The Hero’s Party Members Treat Me Well for Some Reason - Chapter 87



The Exile of ???

As we split up to investigate, I thought everyone would agree and go their separate ways.

“Wait, why are you deciding that on your own?”

But it seems that was just my misunderstanding.

It’s a characteristic of our hero party. Conflicts arise even over trivial opinions when it’s not battle time.

“Even though we caught that puppet, there might still be other dangers, don’t you think?”

This time, the dissenting opinion came from Adele.

Usually, it was Camilla who would step up and pick on me, so this was quite unfamiliar. Typically, Adele would just stand behind the party members, looking at me with a mix of disdain.

It was somewhat intriguing, but that didn’t give me a reason to bend my opinion.

“Don’t worry. There shouldn’t be any significant traps inside the mansion anyway. There won’t be any monsters.”

It’s different from the Temple of Convocation. Unlike the Temple, which served as a fortress, this place was literally a mansion.

Surely, no one would want to set traps in their own home.

Of course, just because I explained it didn’t mean that everything would be conveyed.

“How can you make such a hasty judgment?”

Adele looked at me with sharp eyes. Despite her dark skin, her pupils shone fiercely.

I answered inwardly.

‘Well, I saw it in the game…’

But I couldn’t say that outright. Thus, I found myself in a bit of a predicament.

‘What should I do…’

There was also a reason to act alone. After all, being the boss room, there would be ‘that’ inside the mansion as well.

That inexplicably blue stone whose purpose I couldn’t fathom. I had to act alone just to obtain it.

Just as I was anxiously wondering how to explain it alone,

“Then let’s decide by majority vote.”

Lily stepped in. Majority rule, even in a world without democracy, the principle of majority exists.

“I also happened to have a place I wanted to investigate. It seems like it will take a while, and I’d feel bad making you wait.”

It was a reasonable plan.

With Lily stepping up, Adele couldn’t easily oppose it.

The result was 3 in favor and 2 against. The opposition came from Camilla and Adele. In favor were me, Lily, and Yulis.

When Lily glanced lightly at Yulis, he sighed and had no choice but to raise his hand. It’s nice to share secrets like this.

At that moment, I couldn’t help but feel moved.

‘Guh…’

This is what it means to have companions. Ah, what a warm resonance…

Now I finally have someone on my side!

Anyway, the opposing faction had no choice but to retreat. Thus, I was able to distance myself from my companions.

I didn’t forget to keep the variable attached to my body.

“This is quite convenient.”

Perhaps because it could change its form at will, it was really easy to travel with it.

Right now, it had transformed into a brace and was snugly attached to my arm. At this point, it could be considered more of equipment than a pet.

Maybe it was due to the bond of our souls, but I felt a sense of connection with it. I couldn’t have a conversation, but at least I could sense its emotions.

Currently, it seemed… rather hungry.

Well, it had just awakened from a long slumber and used its power, so it was only natural to be hungry. Unfortunately, its staple food was mana. And I was currently out of mana.

“I’m sorry, I’ll feed you later…”

I said that as I walked through the mansion.

I had called it an exciting farming time, but in reality, what I could obtain from that creature’s home wasn’t very valuable.

After all, it was a creature that moved its dwelling around. How much could I possibly find in the home of such a being?

Still, there was one fortunate thing: it loved luxury, so there were plenty of money-making luxury items, and being a grand sorcerer, it had many thunder (雷) attribute spellbooks. Lily would probably be thrilled and headed to its study.

I wanted to learn a few as well, but unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.

“I wish the grades were a bit lower.”

Most of the books dealt primarily with high-level magic. Not only would it take too long to learn, but I was originally specialized in dark magic.

And right now, it was more urgent to check on other things.

After wandering aimlessly for a few minutes, I finally reached the innermost part of the mansion.

It seemed to have been used as a storage room, overflowing with various odds and ends. As I looked around a bit more, I spotted the deep, dark hole I had been seeking.

[Forget#!^$◇ ◆ ◈Moon’s B?g?g?g?]

I had seen it so many times that it felt almost endearing now. This was the third time I had come across this hole.

There was no reason to hesitate. Without delay, I stepped into the hole.

[WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!······]

I lightly ignored the useless threat sounds that always echoed.

*

······A few minutes later.

“Just as I thought…”

Yulis, who had secretly followed the hero, also discovered the black hole.

She knew that following someone was a bad thing, but her anxiety compelled her to follow.

“They went in again.”

—

I hope this captures the essence and atmosphere of the original text!

