Chapter 171: 13th Floor (7)

Chapter 171: 13th Floor (7)

Clink.

Balkan
touched his axe and looked at Bellee, who shed a single tear.

He
had let the worshiper of Gluttony hold a weapon made from the soul
stone of Gluttony.

It
was an uncertain decision.

Something
unusual could happen, but even if Balkan didn’t fully trust Bunny, he
had grasped her to some extent.

If
she had maintained the aggressive and vicious attitude she had shown
when they first met, he would never have listened to Bunny. However,
now it was slightly different.

If
he closed his eyes for a moment, he could vividly recall that
sensation.

Bunny,
partially materialized, leaning her back against the wall of the
confessional and squatting low between his legs, kissing his balls.

Her
eyes glaring up at his cock, her mouth muttering complaints while her
body was honest, devotedly giving affectionate oral service, sucking
on the tip of his shaft.

Such
a Bunny had advised him to take Bellee under his wing.

She
said there would be a use for her.

“Ah,
ah…”

The
focus began to return to Bellee’s murky eyes.

In
that short moment, her consciousness, which had been drawn into
Bunny’s inner world, had returned.

As
soon as the image of the man in the helmet was reflected in her
cloudy, black eyes, Bellee knelt down.

“I
greet you, consort.”

“What?”

Balkan
frowned at Bellee’s sudden words.

Consort?

Wasn’t
that a term for someone else’s spouse?

While
Balkan was puzzled.

‘Good.’

Bellee
praised herself for what she thought was a not-so-bad choice of
words.

The
man before her was special.

Not
simply because he had given her bread.

Bellee
recalled the reaction of the Demon of Gluttony.

‘Every
time the Great One mentioned this man, Her heart would race.’

On
the surface, She appeared calm, but unlike when She dealt with
Bellee—when Her heartbeat was serene as if breathing—there had
been an intense tremor, like an earthquake.

‘Just
how highly does She value him, to make Her heart race like a
maiden’s?’

Who
knows? Perhaps She couldn’t sleep, anticipating the day She would
finally claim him.

Belle
looked at Balkan.

Although
his face was obscured by the helmet, his physique alone was superior
to any male Bellee had ever encountered.

Considering
such a body and the value contained within…

In
the world of Gluttony to come, he would be more than suitable for the
position of consort to the Lord.

“I
am no one’s consort.”

“Yes,
consort.”

No
matter what he said, such a future would not change.

“…”

Balkan
stared at Bellee, who suddenly knelt and spoke in such a reverent
tone, with a strange expression.

“Wh-What
is this…”

“Consort
…?! B-Balkan, don’t tell me! Are you married…?!”

The
party members, who had been watching Bellee warily, also showed
bewildered reactions.

Bellee,
who had spoken arrogantly and not exactly warmly, was now kneeling
with her head bowed.

It
was as if she were displaying submission and obedience.

There
was only one person who could make such a thing happen.

[What
kind of magic did you use?]

Bunny
had commanded Bellee to submit.

[Hmph.
One day, you’ll bow your head to me and thank me yourself.]

Bunny
grumbled in reply.

Her
voice was slightly lower.

It
seemed fatigue had set in after using her mental world, something
that required gathering strength for months.

[…So,
just keep your promise, you fool…]

With
those words, Bunny quieted down once more.

“As
the Lady has ordered, I will assist you, consort.”

“Wha-…!
The Lady?!”

“Eep…!”

Belle
looked at Rubia, who covered her mouth in shock, and Hitolis, who had
gone pale and foamed at the mouth, before asking:

“Are
they your harem?”

“What!”

“N-No,
they are not!!”

Bellee
turned back to me after watching Hitolis scream as if this was
blasphemy and Rubia blush as she answered.

“I
must support the Lady so that she can accomplish great things.
Nightly service is part of that duty.”

[…She
knows something…]

Balkan
clutched his throbbing head while Bellee continued her remarks, with
Bunny whispering in agreement in the background.

“…Haa.”

Balkan
sighed deeply, holding his aching head.

I
spoke privately with Bellee, away from the party members.

Bellee
answered my questions sincerely.

As
if she had nothing to hide—or couldn’t hide anything.

“To
summarize, Bunny told you to assist in my growth, is that it?”

“Yes.
Bunny… Is that a nickname? I assume it was inspired by the way her
abundant, voluptuous body fills her clothes. It is a lovely
nickname.”

Bellee
smiled serenely, clasping her hands together in prayer.

She
seemed to be recalling her meeting with Bunny in the mental world.

‘What
am I supposed to do with her…?’

It
wasn’t necessarily a bad situation.

Even
though she had the strange idea that Bunny was the wife and I was the
husband.

The
goodwill of someone with nearly Level 50 skills wasn’t something to
scoff at.

