Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

Page 974

With his injured leg unable to even stand, Ryu casually sat on the bottom of the water and lifted the body up in his arms.

"—The song of the forest, now gone...the melody of life, still remembered..."

Seeing the boy's pale face, Ryu clung to a sliver of hope and began to chant.

Ryu used her last bit of mental energy to gamble one last time. She knew very well that this could cause mental exhaustion and cause both of them to collapse, but she still resolutely cast a healing spell.

"[Noah's Healing]...!"

A warm green light enveloped Bell's body.

The power rapidly draining from her fingertips nearly severed her consciousness, but Ryu managed to hold on by biting her lip.

The healing process was still very slow; the wound had not healed. Bell's life force was draining away every second.

No, I have to stop it. I must not let him die.

Ryu almost cursed herself, squeezing out "magic" from every corner of her body and showering it all on him.

The green light expanded, creating a warmth like sunlight filtering through leaves.

Finally, the light converged.

The boy's wounds have all healed.

"...Bell."

She murmured the boy's name in a voice so soft it seemed as if she would disappear with a breath.

Liu desperately tried to maintain her consciousness, scooping up water and bringing it to her lips.

After confirming that the water was harmless to the human body, she used her hand as a ladle to scoop water again.

"Drink it...drink it down."

She murmured again.

To save the boy's life.

She supported the boy's head with her left hand and placed her right hand near Bell's mouth.

The transparent water in his palm rippled slightly, and his fingers touched the boy's lips, which were stuck together with dried blood.

Ryu pleaded with him, repeatedly moistening his lips with water, again and again.

Her figure, embraced by the thin shadows overhead and illuminated by the clear, pale light, was ethereal, serene, and sublime, almost like a Pietà sculpture.

Only the ever-silent dungeon gazes upon the fairy's figure.

At last……

The boy made a gurgling sound and slightly opened his eyelids.

○

The water made a quiet sound.

The only water source on the 37th floor plays a gentle melody, untouched by the battlefield.

There was no phosphorescence in the vicinity. Neither on the walls nor on the ceiling.

Only the clear stream flowing through the center of the channel emitted light, replacing the light source.

The passageway was illuminated in a mysterious azure blue. The two banks flanking the clear stream were each about four meters wide, their surfaces unlike the rough rocky terrain, but smooth as an ice field.

Ryu and Bell sat down on the riverbank, just as they always do when they rest, leaning their backs against the wall.

"...How are you feeling?"

"Yes, no problem. I slept well... and I drank water too."

Liu murmured, shifting her body to make her clothes rustle; Bell responded.

For Ryū and his companions, the bounty of water was like a lifeline in the face of utter despair.

The harsh environment, coupled with the relentless battles in the dungeon, nearly caused Bell to develop mild dehydration. The clear stream flowing right in front of them truly became the water of life, saving Bell and his companions' lives.

Moreover, about an hour has passed since we arrived here.

They were spared from fighting the monster and were given a complete rest.

Compared to the few minutes of rest they've had so far, this is definitely a special treatment.

"..."

Ryu and Bell remained silent.

To be precise, he couldn't continue the conversation no matter what was said; he just kept opening his mouth and then closing it again.

Their gazes did not meet; they were both focused on the river flowing in front of them.

It should be said that they were trying their best to focus solely on the river.

To put it more clearly...

Ryu and Bell both took off their clothes.

“…………”

Soaked gear and clothes would mercilessly steal body heat, especially now that both of them were exhausted.

That's why they handled it this way; it's the natural course of events.

However, even if the mind can understand, emotions are another matter.

Specifically, it's about making both a serious and fastidious elf and a pure-hearted human boy feel shaken, embarrassed, and blushing, unable to ignore each other's presence, and desperately trying to calm their heartbeats.

In other words, that's the gist of it.

"........."

Ryu was naked from the waist up, wearing only a long cloak that hadn't fallen into the water. He was also wearing only a thin pair of underwear.

Bell was also completely naked from the waist up, wearing only a pair of black pants that reached his knees.

Multiple inadequate treatments caused her clothes to completely adhere to the wounds on her legs, and forcibly removing them would tear the skin, so this was the only option. But even disregarding this, because she had nothing to cover herself with, Belle's exposure was quite significant.