What could possibly be there that makes her go in every time she sees it?

To her, it only felt like an ominous presence.

Just approaching it triggered alarm bells in her head. Just looking at it filled her with fear.

So much so that she wondered if it was a passage connected to the Demon King. Yet, the hero entered without a care, sparking her curiosity.

And perhaps… it might be a place she knows too.

For the time being, seeing that the hero came out safely each time, it didn’t seem like such a dangerous place. Or maybe it was a risk they were willing to take.

Whatever it was, she couldn’t just watch it like that.

‘I need to know what it is…’

She wanted to keep the hero’s secrets as much as possible, but she couldn’t just ignore a place that looked dangerous.

With each step she took closer, an inexplicable sense of dread washed over her. Still, Yulris overcame her fear and stepped into the pit.

And then…

“Ahhh!”

She shut her eyes tight and rolled down.

The pit had a steeper slope than she had expected…

*

[Power! U?# ¶띿불궸⁋랣뮒···]

[That!$⧓∏∐가 해□■▣※▣···]

There was really nothing to see. It was already the third time. All three were in different locations, but at least their appearances were similar.

Quickly dismissing the broken status window that appeared before her, she descended further down.

It didn’t take long for a strangely blue-lit cavity to emerge. I immediately picked up the blue stone in the center.

[달▣△뭻▲파편%₩]

This made three.

Even though I had gathered three, not much changed.

No, it seemed like the system window had been fixed in a strange way… but I wasn’t sure.

In any case, having obtained the stone, I intended to leave right away.

After all, without this stone, there was nothing in the space. It didn’t seem like anything would come up from investigating, so it was better to leave quickly before the party members noticed.

To be honest, it wasn’t exactly a respectable space.

Just then, as I placed my foot back on the hole.

Ahhh…

“Huh?”

A scream echoed from the hole above. A high soprano voice, unmistakably feminine.

The strange thing was that the scream was getting closer.

There was no time to wonder what was happening up there. I was the one who would be crushed first.

“Ugh?”

Thud!

An overwhelming mass crashed down on me.

Yet, it didn’t hurt as much as I expected. Not because I had a high pain tolerance, but because the object that collided with me was soft and quite plush rather than hard.

I looked up in confusion. It seemed the saintess’s backside was pinning me down.

“Ow, ow, ow…”

She was rubbing her rear, clearly feeling the sting from our collision. After a moment, perhaps regaining her composure, she hurriedly got up and apologized.

“Ah! Hero, are you okay?!”

“Ah, yes. I’m fine… I mean, I am fine, but, um… yeah.”

I couldn’t continue speaking. She seemed embarrassed too, her face turning red.

I decided not to bring it up any further. It would only make us both uncomfortable.

More importantly, it was time to ask why the saintess was here. Yes, the saintess…

‘Huh?’

Damn, why is the saintess here??

I had been so flustered by the situation that I had completely forgotten the bigger issue. The very fact that the saintess had come down here was the problem!

This place was one where, if discovered by Enen, it wouldn’t be surprising if it were deleted immediately.

“By the way, where exactly is this…?”

I had been caught in such a place by the saintess, Enen’s closest servant.

As a result, my mind was filled with confusion.

We had clearly agreed to act separately, so how did this happen? Now that I think about it, I had run into the saintess last time too.

Damn, if I had known this would happen, I should have been more careful.

Last time, I had at least been able to mumble something after coming out of the hole, but this time, that wouldn’t be possible.

Fortunately, my mind was fervently working even in this situation, suggesting a way out.

‘Let’s keep quiet.’

After all, we had been through a lot together; she might let it slide just this once. I would plead with her not to tell Enen.

“…Ah? Wait a moment. This is strange; the energy shouldn’t be this faint. That person’s energy is… hmm?”

But before I could even open my mouth, she reacted quickly.

“Ugh.”

Suddenly, she grabbed my cheeks and began to pinch them.

“Saintess, what are you doing all of a sudden—”

“…Just a moment. I’m serious right now.”

I wanted to say something about her sudden action, but the words got stuck in my throat. She was being too earnest as she pinched my cheeks.

Her hands, which had been touching my face, moved down to lightly tap my shoulders and back. Is this what s*xual harassment feels like?

After a brief moment of checking something, the saintess spoke with a look of surprise.

“I can’t feel it…”

“What can’t you feel? The desire?”

“No, that’s not it! I can’t feel the curse!”

“…Huh?”

At her words, I couldn’t help but be surprised this time.