Chapter 164: For the Future as well as Her Proposal ※Rifreyas POV (1/2)

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—There was a time when I thought that.

The girl I am confronting, I can’t feel any openings in her, as if she were a seasoned veteran.

I have been active for 1 year, but I don’t know this girl. A girl I have not seen before.

Maybe she was exploring in a different dungeon? No, in that case, she wouldn’t be bronze.

It isn’t impossible to get stronger in places aside from the dungeon, but it is not easy. But places where monsters show up in droves are really limited, and when defeated, they leave corpses.

The Spirit Energy the body absorbs is apparently less compared to when it is in the dungeon.

Then, there’s no way she would be that strong.

If I were to hit her shield a bit hard, she should cry in defeat.

—That’s what I thought, but that crumbled in just the first few exchanges.

She had dealt with my sword with her big shield as if nothing.

At first, I was angered by it.

That maybe that armor and shield were something that Hikaru had bought for her.

That I must crush that whole equipment of hers.

That I should have her feel complete defeat.

In other words…I was underestimating her.

The intense sound of metal and metal clashing.

My sword is a special weapon made to defeat monsters. I am still lacking, so there’s no hellfire steel used for it, but it is made wholly of steel and it is heavy. There’s no way someone could easily resist the impact of a sword like that at full speed.

But my sword…didn’t manage to get through the defense of that armored woman.

She even showed a smile as she received my sword with leisure.

Now that it has come to this, I have no choice but to slip through that shield to get a hit in.

It might injure her, but this is a duel to begin with. She should be prepared for that.

Those emotions similar to hesitation must have been making my attacks sloppy.

That armored woman didn’t miss that opening and I ended up allowing her approach.

Just as I was about to be pushed by the shield, I took it with the body of my sword.

Within the scraping of metal and metal, she looked at my eyes, smiled faintly, and she said something I didn’t expect at all.

“He made a promise with me to conquer the dungeon all the way to the lowest floor together with me.”

For a second there, I didn’t understand what she was telling me here, but strength left me and my brain went completely blank.

“Conquer the dungeon all the way to the lowest floor.”

That’s an objective any explorer would speak of at least once.

I was also all cocky saying I would be the first person to step into the lowest floor when I came to this dungeon city.

But it is shocking that Hikaru would make that promise.

Even though he said he wouldn’t party with anyone.

I thought this woman simply had gotten hold of a weakness of him.

“He also made a new party with me and we have already entered the dungeon countless times. We have practiced our teamwork, and we are making a plan to conquer it.”

The armored woman continued even further.

At this point, maybe out of anger, or…from despair, my knees trembled and were about to lose strength.

That’s a given.

We are talking about that Hikaru here.

Hikaru who felt as if he had ‘no choice’ but to form a party with me.

I wouldn’t have even imagined him being so proactive about conquering the dungeon.

I thought for sure that he would be so sad after I was gone that he wouldn’t even go to the dungeon, and would shut himself up in the inn.

Once I showed up, he would be brought to tears, hug me, and if I were to tell him to marry me, I believed that he would answer me with a passionate kiss, and yet…

“Also, me and Hikaru are already…living below one roof!”

“No way…” (Rifreya)

With those powerless words, I fell onto my knees.

Living together… They are living together…?

I see. Of course she would be all confident even when I showed up.

The battle was settled…from the very beginning.

I really shouldn’t have returned home.

I should have…should have stayed with him forever and ever.

…I have lost.

I have no choice but to accept it.

Even though I had so many chances, I couldn’t make Hikaru fall completely. We didn’t make a promise of aiming for the lowest floor of the dungeon, and most of all, living under one roof! I couldn’t have even imagined it.

In the end, I was simply a girl with no love experience.

I can’t match a veteran woman who has a cute face like her and can roll men in the tips of her fingers.

I have admitted complete defeat, but the armored woman didn’t attack me.

When I raised my head, she was simply looking at me with a refreshing look.

There was the leeway of a winner in her attitude.

I don’t want to lose.

I haven’t lost yet.

Seeing that so composed look of hers, I once again burn with a faint fighting spirit.

Didn’t I already decide to do anything to obtain Hikaru?

Didn’t I already decide that I would marry Hikaru for the remainder of my life no matter what happened?

I already decided to walk together with him.

Hikaru said that she was just a party member.

She herself too.

She may be saying they live together, but it could be that the usual kindness of Hikaru was showing here, and he is simply letting the girl stay together with him because she doesn’t even have enough to afford lodging.

I can still make it.

As long as I don’t admit defeat here!

I stand up and take distance from her.

“If what you said is true, then more of a reason to defeat you! For the sake of my own future!” (Rifreya)

I shout.

More than half of it was me telling myself that, but the armored woman answered with something unexpected.

“Come! Show me you can cut open your future!”

Are those really words she should direct at a love rival?

If it were me, I would crush the opponent completely so that they don’t come close ever again.