“We’ll Definitely Come Back to Save You!” — It’s Been Three Years Since I Was Left in the Most Difficult Dungeon, Isn’t It About Time for Help to Arrive...?

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Chapter 22: I Won’t Let You Get Away

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“What the—hey!? What the hell are you all doing!?”

As expected, even he hadn’t anticipated this turn of events. The previously smug Wurfe burst between the girls, flustered.

“Our target is that guy, Athos! Quit messing around and hurry up and finish him off—!”

“Shut up already! You’re in the way!”

“BUHOH!?”

Having gotten too close too casually, Wurfe took a kick to the gut at point-blank range and crumpled to the ground, knees trembling.

“I’m the one who’s going to prove how strong he is…! I’ll beat him myself…!”

“Weren’t you listening…? Athos is mine! So back off…!”

With a fireball in her right hand and an ice shard in her left, Midi charged at Ripley. The pressure radiating from her petite frame, barely over 150 cm, was so intense that even from a distance I could feel it against my skin.

“This has nothing to do with you! Just leave it to me!”

“That’s not going to happen…! You all swarmed Athos, got to be happy with him, and you don’t even know how much I’ve had to endure…!”

Eishia interjected in their argument, magical light swirling around her from her enhancement spells as chains of light writhed in the air.

“I won’t give him up…! This time, I’m going to be the special one…!”

“I don’t care about that…! If you’re going to get in my way—then I’ll take you down, right here and now…!”

“Fine by me…! Bring it on!”

“Stop!!”

I couldn’t hold back anymore. Brushing past Hel who tried to restrain me, I stepped in front of the three and shouted from the heart.

“Eishia! Ripley! Midi! What’s wrong with you girls!? This kind of infighting isn’t like you!”

“Athos-san…”

“Athos…”

“………………”

“I don’t know why you’re fighting, but if you’re doing it because of me, then stop it right now! I don’t want to see you all fighting like this!”

Whether my words reached them or not, the three froze simultaneously.

“…That’s right. Our goal is Athos-san, after all…”

“Fighting like this isn’t getting us anywhere, that’s for sure…”

“…Then what we need to do is clear…”

All three turned their gazes directly at me, not wavering a millimeter. The only one in their sights—was their singular target.

“Whoever gets him first wins… You’re okay with that, right?”

Ripley cracked her knuckles, flashing a predator’s glare.

“…Yeah.”

Midi focused magic into her staff, her gaze unwavering.

“No problem… I will definitely make him mine…”

Eishia bathed herself in light, smiling in a daze of ecstasy.

“Y-You guys…?”

“””Athos (san)…♪”””

Zzzzzzt!

Why…? I didn’t know the reason, but I couldn’t stop trembling. Somehow, I had this terrible, unshakable feeling—if any one of them caught me now, something would happen that I could never undo.

“Ahhh… So it turned out like this after all…”

Hel looked at me, shrugging with an expression that practically screamed, “You really did it now.” like it was my fault that this was happening.

“H-Hel! We’ve gotta run! Before they get serious—!”

“…If that’s your plan, it’s already too late.”

“Eh—?”

The moment I looked back at the three—

—A kick, a spell, and a chain came at me all at once.

Panicked, I grabbed Hel’s hand and bolted from the spot. Behind us, each of the three unleashed their own brand of madness, chasing our shadows with cries that chilled me to the bone.

“Athos-san, please wait…!”

“Athos!!!”

“…I won’t let you go…”

“No no no no no!? Wait! I’m the one who wants you to stop!!!”

Desperately running, I clutched my head in disbelief. I just wanted to return to town and reunite with my party—and now I was somehow a wanted man, being hunted like prey…?

Close behind, light-speed legs, a blessed fist, and overwhelming magical power all bared their fangs to claim me.

“…Your companions sure are colorful, Athos. They never get boring.”

“Now’s not the time for amusement! This isn’t a joke—we have to run, now!”

Snapping at Hel’s deadpan words, I tried to widen the distance from the murderous intent gaining behind me. But then—

“““I won’t let you get away..”””

“UWAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!?”

I screamed instinctively. No matter the danger, I had always tried to stand firm in front of my comrades—yet this was the first time I’d ever truly felt it… A primal, instinctive fear.

“…Where do you think you’re going, Athos-san…?”

“…I’ll end it all right here…”

“…Everything… Will be mine…”

Surrounded, with three girls whose eyes gleamed with something unnatural closing in—I finally understood. My escape route never existed in the first place.

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Chapter 23: That Was an Accident! It Doesn’t Count!

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“—Flash of Lightning: Revolt!”

