“If you dare mention that trash one more time… I’ll send you down to join him.”
When Flav asked that question, the emotions Melro had suppressed for so long instantly exploded.
It felt as though someone had brutally ripped open a wound she had been trying her best to endure and then rubbed salt into it.
Melro, who had always been obsessed with maintaining an elegant noble posture, lost her composure in that instant, releasing all her unvented frustration onto Flav.
She clenched her palms with all her might, letting the broken crystal shards dig deeper and deeper into her flesh.
She wanted to suppress the wringing pain in her heart.
Even if the method was to use a different, more intense pain to override it.
Even if she had to crush a rare secret treasure, turning it into a pile of worthless waste, she felt no heartache or regret.
At this moment, Melro only wanted to get further and further away from that sense of emptiness and crushing failure.
Just as she was about to continue unleashing her anger toward Flav, the Draconian, Della, suddenly poked her gently with her tail and gave her a look.
Only then did Melro suddenly realize something.
Right now, countless pairs of eyes were watching her.
Those were the eyes of the other members of the adventuring group.
Their gazes were either confused, curious, sharp, or mocking.
Everyone had witnessed Melro’s momentary loss of composure.
In an instant, a massive wave of shame and awkwardness pierced through her body like ten thousand needles.
‘I’m actually losing my composure over such a trivial matter… What on earth am I doing…’
Melro forcibly swallowed the anger and irritability that had risen to her chest. Then, she brushed past Flav and Della, rushing to the front of the team without looking back.
Flav, meanwhile, stood frozen in place.
Melro’s words from moments ago echoed in her mind like a nightmare that refused to dissipate.
Dead…
He’s dead?
That incredibly powerful Sir Knight, who always seemed to have a trump card and could overcome even the most perilous battles…
Just like that, without any warning…
He’s dead?
In an instant, every muscle in Flav’s body seemed to freeze, and even her expression turned to stone.
This explosive news, which felt like a cruel joke, nearly made her faint from the shock.
He was perfectly fine when they were on the ship earlier, wasn’t he?
He said himself that there was no big problem, and he was even acting intimate with the Lady Captain…
When they first encountered the Companion Dragon, he was the one who led the charge and opened a breach.
Even if he couldn’t kill the Companion Dragon, escaping to save his life should have been more than easy for him.
Flav simply could not accept any of this.
‘No, it’s impossible…’
‘Lady Melro must have made a mistake…’
‘Sir Knight just spent too much time, he’ll definitely rejoin the team soon!’
Over and over, Flav used this thought to hypothesize the situation to herself.
Soon, she even seemed to vaguely hear a certain sound — the *clink* of metal armor clashing and rubbing against itself.
The sound she heard most often in her daily life.
‘Sir Knight!’
The light returned to her vacant eyes, focusing into a pinpoint of hope.
Flav spun around, her eyes frantically searching the surging flow of people around her.
She hoped to see that silent figure, clad in silver armor and massive in stature, catching up from the rear.
She would welcome him back to the team with a smile and apologize for not being able to assist him.
Then, she would slowly follow behind him as they returned to the base together.
After that, she would definitely ask him what he liked to eat and then treat him to a meal to properly reward him…
Right, the reward money this time was substantial, and she had even obtained a treasure.
After returning, perhaps she could build a study with a fireplace, boil some milk and coffee, and invite him over to teach her some knowledge about magic beasts…
Fantasizing about those beautiful scenes in her head, Flav even unconsciously revealed a happy smile.
She stood amidst the strange looks of the crowd, not moving a single step.
Eventually, the flow of people around her grew sparse.
On the path, only she and Della, the Draconian who couldn’t leave her alone, remained.
That massive silver figure never appeared. Only the roar of surging magma and the drifting ash remained in the cavern hall.
Why?
Wh…
Before Flav’s brain could make sense of it all, her body reacted first.
Her legs gave out, and she nearly fell directly onto the glowing ground.
“Hey, pull yourself together!”
Della grabbed Flav’s petite body, supporting her.
She wanted to ask Flav about her condition, but she realized that no matter how much she called out, she couldn’t get a response.
Flav had become like an empty shell that had lost its soul.
—
Melro didn’t notice at all that two more people were missing from her side.
For her, suppressing her emotions already consumed all the energy in her body; she had no capacity left to worry about anything else.
While walking with the main group, she kept forcing herself to clear her mind and think of nothing.
However, no matter what, those memories regarding Alet kept replaying in her mind.
Their daily life together for ten years, the experiences of adventuring with him, the past spent training him bit by bit…
It was as if Melro were under some kind of curse, constantly recalling things she wouldn’t normally spare a thought for.
And with every memory, the emptiness and wringing pain in her heart grew a few degrees heavier. On top of that, waves of irritable anger began to emerge.
Thus, Melro entered a vicious cycle.
That wringing pain was like a splinter buried shallowly in her flesh.
It wasn’t agonizing or fatal.
But every time she moved, it would give her a sharp sting, constantly flaunting its existence.
“It doesn’t matter, none of this matters!”
Ultimately, Melro simply stopped suppressing it and accepted the pain.
‘At least, at least I obtained the honor of being a Dragon Slayer!’
‘This is what I’ve pursued my entire life. With it, I can gain the recognition of my family and the admiration of countless adventurers!!’
‘Everything is worth it!’
That thought soon converged into a wave of warmth, like some sort of hallucinogenic drug, violently suppressing the other emotions in her heart.
Even that wringing pain was no longer so apparent.
‘Yes, that’s right!’
She exhaled a sharp breath, puffed out her chest, and once again smoothed her clothes with forced elegance.
‘Don’t think about anything; just accept the glory that belongs to you!’
‘Go and accept the reverent gazes of those low-level adventurers who look like ants! You deserve this!’
Holding onto such thoughts, a sickly smile couldn’t help but appear on Melro’s face.
With that, she stepped into the Teleportation Array.
As the light of the Dungeon’s Teleportation Array lit up, the darkness and sulfurous smell unique to the underground instantly receded, and the light of the surface surrounded her.
After the long competition process, it was now sunrise in Dice Town on the surface.
Countless spectators were gathered around the Teleportation Array, seemingly waiting to welcome the victors home.
‘Hmph, just as I expected.’
Melro smiled triumphantly, walking toward the crowds waiting for her with the gait unique to a noble.
And just as she squinted her eyes and prepared to spread her arms to soak in the cheers that belonged to her.
From the crowd not far away, an unknown object suddenly came flying out.
The object spent half a second in the air, tracing a beautiful parabola before accurately striking Melro on the head.
*Crack!*
Following the crisp sound of something breaking, a strong stench, accompanied by a cold and slimy sensation, slowly spread across Melro’s face.
The substance smeared across Melro’s delicate hair and face, coating her entire body in a nauseating odor.
It was a rotten egg.
“What…”
Melro was momentarily stunned by the impact.
Before she could regain her senses, countless furious shouts began to echo through the air above Dice Town.
“Cancel Crystal Thorn’s victory!”
“A person who abandons their companions isn’t fit to be an adventurer!”
“Go back to your coffin, you vampire!!”
At that moment, even the last string supporting Melro…
Snapped completely.