Mee and Satsuki are in the vanguard, and Cyril and I are in the rear.
We walked down a tunnel that was wide enough for two people to fight side by side.
The tunnel is a rather flat cave structure, and the height to the ceiling is much lower than the width of the path.
I'm more concerned about that than the width of the tunnel, but...
Cyril, who is walking beside me, suddenly looks above my head.
I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'm not the only one. ...... Are you okay?'
'Yeah, I'll be fine. But the man who seemed to be the leader of the senior adventurers, he was a big man, so if the ceiling was this low, it would be quite cramped.
'Oh, ...... there was someone like that. But people like that, they deserve to feel a little cramped. You should be ashamed of yourself. They think women are nothing more than an outlet for their s*xual desires. ...... Why are all adventurer men like that? I wish I could drink some of William's nectar.
When I mentioned the D-ranked adventurers, Cyril raised an eyebrow and began to swear.
That's not very nice for her.
She must have been very frustrated with them.
'Hmm, ......, but I've heard that women prefer a man who is bold and masculine to a man who is all care. Isn't that the way it is?
'Hmm ......? Are you asking me what I like?
'No, I'm more interested in what you're saying in general.
'Oh, yes. But what do you mean by general? I only know about me. ...... But yes, William, I can see how you could come on to me more boldly.'
Cyril looked up at me from the side and smiled at me.
I'm a little nervous at the sight of him.
I was at a loss as to what to do, so I asked Cyril the following question.
'......Ahh ...... can I ask you something, Cyril?
'Hmm, what is it, William?
'Is that your approach to your love life with me?'
I asked straight out.
It's not a question I can afford to ask, and I'm not in a position to think about it.
But Cyril answered my question straightforwardly.
'Yes, that's right. You're aware of that, aren't you?
He said this with a smile on his face.
I was pressured by this situation. ...... But then another question arose.
'...... I've already explained my stance to you guys. I have no idea how you expect me to react to your ...... approach.'
Yeah.
I've made it clear to Satsuki, Mee, and Cyril that I have no intention of becoming a man or woman, and I've explained why.
Aside from Satsuki, who doesn't seem to have any deep thoughts, it's hard to understand why even Cyril is acting this way.
'Hmmm, you're serious William. I like that about you. ...... Then I'll tell you the answer.
Then Cyril said...
Her ample breasts under her priestly robe were pressed tightly against my arm through the fabric.
'Oh, hey, Cyril ......!
'Hmm, how are you doing, William?
'How do you say, ......?'
There was no way he could honestly say that it was bigger than Satsuki's.
The only thing I could do was to be puzzled.
But as I did so, Cyril stepped aside.
If you look closely, you can see that even her ears are turning red. .......
She looks up at me and opens her mouth again.
'That's fine. As long as you show me your typical reaction, I'll be happy. I mean, I want to tease you, play with your mind. I mean, I want to tease you and play with your mind, and since you're playing with our minds too, it's mutual, right?
'What ...... is that ......?'
It was an absurd theory.
I've never heard of that kind of love affair.
'Hmmm, it's a pretty good deal for me, you know? I get to enjoy the thrill of love like this forever. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want you to turn your back on me, but this is what I enjoy. So that's fine with you.
To be honest, I still had a hard time understanding her.
But if she's okay with it, what's the big deal if I'm okay with it?
'Haha ...... even Cyril is becoming a b*tc*? I thought that Mee had formed a party with more sensible people.
Mee, who was walking in front of me, looked back at me and said, 'I'm sorry.
The look in her eyes could not have been more different.
'That's right. You're calling me a prostitute, but Cyril is the one who's been getting it on. I mean, is Cyril that kind of a character? Holy Order... or is that even possible in the eyes of God?
Satsuki also complained to me, as if she didn't understand what was going on.
But Cyril, on the other hand, doesn't seem to care about such criticism.
'Ahtna, the goddess of light and justice, is generous. It is not evil to be in love or to approach someone you like. ...... But yes, it does sometimes make me feel like my intelligence is about to blow up somewhere, which is, if I may say so, contrary to doctrine. Hmmm...
'Geez, it's so random being a Priestess (Holy Order).
'Yes, sir.
It was rare for Mee and Satsuki to speak together, and the blame was directed at Cyril.
As for me, I was just scratching my head, not knowing where to place my blame.
But then...
I had a reaction in my mind.
'Mmm... you're here.
At my words, the girls who had been chatting and laughing a while ago suddenly showed signs of nervousness.
These girls are well-balanced as adventurers.
As for what had come, of course...
'It's here, Rockworm?
'Yeah. Probably so. A rather large creature has escaped the alert's sensing membrane.
While Cyril and I were exchanging these words, Mee was lying face down, her cat ears against the ground.
'...... There's a faint sound. It's getting closer and closer.
'Which way is it coming from?'
Satsuki, who had her hand on the hilt of her sword, asked Mi, but Mi shook her head.
'I don't know that much about it. William, the alert spell, do you know the direction?
'No, I do. It's forward, to the right and downward, but after that, the alert won't tell us where we're going. I'll use see-through.'
I announced and chanted a spell.
I'll cast the see-through spell as I told you.
Then I removed all surrounding walls from view.
The area of effect of see-through is about thirty meters from the sorcerer.
The area around me is spherically penetrated, and I get the strange sensation that I am standing in a place where there is no ground or anything.
And in front of me on the lower right.
A giant worm-like creature with gray skin like a rock has been invading my see-through sphere for a long time.
However, it is a little too small to be called an earthworm - or rather, its diameter is too large when viewed from the front.
The general shape of the worm might be closer to that of a caterpillar.
The creature, a rockworm, seemed to be spitting out acid-like substances from its mouth, tearing up the rock in front of it, and then crunching and swallowing it with its large mouth as it moved through the ground.
The speed of the creature was not fast, but about the same or slower than the speed of a human walking.
Now that I had its location, I could easily escape by running through the tunnels, but of course, I couldn't kill the Rock Worm if I ran away.
I tell my friends what I've learned.
'It's in the lower right. It's coming straight at us.
'Are you aware of this? What's going on with Rockworm's sensory system?'
'It's not understood. If it's comparable to an earthworm, I don't think it relies on sight, but I can't rule out the possibility that it has ...... magical perception abilities.'
I'm sure you've heard of it, but I've never heard of it.
I nodded at Satsuki's words.
'I agree. I'll cast a support spell. Then we'll take a position where it's easier to intercept.
'''Understood!'''
And so we began preparations to intercept the Rockworm.