I Came Back from the Dead, Quit Being a Holy Hero, and Just Wanna Shake My Hips in a Harem - Chapter 16: The Same Old Adventure

Chapter 16: The Same Old Adventure

The meat blobs seemed to be spreading outward from the underground mining site beneath the town.

So, after getting the little girl to safety outside the town, the three of us headed off to explore the dungeon.

The mining site had turned into a massive vertical pit.

Just like we suspected—

A random dungeon had spawned. The mine had merged with the surrounding terrain, twisting and warping into a completely new structure.

The walls and floors had morphed into smooth stone, turning the place into a classic dungeon passage.

All that overflowing mana must’ve fused with the land and reshaped it into this maze.

Fortunately, the magic even duplicated the old mining lanterns on the walls.

At least we weren’t going to be groping around in pitch darkness.

“The townsfolk must’ve dug up something in the mine.”

That was the theory we agreed on for now.

Drag marks lined the path leading deeper in—

Clear signs that people had been taken.

Filio noted, “There’s no scent of blood,” which at least meant they were still alive.

But… that just made it even weirder.

Why take them alive?

This whole thing felt off. Way off.

I kept turning it over in my head as we cautiously made our way through the dungeon.

Even down here, the same fleshy blobs were squirming around like oversized jelly slugs.

It was probably a Devourer’s Labyrinth—one of those dungeons monsters create when they’re smart enough and have serious mana control.

But if that’s the case… humans would just get in the way.

And making a nest this close to a town?

That’s asking to get wiped out in a week.

Unless… there’s some huge payoff.

Like that parasitic thing—Lagion—we ran into at Lyra Village.

That one needed a host, which was why it stuck around.

Maybe there are new types of monsters out there.

New abilities. New goals…

Ugh.

This is giving me a headache.

But let’s be real—

The most immediate threat right now?

Yeah, it’s accidentally racking up way too many Filio Affection Points.

“—Monsters incoming, Haruya! Lily!”

Filio’s voice echoed through the underground mine just as the ground began to tremble beneath our feet.

With a sudden burst—like a mini explosion—a chunk of rocky mass erupted from the soil, reshaping itself into a humanoid form…

Like an undead rising from a grave.

It was a Rock Golem, standing about two meters tall.

Their strength varies by region, but this one was probably around Silver-Iron rank.

Nothing to scoff at.

“Chiave Due: Drill!”

Filio’s ring lit up, and five glowing, bluish-white magic drills materialized in her hand.

She hurled one with perfect aim—

And it nailed the golem right in the eye from over ten meters away.

Those drills pack a paralysis effect, too. Real handy.

As the golem let out a guttural GUOOOHH and staggered, I dashed in, blade ready.

“Slice slice slicey-slice—take this!”

I slashed through the gaps in its rocky joints in a rapid flurry, and the golem couldn’t keep its shape.

With a crumbling crash, it collapsed into a messy pile of rubble.

Too easy.

We’d run into a few monsters so far, but nothing especially tough.

Then Filio’s sharp senses picked up another threat.

“Chiave Sei: Recurve Bow!”

Another flash from her ring—this time, it formed a sleek, glowing bow.

She pulled back the shimmering magical string and let loose a radiant arrow.

A Red Gargoyle in the distance was just about to hurl a fireball—

But her arrow struck right on cue, throwing off its aim.

I charged in.

More arrows zipped past me from behind—

Each one expertly pinning the Gargoyle down, keeping it off balance and wide open.

“And that’s monster number two—”

With a totally chill tone, I sliced the Red Gargoyle clean in half, top to bottom.

Right after that, a giant centipede shot out from behind a boulder, fangs bared, charging straight at me.

I didn’t even flinch.

It lunged in to bite—

But—

“Sacred Mark: Absolute Barrier—High Wall.”

A translucent shield flashed into place right in front of me.

Lily’s sacred arts—always coming through in the clutch.

The centipede slammed headfirst into the barrier and reeled from the impact.

Before it could recover—

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Filio’s arrows landed clean, sinking into its body.

It twitched once… then slumped over, dead.

Man, the monster spawns today are nonstop.

Are they sneaking in from somewhere?

Still—

I gotta admit—everything’s way easier with a solid party.

I’ve had teammates before, sure, and I definitely appreciate the backup…

But I also know just how intense these two can get when they start cranking up the pressure…

Filio dismissed her glowing bow and walked over, beaming.

“That was amazing, Haruya! You act all relaxed, but your swordplay’s razor-sharp!”

“Indeed. Quite impressive.” 

Lily added, sounding almost proud for some reason.

“Lily’s holy arts were incredible too!”

“Were they really…?”

Lily blinked in surprise—then gave a small, shy smile.

Nooo! These two should not be bonding this fast!!

They’re getting along way too well!

And Filio’s opinion of me is clearly going up…

Which means there’s no way I can keep playing the weak card now.

Not that we’re in a situation where I could fake it anymore anyway.

Still… I’ll hold back a bit of strength.

Just in case we run into something really nasty deeper in.

“…By the way, Haruya, do you like surprise parties?”

“Hate ’em. Despise ’em. Loathe ’em. May all surprise parties be banished to the abyss.”

