Chapter 44: Third Layer To Sixth Layer【Side：Leonhardt】│Read translated stories and daily updates at: Awebstories.com

“…Leon.”

Leonhardt looks up as a clear, soft voice calls.

Lysette dashes toward him, her long, light-blond hair swaying.

“Lysette?”

Lysette’s blue eyes welled up with tears, and she leapt into Leonhardt’s arms, happily.

“Leon, thank God. I missed you so much.”

“Lysette! I’m glad you’re safe…”

Leonhardt wraps his arms around her frail frame.

Lysette, in Leonhardt’s arms, looked exactly like she did when he last saw her, unharmed. That made him extremely happy.

“I fled from the dragon. I’m glad I ran into Leon… Please don’t abandon me again.”

“… I will always protect you.

“I’m glad…”

She looks up at Leonhardt with blue eyes, as if she is yearning for a star that is unreachable.

A gentle hand reaches out and touches his cheek.

“Take me to a place where no one knows who we are—please keep me safe.”

“Lysette… you… are… this is completely surreal!”

Sensing danger, he pushes Lysette away, and she vanishes like a mist.

“Succubus… No, a dream demon… Curse your cowardly mental attack!.”

He directs his rage at the blank white space.

Leonhardt becomes aware that he is dreaming. He also recalls having to take turns sleeping on the third shift.

He is relieved that he has recovered. He would have been trapped in the dream and would not have woken up for a long time if he hadn’t.

Leonhardt tries to force himself awake, but he does not. He is still under the spell of the dream demon.

But there’s nothing else to be concerned about.

Dreams are just dreams. Even if the other party is a dream demon, once he realizes it is a dream, he has the initiative.

As he was on guard, he felt a presence appear behind him.

She turned around to see a woman with rich red hair standing there with a grim expression.

“Erene…”

A gifted mage and his former fiancée, as well as a party member.

“Are you still going to stay here, Leonhardt-sama?”

Her languorous expression, the bright red lips, her lovely voice. Everything is exactly as he recalls.

She lets out a sigh.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself; why don’t you just buy a dragon child and bathe in its blood? You went to such lengths to defeat a true dragon, and you didn’t give up after one failed attempt…”

Erene shakes her head and frowns at Leonhardt.

“Are you trying to kill me? Don’t go out with your self-satisfaction.”

“…”

Even though Leonhardt is aware that he is in a dream, the words pierce him mercilessly.

They were words that had been said to him before.

Dream demons are known for their ability to create such illusions.

It’s the best kind of harassment.

“Leonhardt-sama, that’s enough. Forget about the Dragon and the coming-of-age ritual. Let us forget everything and return to our country to live peacefully as subjects, okay?”

“…She said the same thing to me.”

On the verge of party separation, Leonhardt turned down the offer, and as a result, he found himself alone in the dungeon, dying.

Even if he could go back to that moment again, he would not take her hand.

Unarmed, he imagined his sword was here and suddenly materialized in his hand.

He drew his sword.

“Begone!”

A swing of his sword jolts him awake.

“Leon? hey Leon! Are you okay?!”

He saw Dee’s face when he opened his eyes again.

“Dee…?”

“Phew~, you’re awake now—you looked like you were having a nightmare.”

The others are sound asleep. Leonhardt appears to have been awoken by Dee, the watchman.

“…I forgot about it. I think it was a dream demon…”

“Oh, sh*t. What a waste to forget. Maybe it’s a good dream.”

“It wasn’t my fault… I believe it is person-related… take the rest, I’ll take it from here.

“Oh, thanks—good night.”

Dee quickly slips into his sleeping bag and falls asleep.

Leonhardt stood alone by the candlelight, watching the dungeon’s darkness and reflecting on his dream. He thought he had dreamt about Lysette, but he couldn’t recall anything.

He wishes to meet the genuine Lysette as soon as possible.

He’d like to hear her voice.

He wants her to be safe.

He didn’t require a break.

He didn’t need much to eat.

He simply desired to go deeper.

His body and mind are impatient, but he must control them with logic.

—I can’t afford to fail due to impatience.

Leonhardt was well aware that a healthy diet and a good night’s sleep were required to conquer the dungeon.

—○█○—

The fourth layer.

The area of thick greenery where the wind blows.

The monsters were becoming more powerful, but Gunter and Douglas were both excellent physical attackers, so the party did not receive damage in battle, and the search went on smoothly.

They didn’t see Kanatoko this time. They ate Cockatrice and Harpy eggs while hoping Kanatoko was doing well.

Harpy eggs, in particular, were an important source of nutrition. They cooked them with edible grass in a pot before proceeding to the next layer.

—○█○—

The fifth layer.

The bounty hunters had already disappeared from the fifth layer’s ruined town. The majority of the large monsters had also vanished.

They found the garden with a fallen Trent tree after killing a Minotaur and roasting its meat, and ate some grapes to fill their stomachs and save some for Lysette before going down.

—○█○—

The sixth layer.

Leonhardt’s party finally reaches the sixth layer, and he feels an excitement he has never felt before.

They’ve finally made it this far.

It’s only been four days, but he feels like he’s been wandering around the dungeon for a long time, almost to the point of fainting.

He could not have gotten this far on his own.

Thanks to his companions, he is finally in front of the door to the room where the dragon is.

He’s standing in front of this door for the third time.

—Lysette is probably on the other side. Whatever happens, whatever she looks like, I will save her.

Leonhardt pushes open the door with this determination.

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