Chapter 10 (1/2)

“Still, don’t you think there’s something abnormal about this cave?”

After staying silent on Loren’s back for a while, Lapis suddenly spoke up.

Loren, who was running with the help of the magic light Lapis had conjured, looked at her with a face asking her what she was trying to say, while trying not to get his feet caught in holes in the ground.

“Loren, you’ve been running for quite a distance since we were attacked by goblins, but we haven’t reached the end of the tunnel yet.”

That was something Loren agreed with.

Even though he had someone on his back, he had run nonstop for a long time, and covered a long distance as well.

But the tunnel continued, not even changing shape.

They passed a few chambers filled with items that the goblins gathered, but they passed the last one a while ago, and the tunnel they were in just kept going.

“I though these goblins lived in a natural cave, but this is too unnatural. It’s definitely strange.”

“I agree. Who knows how long this is going to continue.”

After reaching the end, Loren planned on going back and searching the side tunnels, but it didn’t seem like the tunnel was going to end anytime soon.

If it were a natural cave, the tunnel would’ve gotten a lot narrower, but it continued on without changing size.

Although the floor and walls looked natural, Loren started doubting it and began to think that the cave was artificial.

“You want to head back?”

Loren started to get a sense of urgency going deeper and deeper down into the cave, but even if they were to head back, it meant going back to the place where they separated from Sarfe and the others.

He didn’t want to think about what was going on in there, but what he was certain that the goblins were concentrated there.

There was no way they could sneak past them, and it would mean that Loren would have to get through a horde of goblins with Lapis on his back.

“I hope there is an exit on the other side.”

“If there was, it would mean that Loren has tremendous luck.”

Loren had trouble deciding whether luck was on his side or not.

He was lucky that he managed to survive through all the battles in his mercenary days, without any lasting injuries.

But the group that he was a part of being destroyed was very unlucky for him, so he couldn’t decide.

“In any case, don’t expect much of it.”

“Mine isn’t that good either.”

For some reason Lapis joined in, and Loren turned to her with a puzzled look.

“Well, my parents took my arms and legs as well as my eyes when I came out of my country so.”

“Ah…that’s unfortunate.”

Loren was surprised that she had parents, but when he thought about it, it made sense. Of course, demon kind had parents. There was no way they grew from trees or anything like that.

But he had to agree that her own parents taking her limbs and eyes away was very unlucky, and started to think which of them had the worse luck.

“I became an adventurer, but my party were those kinds of people.”

“Okay, I got it. Looks like you’re way more unfortunate than I am.”

“They had a few screws loose when it came to thinking and paying attention, so it was easy for me to hide my identity, though.”

“Stop. You don’t have to say it.”

Under the onslaught that Lapis brought, Loren had no choice but to admit that she was unluckier than he was.

He thought that saying things like this without hesitation was why demon kind continued to have a bad reputation.

“On top of that, my parents hid my limbs and eyes somewhere in human territory. I can’t go home until I find them, as well as gain experience in the human world.”

“I’m not trying to compete.”

“But even if I find them, how would I put them back onto my body?”

“Go back home and ask your parents.”

Loren couldn’t understand what happened between her and her parents that it ended up with getting her limbs and eyes taken away and hidden.

He also couldn’t understand how she could describe it as just ‘unfortunate’.

“Um, Loren?”

While he was immersed in such thoughts, Lapis, the subject of those thoughts, brought Loren back to reality.

Loren was wary that maybe she had something even worse up her sleeve, but when he looked at her, he saw that she was pointing in front of him and faced the direction she was pointing.

After all this time with the tunnel continuing forever, Lapis saw some sort of light ahead of them.

“It’s not a dead end, is it?”

“If it was there wouldn’t be light shining.”

“But a light at the end? Does that mean there are more goblins there?”

“I can’t say for sure. I don’t sense any, though.”

Loren wasn’t sure how much he could depend on demon kind’s senses.