Chapter 33: Not gold side!

I found the entrance to a small cave while wandering around near the cliff as if on a stroll.

Hestia and I stood before it, discussing whether we should enter.

“It might be dangerous, so it would be better not to go in after all.”

“…Are you serious?”

I asked back, dumbfounded, and Hestia nodded.

“Nothing can be sensed in this area, and the space itself feels unusual; it’s not normal. I don’t think we need to risk danger out of curiosity.”

“Now? You said there would be no danger if I just trusted you, and now you want to go back…?”

“…You…”

“No, you said you wouldn’t be satisfied unless you came and saw it for yourself, and that you even studied for it?! You’re going to let this great opportunity go and turn back???”

“…I’m already satisfied.”

‘What is she talking about now?’

‘Aside from using the warp gate, all we’ve done so far is ride a carriage for a bit and then stroll near the cliff…’

‘She’s satisfied with just this?’

‘What on earth is going on?’

“…I won’t ask for any more strenuous explorations, so for the remaining time, how about we travel together, occasionally handling mercenary work…”

Hestia kept rambling on about unnecessary things, unaware of how much I wanted to say but was holding back.

In a fit of sudden anger, I rushed into the cave entrance, thinking, ‘Whatever happens, happens.’

“I don’t know. Well then, I’m going in first.”

“…Huh? W-wait…!”

Leaving Hestia behind, who belatedly noticed me already inside the cave entrance and stretched out her arm, I ran deep into the ruins with a bright expression.

“Hahahaha!”

“Catch me if you can!”

****

“…”

“…”

“…It’s dangerous, so don’t act alone.”

“Okay…”

‘…Unfortunately, I was caught quickly.’

‘Hestia’s expression was one of anger, something I felt I had never seen before…’

Feeling a bit sorry for causing her worry, I couldn’t say anything.

After scolding me for my impulsive actions, she eventually sighed and spoke in a softer voice than before.

“If you were curious about the ruins, you should have told me beforehand. I thought I might be burdening you unnecessarily…”

“It’s not like that, so don’t worry about it. If I really didn’t want to come, I would have refused from the start. And… it’s more uncomfortable to come all this way to the ruins and then turn back without even entering.”

“…”

‘Though it wasn’t exactly a difficult journey, given we used a warp gate for convenience.’

In any case, having successfully entered the ruins, Hestia and I stuck close together and headed deeper into the cave.

“It’s hot, so please move a bit further away.”

“I am not an irresponsible woman who leaves a mischievous child alone.”

“Ah…”

‘How did I end up being treated like this…?’

‘Across all other timelines, Hestia has a peculiar tendency to protect me.’

‘At first, I found it burdensome and avoided her, but now I just see it as a different form of obsession, unlike Elisha’s.’

‘Her kind nature probably played a part.’

‘In Hestia’s eyes, who sees me strictly as an ordinary person, I seem to be an object of protection.’

‘How is it that Arie, who acts the most gloomy, is the easiest to deal with…?’

Eventually, after reaching an agreement with Hestia, I was able to put a little distance between us, on the condition that I would never wander off alone again.

Even so, she was still within arm’s reach, but at least it wasn’t hot anymore.

‘That’s that, but I can’t miss such a good opportunity.’

I wasn’t the type to just stand by after seeing Hestia’s actions.

My mind was already full of ideas to tease her.

I placed both hands on my hips, shaking my head, and said.

“Oh dear… This is troublesome. Aren’t you perhaps a little too fond of me, Lady Hestia?”

“…”

As always, Hestia answered embarrassing questions with silence.

It was the reaction I expected, so I was about to move on to another topic.

Then, she mumbled in a small voice.

“…Yes, I suppose so.”

“What?”

“…Ah…”

The atmosphere instantly became awkward…

I froze at the unexpected answer that came out of nowhere, and Hestia, the one who answered, seemed to realize her mistake, showing a flustered expression and bowing her head deeply.

Along with a very quiet, belated whisper of, “As a friend…”

“…”

“…”

Hestia and I walked forward in silence.

The chatter that filled the cave passage subsided, and only the sound of our footsteps echoed throughout the cave.

I subtly glanced at Hestia from the corner of my eye.

She tried to maintain her usual poker face as if nothing had happened, but her faintly trembling golden eyes spoke volumes about her true feelings.

‘Was Hestia herself greatly flustered by what she had blurted out…?’

‘For words spoken without much thought, the impact seems to be considerable.’

Seeing her so agitated, I felt a complex mix of emotions, but I decided to look at it positively.

‘It must mean she’s grown more comfortable with me.’

‘If I had my way, I’d seize this opportunity to tease her again…’

‘But if she self-destructs again this time, I have no idea how I’m supposed to react… so I decided against it.’

