Chapter 24
Skill points.
I needed to think about this again.
That unfamiliar notification chime from earlier.
When I opened the skill window afterward, my skill points had jumped all the way to 12.
Until now, I'd thought they increased when I killed strong opponents. Was there another condition?
If so, I needed to figure it out right away.
The only ways I could grow stronger as the Hero were to gain power by killing monsters or demons, or learn skills using skill points.
If I could grow stronger than I was now, future adventures would be easier, too.
For now, maybe I should ask Yubel, who seemed to know a little about skill points.
Come to think of it, Yubel was the only one who'd mentioned skills so far.
“Yubel.”
“Hm?”
“I want to raise my skill points a little right now——”
‘Do you happen to know how to earn points?’
I tried to ask, but couldn't.
Because Yubel was staring straight at me with frightening eyes.
“Are you, by any chance…… planning to collect skill points right now……?”
“Uh, y-yeah. I am……. That's the plan……?”
What was this?
Why was Yubel reacting like this?
It was as if I'd said I was planning to commit some crime.
“H-Haha…… What are you plotting……?”
“Hm? Plotting?”
“……It's nothing.”
Whip!
After that, Yubel started walking deeper into the dungeon with Eva held tightly in her arms.
It was a sign that she didn't want to talk to me anymore.
Had I made another mistake?
Well, considering what I'd done today, I couldn't really say anything……
No matter how shameless Yubel was or how little she knew about sex, she shouldn't have done something like that.
Even if her way of speaking and acting was masculine, Yubel was still a woman, through and through.
A woman……
For an instant, I remembered Yubel's naked body from earlier.
She really did have a body so beautiful that no one could deny it……
“Ahem.”
Honestly, what was I fantasizing about now?
Ah, and to be honest, my type was more on the busty older-woman side.
That's why at first I'd been drawn to Riella, who was pretty much my ideal type overall.
I'd never seen breasts so unrealistically huge in my life.
But as we kept going on adventures, I stopped thinking that way about Riella.
She was just an easy-to-talk-to companion. Nothing more, nothing less.
But it was different when I talked with Yubel.
Strangely, the more I chatted with her, the more it felt like a little door in my heart was knocking.
A knock I'd never heard once in my life until now.
I still didn't know what it was.
Maybe I'd understand if I got a little closer to Yubel?
But no matter how much I wanted to get closer to Yubel, for some reason, it wasn't working out.
If I had to say why, it was because Yubel kept pushing me away.
Sometimes, it felt like there was an invisible wall between Yubel and me.
Sometimes, she'd give me that uncomfortable look, like she was doing now.
“Haa……. This is frustrating.”
It had been a month since I came to this world.
It was easier when I was only thinking about defeating the Demon King.
I never thought I'd end up missing the sense of responsibility and pressure I'd felt back then.
“I could use some healing……”
I felt a little desire for that.
***
“Hey! Eva! Walk by yourself! You're not getting any more from me!”
“K-Kyao……”
“Hahaha……”
Quite a while later, Yubel had become completely sulky with Eva.
So much so that she wouldn't even look at the Eva she'd been fussing over so much.
Hmm, first, to sum up the situation.
Eva had been held in Yubel's arms as they moved deeper into the dungeon.
Then the shameless little thing, maybe because it was hungry, suddenly tugged open Yubel's outer clothes and bit her nipple.
Eva latched onto Yubel's nipple and sucked, making her let out a ‘Haaah’ as her hips went limp. Now furious with Eva, Yubel was pushing it away as it tried to climb back up to her chest.
Se-on watched the scene with a smile.
Serves you right.
You perverted, horny lizard.
Still, Se-on wasn't all that angry with Eva.
If anything, he was a little grateful.
Thanks to it, he'd gotten to see Yubel's……
“Hey, what are you looking at?”
“Ahem, nothing.”
Yubel probably wasn't furious because she'd exposed herself.
Rather, she seemed embarrassed about the moan she'd made.
Honestly, she was a girl whose standards for shame were impossible to understand.
Thump. In the middle of that, Yubel gave Eva, who was rubbing its head against her leg, a light shove.
Eva lowered its head as if heartbroken, then followed after her.
It looked just like a retriever that had done something terribly wrong.
“Yubel. What are you going to do with Eva, though? Wouldn't it be best to take it back to where it lives? It might be a little inconvenient to bring it along on our adventures.”
