"Well, I'll head to bed early again today, and we'll be grinding levels in the dungeon tomorrow. I know you're aware, but apparently my level-up rate is slower than others', so I'll have to work harder if I ever want to catch up to Kuro. Otherwise, I'll never be able to keep up with her."

"Slower level-up...? I've never heard that before."

"Huh? Ah... right. I forgot you didn't know about me being disliked. Well, it's not exactly complicated. Apparently, I'm disliked by spirits, so my growth is just slightly slower than normal."

"Isn't that a pretty serious disadvantage...?"

"Nah, it's not a big deal. As long as we're not rushing through RTA runs, we can just take our time with the dungeon. And even if we don't, we've already taken the resistance to aging skill, so we're fine."

Though Jeanne doesn't seem to mind much, if that logic holds, then me, the 'beloved one,' should be growing faster, shouldn't I?

I'm not really sure if I'm growing quickly or not—there's no benchmark to compare against.

Still, I do have the distinct feeling that I'm getting stronger day by day.

"Anyway, until I get a weapon, I need to keep leveling up. I'm worried about the third floor, but I haven't even fully cleared the second yet."

"Fully cleared? Until you beat the mantis?"

"Exactly. I ran into one just recently, but I decided not to fight it."

"You didn't think you could win?"

"No... I felt like I might have been able to, but Flora was with me too. I couldn't risk anything going wrong."

"Yeah, how about we clear the floor together until the mantis appears? After two runs, I'm sure it'll show up at least once. Either way, we should test whether I can take down a mantis solo—otherwise, accidents are a real concern."

If Jeanne finds it hard to level up, I can just support for a while. Either way, soloing the third floor is tough. It's not impossible, but accidents could happen, and there's also the Garden Panther to worry about.

"So, starting tomorrow, let's race to see who can defeat more monsters while clearing the second floor."

"Isn't racing dangerous?"

It's okay if I get a few scrapes. I've got natural healing and potions, after all. More importantly, getting too used to playing it safe could be dangerous when things get tight. You should understand, right? You're way more reckless than I am—wearing hardly any armor at all.

"Well, that's certainly true. Heh heh."

Descending just one level in the labyrinth drastically increases the strength of the monsters.

Even if you stick to levels matching your own power, aiming for the lowest floor inevitably means facing foes stronger than you, or getting into life-or-death situations through accidents.

If you panic then, it's over.

That's probably what Jeanne is trying to say—that how you fight in normal times is what matters most to avoid disaster in those critical moments.

We're not just delving into the labyrinth to earn a living.

If it were just about making money, I could easily secure my future by continuing to explore the second floor.

"Mmm!?"

Jeanne is looking around nervously again, sensing something.

"Is it just my imagination...? I felt that sharp, arrow-like gaze again..."

"Maybe you're just tired?"

Today, all I have left to do is eat, take a bath, and go to sleep.

Ever since Jeanne arrived, I've somehow managed to settle into a stable routine.

I still haven't figured out her taste in food, so we end up eating out a lot—partly because I've been working nonstop in the labyrinth, but also because I'm thinking it's about time I started cooking for myself.

　

(Or maybe I should just hire a maid after all.)

I've been trapped in the labyrinth nonstop from morning until evening, and I'll probably keep going at this pace for a while, so there's no time to do housework.

Outsourcing household chores would be a perfectly reasonable option.

"What about food? If you're tired, we could just grab something light from a street vendor."

"Yeah, that works."

Jeanne agreed to my suggestion, and we decided to eat at a street stall.

Incidentally, all our equipment is stored in my shadow storage, so neither of us is carrying anything. It's really convenient to have shadow storage, especially in situations like this.

There's a section of the city, almost like a street market, located not far from the labyrinth and bustling with many adventurers.

There are meats, fish, and vegetables. There are noodles, bread, and fried foods too. Rice is absent, perhaps because it's not cultivated around here, on the continent. It might not even exist at all, though.

