When I calmly reflect, I was weak.
My level and stats were at the bottom.
I was nothing more than a rookie adventurer with no experience in quests.
Even in my own opinion, I was the worst possible companion.
But Erina suggested becoming her comrade.
There was no way she didn’t know that I was lacking.
I couldn’t imagine facing the Demon King’s army when it took me ages to kill a group of goblins.
“I like you.”
Erina confessed again while looking at me, not letting go of my hand.
But it wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear.
Even if she loved me, being companions was a completely different matter.
“I can’t help you.”
“Then just stay by my side.”
It was an unreasonable request.
Why stay with a companion who provides no help?
But Erina was giving a sincere response.
She truly said that she didn’t mind as long as I stayed by her side.
“I won’t let you down. I’ll protect you.”
“I…”
“It’s okay not to become stronger. There’s no need to push yourself.”
But I didn’t want that situation.
I wanted to become as strong as Erina.
Right now, I’m still in the early stages of the game.
When the game started, it seemed peaceful.
But when the Demon King’s army began its invasion, the situation changed rapidly.
In the worst case, it could lead to the capital’s destruction.
Even in such a situation, would Erina be able to protect me, who has no power?
Negative expectations followed.
At least, I couldn’t be a burden even if I didn’t become as strong as her.
The doubt still lingered.
But Erina just smiled and looked at me.
Instinctively, I could tell she was hiding something.
“I understand. I’ll be your companion.”
In the end, I accepted Erina’s proposal.
No matter how I thought about it, being with Erina was the only way to survive.
But she quietly lowered her head.
“That’s not enough.”
Erina didn’t seem to be convinced by my answer.
Repeatedly, the questions were asked.
“Can you really trust me?”
“Yes.”
“Can you stay by my side no matter what happens?”
“Yes, I’ll be by your side.”
“Please be on my side in any situation. I beg you.”
Erina demanded answers from me to the point where I thought it was excessive.
Without hesitation, I answered her questions, and relief appeared on her face.
‘She’s a liar…!’
Suddenly, the warning from the goddess echoed in my mind.
The sight of her pleading in the temple while bound was still vivid.
If what the goddess said was true, Erina was lying.
If she says she likes me, it’s all a lie.
‘No way…’
I found myself gasping.
Thinking that her blushing face and smiling expression were all an act sent shivers down my spine.
Still, even though I was suspicious now, I had no choice but to be deceived.
“I believe you. I’ll continue to be by your side.”
“Thank you. Really, thank you…”
Erina stared at me with a joyful gaze, oblivious to my complex emotions.
***
Perhaps I underestimated Erina’s promise.
“Alright. It’s over now.”
A gruesome scene unfolded before my eyes.
The corpses of dozens of goblins, slimes, and orcs scattered around.
The ground stained red with the blood of monsters.
Erina, without even catching her breath, pointed her sword.
There was only one orc left.
Unlike other orcs, this one was unusually skinny and unarmed.
Collapsed on the ground, trembling in fear, the orc looked up at Erina with a despairing expression.
It seemed to have lost all will, shaking in fear.
At this point, the monsters seem pitiful to the point that it’s almost heartbreaking.
“Erina, even if it’s like this…”
Before I could finish my sentence, Erina immediately thrust her longsword into the orc.
Unable to even scream, the orc met its demise.
“Now you understand, right? You don’t have to force yourself to get stronger.”
“Even if it’s like this, there’s no need to do this…”
Last night, she seemed to take my words more seriously than I expected.
As soon as the quest began, Erina drew her sword and swiftly dealt with all surrounding creatures.
“You said you trust me, right?”
Erina smiled broadly, effortlessly wielding her sword to clean off the blood on the blade.
It was an elegant movement, but it gave me goosebumps for an instant.
Her light sword strikes were filled with fierce energy.
What would happen if the longsword was pointed towards me?
I might have fallen just like the monsters around us.
“I wanted to assure you too.”
After goblins, orcs, slimes, and harpies, Erina effortlessly handled groups of monsters.
Before I could even draw my sword, Erina had already wiped them out.
As if she was trying to stop me, she went out and killed her monsters at random.
‘It really doesn’t make sense.’
The forest, once filled with monsters, fell silent.
The sound of rustling wind passed through the trees.
The scene of broken bones and bleeding corpses created an eerie atmosphere.
In contrast, Erina looked at me with a satisfied expression.
“This should be enough. There are no more monsters nearby.”
“Erina.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t you think you’re being too overprotective?”
Upon hearing my words, she immediately turned her head and bit her lips.
“Not at all. I’ve been holding back a lot for your sake.”
Her voice was louder than before, with an attitude that clearly indicated she wouldn’t back down this time.
“If I don’t do this, you’ll be in danger. We don’t know where monsters might pop up.”
If everything was for my sake, I couldn’t bring myself to stop her.
But I couldn’t just stand still.
I had to get used to not only leveling up but also wielding a sword and killing monsters.
“Can’t I face it alone?”
