Chapter 140 - Underground 6 (1/2)

Chapter 140 - Underground (6)

“So, Elrick, isn’t the armor stuffy?”

The hero’s question still made her sound very young.The only part of the helmet that could be opened was the chin guard.The warrior was eating the soup through this opening when he replied with a flat voice.

“It is stuffy.”

“So why don’t you take it off?”

“······Silpennon.Do you mind if I beat this woman?”

“No.Please refrain from doing so.”

The hero was very kind and beautiful, but she was a bit dumb.Since the thief knew this, he desperately tried to hold back the warrior.There were only three members in the hero’s party, and it would be ridiculous to lose one member for such a ridiculous reason.

“I told you I can’t take off my armor, Maetel.”

“I heard it, but….Ooh-oong.”

The hero tilted her head.Her bright golden hair flowed down to the side as a result, and Silpennon became mesmerized as he watched this sight.He let out a fake cough.

“That’s weird.The Mana emanating from the armor is tied up in a very complicated manner to Elrick….If he moves his Mana like this and like that, I think he could take off his armor.”

“Silpennon.”

“Please endure it.”

The hero was a bit dumb, but her ability to control Mana was beyond exceptional.It exceeded all imagination.If she was the one inflicted with the curse, she would probably be able to move around the Mana of the curse to remove the armor.That thought came unbidden to him, and it pissed him off more.He was mad, because he was inferior compared to this idiot!

“Actually, I’m curious about something related to your armor.”

Silpennon took the ladle from the warrior, and he took his own portion of the soup.He blew on his soup as he asked a question.It hadn’t been long since they started their journey.He looked young at that moment.

“No matter how I see it, the armor is full of ominous Mana.You are incredibly skilled, so I cannot accept the idea that you put that armor on without knowing about the curse.”

“That’s true.Incredible amount of ominous Mana keeps pouring out of it.”

“Hoo-ooh······.”

When the hero and the thief asked in unison, the armored warrior thought for a brief moment.His armor clanked as he groaned.He started speaking.Since he was wearing the helmet, one couldn’t see if his mouth was open or not.

“······yes, that’s right.Before I wore this armor, I knew what would result if I put on this armor.In truth, I had already thought about what would happen before I put it on.”

“I knew it.”

“So why did you do it? Elrick, you don’t seem like the person to covet power.”

They hadn’t traveled too long with each other, but Silpennon and Maetel had already assessed Elrick’s personality.Elrick loved helping the weak, and he couldn’t stand injustice.Basically, he had the personality of a prototypical hero.

If he didn’t have strength, he would have just been an idealistic fool.However, he had possessed the power to meet out his own sense of justice even before he acquired the armor.His power wasn’t solely from the cursed armor.His power was derived from his fighting spirit and will.

“I······ I might have just wanted to hide myself.In truth, the appearance of me inside this armor…..It is embarrassing to show what I look like to others.Despite this fact, I regret putting on this armor.That is the irony in all of this.”

That is why his words were very unexpected.The hero’s mouth had fallen open as she asked her question.

“Do you perhaps a big pimple on your cheek······?”

“Hey!Kuh-huhk!”

Instead of the warrior, the thief tried to flick his fingers on the forehead of the hero.However, the hero used her swift movement to dodge, and she reflexively kicked the thief on his shin.The thief fell over in pain.Afterwards, the hero finally realized what she had done.

“I...I’m sorry, Silpennon.I reflexively…..”

“No.I knew about your reflexes, yet I couldn’t hold back on my instinct to act.I’m the one in the wrong….However, you should think about his situation.He wore something he couldn’t take off once he put it on.There is no way it is a pimple.”

“If it isn’t that, what is there to be embarrassed about?Everyone looks different.That is a given.”

The hero spoke innocently as her eyes shone.Her attitude indicated that her opinion towards the warrior wouldn’t change no matter what the warrior looked like inside his armor.

She had always been like that.It was impossible for one’s opinion of a person not to be influenced by a person’s appearance.However, the hero never spoke ill about a person’s outward appearance.

