The Paladin's Silent Farewell
Irene looked at him after Michael’s words.
Then, after a long moment, she offered him a weak smile and said, “I want to return with everyone, if possible, not alone. Including you, Michael.”
She had never thought of herself as the raid’s leader. Yet the people relied on her.
If that was the case, she wanted to repay their expectations as much as she could.
“Digging holes by myself won’t change a thing.”
Self-reproach could wait until later. For now, she had to focus on getting everyone out of here without leaving a single soul behind.
“I will try my hardest.”
Michael’s answer told Irene that the task she had asked for was far from easy.
If it had been simple, he would have told her not to worry.
Irene felt her chest grow heavier again as she gathered everyone in the center.
Fortunately, even in this confusion, no one acted alone or panicked in a way that made the surroundings even more uneasy.
First, until they found a way out after exploring the surroundings, everyone agreed not to move recklessly and to stay gathered here.
Of course, other opinions were offered.
“To find the exit as quickly as possible, shouldn’t we split into teams for scouting?”
“That’s not bad, but with the current number of people, even without splitting, it would be difficult. If we split, the chance of encountering not the slaughtered monsters but other monsters would be too high.”
Moreover, everyone had already noticed that without Michael, danger would be greater.
So they would want to move together centered on him as much as possible.
Everyone voiced their opinions.
They should send out a separate scouting party.
No, it would be better to move together.
Or perhaps they should wait here until another raid arrives.
It was simply a matter of choosing, with no correct answer.
“By the way, where do you think the other teams are right now?”
The dungeon had a vast cave-like structure, yet strangely, there was no echo.
So even if a massacre had occurred, they could not have known until they came close to the scene.
“Since we made it here safely, the other side probably made it too.”
Reina, who had been frightened, said cautiously.
“But… wouldn’t there also be a chance they were already killed like the other team? Maybe the monster heard the noise and came to attack the side with more people…”
Reina’s words made everyone’s faces even stiffer.
Monsters that followed the sound of footsteps were common. What if the one that slaughtered everyone was of that kind?
“If I stay in the dungeon, it might come looking for us again someday.”
But there was also another possibility.
“In that case, we would meet the raid led by Princess Cecilia, the one with the most people. Winning against that would be difficult.”
Even though there were strong purifiers in the team that was slaughtered this time, none were the strongest.
Honestly, their strength was far weaker than the princess’s raid.
“The princess’s side was truly the cream of the crop.”
She always gathered only top-tier talent around her, as if it was perfect.
So when entering a strange dungeon like today, she would never have let her guard down.
“Moreover, she would have shown off the overwhelming difference by bragging openly.”
But strength was not everything.
In this situation, the most hopeful was that Michael was on this side and the remaining people were united.
Everyone feared, but they encouraged each other with the belief that being together like this would be okay.
But would the princess’s raid be in this kind of atmosphere?
Irene remembered the people who had endlessly complained about the princess when she first arrived.
If that side was in trouble, they would not stay silent.
***
After discussing with maximum calm, the opinions were roughly summarized.
“Then let’s first explore the nearby areas and return.”
Only Michael was chosen as the scout.
At first, someone suggested that even one person should go with others, but if they encountered a monster, it would be easier to fight and move alone.
And if he was excluded, the rest would be better gathered as one to add to the fighting power.
“We will leave all the food here. If we meet injured people, we can bring simple medicine, water, and signal flares.”
He finished preparing, having packed only the minimal burden that would fit in his pockets.
Irene stood beside the fully equipped Michael, pacing nervously.
“Is there something you wish to say?”
“That… um.”
Irene, struggling to speak and hesitating, finally opened her mouth with difficulty.
“Come back safely.”
It was not a grand farewell, yet awkwardness and embarrassment flooded her at once.
She had never seen Michael off in this way before.
“…Don’t get hurt.”
She added it to erase the embarrassment, but her face grew even hotter.
This was truly like a normal pair…
What was surprising was that Michael looked equally flustered.
He had the embarrassed expression she had never seen before and could not stand still, shifting uneasily.
Other people would naturally greet while the two of them stood awkwardly at a loss for words.
Anyway, there was no more time to hesitate. The faster Michael searched, the higher the survival probability for everyone.
“Then I will be back.”
Michael greeted her with his head bowed even lower than usual.
Irene, who had been considering bowing along with him, stepped forward and reached out her hand.
Her fingertips touched the waistband of his battle suit.
There, the blood of the monster that had spurted when she tore open the pocket was still stained.
A faint light lingered on the tip of her fingers, and soon the bloodstains on his clothes disappeared.
Michael stared at that spot for a long time before meeting her gaze.
The two looked at each other in silence for a moment.
Just as she thought he would slowly bow his head,
“Paladin Michael! Could you look at this for a moment!”
A scout who had been looking around noticed something strange in the distance and called him.
At the sound, Michael stopped moving as if he had come to his senses, offered the usual polite greeting, and immediately turned around.
If no one had called…
Alone, Irene unconsciously touched her lips.
***
Fortunately, what the scout had seen was the corpse of an old monster. After confirming there were no other dangers around, Michael set off for the search. The remaining people opened and organized the reward boxes they had obtained on the way.
“I really wonder where all these come from.”
Reina looked at the gold coins that did not exist on the continent and marveled as she turned them over.
Irene had obtained everyone’s consent and deliberately divided one gold coin for each person. In such an unstable situation, hope was the only thing that could help, so she judged that the coins would serve that role.
Even in this situation, the faces of everyone became a little brighter than before.
The atmosphere gradually warmed.
“There are some fruits I brought. Anyone want to eat?”
In such situations, food was usually hidden and not shown.
But when Irene took out the food she had brought, the others also took out their own snacks.
Seeing the people who had become even more intimate than before due to the great crisis, Irene felt satisfied.
“From now on, I think we should keep this raid as it is.”
Having experienced this hardship once, the bond of comradeship would only grow thicker.
“Anyway, we have to treat each other with some measure of favoritism.”
She did not know how much reward the princess’s side had gathered or how well they handled the monsters.
But if the princess’s results were not up to everyone’s expectations, there would be pairs who would come back to this side again.
“I will never let them join this raid.”
They had to care more for the people who were sincere about this gathering, so others would notice.
While Irene was thinking about what to do after leaving the dungeon, Felix suddenly turned his body.
At the same time, the other knights also looked toward one direction.
From the path numbered 8, they heard something approaching.
The purifiers, who were already on high alert, stared at that place.
“Everyone, lower your voices.”
Irene took out the signal flares she had received and said in a low voice.
The knight closest to path 8 focused on the sound for a moment, then shook his head.
“It’s the sound of footsteps. Voices can be heard too.”
Everyone’s faces brightened with relief at his words. It seemed the princess’s raid had arrived here safely after all.
Soon, people began to appear beyond the path.
In a joyful mood, the knights who had been about to wave at them hesitated briefly and muttered.
“Look at the others… why do they look like that?”