‘Alright, now I need to somehow salvage this situation…’

‘The situation isn’t good for me to speak first.’

‘If I try to change the subject and she realizes I’m bothered by what she just said…’

‘I don’t know how she might react if she can’t overcome her embarrassment.’

‘But waiting for Hestia to speak first would be…’

“…”

“…”

‘Hmm, this won’t do.’

‘It might be the end of the year before I can talk to her again.’

‘Our Hero is truly troublesome, being so shy.’

Ultimately, it was my role to naturally ease this atmosphere.

Just then, a pressure plate trap caught my eye.

Since these ruins were originally built without expecting anyone to find them, most of the traps installed here are merely for show.

These traps focus more on annoying and bothering the opponent than on killing them…

In other words, their power is infinitely weak.

Still, ‘for now,’ as a trap, it would be dangerous for an ordinary person, but it’s not enough to inflict a fatal injury on an academy student’s body.

Even if hit directly, it would only sting a little.

But Hestia is completely unaware of this fact.

In her mind, traps in ruins are simply malicious devices that instantly snatch away explorers’ lives.

Furthermore, since she has no experience exploring ruins, she’s constantly on edge…

If I use this well, I can naturally diffuse the current awkward atmosphere.

– Click!

I subtly stepped on the pressure plate that Hestia had overlooked.

“Oh?”

After that, I turned my head towards Hestia with an expression that said I didn’t understand what was happening.

She already had her arm extended towards me.

She had instantly realized that I had stepped on a trap.

‘So, her claim about studying ruins and traps wasn’t a lie after all.’

At that moment, a device disguised as a wall moved, and something swiftly hurtled towards me.

I could tell it was an arrow even without looking closely.

‘If I got hit by that arrow like this, either the flimsy nature of these ruins’ traps would be exposed…’

‘Or I might have to put on an Oscar-worthy performance of being in pain from the trap to avoid being found out…! It was a tense situation.’

Fortunately, Hestia’s movement was faster than the arrow targeting me could reach my body.

– CRACK!

She snatched the incoming arrow with her bare hand and utterly shattered it.

‘…She didn’t just break it; she literally pulverized it.’

‘Her incredible strength made me wonder if she was a transcendent being who had failed at strength control…’

I said to Hestia, who was dusting off the arrow shaft that had been completely pulverized in her hand.

“Phew, you startled me. Thank you.”

“…It’s nothing. I promised I would protect you, so…”

She trailed off, creating a little more distance between us.

‘More accurately, she returned to her original distance.’

As soon as Hestia realized the trap had activated, she immediately stuck close to me.

Snatching the arrow was something she did afterwards.

It happened so fast that it was almost as if she moved simultaneously, but I could discern how Hestia’s gaze and the flow of her will changed and where they were directed.

She didn’t even consider the possibility of an arrow flying towards herself, and instead prioritized my safety first.

She prioritized protecting me over her own safety.

‘…Ugh, what am I going to do with this overly kind woman…?’

I hid my worried feelings and said to her.

“Are your hands okay?”

“Oh, yes. It wasn’t a very powerful arrow.”

“That’s good to hear. But… what were you thinking, catching an arrow with your bare hands?”

“Huh?”

When I suddenly pressed her, Hestia’s face showed a question mark.

Ignoring her reaction, I continued to press her.

“This is an old ruin, after all. What if the arrow had dangerous poison on it?”

“…Most poisons don’t affect me.”

“Even so, there’s always a ‘what if,’ you know. Anyway, please be careful from now on.”

“…Understood.”

Hestia nodded with a reluctant expression.

‘She seems to be thinking about what I meant by ‘what if’ scenarios.’

‘…In truth, it was just something I half-forced out to instill a sense of caution…’

‘But she’s taking it too seriously, which is a bit disconcerting.’

‘Suddenly, Elisha came to mind, who pathologically trusts anything I say without question.’

‘Seeing her seemingly become more and more like Elisha made my feelings even more complicated than before.’

‘I’m not as trustworthy a person as she thinks I am…’

Pushing aside unnecessary thoughts, I changed the subject as naturally as possible.

“Anyway, these ruins seem really vast. We’ve been walking for quite a while, but all we can still see is the passage…”

“Most ruins are said to have a structure that widens as you go deeper. Of course, even considering that, I’ve never seen ruins with such a long passage before.”

“You mean you haven’t seen it even in books?”

“…That’s right.”

Thanks to her rather thorough preparation, Hestia answered without hesitation.

Seeing her actions, which were completely contrary to her earlier attitude of being content to just turn back, made me think it was good that I dragged her along, even if it was against her will.

More importantly, in these ruins…

‘…there are still hints that Elisha hasn’t discovered yet.’