Lizel was sitting in a cafe, opening a book and comparing it to several sheets of paper.
The peaceful scene on the open terrace, with the refined young man reading or looking at documents, attracted the attention of passersby, yet also created a calming atmosphere.
From the cafe's perspective, Lizel's presence enhanced the ambiance, making people want to stop by, resulting in slightly better business than usual. It was just past breakfast time, a time when the cafe was usually empty, but the fact that seats were gradually filling up was undoubtedly due to Lizel's influence.
They even gave him a little extra baked goods with his tea order.
The street was fairly wide, but not overflowing with stalls like a main street, and filled with a pleasant level of hustle and bustle.
Occasionally, he heard the sound of horse-drawn carriages passing by, and when he looked up at the sky, he saw advertising banners fluttering in the wind, dividing the blue sky.
This was probably just right for Lizel to take a breather after being surrounded by the bustling crowds and the overwhelming noise of touts in Marcade the previous day.
Although, even while taking a breather, he was waiting for someone.
Gil, whose face and name were well-known among adventurers, attracted not only admiration but also envy and jealousy because of his strength.
There were quite a few A- to S-rank adventurers who were dissatisfied with Gil, who was rumored to be able to hold his own against S-rank parties despite being only a B-rank.
One might think that higher ranks would mean more thoughtfulness, but fundamentally, they were all still rough adventurers at heart. It's inevitable, considering that it's a group of people who want to make money by using their strength.
Today, when Lizel visited the commercial country's guild out of curiosity to see other countries' guilds and for some other errands, Gil apparently got into a fight with a party that seemed to be A-rank. Incidentally, you might think that I should have just gone to the guild alone, but when Lizel suggested that at first, Gil frowned. He warned me that I would definitely get into trouble, so I guess I was destined to get into a fight anyway.
Since it was better for me to avoid getting hurt, Lizel was grateful to Gil for coming along.
If Gil was the one who got into a fight, then it wouldn't involve me, so I could relax here and wait for Gil's business/fight to be over.
"Okay, I'll wait at that coffee shop over there."
"Alright."
The A-rank party that had picked a fight with Gil was stunned by Lizel's departure.
From some perspectives, Lizel had abandoned his companion and left, but since he didn't think for a moment that Gil would lose, he felt it was unfair to say he had abandoned him.
Ideally, he would have liked to ignore the confrontation, but that wasn't possible when someone was unilaterally attacking him with a sword.
The words he had just spoken were said with a smile to Gil, who had casually parried the sword.
Even at this location, slightly away from the guild, a faint commotion could be heard.
Apparently, the fight was over, so he gathered the papers he had spread out and poured the remaining tea from the teapot.
It had gotten quite lukewarm, but it would be just right. A short while later, he saw Gil walking towards him.
He casually waved the papers he was holding, approached Lizel's seat, and plopped down onto the chair.
"Good work."
"If they're going to pick a fight, they should at least get some skill first."
"Who would you actually struggle against, Gil?"
"That's what I want to know."
Lizel chuckled at Gil, who gulped down the freshly poured tea, and offered him the plate with the one remaining low-sugar baked good. Gil finished the food in one bite that Lizel had been eating in several small bites, and licked the crumbs from his lips with his tongue.
The young waitress at the coffee shop watched Lizel's unexpected companion with surprise, but when their eyes met during that gesture, she blushed and moved on to serving other tables.
Those who were close to the two had noticed, but Gil, who had recently joined Lizel's party, had changed in atmosphere when he was with Lizel.
His sharp gaze remained sharp, but it was slightly softer; his rough demeanor remained rough, but it was somewhat less intense; and the air of aloofness he projected had considerably subsided.
It was a subtle change that only those close to him would notice, so most people hadn't noticed, and even Lizel, who was constantly with Gil, hadn't noticed. But something had definitely changed.
If Gil were still the same as before, the waitress would have turned pale rather than blushing, and would have subtly fled as if she were about to be killed.
However, since neither Gil nor Lizel themselves had noticed, there was no change in their behavior.
Lizel turned the book he was holding to show the cover to Gil.
It was a strategy guide he had just acquired yesterday.
"The 'Crystal Ruins' are close to here in Marcade, right?"
"About 20 minutes by carriage from the west gate."
"Are there carriages for adventurers?"
