(Walson)
After our vision cleared again, we found ourselves transported to a large waterway, with the evening sky above us.
There was a gentle glow from above the waterway as Derisha and I silently agreed to head upstream. Eventually, we arrived at a pier with several boats docked, and some children playing in the water.
Finally, we made it out! That's what I was thinking.
We didn't feel out of place swimming to the nearby deeper area where we were transported, so we naturally climbed up the adjacent stairs onto land.
Derisha mentioned that she needed to return to the palace first and said she would come find me later, so we parted ways.
Being in a party was a means we used due to exceptional circumstances, and being a member of the royal family must come with many considerations. Perhaps it was because of me...
After parting ways, I returned to the "Dog House."
...You're asking what happened after I got back?... Well, I was scolded for three hours straight.
Grace and Melon seemed frightened by my rather significant jump in level.
All of them had the same conclusion, me suddenly losing contact with all of them and gaining a large amount of experience points after coming back, it was clear that a rather huge battle had happened... The result was me given a harsh lecture, and Melon stood by with the expression of an abandoned puppy.
The swollen eyes of Grace and Melon also indicated how worried they were during my sudden absence.
Later, I found out that time flows differently inside the labyrinth compared to the outside world, and I was missing for a whole three days...
...Well, if the roles were reversed, I would have been worried too.
...Perhaps I should reflect on myself. It's different from the past. Now, I have people who will wait for my return.
Since both Grace and Melon were present, the one who was standing in front of me and spent the last three hours scolding me was none other than Barella.
"...Although I can't entirely blame you, Grace and Melon were really worried about you!"
"Yeah, I'm really sorry. It's all my fault." I apologized to the girls who were concerned about me!
However, the next thing I heard surprised me.
"...When Walson disappeared, the first one to calm down was Miss Aure. She was the one who told everyone what to do," Grace unexpectedly interjected.
"Mi-Miss Aure, she was also really worried about you," Melon added.
"I... Ugh... I just...!"
I thought Barella would immediately retort with her sharp tongue, but she blushed from her cheeks all the way to her long ears.
"I... Aah, whatever! You! They've been searching all over the place for you! Make it up to them properly, or I'll make sure you sleep on the floor!" Suddenly becoming angry and embarrassed, she pointed her finger at my nose.
"I'm going back to the dormitory now. I'm exhausted!" After saying that, she immediately left the "Dog House."
Ah, she's gone.
...Thank you, Aure really, you're my good friend.
Only three people were left in the [Dog House].
"Now then..."
"...Walson, go take a bath."
"Huh?"
"...It's already evening, Walson, and you've been fighting nonstop without resting," Grace looked at Melon and after a few seconds of eye contact, they both nodded.
"Yes, Master, after a battle, you need to take a rest."
And so, I was forcibly pushed into the bathroom by them.
Well, if that's what they want, then fine.
Honestly, I'm really tired.
Fighting doesn't just consume physical energy; however, intense pressure that iI felt is something that brings me great fatigue afterward.
Behind this whole incident... with all the countless dramas I've watched and RPGs I've played, if I still believe that all those withered skulls were just coincidences, then I must be an idiot.
Reflecting on what Lady Ryulong said, I have to admit, this dialogue is pretty chuunibyou, but since this is a fantasy world, let's not nitpick too much.
If there was a "transcendent existence" from another world that wanted to invade this world and needed to break its rules to descend... I wonder what it could be.
The only thing that comes to mind is something from Minecraft.
The Ender Dragon? Or some monster from the Nether?
That last line, "Fate has already begun to turn again," feels like a flag that something is about to happen.
Please spare me, I'm just a simple Commoner. Leave saving the world to the great heroes or adventurers.
With these thoughts in mind, I washed off the bloodstains in the bathroom.
And so, I returned to my room and thought the day had come to an end.
But, after returning to my room, I realized that the day was not yet over.
As I lay on the soft bed, about to drift off to sleep, I heard a knock on the door.
From the mini-map, I knew who it was.
It was Grace.
"Who is it? If you want to come in, you have to say the password."
"...Password?"
"It's 'Daddy Turtle carries a baby turtle on his back'... Ah, fine, forget it. Come in, come in." Well, I guess it wasn't funny.
Well, when I worked as a switchboard operator in my previous life, I always found it amusing.
The sound of the door opening.
"Alright... What's... going on?" I sat up and looked at the door, and what I saw left me speechless.
Grace was wearing a white silk dress, shimmering faintly under the moonlight, revealing the graceful curves of a young girl.
It was something I had given her a long time ago.
She had grown taller since then, I didn't think she could still fit in it...?
"When I first came to the capital, I went to a tailor to get it modified..." Grace said.
The light from the moon illuminated Grace face, and as I watched her, I noticed that there seems to be a faint hue of pink on her cheek?
She walked towards me, and finally, she sat on the bed, right next to me.
"Uh... Huh? Huh?"
Although she said she modified it, the dress exposed Grace's slender and fair legs, tantalizingly visible under the night sky.
It had been a long time since I had seen her dressed so provocatively, the last time being when we were thirteen, it's a distant memory.
She gently reached out and touched my chest, then lay down next to me.
Wait a minute! We just jumped to this stage all of a sudden, I am totally unprepared!!
"Three days... Walson... You have been gone for three days... Is the labyrinth... very dangerous?" Her hand slid over my neck, revealing the guardian stone necklace hidden under my clothes.
Something seemed to stir along with it, and my body began to feel a growing heat.
I didn't answer Grace's question because the shattered guardian stone was already the best answer.
Grace's voice trembled slightly, conveying her unease and anger.
"...Does it hurt?"
When I snapped back to reality, I realized that Grace's face was very close to mine, and I could even feel her breath.
"A little... Mmm..."
Then, the moist and fragrant sensation of our lips meeting silenced the words that were about to be spoken, drowned in the caresses of our bodies, leaving my mind blank.
"...Originally, I wanted to do this when we had our coming-of-age ceremony at fifteen."
"But… Now is okay too…"
And with that, Grace began to lean down once more, and unlike before, this time, I'm more aggressive.
Much more aggressive.
That night, the sound coming from our battle echoed through my room, and those who are innocent would easily mistaken the sound of meat slapping against meat as the sound of someone slapping another person.
They are not entirely incorrect.
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