However,
one ambiguous issue remained.

It
was similar to the succubi I had met before, who served the
worshippers of Lust.

‘A
worshipper of Gluttony…’

A
demon worshiper.

According
to Nuer, they were nothing but a collective of lunatics and
irredeemable trash.

And
Bellee, among them, was the head of those who followed the Demon of
Gluttony…

“Oh.
You’re the only one left, right?”

“Yes.
Sadly, those who walk the path of Gluttony were unable to overcome
their endless hunger and eventually ate themselves. So now, I am the
only one.”

With
Bunny having only one follower—Bellee—calling her the “head”
was a bit much.

‘She
really does look the part, though.’

Judging
by appearances alone, Bunny was undoubtedly an introverted,
big-breasted pervert.

She
didn’t have friends or followers.

Anyway,
the important point was that Bellee was a Gluttony worshiper.

They
were poorly regarded, both publicly and socially, and were hunted by
powerful adventurers like Nuer and others in the Explorer’s Guild.

Of
course, unless Bellee revealed it herself, no one would recognize
her, but there were always a few perceptive adventurers.

‘I
don’t want unnecessary misunderstandings.’

Before
becoming an idiot,
Nuer was the type to fuss and bark, which could get annoying.

“Hm…”

At
that moment, an idea flashed through my mind.

Nuer.
Crybaby. Idiot. Stupid and blindly loyal. Grumpy. Pet slave.

Yes,
a slave.

Following
that odd train of thought, I arrived at a not-so-bad plan.

‘I
don’t know if it’ll work, but…’

If
it did, I could use Bellee more effectively.

“Kiieeeek!”

Thud!
Thudududududu!

The
desert worm convulsed violently.

Rubia’s
barrier was mercilessly crushed under the intense pressure.

Moreover,
the desert worm’s scream echoed deafeningly through its intestines.

A
noise so unpleasant it felt like my eardrums would burst.

And
the cause of that sound was undoubtedly Bellee, standing right in
front of me.

“Mnum
nyaaam…”

Crunch
crunch crunch!

A
brutal sound rang out, starkly contrasting with the seemingly cute
voice.

Bellee
was forcefully carving a path through the desert worm’s intestinal
tissue, eating through the worm’s organs as she went.

Like
a parasite boring through muscles and organs, Belle devoured the
desert worm’s insides.

The
desert worm thrashed its body and innards, as if trying to crush the
parasite to death. However, Rubia’s barrier rendered all that
effort meaningless.

“The
desert worm is delicious. It tastes extraordinary because it has
devoured so many other living creatures.”

I
looked at Belle, her mouth stained with the desert worm’s blood.

Earlier,
I’d struck a deal with Belle.

– You
absolutely must not eat humans. Got it?
–
Wh-what? I can’t
eat humans…?
–
Absolutely not.
–
Understood…I will
not eat humans.

Eating
people was absolutely unacceptable under any circumstances.

– Then…can
I eat monsters?

Instead,
Belle had asked if she could eat the desert worm.

I
hesitated for a moment before nodding, and this was the result.

Belle
grew little by little every time she ate parts of the desert worm.

From
a thin, frail girl, she was transforming into a slightly slender
young woman.

Flesh
filled out her previously bony frame, and her breasts and hips
swelled.

All
I could do was watch as Belle’s body slowly regained its curves.

At
some point, the desert worm’s spasms stopped, making our party’s
movements far smoother.

After
devouring enough to grow a little, Belle followed behind me.

I
had decided to travel with Belle to the Explorer Union’s Eden
branch on the 15th floor.

There,
I planned to seek advice from Idelbert.

‘It’s
been a while.’

As
I walked, I recalled the woman who would snap her black cat’s tail
like a whip.

‘I
wonder if Idelbert’s weak spot is also her back door?’

With
that ridiculous thought lingering, I split open the desert worm’s
sphincter with my axe and emerged.

“Balkan!!
Hitolis!!!”

In
the distance, countless figures scattered across the vast desert
began sprinting toward us.

“Dammit,
what did I tell you! I knew
they were alive!”

“Dya
du da da!!”

Jubeel,
Nuer, and the rest of the party were there, along with the now-grown
green slime Ain, Aldente.

“You
bastards! Do you know how hard we worried, wondering if we’d have
to send a rescue team all the way to the 15th floor?! Thank God!!”

“Nothing
happened, right?”

“Nothing
happened?! Getting swallowed by that giant worm was nothing?!”

“What?
Jubeel, are you crying?”

“I’m
not crying, you idiot!”

Jubeel
shrieked, furiously rubbing her eyes before punching me in the arm.

Seeing
her like that, I let out a small laugh.

She’s
stubborn and often ridiculous, but there’s no denying her loyalty.

