"We're being tailed?"
We had just started our break on the sixteenth basement floor, nearing the end of our third day.
We'd managed to push down to the eighth basement floor on the first day, but the dungeon's maze had transformed into something completely different from before, and our pace had slowed considerably.
We'd planned to break through the fifteenth basement floor by the third day, so technically we'd hit our target.
On the first day, other adventurers had claimed our rest spot before we could.
Ever since then, things had been slightly off. We were ahead of schedule, but we hadn't been able to rest as much as we needed.
Both Poyopoyo and Shannon, who'd been watching our party, clearly sensed something.
"They're maintaining a certain distance, tracking us without letting us notice. I wasn't sure what to do about it, but it doesn't seem like a coincidence," Poyopoyo said.
I'd been thinking Poyopoyo was quietly competent, and it turned out Shannon was too.
"Same as this piece of junk, but they're fixated on us specifically. Doesn't look like they even bothered looting after any fights," Shannon added.
Miranda and Aria, currently off-duty, were lying down asleep.
Aria, who'd been scouting ahead, was the most physically exhausted. Clara and Novem were on watch near the entrance, and ideally they'd be resting too. But with so few members, we couldn't afford that luxury.
Shannon spoke up. "Before we left, they were at the mansion too."
Hearing that, I grabbed Shannon by both shoulders. "Why didn't you say something?!"
Then—
"Huh? But Novem and your sister both noticed already…"
Poyopoyo looked at me and snorted. "So you didn't notice, huh?"
I couldn't retort, but I turned the information over in my head.
(Keeping a certain distance? What does that mean… Are they planning to ambush us? Waiting until we're loaded up with loot? I can't imagine anyone here has the ability to mobilize a Porter though…)
The Third Generation spoke up from the Jewel.
*'So Lyle's party is their target… How troublesome.'*
The Fifth Generation brought up a worst-case scenario.
*'Lyle, if things get dangerous, drop the assignment. Use your Skills if you have to. Actually, should we activate a Skill right now?'*
I fiddled with the blue Jewel at my fingertip in negation.
The Seventh Generation spoke.
*'This is exactly why I hate adventurers. Lyle, I'm sure you understand, but if they box us in, we're in real danger.'*
In a narrow corridor, getting pinned while the vanguard was engaged in combat would be catastrophic.
(Porter's shields can deploy to the rear too. Should we start doing that going forward? If they're really targeting us…)
I surveyed the area—Aria sleeping, Miranda beside her, Novem and Clara on watch.
Finally, I looked at Poyopoyo and Shannon.
"What is it, Chicken? Don't get excited in a place like this, honestly…"
As Poyopoyo rustled and started stripping off her clothes, I smacked her and agonized over whether to use Shannon's ability.
(It's not my Skill, but would it be okay to use?)
The condition for clearing the assignment was that I didn't use my own Skills.
"Shannon, can you tell how many there are?"
But Shannon shook her head. "Nope, no idea. They're keeping their distance, and I'm not interested anyway. Besides, moving around in a dungeon is tiring. I'm lying in Porter's cargo bed—could you at least move a little more gently—ow! Ow! OW!"
I grabbed Shannon's head with an Iron Claw and spoke.
"Let's make sure we confirm next time, alright?"
"I will! I will, so let go!"
I released Shannon. Panting, she said to me.
"But it's hard to see inside the dungeon. There's this thick… stuff everywhere, and all kinds of information overlapping and muddling everything. And also…"
Shannon looked toward the corner of the room.
There, a bug was flying around.
It might have been attracted by the lantern attached to Porter.
The Second Generation shouted.
*'Lyle, crush that bug!'*
I immediately threw a knife at it, and a slightly oversized moth fell.
(What the…?)
When the knife hit the wall, I felt every gaze in the room snap toward us.
Then, something that hadn't been on my mind before—I moved closer to look at the moth, and Poyopoyo spoke.
"Another creepy little creature."
Shannon had a different take. She wasn't surprised by the eerie moth-like bug at all.
"You think so? It's not a living thing, y'know."