"They're for tourists. Thanks to the well-designed structure, the guild is making money by guiding tourists through the first level."
Nodding in understanding at Gil's words, Lizel lowered his gaze to the cover.
On the back of the words "The ruin of crystal," a detailed painting, presumably depicting the interior of the ruins, stretched across the front and back covers. The depiction was so realistic that it seemed to reproduce even the sparkle, suggesting it had value not only as a book but also as a work of art.
If even the illustrations were this impressive, the actual ruins would certainly be a sufficient tourist attraction, provided no monsters appeared.
That's why the tours are limited to the relatively safe first floor, and the guild leads the tours with adventurers as escorts.
One of Lizel's purposes for visiting the guild this time was this ruin.
More precisely, it was for the guidebooks to the ruins.
The labyrinth called the "Crystal Ruins" seemed to be a fairly old labyrinth, and because it had been thoroughly explored, maps of all the floors already existed.
"But you're really meticulous about verifying information..."
"I don't want to be wrong, do I?"
"It's an unwritten rule that there are no mistakes in the guidebooks."
Gil looked at Lizel, who had just put away the maps of all the floors he had purchased, with a look of exasperation.
Wealthy people who buy guidebooks generally aren't interested in whether the information inside is accurate or not.
Adventurers would sell them if they got their hands on them, and they wouldn't even consider the possibility that the guidebooks themselves might be wrong.
It would be rare for someone like Lizel to buy a guidebook and then also buy all the maps of the labyrinth. In fact, Lizel might be the first.
"There aren't any mistakes in the guild's maps either, are there...?"
"Hundreds of people have explored it, so if there were any mistakes, they would have been corrected each time. The maps of old labyrinths are definitely accurate."
"That's right, there are no mistakes."
Gil stared intently at Lizel's fingertips as he flipped through the book. They were still the smooth, unblemished fingers of someone who didn't look like an adventurer.
The perfectly formed fingernail pointed to a spot on a map on a particular page.
"This path isn't shown on the guild's map."
"Huh?"
Gil leaned in to look. When I had Lizel, who seemed to have completely memorized the map of this floor, show me the map and compared it to the guild's map, it was indeed not depicted on the guild's map.
Had no one found it, or had someone found it but not reported it to the guild? Either way, it wasn't a path that could be easily found.
The path continued for a while and then stopped at a small room.
"This room, you see, is..."
Lizel flipped through several pages.
And on one of the pages was a map. In the corner of the map, where the paths were intricately connected, there was a space that wasn't connected to any of the paths.
Comparing it to the previous page, the positions were almost identical, and it was impossible to say they were unrelated.
"The labyrinth was definitely heading underground..."
"Is it a pitfall?"
"Or there's a teleportation magic circle."
"A hidden room? Are there any good items there?"
"Usually valuable labyrinth artifacts... or a powerful enemy."
Gil narrowed his eyes and showed a combative smile.
The room connected to the hidden room in the middle layer was just before the lowest level. If a monster was waiting there, and that enemy was significantly stronger than the enemies on that floor, it would be a formidable opponent.
For Gil, who had been complaining about only encountering weak enemies lately, this would be the ultimate entertainment and sightseeing opportunity.
"I probably won't be in the way, so can I go with you? I want to see the hidden room."
"I never thought you'd be in the way."
"But you don't usually invite me when you go to the labyrinth."
"I'm going there to keep my skills sharp, so there's no point in inviting you."
Indeed, there would be nothing for Lizel to do if he accompanied Gil on his training.
It was the same as if Gil accompanied Lizel on his book collecting; there would be nothing for Gil to do.
While most adventurers don't explore labyrinths as a side activity to their training, Lizel nodded in understanding.
"Besides, if it were just a hidden room, it would have been found easily. The fact that it hasn't been found means there's something more to it."
Gil glanced at Lizel and stood up.
Gil understood that this required the kind of keen observation typical of adventurers, meaning Lizel's perspective and knowledge might be necessary.
Following Gil, Lizel stood up, put away his book, and left a little more than the cost of the tea on the table.
Catching up to Gil, Lizel walked beside him, a teasing smile on his face.
"This is the first time I've been relied on."
"Idiot."
The back of the hand that lightly tapped his forehead didn't hurt at all.
The carriage to the Crystal Ruins was mostly filled with tourists, but there were a few adventurers among them.
