Standing from a spectator's perspective, Ron still felt a measure of anticipation. But when he heard from Ryuu that the mastermind behind the dungeon anomaly was Evilus, his expression became hard to describe.
Other adventurers guessing that the culprit behind it all was Evilus could be treated as idle chatter—bragging that had no real impact on him whatsoever.
The key issue was the intelligence provided by that troublesome elf.
That made the situation very bad…
Gale.
A Lv.4 adventurer.
A former member of the Astraea Familia, blacklisted by the Adventurers Guild and carrying a bounty of eighty million Valis—regarding the specific reason for the bounty, it was naturally because of Evilus.
Ryuu and her familia members encountered an Evilus trap in the Dungeon and were confronted by the special monster Juggernaut. Aside from her, the entire group was wiped out.
And in order to force Juggernaut back, Ryuu had no choice but to use magic and fire upon Alise, who was buying time—killing her closest friend while also killing the justice in her own heart.
Because of this incident, she chose, by any means necessary, to take revenge on everyone connected to Evilus—going so far as to spare not even those who were merely suspected.
'Why does it feel like a chill just ran down my spine?'
Ron watched the elf girl's departing figure, unconsciously hunching his neck.
Because of the debuff effect of "Despicable Outsider," which caused abnormal conditions to appear in the Dungeon, in his view it amounted to nothing more than an increase in exploration difficulty.
Through the brief exchange just now, Ryuu—having experienced the "abnormal incident" and bearing painful memories—had concluded that this was Evilus stirring up trouble, and that she would inevitably launch a hunt for revenge.
'How am I supposed to prove…'
'That the damn Dungeon abnormal incident was purely an accident?'
Thinking of the unknown monsters on the newly opened floors, and—having to face pursuit from Ryuu, a Lv.4 adventurer—Ron felt as though he had forgotten how to smile. This was forcibly cranking up the difficulty on himself.
The only person that troublesome elf could trust now was Syr, who also worked at the "Hostess of Fertility" tavern.
If Ron explained the reasons through her, it might allow Ryuu to clear up the misunderstanding and resolve the current headache—but what would be waiting for him afterward would most likely be the Freya Familia, acting out of a sense of "novelty"!
The massive influx of information and the increasingly complex situation in Orario were battering Ron. The food had not even been served yet, but he already felt completely devoid of appetite.
Then, he decided to seek help. "Miss Mikoto, it seems I've run into… a bit of a headache-inducing problem. I'm not sure whether you could offer some advice."
"…"
"Is it related to Dungeon exploration?"
The girl sitting across from Ron frowned. If it was a brand-new Dungeon environment, it could cause problems for his upcoming explorations.
That would make the issue very difficult to resolve.
However, Mikoto still believed that—with the talent and strength Ron possessed—he would be able to handle a new crisis!
"…More or less."
"Basically, it's the recent changes in the Dungeon that led a certain girl to misunderstand me, but I can't directly explain the specific reason to her."
"How can I eliminate the conflict between us?"
Listening to the boy's helpless account,
Mikoto lightly raised an eyebrow. For some reason, the face of the Guild employee Eina surfaced in her mind—after all, the concern and help she showed Ron were undeniably genuine.
As for the so-called misunderstanding, there was no need to think much to know it stemmed from the secrets Ron carried, as well as the Dungeon's abnormal incident.
The girl weighed it carefully, then said earnestly, "If it were me, I would definitely choose to tell the truth. Deception is actually more serious than concealment."
"That may be so."
Ron nodded lightly, but when he thought of Ryuu's vengeful state, he added, "But what if the other party simply refuses to listen to any explanation? What should I do in that situation?"
"Would the consequences be serious?"
"…"
Without hesitation, he replied, "They would definitely be serious—so serious that they could even affect my future."
If the misunderstanding could not be resolved, and "Gale" pursued him without leaving any room, the only option left would be to flee the city of Orario.
His path as an adventurer would be completely cut short…
"Then that really is quite serious."
No one could resist gossip, and moreover, based on her recent interactions with Ron, her initial impression of him was that of a newcomer who worked extremely hard to improve himself.
Mikoto had not expected that this guy was actually a hopeless romantic!
Being able to describe Eina in terms of "the future" was enough to show the weight she carried in Ron's heart, which meant she had to give her answer with great caution.
The girl racked her brains.
In the end, she offered a conservative suggestion. "I think the two of you should probably go on a date. When you've built mutual trust, then tell her the truth."
"I believe she'll definitely understand you."
"?"
A date with Ryuu?
For real?!
Ron looked at the girl's encouraging gaze. It wasn't entirely unreasonable—after all, there was a saying that went like this: sincerity is always the most powerful finishing move.
He nodded solemnly. "I'll give it a try."
"Good luck."
And during the course of their conversation, the kitchen had already finished preparing the ordered food. To avoid Anya causing trouble, Ryuu personally walked over carrying the trays.
As for Ron—whom she had encountered before in the Dungeon—she regarded it as nothing more than a coincidence. Setting the wooden tray laden with hearty dishes onto the table, she said calmly, "Here's the food you ordered."
"The honey-glazed roast chicken will take a bit longer."
"Thank you…"
Change was a good thing.
Besides—
Ron couldn't think of any other way to resolve it. Looking at that troublesome elf's exquisitely beautiful, icy expression, he took a deep breath and did his best to steady his mood, making sure his smile looked as natural as possible.
He extended his hand and took the initiative to ask, "Thank you for the reminder just now. May I ask… how should I address you, miss?"
"?"
A trace of confusion flickered through the girl's icy gaze.
Why was this guy, out of nowhere and right in the middle of a meal, asking for her name? Still, out of politeness, Ryuu extended her hand and lightly shook hands with the refined-looking young man in front of her.
But at the instant their skin made contact—
Ryuu, who normally would never allow others to touch her hand, found that she had no impulse to shake it off. That sense of surprise surfaced within her heart.
Because—the first person she had not felt any psychological resistance toward was Alise, who had invited her to join the familia, and the second was Syr.
Looking at the clear-eyed, utterly untainted young man, Ryuu gave a slight nod and introduced herself. "Ryuu Lion."
"Miss Ryuu, hello. I'm Ron, an adventurer of the Hestia Familia."
After finishing the greeting, Ron quickly withdrew his arm.
Thinking that things had already come this far, and that he needed to conduct Dungeon exploration every day, he had to eliminate Ryuu's misunderstanding as soon as possible, to avoid the conflict between them from escalating any further.
The ice-cold elf who usually kept strangers at a distance had been willing to get acquainted with him and showed no particular resistance. Having decided to throw caution to the wind and strike while the iron was hot, he made up his mind.
Thus—under the horrified gazes of Mikoto and Chigusa, Ron, with a serious attitude and after careful consideration, said, "I'm very glad to have met you today. Um… actually, I have a small request. I wonder if Miss Ryuu, you would—"
"Say it."
"…Would you be willing to go on a date with me?"
Ryuu: ??
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---