Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Is Having a Picnic with an Elf in the Dungeon Wrong on Some Level?～

But despite her wordless protests, Ryu eventually sat down next to Izay.

After all, who would choose to sit on the dirty ground when there’s clean cloth to sit on?

“Here, this is your portion～”

As soon as she sat down, Izay handed over a boxed lunch he was holding to Ryu.

Ryu was momentarily stunned by the gesture, and before she could react, Izay had already shoved the lunch box into her hands.

“Well… I’m not really that hungry…”

“It’s fine, if you can’t finish it, I’ll eat the rest～”

“……”

So she doesn’t have the option to not eat, huh?

(╯‵□′)╯︵┴─┴

If he knew what she was thinking, Izay would surely grin widely and nod enthusiastically.

When preparing for the outing, Izay had anticipated this situation and made sure to prepare enough food for two people.

Otherwise, would he let Ryu just sit there watching him eat when he got hungry?

That’d be so awkward～

“Don’t worry, think of it as replenishing energy. We still need to find the Pterodactyl later, so it’s better to eat full before acting!”

Since the Pterodactyl can fly, Izay didn’t expect to easily find this monster.

Under Izay’s barrage of flawed logic, Ryu was convinced and began eating small bites of the food.

“Which drink do you want? I prepared orange juice and fruit wine.”

Izay picked up two glass bottles beside him and asked.

“……Orange juice.”

The sky-blue eyes glanced at the two bottles, and Ryu softly replied.

“Eh～ Surprising, I thought you’d go for the fruit wine…”

Showing a look of mild astonishment, Izay handed her the orange juice.

“Why would you assume that?”

“Isn’t it strange for someone working in ‘The Bountiful Mistress’ tavern not to drink alcohol?”

Izay looked as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“……”

Upon hearing this, Ryu fell silent.

She couldn’t argue against that…

Shaking his head, Izay didn’t dwell on the matter too much, skillfully opening the bottle of fruit wine and taking a small sip.

This fruit wine has a low alcohol content; one bottle wouldn’t make anyone drunk. It’s usually bought by those adventurers addicted to alcohol to satisfy their cravings during dungeon exploration.

Surprisingly, this kind of wine sells surprisingly well……

As for Izay’s proficient movements, most of the credit goes to Loki.

Being dragged out to drink by the goddess for so many nights in a row, even if Izay started as a complete novice, he was inevitably taught how to handle it…

Thinking about those experiences makes him teary-eyed…

While chatting and enjoying their meal, there wasn’t a trace of the tension usually associated with dungeon exploration on Izay and Ryu.

Or rather, they temporarily set aside that tension.

Unlike Izay, who ate without much concern for image, Ryu ate gracefully and swiftly, deftly using her chopsticks to continuously bring food from the bento box to her mouth.

In no time, Ryu finished her meal, put down the bento box and chopsticks, and took a slight sigh of relief.

Suddenly turning her head, she noticed Izay blinking at her.

“What’s wrong, Mr. Izay?”

“Hmm… nothing, would you like some more bread?”

“Thank you, but no thank you.”

“Oh～”

A few minutes later, after replenishing himself, Izay leaned against his backpack, sprawling lazily on the picnic blanket, which made Ryu shift her gaze away.

She was afraid that if she stared any longer, she would burst out laughing uncontrollably.

“By the way, Mr. Izay…”

“Hmm?”

“After defeating the ‘Enhanced Species’ on the fifteenth floor, could I take up a little of your time?”

“How so?”

“Regarding the safe zone on the eighteenth floor… Since we’re already entering the dungeon, I thought I might as well visit while I’m here.”

“Alright, sure～”

“If it bothers you, we don’t have to…?”

Ryu was considering what to do if Izay felt troubled, and was ready to continue her monologue, but quickly noticed his straightforward response.

“Eighteenth floor, right? Not too far, let’s just swing by on the way～”

Still maintaining his lazy sprawl, Izay met Ryu’s surprised gaze.

When he heard this request, he had already guessed what Ryu intended to do. Understanding the reason behind it, he naturally wouldn’t refuse.

Besides, only three floors separate the fifteenth and eighteenth floors. A mere three levels weren’t much, and the eighteenth floor was a safe area where they could rest.

Ryu didn’t know what Izay was thinking, and at this moment, she looked at him with surprise.

Meeting the gaze of those almost identical colored eyes, Ryu felt like her thoughts were completely seen through.

“Mr. Izay… You must know something about me, right?”

“You mean what aspect? That despite looking like an ice queen on the outside, you’re actually very gentle when you speak?”

“Mr. Izay, pretending to misunderstand at this point only reinforces my suspicion.”

“……”

Damn, are elves’ senses this sharp?

Izay’s lips twitched involuntarily. He merely recalled a bit of it mentally, was it really necessary?

Though feeling somewhat indescribable inside, Izay did not show it, and shook his head again.

“I’m not quite clear what Miss Ryu refers to. How would I know unless you tell me?”

There’s absolutely no benefit in pointing it out himself. That would be like reopening old wounds, decreasing goodwill.

No matter what Ryu thinks, Izay firmly refused to admit it.

Ryu stared at him with her clear eyes for a while, then finally looked away after a long pause. “Then let’s leave it at that…”

They continued resting in place for a while until the cavern once again echoed with the low growls of monsters, prompting both of them to rise from the ground.

“Looks like our break is over.”

Listening to the reverberating growls, Ryu instinctively assumed a defensive stance, her hand already on her weapon.

“Yeah, indeed.”

Izay neatly packed up the picnic blanket, folded it and stuffed it into the outer pocket of his backpack, then simply stretched his body. His spear returned to his hands.

However, he had no intention of rushing back to battle the hellhounds for another three hundred rounds. Instead, he turned his head to look ahead at the cave entrance carved into the rock wall.

The deep and dark entrance to the middle layer showed uneven rock surfaces extending downwards, with dim phosphorescent light faintly flickering in the deepest part.

The earthy smell of rocks mixed with damp, murky air also triggered a faint sense of unease that was hard to suppress.

“Let’s head to the fifteenth floor first, and come back to play friendly with these dogs.”

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