Misha had already slowly stood up, supporting herself with her staff, and was staring at him with a look that said, “I won't ask, but I saw everything.”
“What are you picking up over there?”
“Spoils of war.”
Lu Mao brushed the dust off his hands. “Loot from the goblins. Most of it is trash, but one or two pieces look decent. Don't you adventurers... uh, I mean, don't adventurers always do this?”
Misha gave a soft hum, pressing no further.
She had, of course, seen Lu Mao pick up that golden broken sword. When the hobgoblin had used it to hack at her Holy Light Barrier earlier, she had already noticed how extraordinary the blade was.
But the young man before her had saved their lives, so she tacitly accepted his right to distribute the spoils of this battle.
Misha turned around, leaning on her staff. Just as she was about to walk away, she suddenly looked back at Lu Mao. There was no hostility in her gaze, but it carried a hint of scrutiny.
“Where do you plan on going next?”
Lu Mao was busy scanning the area for any other usable equipment. Hearing her, he looked up. “What?”
“You showed up alone on the ninth floor, your gear is in tatters, your skills are suspicious, and you happen to carry an antidote specifically for goblin rot poison.”
Misha tapped the tip of her staff lightly against the ground, as if listing charges. “Normally, I'd probably suspect you of being a scout for some faction. But you saved us, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for now.”
“But that doesn't mean I'll naturally treat you as a teammate. Where are you heading?”
Lu Mao sheathed his dagger and thought about how to make his answer sound somewhat reasonable.
“I'm going to the tenth floor.”
He spoke without batting an eye.
Misha's brow arched slightly. “The tenth floor? Do you even know what kind of place the tenth floor is?”
“The territory of the undead, right. My boss sent me down to take care of some business.”
“Your boss?”
Misha turned the word over in her mind. Though puzzled, she could confirm one thing—this young man had someone backing him, and judging by the various wondrous gadgets he possessed, this so-called boss seemed to know the dungeon inside out.
She didn't press him on who the boss was.
She knew the rules of adventurers—don't pry into what doesn't concern you, especially when the other party had just saved your teammate.
“Then that works out perfectly.”
Misha switched her staff to her other hand, her tone gradually softening. “We're going to regroup with our captain. Our route takes us through the backup passage on the east side of the ninth floor, which should pass right along the edge of the tenth floor. Whether you go alone or with us, it's the same path.”
“At least until we reach the tenth floor, you'll have a cleric for a teammate, and I'll have a bodyguard capable of soloing a Giant Goblin. This arrangement benefits both of us.”
Lu Mao mulled it over for a couple of seconds. The reasoning felt natural enough; he wouldn't have to actively beg to join their party, and it wouldn't seem forced.
“Deal. But let me make one thing clear—my kill on that Giant Goblin just now was purely a sneak attack. In a head-on fight, I'm no match for it, so don't expect too much from me.”
Misha watched Lu Mao walk past her, the corner of her mouth curving upward once more.
This young man's words were all over the place, and he kept spouting incomprehensible slang, but she could be sure of at least one thing—he wasn't an enemy.
Misha turned around, leaning on her staff. She had barely taken a step before she froze. She looked down at her still-trembling legs, then at the unconscious beastkin thief slumped beside the stone altar, falling silent for a moment.
Then, she slowly turned her head and looked at Lu Mao with an incredibly sincere, innocent expression.
“You look like you still have plenty of energy?”
“...Don't even think about it.”
“My magicules are completely drained.”
“My right hand is still shaking.”
“He saved our lives.”
“Who saved whom? Let's get our facts straight here.”
Misha didn't say another word, simply continuing to stare at him with pleading eyes.
Three minutes later, Lu Mao was walking down the passage with the beastkin Gerak slung over his shoulder. He felt like his mind must have been influenced by a succubus—perhaps this girl in front of him was actually a succubus disguised as a cleric.
Misha led the way, leaning on her staff. Her steps were significantly lighter now that she only had to walk and didn't have to carry anyone.
“Thank you...”
she said without turning back, her tone carrying a hint of amusement she could no longer hide. “You really are a good person.”
“Please don't. Back where I'm from, saying that is basically a rejection.”
Leaning on her staff, she turned around, walked two steps, and stopped again, tilting her head to glance at Lu Mao. “Are you very familiar with the layout of the ninth floor?”
“First time here.”
“Your first time here, and you managed to make it all the way to the ninth floor alone? It seems you're quite capable!”
“Then you've guessed completely wrong. The only reason I made it to the ninth floor is thanks to the blessings of the Great Slime God... uh, I mean, my boss—my employer's help.”
Misha fell silent for two seconds, the faint curve at the corner of her lips appearing once more.
She didn't ask anything else. Leaning on her staff, she headed toward the exit of the passage. Though her steps were unsteady, her direction was resolute.
Lu Mao followed close behind. The two of them entered the dark passage, one after the other.
Behind them, through the cracks in the altar's domed ceiling, the dark purple light of the magicules fell silently across the Giant Goblin's corpse, stretching its shadow long and distorted.
Faint, shrill shrieks of fleeing goblins echoed from the depths of the distant tunnels. Even further away, something far more massive was slowly waking, letting out a low breath that vibrated through the ground.
The two of them quickened their pace in unison.
After walking continuously for about half an hour, Lu Mao's group navigated along the edge and reached the easternmost point of the ninth floor, which was also the entrance to the tenth floor.
After a brief discussion, they both agreed they needed to rest and recuperate for a bit to preserve their stamina against any potential hidden dangers.
Gently setting the still-unconscious Gerak down against a large boulder, Lu Mao grabbed the hem of his shirt and shook it back and forth rapidly, letting out the heat that had accumulated inside.
Misha sat down across from Lu Mao. With a wave of her staff, a glowing sphere of light emerged from its tip and floated upward, stopping perfectly in midair about ten feet up.
Seeing Lu Mao's face flushed from the heat, Misha smiled softly and extended her hand to him.
“Hello. Let's introduce ourselves formally now. I'm Misha, a cleric.”
Rate on N.U.
