Chapter 17 - Diopina's Dungeon (3)
It is a joyous thing to be trusted by someone.
‘For my heart to pound at this age. How ridiculous.’
Kevin thought as he slammed his giant square shield into the ground and looked at the giant Chimera beyond it.
How senile of him, at his age.
When he thought about it, being expected of by someone was a very new sensation.
In his youth, Kevin too had a dream.
He wanted to become a hero who commanded the world.
A dream of obtaining enough wealth to enjoy riches and honor.
The desire that any young man living in this era would have harbored in his heart at least once.
However, the years made that young man, who was full of dreams, grow old, and he eventually reached an age where he was looking at retirement.
Passing through that countless amount of time, the young man chose love over dreams, and protecting his family over wealth.
There was only one thing the gruff man could do for his family.
Protecting them from the storms of the world.
Silently and steadfastly.
That was everything to this man.
‘I didn't know I would get this excited at this point.’
But a single word from a young man of only nineteen made his calm heart beat again.
The young man, Savior, did not ask if he could do it.
He made a plan under the premise that Kevin, who was merely an E-rank, could block that giant Chimera.
Even when the magician said it seemed impossible, he simply showed unwavering faith.
‘Top-tier among E-ranks.’
That was probably the only title Kevin had that was worth boasting about.
Kevin had strived his whole life, but separate from that, he never looked beyond it.
The reason he held a shield was to protect his family.
He gave up on his dream and accepted reality.
He only accepted safe requests.
There was a time when he had held a greatsword, but for the aforementioned reason, he began to hold a shield.
Because his death was the same as his family's death.
What the gods had given Kevin was a giant, steel-like body.
That body allowed him to hold a bigger and heavier shield.
It allowed him to stand firm with his thick neck, waist, arms, and legs planted on the ground and block anything.
So Kevin thought.
I was born to protect something.
Kevin was remembered by the people of the world as a skilled E-rank mercenary for the defensive skills he had honed his entire life, but that was all.
There was no being praised as a hero like in his childhood dream.
Kevin liked that too.
If his skills improved unnecessarily and he was drafted for a dangerous request or exploration, and he lost his life as a result, who would protect his family?
Protecting something was like that.
Not overdoing it.
Blocking only what can be blocked.
‘But this young man is making me overdo it.’
Thwack.
The Chimera, like an angry bull, charged with its giant body and rammed straight into Kevin.
“Uwaaaaaaaah!”
A scream escaped Kevin's mouth on its own.
He gripped the handle of the square shield in his hand so hard it felt like it would shatter.
It felt like his body would be pushed back.
Clank.
Kevin firmly dug the spikes attached to his plate boots into the ground.
They were special boots that Kevin had designed himself to maximize friction and avoid being pushed back by an attack.
He wanted to answer the young man's trust.
He wanted to show him, the one who recognized him and believed in him.
Because he was thankful.
So very thankful that he was able to recall, even for a moment, the dream he had buried for a long time.
Recalling the young man's gaze that he had met for a moment, he pushed the shield forward.
“Uwaaaaaaa.”
Frankly, it was a struggle.
No matter how much of a giant Kevin was, nearing 2 meters, the Chimera before him was twice his size.
It felt like in a moment of carelessness, he would be pushed back and sent flying.
“I won't let you pass. You disgusting creature.”
Kevin spat out rough words, unlike himself.
Clank.
He took a step forward, pouring that will into it.
His Mana Heart supplied mana throughout his entire body.
A faint blue light shimmered all over his body like a haze.
‘He'll be here soon.’
Savior will be here soon.
It's just for a moment.
Until then, I will block.
He pushed back the monster before him, screaming his lungs out.
“I will not retreat a single step.”
He shouted as if hypnotizing himself.
Block.
He stood his ground as if that was the sole reason for Kevin's existence.
Savior's trust, the life he had lived, none of it mattered in the end.
Right now, only one thing is important.
“Block!”
That word burst out like a scream as his posture momentarily broke.
But contrary to his words, his body flew through the air from the impact of colliding with the Chimera and fell to the ground.
Pii—.
A deep ringing sound echoed loudly in his ears.
Kevin realized.
Ah…….
I still want to do more.
That I decided to retire because I'm old and weak.
That I asked him to take care of my son, Bob.
What nonsense.
I was still a child.
I was still dreaming.
I still…….
Krrrrng.
His vision returned.
Among the Chimera's many heads, a wolf's head stretched its neck out and flew towards Kevin's throat.
‘Am I going to die?’
It was a shame.
I've only just now found the dream I'd forgotten my whole life.
I've come to want to do more.
Both my arms and legs are busy just pushing back the Chimera in front of me.
I lack the means and the strength to strike away that incoming wolf's head.
‘Ah…… Ah…….’
His throat was hoarse from shouting, and he could only let out a breath filled with regret.
It was then.
“You've worked hard.”
From outside his field of vision, Savior appeared.
He approached so fast that Kevin's motion perception couldn't follow and cleanly sliced off the wolf's head with his shortsword in a single stroke.
Because of his black hair, he looked just like a black ray of light.
Then he briefly looked at Kevin.
Their eyes met.
“Rest for a moment.”
With those words as his last, Savior showed his back.
And he performed the basic sword form of the sword and shield technique he had once shown him.
A linked swordsmanship that moved the upper body greatly from side to side.
A sword strike that seemed like it would continue forever, blocking and striking, striking and blocking, while swaying the body from side to side like an infinite loop.
A chain of sword strikes that received the opponent's strength and contained it in his own sword.
A cycle of sword strikes that repeated without rest.
Kevin saw Savior's face, who had boasted of repeating it ten thousand times in a month, overlap with his back.
It was truly a flawless sword and shield technique.
Truly, a broad back.
Kevin suddenly wanted to stand in front of Savior.
