Secret Cave (2)

Ethan and I moved our steps toward a secret place hidden from others’ eyes.

Since it was a coastal cave, we had to use water walking to approach it rather than walking on the sandy beach. As we stepped inside, we found a surprisingly spacious area within.

“I had no idea such a place existed at Pliana Beach. You really have a knack for finding these spots, Lillith.”

“I noticed it during the treasure hunt on the second day. I didn’t think I’d have time to come back and explore properly with everything else going on, so I just kept it in mind.”

“A place like this… it wouldn’t be strange if there was actual treasure hidden here, not just something the professor stashed away.”

…He’s got good instincts. Or maybe he was just joking.

In truth, this coastal cave was like a mini-dungeon where you could obtain a hidden item. It was deliberately placed in a hard-to-reach location so that non-protagonist characters couldn’t access it.

The dungeon itself wasn’t particularly difficult, but the reward-to-time-investment ratio made it somewhat optional-not a must-have for progression.

During summer break, the Hero needed to maximize event participation to gather experience and opportunities. Lingering at Pliana Beach for two extra days just to collect this resource wasn’t feasible.

There was a way to obtain it during class-by searching the western point during the treasure hunt on the second day-but…

‘We’ll check out the eastern shore. I have a feeling there’s more to find there.’

Him saying this outright in front of me was practically Gyeotmwa handing this opportunity over to me.

Maybe he thought the item here was related to luck. After all, despite all my efforts to raise my luck stat to average, Lillith was originally a character with abysmally low luck.

“Would you like to search for treasure, just in case?”

“…I’d like to, but isn’t it too dark? It might be dangerous.”

‘Sally, could you make a small lantern for us to carry?’

‘Sure, no problem!’

-Whoosh.

Along with Sally’s reply, a small flame bloomed in my left hand.

The fireball, condensed into a spherical shape, emitted a soft glow-more than enough to illuminate the path for both Ethan and me.

‘Thanks, Sally. Want some mana?’

‘Yeah. If you’re offering, give me a lot. I’ll share with Sei.’

‘Sure. I have plenty left since I rested well yesterday.’

While exchanging mana for the flame lantern through spirit talk Ethan couldn’t understand, I turned back to him and smiled, showing him the fireball in my hand.

“This should be bright enough, shouldn’t it, Young Master Ethan?”

“Yeah, that should do.”

With the flame lantern in hand, we ventured deeper into the cave.

-Flap!

‘Squeak, squeak!’

Monsters appeared along the way, but they weren’t much of a threat. Most were weak enough to be cut down even by my unsharpened dagger.

For leveling purposes, they were disappointingly weak, but leveling up wasn’t why I’d brought Ethan here today.

-Slash!

‘Squelch…!’

After about ten minutes of cutting through bat monsters and cave slimes, we reached the deepest part of the cave.

The treasure of this mini-dungeon was a giant clam, far larger than ordinary clams.

“…Is it a monster?”

“It doesn’t seem like one, but it could still be a trap or a mimic, so we should be careful.”

Of course, I already knew it wasn’t a trap, but keeping him on guard wasn’t a bad habit to reinforce.

We checked for life reactions with an arcane arrow and tossed a small ember from Sally’s flame lantern to confirm it wasn’t a monster but just an ordinary clam.

“This clam must have lived here for a very long time, Young Master Ethan. The tide marks suggest the water level rises just enough for it to survive but not enough to submerge it completely.”

“…Yeah, seems so.”

“Would you like to open it?”

“Wouldn’t it be better for you to open it, Lillith? You’re the one who brought us here.”

“Then let’s open it together, Young Master Ethan. I’ll wedge my dagger into the left side to pry it open, and you can push your sword into the right side to lift it.”

“Alright. One, two…”

With the sound of the clam’s adductor muscle tearing, the giant shell slowly opened.

Inside, resting on the flesh of what had likely been a living shellfish until moments ago, was a large pearl.

“…A pearl?”

“As you said, Young Master Ethan, there really was treasure here.”

The reward item from the mini-dungeon-the ‘Radiant Pearl.’

An accessory that greatly increased the wearer’s charm and slightly boosted luck.

For me, whose charm already exceeded 400, it was meaningless, but it would be useful for Ethan. At least in the original game, his charm stat was low.

‘He probably isn’t as low as in the game, and he seems fairly popular with girls, but…’

Still, it wasn’t an item to pass up, so I immediately handed the pearl to Ethan.

“I think you should take this pearl, Young Master Ethan. It suits your nobility well.”

“…Wouldn’t it suit you better, Lillith? Gems generally look better on women than men.”

“But it suits nobility more than commoners, so it’s only right for you to have it.”

“Well, you’re nobility too, aren’t you? Even if it’s just in name for now, I’m sure you’ll become a real noble in a few years.”

“I’m still just a baronet’s daughter. But you, Young Master Ethan, are the heir to the Blackwood Ducal House…”

“No, the whole reason we came here was because you suggested it, so the reward should be yours…”

…Why is he making such a fuss over this? Just take it already.

Our debate over who should keep the dungeon reward was soon interrupted by another factor.

-Splash.

“Huh?”

…The rising tide had begun flooding into the cave.

“Oh no, let’s get out of here quickly, Lillith. The water hasn’t risen too high yet-if we dive near the entrance, we can still…”

“…We can’t, Young Master Ethan.”

“Huh?”

“Pearls lose their value if they come into contact with seawater. It wouldn’t be wise to let such a fine gem be tarnished.”

Of course, abandoning the pearl would make escape possible, but that would render this entire mini-dungeon trip meaningless.

After extending our vacation just to clear this, I didn’t want to give up the reward so pointlessly.

“There seems to be a slightly elevated area deeper inside. Let’s rest there until the water recedes. The tide won’t rise past the salt marks, so we should be safe.”

“…Alright, Lillith. Let’s do that.”

Ethan, seemingly reluctant to let the gem be damaged, agreed and followed me deeper into the cave.

A short distance past the giant clam, we found a small chamber-not too big, not too small.

“The ceiling is low. Be careful, Young Master Ethan.”

“Yeah, you too, Lillith.”

The ceiling was too low to walk upright, so we had to crouch and half-crawl inside.

Fortunately, the water level wouldn’t reach this chamber, so we wouldn’t suddenly get soaked.

“…How long until the water recedes?”

“If you mean until it’s low enough for us to leave, about two hours should suffice. The tide marks suggest it’s high tide now.”

“Two hours isn’t too bad. And I’m not lonely with you here.”

He smiled at me as he awkwardly settled into the cave.

My face grew warm under the glow of the red flame reflecting off his smile. I carried the pearl to the very back of the cave.

‘If I just set this on the ground, it might get scratched.’

It would be nice to have something soft to place underneath, but the only thing resembling fabric was my swimsuit.

Going nude might have been better, but I had a very good reason not to strip in front of Ethan right now.

‘If I take off my swimsuit now, I’d have to show him what’s underneath…’

Just in case, I had worn ‘that’ beneath my usual swimsuit today.

The choice before me was whether to reveal this swimsuit-more embarrassing than nudity-to Ethan or not.