Chapter 20: 20. Someone Else’s Precious Little Brat

[Title: Let’s Break Through a Wall with a Companion.]

(Nertube video.)

First, this is how you do it. Stand against a wall and repeatedly use the companion interaction buttons, ‘Carry,’ ‘Sit,’ and so on...

(A clip of someone getting sucked into a wall.)

That lets you glitch through it.

I don’t really recommend it, though. Your companion will keep moving straight toward you and rub against the wall.

You have to go back for your companion anyway, so just use it for fun.

Clipping through the floor is more useful, but you have to drop your frame rate, and then the lag makes the game hard to play.

If you fall beneath the map, you die instantly and have to try again, so be careful.

└Upvoted for the info.

└Upvoted for the info.

└Can you show us how to clip through the floor too?

└└Okay.

[Title: What the fuck is this bastard who calls me a kid?]

(The corpse of a suited character with narrow eyes.)

I definitely killed him last time, so why is he showing up again? And he keeps getting stronger?

└Hmm... I wonder...

└└? I’m asking who he is, you fucking bitch.

└└My, my. You’re quite the rough one, aren’t you?

└└You piece of shit, just fuck off.

└└Do not raise your voice so—do not raise your voice.

└└Blocked.

└└Ho? Passing ‘judgment’ on me? What an exceedingly comical sight...

└└LOL, narrow-eyes got a perfect TOEIC score.

└I’ll admit, the narrow-eyed guy is likable.

└So who the hell is he, really?!

└└Oh, he’s big bro. Big bro hands out experience like crazy.

└└If you meet him, consider yourself lucky. He’s the guy who showers you in experience.

└└What? That’s insanely sweet.

└└The only problem is...

└└?

└└What problem?

└└Sir?

└└At least tell us his name before you leave...

[Title: Enduring Sexual Harassment LV.999]

Failed.

└Failed.

└Failed.

└Utter failure.

└That’s a chicken coop...

└└It’s nicely cooked, though.

└Whoa, what is this? How did you take that?

└└It came from the official account.

└└I’ll be loyal to the developers for life.

***

Ding!

Ding!

[Level Up!][Level Up!]

"Waaah... Ethan... why...?"

I had leveled up, but I couldn’t pay attention to that right now.

What was the proper thing for an adult to do when a child had an accident...?

As a self-proclaimed professional little-sibling caretaker, I turned my head away, took off my outer robe, and gently offered it to the duke’s daughter along with some water.

The duke’s daughter stared at the robe with trembling eyes, then furrowed her brow and shouted.

"Eek! You’re only a man! I don’t need it! Are you making a fool of me!? Who... who are you to pity me!"

Tears streamed from her tightly shut eyes. Her entire body was covered in wounds and bruises, and her hands shook uncontrollably.

If she had been a fully grown adult, I might have simply told her to follow me on her own... but she must have been terrified.

She had been chased through this pitch-black labyrinth all this time, and in the end, someone she knew had nearly harmed her. I could understand it.

Her family could correct her rotten attitude themselves. For now, giving her somewhere safe came first.

I smiled as warmly as I could.

"How could I dare pity you? I simply have no sense of direction and need a clever companion. Think of this as a bribe."

"L-lies! Do you think I’d fall for an excuse like that?"

Ugh... this little brat... She could have just accepted it and pretended not to notice, but she was really something else.

I couldn’t exactly knock out a noblewoman and carry her off, so I silently repeated twenty gold coins to myself and spoke calmly.

"Without someone as dependable as you, I might end up dying alone in this labyrinth... Would you please help me?"

The duke’s daughter whined as she snatched my robe from me.

"Tch... This is so annoying..."

Then she lowered my robe beneath herself...

Scrub, scrub.

"...?"

"This is so embarrassing..."

No... I gave it to her to cover herself with... Twenty gold coins could buy dozens of these. Twenty gold coins could buy dozens of these. Twenty gold coins could buy dozens of these.

After she finished wiping herself, the duke’s daughter tossed the robe at me.

Whoosh!

"You didn’t obey my orders either! Just you wait! Hmph!"

...I grabbed the robe while touching it as little as possible, then swiftly put it into my inventory.

I should throw it out once we get outside...

The duke’s daughter’s legs trembled as she pressed a hand to the floor and tried to stand.

"Eek... ngh..."

When I walked over and held out my hand, the duke’s daughter glared up at me with fire in her eyes.

"You...! Uh... uh..."

The strength left her legs again.

Thud!

Splat!

Ah... I hadn’t even raised my younger sisters this badly...

I took out the robe again and handed it to the duke’s daughter.

"..."

"..."

"...My lady?"

"Yes? Ah, uh... Ah! Ugh..."

After the sound of scrub, scrub rang out once more, I held my hand out to her again.

If she failed to take it this time, I really didn’t think I could hold back.

Fortunately, when the duke’s daughter clasped my hand, she came right up like a radish being pulled from the ground.

I tried to ease her down gently, but her legs shook like those of a newborn fawn.

"This really... sucks... waaah..."

Swallowing a sigh, I offered her my back.

"Would you like a piggyback ride?"

"What? I-it’s fine! I—"

It wasn’t fine for me.

I bent down and pulled her arms around my neck.

When I straightened my legs, the duke’s daughter dangled from me and naturally wrapped her legs around my waist.

"I-I said it’s fine!"

"Could you hold the torch for me?"

