*Whoooosh!*
The dry wilderness of the eastern Alpharion Empire.
Chris stood alone on that vast land, her face filled with frustration.
"What on earth has she been doing these days?"
[Swordsman 'Drizzle Rain' (Currently busy with other matters)]
Even though she had left work early for once, Rain wasn’t there to greet her. She was logged into the game instead.
Chris also logged into the game. She tried to message Rain to ask where she was and what she was doing, but Rain was unavailable, marked as busy with other matters.
Leaving an offline message for Rain, Chris let out a frustrated scream at the horizon of the wide wilderness.
"Kaaargh! Just wait till I get my hands on you! That girl, I swear..."
What would she do, exactly?
Would she scold her little chick somehow?
This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēwebnovel.com.
"Maybe I’ll just give her a little smack on the butt."
All Chris could do was grumble to herself.
---
*Fwooosh!*
I nearly screamed when I saw Nagi's small body engulfed in flames.
Chris, I’m so sorry.
Was this what you felt when you watched me fight?
Seeing a child endure pain while fighting, and being able to do nothing but watch.
I couldn’t save her. But I didn’t close my eyes.
Nagi needed to overcome this.
Future dungeons would also be full of massive area-of-effect attacks just like this one.
I kept my eyes wide open, watching Nagi's every move until the end.
*Whoosh!*
At last, the wyvern’s breath attack subsided, and there stood Nagi, a slightly surprised expression on her face.
She wasn’t burned. She wasn’t hurt.
Before I knew it, I shouted out loud.
"Kyaaah...! Nagi! You did it! Now, finish off the baby wyverns!"
"Hyaah!"
Nagi, who had been momentarily dazed, quickly regained her composure and launched herself at the remaining baby wyverns, their HP nearly depleted.
---
*Boom!*
At last, the Black Wyvern fell, and Nagi collapsed to the ground, clutching her chest and breathing heavily.
“Huff, huff...”
*Tap tap tap.*
I quickly ran over to Nagi.
And then, I hugged her tightly.
"Oh."
She’s so soft.
With that small body, she really works so hard.
Nagi flinched for a moment, then calmed down.
"...?"
I tilted my head, puzzled.
Something about Nagi's reaction felt off.
It was the same last time.
During the earlier trials, when I saved her from danger, she hadn’t reacted much, but this girl seemed to find physical contact extremely awkward.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen her interacting with other people. Even in front of dungeons, she preferred secluded spots, avoiding the gaze of others.
A girl who avoided people.
It reminded me of myself before I met Chris.
Every time Nagi was in my arms, she seemed awkward, as if she didn’t understand what she was feeling. But I could tell she liked it.
I might be an unusual case, but Nagi should be just a normal girl.
A child at an age where she should be loved—why does she find kindness from others so strange?
Could it be...?
"Nagi, do you not have a family?"
"Huh? Family? I have a sister."
"Ah... oh!?"
I gasped, covering my mouth in shock.
The thought I had been mulling over slipped out without thinking.
"I'm sorry, I’m so sorry!"
"Sorry for what?"
Her light brown hair swayed as she tilted her head. I couldn’t even appreciate how cute she looked because I was too busy scolding myself for saying something that might have hurt her feelings.
*Thump, thump, thump.*
After lightly tapping my own head a few times, I finally processed what Nagi had said.
She has a sister?
A sister is a wonderful thing.
Chris is wonderful, and all the older sisters I’ve met on this continent in the past have also been wonderful people.
Back when all my sisters were gone and I was alone with my broken heart, I was a bit like Nagi too.
Since Nagi didn’t seem upset by my earlier question, I decided to ask a little more about her family.
"Does your sister hug you like I do?"
"Uh... no."
Nagi’s expression darkened a little.
"Oh, if you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to."
"My sister seems to dislike me."
"Eh...?"
I stood there with my mouth hanging open.
The sisters I knew were all good people.
But Nagi’s sister seemed different.
"I only get to see her once a week. And when we meet, she just stares out the window without saying a word. Then, once I fall asleep, she disappears."
"......."
"She must be tired from work. It’s okay. I understand."
Nagi smiled softly.
And that was the end of the conversation.
I had a lot of questions, but I couldn’t say anything more.
---
The second boss, *The Statue of the Lord*.
This boss had a hallway-style battle area, and as time passed, more and more “Knight’s Statues” would spawn as small mobs.
Nagi quickly mastered the art of kiting the knight statues after only a few tries. She absorbed my experience like a sponge.
