Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy-Eight: Motivation 2
“Master Licht, aren’t you worried about Mr. Julius?”
“Well, I do wish he’d at least said something before leaving.”
Licht shrugged his shoulders.
“I’m worried, sure, but if Julius is fighting to overcome his past, all I can do is cheer him on, right?”
“…In other words, no matter what happened in the past, an unexplored dungeon around the tenth floor isn’t actually any threat to Mr. Julius’s abilities, is it?”
“Obviously. The fact that such a question even comes to mind—are you really Julius’s lover? You really don’t know him at all.”
Karen frowned slightly at his scoff as she appraised the potion. The appraisal mirror’s result showed it was a medium healing potion. Karen opened her pouch and refilled the empty bottles with the potion as she spoke:
“I’ve made a medium healing potion. If you have empty bottles, feel free to refill them, Master Licht.”
“What’s the charge?”
“Right now, it’s no exaggeration to say we’re in a kind of emergency situation with a cooperative relationship, so there’s no charge.”
Karen said with a bright smile and looked around.
“Everyone, I’ve made a medium healing potion! Those of you with empty potion bottles, feel free to refill them! We’re comrades who’ve eaten from the same pot, so I won’t charge you!”
“Really!? Is that okay!? The potion I have is a small healing potion! Can I swap the contents for one?”
“Of course, Lady Petra. In fact, let’s swap them all out!”
At a speed that the knights and Rosine, who were hesitantly exchanging glances, couldn’t possibly match, Petra immediately came rushing over.
Defeated by the sight of Petra refilling her bottles without the slightest reservation, Rosine followed suit, and after that, the knights swarmed in.
Karen distributed potions with an amiable smile.
“Please don’t hold back. Everyone’s in a difficult situation, so let’s refill our potions while we can!”
“How generous. Should I say you’re too much of a good person?”
To Licht’s exasperated comment, Karen raised her ladle with a smile.
“How about a cup for you too, Master Licht?”
“I’ll pass. Unfortunately, I don’t have any empty bottles.”
Gottfried, who approached from behind the shrugging Licht, frowned and looked down at Karen.
“Miss Karen, you shouldn’t sell your skills so cheaply.”
“I don’t intend to sell them cheaply, Knight Captain.”
When Karen answered with a smile, the two of them looked dubious.
Once the potions had been sufficiently distributed, Karen headed toward Sepl and Urte. Taking the two of them to a place where the nobles couldn’t overhear, Karen spoke up:
“I want to go to the tenth floor of an unexplored dungeon, but could you two take on being my escorts?”
Sepl scratched his neck as he answered:
“I’m D-rank, Little Karen. In other words, I’ve never cleared the tenth floor. It’s fundamentally impossible to escort you, who can’t fight, while diving into a dungeon.”
“Well, figured as much.”
Karen looked at Urte, but Urte shrugged her shoulders.
“I’m C-rank, but it’s equally impossible for me, Karen.”
“I expected that from Uncle Sepl, but even you can’t do it, Urte?”
“Yeah.”
Urte nodded confidently.
“Diving into a dungeon while escorting someone who can’t fight is incredibly difficult. The tenth floor, especially, is out of the question. I’m not refusing because I’m a supporter. I’d refuse such a request even if I were an adventurer.”
“It’s not like I’m asking you to clear the tenth floor boss. I think we’d be following after Mr. Julius, and there probably wouldn’t be that many monsters.”
“Even so, it’s impossible, Karen. There’s no way I could do it alone, and even if Sepl and I joined forces and risked our lives, protecting you would be difficult.”
“I see.”
Karen nodded.
It was the answer she’d anticipated.
“How many adventurers with about Uncle Sepl’s level of skill would we need for you to take me down to the tenth floor of an unexplored dungeon?”
“A party of six… Ideally, I’d want about ten people. Even with that many people, I’d still decline to clear the tenth-floor boss.”
“I see.”
“Karen.”
Urte called Karen’s name in an admonishing tone.
“I can understand wanting to see your lover when you’ve just started dating. But even if you went, you’d just be in the way. That man is strong. There’s nothing at all for you to worry about.”
Urte didn’t know about Julius’s past of being left behind in that dungeon. Yet even Licht, who did know, remained relaxed, convinced Julius would be fine.
Karen probably would not be of any help.
In the first place, Julius most likely didn’t even need help.
Gottfried and Licht, who should have known the circumstances best, weren’t particularly worried or anxious.
Surely there was no meaning in Karen trying to follow Julius into the dungeon.
No matter what she did, she couldn’t make it in time anymore.
“But even now, I want to go meet him.”
The young Julius who had been left behind back then—
At Karen’s murmur, Sepl and Urte frowned.
Even without understanding the meaning of the word "meet," it seemed to have conveyed that Karen hadn’t given up on diving into the dungeon.
Whether they intended to lecture her or persuade her—
Before the two could continue, Karen abruptly turned her back on them.
When she quickly escaped to the nobles’ area, the two frowned but didn’t follow.
With light steps, Karen headed toward the gloomy shade of trees where the knights huddled together with hunched backs.
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