Chapter 457

Chapter 457

Dungeon of Precious Stones Again (5)

"Barden-san, these kids have permission to enter the dungeon!"

"Ahhh? Is that so? It's impressive to get permission at that age."

He looked rough... no, it's more accurate to say he had a scary appearance. Oh, now that I think about it, Allen and Elena didn't react at all.

"I apologize for my companion's rude remarks."

"Sorry."

I apologized first for the initial poor reception, and Kaiser also apologized with a genuinely sorry expression.

"Don't worry about it. My way of speaking is confusing, too."

"Barden-san, your appearance, attitude, and language are all too rough~"

"Yeah, that's right. That's why I'm saying, let's at least fix the way we talk~"

"Shut up! Even if I use polite words, it just feels creepy!"

Barden-san's party members teased him, and he casually brushed it off. They seemed like a friendly bunch.

"Barden-san is like that; he's a good-natured person, but he always gets misunderstood at first sight. Despite appearances, he's quite caring."

"I really feel bad for being deceived by first impressions."

"Umu."

"It's a path everyone walks, huh?"

"Even Dill-san?"

"I initially avoided him as soon as hhe came into view."

It seems Dill-san also initially thought Barden-san was a ruffian.

"So, Dill, are you playing the role of a guide today?"

"Rather than a guide, I'm more like a witness. They're promising newcomers to this town, as you can see from their appearance... so the Guild Master, worried about them being harassed by some adventurers, personally requested me."

"Oh, so you're playing the role of providing testimony that they were approached by others. The Guild Master seems to have high expectations for them to make such a request."

Barden-san looked at us with interest.

"You got lucky. The guys who seemed like they might hassle you all headed to the third floor."

"The third floor?"

"Yeah, they found some weird wall, and everyone went to check it out together."

... A weird wall? Was there something like that?

"They said there was a polished wall behind a collapsed one, with traces suggesting something was stuck to it. So, there's talk about searching the walls on the third floor for hidden treasure."

“"......"”

Dill-san and I couldn't help but exchange looks.

"... You two look like you know something."

"But having only colored threads in such large quantities is strange!"

I see. It's rare for them to come out in such colorful varieties.

"Well, I guess we were lucky!"

"It's not that simple!!"

Dill-san seemed to have gotten used to it and sighed as if to say, "Here we go again," but Barden-san wasn't about to let it go.

"Another group is coming. Do they just come running when we raise our voices?"

“"Going off!””

It seems another group of Rock Spiders appeared, and the kids dashed out again. Maybe they're drawn by the voice or sound, as Kaiser suggested?

"Ah~ why do they keep running toward them~? Hey, use magic!"

Why do kids always feel the urge to rush towards monsters and unleash their kicking techniques? They immediately head towards the monsters.

"”Oh, right!"”

The kids abruptly stop again and defeated the Rock Spiders with magic. Then, they return with handfuls of colorful threads, just like before.

"... There doesn’t seem to be many white threads."

"......"

"Why the hell!”

While Dill-san remained silent, Barden-san shouted loudly. But I don't know. I'd be curious to know if there's a reason for it. I just feel like it's all about luck.

"Barden-san, it's better for you to just accept that Takumi’s group is like that for your own sake."

"Dill, why are you so philosophical about this?"

"I've been through a lot! Seriously, a lot!"

"Have you guys known each other for a long time?"

"We only met a few days ago! But, a lot has happened in those few days! Seriously, a lot!"

Even though he says "a lot," I think it's just about the branch-related incidents on the first floor... Did we really surprise Dill-san that much?

"”They coming again~””

"It's convenient how monsters come to us when we shout."

“"Can defeat lots.””

Watching the kids and Kaiser happily defeat the monsters gathered by Barden-san and Dill-san’s shouts, Barden-san sighed as he watched them.

"Dill, sorry for thinking it was an easy job."

"... No."

Though he didn't say it out loud, Barden-san seemed to have thought that guiding us was an easy job, and he lightly patted Dill-san's shoulder as if to comfort him.

... I think that response was a bit harsh.