Chapter 24…
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Night. Under cover of darkness, I entered the 8th Dungeon. As always, it was a beautiful and majestic grand hall. A special interior that only appeared while the fragments of stars were present.
I chose a random path and moved forward, but by the 8th layer the monsters had already become A- rank from the start, significantly stronger. I wondered how Ryuka and the others were doing. How much stronger had they become by now? Since they were also obtaining the star fragments here, if they managed to defeat the boss, they should now be able to handle two S-rank opponents.
After about three hours, I reached a save point and set up a tent. As I was starting to feel sleepy and pulled the blanket over myself, the communication device vibrated. It was Ryuka.
“Zagan, are you already inside the dungeon?”
“Yeah. I’m planning to sleep soon. Are you too?”
“Yeah… haa. Not having you by my side is really painful. I want to hold you while I sleep. I want to feel you.”
Hearing that made my cheeks heat up. I also didn’t dislike being held by Ryuka while sleeping. As for whether it was painful or not… I wasn’t sure.
“We’ll definitely meet again within 20 days. And when we do, you’ll be even stronger than you are now, right?”
“…Yeah. I will. I’ll do my best. I’ll get stronger so I can protect you.”
“I’m looking forward to it. Now sleep properly so you can fight in top condition.”
“Hehe, thanks. Good night, Zagan.”
“Good night, Ryuka.”
I ended the call and closed my eyes. It took a little longer than usual to fall asleep.
Ryuka’s magical barrier was completed just a few days after we entered the dungeon. So I immediately began working on mine as well. However, mine would be finished quickly. It was just a simple structure that surrounded me while I drank MP potions.
Both the enemy and I were of the dark attribute. Because of that, while the barrier was active, I would be unable to attack.
Staying inside the barrier might be safe, but there was a risk the dragons would shift their target to the major cities, which would make protecting them impossible. The barrier I created was planar; if an attack came from above it, there would be nothing I could do.
It would have been ideal to create a magical device capable of protecting an entire major city, but I wasn’t skilled enough to build something on that scale within a month.
Therefore, in the dragon battle, I would simply unleash large-scale magic, surround myself with the barrier, drink MP potions to recover, and repeat the process—until Ryuka arrived.
I didn’t know how strong Ryuka would become by then. If he turned out to be completely incapable of fighting the dragons, then unfortunately, I would have to fight alone.
When I grew tired of working on the barrier, I contacted Ryuka again and talked a little before sleeping.
And so, before Ryuka finished his dungeon conquest, everything was complete.
On the 25th, while walking through the dungeon, I received a message from Ryuka. He had obtained the star fragment. What a dutiful man, reporting even that. He also said he would leave the dungeon at night so he wouldn’t be seen by the dark organization. It seemed the girls agreed to wait a few hours.
Come to think of it, had Ryuka told them that I was being targeted by the dark organization? When I was making magical tools at the mansion, no one ever asked what I was making or why.
Camila probably knew. She was a very calm woman, so Ryuka likely relied on her. As for Noel… if she knew, she would probably say something. Or maybe not?
Well, whether they knew or not wasn’t the issue. The question was whether they would follow Ryuka into battle. If Ryuka stopped them, they would likely stay in the city. But if they still came along, I would need to protect them all within my magical barrier.
After ending the call with Ryuka, I continued deeper into the dungeon. I had already created the magical barrier. From here on, it was simply a matter of becoming stronger.
The day after leaving the dungeon, in the early afternoon, I met Ryuka at the Adventurer’s Guild after arranging a call in advance.
“Zagan! I wanted to see you, Zagan. Haa… it’s been half a month since I last saw you.”
Ryuka immediately hugged me. Without caring about public attention, he pulled me close and pressed his cheek against my head. Moving to a corner so we wouldn’t block traffic was surprisingly difficult.
I could feel occasional gazes from the surroundings, but most people only smiled or looked mildly exasperated, so it didn’t feel like a nuisance. There were even women looking at us saying, “I wish I had a cool boyfriend like that,” which was a little embarrassing… well, yes.
