Kumodesu

[Loyral's POV]

Kingdom of Lubberia, June 15th, Year 1 of Arsorl.

I had just woken up after a night spent in my research room… well, to be precise, I hadn't really slept—just dozed off a bit. Lately, the research projects had been piling up, and everyone was basically working overtime.

I was no different.

But I wasn't too exhausted thanks to my [Sleep Resistance] skill. These days, sleep was more of a hobby than a necessity.

I walked out of the research room and made myself a cup of coffee.

A fellow colleague also stepped out and greeted me.

We currently worked for Lubberia's Royal Research Institute, with the main goal of developing special "Magical Tools" that possess unique effects.

The state of Lubberia had been unstable in recent years due to the prolonged conflict with the Garat Empire. Though no major battles had officially taken place, the atmosphere was tense. Adding to the trouble, there had recently been a power struggle within the royal family over the throne, making things even more difficult.

Eventually, the conflict ended with the Second Prince, Arsorl, ascending to the throne.

Realizing that humans couldn't keep up with the constant battles, King Arsorl launched a new research initiative. Its main objective was to create powerful artifacts—"Magical Tools"—to compensate for the lack of combat skills among the people.

I was one of the few chosen to participate in this project.

My name is Loyral Amarest. I just turned 20 this year, but thanks to my talent and dedication, I passed the rigorous selection process.

The project had made some progress—at least we'd managed to establish a complete operational theory for the Magical Tools. But putting it into practical use? That was still a long way off.

"Loyral."

I was deep in thought when a voice cut through and pulled me back to reality.

Normally, I would've been annoyed by the interruption, but I recognized the voice and simply smiled as I turned around to respond.

"Miss Seryl, it's still early, isn't it?"

That was Seryl Trant, another colleague of mine. She was a year older than me and had also joined the institute thanks to her talent.

I still remembered when I first joined the research institute. Everyone was so competitive and obsessed with achievements, but Seryl had been the only one willing to lend me a helping hand. Because of that, I had always felt a special sense of camaraderie toward her.

Seryl chuckled and replied, "People like us don't care about early or late anymore, do we?"

"True."

I handed Seryl a cup of coffee.

"Thanks."

"Anything new on your end?"

After accepting the coffee, Seryl asked me.

Although we worked in the same institute, we belonged to different departments. I was in charge of researching the Magical Tool's core, while Seryl was responsible for constructing its outer casing.

Even though our departments were different, our work was closely related, so we often discussed things together.

"There actually is. Theoretically, to maintain the core's stability, we need to provide a balanced element. We can't just throw in any random element."

"The elements need to be interlinked, but such links are usually unstable unless we use a specific intermediary ore: Uranium."

Seryl listened attentively, then asked, "Uranium—isn't that the ore with an extremely high elemental crystallization factor?"

"Exactly! Combined with an outer shell made from Ranturium, we'd have a perfect Magical Tool inside and out. On top of that, Uranium and Ranturium also have strong synergy."

"That's excellent news."

Seryl gave me a look of admiration, but I couldn't help showing a bitter expression.

"What's wrong? You should be happy."

I took a sip of coffee before continuing. "What you might not know, Miss Seryl, is that Uranium is a rare ore only found in the Great Ebrinat Dungeon. Lubberia's current reserves are too low for use. Not to mention, failures during crafting will waste materials even more."

This had been giving me a headache for days.

"What's the higher-up saying?"

"No response yet, but I've heard they're planning an expedition to the Great Ebrinat Dungeon. I don't know the exact purpose, but apparently, a few researchers will have to go along."

Seryl finished her coffee and gave my shoulder a pat. "Don't worry. That's not your responsibility anyway. Just focus on doing your part well."

"Thanks, Miss Seryl."

"No need to be so formal. I'll be heading back now." Seryl waved goodbye and left.

I watched her back and suddenly called out, "Miss Seryl!"

She turned around, a puzzled look on her face.

I felt a bit flustered but still spoke up. "At noon… would you like to have lunch with me?"

Seryl smiled and nodded before walking away.

I let out a sigh of relief.

…

A few days later, I really did receive confirmation that the Kingdom was organizing an expedition to the Great Dungeon.

The goal this time was to gather more resources to craft weapons and armor…

The list of participants was quickly published, and to my surprise… both I and Miss Seryl were included?!

I began to worry, as everyone knew just how dangerous the Great Ebrinat Dungeon was. The monsters in the upper floors were already terrifying in number and strength. Uranium, however, could only be found below the 15th floor.

After seeing the list, I immediately went to find Seryl.

She was reading a report in her room but set it aside when I entered.

"Miss Seryl… did you see the expedition list…?"

My voice trembled slightly.

"I saw it."

Seryl was calm.

"This doesn't make any sense. That place is so dangerous…"

Before I could finish, she cut me off.

"Are you scared?"

I didn't know how to respond… I was scared, yes. But more than that, I was worried about…

"I'm scared… that you might be in danger."

"Then, if I was in danger, would you save me?"

"Of course. I would never leave you behind."

