Chapter 32: Lefiya Viridis, a Level 3 rear mage~

"Terrible acting!"

"Ugh, boring. Someone placed a magic sword order yesterday."

"What's that got to do with me."

"I'm talking about you! You know the field. You want to get closer to it. But you still naively think you can catch up to them without giving it your all? Idiot!"

Like she had suddenly become a different person, Tsubaki's eyes gleamed fiercely.

-------------------------------------

"Foolish obsession—you'll regret it someday!"

Facing the silent young man, Tsubaki left angrily after tossing out a harsh remark.

"Damn it, there goes my good mood."

As if loathing himself, Welf mocked himself bitterly.

...

"Twilight Manor"

Fastening a brand-new belt, pulling a pure black cloak over himself, and slinging a backpack on, Fron arrived at the hall.

"Mr. Fron, I'm so sorry! I'm late!"

The panting elven girl had her hands on her knees, gasping for breath.

She clearly seemed to be in a rush.

"No need to apologize, you're just on time. Actually, I just got here too."

"You've got all your supplies, right?"

"Yeah, they're all in my backpack."

"Leave it to me! The default role of the lowest-ranked member in the party is support. Your job is to chant magic and wipe out the monsters!"

"B-But there's so much stuff—"

Fron raised a brow, a bit flamboyantly.

"Hah, compared to elves, humans are way sturdier, right? Don't forget—I'm a stats-sheet hexagonal warrior or a super soldier. Carrying a bag is nothing."

"..."

Those watching from the staircase were speechless. Easy for you to say when you've got those stats! A stats-sheet hexagonal warrior? A super soldier? We want that too!

Tione's fists cracked ominously, black miasma rising from her.

"I want to punch him. Smash that pretty face, grind his bones to dust."

Tiona hurriedly restrained her berserking sister from behind—though truthfully, she also wanted to kick him a few times.

As for the others, they wore various expressions—but what's with those eager looks in their eyes?

"Hey, what's with all the support-role jealousy?"

Riveria sighed, holding her forehead.

"If you're heading out, hurry up. You've still got teammates waiting, right?"

—Fron suddenly smacked his forehead, a bit annoyed.

"Ah, right! I forgot Welf. Let's go, Lefiya—see you all later!"

"Good luck, you two! Stay safe!"

"Don't worry—I won't let a single hair on Lefiya get hurt!"

"Waaaah!! S-So bold!"

Tiona, Alicia, Alfy, and Line all screamed, cheering Fron's direct praise.

"Ahhhhhhh—what are you all imagining, this is so embarrassing!"

Needless to say, Lefiya's face and ears flushed bright red, her ponytail swinging wildly.

"Hahahahaha—Lefiya's so cute!"

Compared to when he used to explore the dungeon alone, this time it was much livelier—with comrades sending him off and a young elven girl joining the party.

And—Fron knew he had grown stronger again.

"I need to find a way to refine my technique. My body's getting harder to control."

He furrowed his brow slightly, pushing the thought aside for now. "Hexagonal Warrior," "super soldier"—it all sounded good.

In reality, though, he had no technique or battle experience—only relying purely on attributes and brute force.

Adventurers ruled by raw stats usually didn't live long.

Everyone agreed on that. So this hidden danger had to be addressed early.

"Mr. Fron—are you worried about something?"

"You elves are too formal. Just call me Fron, no 'mister.' Makes it sound like we're strangers."

"O-Okay…"

"As for worries… well, not really. You heard me calling myself a Hexagonal Warrior."

"T-That's not true at all! Fron, who can beat a saber-toothed tiger barehanded and above his level, isn't some idiot!"

"..."

Lefiya was visibly upset—that was something she could never do. To her, his actions were heroic, worthy of praise and admiration. For someone from the "School District" like Lefiya, it was like something straight out of a fairytale.

"No need to console me. Honestly, I'm still too weak. Oh, by the way—do you elves eat meat?"

"—Eh?"

Lefiya was thrown off by the sudden topic change, unable to keep up with Fron's thought process.

"N-No, I mean, yes—"

"Good. You probably just packed some dry rations for lunch, right? That won't do. As adventurers, we can't afford to skimp on our stomachs."

"..."

Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed the dazed Lefiya and dragged her into the busy marketplace toward the bakery.

"Miss, three baguettes with double cream."

"Coming right up!"

"Lefiya, wait here for the bread. I'll go grab a few other things."

"W-Wait, Fron—!"

Ignoring her protests, Fron walked straight to a barbecue shop, bought three large slabs of grilled meat, packed them in lunchboxes, and picked out some fruits.

He even boldly bought two bottles of fruit wine and secretly stashed them.

What kind of rookie adventurer does this!?

Who heads into the dungeon without a care, as if going on a picnic?

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Let's go!"

Lefiya's eyes were spinning—she couldn't believe what Fron had just done.

Was this really an adventurer…?

"Don't worry, Lefiya. With our strength, the 'middle floors' are a piece of cake."

"And if we can't win, we can just run!"

He even winked at her.

"Fron, seriously—"

Blushing furiously, the elven girl was dragged through the crowd to the central plaza.

"Yo, you're here! This must be the one from your Familia—"

Smiling, Fron placed both hands on Lefiya's shoulders and pushed her forward.

"Let me formally introduce our Familia's brilliant successor—Lefiya Viridis, a Level 3 rear mage, a 14-year-old elf! Not only powerful, but also adorable! A bit shy, though. As for who she admires—it's the Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein!"

"AAAAHHHHH—Fron, what are you saying?!"

Fron, "Hmm? Isn't this common knowledge?"

Lefiya, "H-How could it be?!"

Fron, "Even I knew."

Thump—

As if her strength had been drained, Lefiya collapsed duck-style to the ground, eyes swirling in despair. Her long ears drooped adorably.

"Haha… ha… really something else… hahaha…"

Welf chuckled awkwardly. This girl—was just a bit too shy.

"Get up, Lefiya. Your white tights are getting dirty."

"Hmph—"

"All right, our goal is the 13th floor of the middle levels. This is just a scouting trip to get a feel for the pressure."

"We'll discuss tactics as we go."

Pulling up the still-soft Lefiya, the three headed down the massive staircase into the dungeon.

"Unlike yesterday, a party of three is much more manageable than two. With each additional member, the area we need to guard shrinks, and we can fight more comfortably."

"Welf, your position remains the same—vanguard and scout."

"No problem."

"Next is Lefiya. As our rear-guard mage, you're our top priority for protection. Stay behind Welf."

"O-Okay."

"As for me, I'll cover the rear and stay alert. As support, my job is to protect Lefiya, gather magic stones and loot, set traps, and make the map."

"We'll advance in a column formation. Welf scouts the front, Lefiya watches the left, and I'll handle the right and rear."

"Everyone clear?"

"Yeah—"

"No problem—"

"Then let's go."

Perhaps—for their strength—this "upper-floor" setup was overkill.

But the dungeon was still the dungeon.

Caution was never wasted.