Having experienced this before, I stepped into the light calmly this time, without the dazzling disorientation or confusion from before.
And then—
"Wha—ugh!"
"Eek!"
The solid platform beneath my feet abruptly disappeared, leaving me to flail in midair. Predictably, I stumbled forward. If I'd been falling into open space, I might've managed to regain my balance, but I hit something in my flailing and tumbled straight onto my face.
"Ugh…"
I smacked into the ground face-first. My nose and mouth stung a little, likely from hitting something on the way down. Thankfully, it wasn't a solid rock or anything hard enough to cause significant pain—just a mild, dull ache across my face.
Lifting my head to scan my surroundings, the first thing I saw was Emma, who had landed lightly and gracefully on her feet. Her gaze, fixed on me as I lay sprawled out on the ground, was filled with quiet amusement.
Please, Emma, don't look at me like that.
Looking around some more, I saw the clear blue sky overhead. It seemed we had successfully exited the dungeon.
"A…ah…"
Hearing a faint noise from beneath me, I glanced down to find a familiar face framed by fiery red hair.
"Annie!"
Even though it had only been a few hours since I last saw her, I felt an overwhelming rush of relief. Strangely, it felt even more comforting than after the week we'd spent apart before arriving at Annie's estate. It must've been the circumstances we'd just been through.
While I beamed at her, Annie, in stark contrast, was staring at me wide-eyed, frozen in a dazed expression. It was then that I realized I had fallen directly on top of her.
Though I was lighter than when I'd been a man, my body wasn't exactly featherlight—especially with the equipment I was wearing. Being caught off-guard and pinned beneath me must have left her thoroughly disoriented.
Hurriedly, I scrambled to my feet and reached out to help Annie up. But instead of taking my hand, she remained on the ground, lying still. Just as worry began to bubble up—thinking she might've been hurt—Annie suddenly rose on her own, ignoring my hand entirely.
Her face, which had been blank and vacant a moment ago, now showed an unmistakable mix of flustered panic. She avoided my gaze, her eyes darting everywhere but at me.
Ah… she's embarrassed, isn't she?
Honestly, it was just an accident. I hadn't done it on purpose, so I hoped she could let it slide.
"Uh… Sorry about that. Are you okay?"
I offered an apology along with a check on her condition, but instead of answering, Annie raised her hand to her mouth, covering it briefly, before lowering it to clutch at her chest. For a moment, I wondered if I'd actually hurt her when I landed on her, but her expression quickly gave me the answer.
Her face had turned as red as her hair.
"Emma!"
The sudden shout made me turn my head. I saw Dylan running over to Emma, relief evident on his face. Taking the opportunity, I looked around and noticed more of our surroundings—knights and soldiers gathered in one group, with Ian and a few adventurers I hadn't seen before forming another.
Finally, it clicked why Annie had been so embarrassed. She'd been pinned beneath me, in full view of everyone present, including her retainers and strangers alike. It wasn't hard to see why she would feel humiliated.
Though Annie wasn't particularly fussy about her noble status, that didn't mean she was immune to embarrassment. For all her boldness, she was still a young woman, and being caught in such an undignified position must've been mortifying for her.
"Are you hurt anywhere, Emma?" Dylan asked, his worry palpable.
"No, I'm fine," Emma replied casually. "What about you? Did anything happen while we were gone?"
"Lady Annie did an excellent job serving as acting head of the house. She set up an advance camp here and arranged for Ian to send the initial group of adventurers back while bringing in more experienced ones."
I see. That explains why Annie was out front by herself. Hearing that she'd been acting as the temporary head of the household gave me a strange sense of pride. For a moment, Annie seemed more reliable and mature, though her petite and adorable appearance made the feeling short-lived.
"How much time has passed?" Emma asked.
"It's the day after your disappearance, just past noon. We were just about to prepare for an expedition into the dungeon."
"Glad we avoided that. The orc settlement has been dealt with, and everything's resolved now. Let's wrap things up and head back."
"Yes, understood," Dylan nodded.
With that, Emma approached Annie.
"You did well," Emma said, her tone warm and approving. "You fulfilled your role perfectly—not just as acting head of the house, but as my daughter. I'm proud of you, Annie."
Emma reached out and ruffled Annie's hair affectionately. It was a touching gesture between a mother and daughter, but from an outsider's perspective, it might've looked like one child patting another on the head. Annie, her face still red, lowered her head and nodded silently. Emma chuckled softly and withdrew her hand.
"Alright! Let's start packing up! Time to head out!"
At Emma's command, the soldiers began dismantling the tents and extinguishing the campfires. Amid the activity, one of the adventurers raised their voice.
"What about us, Countess? What should we do now that we're here?"
"Do you think I'd ignore the effort you've put in?" Emma replied with a grin. "When has the Klein family ever been stingy with compensation? Don't worry—you'll all be rewarded handsomely for your service. Now, head back with the others."
"Ah, come on, don't say it like that!" another adventurer called out, laughing. "We all know how much the Countess takes care of us. It's just that this guy here was too shy to ask about your well-being directly, so cut him some slack!"
It wasn't the kind of casual banter one would expect between a noble head of house and a group of adventurers, but Emma didn't seem to mind. Neither did the knights or retainers, who only chuckled at the exchange.
"…I hope I didn't cause too much trouble," I muttered, feeling a twinge of guilt. Higher-ranked adventurers didn't come cheap, and I worried Emma had spent a small fortune because of me.
But Emma only clapped me on the back and laughed.
"Elysia, you don't need to worry about that. We'll just pull some extra funding from the crown. No harm done. Besides, it's a win-win situation—we gain the adventurers' trust, and they get a nice payday. Everyone walks away happy."
She had a point. The funds came from taxes anyway, and with the Klein family doing so much for the region, it made sense that they'd receive generous support. There was no point in fretting over it.
"Shall we head back now?" Emma asked.
"…Yeah," I replied.
As I turned, I caught Annie still standing quietly beside me. Her earlier flustered expression had settled, but she still seemed unusually reserved, avoiding eye contact. It wasn't like she was angry anymore—she seemed more like she was shyly gauging my reaction.
Annie's uncharacteristic behavior was puzzling, but I decided to put it behind me. Smiling, I suddenly pulled her into a hug.
"You were worried about me, weren't you?" I teased, speaking in a slightly playful tone.
Annie froze for a moment, but then she nodded ever so slightly, her head resting against my shoulder.
Who are you, and what have you done with the real Annie?!
Her response was so unlike her usual self that I almost doubted my senses. This wasn't the energetic, fiery Annie I knew—this was someone timid and unrecognizable.
No. I had to make sure this was the real Annie.
Loosening my arms, I deployed my secret weapon: merciless tickles.
"Give me back my Annie!" I cried dramatically as I targeted her sides.
"Eek! Stop! Hahaha! Noooo!"
The timid act disappeared in an instant, replaced by the Annie I knew—laughing uncontrollably, flailing in protest.
Thwack!
Her perfectly aimed punch to my side brought me back to reality.
Yep. This was definitely my Annie. Sacrificing my ribs to bring her back felt like a fair trade.