Chapter 14
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”……”
Fransisca stood alone in her room, staring at the mirror.
It was the first time in her life that she had ever wanted a man’s things like that.
(H… here…)
Fransisca’s hand was placed on her lower abdomen, which was covered by clothes.
(Alexis-sama’s, hit me… I, I…)
Fransisca’s cheeks were flushed in the mirror.
Every time she looks at her reflection in the mirror, she is reminded of her lasciviousness.
Now, she understood that Alexis had seen her like that the last time and the two times before.
And Fransisca thought.
(If this is his way of punishing me for my fault, then Alexis-sama is…)
The next moment, Fransisca’s cheeks turn bright red.
”Awawa. I-I don’t know what I was thinking…”
She puts her hand on her cheek, her eyes teary with embarrassment.
Klang! Klang!
The bell rings, signaling that it’s time to get up.
”Oh, I shouldn’t have been in a daze…”
Fransisca hurriedly opened her closet to get ready for the day.
* * *
Today’s attack on Avalon will take place again.
”Hey Alex, I brought what you told me to bring”
Lorenzo called out to Alex as soon as they arrived at the meeting place.
In his usual large sack, there were several sticks of about two and a half meters in length, and a thick cloth was wrapped around them.
”Thank you. Let’s go”
Thus, the group was in the dungeon.
* * *
Today, they continue their search, picking up items as they go.
Unlike the previous one, which was just a rocky surface, the current dungeon has gems growing here and there, and when they go out into an open room, they find a fountain, a tree, and some other changes in the scenery.
”――Kuha, I’m thirsty…”
After a while of exploration, Lorenzo suddenly opens his mouth.
””……””
All eyes turned to the fountain that was just beside it. The water in the fountain is very clear and appears to be very cold…
”No, no, no, no, no! There are many things in Avalon that we don’t know. Didn’t you bring drinking water?”
Fransisca said hurriedly. And Lorenzo nodded his head, hurriedly, and then he put down the bag on his back by the fountain.
”…――But…”
Just in time, Alexis opens his mouth as he sits down to take a rest.
”If we’re going to spend a few days camping and diving, we might want to consider at least getting some water locally. The spring itself seems to be seen quite often”
”It might be poisoned”
At Fatima’s point, Sara opened her mouth.
”What if we just check to see if it’s poisonous or not? I know exactly what to do, okay? I used to be a mage doctor before I was recruited by the castle, after all. Back then, there was a stick that I used to examine people with poison symptoms”
Sara has an innocent smile on her young face, but she was a mage doctor before she was scouted…what kind of background does she have? Is she as old as she looks? It’s a mystery. Alexis couldn’t help but thought so.
”Hey, how old is Sara――”
Before Alexis could ask, Fransisca held up a finger in front of his lips in a “shoo” gesture.
”Alexis-sama, you are royalty, don’t you? It’s not polite to ask a woman her age, is it?”
”……”
Alexis was silent.
(Seriously, how old is Sara?!)
Sara is as mysterious as this Avalon dungeon.
* * *
After a short break, the search begins again.
That day, they set up camp right after descending to the third layer.
”Okay, this is what Lorenzo brought for us!”
Alexis pointed to the sticks and thick cloth that Lorenzo had brought with him, which he had newly stuffed into his bag.
Every dungeon in Avalon is basically a four-meter wide passage, which is connected to an open room-like space at some important places.
In addition, it is not unusual to find dead ends here and there in the dungeon. Consequently, it is also not uncommon to find a junction here and there.
”This is just right”
Alexis pointed to the end of the four-meter-wide passage.
”We know that monster will never come from the wall, so we only need to be on the lookout in one direction. ――That’s why”
While explaining the situation, Alexis put up the sticks he had received from Lorenzo on either side of the corridor and put thick cloths on them.
”One guard will stand in the open direction, and the rest of us will rest in a room separated by a curtain? Now we can separate the men and women, can’t we?”
