Chapter 214

“Well done, junior.”

I said with a faint smile.

Although we failed to obtain the complete item, retrieving half of it was a decent outcome in this situation.

At least we had thrown a wrench in the Red Rain’s plans.

Natasha’s expression alone told me that.

She was barely suppressing her frustration.

We didn’t let our guard down as we watched her.

Even with an 8-to-1 advantage, we couldn’t relax. We had all experienced firsthand how dangerous she was.

Slap!

Natasha suddenly slapped her forehead with her palm.

We flinched reflexively and assumed defensive stances at her sudden action.

But it seemed like it was just a way for her to calm herself down.

She looked at me with a calmer gaze and said,

“What do you want?”

The first conversation she initiated here.

I realized that Natasha’s mindset had changed.

If she was still determined to fight to the death for the divided item, there would be no reason for her to start a conversation like this.

‘This isn’t bad.’

I judged.

Even though she looked fine on the outside, Natasha must be tired.

Otherwise, there would have been no reason for her to try and grab the item first during that intense battle.

But we were also tired.

No, we had quite a few injured people.

It meant that even with our numbers, we couldn’t guarantee victory.

A reasonable compromise in this uncertain situation.

It wouldn’t be bad for us either.

After organizing my thoughts, I opened my mouth and asked back,

“What do you mean, ‘what do I want’?”

“What do you want, barging in and disrupting our business like this?”

“It’s only been twice, hardly ‘disrupting’.”

“Twice is more than enough.”

It seemed like two times for a dark elf was different from two times for a human.

I shrugged and said,

“That hurts my feelings. It’s not a common connection, even if it’s by chance. Isn’t that a bit harsh?”

“Harsh?”

“Yes.”

“Just answer my question.”

“…”

Well, I’m trying to go along with the conversation you started, but you’re being quite impatient.

I smiled wryly and opened my mouth again.

“I don’t have anything specific in mind. It’s natural to want to enter a dungeon if you find it by chance, and it’s only natural for the owner to claim the items in an unclaimed dungeon, right?”

“By chance?”

Natasha raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

“Then what else would it be? I didn’t even know this dungeon existed until you guys showed up. If that gloomy old man hadn’t ambushed us, I wouldn’t have known about it.”

“…”

Natasha remained silent, as if she had no immediate rebuttal to my words this time.

But her suspicious gaze remained.

“Last time… Never mind.”

Natasha closed her mouth, realizing that I wouldn’t answer honestly anyway.

Click.

She sheathed her sword.

Seeing that, Slain exploded.

“Huh, you dare sheath your weapon in front of Slain? You’ve got some nerve!”

“Who are you?”

“Are you deaf? Sla…”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

“Aaaaaargh!”

Lucia hurriedly grabbed Slain as he was about to charge at her in a frenzy.

“Ugh, are you stupid?! Why are you getting so worked up over the same provocation?!”

“Aaaaargh! Let go of me! Let go! I’m going to kill that bitch today, even if it means dying myself!”

“No, you’re the only one who’s going to die, you idiot!”

…That guy is lucky to have Lucia.

He’s found the perfect partner for his journey to the underworld.

I stepped in and took control of the situation.

“So you’re giving up?”

“I am, but what about you?”

Natasha asked back, and I turned my gaze to my comrades.

“Anyone want to continue?”

Everyone seemed reluctant.

They seemed to understand that there was no reason to provoke a retreating predator, especially in a situation like this.

Except for one person.

“Me! Me!”

Slain made a fuss.

“Allen.”

“Huh?”

“Shut his mouth.”

Even the timid Allen approached Slain without hesitation and covered his mouth tightly.

…He really didn’t want to fight.

“Mmmph! Mmmph!”

With Slain’s mouth covered, the situation was more or less settled.

“I think that answers your question.”

I said to Natasha.

Natasha nodded.

“That’s enough. By the way…”

She continued.

“Remember that you’ve made a fool of me twice, Max Celtrine.”

Natasha stared at me intently, as if to make sure I remembered.

Usually, it’s a good thing to receive attention from a beautiful woman, but this time, it was quite burdensome.

I didn’t want to be remembered by a dangerous person who had been trying to kill me just moments ago.

“Mmmph! Mmmph!”

Slain suddenly made a fuss again.

Amazingly, I could understand what he was saying even though his mouth was covered.

– This damn… She didn’t want to hear my name, but why does she know his name so clearly?!

…What kind of telepathy is this?

Why can I understand him so well?

It seemed like Natasha could understand him too.

What kind of universal language was this?

“Sigh, get lost, you small fry.”

Natasha said with a sigh.

Slain’s eyes widened.

“Mmmph!”

“Grab him! Grab him!”

“Hold him down! Hold him down!”

“Ugh, should I just knock him unconscious?”

But he was quickly subdued(?) by his comrades.

Our conversation resumed.

“I appreciate the attention, beautiful, but I’d rather you didn’t remember me. It’s tiring to be so popular.”

I tried to lighten the mood with a joke and send her on her way.

Even enemies need jokes.

Wouldn’t they be more likely to let someone who makes jokes go unharmed compared to someone who’s serious all the time?

…As I was randomly thinking, Natasha actually responded seriously.

“I know you’re popular. You have her here, too.”

Natasha pointed her finger at Elaine.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

Elaine, who was suddenly called out by the enemy she had just fought a life-or-death battle with, burst into a coughing fit.

Her face flushed red in embarrassment.

I wasn’t as flustered as her, but I was speechless.

