Chapter 558 Dorothy’s Spark
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Kazumi and Noo brewed some tea for us and even provided cookies as a snack.
Now, that’s a treat!
”When it comes to the Deep Floor, every battle feels like a heavyweight clash… especially for the 5 of you in Vanguard. Make sure you take a proper rest,”
Kazumi said as she handed a cup of tea to Simona, casting a concerned glance at us.
”The loot was mithril ore.”
Martina, having finished unlocking the box, plopped down beside me.
”…Big Brother Hiroya? Doro-Doro looks like she’s pretty worn out.”
Martina whispered, nodding towards Dorothy, who was sitting a bit further away, looking thoroughly exhausted while sipping on her tea.
(Yeah, she definitely looks like she’s drained…)
’Perhaps… she’s pushing herself too hard?’
Lilith spoke to me in a tone only I could hear.
(Pushing herself…?)
’Among the vanguard, excluding Martina, even the Lord has reached Rank S. I’m trying not to hold them back and fight with all my might. ──This is a serious declaration from a noble lady…’
(Now that I think about it, she even used ‘Physical Boost’ in that last fight…)
Should I have a little chat with Dorothy?
I decided to approach her after telling Martina my thoughts.
”Ah… Mr. Hiroya.”
”Dorothy, you seem pretty tired…”
I said, settling down next to her.
”I managed to take a break, so I’m alright. I think Ms. Liz was just worried about how tired I looked.”
”It’s just that in the last battle, you used ‘Physical Boost’… I’m worried you might be overdoing it──”
Just as I said that, Dorothy averted her eyes.
”I’m sorry… I don’t want to be a burden to everyone…”
”Not at all! It was Dorothy’s precise water magic that helped us find a way out during the battle with the salamander.”
”But… this time, I’m the vanguard. Mr. Hiroya in his true form, Ms. Asuka, and Ms. Simona are all incredibly strong… so fast… and I’m… only a support with magic──”
Her voice trembles slightly.
Tears glint in Dorothy’s downcast eyes.
”Having a close-range fighter like you using magic as a vanguard has been a huge help, you know? You spot enemy movements from the best vantage point, then instantly identify their weaknesses and unleash the right magic.”
In fact, Dorothy’s quick thinking during the salamander battle was a pivotal moment that led us to victory.
”And during the fight with that one-eyed demons… you did a great job supporting Simona as she pushed into the S-rank level. But… you shouldn’t push yourself too hard──”
(Huh?)
As I rambled on, I suddenly remembered a question that had popped into my mind right after that one-eyed demons battle.
”Dorothy… could you see Simona’s movements?”
”Yes… somehow. I think it was because of the Physical Boost that I could keep up with the speed.”
No way.
Even with a boost, there’s no way she’d keep up with the speed of an S-rank fighter.
From the one-eyed demons’s perspective…
──I swung my axe down, but the enemy vanished. Then, in the next moment, the enemy appeared right in front of me. When did that happen!? I didn’t even have time to think before my head was lopped off──
That’s how it must have felt for the one-eyed demons.
”What’s wrong?”
Dorothy peered at me with concern as I fell silent, lost in thought.
Despite the exhaustion shadowing her, her overwhelming beauty made my heart skip a beat and pulled me back to reality.
”Dorothy, what about during the salamander fight? Did you see my movements or Asuka and Simona’s?”
”I could see Ms. Asuka’s fatal thrust at the salamander…”
”You could see it?”
I pressed Dorothy for an answer, and she looked surprised, but answered softly.
”Y-yes… a little…”
’Hmm… Dorothy’s just a step away from entering the realm of Rank S, huh?’
Lilith whispered into my mind.
”Um… Mr. Hiroya?”
I seemed to have forgotten myself, and I was gripping Dorothy’s shoulders without realizing it.
”Ah, sorry.”
I released my hands from Dorothy’s shoulders and instead looked intently into her eyes.
”For the next battle, stay in the vanguard position… focus on defense, and concentrate on watching our fight, okay?”
”Do… does that mean I’m not useful?”
Dorothy stared back at me, looking sad.
But that’s not it at all.
”Dorothy, you’re probably on the verge of entering the ‘Rank S realm.’ I think you can already see the ‘entrance.’ That’s why…”
I put my hands on Dorothy’s shoulders again, and slowly, deliberately, I spoke.
”Watch our fight.”
* * *
Dorothy was probably mulling over my words… Her gaze moved from my eyes to my mouth, and then back to my eyes.
The next moment, her beautiful face flushed red.
”I… I’m… in the Rank S realm…?”
”Yeah. I think you’re incredibly close. That’s why…”
Dorothy nodded vigorously in the middle of my sentence, and answered before I could finish.
”Yes. I won’t push myself. I’ll protect myself on the front lines while watching everyone’s battle.”
Finally satisfied to see Dorothy’s genuine smile, and with anticipation for her growth, I smiled back at her.
* * *
”Hmm… Delicious tea, indeed. Kazumi and Noo send their thanks, too♡”
In the end, the materialized Lilith was leisurely sipping tea.
”I know you’re working hard as Yamikirimaru, but…”
”Right? It just looks like you’re slacking off, Lilith, when you only show up when we’re resting.”
Liz and Rena looked at Lilith with dissatisfied expressions.
(Well, I guess Lilith is trying to let everyone rest a little more.)
Lately, I’ve been able to sort of sense what Lilith’s been thinking when she’s around as Yamikirimaru, perched on my hip.
Before she materialized this time, the thoughts she had as Yamikirimaru were…
’The exploration that started with the boss fight, including encounters with wandering monsters, is still in its early stages, but everyone’s exhausted. Maybe I should let them rest a bit more.’
Something like that.
True, our first battle was against a salamander.
But the tricky part is… when I’m fighting as adult form, I can feel a tiny bit of ‘lewdness’ coming from Yamikirimaru.
That Lilith… seems to be getting turned on while we’re in battle.
Just now, I could sense she was looking forward to the ‘wave of lewdness’ that would come crashing down on me after a few more fights as Hiroya.
So, the fact that I can feel a bit of Lilith’s emotions from Yamikirimaru… she probably hasn’t even noticed.
(I wonder what she’d do if I told her?)
She’d probably turn beet red and get all shy.
Well, I guess it’s a 2-way street since some of my thoughts leak through too.
We’re even.
Anyway, watching Lilith happily chatting with Liz, Rena, Kazumi, and the others, I found myself getting cheerful too and decided to join their conversation.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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