The place where Arlette and the others lived was called the Yunlan Continent.
And at the very center of this continent lay the place every adventurer longed to conquer—the Dungeon.
This colossal ruin, built by an ancient civilization, had only been discovered in recent years.
Its size was enormous, and its interior was an endless labyrinth. Within, countless enticing treasures and deadly threats awaited.
Today, the place Arlette and her companion were headed to was Dice Town, one of the towns closest to the Dungeon.
Originally, this small town was quite ordinary and unknown.
But once the Dungeon was discovered by the world, it immediately leapt to prosperity thanks to its prime location—an unimaginable boom.
The Crystal Thorn’s base wasn’t far from Dice Town; the two could walk there on foot.
Of course, if they were bringing back purchases, they’d probably need to take a carriage.
Today, Flafla wore a lightweight, waterproof leather jacket and had a hood tied loosely around her neck.
That half-human-tall Mandolin still hung on her back, as if it were part of her body.
Because of the Dungeon’s influence, the nearby climate was highly unstable.
Sandstorms, hail, torrential rain, thick fog—such harsh weather could change day by day.
So, for protection against the elements, travelers in the area typically wore hoods or similar gear when heading out.
As for Arlette, he walked alongside her.
He didn’t seem to be fond of talking, keeping silent along the road. Only the heavy clank of metal followed Flafla, ringing faintly in her ears.
Yet, even this made Flafla think he seemed rather cool.
She had first met him on the third level of the Dungeon.
At that time, she had left the Elf Tribe’s settlement for certain reasons.
Arriving alone in the center of the continent, she was penniless, cold, and hungry, with nothing but her Mandolin.
Because she was timid and shy, she didn’t dare reveal her abilities in front of others. Naturally, she hadn’t joined any other adventuring parties.
In the end, when hunger left her desperate, she chose to risk everything and enter the Dungeon on her own.
Everyone knew there were many treasures within the Dungeon.
Gems, gold, antiques.
If you managed to bring back just a little, you might not become rich for life, but you could at least eat your fill for months!
And, sure enough, she was surrounded by Magic Beasts.
Originally, she had carefully chosen to explore Mist-Lake Shore on the Dungeon’s third floor.
The Magic Beasts there were much less threatening than those on the lower levels, and the odds of finding valuable items were much higher than on the upper floors.
The environment was less deadly, too.
Compared to the extreme temperatures of the fifth floor, Frozen Tundra, and the sixth floor, Molten Domain, Mist-Lake Shore merely had a layer of mist that reduced visibility.
It didn’t seem all that dangerous at all.
However, things didn’t go as expected.
She’d been inside for less than five minutes before she got lost.
After that, she wandered like a headless chicken, desperately searching for the exit.
And then the Magic Beasts surrounded her.
Having no combat ability, Flafla made a desperate, almost ridiculous move.
She began to play and sing, hoping—just as in adventure stories—to soothe the monsters’ emotions and win them over.
As expected, it didn’t work at all.
But as luck would have it, the Crystal Thorn adventuring party was just taking shape at that time, and their progress through the Dungeon had just reached the third floor.
Before Mellow entered, Arlette had naturally gone in first to scout.
And during his reconnaissance, he happened upon Flafla, surrounded by Magic Beasts.
In the end, Arlette killed the Magic Beasts and brought Flafla out.
During the process, Arlette grew curious about Flafla’s singing. After some questioning, he learned she was a bard.
And he also discovered just how desperately poor she was.
As it happened, the Crystal Thorn adventuring party was in need of a bard, so Arlette decided to do a good deed and recommended her to Mellow, bringing Flafla into the group.
Thus, Flafla escaped the twin crises of “being surrounded by Magic Beasts” and “having no money for food.”
As for Arlette, Flafla had always felt a bit conflicted about him.
Strong, loyal, and taciturn.
It seemed as if he was always working, without a single complaint.
And at the most critical moments, he was always the one to step forward and take responsibility.
She admired him, and longed to get along with him.
However, Arlette never seemed to show any interest in her.
In the eyes of this heavy knight, it was as if there was only his “Miss Mellow.” Flafla had hardly any chance to spend time with him alone.
At the same time, Mellow herself disliked other women getting too close to Arlette.
So Flafla had always kept to herself, quietly playing the role of the unnoticed one in the team.
Until today, when things seemed to change.
Looking at Arlette walking beside her, Flafla felt a surge of desire to say something to him.
“What… what should I talk about?”
“This is bad, I have no idea what Sir Knight likes! What if I say something he hates?”
“He’ll probably end up disliking me, too, right?”
“Or he might just ignore me, and I’ll end up standing there all awkward and alone.”
“I really don’t want that!”
“Maybe I should just stay silent, and quietly walk by his side… That’s not so bad, either.”
Thinking so, Flafla gently lifted her pink eyes and glanced at Arlette.
“Ugh… But it’s so frustrating.”
“Why not just say something, anything! Once I start, it’ll be fine.”
“Come on, Flafla, you can do it!”
Her small mouth opened and closed, closed and opened, repeating over a dozen times before she finally stammered out her first words:
“Um, um, um… uh!”
“Sir Knight!”
Her voice was tiny—so small, she could barely hear herself.
Just as she hesitated about whether to repeat herself louder, Arlette suddenly stopped and turned his head.
“What’s wrong? Is there danger?”
Arlette’s voice was deep and clear, resonating richly through his armor.
“No, it’s just… I feel that walking in silence like this… is a little dull. C-could you… talk with me for a bit?”
Hearing Flafla’s request, Arlette lowered his head in thought for a moment, then replied:
“I see…”
“Alright.”
“Also, there’s no need to use ‘Sir’ with me. We’re equals—no need for honorifics.”
Surprisingly, Arlette hadn’t ignored her or coldly refused.
This man seemed a little easier to get along with than she had imagined.