Chapter 31
I don't know anything about such difficult matters as what causes dungeons to appear.
I only know that newly formed dungeons are considerably difficult at the time they appear.
Because of that, new dungeons accept adventurers stronger than their measured rank.
That was also why the Adventurers' Guild had dispatched people directly to handle the applications.
Our party had been registered thanks to Livnil, and now we had to be evaluated.
Countless people gathered at the dungeon were waiting to take the test.
Livnil spoke to Claude.
“The dungeon's measured rank is B-. It's a straightforward dungeon for Silver-rank adventurers.”
“Then they'll accept veteran Silver-rank adventurers and above. Or Gold-rank adventurers from the start.”
Claude, Livnil, and Griff were all Gold-rank, while Chris was Silver-rank.
However, priests were treated as the equivalent of Gold-rank adventurers even if they were Silver-rank.
They were that valuable as high-grade personnel.
The biggest obstacle in our party was, naturally, me.
I was Silver-rank.
I had been Silver-rank even before becoming a slave.
I had never taken the test for the ranks above it.
The reason was the atmosphere in my mercenary company at the time.
It was the leader's underhanded scheme to keep me out of combat and curry favor with me.
He wanted to take me away from the difficult work and somehow sleep with me.
But I hated being treated that way.
They would say things like, ‘Aris is a woman, so….’ despite my being stronger than anyone else.
That grin on his face as he kept me out of the fight. His eyes seemed to say, ‘How about it? I did well, right?’
Maybe an ordinary woman would have felt differently, but I was a Wolpi who lived by the law of strength.
It was treatment I could never tolerate.
“Silver-rank combatants have to take the test by sparring against a competing party.”
“So Aris will be taking the test.”
Claude turned to look at me. I gazed at his face and wagged my tail.
It was my way of saying that there was no problem.
“It'll be starting soon. That's because the two of you came back late.”
After hearing Livnil, I checked the schedule on the notice board.
My name was definitely listed there as well.
“It's really soon. I'll go and wait.”
The sparring area had been prepared in a wide clearing outside the dungeon.
As we headed there, Claude followed me and spoke.
“Aris. What are you going to do about your clothes?”
“It's all right. I can tie the robe like this.”
I spread out the long hem of my robe, folded it upward, and tied it in place.
It covered my tail slightly like a short skirt, which was a little uncomfortable, but my legs were free and it was easier to move.
If I tied the upper half a little tighter behind my waist as well…
“How is it? Does it look strange?”
“It doesn't look strange, but too much of Aris's body is showing.”
Since I was wearing only a robe over my naked body, my breasts did stand out noticeably.
“It's fine. None of my skin is exposed, so no one will pay attention.”
“I don't think so…. Anyway, be careful. Most of your opponents will be Gold-rank adventurers.”
“Understood.”
I bowed my head and entered the waiting area.
As Claude had said, those who boldly challenged a new dungeon were all exceptional adventurers.
Either they were Silver-rank because they had circumstances like mine, or they simply didn't know their own limits.
“Lady Aris, you're number 11. Please join the line.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
After receiving my number, I joined the people waiting in line.
“Are you number 12?”
“Huh? You're number 11, miss? Damn, you're hot. What's with the tail and ears?”
I lined up in front of the man who was number 12.
If the matches proceeded in order from number 1, I would probably be fighting this man.
“Your waist and hips look nice. Why are you wearing your robe so provocatively?”
“Please don't concern yourself with it.”
“Playing hard to get? You dressed like this to show yourself to me, didn't you? Heh heh… What would happen if I lifted that tail just like this?”
The irritating man tried to grab my tail.
I turned aside slightly to avoid him and slapped his hand with my tail.
“You bitch… You're nimble. It's not going to wear out, is it? Just lift that tail a little and show me.”
“No. Please don't talk to me.”
“You fucking bitch, getting cocky? I'll strip you bare in the match.”
Why was it that every man other than Claude was exactly the same when I met them one-on-one?
Griff from our party was relatively kind, but what would he have been like if I'd met him without Claude…?
I couldn't trust anyone.
The matches of those ahead of me proceeded, and before long, my turn arrived.
“You were acting cocky, so now you'll pay the price.”
“Hmph! Grrrrr….”
I bared my teeth and answered him in kind.
“Numbers 11 and 12, take your positions! You must not kill your opponent. The match ends when one fighter is incapacitated or surrenders! Begin!”
Since our numbers had been called, we took wooden swords for the spar and stood in our respective positions.
“Begin the duel!”
At the referee's signal, opponent number 12 stepped in and thrust his sword at me.
He was tall and moved nimbly, but his motions were large, so I easily dodged to the side.
Because my opponent had greater reach, I was at a disadvantage in a contest of distance.
Shaa— It grazed my neck by a hair's breadth.
I lowered my stance as I watched the second and third thrusts fly toward me in quick succession.
I turned slightly sideways and wagged my tail.
My silver tail glittered as it reflected the sunlight.
“Ugh?”
An opening. I slipped in low and slashed upward.
Clack—! Even so, number 12 barely managed to block my attack.
“Aah! You bitch!”
