Chapter 38: The tumor on my chest keeps throbbing

Description

Katy gripped her staff tightly, following closely behind Gray’s every step.

The crystal at the tip of her staff emitted a warm yellow glow, illuminating the rugged and uneven ground beneath their feet.

Meanwhile, the long blade in Gray’s hand, crackling with Lightning Light, sliced through the darkness ahead to guide their way.

In the boundless shadows of the cavern, these two faint light sources were the only things providing a semblance of warmth.

The girl swallowed hard.

She suddenly realized that her past habit of refusing to place torches in the Labyrinth—and intentionally setting traps with elite monsters near the few light sources that did exist—was a bit malicious.

‘To all those heroes I tormented back in the 13th Dungeon, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been lounging in bed, eating snacks while laughing at you through the surveillance monitors.’

While she offered a silent prayer of repentance, she also prayed that no magic monsters would suddenly leap out from the shadows.

If they did, she might accidentally fail to suppress her strength or Mana.

A reflexive punch could blow a monster and the rock wall behind it to smithereens, which would only deepen Gray’s suspicions about her.

“Um… Mr. Gray, aren’t you afraid of the dark?”

In an attempt to break the deathly silence and bolster her own courage, Katy tremulously struck up a conversation.

Gray, whose attention remained fixed on their surroundings, took a moment to think.

He recalled the training where his master had tossed him into the depths of a similar cave, forcing him to survive for seven days and seven nights among monsters with nothing but an iron sword.

“I was pretty scared at first,” he replied.

“But later, I realized there are many things far more terrifying than the dark. So, it ranks pretty low on my list now.”

After hearing this, Katy lowered her head and bit the soft flesh inside her lip.

‘Dammit.’

‘Why do I find Gray so cool for saying that?’

In the boundless darkness, the ghostly blue of the lightning and the warm yellow of the illumination magic intertwined upon him.

The play of light and shadow gave his already sharp and rugged features an even more defined, three-dimensional look.

Coupled with that slightly world-weary line…

The girl swallowed again, desperately trying to control her heart rate to calm herself down.

If her racing heartbeat became loud enough for this guy to hear, it would be incredibly embarrassing!

“…Is he just acting cool?” she muttered under her breath.

“What was that?”

“Ah, I just meant I really think what you said was cool, Mr. Gray! I really hope I can grow up to be such a reliable Hero one day!”

To hide her guilt, Katy quickly followed up with a direct compliment.

However, those words were quite effective against Gray.

He subconsciously began to fantasize about a mature Katy a few years down the road.

The truth was, he had always felt the clothes the Church gave to nuns were strangely provocative.

If Katy wore one of those nun outfits—the kind that claimed to be modest but actually sold quite well as risqué roleplay gear in equipment shops—and gave him a motherly smile while saying things like “I forgive your sins” while gently stroking his head…

‘Ahem… I should stop thinking about the “mommy” thing. Otherwise, I’ll really turn into a pathetic guy who gets worked up over an underage girl.’

Just then, Gray came to a sudden halt.

Katy, who was trailing behind him lost in her own thoughts, didn’t have time to brake.

Her nose smashed directly into his firm back.

“Oww…”

“Shh, look ahead.”

He pointed forward.

The girl rubbed her nose and squinted, then let out a sharp intake of breath.

In the darkness ahead, countless extremely thin silver threads hung in a dense web, shimmering with a cold, icy glint under the reflection of the lightning.

While they didn’t know if triggering such a trap would summon rolling boulders or a tidal wave of Goblins, Katy and Gray both knew the first rule of exploration: no matter what your enemy wants to do, don’t let them succeed.

After observing for a moment, they discovered a small gap near the rock wall at the top of the cave, just barely large enough for a single person to curl up and squeeze through.

Gray stretched his limbs and turned to Katy.

“Wait here for a second. I’ll try to jump across first. If I can make it, your physical stats should be high enough to manage it too, Miss Katy.”

His mind was currently filled with the memory of the strength and speed Katy had displayed during the Guild test.

