NOVEL WEB Chapter 139: Why are you following us?
He stared intently at her expressionless face, then suddenly smiled and reached out to ruffle her hair.
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"I feel like I'm seeing a new side of you, Ais, you... are truly an adventurer."
"Don't mess up my hair, I don't like it."
"Haha..."
The girl puffed her cheeks and pouted, as if acting spoiled toward him. Such an Ais was indescribably cute.
...
The previous incident was nothing more than a small interlude for the two of them. Strength decides one's vision, in their eyes, the other side's tricks were ultimately just unpresentable petty means.
Even so, the harvest from this trip to Fron was not small. He had come to know the real Ais anew.
The top-class adventurer known as [Sword Princess]Ais Wallenstein.
Thinking back on the previous matter, Fron felt a faint realization: for adventurers used to facing life and death, people dying... really was an everyday occurrence.
Before, aside from fighting monsters, he had always lived beneath the protection of his familia, away from the bloodshed in the Twilight manor.
Without his knowledge, no matter what puppets, demons, or monsters targeted him, they were all dealt with by the familia. Thus, he had never truly felt the cruel darkness, and could only sigh with emotion.
[ T/N: Didn't he go to the dungeon with Welt and not with his Familia members? The above para is pure nonsense according to me.]
Perhaps, this kind of situation is the real world of adventurers.
"Fron?"
"What are you thinking about?"
"Ah, nothing really."
"…Oh."
The girl answered absentmindedly, and casually cut down the monster that had just fallen from above and leapt toward him.
Instinctively, Fron was protected by the girl.
'But in my world, there is warmth.'
Her heroic figure was reflected in his eyes, and Fron's face was full of smiles.
Just as Fron had expected earlier, the boy named Bell Cranel was still alive, no, it should be said he was living quite well.
Even, when he and Ais encountered him on the 8th floor, the so-called Pure Love Idiot was actually flirting with a girl.
"Yo, did you find your destined encounter in the dungeon, young man!?"
Standing at the entrance of the passage, Fron looked teasingly at the small Pallum girl being held in Bell Cranel's arms, his eyes full of amusement.
Bell: "…"
Lili: "…"
Ais: "?"
"B-b-big brother F-f-f-f-f-fron!!! Why are you here!? N-no no no no, it's not like that at all, I… I… what encounter, it's not what you think it is!"
Being caught red-handed by the older brother he respected and admired, even if the boy had grown a little, at this moment he was so ashamed he almost fainted. Just from his stammering words, one could tell how flustered he was.
"Bell-sama!?"
Lili, who had her whole heart tied to Bell, saw him crushed by a stranger's words and panicked completely...
"Hmph, Bell-sama is only saving Lili, it's not as you imagine."
"Ohhh~~~? But little lady, that deep affection in your eyes can't deceive an [adult] like me."
"…"
The Pallum girl clearly hadn't expected this man to be so… so…
Her mood must have been just like the elf girl Lefiya's. Usually nothing showed, but at key moments, a high-level trash-talking skill could unleash unimaginable power.
"Bell-sama, you must be careful in the future, this man…"
"Um, Lili. I really respect Big brother Fron, and besides, he's already saved me twice."
"…"
Lili's eyes widened in disbelief. This hateful man had actually saved her precious Bell-sama before?
No, she wouldn't admit it, she couldn't accept it.
"Alright, Ais and I won't disturb you two. We're leaving!"
"Eh!? Big brother Fron, you're leaving already?"
"Yeah, running into you was just coincidence anyway. Oh, right. Your advisor lady also asked us to come rescue you. I knew you were fine though, just happened to swat away two little bugs earlier."
Two little bugs?
Bell didn't know what had just happened, but Lili sure did!
In an instant, her wariness toward this blond, golden-eyed, rather handsome young man shot to the highest level.
The killing intent from him was real...
...
After that, the two of them kept slaying monsters along the way, slowly adapting to their new equipment and state of mind, until the 12th floor.
This was the last floor of the upper levels, the insurmountable wall separating lower-class and upper-class adventurers.
With a "bang", a flash of sword light cut an infant dragon in half, and Ais sheathed her beloved blade.
But… this time she felt something was missing.
Soon she realized, Fron, unlike usual, hadn't rushed excitedly to collect the magic stone. Instead, he was staring fixedly into the mist.
Adjusting his glasses (a magic item) on the bridge of his nose, he curved his lips in a faint smile, eyes fixed on the foggy air, and said:
"Come out. You've been following us for several floors now. Haven't you seen enough?"
"Fron?"
Ais immediately unsheathed her sword again, her slender figure shielding Fron's tall body, warily scanning her surroundings.
"How surprising, to have noticed my tailing so soon. That's right, you're also a holder of 'Mystery', it's only natural you'd detect some clues. And with the Sword Princess by your side, I was a bit careless."
--?
Suddenly, a black-robed figure appeared out of nowhere, only five meters in front of Ais.
The strange, mysterious person stood quietly in the mist. Ais narrowed her golden eyes, carefully observing him.
His whole body was wrapped in a black cloak. On his exposed hands were pitch-black gloves engraved with patterns. Just from looking, it was impossible to tell his gender or race, an extremely suspicious figure.
At such close range, her senses hadn't detected him at all!? How… how could this be? Moreover, this person's indescribable presence gave Ais a bizarre feeling, making her ask herself uneasily:
'Is this person really… human?'
Fron placed his hand on Ais' shoulder, pulling her slightly into his embrace, making the girl blush deeply, utterly embarrassed, especially with a stranger watching.
"Following us this long without making a move, and I don't feel any hostility. Just your appearance is strange, you don't look like a good person."
Unlike Fron's teasing tone, Ais kept her wary eyes fixed on the stranger, gripping her [Desparate] tightly, its blade gleaming coldly. If the enemy made even the slightest hostile move, her sword would cut him down.
"Relax, Sword Princess. The Flame Demon is right, I have no ill intent. So, could you perhaps lower that dangerous weapon of yours?"
"…"
Ais didn't know who this mysterious robed figure was, but Fron wasn't unfamiliar at all. In fact, within the fragments of his memories, this was one of the very few individuals who had left him with a deep impression.