The labyrinth has a restriction that separates each party once inside, so it seems adventurers enter in separate parties first, and then tourists enter together with a guide and escort.
They are considered a single party even though they aren't actually in a party together. The labyrinth is rumored to be overly accommodating, according to adventurers.
Lizel also entered with Gil, but he felt a sense of astonishment from the tourists behind them. He was used to it by now, though.
"This is a nice tourist attraction, it's bright and beautiful."
"It's not exactly peaceful with all the fighting going on, though."
The ruins were formed by transparent crystals, as the name suggested.
Lizel thought it would be valuable if they could break it down and sell it, but, as is common with labyrinths, the labyrinth itself couldn't be damaged.
While Lizel tapped on a pillar, Gil stood on a magic circle in the area they had just entered.
The magic circle immediately began to glow faintly, and Gil called out to Lizel.
"Which floor has the hidden passage?"
"The 19th floor."
"Okay, let's go to the 20th floor and go up from there."
This labyrinth was, of course, one of the labyrinths that Gil had previously conquered in the Marcade's Labyrinth.
Since each floor of the labyrinth was quite large, it would be troublesome to descend from the first floor. Naturally, they used a teleportation magic circle.
Lizel had also ventured into the depths of the labyrinth with Gil several times, so he wasn't particularly worried.
Even in the depths, Gil easily defeated the monsters, and Lizel's gun was also quite effective.
After a brief sensation of their bodies floating, the surrounding scenery changed in an instant.
No, as a crystal ruin, there wasn't much difference from the first floor.
Someone unfamiliar with it would likely lose track of which floor they were on.
The reason they felt the scenery change was because a monster attacked them immediately after the teleportation, as if to overwhelm them.
Lizel only saw something dark. Before he could clearly see its form, he aimed his gun at its head and shot it, and Gil then sliced the staggering monster in two.
"The stairs are made of crystal too, it's scary, they look like they might break."
"They won't break."
"It's just an image, an image."
The two of them, as if nothing had happened, turned around and looked up at the stairs, acting very unlike a D-rank party.
It's unbelievable. The party rank is determined by the average of the members, so it can't be helped as long as Lizel is E-ranked.
Besides, the appropriate rank for the 20th floor of the Crystal Ruins is B. Lizel, being E-ranked, is completely out of place, and it's not a place where Gil, who is B-ranked, could explore alone.
However, it's common knowledge that Gil's rank doesn't reflect his true abilities, and since Gil isn't stopping him, Lizel thinks it'll be alright.
While talking about how raising their rank quickly might reduce the trouble, they climbed the stairs and reached their target floor.
The scenery, which was still unchanging, was beautiful but seemed like it would quickly become boring.
That's why sightseeing on just one floor is enough, he thought, and immediately looked at the three diverging paths.
"Which way?"
"This way."
"It's convenient having you around."
"Treating me like an object..."
Lizel chuckled wryly and shot down a monster that appeared from around the corner ahead.
Normally, adventurers would wander around, getting lost, or stop to survey their surroundings and consult a map, but they were able to proceed smoothly.
Gil, who wasn't particularly patient and usually just relied on his intuition when exploring dungeons, was (to put it subtly) impressive.
Moreover, he remembered the way without even trying to memorize it. It saved them a lot of time.
"It should be around here, distance-wise."
Lizel stopped walking after proceeding a short distance down the straight corridor.
The wall where the hidden passage was supposed to be was smooth everywhere, with no sign of a door whatsoever.
Lizel placed his hand on the wall, but all he felt was a hard surface. There were no bumps or mechanisms.
While he stood there, pondering, monsters approached, but whoever noticed them first dealt with them.
"There's usually some kind of mechanism, right?"
"Pressing a part of the wall, activating a gimmick, that's the typical way a door opens."
"Even though it's called a door, there's not even the slightest seam."
It's highly unlikely that accidentally pressing a part of the wall would be the key to opening a door somewhere.
Normally, you'd first notice a subtle difference in color or a slight unevenness, become suspicious, investigate, and then discover it's a hidden door, and only then would you start looking for a way to open it.
But the wall in question was smooth, and even Gil couldn't see any indication of a door.
It was no wonder it hadn't been found before.
"Then,"
Lizel casually raised his gun and suddenly began firing a rapid burst at the wall.