“Hm? I'm taking it with me and raising it. I've always wanted to have a pet at least once. And its family isn't around, so isn't it fine?”
“Kyao?”
Yubel declared that she'd take Eva with her and raise it.
This thing…… really didn't seem like an ordinary animal. She was going to raise it like a pet?
Its appearance alone was more than a little unsettling.
It had a pair of horns like Yubel's, and looked like an iguana? In some ways, it looked like a bull, too.
And those tiny wings on its back.
“……”
Hmm, it did look a little like the dragons in old fairy tales.
Still, the way it acted was just like a big puppy.
Well, does it matter?
“Kyao……”
“Phew…… Eva, did you do something wrong? You did, didn't you? You can't just touch people like that. Got it? ……Answer me.”
“Kyao, kyao!”
“What are you saying? Say it so I can understand.”
How was it supposed to say something so she could understand?
“Kyaooo!”
“There, there. Good Eva, aren't you? If you see the Hero doing something bad to a woman later, you have to tell me, okay……? Got it?”
“Hm? What did you just say? I don't think I heard——”
“Can't you see I'm talking to Eva right now? Don't interrupt. Go over there.”
“Okay……”
When I stepped a little closer to the two of them, Yubel gave me a cold look.
Still, I was the leader of the Hero's party and the Hero summoned to this world. Wasn't she being a little too cold?
I felt a little hurt by Yubel.
She only liked that guy.
Ah, was it because of what happened today after all……?
Damn it. Why'd I do something so unlike myself!
Se-on bitterly regretted what had happened today.
“Hehe. Eva, come here!”
“Kyao! Kyao!”
Yubel called Eva with a smile she never gave me.
I was even starting to feel jealous of that lizard.
“Hehe…… You're so cute.”
Swish, swish…….
Just then, Yubel's tail started wagging wildly, as if she was in a good mood.
“!!!”
“Hm? What's wrong, Eva?”
Eva's gaze fixed on Yubel's swaying tail.
Wait, could this be……
“Kyaooo!! Kyao!!!”
“Eep! What are you doing all of a sudden! Kyah!?”
Eva leaped at her and bit Yubel's tail!
That was one of Yubel's sensitive spots!
With her weak point bitten, Yubel started writhing wildly.
“N-Nooo……. Get this off me quick…… Hah♡”
“W-Wait a minute!!”
Whip!
I snatched Eva away from Yubel as she lay on the ground with her legs spread wide, the creature still biting her tail.
“Kyaooo! Kyao! Kyao!”
It looked like Eva was about to pounce again, so I held it back with even more strength.
But why was it so strong……!
Even with the strength I'd gained after becoming the Hero, all I could do was hold it still.
“H-Hah, haah, heek…… Ugh! Eva, you little……!”
Bang!
A furious punch came down on Eva's head.
Of course, Eva didn't even flinch.
Anyone could see it didn't hurt.
“Ugh! Fine! I'm going by myself!”
Disappointed in Eva, Yubel started running off alone.
“W-Wait, Yubel!”
I started running after Yubel, who was already racing ahead.
Maybe I'd forgotten because we were walking around so calmly, but this was still a dungeon.
It wouldn't be strange if something unexpected happened anywhere, anytime.
As I hurried after Yubel through a tunnel-like passage, we soon came to a space as huge as a department store.
It looked just like a boss raid area in a game.
Yubel was also gazing around the huge space, dumbfounded.
“Kyao! Kyaoo!”
“Why'd you bring it along! I'm not talking to Eva anymore!”
“Hahaha…… Well, how about we try making up——”
Thud!
“Hm? Did you hear that just now?”
“……Yeah. And suddenly my body feels a little heavier, too. How should I put it, like there's pressure?”
Thud! Thud!
This time, it wasn't just a sound.
A tremendous rumbling suddenly began.
The ground was trembling.
Thud!! Thud!! Thud!!
“Yubel. It seems like that sound is coming from over there……”
“……”
As we stared toward where the tremors were coming from, a huge shape began to appear in the distance.
I had a feeling something had gone terribly wrong……
Thud!! Kwoom!!
“───────!!!!”
Trembling.
A furious roar that made the earth before our eyes seem to warp.
It was absolutely not something an ordinary living creature could produce.
“No way……”
Thud!!!!
With horns that seemed to pierce the sky, enormous wings, and jet-black scales gleaming darkly.
The figure that appeared before the Hero's party looked just like……
“A-A dragon?”
“Kwoooooo——!!!!”