Ch.2121. The Lady

When people hate someone, there’s always a reason.

Whether that reason is something others can understand or is completely absurd is another matter.

“D-don’t come near me.”

There must be some reason why the young lady dislikes me.

Of course, I couldn’t fully understand that reason.

“This situation is becoming problematic.”

More precisely, it’s not me who’s in trouble, but her.

I could see her body freezing in real time without cold resistance, and she looked like she might die soon.

“No. Please… I’m begging you, don’t come any closer…!”

“Just come here!”

“Kyaaaah!”

I forcibly approached the young lady.

She kept backing away until she was cornered against the wall.

“There’s nowhere else to retreat. Quickly, come closer.”

“N-no! You’re trying to do something weird to me!”

“No, it’s because of the cold resistance scroll!”

I grabbed her wrist to prevent her from escaping. Her body was so cold that my hand ached.

“…It’s true, after all.”

She showed a surprised reaction when cold resistance was bestowed upon her.

“Would I lie? I’m not a criminal.”

“…I’m sorry about what just happened.”

The young lady apologized while glancing at my eyes. She still seemed afraid to make direct eye contact.

“You had reason to misunderstand, so don’t worry about it. More importantly, your body seems very cold right now.”

Even with cold resistance bestowed upon her, she was still shivering.

The reason I tore the scroll as soon as I regained consciousness was precisely because of this.

The Crystal Cave’s curse.

If exposed to the cave’s cold without resistance for more than 5 seconds, one falls under a curse that reduces physical abilities by 70%.

The duration is about 30 minutes.

‘She must have fallen under the curse before I even found her.’

She kept her distance in a situation where knife-like cold was piercing her body.

I have to acknowledge her mental strength, at least.

“Since you don’t seem to be in good condition, it would be better to sit and rest.”

I took out two blankets from my backpack.

I spread one on the ground for the young lady to sit on, and covered her back with the other.

This wouldn’t be enough to eliminate the cold, but it should help a little.

“Are there… no monsters around here?”

The young lady asked with a trembling voice.

Usually people don’t fall down here. It must be scary for someone who hasn’t even gone through the coming-of-age ceremony.

“This is the starting point of the Crystal Cave, so no monsters appear here. Even if a dangerous situation arises, I’ll handle it, so don’t worry.”

After I said that, the young lady glanced at me, then quickly looked back at the cold floor.

She remained in that dazed state for a moment, then,

“…Okay.”

She muttered quietly, as if embarrassed.

At first, I didn’t particularly want to become friendly with her, but looking at her now, she didn’t seem like a bad person.

“Yes.”

I smiled and sat down beside the young lady.

I maintained just enough distance for the cold resistance scroll to remain effective, not wanting to make her uncomfortable by sitting too close.

The bare ground was a bit cold, but bearable.

‘The resistance scroll isn’t perfect after all.’

Unlike heat resistance, this one only prevented pain, not the sensation of cold.

If even I, with my healthy body, could feel this level of cold, what must it feel like for the young lady who was also under a curse?

“Young lady, are you feeling alright?”

“…More or less.”

I started making small talk.

The curse would take at least 30 minutes to wear off, and if she fell asleep in the meantime, it could become a serious problem.

“Are you feeling tired at all?”

“Maybe a little…”

It’s difficult to maintain body temperature while sleeping, and the curse duration would continue.

In other words, she could die.

“I heard you’re having a coming-of-age party soon.”

I continued talking to keep her awake.

“How did you know that?”

Her voice trembled as she gave me a suspicious look.

Fair enough, I’d be scared too if someone I just met knew my birthday party schedule.

I quickly answered before her misunderstanding could grow.

“I heard it directly from Reneva Rostia and was even invited. It was also mentioned in the letter from the head of the Rostia family, so I remembered it as soon as I saw you.”

“…You know Reneva?”

She seemed to lower her guard a bit after my detailed explanation.

“Yes. Didn’t I mention it when speaking with the mage? That Reneva saved me when I was fighting the Shade Predator.”

“I… wasn’t really listening carefully to what you were saying…”

I had deliberately drawn out my explanation to cloud her judgment, and it seems to have had an effect.

To be fair, I did center the story around myself, so Reneva’s role was somewhat minimized.

“Then perhaps you’re the explorer invited by the Rostia family? I heard a barbarian half-blood was coming.”

“That’s probably me. Reneva said she would arrange a meeting with you.”

“Ah, right. Reneva did mention wanting to introduce an explorer coming to the party.”

She seemed to be close with Reneva, as her guard lowered noticeably at the mention of her name.

This must be another blessing from the red twin-tailed girl.

‘I owe Reneva a lot.’

From the basilisk hunt to this current situation, I wonder how far her influence extends.

For a moment, I felt like worshipping her, but considering the current situation, I held back.

I’ll thank her properly later.

“What a coincidence. It’s an honor to meet you in advance, even like this.”

“Oh, um. It’s not really an honor.”

A moment of silence followed.

I could clearly see her body trembling under the blanket.

‘Is there anything else I can do?’

I searched my backpack for something that could warm her up.

And what I found was,

“…What’s that?”

“Ah. It’s a campfire kit.”

A habit from my porter days that I couldn’t shake—I always carried campfire materials.

Why had I forgotten this was in my backpack? I really was thoughtless.

“I didn’t even realize I had this. I’m sorry. I’ll start a fire right away.”

“…”

The young lady watched blankly as I prepared the campfire.

Her face showed no emotion, so I couldn’t tell how she was feeling.

Was she angry with me?

-Rustle, click!

The fire was lit in less than a minute.

Though the surrounding temperature was cold, there was no wind, making it easy to start a fire.