Since Shannon hated bugs, I trusted her assessment. When I approached, the unsettling moth vanished.
Shannon said. "It was some weird lump of magic power. I could see thin threads attached to it—someone might be controlling it from somewhere."
I was wondering why she hadn't said that sooner, and Shannon puffed out her cheeks at me.
"You thought I couldn't use it just now, didn't you?"
"Wrong guess. What I'm asking is why you didn't say it sooner. And why didn't you say it at all?"
Shannon made excuses. "I only just spotted it! I didn't see anything on the first or second day."
Poyopoyo added, "That's right. Today was the first time."
While I was mulling this over, Clara came over to announce the shift change.
"Is something wrong? It seemed rather noisy."
Aria had woken up too. She was glaring at me, but her hair was a mess and she looked half-asleep and irritated.
"Shut up… Let me sleep…"
Novem was monitoring the entrance area and hadn't looked our way.
Miranda sat up, stretching. "I was about to get up anyway, so this worked out… Did something happen? The deal was you'd wake us if enemies attacked, right?"
I apologized to everyone and explained the situation.
When we entered the fourth day, we stopped for a break on the twenty-first basement floor.
We discussed whether to turn back or push forward. In the end, we chose to continue.
I would've been fine either way, but Novem and Miranda both wanted to press on.
Surprisingly, Aria had chosen to retreat. That caught even me off guard.
Clara, as a temporary member, didn't voice an opinion. She only cautioned that we'd need to be careful even if we turned back.
I issued orders on the twenty-first basement floor.
"Aria, Miranda, fall back! I'm moving up. Novem, prep your magic!"
I loosed an arrow, took down the Ogre's shield with an explosion, then drew my saber and charged.
Goblins dashed past the Ogre standing in the center of the corridor, heading straight for the members behind us, ignoring me entirely.
"You guys are way too careless."
By the time I closed in on the Ogre, the Goblins had already been dispatched by Aria and Miranda.
Miranda took down three, Aria finished two.
I slashed into the Ogre, cutting its arm in one stroke as I landed. Without pausing for a second strike, I sprinted past the Ogre.
When I glanced back, the Ogre was engulfed in flames.
Novem's magic.
"Powerful every time."
As I murmured that, the Second Generation spoke.
*'Don't let your guard down. Stay aware of your surroundings. We've been held up… The distance between us and the ones following us has probably shrunk.'*
I looked around while the Ogre burned.
I couldn't see any adventurers nearby.
I sheathed my saber. With no companions close by, I muttered.
"Could they have lost us? Can't keep up?"
The Third Generation said.
*'Lyle, you're too naive. Think about how many Skills you yourself have. There are plenty of people out there with Skills way more troublesome than ours.'*
In other words, it was entirely possible the pursuers possessed some effective tracking Skill.
Adventurer-versus-adventurer combat wasn't decided by raw strength alone.
Skills could tip the balance completely. I stepped on the Ogre and looked at Porter, who had cleared the obstacles.
Even inside the dungeon, its legs kept us moving without issues.
"Reliable."
Then Novem approached.
"Are you all right, Master Lyle?"
I nodded. "Yeah, no problems. Although, haven't your spells gotten a lot more powerful? I can't compete with you when it comes to magic."
At that, Novem brought a lightly clenched fist to her lips and smiled.
"All the hard work paid off."
Clara, who'd generated water with magic, extracted Magic Stones and materials from the Ogre.
The sight of a small girl dismembering an Ogre—I was starting to worry that I was getting too used to it.
Novem asked, "Are you still worried about those people following us?"
"Annoying bunch. We're on the twenty-first basement floor. Making it this far should be enough to earn a living as adventurers."
Adventurers who targeted other adventurers to steal their earnings definitely existed.
Especially in dungeons, disposing of bodies wasn't a problem.
The dungeon absorbed them over time.
The reason it wasn't littered with garbage and corpses was precisely because of that mechanism.
Among researchers, there were those who believed that was how dungeons grew larger and deeper—by consuming corpses and debris.