*Oooooooooh-!!*
*Boom!*
With its HP depleted, the Lord’s Statue crumbled into a pile of rubble.
"Yay~"
Nagi and I smiled at each other and gave a high-five.
---
And finally, we reached the area for the third boss.
Now, in the center of that massive circular dome, surrounded by a lake of molten lava, Nagi was in the midst of her final battle with the demon.
*Kaaaaah!*
---
[Third Boss]
[Level 25 Sealed Demon]
[HP 117,050 / 500,000 (23%)]
---
*Swish, swish, swish!*
Moonlight flashed around Nagi as her sword strikes flowed smoothly, rapidly chipping away at the demon’s HP.
"Go Nagi, you got this...!"
I clasped my hands together, watching Nagi fight with focused eyes.
Her short light brown hair swayed as she moved. Her determined green eyes were sharp, and her small parted lips were cute.
Is this how Chris always watched me when I fought?
*Clang! Clang!*
Nagi blocked the demon's arm at the perfect moment. However, her small body was pushed back. I could see her brows furrow. Even when blocking, she still took some damage.
The demon's attack power was strong for its level, and Nagi's block skill didn’t have the *Perfect Guard* feature yet, but it was enough to mitigate the damage if timed correctly.
As long as she avoided the demon's fast grab and its wide-area *Dark Sphere* attacks, the demon was essentially a punching bag.
"Hah!"
With a swift spin.
*Shwing!*
Nagi's sword sliced through the demon, the final moonlight trailing in its wake.
*Kaaaaah-!*
*Thud!*
The massive demon collapsed to the ground.
*Tap, tap, tap!*
I ran toward Nagi with a big smile on my face.
"Awesome! We’ve fully cleared the Lesser Demon’s Tomb!"
"Wow...! That was tough!"
"You did so well! I think you cleared it faster than I did on my first try!"
"Really?"
"Yeah."
It was true.
Of course, she had me as her teacher, who had already walked this path, and the invincibility skills had been improved since back then, but the actual combat was all Nagi’s doing. It was an incredible achievement.
A newbie growing by soloing an elite dungeon? If this were shared in certain communities, it would cause an uproar.
Nagi covered her cheeks with her hands and swayed from side to side.
Was she embarrassed by the praise? Or just happy? Either way, the way she wiggled was absolutely adorable.
"Good job, you’re amazing, and you’re so cute."
Smiling warmly, I muttered softly as I gently patted Nagi’s head again and again.
---
After sending Nagi off, I checked the time.
"Whoa."
It was already late at night. I had spent the entire day playing with Nagi without even earning much experience.
And there was a message on my messenger.
---
[Message from Onmyoji 'Chris']
I got off work early today, but Rain is playing the game?
You’ve even set your status to busy. Must be caught up in something?
I hunted alone again today, feeling lonely.
Where are you?
I ordered chicken, thinking you’d finish soon, but it’s going cold.
When you’re done, let’s eat together.
---
"Oh no."
I jumped in shock.
Chris's desperate feelings were conveyed through the message.
What should I say?
That I had set my status to "busy with other matters" and was so focused on hunting?
I hadn’t even gained any experience today.
If Chris had been hunting in the wilderness, she could have known my location through our guild members, but I was in a different region during that time. She must have been unable to find me.
What if I get in trouble with her?
---
*Whirrr.*
I quietly wheeled myself into the kitchen, glancing around nervously.
The lights were off.
On the table was a cold chicken, sitting there forlornly.
And then.
"Oh my god!"
*Thud!*
If I had been able to stand, I would have le
apt into the air.
There was Chris, sitting blankly at the dining table, not even bothering to turn on the lights, her eyes hollow and tired.
Chris’s vacant eyes.
She looked at me, a hollow smile appearing on her face.
"Rain, let’s eat."
"Eek...!"
That’s not Chris!
It’s like some sort of spirit possessed her!
I’m sorry, but this is too terrifying!
I desperately tried to wheel myself away from that eerie kitchen.
*Thud.*
But the "Spirit Chris" was already behind me, her hand gripping my wheelchair.
*Tremble.*
I was frozen in place, unable to move, as I stared into her terrifying eyes.
What should I do?
If my beloved sister was possessed by a spirit, how could I possibly defeat it in this body?
The thing that looked like Chris smiled again.
"Rain, let’s eat."
"Hic, hic."
I whimpered like a child, on the verge of tears.