Ch.8181. Outing

“Fuck!”

The scream jolted me awake. Rex quickly turned his head with wide eyes. Connor was clutching his chest, gasping for breath with a pale face.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Almost died, but I’m alive, so it’s fine. You… seem perfectly fine. Damn plague. Ah, don’t misunderstand. I wasn’t talking about you.”

Rex nodded with a sour expression. After spewing a string of curses, Connor looked around. The others were also grimacing as they slowly got to their feet.

Except for Chloe and Elin, everyone was in terrible shape. Their equipment was in tatters, though remarkably, no one was injured.

“Everyone made it back alive. That’s a relief.”

Harald muttered softly while stroking his chin. Connor felt his leather armor with his hands and grumbled.

“Aul Bears, those crazy bastards. I had to face three of those monsters that could chew up an orc in one bite. I really thought I was going to die. Even my reinforced armor was torn to shreds with just one attack.”

“I was summoned to a maze. There weren’t any monsters, but I had to keep moving without rest until I found the exit. A spiked iron ball like a hedgehog was rolling behind me. I barely found the exit and escaped just before being crushed.”

Patrick exhaled with a pale face.

Harald and Eira followed by explaining what had happened to them. They had each been dropped into isolated spaces where they had to kill various monsters.

‘So that’s what happened.’

Rex, who had been listening silently, finally understood the situation. He couldn’t receive Boreas’s blessing because of Kaordix’s dominance, but the others were different. They had no contracts with other gods, so there was no reason they couldn’t undergo the trial. After Rex was summoned by Boreas, it seemed the party had been scattered to undergo their own trials.

Even though the monsters were only at the level typically found in the depths, suddenly having companions disappear and being left alone would be shocking. It was impressive that everyone had overcome their ordeals without making mistakes.

“Rex, what about you?”

“Similar to you all. I faced Orc Berserkers. About twenty of them.”

“Wow! That’s impressive. I would have been flattened like minced meat. As expected of our knight-to-be.”

Connor clicked his tongue in amazement. Rex awkwardly scratched his cheek. For now, it seemed best to go with this explanation. There were still too many things he needed to keep hidden to share his private conversation with Boreas. Rex hadn’t told anyone that the source of his power came from Kaordix.

‘The lock, huh.’

Boreas’s voice echoed in his mind. The reason Kaordix suddenly disappeared was to release something that had been sealed. Even Boreas didn’t know what it was. It would have been nice if Kaordix had given him a hint before leaving. Still, he said he would return soon, so Rex could ask then.

The second question was the name Leonhardt. Boreas had mistaken Rex for the founder of the Empire. Though “mistake” might not be the right word given her confident tone. When she tried to probe Rex’s soul, Kaordix’s safeguard activated and blocked her.

‘That’s what bothers me more.’

If nothing had happened, it would be one thing, but this felt as if Kaordix had foreseen the situation. Perhaps he was being overly sensitive, but Rex kept Boreas’s words in mind.

“Anyway, we’ve settled our business and gained additional holy power, so this expedition is a success.”

“We’re still far from reaching the stage of sacred flame, but it was more manageable than I expected. Let’s come again next time. Just hopefully without any Aul Bears.”

“Let’s head back.”

The party prepared to return immediately. Satisfaction was evident on everyone’s faces. Although things had unfolded quite differently than expected, they had achieved their original goal. The increase in holy power. From the party’s conversation, it seemed the improvement was quite noticeable.

‘I received a blessing.’

The effect had taken hold, and he instinctively understood how to use it the moment the blessing was inscribed in the pattern. A protective barrier. It would be best if situations requiring its use never arose, but things in life rarely go as one hopes.

As they descended to the first level, the party chatted cheerfully. Only Elin and Chloe remained silent, simply walking without a word.

Come to think of it, when everyone was sharing their trial experiences, those two hadn’t said anything.

‘That’s strange.’

Elin might be expected to be quiet, but Chloe’s silence was clearly unusual. The Chloe that Rex knew would have pouted dramatically, complained about what a big deal it was, and then cheerfully babbled about what she had gained.

“Are you okay?”

“……”

Chloe was staring blankly at the floor. Finally, Rex placed his hand on her shoulder and spoke again.

“Chloe.”

“…Huh? What?”

“You’ve been quiet for a while, so I was wondering if you’re alright.”

Chloe opened her eyes wide, then nodded with a faint smile.

“I’m fine. Thanks for worrying.”

“That’s good then.”

“Why aren’t you asking me?”

Elin grabbed Rex’s collar with a disgruntled voice.

As Rex scratched his cheek with an awkward expression, Elin made a small “hmph” sound and added:

“Rex. You always scratch your cheek when you don’t know what to say.”

“Haha…”

Rex could only offer an awkward laugh.

***

“You’re back already. I thought I wouldn’t see you for at least ten days.”

On average, it takes adventurers about a week to complete an expedition to the depths. But Harald’s party had only stayed in the dungeon for three days. No wonder Berger was surprised. If they hadn’t wasted time looking for the sanctuary, it would have been even shorter.

“Things went smoothly.”

Two days had passed since returning from the dungeon. Rex had continued his training during rest periods but hadn’t visited the knights’ hall. There were many things to take care of after successfully completing the trial—celebrating with a feast, distributing the profits from the dungeon, discussing future plans, and so on.

“Did you get what you wanted?”

Although it had been a week since they last met, Berger skipped the small talk and got straight to the point.

“Weren’t you trying to find a clue to reach the radiance?”

“That’s… complicated.”

Rex answered hesitantly. He hadn’t reached the radiance. However, he had figured out what state he was in. Boreas had compared Rex’s level to a vessel. Water about to overflow. No matter how much he used sacred techniques, it was impossible to grow his holy power.

To break through the stagnation, he needed to raise his level.

“How about changing your approach entirely?”

“Pardon?”

As Rex tilted his head at the sudden suggestion, Berger explained with a curious smile.

“To summarize what you’re saying, continuing to train as you have been won’t lead to meaningful growth. From my perspective, you’re trying too hard. Like you’re being chased by something, with no room to breathe. You need to take a step back.”

“But spending all day doing nothing seems wrong.”

“I’m not telling you to lounge in bed like an idler. Keep training, but change your environment. For instance, leave Lindveil. As it happens, the timing is perfect. It’s time for the regular patrol, so come with me. It will certainly be a good experience for you.”

Knights have a duty to patrol the vicinity of their domain periodically to maintain security. Usually, soldiers under the baron’s command form groups for patrol, but occasionally knights themselves venture outside the city since leaving everything to the troops can sometimes lead to problems.

Of course, free knights don’t shoulder this duty. But strictly speaking, Rex wasn’t a free knight yet, and above all, he was Berger’s disciple. He couldn’t refuse when his master asked him to come along. The answer was predetermined.

“I understand.”

Since leaving his hometown and arriving in Lindveil, he had been following a grueling schedule every day. Hearing Berger’s words, he thought perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to give himself a little rest.

Berger grinned and said:

“Bring your girlfriend too. It would be a shame to leave her behind when going on an outing.”

“No thanks. And she’s not my girlfriend.”

Rex responded with an incredulous face. After a brief silence, he added:

“But I’ll ask her anyway.”

***

“I’m going.”

Chloe said.

“I’m definitely going. Since Rex’s master is coming too, I should show off my skills. To prepare lunch boxes by tomorrow… hmm, is that tight?”

“Me too.”

Elin chimed in.

“I’ve never been on a picnic before. It sounds fun. I want to come along.”

The response was more enthusiastic than expected.

Rex could only smile wryly.