Just now, Ryu covered her chest, her pupils darting around anxiously, her face flushed as she tried to get Bell to put on her cloak; Bell struggled with her for a long time before barely persuading her to stay in her current state.

"...!"

Unable to resist the emotions welling up inside her, Ryu shifted her body slightly but frequently, causing the sound of fabric rubbing against her skin.

Each time this happened, Bell would hold his breath and his whole body would stiffen.

(How embarrassing... This is definitely not the time to talk about this.)

Ryu hugged her supple legs to her chest and murmured to herself in a weak voice.

She glanced furtively at her side, and even in the dim light, she could see a faint blush creeping onto Bell's face. Ryu felt the same way; she knew even the tips of her long ears were burning.

Equipment and clothing were scattered on the ground.

Those were Ryu's combat uniform and boots. To dry the clothes, the top wasn't folded neatly, and the boots were limp and bent.

There was this strange feeling... I don't know why, I really don't understand what it was, but those clothes gave Ryu a slightly immoral feeling, an embarrassing sensation. Perhaps it was because they were Ryu's clothes, taken off by an elf. Bell couldn't bear to look at Ryu herself beside him, and he desperately tried not to look at the clothes either.

Ryu wasn't much better off; she didn't dare look at Bell's shirt, which she had taken off and thrown on the ground.

The tension between the two was transmitted to each other, creating a vicious cycle.

The distance between their shoulders, neither too close nor too far, truthfully reflected their sense of shame.

(His existence is something I care about so much... Why?)

Ryu posed a pure question to her heart, but received no answer.

Because he saved her? Because she developed feelings for him? Because he comforted Ryu, saying she was "right"?

Because he hugged Ryu and said he would never abandon her?

The question kept repeating itself.

There was still no answer; only the irregular heartbeat continued.

To be honest, she hadn't acted like this before when he saw her taking a cold shower—

"...!!"

Thinking of this, Liu dug his own grave.

The events that occurred on the 18th floor resurfaced in his mind, causing blood to rush to his face.

She didn't want Bell to see her in this unsightly state, so she desperately lowered her head.

Although he wasn't seen clearly, the boy was still startled.

(In the dungeon... in the "deep layers," I never expected to encounter such a situation...)

They wouldn't normally have had time to put on this kind of farce.

Aside from their clothing, Ryu and his companions were completely exhausted. If they were attacked by a monster, they would be finished. They had to put aside their shame and do what they could now.

However—Ryu felt that no monsters would appear here.

Bell probably had the same idea.

She didn't know how to explain it, but in short, the area around this clear stream lacked the tense atmosphere typical of a maze (dungeon). She couldn't sense the presence or breathing of monsters (or beasts), and there wasn't even a glimpse of them. Apart from the babbling of the water, there was no other sound.

Being able to rest for more than an hour confirmed that Ryu's intuition was correct.

Only in this space does one feel that time passes more slowly.

"..."

This cannot go on.

I finally got a chance to rest, but I was so stressed that I couldn't recover the energy I should have had.

Ryu convincingly told herself this, and then spoke:

"...There's something I need to ask clearly."

"Huh... Oh, okay. What's up?"

On the one hand, she also wanted to dispel this atmosphere; there was something Ryu had always wanted to ask.

Ryu looked at Bell and asked:

"Why did you come back then?"

"At that time" refers to the incident at the arena.

Ryu's judgment was not wrong. She did not intend to condone self-sacrifice, but that situation was one where a choice had to be made, a moment where one had to weigh things on a scale. Being able to escape danger now was merely a consequence.

"If we take one wrong step... no, even if we don't take any wrong steps, we'll die together."

"..."

"Did you already know that there was such a space beneath the arena?"

"have no idea……"

"Then why did you do such a thing?"

She severed ties with her previous relationship and asked the question as an adventurer.

Stared at by Ryu's serious expression, Bell didn't look away and answered:

"Because I... no longer want anyone to die."

Bell's words were simple and to the point.

His feelings were pure and straightforward.

That's probably really all there is to it. That's why Ryu was saved.

Ryu saw this and knew that he had no ulterior motives, schemes, or intentions; he simply wanted to save Ryu's life.