I Wanted a Cute Girl to Cast Healing Magic on Me, So I Kept Protecting My Allies—and Ended Up with an Overprotective Party - 37

Chapter 37: Why Now of All Times?

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Since we had come all the way to the royal capital, we decided to visit the Adventurers’ Guild. After my little scuffle with Miya, it was decided that we would go on a dungeon exploration. The request was to defeat the boss.

There was a boss in the dungeon. In games, the existence of a boss was perfectly normal, but I couldn’t believe they actually existed in reality. The time was just before noon. It was still early enough for us to head out without any problem.

“Karinka-san, what do you think? Shall we go now?”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

After about two hours of travel, we arrived at a D-rank dungeon. It stood alone on a grassland far from the royal capital, a dome-shaped dungeon made of huge boulders. People often compare the size of things to ‘how many Tokyo Domes’ they would fill, but since I’d never even been to Tokyo, that comparison didn’t resonate with me at all.

Well, dungeons were usually much bigger on the inside than their appearance suggested, so you couldn’t judge their size just by looking at them. That was one of the mysteries of dungeons. By the way, the trip from the royal capital to this dungeon involved a mix of carriage and walking. Unlike the frequently used F-rank dungeons, there weren’t any regular carriage services here.

However, there was a carriage rental business. If you paid money, you could use a carriage with a driver and specify your destination. Of course, you couldn’t go straight to the dungeon entrance, but it worked like a taxi: it would drop you off as close as possible. At the entrance, knights belonging to the state stood watch, and to enter, you needed both your Adventurer Card and a request letter from the guild.

Once inside, it was pitch black. In F-rank dungeons, the country or the Adventurers’ Guild would sometimes set up lamps along the walls at regular intervals, but in most cases, those lights would disappear overnight even if installed. I took a flashlight from my tool bag. It didn’t actually run on electricity, but it looked almost the same. 

Apparently, it worked by sealing light magic inside, and flipping the switch would release that magic to illuminate ahead. However, the magic would eventually run out, and since it couldn’t be recharged, it was essentially a disposable item.

“All right, let’s go.”

I held the flashlight and stepped out in front. But Karinka-san immediately moved in front of me, forcing me to stop.

“Um, Karinka-san? I can’t move forward like this.”

“I’ll walk in front. So don’t stray from me, Rikuto.”

Wh-what should I do? She just told me “Don’t stray from me.” Karinka-san is being so bold all of a sudden!

When a beautiful, blonde, ponytailed older woman sayid something like that, it almost felt like I was under a ‘Charm’ status effect, and I might end up attacking my own allies.

“It’s okay. Besides, it’s dangerous if we don’t have light.”

“No, you’re reckless. And I have a light, too.”

I had my 【Damage Adjustment】 set to 『Unharmed』 right now, so I’d really be fine.

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

Gohah…! What a powerful thing to say…! 

Hearing that made me feel like I wanted her to take care of everything for me. And the way Karinka-san could say it so naturally…She really was amazing. Apparently, 【Damage Adjustment】 didn’t protect against emotional damage. 

…No, that’s wrong, calling it “damage” is rude. Karinka-san said out of pure kindness. 

“I really appreciate the thought. But I’m a frontliner too, so I can’t just keep letting myself be protected.”

After saying that, I tried to at least walk side by side with Karinka-san, but I ended up stopping again. Miya was on my left, and Emil on my right. The two beautiful girls pressed close to me, blocking me from moving forward. And in front of me was Karinka-san. Before I knew it, they had formed a complete encirclement around me—even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Emil, Miya, why are you both sticking so close to me?”

“I agree with Karinka-san. Don’t worry, I’ll keep a close watch on you.”

“I’m worried about you, Rikuto-san. I can heal injuries with Heal, but ideally speaking, I don’t want anyone to get hurt in the first place.”

“I understand, and thank you both. But I also don’t want anyone to get hurt. That’s why I’d be glad if you two stayed back.”

Miya had a skill for sensing presences, so she could detect things coming from behind. And since the skill had an effective range, it seemed she’d actually detect threats more quickly from the rear.

After some discussion, Karinka-san and I walked side by side, with the other two following behind us in formation. As we advanced over the rocky terrain, guided by the map distributed by the guild, Miya spoke up.

“There are monsters approaching from ahead. Two of them.”

And sure enough, monsters appeared in front of us. Their massive, light-blue bodies were several times my height, with bulging muscles. They wore fur pelts like primitive humans and held clubs so big it looked like they were swinging entire tree trunks.

Their most distinctive feature was the single eye on their foreheads—a Cyclops. I knew about them from the guild’s information, but seeing one up close was terrifying. They were clearly power-type monsters. I’d need to stay serious and keep my Damage Adjustment set to 『Unharmed』 for this fight.

“Karinka-san, I’ll fight too!”

“Well, I guess it can’t be helped since there are two of them. All right, I’ll leave one to you. You’re strong enough to defeat it now, so stay calm.”

“Yes!”

I made Emil and Miya fall back, then faced off with a Cyclops. Just the sheer difference in height was overwhelming. As expected, the Cyclops created an opening after swinging its club down. That would be my chance to counterattack. But that also meant I had to let it attack first—which meant dodging that club.

As I moved closer, the Cyclops immediately swung down its club. I dodged with a side step, the club slammed into the ground, and a tremendous noise echoed through the dungeon.

There!

I took advantage of the opening and slashed at its leg with my sword, trying to throw it off balance. I felt a solid hit, and confirmed a wound on the monster’s leg. It would take time, but my attacks were definitely working.

As I prepared for its next attack and turned to move back, something moving at high speed filled my vision. It was the Cyclops’ club, which, after missing, had continued into a horizontal sweep aimed straight at me.

“Gah…!”

The attack struck me head-on, sending me flying until I slammed into the dungeon wall. My whole body should have been shattered from the impact—but I felt no pain. A clear victory for Damage Adjustment.

Even if I take no damage, I still get blown away, huh…

It was the same during the joint exploration. When I took a direct hit from a shock spell, I wasn’t hurt but was still sent flying.

So I’m not completely invincible…?

As I started to think that, I felt a familiar sensation I hadn’t felt in a while—the feeling of leveling up. I didn’t even defeat the monster, so why now of all times? All I’d done was get hit by the monster’s attack. So that only left one possible explanation.

Could it be that Damage Adjustment evolves with experience, just like Emil’s Heal…?

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