“No. It’s still too much for you. Intermediate quests are not to be taken lightly.”
Unlike last time, there were monsters stronger than goblins, but they weren’t beyond my capability.
But this time, she didn’t back down.
She forced me to stay still.
“I can’t just stay still. I have to get stronger.”
“No.”
Erina shook her head with a stern expression on her face.
“You don’t need to get stronger.”
“What…?”
“You just need to stay still.”
Erina’s words made me feel sad without realizing it.
Didn’t she ask me to be her companion?
But her words were clearly contradictory.
Why was she preventing me from taking action?
Was there a reason for me not to get stronger?
Erina turned her head, dismissing my suggestion.
“Let’s move then. The cave should be somewhere nearby.”
We left the massacre site and headed west.
Perhaps due to Erina’s obliteration, no monsters appeared no matter how far we walked.
In the silent forest, we continued walking without saying a word.
My mind was complicated, and Erina seemed on edge.
I couldn’t understand, no matter how much I thought about it.
Whenever I tried to take the lead, she acted as if it would be a disaster.
If she was so concerned, there was no reason for me to be her comrade.
What exactly did she expect from my actions?
I couldn’t comprehend her intentions.
I even considered forcibly taking the lead, but that wasn’t easy either.
Before I could detect the monsters, Erina had already unsheathed her sword.
She swiftly eliminated all the monsters in the bushes before they even came into view.
‘This is troublesome.’
Thanks to her, my level hadn’t increased at all.
For someone like me, who needed to get stronger somehow, this was the worst situation.
Even though I didn’t like it, I decided to keep an eye on Erina for now.
I couldn’t argue with her in a place where monsters gathered.
“We’re here. That’s the cave.”
Erina pointed to a large cave entrance.
I had expected it to take at least a day to reach the cave, but we managed to arrive in just half a day.
Thanks to the prolonged massacre, we quickly reached the location of the quest.
“Let’s finish this quickly. I don’t want to camp.”
Erina quickened her steps.
It was so fast that it was difficult to keep up.
Just before entering the cave, her steps halted.
With a perplexed expression, she began to survey the surroundings.
“Why the sudden change?”
“Something feels off.”
At her words, I also looked around, continuing to stay vigilant.
The surroundings remained silent. There was no sign of approaching monsters.
The sun hung high in the sky, casting a bright light through the forest.
Erina moved forward cautiously, her face filled with caution.
“… Let’s move forward. Follow me.”
She moved forward, keeping a vigilant eye ahead.
I adjusted my stance as well.
Although I couldn’t sense anything, I couldn’t ignore Erina’s intuition.
Until now, I had relied solely on Erina’s help, but there might come a time when I had to take the lead.
I firmly gripped my shield and sword.
Unlike the iron club carried by goblins, it was a properly purchased weapon from a shop.
Thinking that this was finally my chance to use my new weapon, I adjusted my grip to my sword.
“Please never step in front of me.”
With Erina’s warning, we slowly entered the cave.
As we went deeper, sunlight faded, and darkness took over.
Erina took out a torch from her pocket and quietly chanted a spell.
In an instant, the surroundings were illuminated as the fire spread.
“While I lead, watch our backs. We don’t know where monsters might come from.”
“Got it.”
In reality, there were many instances in the game where players were ambushed.
Monsters could emerge from the most unexpected places, so caution was required everywhere.
After walking cautiously for several minutes, I noticed something strange.
“What’s this?”
“They’re already dead.”
The area around the cave was filled with the corpses of monsters.
Every one of them lay dead on the ground.
“It’s strange. Looks like someone got here before us.”
“Indeed.”
“Let’s keep moving inside. Be careful.”
We slowly walked into the cave.
Although no monsters jumped out, the number of corpses increased as we approached the depths.
While heading towards the heart of the cave, there were no surviving monsters.
I had never encountered such a situation even when playing the game.
Could this be an event I was unaware of?
Or perhaps it was a change in the second playthrough that the game developers mentioned.
Erina must have sensed something strange as well, as she put her hand on her scabbard so that she could swing her longsword at any time.
It didn’t take long for us to reach the final section of the cave.
“As expected, my guess was correct.”
What we faced was the enormous corpse of an Arachne.
And there was someone lying on the ground, drenched in the Arachne’s blood.
Initially, I thought it was an ordinary adventurer who had won against the Arachne.
However, Erina immediately drew her sword.
“…!”
As the sword slash cut through the air, someone jumped out of the darkness with a short scream.
Accompanied by labored breathing, there was a mix of pain and groaning.
When the figure turned to face us, I was taken aback.
“Uh…?”
As I confirmed the face of the opponent, my heart sank.
An unexpected character had appeared.
‘An unnamed dragon?!’
A subordinate of the Four Heavenly Kings, under Alfred.
In fact, she, who was no different from the Four Heavenly Kings, was here.
The moment our eyes met, an event window appeared before me.
‘Skill activated.’
[Special Connection! (0 uses)]