A mere two or three meters of height followed by a leap and a landing should be a piece of cake for her, right?

However, just as he was about to jump, a small hand timidly tugged at his sleeve.

The girl looked up, her blue eyes watery and full of entreaty.

“M-Mr. Gray, can you carry me across?”

As soon as she said it, not only did Gray’s face turn red, but Katy’s face flushed a deep crimson as well.

The two shared a brief gaze in the dim light for less than half a second before quickly averting their eyes as if they had been burned.

“Because… because it’s too dark. I’m worried I’ll hit the threads because I can’t see clearly while I’m in the air,” she explained in a frantic rush, realizing her request had been a bit abrupt.

“Also, you’ll have to sheathe your sword to avoid hitting the wires, right? If I stay on the ground, the light from my illumination magic won’t reach the ceiling. But if I’m in your arms…”

Her voice trailed off in embarrassment.

Gray scratched his head awkwardly, blaming himself for not thinking of that.

Normally, an E-level Priest who could skillfully use healing magic was already considered exceptional.

Not only had he failed to praise Katy for being able to use illumination magic, but he had even thought about leaving the dark-fearing girl alone for a while.

He really was an incompetent A-rank.

“Sorry, I didn’t think it through. Come here.”

Gray leaned down slightly and opened his arms toward the girl, who was clutching her staff tightly.

Gulp.

Katy swallowed again.

Although she had just been frightened by her own imagination—a side effect of her fear of the dark—which made her subconsciously dread being left behind, actually diving into a grown man’s arms was…

For a Katy who possessed only theoretical knowledge and zero practical experience, this was still a bit difficult!

Seeing Katy hesitate, Gray instinctively sniffed his collar, feeling sheepish.

“Uh, is it because I smell like sweat? Sorry, this was sudden, and I didn’t bring any deodorizing spray…”

“N-No, it’s not that!”

Katy shook her head quickly.

Then, closing her eyes and steeling her heart, she dove into Gray’s arms with the resolve of someone facing certain death.

“It’ll be over quickly. Just hold on tight and don’t worry.”

The young man’s deep voice seemed to carry the power of a Word Spirit; Katy truly felt the fear in her heart dissipate quite a bit.

Immediately after, a pair of powerful arms wrapped around her waist and legs, lifting her up steadily.

Gray let out a low grunt as the muscles in his legs exploded with power.

He leaped into the air like a cannonball.

To squeeze through that narrow gap, Gray curled his body as much as possible mid-air.

This meant Katy was almost entirely crushed against him.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Because her eyes were closed and her sight was deprived, her other senses were heightened.

Firm pectoral muscles, scorching body heat, and a scent that mixed leather, sunlight, and a hint of sweat filled Katy’s entire world.

‘Tsk, it seems this guy can’t alleviate fear either. Why is my heart racing again?!’

Tap.

With a soft sound, Gray landed steadily on the ground on the other side of the trap.

“It’s okay now, Miss Katy. You can open your eyes.”

It wasn’t until she heard Gray’s voice that Katy realized they had already landed.

She snapped her eyes open.

The first thing she saw was Gray’s bangs, slightly disheveled from the intense movement, and those concerned chestnut eyes.

After confirming she was unharmed, the young man gallantly set her down.

He then walked over to the rock wall to examine the threads by the light of his lightning blade, which he had drawn again.

Katy stood in place, her hand pressed against her chest, her expression dazed.

She suddenly realized that all the horrifying images of Slimes and Goblins in her mind had vanished.

They had been replaced entirely by that warm embrace.

“…”

The girl bit her tongue hard, using the pain to force herself to wake up.

‘This is absolutely, one hundred percent, without a doubt just the Suspension Bridge Effect!’

‘I am a master of theory who has read 200 romance manga and mastered every trope! How could I possibly fall for such a small thing? How could I be attracted to a stupid small fry, a Hero I could never like?’

‘And you, that lump on the left side of my chest, stop beating so fast! Or believe me, I’ll dig you out!’