"...All right... ugh..."

Seeing how she quieted down once I showed her kindness, I didn’t think her nature was bad.

"Then please guide me well, my lady."

"Mm..."

**

When I put the suited man’s spatial-storage bracelet in my pocket, the duke’s daughter whined, but I soothed her well enough.

Was this the backlash from being coddled too much? The duke’s daughter, who had finally opened up, began chattering in my ear nonstop.

I think I now knew what it felt like to encounter a mesugaki in real life.

When I only saw them in short comics, I could just snort and laugh it off, but meeting one in person...

"Vulgar... You’re utterly vulgar. Why are your shoulders so hard when you’re only a man? Your back is hard too... Hmph!"

"Ha ha..."

"A man carrying me on his back is a stroke of heavenly fortune, so consider it an honor!"

"Yes, my lady... But someone might hear us and come after us, so please be careful..."

"Hmph... Idiot. To throw away the chance to talk with me."

If it weren’t for you, I would have already escaped by now.

Well, it should be fine. I couldn’t sense anyone nearby, and the occasional goblins that appeared...

Swish! Splat!

"Kerrrk!"

The goblins fell with brief dying cries.

This much growth after entering only once... It might have been because I had found a bug, but the efficiency was incredible.

The duke’s daughter riding on my back flinched, then spoke in a small voice.

"You... Once we get outside, I might let you join my party..."

I would pass for now. How could I trust her enough to join and then plant my face in the ground?

Would she accept it if I used a skill as an excuse? I should discuss this with my master.

"Hey... Why aren’t you answering...? I said I’d let you join such an honorable group..."

It was hard to answer, so I changed the subject.

"Why did you enter the labyrinth, my lady?"

"What do you want to know for...? So annoying. Are you joining or not?"

"I entered because I wanted to find my family. We were separated by a great distance."

The duke’s daughter’s hands around my neck fidgeted, and she fell silent for a moment.

"Sorry..."

Oh... I really didn’t think she was a bad child at heart.

"Why are you apologizing? I’m the one who brought it up. What about you, my lady?"

The duke’s daughter buried her face in my shoulder and spoke in a muffled voice.

"I... wanted to be recognized... That’s all..."

I didn’t know what her circumstances were. Maybe she was the unwanted child in her family...

No wonder her defenses had seemed so strong.

After wondering what I should say, I decided to praise her kindly.

"You wanted to be recognized... That’s a wonderful reason."

"What...? You’re making fun of me, aren’t you? You think I’m pathetic too, don’t you?"

I felt sorry for a child who couldn’t accept praise as praise.

How little kind praise must she have received...?

"Not at all. I actually think you’re amazing. If someone were chasing me through a labyrinth, I don’t think I could endure it as well as you did."

"..."

"No matter what others say, I think you can overcome anything. Having so many wounds is also proof that you fought that desperately."

The duke’s daughter pressed her eyes tightly against my shoulder.

"You are more than impressive enough, my lady. At least, you seem admirable to me."

"How presumptuous... You’re only a man, and you say something like that to a woman?"

The duke’s daughter whined as she rubbed her eyes against my shoulder.

My shoulder was getting damp, so it seemed my consolation had helped a little.

As I smiled contentedly, the duke’s daughter spoke softly.

"...Your name."

Hmm... She would find out eventually, so what was the harm in giving her my name? If she had been a complete little brat, she probably wouldn’t even have asked.

"I’m Jang Ryu-o."

"You... Consider it an honor... I’ll remember your name."

"Thank you, my lady."

"So are you joining my party or not...? Answer already—"

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

At the sudden tremor in the ground, both the duke’s daughter and I froze.

"Huh...?"

I set the flustered duke’s daughter down on the ground.

Her eyes fluttered as she looked up at me tearfully.

"Y-you... Don’t leave me..."

"That’s not it, my lady! Close your eyes for a moment! I absolutely won’t leave you behind!"

"W-what...?"

"Hurry!"

"O-okay!!"

Watching the duke’s daughter squeeze her eyes shut, I immediately drove my head into the floor.

Thunk!

This tremor...

[You must beware a labyrinth rampage, child. First comes an earthquake...]

It seemed to be a sign of a labyrinth rampage.

Most labyrinth rampages occurred at the end of the month and spewed out somewhat stronger monsters.

‘But today is clearly the middle of the month...’

Cutting off those stray thoughts, I turned my head and quickly assessed the situation.

[Then monsters come pouring out.]

Goblin were... spawning all throughout the dungeon.

As I watched dark, liquid-like matter writhe and transform into monsters...

Ding!

[Transmigrant Title Activated! Strength +3]

Without even having time to be amazed by the secret of monster birth, I swiftly located the exit.

[Superior creatures will emerge, so run away quickly.]

On the way, I spotted Hobgoblins, superior variants of goblins.

Along with mercenaries panicking in the distance.

I memorized the route that would avoid them as much as possible, then pulled my head free.

Swoosh!

"My lady! Can you run?"

The duke’s daughter cracked her eyes open and answered timidly.

"Huh? Well, um..."

"Just say yes or no! Honestly!"

"I-I don’t think I can!"

The situation was at its worst. I scooped the duke’s daughter up in my arms and stood.

"Eek!"

"Do not let go with your arms or legs, no matter what! If monsters come from behind us, at least wave the torch!"

"O-okay!"

And so, I began to run.

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