"…Should we turn back?"
I shook my head.
"We're continuing. That's the decision, so we stick with it. If things get dire, we'll fall back."
It was Shannon siding with Miranda that had led to the decision to continue.
What was she thinking…
Poyopoyo, much like Clara, didn't offer an opinion.
She simply followed whatever was decided.
Was that because she was an Automaton? Honestly, I wished she'd be a bit more assertive in everyday life.
Past the twenty-first basement floor, our progress slowed to a crawl.
During the break, I worked with Clara on a map for the return trip.
Using the light from Porter's lantern, the two of us went over Clara's notes and drew the map together.
Today, Miranda was on watch.
Aria was asleep, and Novem lay beside her.
Shannon was sleeping near Miranda.
"…This is roughly what the twenty-sixth floor looks like."
Looking at the completed map, I nodded. The dungeon shifted little by little over time. The frequency varied depending on the dungeon, but in Aramsass, taking notes like this was never wasted.
Even with minor changes, the return trip would mostly follow the same path.
"Tomorrow we'll push for the twenty-seventh floor."
"By the seventh day, we should be able to reach the thirtieth floor. By the way, Porter is amazing. It's designed for Aramsass's dungeons, but with modifications it could work elsewhere too."
I looked at Porter as I spoke. "The issue is speed. For outdoor use, a carriage would still be better. But as a dungeon utility, it's definitely convenient."
Clara nodded and carefully folded the finished map, tucking it into her luggage.
We'd use it as our guide on the way back.
Depending on circumstances, it could become a lifeline.
I spoke to Clara.
"Hey, why don't you join our party for real? Not as a temp—make it permanent."
I'd been thinking about inviting her for a while.
The Third Generation had been especially insistent.
*'You're finally going to invite Clara! About time, you Chicken Lyle!'*
(This guy's copying Poyopoyo's insults now.)
The Third Generation had been pushing for this, but the timing never lined up for a proper conversation.
I'd already discussed it with Novem and the others, so it wasn't just my call.
But Clara lowered her gaze.
"Thank you. But I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why not?"
As I tried to understand her refusal, Clara began talking about herself.
"Previously, I attended an academy."
"Now that you mention it… I think I heard something."
A voice came from the Jewel—the Third Generation.
*'Lyle… Could you keep it down for a moment?'*
The voice was a little lower than usual, meaning this was serious. I fell silent.
"I was decent at studying. I loved books, and I'd say my knowledge was more extensive than the average person's."
I nodded. That knowledge had saved us many times.
But—
"My Skill… 'Walking Library' at its third tier—it's essentially me. So I think it would be better for me not to join."
I tilted my head.
Thinking I didn't understand, Clara explained carefully.
"Walking Library. Even if I forget the books I've read, the Skill remembers everything. And if asked a question, it produces an answer drawn from all that accumulated knowledge."
"No, that's genuinely incredible!"
But Clara shook her head.
"I can't pull information out on my own. Someone else has to ask me a question for me to answer… and if the books I've read are biased in certain areas…"
The Third Generation spoke.
*'I see. It doesn't guarantee the correct answer. For an adventurer… it's a bit limiting, but she's still competent in my opinion.'*
I agreed.
"But it's still an amazing Skill, right?"
Clara removed her glasses and began wiping them with a cloth.
"…There are people with far better Skills in the library. People who never forget any book they've memorized. People who organize the information they've obtained and produce applied answers. Compared to them, I'm basically a downgraded version."
"No, that's going too far—"
Clara shook her head.
"It's fine. I've always been good at absorbing knowledge, but terrible at applying it. I'm not very dexterous, you see. So I stick to what I can do and earn money that way. I do take my work seriously, so there are plenty of people who like working with me."
Clara smiled at me, though she looked just a little lonely.
The Third Generation said to me.
*'Why are you just standing there! Invite her with more passion! The "Lyle-san" who grew from all that would absolutely have swept her off her feet in a moment like this!'*
The Sixth Generation chimed in too.
*'That was your cue to lay it on thick.'*
Getting called hopeless wouldn't help either.
