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Chapter 22 Part 2

「Of course.」

 

To be honest, if you ask me if I have a grudge against Emmy, then well… I can’t say that I’m not a little discouraged when a bright girl like her knocked me out.

No, actually I was quite discouraged about it, to be honest. I mean, she was able to knock me out in one hit just by putting up her shield.

 

But I’ve known Emmy for a long time, so it can be said that our relationship isn’t a short one. My heart was closed at that time because I was so consumed with hatred, and I ended up misunderstanding her, but the truth was she cared about me, right up to the very end.

And then… there’s what that man from the village told me yesterday.

The fact that Emmy has been watching me all this time.

I don’t want to sound conceited or anything like that, but… I’m also not so cold-hearted as to just dismiss her feelings as if I had no interest at all.

 

Since that’s the case…

Then I wonder what Emmy herself, who knocked me out that day, was feeling when she knocked me out that day.

 

Yesterday was the day I decided to start a new beginning.

Because I didn’t have a leeway in my heart to think about someone else’s feelings after what happened, I always thought that I was the only one who was hurt.

I was only thinking about myself. But now, after my heart is finally free from all the bad feelings, I can finally have the leeway to think about the feelings of the people around me.

 

That’s why I can understand.

 

Emmy must have already been considerably mentally weakened from regret at this point.

And what if the orphanage was to be destroyed on top of all that?

If I just stood there watching, not doing anything while it happened——

 

——Do I even qualify to stand next to this amazing Goddess?

 

「Russell… you are really… a 【Saint】 at heart, aren’t you?」

 

「Huh? What are you saying all of a sudden?」

 

「You don’t have to say anything, I can already tell. It’s… all in your eyes, you know. It’s as if the light in it has become stronger now. While you’ve been thinking about it in silence, a strong resolve to help Emmy must have emerged within you, right?」

 

「……You can even tell that much?」

 

「You bet I can. How, you ask? It’s because they’re the kind of eyes I’ve never seen before.」

 

Saying that she can understand because it’s something she has never seen before… isn’t that a bit absurd?

Just what does she mean by that?

 

As if to answer the question in my mind, Sybilla stepped back, put her hands on her hips, and laughed in exasperation.

 

「Those are the eyes of someone who’s looking forward. The eyes of someone who would do the right thing for what they believe to be just, the eyes of justice. The eyes of someone who obtained the Dark Attribute normally wouldn’t have. The eyes of someone who sacrificed all of the power they had as a 【Priest】 wouldn’t be able to make. Really, you’re just too nice of a person that it’s dumbfounding, you know that?」

 

「Eyes of justice, you say… I don’t know, somehow, it just doesn’t feel like that.」

 

「Well, it’s just so like you to be so dense about yourself. This party is definitely going to be the freshest and most exciting ever!」

 

After saying that, Sybilla smiled brightly as she patted my shoulders. Looks like she’s done with her questions.

She probably wanted to remind me that what I’m doing right now is the same as helping the people I was seeking revenge against and confirm my resolve after knowing that. I’m sure Sybilla was implying that I don’t have to pull through with it if I don’t want to.

 

…Then a sudden thought came to my mind.

 

It would be great if my eyes of justice, as she called it… were the same as the eyes she made when she said 『I don’t regret what I’ve done』.

 

We then continued to explore the dungeon as cautiously as when we were exploring the first floor.

No matter how high our level has become, the monsters in the lower layer would still be a lot harder to deal with than the first floor.

 

「I sensed a monster nearby…! It’s right ahead.」

 

「……Where?」

 

「Okay, it’s an undead armor. We can do this.」

 

When I look at where Sybilla’s gaze was looking, I can see a dim red light.

This guy… it’s wearing black armor all over his body. Although the armor is tattered, it still has a somewhat luxurious feel to it. It was probably the armor of an amazing knight originally.

 

「Shoot it.」

 

「Got it. 《Dark Javelin》」

 

First, I sent a Dark Javelin to test it out. It was an attack that managed to deal damage to the Fire Dragon, so there’s no way it won’t work on it.

The armor staggered for a moment, then it looked at us and began to quickly head toward us.

 

「Is it really working!?」

 

「It definitely is! Just keep shooting at it!」

 

「Damn it! I’m going to believe you for this one, alright!? 《Dark Javelin》!」

(《Dark Javelin》!)

 

I cast the same magic with double casting. Then the high-level magic which was significantly larger than the previous one, flew to the front.

When it receives a direct hit from that magic, the armor convulses and one of its hands falls off.

Did that defeat it……?

 

「《Fire Javelin》!」

 

Just as I thought that, Sybilla who’s next to me shot another magic. When her magic hit it, the armor crumbled apart from the torso and finally stopped moving.

 

「Never let your guard down, okay?」

 

「Yeah, thanks. By the way…」

 

「Hm?」

 

「You sure land that final blow cleanly, huh? So, how are you feeling now, O Mage-sama who’s supported by a lowly Healer?」

 

「Ah…. Aahahah…. I’m sorry. I’m really really sorry! …I completely forgot about it. I can get real depressed at my own ineptitude when you put it that way alright? …Am I perhaps not that competent of a Goddess? The so-called useless Goddess*?」

[*TL Note: A wordplay. You have 駄目 (だめ/Useless) and 女神 (めがみ/Goddess), when combined you get 駄女神 (だめがみ/Useless Goddess).]

 

「….Y-you… Do you seriously only realize that now?」

 

Sybilla’s expression turned aghast then slapped me on the back with quite the force after I said that. As I was having such a leisurely exchange with Sybilla, I finally began to feel that I was capable of defeating the monsters of the lower layer.

 

「Looks like we can handle the lower layer just fine.」

 

「You’re right, even I’m a little surprised too. We can do it, the lower layer.」

 

I don’t know if I can defeat Adria’s Dungeon Maker.

But the option to turn back here definitely doesn’t exist in my mind.

 

Me and Sybilla nodded at each other, and then we proceeded to explore the lower layer of the dungeon.