So Alexis, in cooperation with Lorenzo, set up a series of poles and stretched thick cloths to create a place to camp.
Starting from the end of the passage, the women’s room, the men’s room, and then the outside of the room.
It is easy to build here because there is no need to pay attention to the ceiling because it does not rain here.
”――Okay, it’s done!”
The women clapped their hands when they saw the finished camp.
”It’s good!” said Fatima.
”Wow, isn’t it great? It’s great!” said Sara, who was excited.
”It looks more like a room than I thought,” says Fransisca, who is smiling.
Although the ceiling is impossible, the walls are also covered with thick cloth, so that the visitors do not have to face rock surfaces and crystals.
This will alleviate some of the stress of being in a dungeon.
Thus, for the first time, they spent the night in a dungeon.
* * *
At night, when everyone is asleep…
Alexis was standing guard in front of the camp, leaning his back against the wall beside him.
His eyes caught sight of a crystal growing out of the wall, still shimmering in the air.
(Hmm. Is this an item? Is it enchanted or something?)
As he thinks so, he hears a rustling sound coming from the camp.
He turned around and saw Fransisca coming out of the camp pulling the curtain to the side.
Upon seeing her, Alexis remembers that Fransisca is the next shift change.
But it seems to be very early for that.
”What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?”
”Y-yes. The floor is hard, I can’t take off my armor, and I feel sweaty and uncomfortable…”
Seeing Fransisca let out a sigh, Alexis remembered that there was a fountain just outside the corridor.
(Well, there is only the end of the corridor…)
Alexis checks the shield on his back and the sword at his waist.
”You want to give it a try?”
”Eh?”
Fransisca was puzzled, but Alexis said, “Well, it’s a dead end, but I’ll give it a tray…” and started to walk away with Fransisca, who hurriedly followed him.
* * *
Eventually, Alexis came to a place in front of a fountain.
He squats down at the foot of the fountain and throws a stone near the fountain.
After confirming that the stone sank into the bottom of the clear spring, he took off his gauntlet, stuck his hand into the spring, and started to stir the spring.
”U-umm? Alexis-sama, what are you…?”
”Well, I don’t think it’s safe to use it for drinking, but it might be safe for bathing, right?”
As he talks, Alexis smells the water scooped into his palm and murmurs.
”It’s odorless. My hands don’t feel rough or sore or anything like that. Well, it looks like fresh water to me. Would you like to try it?”
Alexis says with a finger pointing to the spring.
”Mmm…”
Fransisca pondered for a while.
However, Alexis actually seems to be okay with it. So…
Fransisca squatted down and dipped her fingertip into the water, and felt a pleasant coldness. It certainly looks like fresh water, but just to be sure, she pulls out the sword of wind from its scabbard and dips its hilt into the water.
”…What are you doing?”
Alexis asks curiously.
”You see, this part is made of silver, so it should be able to detect some poison… though it may not be as good as the device Sara was talking about…”
Then Fransisca pulled up the sword herself and smiled, saying, “Oh, it’s all right”.
”And, thank you, I’ll go in”
Fransisca tells Alexis.
”Yeah. But be careful, just to be safe”
With that, Alexis put his gauntlet back on and stood there.
”…uh, Alexis-sama?”
Fransisca asks him shyly, keeping her hands on her armor.
”Princess-maiden, you are not going in?”
To Alexis’s question, Fransisca’s cheeks turned red.
”Eh? Well, if Alexis-sama turns back…”
”What? Why would I turn back?”
Alexis said as if it were obvious.
”I mean, you’re unprotected when you’re bathing, right? So, I’m sure we’ll have to keep an eye on you”
”Eh?!”
Fransisca’s eyes went black and white.
”T-then, maybe we should call Fatima…”
”No”
”……”
To Fransisca’s exclamation, Alexis again said clearly.
”No, I don’t like it. Now, come on, get it off, okay? And show me everything you’ve got as you take off your clothes”
Alexis folded his arms, and Fransisca shouted, “Ehh?!”.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.