As I was thinking that, Novem rose smoothly to her feet and approached Clara. In the lantern light I couldn't quite read her expression, which was a little unnerving.
Then she took Clara's hand.
Novem was smiling.
"You're wonderful, Clara."
"Huh? Um…"
Clara was bewildered.
She looked to me for help, and I just smiled and shook my head.
There was no way I could stop Novem, whose eyes were sparkling with that smile.
"All this time, I had misjudged you. At your age, you've brought your Skill to its final stage, and everything you've done up to now… it may have been understated, but it was truly impressive. You deserve to be proud of yourself."
"Th-thank you… Could you let go of my hand…"
"And so!"
"Y-yes!"
Novem declared to Clara at full volume.
"You absolutely must join Master Lyle's harem. Master Lyle seems quite fond of Clara as well. There's no issue whatsoever."
The Third Generation agreed.
*'She's ignoring the person's own opinion, so there is technically an issue, but if she's joining, that's fine by me. It doesn't matter if one or two more people are added at this point, right, Lyle?'*
Clara looked to me with a desperate expression, and I felt just as conflicted.
(What?! You want me to recruit harem members for my own selfish desires?! No way!)
I said to Novem, "Novem, pressuring people like this isn't right, and as for me, you and I—"
"Master Lyle!"
Novem looked at me. There was steel in her eyes, and I straightened involuntarily.
"Y-yes!"
"When someone is giving this many signals and you're still this dense, there's a limit. Clara doesn't dislike you either. No, in fact, rather—"
"Don't… you mustn't say any more…"
Watching Clara, teary-eyed, cling to Novem, I was overwhelmed by a complicated mix of emotions.
(Huhhhh?! Novem, who doesn't even understand MY feelings, is saying all that? But she's cute, so I'll let it slide… Wait, that's not the point!)
"Look, Novem, I really don't think this is a good idea. A harem—I couldn't maintain one. I mean, I'm still just getting started as an adventurer."
But Novem shook her head.
"No. Master Lyle will achieve great things someday. You'll certainly need her strength by then. And after everything we've gone through to get here—"
Before she could finish, Clara, glasses back on, desperately tried to stop Novem.
"Wait… that's not… well, it's not wrong, but hold on…"
And then, still smiling, Novem said:
"So, about her joining us."
"I know! That's why—stop there!"
As Clara clung to her, Novem beamed with delight.
"We did it, Master Lyle. Now Clara is one of our companions."
I stood there in a daze while Poyopoyo applauded.
"Congratulations, Chicken. To think you'd stoop to using a woman to claim the one you're after… Poyopoyo is always ready to sink her fangs in."
I shouted, "Shut up! You saw what just happened! You did that on purpose, didn't you, you useless thing!"
Miranda, who'd been half-asleep, clapped alongside Shannon.
"I thought something nice was happening in this dungeon… That's our Lyle for you."
"I'm… tired… Stop waking me up for pointless things."
I looked toward Aria.
She was clapping with a flat expression and said:
"That's our Lyle for you. Collecting women one after another… You're the worst."
She then pulled the blanket over herself and fell asleep.
"Hey! That's not— It was— Look, she—! It's not like—!"
Everyone ignored my protests and returned to their spots.
Clara sat there on the floor, face bright red, hiding it behind both hands.
The Fourth Generation said, *"Lyle, you're hopeless."*
The Second Generation added, *"Just give up already."*
The Sixth Generation said, *"Hmm, this situation… Miranda should make her move next. Shannon too, while we're at it."*
The Seventh Generation said, *"Good for you. Or rather, that's all I can say."*
The Fifth Generation spoke, *"Third Generation and Novem must be thrilled. Keep an eye on Aria's mood."*
The Third Generation said excitedly, *"A Walking Library is amazing! If I hadn't met my wife yet, I definitely would've made a move! Lyle, take good care of her!"*
I thought to myself.
(No, I did make a move, but… not like THAT!)
I spent the rest of the break in awkward silence alongside the red-faced Clara.