After several
embarrassing acts, Fransisca finally came to understand the meaning of her
promise to Alexis to be "his slave".
（W-what did I promise
him...?!）
Fransisca regretted it,
but it was too late.
The thought that such a
thing would be repeated every day from now on depresses her, and at the same
time, she feels tremendously embarrassed.
And even after all
that, she has to pretend to be unconcerned and face to face during the day to
capture the dungeon...
（U-ugh. I should have
refused...）
She think so, but she
can't come up any reasonable solution to refuse.
In the end, she could
do nothing but regret the unprofessional behavior of "tormenting new
recruits", which she had done at the very beginning.
Still, time moves on,
and today, it is time to gather in front of Avalon for another attack.
**a
* *
*
「Your Highness, it is unusual
for you to be the last to arrive」
Fransisca was at a loss
for excuses when Fatima asked her.
After all, the other
four members had already gathered in front of the darkness of Avalon.
Because, normally,
Fransisca would have taken the initiative earlier in the day and waited for the
other members to gather, equipped and ready, but today she arrived the latest.
Alexis is there, too,
but when their eyes meet, Fransisca hurriedly averts her gaze. The princess's
cheeks immediately turn red, and her three vassals look at her curiously.
「What's the matter with
you, Your Highness?」
Sara is the one who
said so.
「N-nothing. It's really
nothing...」
Fransisca says so,
which causes Sara to turn her wondering eyes toward Alexis as well.
「Well, what's happening?」
Alexis smiled and chose
to play along for the time being.
（Can't this girl do a
better job of smoothing things over?）
Alexis couldn't help
but think so when he saw Fransisca's attitude.
Nevertheless, the
awkwardness gradually eased as they entered Avalon and had several battles with
monsters.
「Okay, this is the third
one」
After putting the drop
items into the bag, Lorenzo fastened the belt of the bag and then carried it up
on his back.
「 It is unexpected hard
to find drop items」
Fransisca was the one
who muttered this.
「Well, it's only the
first layer, after all」
Sara and Fatima nodded
in agreement.
「—By the way, the dungeon seems to be more spacious than the previous one」
Fatima's observation
was also felt by the other members of the team.
And Sara was the one
who voiced the bad feeling that everyone felt.
「Hmm. I wonder if it
will be difficult to make a day trip like we have been doing until now...」
「Well, that's a problem
too...」
Fransisca placed her
index finger on her shapely chin.
「If we have to stay in
the open... baths, meals, beds...」
As she is a well-bred
princess at heart, she is very concerned about her own health.
「Then, what should we
do? Should we take turns to sleep? If so, everyone should lie down together 「
「Eh? No, I can't do
that, right? I can't sleep in the same room with a man!」
Fransisca was shaking
her head side to side as if to contradict Alexis.
「Ah, the good upbringing
of the Princess-maiden is also a problem...」
Alexis thought so, but
Fransisca was not the only one who had a problem with that.
「Well... I'd prefer to
refrain too」
「Right. We are priests,
after all」
Even Fatima and Sara
say such things with a straight face.
To top it off, even
Lorenzo said something like that.
「...Well, it's true.
Even though it is only a matter of mood now that there is no nation, it is
still not good to disobey God's teachings」
"Really? All of
these people are such a pain in the ass!" Alexis thought to himself.
**b
* * *
In the end, the day
ended after a short exploration of the second layer, and Fransisca's pendant
artifact brought them back home.
「But what are we going
to do? If we keep making day trips, we'll never get anywhere, will we?」
Alexis pointed out with
a tired look on his face.
「Yes, we have to make a
solution for that. As I recall, there is a good artifact in the kingdom's
treasury...」
「Treasury?」
「...But, well, the whole
land has been swallowed up by Avalon」
Fransisca continued,
and Alexis was surprised and said, "That doesn't help!.
「...Huh, we're in
trouble」
Fransisca sighs.
This princess is a good
attacker, but she seems to be unreliable in the operational field.
（No wonder the progress
has been slow. Just because she learned swordsmanship in a flash and showed her
determination, she should not be entrusted with the captaincy so easily）
Alexis couldn't help
but think so deeply.
But, as long as the
princess is like this, he must be firm himself. Fortunately, Alexis had
experienced being a captain many times in the past, and he was familiar with
the operational field.
「It can't be helped.
I'll see if I can't find a substitute for "just the right artifact"
or something. Your Highness Princess-maiden, please come to the command center later」
「Y-yes...」
Fransisca was nervous
about being summoned by Alexis, even if it was for a mission.
「Also, Lorenzo, I need
you to bring the items you collected yesterday and today to the command center」
Alexis continued, and
Lorenzo nodded his head and said, "Yeah, okay".
* * *