After quietly enduring Ryuka’s warmth for a while, he seemed satisfied and lifted his head to look at me. To finish my business, I took out a key from my magic bag.
“Here. I’m returning this.”
It was the key I used to lock the mansion when I left half a month ago. Ryuka took it, but looked dissatisfied.
“You should have stayed for the second half too.”
“The magical tools are finished. From here on, I need to keep hunting monsters to get stronger. I plan to dive into this dungeon from tomorrow, and I intend to reach the 9th city by the 10th.”
“Eh. So we won’t be able to see each other again for a while?”
“Yeah. Sorry, but I need to do everything I can. If they make a move, it means they are confident they can kill me.”
With five dark dragons on the enemy side, no amount of preparation would feel enough. One more month. The only way to erase uncertainty was to keep moving my body.
“…I see. I’ll keep training too. I’ll improve my magic control even more. Enough to beat you.”
“I see. I can’t afford to lose either.”
“I wish I could dive into the dungeon with you, Zagan.”
“I want you to head to the 9th city first and report the dark organization to the lord there. It was you who said you would use your status and authority to protect me.”
“Yeah. I’ll protect you. I promise.”
The enemy wasn’t just dragons. There were also 100 members of the dark organization. If they attacked the city while I was fighting, it would be dangerous. But if security was strengthened, their movements would be restricted, and damage to the 9th city could be reduced. I could fight at full power.
And there was one more concern.
“I want to gauge your strength, so spar with me on September 10th.”
“Understood. By the way, if I lose, that won’t mean I can’t join the fight against the dark organization, right?”
“Sorry, but it depends on your strength. But you’ll become strong enough to defeat me, won’t you?”
I smiled deliberately to provoke him. Ryuka blinked, then broke into a delighted smile.
“That’s right. I’m happy you’re relying on me, Zagan. I’ll do my best to live up to your expectations.”
Then he kissed me on the cheek.
This is a guild, though.
A high-pitched chorus of “Kyaa!” echoed around us. We were clearly being watched. And I also heard painful cries like “I want a boyfriend too!”
I don’t have anyone to introduce you, sorry. Do your best and find one yourself.
“Anyway, as promised, I want to test your magical tool today. Let’s go outside—”
“I already reserved a room in the underground training facility this morning.”
“I see.”
The Adventurer’s Guild training facility, huh. I had never used it and had completely forgotten about it.
“It can be locked, so no one will enter. And if anyone tries to use a master key to peek at Zagan and my private time… well?”
Ryuka looked at the guild staff.
They nodded rapidly.
…What did he say?
“Come on, Zagan. This way.”
After taking my hand, he kissed my fingertips and guided me by placing a hand on my back. The male staff, in particular, waved handkerchiefs at us. The women looked either warmly or sparkling-eyed.
What did he say to them?
We went down the stairs together.
The training room was very spacious. Magical barriers covered the non-door areas to prevent damage. It was clearly an excellent practice space.
I took Ryuka’s magical device out of my bag: twelve circular discs, each 10 cm in diameter, stacked together, and an activation core.
“This is the core. Attach it to your belt. Then touch the activation button.”
Ryuka obeyed and activated it.
The small discs I held separated one by one, floating around him—twelve in total. Their positioning didn’t obstruct his vision or interfere with movement.
“Don’t move.”
I faced him and pointed my staff. He looked surprised for a moment, then nodded.
I tested small spells one by one.
“Dark Ball, Dark Arrow, Shadow Edge, Shade Sword, Curse… Dark Blast.”
The first three were single-target attacks. The discs avoided them while barriers activated. Shade Sword summoned ten swords raining down, but the discs evaded them as well. Curse was a dark mist that inflicted status effects, but the discs moved rapidly around Ryuka and dispelled it instantly. Dark Blast exploded repeatedly, all of which were avoided while Ryuka remained protected.
“…Amazing. Why does it move like that? It’s way too cool.”
