(EP-123.2) Hunting #3
123 – Monster Hunt #3
“Dungeon?”
Narmi’s crimson eyes widened. She put down her tea, which she was just drinking, and asked again with urgency.
“You’re thinking of going to the dungeon?”
“Yeah. I plan to go soon. Maybe as early as tomorrow.”
“You just suffered not too long ago and now you’re thinking of entering a dungeon again? Theo, you’re much more courageous than I thought…!”
Narmi looked around her spacious dormitory room. The wind blowing in through the wide-open window was causing the curtains to flutter somewhat distractingly.
“My sister won’t even let me close the window. It’s troublesome with bugs getting in through the gaps.”
“I see.”
It seemed that Mirna hadn’t fully recovered from her trauma of getting trapped yet. That was probably why she had the window wide open like this.
“Then, would it be difficult for Mirna-nim or Narmi-nim to accompany me to the dungeon?”
“Um-.”
After taking a sip of hot tea, Narmi, who had been silent for a while, finally responded.
“It will be difficult for the time being. Mirna and I have some things to do. Exam season is coming up, so Single Digit Rankers are busy.”
“Hmm, I see. That’s a shame.”
So Mirma and Narmi wouldn’t be able to join me.
Just as I was feeling bummed, Narmi suddenly flinched and frowned.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh? Oh, no, it’s nothing. It’s just that my lower abdomen has been feeling a bit uncomfortable lately.”
“You’re sick?”
I got worried upon hearing that Narmi was feeling unwell. Perhaps she read my expression, as she soon shook her head and said cheerfully.
“Of course, I’m fine now…! But a few days ago, it was really bad. I was in intense pain and was trembling all over. By any chance, did something happen in the dungeon?”
“Did something happen….”
Many thoughts came to mind.
Could it be that Narmi shared Mirna’s pain of having her virginity taken? It wouldn’t be strange since they shared the same body.
And it seemed that Mirna kept her relationship with me a secret from Narmi as well.
At this moment, Narmi looked around and lifted her head towards me.
“Mirna has been acting strange lately. She’s been keeping a lot of secrets from me. She wasn’t like this before… Theo, do you happen to know anything?”
“Mirna-nim is acting strange…?”
“Not long ago, I caught her secretly reading a strange letter. When I looked into it, it was clearly a love letter. I don’t know where she hid it.”
Narmi looked quite solemn while telling me this.
“A love letter? Mirna-nim received a love letter?”
“I don’t know whether she received it or wrote it. But one thing is certain, Mirna is not the same as before. It’s strange for a devout believer to suddenly be concerned with love letters….”
She was definitely not the same as before.
However, I decided to be oblivious to protect Mirna’s honor.
“I don’t know. I’ll also pretend I haven’t heard of this either.”
“Theo, could it be that my sister is receiving or writing a letter for a suitor other than you? Are you not worried? Of course, I heard that you courting my sister was a misunderstanding….”
Narmi was an eyewitness who saw me dating Elga. She and I basically had a secret friendly relationship.
Narmi was Narmi.
Mirna was Mirna.
With the sisters having different relationships with me, it was easy for things to get mixed up in my mind. If I slipped up and said something wrong, it could be a big problem.
At this time, Narmi asked me in a soft voice as she ruffled her braided hair.
“Theo, do you really have no feelings for my sister…? Of course, you seem to be getting along well with Lady Lioness, but….”
Why was she asking that?
I decided to pretend not to know, fearing that if my relationship with Mirna was revealed, it would strain their sisterly bond.
“How dare I like Lady Mirna? I am but a nobody.”
“Even so, heung….”
Narmi didn’t say anything more after that. As per her request, today’s conversation would remain our secret.
Seuk-.
Then Narmi reached out to me.
“Yes, I promise.”
I firmly held her hand and sealed it with a handshake. Narmi’s hand was as soft and gentle as Mirna’s, which went without saying.
“Huh, that’s weird. Why is my body trembling all of a sudden…? I feel hot. Did I catch a cold?”
With her face turning red, Narmi flicked her fan open. It was a familiar sight, reminiscent of her sister Mirna.
“Anyway, I don’t think I can go to the dungeon. I’m sorry, Theo. Huu-“
“It’s okay. It can’t be helped. Take care of yourself.”
* * *
“Dungeon? You’re going to the dungeon?”
Elga, who was doing push-ups in her room, scoffed as if my words were just absurd as soon as she heard them.
“You’re so weak. You struggle with just running around Ark grounds every morning, and now you’re talking about going to a dungeon?”
As I watched her soft chest hit the ground and bounce back up, I had to come up with a clever response to Elga’s aggressive remark.
“Precisely because I’m weak that I want to become stronger, no?”
“…….”
Elga fell silent as if her words were caught in her throat, unable to respond to my eloquence. After a moment, she sighed and shook her head.
“Can’t go.”
“Are you telling me not to go?”
“No, I meant I can’t go.”
‘Unbelievable.’
Even Elga, whom I considered my last and most trusted resort, ended up betraying my expectations. My faith in her, knowing her combative nature and thinking she would say, “Dungeon? Let’s go right now!” was shattered.
“Is it really not possible? I thought Elga-nim wouldn’t refuse. Even Elga-nim is turning me away…!”
“ ‘Even Elga-nim’…?”
Elga suddenly stopped her push-ups and raised her upper body.
“You… Did you ask someone else before coming to me?”
“… What do you mean?”
“Don’t tell me you asked Mirna first, did you? Huh? Tell me honestly!”
Elga clenched her fist with a violent cracking noise. If I were to tell her that I went to Mirna first, I was certain that her rock-hard fist would come crashing down on my head.
“No, I didn’t ask Mirna-nim. I came to Elga-nim first.”
I then activated《Abyssal Eyes》and looked straight at Elga. Actually, I asked ‘Narmi,’ not Mirna.
So, technically, I wasn’t lying.
Perhaps sensing my sincerity, she loosened her fist as if releasing her anger.
“Oh, really? Of course, as you should… From now on, always tell me first. Got it?”
“Then, is Elga-nim going to the dungeon with me?”
“No, I can’t.”
“…….”
“Of course, it’s not because I don’t want to. But I just received a reply from the letter I sent back home the other day. So, I have a lot of things to do.”
If it was a reply, it would probably come from Lord Reinhardt.
“An inspector might be coming to see if I’m doing well in Ark. It’ll be hectic for a while.”
“Okay.”
In the end, even Elga couldn’t come with me.
Now, only the last bastion remained.
Standing in front of the door with the Roman numeral ‘II’ written on it, I felt a slight restlessness. I never thought the day would come when I would ask for a favor from Aria.
Although I was often misunderstood due to the various nicknames such as the “Demon Monk” and manipulator, I had never actually asked anything like a favor to Aira.
“Huu-.”
As I sighed and regulated my breathing, the door suddenly swung open. It seemed like she already knew that I was standing in front of it.
“Keuhm, hmm.”
After clearing my throat, I entered Aira’s room.
There was nothing to be scared or nervous about.
Persuading a tyrant to act according to my will.
This was what I was supposed to do-.
Edited by: faker
