Were Dungeon Lizards particularly powerful?
Not really.
The first encounter was admittedly startling.
Having an enormous lizard suddenly rush at him felt a little like standing in the path of an oncoming truck.
But once Rhodes actually started fighting, it turned out to be just another ordinary monster.
The shortsword Hestia had provided pierced those seemingly troublesome scales with ease.
Even the magic stones they dropped were larger.
And so their expedition continued smoothly.
Rather than rush to push deeper, Rhodes concentrated on familiarizing himself with each floor.
After all, he might not have a free supporter like Lili accompanying him next time.
Following an extended period of intensive exploration, he began to feel that his endurance was approaching its limit.
He glanced at the girl working diligently behind him.
As he moved his limbs, the ache in his muscles slowly began to surface.
“Maybe…”
“We should call it a day.
I’m starting to slow down, and we could get into trouble if we keep going.”
“…”
That was probably the most human thing Lili had heard him say all day.
Especially after watching him actively seek out monsters from beginning to end, maintaining a punishing pace without taking a proper break.
So he actually does get tired?
Never mind Rhodes.
Even Lili, who was only handling the support work, felt exhausted just watching him.
“Then let’s head back.
Oh… here’s today’s haul.”
She hadn’t skimmed anything off the top.
Among the adventurers she knew, Rhodes’s personality was certainly… a rare find.
Simply having someone she could talk to helped relieve some of the emotions weighing on her.
That alone meant the day hadn’t been a complete loss.
Besides, without his help, who knew how long that morning’s beating would have continued?
“Thanks for all your help today.”
Rhodes accepted the cloth bag and weighed it in his hand.
Judging by the weight alone, this was definitely a much better haul than yesterday’s.
Perhaps it would fetch four or five thousand valis.
“…”
Lili rather wanted to tell him that speaking like a decent human being a little more often would be thanks enough.
But when she heard the sincerity in his voice, she turned her head away with a small huff.
“You helped me first.”
“Let’s go!”
The journey back to Orario went smoothly.
Saving some strength for the return trip had unquestionably been the right decision.
After all—
They still had to fight their way past monsters as they retraced the passages toward the surface.
Rhodes increasingly suspected that his body really did operate on something like a Stamina bar.
Once he approached the limit, exhaustion began washing over him.
When he finally saw the late-afternoon sun spilling across the Labyrinth City, he let out a deep breath of relief.
He looked at the little supporter beside him, who appeared just as tired.
“And about what I said this morning—making you buy me a meal was a joke.”
“Hmm?”
“You helped the expedition go smoothly, and I earned a lot more than yesterday.
I’d feel bad making you pay for dinner on top of that.”
“?”
Lili looked up.
She certainly hadn’t expected to hear something like that from Rhodes.
But before she could happily accept what sounded like an invitation, he added—
“So we can just split the bill.”
“!”
Is this guy even human?
If she kept teaming up with him, his T.
rex-level people skills might actually make her ill from sheer frustration.
Her mouth twitched.
She was about to say something when a familiar figure caught her eye in the distance.
More precisely, an adventurer she could never forget.
One of the people responsible for making her life so miserable.
I’ll treat you after all.
The words never left her mouth.
Instead, she looked away, her tone becoming distant.
“Forget dinner.
There’s something I have to do.”
“…”
But when Lili looked up, she found Rhodes holding the cloth bag out to her.
It wasn’t empty.
She could hear coins clinking inside.
Confused, she raised her gaze to his face.
The evening sunlight caught his handsome features, outlining them in gold.
His smile was gentle.
For a moment, Lili lost her train of thought.
“I still think you’d be better off finding an established party to work with.”
“There’s a little over a thousand valis in here.
Consider it…”
“Your pay for today.
It should certainly cover a meal.”
“And one more thing.”
After thinking it over, Rhodes had decided he needed to warn her about the root of Soma Familia’s problems.
Yes, doing so might shatter the hope she had been clinging to.
But surely that was better than letting her finally reach what looked like freedom, only to discover that the whole thing had been a lie.
“I don’t think…”
“A captain who lets his Familia become that much of a mess is going to care about honoring an agreement.”
“I wouldn’t count on him letting you leave just because he promised.”
“So be careful.”
Then Rhodes noticed the pretty little goddess approaching to meet him.
He said goodbye to Lili, who remained standing there in thought.
“My goddess is here to pick me up.
Take care of yourself.”
“…”
If she paid Captain Zanis the full amount he demanded to release her, would he really allow her to leave Soma Familia?
Rhodes’s words left Lili deep in thought.
She wanted to keep telling herself that everything would work out.
But the moment she considered it calmly, she already knew the answer.
In his position…
Why would she let such a profitable source of money escape?
If someone could save that much despite being constantly exploited, it only proved that there was more money to squeeze out of them.
What awaited her afterward would be even worse.
“…Then…”
“What am I supposed to do?”
Lili looked up in the direction Rhodes had gone.
She saw a pretty goddess enthusiastically welcoming him back.
A sudden wave of envy washed over her.
At last, she thought she understood why he remained so eager to explore the Dungeon.
Perhaps this was the reason.
She didn’t blame Rhodes for shattering her illusion.
Quite the opposite.
Lili understood that he had been looking out for her.
She simply hadn’t figured out how to protect herself from the possibility he had raised.
“…”
But when she turned to head back to the little room she rented, she found a familiar figure approaching.
Compared with a Prum, an adult male beastman was enormous.
His tall, powerful frame was intimidating simply standing in front of her.
What truly disgusted Lili, however, was the cold calculation in Enwan Kovo’s eyes.
Even now, he had narrowed them into what was supposed to look like a friendly smile.
“Lili.”
“Come with me.
There’s something I’d like to discuss.”
“…”
She said nothing.
But she understood.
The small source of comfort she had finally found was about to be shattered by a senior member of her Familia.
Again.
….
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I also have many more novels in my collection that you might be interested in I upload ten novels a day, with 3 to 4 chapters per title depending on the length.
If you’re following a particular series, please wait your turn a little If there’s a particular novel you’re enjoying on Patron, please give it a ‘like’ so I know to focus on it