She was a terrifying elf when she was serious, but it seemed like she was a bit different normally.

“Anyway.”

Natasha opened her mouth again.

“I’m Natasha. You better remember that too.”

“…?”

A sudden introduction.

I was flustered.

Because I knew what it meant.

It meant she acknowledged me as a worthy opponent.

I had suddenly become the rival of one of the most dangerous figures in an evil organization.

…Isn’t this a bit too fast?

“I-I don’t want to hear it.”

I really didn’t want to hear it.

But Natasha, mistaking my words for a joke, chuckled.

“Heh, good. That’s right. That’s the kind of person who would make a fool of me twice.”

Natasha turned around.

“Next time we meet, one of us will die. Wouldn’t that be clean?”

…No, why are you saying that so creepily?

“I’m kidding.”

That didn’t sound like a joke, you crazy woman!

I inwardly screamed, but outwardly, I winked, acting like a man who could take a joke.

“It’ll definitely be you who dies.”

Ah, so you weren’t joking?

How embarrassing.

I quickly changed my expression to a serious one.

Natasha, finding my series of smooth transformations absurd, suddenly covered her mouth and turned away.

It seemed like she almost lost her composure.

Too bad.

I almost got to see the terrifying dark elf’s expression crumble for the first time.

“…Then I’ll be going.”

Finally, Natasha vanished with a whoosh.

She opened a wall on the opposite side of the entrance.

It seemed like that was the exit.

“Everyone, let’s…”

Just as I was about to finish my sentence, I noticed the strange looks my comrades were giving me.

“Just what are the limits of your abilities, senior?”

Camian shook his head.

“What are you talking about?”

“You can charm anyone, regardless of race or whether they’re an enemy or ally, as long as they’re beautiful?”

“So what are you… what are you…”

“It’s not nonsense. The enemy we were just fighting a life-or-death battle with just confessed her name so amicably.”

“…”

Whoa, did that look like an amicable atmosphere to you?

I’m already stressed out because I’ve been marked by her.

And what, a confession…?

She’s just telling me her name while acknowledging me as a worthy opponent, you idiot.

“Mmmph!”

…Why is Slain getting worked up again?

Ah, I get it.

He was already pissed that Natasha knew my name, but now she even told me to remember her name.

He must be feeling hurt because he was ignored while I was being treated(?) specially.

“Understand, senior. He can’t stand being ignored by someone he considers a worthy opponent. Well, in this case, it’s not a person, but you get the idea.”

Lucia explained.

A worthy opponent?

Why are his worthy opponents always so ridiculously strong?

First, the monster princess, and now the monster dark elf.

“Alright, alright, I get it. Everyone, stop with the pointless talk and let’s get out of here. It’ll be troublesome if something happens to the dungeon while we’re still here.”

* * *

Failure.

No, it wasn’t a complete failure.

Because we had obtained half of the item.

But we didn’t come to this island just for half of it.

Moreover, Shadow was dead.

It was a death he brought upon himself with his reckless actions.

“I told him…”

Natasha clicked her tongue.

She didn’t feel any sadness.

They weren’t that close.

Well, her capacity for sadness had already been exhausted and evaporated when her people were wiped out.

Natasha, shaking her head, suddenly stopped walking.

She opened her mouth.

“The mission?”

“Completed… although there wasn’t a single dark mage left alive.”

Someone’s figure appeared.

Professor.

It was Lapit.

“I see.”

“What about you?”

“Failure, or a half-success, I guess?”

“What do you mean?”

Natasha showed Lapit one of the eyeballs.

Lapit’s expression hardened.

“Don’t tell me the other half…”

“You guessed it. It was taken.”

“That’s impossible! You had Shadow, and even you, Dark, were there. How could you have lost the item?”

Lapit’s face was filled with disbelief.

Two core executives of the organization, and not just any executives, but Natasha herself, had failed?

She was the best swordsman in the organization.

She even possessed that monstrous sword with an invisible blade, and yet things had gone wrong? He couldn’t believe it.

“Shadow is dead.”

“What?!”

Lapit’s face was etched with shock.

No matter how annoying and hateful he was, there was one undeniable fact.

Shadow was strong.

There were very few beings in the world stronger than him.

And even fewer who could kill him.

Because of his shadow magic.

As long as there were shadows, he could escape from any situation like a ghost.

But he was dead…?

“That’s impossible! How could he die with his shadow magic…?”

“The enemy figured out his shadow magic and exploited his weakness.”

Natasha replied, recalling the scene she had witnessed.

“Weakness? There’s no such…”

“They froze all the places where there were shadows.”

Lapit’s expression was as if he had been struck on the head with a hammer.

An unimaginable idea.

He felt a chill run down his spine at the thought of the opponent who had come up with and implemented such an idea.

“But even then, how could that be possible…”

“An enclosed space. And they even divided it in half with an ice wall to make it even smaller.”

“They divided it in half with an ice wall?!”

Lapit’s eyes wavered.

And he seemed to realize something.

“Don’t tell me the one who erected the ice wall and froze the shadows was…”

“You should know, right? shes a student at the academy. A pretty girl with blue hair.”

“As expected, Elaine…”

Lapit frowned and muttered, then suddenly shook his head.

“No, Elaine is smart, but she’s not cunning enough to come up with such an idea…”

“That’s right. She didn’t seem like it.”

“Huh?”

“I have a strong suspicion.”

“Who is it?”

“Max Celtrine.”

Lapit’s eyes widened in shock at Natasha’s answer.

“