The Virgin Hero Who Fought in the Dungeon for 20 Years Returned to the Surface Only to Find the Population of the World Has Dropped Drastically, with a Male-to-Female Ratio of 1:1000 - 17

Chapter 17: They Call It a Death Flag

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“Ah, I’m so full…”

After draining about  five liters of orange juice, Ryuuto then lay down on the bed.

“It’s so fluffy… Ufufu.”

Thinking about it, Ryuuto hadn’t experienced the softness of an actual bedding for twenty whole years while he was inside the dungeon. What he had instead was jagged rocks and cold soil. At any moment, if he let his guard down, monsters could attack and kill him. He had spent those years under extreme tension. 

Is this what it feels like to drift among the clouds in heaven?

“Come to think of it, she was soft too…”

Right after getting out of the bath, he had instinctively caught Yurina when she stumbled on her feet. Haruka,  a girl he had met in the dungeon, had been soft too, but Yurina had an added sweetness to her. Yurina was exuding a unique scent… A unique scent peculiar to women. An entirely different species from him. A separate creature altogether, even. A woman. Would the day ever come when he could become closer to women like them?

“I wonder….”

His head felt soft. His back, shoulders, arms, and legs—everything felt soft. It was so soft that it felt unsettling. The more he became aware of it, the more the discomfort grew. This bed was probably of the highest quality. The sheets were brand new, without a single wrinkle, and there wasn’t anything to complain about.

“I can’t sleep like this.”

He rolled off the bed and flopped onto the floor. The carpet laid out beneath him had a deep pile and was ridiculously fluffy, but even so, it had a solid firmness to it. That firmness brought Ryuuto a great relief. Gradually, his consciousness began to drift away. How long had he longed to live without fear of enemy attacks, without worrying about the cold or hunger? Before he knew it, Ryuuto had fallen into a deep sleep, and for the first time in twenty years, he dreamed. The dream was nostalgic and sweet.

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“You’re such an idiot.”

“Huh? W-wait, who are you calling an idiot?”

“You.”

“Oh, I see… So I’m an idiot, huh?”

“Don’t just accept it!”

He was in the deepest part of the dungeon, right before the final battle with the Demon Lord. Ryuuto was being harshly scolded by Rinka, one of his party members. At the very bottom of the dungeon that had appeared in the world, the Demon Lord—the one responsible for countless millions of deaths and the root cause of the world’s suffering— was waiting for them. Defeating the Demon Lord would put an end to the endless fighting and to accomplish this monumental feat, a party known as the “Saviors” had been assembled, consisting primarily of young boys and girls in their teens.

Their members were as follows:

1. 1. • • Ryuuto Sakazaki, an 18-year-old wielder of unconventional magic.

• • • • Shougen Genma, an 18-year-old swordsman and the main attacker.

• • • • Yoriaki Satake,an 18-year-old warrior who served as the shield, in charge of absorbing the enemy attacks. 

• • • • Kazuki Sakazaki, a 24-year-old all-rounder who could use both offensive and support magic.

• • • • Rinka Hoshioka Malmstein, the 16-year-old granddaughter of the Great Sage Sirius, specializing in healing and support magic.

Among the five chosen teens bearing humanity’s fate on their backs, Rinka had initially kept her distance from everyone, focusing solely on her mission with unwavering determination. However, Ryuuto’s peculiar tendency to disregard social norms and his inability to read personal boundaries shattered the walls she had built around herself. As a result, she began to open her heart to the party. Gradually, she grew closer to them, and in time, they forged strong bonds, becoming true comrades.

“If I’m not an idiot then I must be a genius.”

“You’re not!”

At least… They were supposed to be close.

“Come on, what are you so on edge about? Don’t overthink it. That Demon Lord’s already half-dead, you know? All we’ve got to do is let me confirm the kill and come back safely. Easy peasy, right? It will be over in a flash. You don’t need to worry about anything.”

“That kind of mindset is what makes you a brainless idiot! You idiot! You useless, pervert, peeping tom, underwear thief, blockhead, dimwit, numbskull!”

“Wait! Who are you calling a pervert?! I’m a gentleman!”

“Gentleman? You? Says who?! You’re just a walking sack of lust!”

“O-Oi! Throwing that insult at our very last moment is not okay, Rinka!”

“Don’t say this is our very last moment!”

“Are you… Crying-?”

“Idiot, idiot, idiot! Stupid Ryuuto! What are you going to do if the Demon Lord turns out to be perfectly fine?! We only barely managed to corner the Demon Lord while working as a team! So… Why, why do you have to go and risk yourself all alone?! It took all of us to weaken the Demon Lord so… No! Absolutely not! I won’t let you go!”

“Listen, just hear me out—”

“If someone needs to finish him, let Shougen do it! It will be just like usual, right?! If he dies, at least no one will mourn over him!”

“Oi, oi…”

“Seriously… Your big sister is going to cry, you know…”

“You know, Rinka, that guy was ogling on your drying underwear earlier.”

“I knew it. Let’s send Shougen.”

“You…”

“O-Oi! Hold up! That’s not true! I’m being framed here!”

“Anyway, jokes aside… Nee-chan’s injuries are really bad. We can’t treat her properly here and Yoriaki is quite literally full of holes from shielding us. Besides, I’m the one who took the least damage since I was casting spells from the back. This is our only chance to finish the Demon Lord. You understand what I’m talking about, right, Rinka?”

“But still—”

“Rinka. You said it once, didn’t you? You said you liked how I always give it my all.”

“Ryuuto…”

“I’ll come back. I swear. Believe in me. Or was your faith in me all for show? Maybe you don’t actually believe in me?”

“It’s not for show!”

Ryuuto had already sensed that the Demon Lord, who had fallen into the depths of the abyss, was still alive. Not only Rinka but the other party members were also trying to stop him from going alone. Yet no one could dissuade Ryuuto once he had made up his mind. Even his big sister, Kazuki, couldn’t stop him and she was opposed to this notion more fervently than Rinka. She understood this would be a farewell for eternity. 

As Rinka stood at the edge of the abyss, the ominous red glow from the abyss was being reflected in her golden eyes. Her long hair was tousled by a faint breeze and her once-pristine holy robes were now stained black with blood. Despite that, she still looked beautiful. 

Ryuuto gently pulled Rinka, a head shorter than him, into his arms. The petite girl clung to him with surprising strength, as if she was trying to anchor him in place.

“Please, come back quickly. If you don’t, I… I’m not going to wait for you forever, you know?”

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t want that.”

He responded teasingly and tears spilled from Rinka’s golden eyes. At that moment Ryuuto swore to himself that  would survive and return to the surface. No matter how many years passed or how their relationship might change, as long as the two of them were still alive, they would meet again.

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