Well,
it’s probably why she’s part of the team.

When
I turned back, I could see the desert worm’s gaping hole sticking
out of the ground.

Thanks
to Belle, we managed to kill it, but hauling that carcass would be
ridiculously difficult.

Looking
around, I noticed the area had gotten crowded.

With
our party and Fusilini’s group combined, there were quite a lot of
people now.

“Thank
you, Balkan. I will never forget this favor.”

“Tru
lu tuu bababa.”

The
mage Fusilini and slime Ain Aldente, who were tending to Gellan and
Hope—still reeling from their traumatic experience—bowed their
heads repeatedly.

“Yes.
Don’t forget it. I’ll make sure to collect the price later.”

I
intended to get a very
thorough repayment for this.

As
Fusilini began to sweat nervously, I asked, “What will you do now?”

“…”

With
a weakened tank and a lone mage, it would be nearly impossible to
reach the 15th floor.

Going
back to the 12th floor would also require significant sacrifices,
leaving them in a real bind.

“If
you’re really in trouble, want to join our party?”

At
my casual suggestion, the mage and slime’s eyes sparkled.

If
I was going to help them, I planned to milk them for all they were
worth.

The
14th floor passed by relatively smoothly.

Though
Gellen and Hope were additional baggage, Belle, Fusilini, and Aldente
added enough strength to handle any monster we faced.

“Ah,
I liked the warmth.”

“Exactly.
The 14th floor was like spring…”

From
the snowy plains of the 12th floor, to the desert on the 13th, the
next area had been a blooming forest of cherry blossoms.

It
was almost disappointing that such a pleasant environment had been so
short-lived.

“Well,
the 15th floor is next, so who cares?”

Crossing
this portal meant we’d finally get a chance to rest, so I didn’t
mind too much.

“True.
A floor without monsters…I don’t know how it was made, but it’s
truly the best.”

“I…
I can’t even imagine it…”

“They
say it’s like a miniature labyrinth city, but… honestly, I have
no idea what to expect.”

While
the others talked excitedly about the 15th floor, I stood in front of
the portal, tense.

‘This
time, I have to pass out.’

The
“event” I discovered back on the 10th floor.

Every
5 floors, my body undergoes a transformation— a physical
reconstitution that enhances my body’s abilities.

Reflexes,
muscle efficiency, and skeletal strength all improve, but the price
is excruciating pain.

Last
time, I tried to endure it and suffered for it.

So
this time, I planned to pass out before the pain could even begin.

“Got
it. That thing from last time? I’ll handle it.”

Just
in case, I’d explained the situation to Jubeel, like I had with Joy
Hog before.

Then
I braced myself, ready to collapse.

As
the party gathered and we stepped toward the portal leading to the
15th floor…

“Dadtawaa!”

Nuer,
perched on my back, suddenly tapped my helmet.

“Hey,
you littl—”

As
I reached up to grab the helmet before it slipped…

“Ah.”

My
arm slipped away from the others, and the world changed.

“Shit—”

Splash!

I
felt like I had fallen into a warm pool.

And
then, before I could even register the pain of my body’s
reconstitution, I lost consciousness.

“Phew…”

Idelbert
carefully immersed her body into the warm bathwater.

Once
a day, after a tedious, frustrating, and exhausting day, this was her
blissful time.

Leaning
both arms on the wide bathtub that symbolized her authority and
looking up at the sky, a hollow feeling suddenly crept deep into her
heart.

Paang!
Pang!

Her
black cat tail, half-submerged in the bathwater, whipped around like
a lash, splashing and smacking the surface of the water.

After
a while of splashing the water with her tail, Idelbert once again
submerged herself into the tub and muttered absentmindedly.

“How’s
that brat of a disciple doing…?”

It
was a thought Idelbert had every time she took a break recently.

It
had been far too long since she’d last seen him.

Was
he training on time and becoming strong properly?

He
still had to help pierce her maidenhood, after all. He couldn’t be
slacking off too much.

Still,
she didn’t like the thought of him pushing himself too hard and
getting injured.

Moderation
was best in everything, but that foolish disciple of hers had no
sense of it.

Every
time she turned around, he was almost dying in the labyrinth, and it
was just like him to have the bad luck to meet the Demon of
Gluttony—his troubles and accidents never seemed to stop–

Splash!!!

A
sudden, unfamiliar sound erupted close by.

“Wha–”

Half-submerged
in the bathwater, lost in her drowsy thoughts, Idelbert’s eyes shot
open, searching for the source of the sound.

She
didn’t need to look far.

The
man who had fallen from the air was right in front of her.

The
disciple brat she had just been thinking about.

Balkan,
unconscious, had landed in front of the naked Idelbert.

…With
his helmet half-loosened.