Gil winced at the clanging sounds of the bullets ricocheting, wondering what he was doing as he watched.
It was during a moment when they were fending off monsters attracted by the noise. As Lizel fluidly changed his firing position, he reached a certain wall, and a high-pitched sound suddenly turned into a dull thud at that spot.
He fired a few more shots to continue, but only one shot made the dull sound; the wall beyond that point began making the high-pitched sound again.
He approached the part that had made the dull sound, searching for the exact location.
As expected, he found the marks where the bullets had ricocheted and chipped away at the wall, and Lizel smiled as he traced the marks.
The labyrinth is indestructible. If that's the rule, then this wall isn't part of the labyrinth, or it's defined as something that should be destroyed by the labyrinth.
Who would take advantage of an unchangeable rule like that? Gil sighed at Lizel's ingenuity, which even utilized newly acquired information.
"Gil, I think it's here."
"Even with the blessing of invincibility, it looks like it could be shattered..."
It seemed impossible that it led to the other side, but Lizel couldn't believe Gil was wrong either.
Unable to simply smash the sword against the stone wall, Gil told Lizel to stand back and lifted one leg.
The sole of his boot, brought down with a forceful swing, penetrated the thick crystal with a sensation like shattering glass.
Lizel, impressed by the sheer force required, shot down the monster that had been drawn by the sound.
The passage they entered, stepping over the broken crystal, was no different from before.
Lizel wondered if he could take a large piece of the broken crystal with him and tried to pick one up, but it was impossible.
As if it had become part of the labyrinth the moment it broke, it remained scattered on the floor, immovable.
While finding it strange, he had to accept it with the simple explanation that it was a labyrinth.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
Gil urged Lizel, who was engrossed in his pursuit of knowledge.
Usually, Gil would be waiting with an exasperated expression, but this time he seemed to be looking forward to encountering a formidable enemy.
Noticing Gil's unusual excitement, Lizel smiled.
They didn't walk far before arriving at a room.
In the back of the small room was an altar made of crystal, and in front of the altar, a magic circle about two meters in diameter was glowing. A treasure chest was placed in the center of the altar, but otherwise, the room was empty.
Looking around, Lizel avoided the magic circle and stood in front of the altar. The crystal altar was beautiful.
"If a treasure chest appeared here, it must mean there's a tough enemy nearby."
"If there were treasure chests lined up at the transfer destination, there'd be no point in putting one here."
The way he twirled the large sword was incredibly sadistic, yet he seemed to be enjoying himself.
Lizel opened the treasure chest, and inside was a single map.
An "X" was marked in the middle of a forest, and there were no landmarks around the forest.
The paper, which had nothing drawn on the back, couldn't be torn even when he tried, and while it was certainly a labyrinth item, to Lizel, it looked like nothing more than a simple map.
"Gil, what is this?"
"I don't know, but since it's in a hidden room, it must be valuable."
"Maybe I'll have Judge take a look at it when we get back."
Apparently, anything found in a hidden room, whether it's a monster or a treasure chest, is incredibly rare.
Thinking it might be useful for something, Lizel carefully put the map away.
He looked around to see if there was anything else to do, and then looked down at the magic circle.
"This isn't a one-way transfer, is it?"
"Is it different from a normal transfer magic circle?"
"No, it's exactly the same."
"Then it should be fine."
Although he asked, he didn't expect Lizel to remember the complex patterns of the labyrinth's magic circle.
For Lizel, the fact that it was a transfer magic circle made him think it might be related to his original world, so he memorized it during his first visit to the labyrinth and investigated it thoroughly afterward. However, it was completely different from anything Lizel knew.
In fact, it was utterly incomprehensible. The labyrinth was probably an existence outside the laws of the world.
However, because he had investigated it in detail, Lizel could confidently say that this magic circle was exactly the same as the one they usually used to travel within the labyrinth.
The two of them stood in the magic circle and activated it.
The transfer began as usual.
"Wow,"
"...!"
But that's not what happened. There was no way to resist the disappearance of the platform as the magic circle activated. Not only the area within the magic circle, but the entire floor of the room had vanished.
There was nowhere to grab onto, and as Lizel helplessly fell, Gil grabbed his arm.
When they fell, the entire floor of the room had definitely disappeared, but the hole they were falling through was almost exactly the same width as the two-meter-wide magic circle.