He wanted to stand before him and block all attacks coming his way with his giant square shield.
And he wanted to be acknowledged again.
That he was excellent.
That he was amazing.
That he was cool.
It was a childish and immature desire, and it was so absurd that a hollow laugh escaped him, but that was his honest feeling.
He wanted to be his comrade.
He wanted to go with him.
Kevin forced his exhausted body to get up.
And he reached out his hand toward Savior's broad back.
“Together…….”
But Savior didn't hear.
Right now, he was in a state of self-annihilation.
He cut and struck down the giant Chimera's arms and legs as if he were a blender.
The Chimera's attacks were also fierce, but the young man cut down the Chimera, drawing an infinite, death-calling orbit.
And finally.
Kieeeeeeeek.
With a shriek that felt like it would tear his ears off as its last, the Chimera stopped moving.
Haah, haah.
Only Savior's rough breaths echoed in the huge cavern.
Kevin quietly stared at Savior's back, which was moving up and down violently.
***
“Looks like you managed somehow.”
Seeing Kevin and me return after the battle, Etiang spoke like a coy girl.
Hmph.
To think I worried for nothing.
Was it my imagination that I faintly heard those words trail off?
Leaving the dishonest red-haired lady behind, I talked about our future plans.
“From now on, we will move in three self-organized teams. From now on, I will take the lead.”
“Dad's here, so why are you taking the lead? No matter how much you're leading the exploration team, it's only natural for Dad to be at the front in terms of experience and ability.”
“Bob, Savior is a better fit for the front than I am.”
Bob interrupted me, and Kevin chided him.
“In this battle, all I could do was buy time. Even then, I was almost seriously injured at the last moment. If I had been unlucky, I would have died. It was Mr. Savior who saved me. He has more than enough qualifications and ability to stand at the front.”
At Kevin's words, Bob looked at me with surprised eyes.
To that Bob, Kevin spoke again as if driving a nail in.
“I was nothing more and nothing less than a time-waster in this battle. Honestly, there was nothing I could do. Mr. Savior did everything by himself.”
“That's not true, Mr. Kevin. If you hadn't taken on one of them, the battle itself wouldn't have been possible.”
Kevin was singing my praises.
Bob's mouth gaped as if he couldn't believe it, but he didn't utter a word.
It was probably hard to believe.
Although I had obtained a D-rank mercenary badge, he hadn't seen my combat skills directly.
Moreover, his faith in his father was special, so I could understand his disbelief.
“Behind me, Mr. Kevin will stand at a distance and protect the rear. Ms. Etiang will stick right behind him and wipe out the enemy with powerful firepower.”
“What about the search magic?”
At my instructions, Etiang asked about the details like a seasoned explorer.
“I will also serve as the scouting team at the front. Please conserve as much mana as possible in preparation for combat.”
“Yes. Understood.”
I nodded at Etiang's reply and looked at Dorn and Bob.
Dorn was blinking his large eyes and clenching his fists, while Bob was scowling as if something was displeasing him.
“Mr. Dorn, please create a map and gather information to help us clear the dungeon. And Brother-Bob, you protect Mr. Dorn from the very rear.”
“……Sure.”
Given the dungeon's structure, the probability of a monster appearing from behind was slim.
In effect, he was being treated the same as Dorn, a non-combatant.
Thanks to that, Bob's face was colored with shame.
Bob was not a bad person.
He must have been well aware of his own lack of skill.
He must also have been aware that he would never have been able to join a proper exploration team like this if it weren't for Kevin.
That's why Bob accepted his role, even while feeling resentful.
“We will camp here for the night.
Ms. Etiang, please focus on recovering your mana.
From now on, we will not move if Ms. Etiang's mana is depleted.
We won't be able to fight every battle in perfect condition, but I ask everyone to prepare themselves to face the enemy in a state as close to perfect as possible.”
Afterward, we had dinner, decided on the night watch, and immediately went to sleep to recover our tired bodies.
And the next day.
When we moved to the cavern where the battle had taken place yesterday, we were met with an unexpected sight.
“What? Why is there nothing here?”
Bob was right.
There should have been the corpse of the giant Chimera we hunted yesterday and traces of the battle, but there was nothing.
What in the world happened?
It was a baffling mystery.
“I couldn't find anything.”
Etiang said, sounding displeased.
With an unsettling feeling, we searched the wide cavern thoroughly, but nothing came up.
“Since it's come to this, it can't be helped. We can't stay here forever, so we will continue the exploration.”
We continued our exploration.
After that, we encountered a total of four forks in the road.
All the forks were split into three paths, with two paths having magic traps and the remaining one having a mechanical trap.
Since the magic traps were not at a level Etiang could disarm, we continued to advance only on the path with the mechanical trap that I could disarm.
As we advanced, we hunted over thirty medium-sized Chimeras and eight large Chimeras in a total of six caverns.
Fortunately, the battles went smoothly.
And finally, we arrived at a dead-end cavern where no further paths could be seen.
There, there was a giant block of ice that we hadn't seen in the caverns we had passed through before.
It was so large that it took up half the cavern, but there was something inside the transparent ice.
A man, standing still with his eyes closed as if he were preserved inside the ice.
[My love Atram. Rest here for a while until I find your cure. From your love, Diopina.]
And in front of the ice, there was a short phrase, likely carved by Diopina.
There was nothing like this in Diopina's Dungeon in my past life; it was a strange thing.
Atram was surely Diopina's lover.
The male protagonist of the story that Dorn from my past life had excitedly called a beautiful story.
Diopina was said to have created the Heart of Eden to save this man.
“Wow, he's ridiculously handsome.”
Bob exclaimed in admiration.
I didn't know about anything else, but one thing was certain.
It seemed Diopina was the type to care a lot about looks.