第６０掘：覚醒する聖女 (Part1)
**Dig 60: The Awakening Saint**
**Side: Rurua**
"Haa, Yuki-san. I must say, this is quite boring."
"……Zzz."
"……"
I would love to know the reason why you had to come all the way over here just to sleep...
"Nn, ah. Leave Yuki be. Seraria’s group arrived the day before yesterday, apparently."
"Eh, is that so? Come to think of it, didn't you say it would be in fifteen days?"
"Besides, I’m keeping the fact that we’re protecting you, Rurua, under wraps. We can’t exactly send word carelessly. That’s why Yuki came here himself."
"Is that how it is? If Seraria-sama finds out you’ve been helping me, since that dungeon is technically under her command, it could become a matter of her own responsibility, couldn't it…?"
"That’s the size of it. Yuki has his hands full dealing with Seraria’s care and the management of the new settlers. Checking on things over here is quite the chore for him."
Yuki-san is nodding off right beside me.
...He must be incredibly exhausted.
"Ah."
As I lean in to look at him, the carriage jolts, and Yuki tips over, resting his head directly on my lap.
"Zzz... zzz..."
"Why is his breathing so quiet, I wonder? Honestly, I think he could afford to act a bit more his age."
According to his own confession, Yuki-san is eighteen years old.
But... I started to say something, then stopped.
There is clearly something going on, but I suspect his claim of being eighteen is a lie.
He must be younger than that.
Kiyu keeps himself looking young, but Yuki isn't just baby-faced... he is surely just trying to act more mature than he is.
After all, the person sleeping quietly on my lap right now looks far more like a young boy than a young man.
I stroke his hair unconsciously.
Even though this is Kiyu’s body, in my mind, I feel as though I am stroking the black-haired Yuki-san.
Yuki-san, what could have possibly driven a brilliant child like you to put on such a facade and end up saving the likes of us?
You could have lived a quiet life in your dungeon without ever getting involved with people like us, yet you chose such a painful, thorny path. What made you do it?
The same goes for me. Why did you push me forward? You could have just used me as a simple outlet for your desires.
If I were a nuisance, you could have hidden me from everyone or treated me cruelly until I was broken and compliant. Why didn't you?
From a political standpoint, your measures were far too lenient.
Yet, you found a way to turn it into a benefit, creating a situation that works for everyone.
Was it "not calling kindness, kindness" and "not letting waste be waste"?
It’s easy to say, but incredibly difficult to put into practice.
"Still, looking at that sleeping face, it’s hard to believe he’s the one leading us all."
"Indeed."
"Young lady, if you don't mind, could you just leave him be?"
"Yes, that’s fine."
And so, until he woke up, I spent the entire time stroking his hair, wondering what I could do to repay him.
*Clunk.*
"Fwah!?"
The violent jolt of the carriage causes me to jerk my head up. It seems I had fallen asleep as well.
"Zzz... zzz..."
"Ah."
It appears that at some point, I had been cradling his head.
From an outsider’s perspective, would we look like lovers?
Half of his head was buried, using my ample bosom as a pillow.
"For now, I am your older sister. Just for this moment, please stay like this."
Remembering that we had been posing as siblings on this journey, I try to justify the current situation.
Thinking back, when we were in the dungeon, I never saw his sleeping face because of Labyris and Ratz-san.
No, the truth is that I simply didn't have the composure for it.
Back then, I was just trying to curry favor with him to survive.
Ah, I see. He couldn't possibly embrace a woman who was only good for her body back then.
I didn't have enough value to him at that time.
A reason born only from the desire to live, without love, without wanting children, not for the sake of the country, not for my companions, not for my family, and not even for the prosperity of the dungeon.
Moreover, it was a condition merely suggested by those around me.
I don't think I could have ever loved a child born from such circumstances.
I couldn't even tell the child why they were born.
Actually, I might have committed suicide before even giving birth, had I stayed in that state.
As I think about this, Yuki-san in my arms begins to stir.
As if to confirm what he is pressing against, he kneads my chest with his hands.
"Nnnh!?"
A sound that was rather embarrassing to hear escaped my lips.
"Nn. Oh, Rurua’s breasts. Yeah, good texture, nice firmness. I like it. Anyway, thanks. I managed to get some good sleep."
"……Are you not going to apologize for kneading a lady’s chest like that?"
"No, you were the one who held me, Rurua. If that’s the case, you should at least allow that much. And I gave you a proper compliment, didn't I? I said I liked them."
"Well, I suppose that’s fine. But saying you like them means you are interested in my body, correct?"
"Well, it’s a magnificent body. Especially the chest. There are very few people who wouldn't be interested."
"Then, the next time we meet, will you hold me?"
"Why are we talking about that? Rurua, you’re no longer under the dungeon’s protection, and the talk from back then is off the table. By designating you as a protected person and having you leave, we avoided any information leaks. If this current matter fails, the secrets remain safe, and if it succeeds, you’ll be supporting us—the dungeon. We’re square now."
Yes, he is certainly correct.
However...
"What are you saying? If I provide support, it means I am publicly acknowledging Yuki-san’s dungeon. I cannot simply hand over supplies unconditionally. At the very least, someone will have to be stationed at the dungeon to monitor it."
"Well, I suppose that’s true."
"I believe I am the only one fit for the job. Don't you agree?"
"Well, it would be helpful to have someone who knows our internal situation stationed there."
As Yuki-san said, sending a newcomer to that dungeon would only increase the trouble.
Moreover, if they were an envoy from another country, having someone who could keep them in check would be very convenient.
In other words, me.
If I, the one who proposed this, lead the support efforts and use the pretext of monitoring the dungeon, it should be very convenient.
By that time, I should be in a position of some standing.
"But that’s no reason for me to hold you, is it? There’s no need for you to curry favor with me. It’s something you can handle on your own, Rurua."