No sooner had I been surrounded than a blinding flurry of kicks came flying at me. I lightened my stance and caught one of them head-on. The impact pushed me back, giving me just enough time to recover my footing. I swung my sword in sync with my reflexes.

“Take this!!!”

Twisting my body to add power, my sword slash caught Ripley just as she launched into another kick.

“—Tch!”

Rather than aborting her move, Ripley deliberately sped up and used the tip of her foot to kick my blade, using the recoil to launch herself backward.

“—Chains of Radiance: Aksalm Lumia!”

As Ripley retreated, Eishia made her move. Chains of light shot out from the magic circle on the ground, attacking from every direction.

“Not yet!!!”

Though my previous strike had missed, the force was still intact. I poured everything I had into my embedded greatsword, launched myself upward as I tore through the earth, and used my vertical spin to slash through the light chains.

Shatter!

The radiant chains broke apart into countless glowing fragments. I landed, then immediately angled my sword sideways and lunged forward, slamming into Ripley with a shoulder bash.

“Urgh…!”

No matter how much she’d refined her kicks, in that unstable position, she couldn’t unleash anything powerful. And being so close meant Eishia couldn’t get a clear shot either. At least now I had a brief moment to take stock of the situation. I scanned my surroundings and burned the scene into my mind.

I’m fighting Eishia and Ripley at the same time. Eishia’s been trying to bind me with chains, so her attacks are infrequent. On the other hand, Ripley is coming straight for me with everything she’s got. If I want to escape, I have to deal with these two first…

While keeping Ripley pinned so she couldn’t slip away, I used her body as a shield to block Eishia’s line of sight, disrupting any potential chain attacks.

As for Hel…

A quick glance showed that Hel was engaged in a one-on-one duel with Midi. Though Hel’s ability allowed her to nullify Midi’s spells, the barrage of magic being thrown at her left her mostly on the defensive.

They were evenly matched. If either side got help, the balance would tip instantly. But there weren’t any adventurers around strong—or crazy—enough to jump into their fight. Wurfe was still doubled over from the hit Ripley gave him earlier, totally out of commission.

“…You’ve got some nerve looking away, don’t you think? Athos…!”

Ripley gritted her teeth and glared at me. Her strength gradually increased, and our grappling turned into an even struggle.

“…Damn it, this used to be enough to keep her down…!”

Cold sweat ran down my face as I realized just how much stronger she’d gotten. And yet—I couldn’t help but smile.

“You’ve really improved, Ripley…! Fighting you like this… Yeah! It wouldn’t feel right any other way!”

The memories of our daily sparring matches came rushing back, and I found myself blurting it out from pure nostalgia. That one line made Ripley suddenly freeze.

“Wha—!? Wh-what are you saying all of a sudden…?! I’m an adventurer, this much is normal! It’s not like I got stronger because I wanted you to praise me or anything…!”

Though her voice grew louder, the strength in her limbs faded.

“Idiot! Don’t let your guard down now—!”

With our balance thrown off, I slipped, and instinctively grabbed Ripley’s shoulder to avoid falling.

“Eh—!? Kyaa!!?”

All of my weight came crashing down on her. Like a landslide, we collapsed to the ground together, landing with a heavy thud—and a faint but firm pressure beneath me.

“Ouch… Ripley, are you okay? Did you hit—”

Just as I tried to ask, the ground beneath my palm began to squirm. It felt oddly soft. Maybe the soil was loose from our fight?

“~~!!”

A shrill, not-quite-human noise came from directly underneath me. I looked down—and saw Ripley, her ears bright red, frozen stiff like she’d been hit with paralysis. Her mouth opening and closing silently. The cause was immediately clear. My right hand was next to her face… While my left hand was firmly pressing into her chest. Yes. It was an absolute critical hit.

“S-sorry, Ripley! A-are you okay…?”

I asked, practically whispering, but she still seemed too stunned to reply. I froze, unsure what to do, hoping her flushed face would return to its normal color.

Thud!

“Owww!!!”

Her forehead smacked into mine with full force. It was a perfect headbutt.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, you idiot?!”

While I reeled in pain, she scrambled back, clutching her chest and glaring at me with the sharpest glare she’d ever given.

“Idiot…? You’re the one who went limp all of a sudden—”

“Shut up, idiot! That… That was cheating…!”

Ripley screamed, her emotions fully on display. For a moment, I saw a glimpse of her from three years ago—

Pinch!

“OW OW OW OW OW!!!”

I looked over to see Hel, who should’ve still been in battle, puffing her cheeks and pinching my side with a pout.

“That may have been a foul just now. Shall we assign a penalty? Maybe… One finger?”