Gil clicked his tongue, adjusted his posture to prevent himself from falling headfirst, and released the hand that was gripping Lizel's upper arm, wrapping it around his waist instead to prevent him from being slammed against the wall.
As he held Lizel close and looked down, it seemed they still had some distance to fall.
"I never imagined this would happen..."
"For now, I won't slow down until I can see the bottom."
The two were calm because there were several ways to slow their descent if they tried.
Lizel, realizing it would be difficult while falling, made his gun disappear.
Pulling his face away from Gil's shoulder, where he was being held, Lizel also managed to look down at their destination.
"...Something's down there."
"Huh? During the fall?"
"No... this is bad, it's a dragon."
"Huh? Is it strong?"
"It's certainly strong, but the dragon is...!"
Gil clicked his tongue loudly and tightened his grip on Lizel. Lizel immediately understood the reason.
An intense heat was rapidly approaching them; looking down, he could see flames rushing upwards.
The dragon's breath, the all-consuming fire, completely filled the narrow passage, blocking any escape route.
Lizel looked at Gil, wondering what he would do, and saw him sigh and put the sword he had somehow drawn back into its sheath.
"It's only hot because of the equipment; just bear with it."
"Something's definitely going to catch fire..."
Lizel gave a wry smile and shook his head at Gil, who had already resigned himself to the situation and remained calm.
There were indeed parts of his body not covered by clothing. Even with healing potions available, I absolutely don't want to experience any pain.
"...Let's blast a hole right through the middle."
"Can you do it?"
"If I pour in a tremendous amount of magic, I might be able to manage it."
"I'll give you the signal."
Lizel pulled out his gun, forcibly steadying the barrel that was unstable due to the fall. He aimed the tip vertically downwards, directly below himself. The heat was already close enough to cause pain to his skin.
Gil pressed Lizel's head, which wasn't covered by his clothes, against his own chest, burying his face in Lizel's hair and bringing his lips close to Lizel's ear.
Amidst the deafening roar of the flames, a low, calm voice reached Lizel's ears, who was focusing all his senses on controlling the gun barrel and transferring magic.
"Do it."
Immediately after a sound like a cannon blast, a thin beam of wind magic, containing an abnormal amount of power, briefly created a hole in the flames with the storm it generated.
The contact with the flames was very brief due to the speed of the dragon's breath and Lizel and Gil's falling speed, but the flames, which turned everything to ash the moment they touched, exerted their power even without direct contact.
The pain of passing through the flames was intense, and as Lizel pressed his forehead against Gil's collarbone, Gil's grip on Lizel tightened.
After confirming that they had passed through the flames, the pressure of Gil's hand on Lizel's head lessened.
"Ouch, my hair must be burned, definitely."
"It's not burned, it's not burned."
Lizel exhaled, letting out the breath he had been holding due to the heat that felt like it was burning his lungs, and looked up at Gil, who was very close.
Smiling at Lizel's unusually strong tone, Gil ruffled Lizel's hair with the hand he had been using to hold his head. Even through his gloves, Gil could feel the heat radiating from Lizel's hair, yet his hair was completely undamaged.
With his arm still around Lizel's waist, who was now touching his neck where the heat was stinging, Gil pulled a massive bronze sword from his spatial magic.
He felt a pleasant coolness as Lizel placed his hand on his neck in a gesture of concern, and then he threw the sword with all his might straight downwards.
"Gyaaaah!"
"Looks like it's close."
The bronze sword, launched with a tremendous whoosh, seemed to have hit its target. The groan that followed a few seconds later indicated that they were almost there.
Gil glanced at Lizel, who had relaxed, relieved that there wouldn't be a second wave of attacks.
"We're slowing down. Can you still manage a little more?"
"Of course."
Gil understood that Lizel, smiling faintly, had consumed a vast amount of magic power in the attack that could be described as a bombardment.
However, since he would honestly say if he couldn't do something, it seemed he hadn't used up all his magic power.
Lizel knew that becoming immobile due to a lack of magic power would be a nuisance, so he wouldn't selflessly use up all his magic power to the point of exhaustion.
Conversely, he would probably consume magic power with a calm expression until he reached the absolute limit before becoming unable to move.
"It's alright," he said.
With a wry smile, Lizel aimed his gun at the wall.
The magic power he infused was fire-attributed, and the magic he fired towards Gil's back exploded spectacularly upon hitting the wall.