“If you move closer to the campfire, you should feel a bit better.”

“…”

She approached the campfire with her lips tightly sealed.

So she was angry after all. Just when we were starting to get along, I ruined everything with a momentary mistake.

‘I should be making plans.’

Shiro and the mage must have fallen somewhere in the Crystal Cave.

If they join forces, they could easily make it to the safe zone, so we should proceed leisurely and meet up with them.

‘I should be able to break through to the 4th floor on my own.’

While I was roughly estimating our situation,

“…Adel, right?”

The young lady called my name.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“I’ll remember that.”

Remembering my name at such a timing—it had to be for negative reasons.

But then,

“…Thank you, really.”

The young lady showed a faint smile while looking at the red flames.

“By the way, you’re quite prepared. Do you always carry campfire materials like this?”

“Until recently, I was a porter, so it became a habit. I should have remembered about the campfire sooner—I apologize for realizing it so late.”

“In the end, my body warmed up thanks to you, so it’s fine. No need to apologize.”

“…Understood.”

The young lady was kinder than I expected.

Actually, considering the situation, it would be strange if she weren’t kind, but her words felt sincere.

“It’s warm.”

She smiled once more, and then silence fell between us.

***

After about 30 minutes, the young lady’s condition improved.

“Let’s get moving now.”

I had already explained about the Crystal Cave to the young lady before the curse wore off.

Information about the Crystal Cave was well-known in this world, so there was no need to hide it.

“I’ll move forward.”

The passage was about 3 meters wide. Compared to the spacious starting point, the cave itself was quite narrow.

With me holding a shield and advancing, I could adequately protect the young lady.

-Clang!

The monsters appearing in the early part of the Crystal Cave were only mid-to-low rank 4th grade creatures.

Therefore, I could clear the path without much trouble even alone.

‘The Source difference is definitely significant.’

The abilities granted by the baby basilisk’s Source were three types:

Strength, stamina, and defense.

And as a reward for hunting the Shade Predator, my strength received an additional 20% boost.

Truly insane growth.

Every time I accomplish something I couldn’t do before, I realize how much stronger I’ve become.

-Clang!

Monsters crumble when I push them with my shield, and their heads are severed with a single swing of my sword.

These creatures that I would have once feared to even encounter were now incredibly easy to hunt.

As I continued this leisurely hunting, I encountered a mid-boss.

-Whoosh.

A frost-mixed wind blew.

At its source floated a massive stone life form.

‘An ice elemental?’

It was also the owner of the Source that Shiro had obtained previously.

Even within the same grade, levels can vary, and this one had mid-to-high rank 4th grade specs, so I couldn’t treat it lightly.

‘It was the glass cannon type, wasn’t it?’

Though it would die after a few sword strikes, its attack power was tremendous. If I fought recklessly, I might get my head pierced.

Moreover, it had splash attacks, so if I didn’t deal with it quickly, the young lady would be in danger.

“Young lady, please step back about a meter. I’ll handle this quickly.”

Well, for someone like me who had roughly memorized its attack patterns, it wasn’t much of a threat.

I approached.

Simultaneously, blue crystals formed on both sides of the crystal golem and were fired toward me.

-Clang! Clang!

After blocking the first attack with my shield, I ducked to avoid the crystal aimed at my head.

‘I’ll slash its body.’

I swung my sword at where I estimated the core would be, and the blade cut through like paper.

Through the gap left by my sword, a spherical object emitting blue light was visible.

Attacking that spot would finish it off immediately, but the crystal golem’s next pattern was already prepared.

I swung my left arm toward the crystals summoned in mid-air.

-Thunk!

The crystals embedded in my arm, halting the next attack, and I swung my sword once more to burst the core.

“…Phew.”

After defeating the golem, a mana stone dropped, and the battle ended.

‘That hurts a bit.’

I had instinctively tried to deflect with my shield but managed to swing my left arm instead.

If I had blocked with the shield, the crystals would have redirected toward me, but by embedding them in my arm, there were no variables.

Anyway.

As I approached the young lady while removing the crystals embedded in my forearm,

She spoke with a serious expression.

“Adel, what did you just do?”

“I finished the battle.”

“That’s not what I mean…! Why did you deliberately swing your arm at the crystals? Are you crazy?”

Ah. So that’s what she meant.

“If the crystal golem’s attacks had continued, there was a possibility you might be in danger, so I sacrificed my left arm to finish it quickly. Also, if the battle had dragged on, you might have fallen under the curse again.”

It was perfectly logical reasoning.

Even if the young lady hadn’t been there, the crystal golem was one of the monsters that created numerous variables.

If I had dealt with it later, I might have injured not just one arm but other parts of my body as well.

That’s why in the game, this was the standard strategy.

“…You really are a strange person, aren’t you?”

“Yes, if that’s how you perceive me, then I suppose I am.”

There was no reason to refute, so I agreed.

I removed all the crystals and poured a medium potion on my left arm.

This level of wound could be treated with a medium potion.

“May we rest for a moment until it regenerates?”

“…Yes. Of course.”

At that moment, the way the young lady looked at me seemed somehow different.

She also seemed to be blushing, but,

‘It must be my imagination.’

Could it be that she had moved out of the cold resistance scroll’s range and gotten cold again?

“I’ll lay out a blanket for you.”

“Huh? No, there’s no need to go that far…”

“This isn’t a safe zone, so we can’t rest for long like we did at the starting point if your condition worsens. Please take care of your body as much as possible.”

“…Alright. Thank you.”

As I spread the blanket on the ground, I noticed her face was indeed flushed.

Unfortunately, her face showed no signs of returning to normal even after the 3 minutes it took for my wound to regenerate.