I said that with every bit of determination I had.

"Then I feel safe with you around."

Seryl smiled gently at me.

In that smile, I saw tenderness and reassurance—but also fear. Her tightly clasped hands, occasionally trembling, proved that she was more anxious than I was.

"I will protect you, no matter what."

I declared that with all my resolve.

"Thank you."

Two days later, our entire group gathered at the city gates.

To my surprise, the expedition included people from many different backgrounds. Soldiers made up three-quarters of the group, while the rest were noble heirs with their attendants. Probably hoping to earn military merit.

I wasn't unfamiliar with this kind of thing.

As for us researchers, there were eight of us in total, led by Deputy Director Reo.

The entire group numbered over 500.

That only made me more anxious. The more people, the slower we'd move.

There were a few fast travel options like speed or flight skills, or even teleportation—but teleporting this many people was out of the question.

Those with flight skills went ahead to scout the route, as they couldn't carry many passengers.

We, researchers, rode together in a carriage, positioned near the center of the formation. Our importance ranked just below the nobles.

If all went well, we were expected to reach the Great Dungeon after 34 days of travel.

Not too long, but long enough for many things to go wrong.

Sitting beside me was Seryl. Though she appeared composed, I could still see her hand trembling now and then.

I wanted to reach out and hold that hand, but every time I tried, I hesitated and withdrew.

Instead, I took a candy from my bag and handed it to her. She gave me a questioning look.

"Sour candy."

"Who offers sour candy to a girl?"

"Sourness helps calm nerves."

I gave a casual explanation.

Seryl chuckled, took the candy, and popped it into her mouth.

She shivered slightly, but smiled once again.

"Thank you."

That smile—I must protect it.

…

Ten days had passed. We had arrived near the city of Rolat. So far, things had gone smoothly.

But that likely wouldn't last.

We were about to pass through a long valley—perfect ambush terrain for monsters or even people.

During the journey, I'd thought up various worst-case scenarios and how to deal with them, including how to protect myself.

Naturally, these plans only covered me and Seryl.

Though my fellow researchers were friendly, I couldn't afford to protect everyone.

Seryl seemed to be getting used to the journey and looked less worried.

We'd spent our lives buried in research, and now we were out here exploring, seeing the landscapes of the Mesa Continent—it all felt surreal.

The scenery was beautiful, but I never let down my guard.

Just one more day, and we'd reach the valley. The terrain was mountainous and forested—not ideal for moving a large group.

…

The next morning at dawn, we reached the edge of the forest.

The commander immediately ordered a halt and sent scouts with tracking skills ahead.

An hour later, they returned—battered and bruised, as if they'd fought monsters.

The commander's face darkened after hearing their report.

I thought I knew what they'd encountered.

Most likely… Gatisors.

These monsters moved in packs. Even newborns were the size of a grown adult, and full-grown ones were three times as large.

They bred and matured extremely fast, so their packs were massive. Even a small one had close to a hundred.

Their most common skills were earth and wind manipulation. Some mutated ones could use stealth or poison skills. Such packs often had three to four mutated Gatisors as leaders.

From the scouts' conditions, they had definitely engaged them. A counterattack was inevitable.

Looks like trouble had arrived.

Time for me to prepare as well.

As expected, the commander announced to everyone that the scouts had encountered a Gatisor pack—around a hundred strong.

They had chosen to retreat, but some Gatisors were injured during the escape, triggering the species' infamous grudge behavior.

Just a hundred, huh…

We were lucky.

Gatisors were proud creatures. Within a pack, disputes often broke out between members vying for leadership.

Winners would take control, and losers would leave to form new packs.

That's why there were so many Gatisors. Every year, Lubberia organized monster extermination missions, and Gatisors were always top priority.

With only a hundred this time, it wasn't too bad. But casualties were probably inevitable.

Outside, the troops had begun formulating a strategy.

Unless we wiped out the entire pack, we wouldn't be able to pass.

Even if one escaped, it would remember us and attack again.

The remaining 20+ days of travel would give them time to reproduce 50 more members—getting ambushed again midway would be disastrous.

Everyone seemed uneasy.

While no one was looking, I turned to Seryl and whispered, "Miss Seryl, can I borrow your hand for a moment?"

She looked at me, puzzled.

I suddenly realized how that sounded.

"No, wait! I mean—I have a skill that can link two people together. Once linked, we can sense each other's location and condition to help in emergencies."

"Oh, I see." Seryl gave a soft smile and extended her hand.

I gently held it, and a wave of softness filled my mind—I was stunned for a moment.

"What are you staring at?"

Seryl's voice jolted me back.

I quickly activated the skill. A small glow appeared and vanished, and now a thin thread connected our hands.

"Done… it's done."

I wanted to hold her hand a bit longer, but it was time to let go.

Just as I was about to release it, Seryl said, "If… if you don't mind, could we hold hands a little longer?"

Surprised, I turned to look at her—her face had turned completely red.

I didn't ask why. I just nodded.

And so, the awkward but heartwarming moment continued.