CH 261

Episode 261 – Trauma

“Rosalie, you’re in the way.” (Aruna)

“I-I’m sorry!” (Rosalie)

“It’s fine, just get behind me.” (Aruna)

In the middle of a fight, Aruna had to scold Rosalie, and she eventually had to be relieved of her position as sub-attacker and put even further behind Aruna, who was in the rearguard. We could pay attention to her when we weren’t in battle, but Aruna wasn’t forgiving when it came to combat, so she told her to stay back out of concern for her current state. If we didn’t focus on the monsters that were in front of us right now, we would end up making the same mistake like with the Paralysis Snakes from earlier.

“Lewin. Iron Scorpions coming from the left. Also, a Black Cobra coming from the right.” (Aruna)

“Got it. Aruna, please keep the Iron Scorpion in check.” (Lewin)

After hearing Aruna’s sudden report on their locations, I turned to face the Black Cobra. Unlike the small Paralysis Snakes that flocked in groups, the Black Cobras were massive serpents that were well over 4 meters long.

At a glance, it didn’t look that big since it was coiled up on itself. But if it was threatened, it would stretch itself out and wrap itself around its prey, constricting it while viciously sinking its venomous fangs into it. It possessed both power and speed, which meant that it was the monster that we had to watch out for most while in the desert area.

While internally recalling the info about the monster before me, I pulled out a Sticky Bomb from my belt holder and tossed it with a short motion. I imagined that the battle would be decided as long as it hit, but the Black Cobra started moving even before the Sticky Bomb left my hand, evading it with ease.

The Sticky Bomb fell flat, and… judging by its reaction time, it was possible that the Black Cobra wasn’t reliant on its eyes. I wasn’t sure how it perceived its surroundings, but with how fast it reacted, there was a good chance that it was some kind of magic-related sense.

After feeling it out with that meager exchange, I created some distance then made my move. It shouldn’t be accurate at range.

My hunch proved to be correct. The Black Cobra seemed to be weak at horizontal movements, so it couldn’t keep up with my high-speed left and right maneuvers at all. Aruna was single-handedly pinning down the Iron Scorpions, so I could take my time to fight it and catch it off guard.

Against the Black Cobra, which had a narrow field of vision, I continued to weave in feints while trying to attack it from the back as much as possible. It eventually tried to flee, but I immediately stopped its movements with a Sticky Bomb and then finished it off. I was a bit worried at first, facing off against a Black Cobra which was considered strong in many aspects, but I managed to defeat it without much difficulty in the end.

“Good work. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to interfere or not, but it seems like you managed it with ease.” (Aruna)

“Thanks for your hard work. Looks like you also made short work of those two Iron Scorpions.” (Lewin)

“Yeah. At first glance, their entire body appears to be covered in a hard shell, but their joints are always so weak. That’s why it’s too easy for me.” (Aruna)

“As expected of Aruna-san. You’re really strong in both long-range and close-range fights.” (Lewin)

“More importantly… Rosalie.” (Aruna)

Abruptly ending our conversation, Aruna turned around and called Rosalie’s name, causing her to jump with a start. She looked really apologetic, and she was probably feeling the smallest she’d ever felt so far.

“I-I’m really sorry.” (Rosalie)

“Rosalie. If things don’t change, I can’t keep clearing the Dungeon with you anymore.” (Aruna)

A look of shock appeared on Rosalie’s face, which slowly fell into an expression of despair and hopelessness.

I didn’t think it was a good idea to force Rosalie to confront her mental state like this, but I believed in Aruna, so I kept quiet and just listened.

“Back during our talk, was it a lie when you said you believed in us? And saying that you were going to be okay on the 23rd layer, was that also a lie?” (Aruna)

“N-No! I wasn’t lying… I-It’s just that when I set foot into this place, my mind kept going back to the time when my party was wiped out.” (Rosalie)

“You told us before. Your party just barely made it past the Elemental Golem on the first try. Then your party rushed into the next area and all died except you. Right?” (Aruna)

“……” (Rosalie)

When she told us the other day about what had happened back then, she said that her party had taken too much damage from the Elemental Golem, so they had no option of turning back. Going onwards into the desert area to find another passing party was their only hope. However, their hopes ended up being in vain. They could only run off into the hot, scorching desert, limping the whole way, not even able to fight monsters properly anymore. Then… as they slowly ran out of stamina, her teammates died one by one to the monsters.

Fortunately, Rosalie and another member, who had shallow wounds and still had some remaining stamina, managed to escape with their lives when they happened to run into another party passing through the 24th layer.

While it was good that her life was saved, it must have been tough for her to vividly recall the crisis that she had gone through here, watching as her companions died off one by one, unable to save them. If she didn’t encounter another party back then, Rosalie and her other party member would have met the same fate. That was why I strongly felt that we should just let her slowly get used to this place again, but…

“I sympathize with you. But all of that doesn’t matter when the battle starts. If you can’t focus, the chances of us getting killed by monsters during battle go way up. Even though Lewin covered for you earlier, when he got bitten by that Paralysis Snake, that was your mistake, Rosalie.” (Aruna)

“……” (Rosalie)

“If you don’t put your trust in us, we can’t put our trust in you either.” (Aruna)

“It’s not that I don’t trust in you guys…! It’s definitely not that. But no matter what, I just can’t get those terrible memories out of my head.” (Rosalie)

Rosalie’s words sounded like a cry from the bottom of her heart. I knew painfully well what she was going through.

Although what I had experienced was far from what Rosalie had gone through, I still woke up from time to time with nightmares about the time I had worked for the Healer’s Guild. While appraising plants, I would sometimes feel sick to the stomach whenever I thought back to those times.

I would still sometimes unconsciously recall what had happened even though everything with the Healer’s Guild had been resolved, so I resonated wholeheartedly with what Rosalie meant.

“Then put it into words and tell us. We’re your companions, aren’t we?” (Aruna)

Rosalie’s face, which had been hanging down sadly, suddenly lifted up in surprise at Aruna’s unexpected words.

“It’s not like remembering is a bad thing. It’s understandable and I never had any intention of attacking you with this. But you need to put it into words and tell us if you can’t focus.” (Aruna)

“I… see. I’m sorry for staying silent and keeping to myself…” (Rosalie)

“As long as you tell us, Lewin and I can just deal with the monsters. I’m sure you know that, Rosalie.” (Aruna)

“…Yes, I believe in both of your strengths. Aruna-san, Lewin-san, I sincerely apologize.” (Rosalie)

“It’s fine, as long as you get it. But if you stay silent and end up making another mistake because of it, I’m going to have to scold you again.” (Aruna)

“Of course. Aruna-san… I’m glad that you told it to me straight,” Rosalie said, flashing an awkward smile at Aruna, even though her expression was still a mess.

Rosalie would have to face her past as we cleared the Dungeon, but Aruna and I would be there to support her through it. As long as she clearly spoke up about it, we could adjust for it.

I felt it resonate deeply in my heart too, especially because I didn’t expect Aruna to be the one to say these words. It just kind of ended up happening, but with this, I felt that the party that I had hastily thrown together had now become a genuine party at heart.