They had travelled with the hero, and they knew she was genuinely like that.That was why the warrior and the thief was at a loss for words.

“······yes, Maetel.If it is you, I think you wouldn’t laugh when you see my true appearance.”

“Laughing means happiness, so why are you talking about it as if it is a bad thing······?”

“We’ll have to explain it to you starting from what you just said right now.I don’t know where her innocence come from….”

In the end, both the thief and the warrior laughed.

“Right.This might be impulsive of me, but I’ve made my decision..One day I will get rid of this armor, and I will show you my true self.”

“All right.I look forward to it!”

“Can it be that you are more handsome than me….”

“When dealing with Maetel, it doesn’t matter how handsome you are, Silpennon.You should focus on improving your inner self instead of your outer appearance.”

However, in the future they met a black haired youth, who looked too handsome to be a normal merchant.After meeting him by coincidence, the hero continued to be in a dazed state.It seemed the hero didn’t discriminate based on outward appearance, but she wasn’t blind to outward appearance.When Silpennon realized this fact, he despaired.

When he opened his eyes, Maetel’s face was right in front of his nose.

“Mwah.”

“······.”

“Ooh-huehuehue.”

Maetel was successful in ambushing Artpe with a kiss.She wordlessly put on a smile of victory.Artpe remained still for a brief moment.When she puckered her lips to attack him again, he finally moved.He flicked her on the forehead.

“Ah-yaht.”

“Hmm.”

Maetel didn’t dodge his blow.She was in pain as she hunched her body.Artpe watched her for a moment, then he got up.At that moment, Vadinet opened the door to the room, and she entered.

“Artpe-nim, it is mornin…..Ahhhhhhhh!I should have known!She ran away to this place!”

“Mlem!”

“Vadinet, I want you to give Maetel a forehead flick.”

“I will complete this mission as if my life depended on it!”

Vadinet immediately threw her body towards Maetel as she tried to give a flick to Maetel’s forehead.The tenacity and enmity of a woman fueled her movement.There was no way she was slower than Artpe!She might have been moving faster than him!

However, Maetel’s supernatural reflex allowed her to dodge before Vadinet’s finger reached her forehead.Then Maetel speared Vadinet.Vadinet fell.

“Ah.I’m sorry.I did it on instinct.”

“Just one······ I just want to hit you once······!”

“I see, so that’s how it is.”

It seemed Maetel was able to dodge Artpe’s fingerflick, yet she was purposefully allowing him to hit her.Vadinet was floundering on the floor.Artpe helped her up, and he once again flicked Maetel on the forehead.

“Ah-yaht!Eh-hee-hee.”

“Right.You are a pervert.”

He already knew that the content of his dream was true.His earlier order to Vadinet was a simple experiment to test Maetel’s reflex, and he had confirmed that her reflex remained the same as the version of her in her past life.Maetel clung to him as if she liked being hit by him.He pushed Maetel away as he asked Vadinet a question.

“It is morning? How does one know if it is morning down here?”

“It seems they created clocks.They move according to a cycle they made up.When it is night, they turn off the lights placed on the ceiling.They even control the brightness of the lights depending on if it is the morning or midday.”

“They are doing that for this enormous city?”

Their technical skill really was unparalleled.Artpe smirked as he exited the room with the girls.

For reference, Sienna and Regina had been in Glacia longer than the other party members.This was why they were still asleep.In any case, he didn’t particularly need their help, so he decided to let them sleep in peace.The three of them opened the front door, and they went outside.

“I’m here!”

Elrick was there.He had left yesterday in a very cool manner, but it seemed he had come running to this location as soon as the light was turned on.

“Are you ready, Artpe!”

“You sound as if this will be the greatest challenge of your life.”

In the dream, Elrick had revealed that he had put on the armor, because of his appearance.Elrick’s past life and his current life had diverged, but they had walked down the same road until the divergence.It seemed he was ready to take off the armor and face his true self.It didn’t matter which life he was in.The desire was the same.

“Artpe, we’ll be bringing this guy into our party?”

“You heard our conversation yesterday.”