrils flare in anger as she turns on her heel before Lyu can answer, going back behind the bar counter.

Our table becomes a silent island in the middle of the sea of happy voices.

The tension continues for a few moments before Syr turns to face me.

“Bell, I’ve become damaged goods. Would you please pat my head and cheer me up?”

“So, Mr. Bell! Enjoy your shopping trip tomorrow and find some good stuff
alone
. Lilly can’t wait to see what you buy!”

I’m worried that these two will never be able to sit at the same table again.

“Mr. Cranell, what about after that?”

“Eh?”

“My question is, what are you planning to do after you have found suitable equipment?”

“What do you mean…by that?”

“I’ll take a more direct approach. Mr. Cranell, Miss Erde, do you intend to go to the middle levels as soon as you return to the Dungeon?”

So that’s what she’s been asking all this time.

Lilly and I look at each other for a moment—we are in the same party, after all—before looking back at Lyu.

“For starters, I’d like to test out my new strength on the eleventh level. If everything goes well, I’d like to go to the twelfth.”

“Yes, that is very wise.”

I go on to tell her that I want to test my leveled-up abilities in the upper levels, and the best place to do that is on the twelfth level. Lilly and I had agreed that after warming up on that level, so long as everything looks good, we’d go to the middle levels together.

Lyu might be worried about us, I think.

“It may not be my place to say this…but I believe that you should not proceed to the middle levels at this time.”

“In other words, Miss Lyu, you believe that Mr. Bell and Lilly aren’t good enough to make it in the middle levels?”

“It was not my intention to insinuate that you are weak. That being said, the upper levels and the middle levels are
very different
.”

Of course Lyu doesn’t leave her explanation at that.

“It’s not a problem of individual strength or ability. It becomes
impossible for a solo adventurer
to dispose of every monster. That’s the kind of place the middle levels are. While I’m unfamiliar with the level of support Ms. Erde can provide, I’m afraid that Mr. Cranell will be unable to deal with the monsters and the Dungeon layout on his own.”

“So then, Miss Lyu is saying…”

“Yes. You should add additional members to your battle party.”

A three-man cell is the most basic party formation for dungeon crawling. At the very least, that’s what the Guild suggests.

The three-man cell—a formation that allows for attack, defense, and support roles.

One member focuses on attacking the front line while another member covers him or her from monster counterattacks. The third member stays at long range, sometimes assisting the front line with a ranged weapon, spells, or healing items when necessary.

The same holds true when attacked from behind. If the person in the supporting role also has the ability to hold their own against
monsters, then it’s possible to withstand wave after wave of attacks until the table turns into their favor.

It’s easy to get surrounded when working in a two-man cell, not to mention solo. Conquering the deeper floors of the Dungeon will be extremely difficult for us without at least one more party member to turn the tide in a pinch.

Adding a third person won’t have much impact on our individual strength, but it will make our unit exponentially stronger.

Knowing all of this, Lyu probably thinks that our two-man cell party wouldn’t be strong enough to survive in the middle levels.

“But wait a minute, Lyu. Wouldn’t it be easier for them to run away if it’s just Bell and Lilly? The more people there are, the more likely someone is to be left behind, right?”

“While your reasoning is not flawed, Syr, the only time adventurers consider retreat is after being cornered. It is much more practical for adventurers to avoid those situations rather than plan their escape.”

An awestruck sound comes out of my mouth.

Since she was once an adventurer herself, Lyu’s calculated words carry a lot of weight.

“You must prepare for everything. Find someone worthy of your trust and add them to your battle party.”

I get what she’s saying. I see Lilly nod out of the corner of my eye and start thinking.

But…I don’t know anyone like that who I could invite to join us. If I did I would have already asked them. I suppose that’s why she told me to find someone…

I would ask her, but I’m sure Lyu has some circumstances. The only other person who would be an option would be Nahza, in
Miach Familia
. But no, she’s no good, either. I don’t want to take anyone suffering from monster trauma into the Dungeon with me.

Would scouting out someone to join my
Familia
be the best option?

I start massaging my temples.

“Ha-ha! Having some party problems there, ‘Little Rookie’?!”

“Wha?” I’m so shocked by a sudden loud voice that I can’t respond right away.