“W-What? That bad…?”

Yeah.

There is no way I’m ever letting anyone throw me another “Grand Hero Reveal Surprise Party.”

All those high-ranking officials staring at me like I was some rare zoo animal—

Just pressure and expectations raining down outta nowhere.

Someone… please understand my trauma.

Filio looked a little let down and absentmindedly rubbed the ring on her right hand.

That ring’s called the Lock-Lock Key: The All-Perfect Unlocker.

It channels her magic and can morph into just about anything—

Drills, bows, actual keys… you name it.

It’s both her main weapon and her Swiss-army-knife utility tool.

Basically?

A national treasure in accessory form.

Seriously, past-me—how did you not catch on sooner!?

Filio’s got the ultimate scout class.

She’d be a massive asset to any party.

So, I throw out a little compliment to shift the attention away from me.

“In another life, Filio, you’d totally be the Hero.”

“Me…? A Hero?”

“Sure. You’re basically a perfect fit for a Light-element character.”

Hoping Lily might jump in and change the topic, I sneak a glance her way.

“Lord Filio and Lord Haruya… If you support each other, your light will shine even brighter.”

Yup.

Just as I feared.

Her whole vibe right now is totally “Two radiant suns rising together~!”

Right.

New Hero candidates showing up shouldn’t mean the old ones get booted off the stage.

Great job, me. Way to make things awkward.

Filio, meanwhile, just gave a soft, slightly apologetic smile.

“I’m just a wandering thief, you know… Not exactly Hero material.”

Her breezy smile had a faint touch of resignation, and I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.

Now that I think about it…

Didn’t we have this exact same conversation in our past lives?

Back then, Lily was super hyped about ‘Hero Candidate: Filio Edition’, but at some point, she just quietly dropped the subject.

They still got along great, though.

Or… wait. Did something happen between them?

While I was busy spiraling into overthinking mode, Filio lightly tapped her ring.

“Chiave Sei—Curved Bow!”

A glowing magic bow materialized in her hands, and she immediately loosed an arrow—

Nailing a giant bat that had been hiding in the distance.

Her profile in that moment was like something straight out of a painting.

Seriously—how did I not notice her noble aura back then?

Ah, right.

My eyes were too busy focusing on her other assets.

Observation skills: nonexistent.

“Whew… Sorry, picked up on that one a little late.”

Filio kept her guard up, magical bow still drawn.

She used to have way better detection range in our past life…

But I guess she’s still working her way up again in this one.

“No worries. That was more than enough.”

“Hmm… There’s a faint trace of miasma in the air. It’s dulling my senses a bit.”

“Wait—there’s miasma?”

Miasma—

That nasty aura some monsters release every now and then.

The Demon King Chronova used to pour it out like a broken faucet.

It amplifies magical corruption and messes with your head depending on the type.

Chronova’s version would roast weak creatures alive and fry their sanity like eggs on a skillet.

Still, Filio smiled like it was no big deal.

“It’s not strong enough to cause immediate damage. Just a tiny trace, really.”

“But we don’t even know what kind of effect the miasma has, right?”

Filio gave a small nod.

Ugh.

This is such a pain.

Back when I had the goddess Flora’s blessing, I could sense this kind of evil energy no problem.

I could even get a rough idea of what it did.

But I lost that blessing when I reset time—

And I’ve got zero plans to ever get involved with her again.

So now we’re stuck in a Devourer’s Labyrinth.

The boss’s goal? Total mystery.

And now there’s miasma in the mix too.

…Are we walking straight into some seriously dangerous territory?

Back when I was the Hero, I had to step into death traps with a smile—

Because people expected me to be some “guiding light” or whatever.

But now?

It’s different.

Nobody even knows the Hero’s party ever existed.

Thanks to the timeline reset, these two haven’t even fully bloomed yet.

So I guess…

It’s up to me to make the smart call this time.

“Sooo… how about we head back?”

I threw it out real casual, like it was just a chill suggestion.

Filio hit me with that trademark, dazzling smile.

“Haruya, let’s keep going!”

“C’mon!! We already confirmed the monsters are strong, and there’s miasma down here. Just knowing that much is a big deal. The rescue team can use this intel. There’s no shame in backing off if it helps the mission!”

“…Yeah, you’re right.”

“And don’t even think about going off on a solo recon.”

“Huh? I mean—technically I’d be perfect for it! I’m sneaky! I’ve got stealth! I am the scout class!”

“Oi! Don’t act like that was my idea!”

Filio let out a cute little giggle—an “ehehe~” like everything was perfectly fine.

She was trying to pass it off like a joke—

But her eyes? Dead serious.

That sweet smile of hers had death flags written all over it…

Not now, maybe—

But somewhere down the line, I could already picture the grim reaper scribbling her name onto the calendar.

While I was busy stressing over that, Lily suddenly noticed something.

She gave my sleeve a gentle tug and pointed off into the distance.

All three of us turned to follow her gaze—

And there—pressed against the dungeon wall, trying her best to stay hidden—

Was the same little girl we’d met back on the surface.

“U-Um… I-I’m sorry… I followed you…”