Of course it is. I put my entire sense of romance into it.
Using larger magic might destroy the training barrier of the room, so I restrained myself. Instead, I switched my staff to my right hand and took a stance.
“Ryuka, draw your sword. Attack me.”
“Eh? That’s not okay, right? Your attacks are all blocked by the barrier, but mine would get through…”
“This is to confirm whether the device interferes with your attacks. A wooden stick is fine.”
“Oh, good. I have training equipment.”
He took out a wooden sword.
“Here I go.”
He charged, channeling magic into his legs and leaping high above me. My staff intercepted his attack, and I landed while dodging his follow-up strike. I continued attacking the discs while avoiding his blows.
After about ten minutes, I stepped back.
“How was it? Was there any difficulty attacking because of the device?”
“No, it’s fine. It mostly stays out of my vision. But when I got close earlier… does the barrier disappear when I swing my sword?”
“No. It doesn’t activate when you swing—it activates only when I use dark attribute power. If your attack reaches me first and mixes light and dark, the device won’t respond.”
“I see… so that means—”
Ryuka walked toward me. Before I could react, he reached out, touched my cheek first, and closed the distance. The discs didn’t activate, and I was pulled into his arms.
“Magical tools can do so many things. Amazing.”
“That’s their charm.”
“Hehe, you look happy, Zagan. Cute.”
He kissed my cheek.
Isn’t he supposed to say “cool” instead?
Ryuka tilted his head, studying my expression.
“What’s wrong? Tell me what’s bothering you.”
“…You’re not saying I’m cool.”
It felt childish to say it, but I said it anyway. Ryuka blinked, then smiled softly.
“You’re very cool, Zagan. Thank you for making such an amazing magical tool for me.”
I felt embarrassed for making him say it, but I was still happy.
He must have sensed my mood improved, because he kissed my lips as well. I quietly accepted the kisses falling on me, but then his hands slid downward and began squeezing my butt, pressing between my cheeks.
“Ryuka, why are you touching me there?”
“Because when I’m holding someone this cute, I just end up wanting you. And I didn’t think we’d be apart for nearly two weeks. Just thinking about it makes me so lonely I feel like I’ll die.”
“…I understand.”
I knew very well that Ryuka didn’t sleep with anyone else. During dungeon runs he must have been enduring with only release. Especially this time, after five consecutive days together before the conquest, it must have been even harder.
I, however, had little sexual desire to begin with, so it wasn’t a problem… though I did occasionally think of wanting to see Ryuka.
So if he really wanted it…
“…For a short while, I can let you set up a tent.”
“Eh… really?!”
My face instantly burned. I should not have said that. This isn’t like me.
As I turned away to retract it, Ryuka cupped my cheeks and kissed me gently, then pressed his forehead against mine.
“Sorry, Zagan. I overreacted even though you tried to say it seriously. I’m really happy. Let’s rest in the tent together for a bit.”
“…Mm.”
After a long time, I accepted Ryuka’s magic inside me again, and we left the guild before evening.
On the way out, the guild staff again saw us off with strange expressions. It felt suspicious, so I asked Ryuka.
“What was that about?”
“Ah… well… when I reserved the training room, I said I wanted to be alone with my lover I hadn’t seen in a while. Normally, people would be allowed to watch training sessions. But since I’m a prince, the adventurers overheard and started making a fuss. I couldn’t let anyone see your magic, so I made a quick excuse. I also threatened a few who wouldn’t back down.”
“…I see.”
So that was the reaction.
I didn’t know what kind of threats he used, but the men looked afraid of Ryuka while also pitying me, and the women probably thought we were just two men in a relationship and watched over us warmly.
We might have been misunderstood in many ways.
And because we had actually done those things, I couldn’t help but stare into the distance.
The evening sun felt blinding.
I said a temporary farewell to Ryuka.
Then, as planned, I returned to the dungeon the next day, continued fighting and leveling up, and after September began, I headed toward the next major city.