But he couldn't recover his stance properly and staggered.
There were openings everywhere. I was about to strike his neck and finish it when his hand reached toward my breast.
I was startled by the gesture, as though he meant to grab it.
I retreated just before he could catch me.
“Hrk… You nimble bitch!”
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
“Do you think a woman's wooden sword can kill me? Come on, let me touch you!”
Where did he get that confidence?
Even though it was a wooden sword, a proper swing could split wood.
It was nothing more than arrogance born of looking down on me too much.
Since I couldn't kill my opponent, what should I do?
I was pondering that when he moved.
“Haaat!”
Was thrusting the technique he was most confident in?
He aimed for my neck, but I easily dodged it.
But… it seemed to have grazed the area around my chest.
Rip— My robe was slightly torn.
Had I really let that hit me?
“Heh heh heh, you bitch! You got hit because your breasts are so big.”
“……”
Perhaps because I wasn't wearing underwear, my breasts were certainly in a very free and unrestrained state.
But had they really been within his reach?
Had my breasts gotten bigger? Had I gained weight lately?
I had been certain I wouldn't get hit at all…
If I had been wearing underwear, they would have been held close together and he might not have hit them.
It couldn't be helped.
I pulled my robe tighter, compressing my breasts.
“Oh? Ohhh, pulling it like that will only tear it more. Heh heh, look at them sticking out….”
I ignored him and circled around him while wagging my tail.
He seemed to gain confidence as well and charged at me more boldly.
“Hyaa!”
If thrusting was his specialty, he drove them in sharply.
I dodged to avoid being struck in a vital spot.
Then he tried to strike my waist with his hand.
The movement was broad and obvious.
It wasn't an attack meant to knock me down.
His purpose was… extremely lewd.
“What do you think you're doing?”
“Who knows? What am I doing?”
The tie I had fastened came loose.
The robe drooped, and an opening appeared around my chest.
“Oh? You're not wearing underwear?”
“Grrrrrrrrr….”
I covered my breast with my left hand while holding my sword in the other.
“Hahaha! I'm getting all worked up!”
Number 12 was more interested in something else than in the match.
If he kept acting like this, I thought I could defeat him easily.
I deliberately removed my hand from what it had been covering.
I lowered my stance slightly to show him the area around my breasts and watched the situation.
“You… you fucking bitch!”
Number 12 was even simpler than I had expected.
Had just a little flesh beneath my buttocks become visible because I raised my tail a bit higher?
He charged at me in a frenzy of excitement.
Since I could clearly see the sword's trajectory, I shortened my grip on the sword.
Swoosh—! Rather than stabbing with the sword, he seemed to be trying to overwhelm me with sheer force.
Had he wanted to shove me aside with his body and knock me down?
He seemed to have forgotten that he was sparring with a sword.
As if I would let him catch me.
“Are you an idiot?”
Smack—!
The stupidity of charging in, blinded by lust.
His skill was respectable enough, but this was exactly why rutting males were such a problem.
By contrast, my Master was so incredibly bold.
He possessed the strength and quick reflexes to take hold of me in an instant, as well as the brains to match.
“Number 12 is unable to continue! Winner, number 11!”
I put away my sword and was about to return to my place when Claude ran over from the side.
He covered me with a new robe and spoke.
“See? I told you it would be dangerous!”
“It's all right, Master. I wasn't hurt at all.”
“Is getting hurt the issue? Your clothes are torn. You're a girl, aren't you?”
Clothes tearing during battle was an extremely common occurrence.
Claude obviously knew that as well, but his concern was entirely for my sake.
I knew he was worried about me, too.
But I loved having someone worry about me so much that…
I ended up acting spoiled again.
“Don't worry. The only person allowed to touch me is you, Master.”
I proudly thrust out my chest and said that.
The hem of my robe slipped down, leaving my breasts fully exposed.
“Don't do that. People are watching.”
“Then cover me, Master.”
What else could I do? I stepped into his arms and deliberately hugged him.
Claude wrapped an arm around my shoulders and helped me put the robe back on.
“You two, please leave for the next match!”
“Sorry~!”
He led me out of the sparring area by the hand.
I told Livnil and the others who had been watching about the result.
“What was that man's deal? His attacks were incredibly blatant.”
“It wasn't proper behavior toward a woman.”
“Lady Aris! If you're hurt anywhere, please tell us!”
At Chris's words, I showed them the spot because my breast felt slightly sore.
It felt a little swollen, didn't it?
But Claude and Griff looked at me and were horrified.
“Aris! What are you doing?”
“I think it was grazed slightly. Master, how does it look?”
He tapped his forehead, then grabbed my breast and spoke.
“Don't show Chris when you're hurt. Show me first! I'll heal it.”
When his hand touched me, blue magic shimmered.
The soreness in my breast eased, and the swelling went down.
“Wow, thank you, Master!”
“If you understand, remember what I said. That's an order.”
“Yes, Master!”
I hugged him again.
Then the cleric who had lost a patient said,
“Over there! What happened? Show me! Lady Aris! It would be terrible if the wound became infected!”
But Claude wouldn't let me go.