Incidentally, you can make onigiri with crystal, so it's not like you can't eat. I'm fairly adaptable when it comes to food, so I wouldn't bother exchanging for it specifically.

After briefly parting ways with Jeanne, I casually pick up whatever I feel like buying.

I get skewered grilled meat and fried bread.

Since both of us eat a lot, we buy in large quantities. I've seen someone eat five or six skewers—fairly large ones—even on their own, and after finishing a variety of dishes, they'll go on to eat noodles too. It's common.

Street stalls sell all kinds of food, so just walking around and eating is enjoyable.

Perhaps the viewers would also enjoy a place overflowing with that otherworldly atmosphere, I vaguely thought as I went about buying various things.

"You bought all this?"

"Yeah. I'm starving. I've been exploring without eating lunch again."

Jeanne returned with her arms full of assorted items.

I rarely feel hunger inside the labyrinth, but that's probably because I'm favored—eternally supplied with spiritual energy.

Conversely, Jeanne lacks that supply, so even if it's better than outside, she still gets hungry in the usual way. Maybe I should bring her lunch next time.

"I'm starving. Really starving, Cro. My hands are full—can you feed me?"

"Eh, eh, what?"

"Aaah~"

Jeanne closed her eyes and opened her mouth.

Hmm... In Japan, this kind of thing is usually something lovers do together...

But in France, it must be different. It's just that their hands are occupied—nothing more, nothing else.

Even though we're in a different world, it's strange how we still feel the gap in culture, even between fellow Earthlings.

As I fed Jeanne skewered meat and fried bread, and ate myself, the atmosphere around us started to stir.

There was something eerie about it.

It felt like the pressure of a demon suddenly appearing in the middle of a bustling city.

"So he's finally revealed himself. I felt eyes on me all day—this is the culprit."

Jeanne said, her gaze fixed ahead in the crowd.

I turned around too. And there he was—

"—huh?"

Her platinum blonde hair, glowing brightly even in the twilight.

Her large, almond-shaped eyes, sharp and defiant.

Legs so long they seemed to stretch halfway down her slender frame.

A massive sword slung across her back, like a block of iron.

"Reflia!?"

It was Reflia—she was supposed to have returned to her family's home in Syltion after taking the Temple Knight trial.

"Here, here, here, this one! Hikaru's cheater! Aaaah!"

The moment our eyes locked, Reflia let out a scream, standing in a defiant stance.

The bustling night market, packed with people—everyone's gaze now fixed on me and Reflia.

"Oh! So this is the infamous lover (..). She's quite the beauty, isn't she?"

Jeanne chirped with her usual cheer, but I wasn't in the mood for that.

Could it be that you're misunderstanding something incredibly seriously? No... wait

, no, that's not it. I'm being treated

like a cheater! And just what

are you doing here? What's going on with the Holy Knight

exam!? "It's me! I was only gone for a little while—just a tiny moment! How could this have happened?! Is this even reasonable?! Is this even reasonable?! Who is that woman?! She seems awfully cozy with you, doesn't she?!" Reflia approaches

with angry strides, shoulders tense. There's an intense

aura radiating from her—something even stronger than when she fought the Demon

King. "Reflia, shouldn't you have returned

home by now?" "Home?! Does that mean I shouldn't be back?! It's only been a few days since I left, and yet you're already flirting and cuddling with some stranger..."

"Aah, no, no, no, she's not really like that at all...?"

"Hmm? I heard you bought an expensive Gojitsu Plate from the shop I recommended, and even gave it to her? And you fed her food, like, 'Aaaah'? You really did all that? I'm completely shocked—I can't even process this situation. Hey, Hikaru? You're Hikaru, right?"

"No, it's not like that at all. It's just a misunderstanding."

Even though it really wasn't that way, somehow it came out sounding like an excuse.

It's probably because Refreia's energy is just too intense.

Or maybe... I'm feeling guilty about something involving Jeanne? About me?

No, that's not it. No, it can't be."

But I’m certain Reflair isn’t the type to simply understand with a "I see, I see."

What should I do...?