R4STWH - Chapter 85
Chapter 85
I hadn't understood why he was like that before, but now I had a better idea.
‘It’s not simple jealousy.’
Elias couldn't shake off his anxiety, even when I clung to him and showered him with affection. He seemed to think I would leave him at any moment.
‘Even though I have no intention of doing so.’
That’s why he was wary of anyone I showed interest in, whether male or female.
I realized this clearly about two weeks ago.
I’d been planning to send a letter to Yumi because I hadn’t heard from her even though she should have been adjusted to her new body by now.
I carefully worded the letter, avoiding anything that might arouse Elias’s suspicion, and wrote it in his office, so he must have seen it. But…
‘I’ll have the butler deliver this to the First Princess.’
He took my letter and swallowed it whole!
He hadn't even thrown it away; he’d carefully stored it in his keepsake box, thinking I wouldn't notice.
‘Elias… if you didn’t want me to send it, you should have just said so.’
‘If I had, you wouldn’t have sent it?’
‘Of course not.’
There was no way to send a letter to the Imperial Palace without his knowledge. It was better to find another way to contact her than to upset him.
‘But why did you do that? I’m curious.’
‘You… said I was the first person you met in this world, right?’
‘Yes, but…?’
‘If you like me simply because of that, what happens if you find someone else with a more compelling reason… What happens to us?’
Elias was suspicious and wary that my true destiny might appear out of nowhere, even though we were married!
‘I didn’t think he'd be wary of his own sister, though. Was it because I hugged her?’
Although he was sometimes overly possessive, I wasn’t angry. I understood where his insecurity stemmed from.
It was… a little cute, and a little sad…
‘He'll be okay eventually… if I just treat him better!’
He might never completely overcome his insecurity, but I could stay by his side and reassure him every day.
Elias was so precious, so lovable, that it wouldn't be a burden at all.
It was late afternoon by the time we arrived at Hindel Territory in eastern Lucendria after passing through the gate.
“Lady Ilesha!” The Saintess, who had stationed the Templar Knights around the dungeon entrance as a precaution and had been pacing anxiously, rushed towards me with a bright smile. “I’ve been waiting!”
“She doesn’t seem to see me,” Elias muttered dryly, and the Saintess gave him an equally indifferent greeting. “Welcome, Your Excellency.”
“It’s been a while, Saintess.”
After exchanging brief greetings, we met with the survivor from the previous expedition team.
“If you’ll excuse me,” I said.
“Y-Yes?”
“I need to check your memories. I’ll only read the parts related to the dungeon, so don’t be nervous.”
“Ah… yes, alright.”
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust his account. I just wanted to make sure I didn’t miss any clues he might have overlooked.
With the rapid increase in awakened individuals, many were developing psychic abilities.
Thanks to that, the survivor didn't seem to mind me reading his memories, so I could easily access his recent experiences.
‘The entrant count is a bit strange…’
It would have been helpful if he had been more observant, but he’d dismissed the notification windows so quickly that it was difficult to be certain.
However…
“How many people were in your expedition team? Did you enter with the exact number of allowed entrants?”
“Yes, we formed a team of twenty and entered.”
With that many people, I might have been mistaken. Still, I had to consider all possibilities.
“Are you going in now?” the Saintess asked.
I nodded. “Yes, it seems we should go in alone first. Considering it’s an S-rank dungeon, we need to be prepared…” I glanced at Elias and asked casually, “You’ve informed the Imperial Palace, right?”
“Yes. They’re the only ones who can deploy troops through the gate without going through the proper channels. I requested their assistance in securing the perimeter.”
“Good. Then, the Commander of the Royal Knights or a member of the Imperial family should come as a representative. Let them know someone's already inside.”
“Someone’s already inside…?”
“Tell them that, and they’ll understand. And if they don't seem to get it, try to prevent them from entering the dungeon.”
“Alright. I’ll do that.”
I looked at Elias, and he opened his inventory, taking out his weapons and armor.
He strapped a longsword to his waist and skillfully attached several daggers to various parts of his body.
Finally, he put on a cloak that increased his resistance to elemental attacks.
With the ring, which provided more protection than most armor, he didn’t need anything else.
And I…
‘I didn't want to use this in front of Elias…’
I took out my own weapon for the first time since arriving in this world.
It would be reckless to enter an S-rank dungeon unprepared and bare-handed.
“……!”
As expected, everyone’s gazes turned to me the moment I took out my weapon.
“W-What is that…?” the Saintess asked, her eyes wide with fear, pointing at my weapon.
“It’s just… an axe…”
My weapon, which my comrades called the “Guillotine,” was a double-headed axe with large, wing-like blades attached to a long metal haft.
Its item description said it was made of a special alloy with excellent mana conductivity, and as stated, it minimized mana loss when used.
The reason I rarely used this efficient weapon was simple.
‘It looks too vicious.’
It was so heavy that an ordinary person couldn't even lift it, and each blade was as big as my torso.
I could decapitate even a Titan-sized monster with a single swing, and it had the added benefit of keeping people away from me.
“Would you like me to carry it for you? It looks heavy,” Elias asked, surprisingly unfazed.
“It’s a bound weapon. Only I can use it.” I effortlessly hefted it onto my shoulder.
“The dark red stains on the blade… it was like that when I got it. I think it was designed to look intimidating…”
Elias gently stroked my hair as I rambled. “So, you don’t like it?”
“Not exactly…”
“Then it’s fine. I don’t mind it.”
‘Ah… so Elias has this kind of taste.’
“You need to look a little intimidating.” He glanced at the Saintess and her paladins, who had backed away considerably. “Let’s go.”
Although I was reluctant to leave his warm embrace, I nodded silently.
As we passed between the tall pillars, the flow and density of mana shifted, and our surroundings changed instantly.
As usual, the translucent window appeared, flashing messages.
Entering Dungeon - Memories of the Ruins (S).
Adjusting difficulty based on the average level of 3/20 entrants.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Adjustment complete.
Dungeon - Memories of the Ruins (S) - Boss monster strengthened. Time limit 5:59:59…
As I suspected, we weren’t the only ones in this dungeon.
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