While I recover from the surprise, the customer—a male adventurer, followed by two of his friends—comes up to our table. They stop directly across from me, and right behind Lyu’s chair.

These guys are…huge.

Their square faces are covered in scars…Enough to make me cringe.

“We heard your troubles! You need allies, yeah? Then why don’t you join
us
, you little bastard?”

“Eh?!”

Okay, now I’m surprised.

Who would’ve expected a square-shouldered, red-faced man I’ve never met before to invite me into his own battle party?

“E-excuse me?”

“This ain’t that hard. It’s quite easy, actually. One of my fellow adventurers has a problem, and so out of the kindness of my huge heart, I’m gonna help you out. Hee-hee, doesn’t that sound good to you?”

“W-well, I wasn’t really…”

“Of course it does! It’s called havin’ your back, havin’ your back! And considerin’ it’s you, we don’t mind at all if you join us…Yeah!”

“Uggh…?!”

How much ale did this guy drink?!

A wall of alcoholic stench assaults me from across the table. Syr is grimacing next to me, and Lilly has a look of absolute loathing on her face. Oh yeah, that’s right, she’s allergic to adventurers…

Lyu is the closest one to them, so she should be the hardest hit by that smell. But she is just calmly sitting in her chair. Her stoic face hasn’t changed a bit.

“So here’s the deal! We’ll take you to the middle levels, and in exchange…”

…Huh?

Is this situation getting worse?

“Let us have these ladies for a while?! I’m takin’ this cute little fairy of an elf for myself!”

…Whoah.
Whoah
.

“I’d like to have an elf fill my jug, if you get my drift. Don’t know how much you’re spendin’, but we scratch your back, you scratch ours. That’s the basics, don’t you think?”

Sure, I’ll end up spending a lot of money tonight…But what does that have to do with anything?

The man in the middle is looking down at Lyu, and his buddies are eyeing Syr and Lilly. They look strange, like they’re imagining something extremely perverted. I’ve never seen Lilly look so angry.

…This is not good, not good at all.

I will never shake hands with someone who looks at women like that.

I’m not good at this kind of thing, but I have to be the “man” here. I can’t let anything happen to my friends…!

I start building the refusal in my head.

“That is not necessary. He does not need you.”

However, before I can open my mouth—

Lyu suddenly speaks up out of the blue.

“…Ohhh? What was that, little fairy? Are you insinuatin’ that we can’t protect that kid?”

“Precisely. Now leave.”

“Hi-hi, you guys, you hear that? She’s sayin’ we’d hold the rookie back! Not the other way around, ha-ha-ha!”

All three of the men laugh out loud. Not only have I lost my chance to stand up, I’m lost for words, too.

I’m already halfway out of my chair, but I don’t know if I should get all the way up or sit back down.

“Listen, girly, we’ve been in and out of the middle levels for years now.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right, Level Two. The lot of us, yeah.”

“Thank you for the information. Now, begone. The likes of you are not worthy of him.”

Silence. The men who had been laughing up until now go quiet, their faces contorting in anger.

Their grins come back a moment later. But their eyes…They’re like the dark, dead eyes of a mask.

Even I can tell the tension around the table has shot way up.

“Girly, what are you tryin’ to say? That we’re trash, lower than that punk-ass kid?”

The man takes a step forward and reaches out to put a hand on Lyu’s shoulder.

Ah! I’m about to jump to my feet when I remember something someone told me not too long ago:

—
Elves do not allow someone they don’t trust to touch their skin.

“Hands off.”

Lyu’s next movements are all a blur.

She reaches out and grabs my nearly full ale jug with lightning speed, and slams it back over her shoulder toward the oncoming hand.

A heartbeat later,
THUNK!

The man’s hand is now crammed into the sturdy jug, his eyes wide in shock. A soft “Eh?” comes out of his mouth.

Lyu turns around and jumps to her feet, twisting the jug in the process.

“Ow-ow-ow-OOOWWWWWWWW!!”

The man screams at the top of his lungs; his elbow points out at an impossible angle.

“I apologize. It appears that my reasoning was much more selfish than I originally thought. I don’t want Mr. Cranell to join your battle party.”

Her words were like whips slicing through the air, the man writhing in pain beneath her.