The blast pushed their bodies forward, but Gil braced himself with his feet, preventing Lizel from hitting his back against the wall.
The sound of Gil's boots scraping against the wall...
However, the labyrinth walls remained undamaged.
Gil pressed his body against the wall, clinging to it, and gripped it tightly with one hand. His fingertips, straining to keep him from falling with overwhelming force, scraped against the crystal wall, making a high-pitched sound, but thanks to his top-of-the-line gloves, Gil's hands were unharmed.
"Okay, here we go."
"Alright."
Lizel aimed at the tip of Gil's boot, which was scraping against the wall.
He fired one shot at the wall, and then continued firing several more along its trajectory. The water-element bullets created ice every time they hit the wall, forming small footholds.
Of course, Gil's rapidly falling boots would break through and shatter them, but with repeated attempts, his descent speed gradually decreased.
"Ah, I can see it!"
"A subterranean dragon, and quite a large one at that."
A few dozen seconds after the breath attack, a room became visible at the end of the hole, and the figure of a giant monster could also be seen.
Blood was dripping from its mouth due to the bronze sword that had apparently pierced its lower jaw, and it was glaring at them.
The deceleration had been successful; the speed had decreased from a certain death fall to a speed that would only result in broken bones.
Confirming this, Gil stopped Lizel, who was still firing.
"Shouldn't I shoot a little more?"
"Do you think I won't notice?"
The hand gripping Gil's shoulder trembled for a moment, but then stopped immediately.
The trembling of his limbs was a typical warning sign of mana depletion. In severe cases, it would spread to a full-body tremor.
When GIl realized that Lizel had suppressed something he shouldn't have been able to control, he felt a great sense of exasperation and a small amount of irritation. Exasperation and irritation towards Lizel, who never showed any weakness to him.
"Gil,"
"Don't bite your tongue."
Interrupting Lizel, who was about to say something, Gil spoke over his words, looking down at the snarling underground dragon.
He kicked the dragon's snout, which was about to bite down on him, and used the recoil to leap sideways, landing while scraping the ground.
HIs handling of Lizel, whom he was carrying, was gentle, but Gil's feelings were anything but.
He drew his sword and pushed down on Lizel's shoulder, making him sit down again.
"Stay still."
"Yes, enjoy yourself."
Seeing Lizel's smile as he watched him, Gil tightened his grip on his sword.
Gil smiled, realizing that a small, cold murderous intent existed within his heart, which was already exhilarated by the encounter with a powerful enemy.
Lizel had been made uncomfortable enough to raise his usually gentle voice; there was no way Gil could forgive this, and no reason not to kill the dragon.
Parrying and deflecting the giant claws that were swung at him with his sword, Gil laughed ferociously and attacked the enormous underground dragon.
After returning to the city of Marcade and having a peaceful dinner at the inn, Lizel, unusually, sat on the bed without opening a book and smiled at GIl, who was looking down at him.
It was as if he could see through what Gil was thinking, after Gil had stopped him from going out for dinner, saying that they should enjoy their sightseeing.
Lizel knew that GIl was both exasperated and irritated, and of course, worried.
He also knew that the irritation was directed at Lizel for not relying on him, and at himself for not being relied upon.
Thinking that Gil, who was still slightly irritated, was still so attentive, Lizel opened his mouth.
"I've never shown anyone the trembling I get from mana depletion."
"Huh?"
"Of course, there are only a few occasions when I experience mana depletion, but not even once..."
Ignoring Gil's bewildered expression, Lizel continued.
"I've never raised my voice in pain, and I've never complained honestly. I know it would be easier not to suppress it, but suppressing it has become normal for me."
"..."
"It's no good, I'm getting spoiled when I'm with you."
Lizel chuckled, saying he wasn't used to having an equal. Gil's eyes widened.
Gil himself had felt that he was the only one allowed to be treated as an equal, but he hadn't been treated as an equal enough to take it for granted.
The emotions that welled up when this was confirmed by Lizel himself were indescribable. Smiling at Gil, who was looking at him, Lizel slipped into bed. Sleeping was the best way to recover from mana depletion.
"...You should rely on me more clearly."
To the voice that was softly uttered, Lizel replied with a hazy thought, "I'm already relying on you quite a bit," but it probably didn't reach Gil.