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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Johann, Johann! Wake up!”
I opened my eyes to the sensation of being shaken, my gaze meeting Sif’s and a canopy of lush trees.
Had we entered the dimensional rift?
“Are you alright? Is your body okay?”
“I’m fine, so move.”
Rising from the ground, I surveyed our surroundings.
It was vastly different from the dimensional rift I remembered, or perhaps my memory wasn’t accurate.
It had been over ten years, after all.
Regardless, now wasn’t the time to dwell on such things.
Assessing our current situation took priority.
“Sif, have you checked the surroundings?”
“I just woke up too, so I don’t know.”
I didn’t know if we were the only ones who had been transported or if the protagonist’s group had been separated as well.
The only certainty was that the situation had completely deviated from the original story.
We had entered the rift before the protagonist’s party, reversing the original order.
My carefully crafted plan to discreetly tail them was forcibly abandoned.
There was no way to know when, or even if, they would enter the rift.
“What do we do now? The plan was to follow them later.”
“We should set up camp first.”
I had packed enough food to last us at least a week, just in case, so there was no need to worry about starving for a while.
I pulled out my shovel from my backpack.
I thought I’d get a break from digging, but it seemed like I’d be digging like crazy again.
It was unlikely that the thieving cat would be able to dig.
“Sif, can you climb trees?”
“Climbing trees is easier than earning a single copper coin!”
“See that tree over there? Climb to the top and check the surroundings. It would be better if you found a hill, but an open space will do too. Tell me immediately if you see anything.”
“How much extra will you pay me?”
“If I leave you behind, I won’t have to pay you hazard pay either.”
“Meow?! Are you abandoning your loyal subject?”
“What loyal subject extorts money from their lord?”
Her greed needed to be kept in check.
Perhaps my scolding got through to her because Sif sighed, placed her backpack on the ground, and clung to the tree.
As expected of a cat, she was a natural climber.
I watched Sif quickly ascend to the top of the tree, then turned to survey our surroundings.
Now wasn’t the time to be distracted by such things.
I immediately drove my shovel into the ground.
Even as I did this, an unknown monster could appear, so I needed to take precautions.
It was nothing more than digging a hole and hiding inside, but still… I pushed my backpack into the roughly ten-square-meter hole I had dug and touched a nearby tree.
It felt similar to the trees I had seen on the deserted island.
Judging by the scorching sun beating down on my skin, it was possible this place had a tropical theme.
…Things were starting to make sense.
At the very least, this wasn’t the dimensional rift I knew.
Perhaps it was a part of the dungeon within that rift, but for now, that was my conclusion.
It would be best to explore the area to be sure, but… I had to wait for Sif first.
I withdrew my hand from the tree and entered the hole.
I waited patiently for Sif’s return.
She came down after about thirty minutes.
“When did you dig this hole?”
“Right after you climbed up.”
“You’re pretty fast…”
“Never mind that. What’s the terrain like around here?”
“Well, it’s an island? Not that big… maybe twice the size of Yeomyeong-gwan’s yard?”
…Isn’t it too small?
That meant the monster density should be high.
While Yeomyeong-gwan was a considerably large building, it felt strange if that was the size of the island.
It meant you could reach either end of the island in about ten minutes.
“Any other noteworthy features?”
“There’s smoke rising from the north. But I didn’t hear about any humans in the rift…?”
“Hmm.”
The possibility of humanoid monsters couldn’t be ruled out.
Orcs and goblins knew how to make fire, it was just that their methods were primitive.
“We need to investigate the north.”
“Oh, and there’s a cave in the center of the island.”
“A cave… huh. Are there any suitable places to set up camp?”
“There’s a decent open space a little west of here. About a five-minute walk?”
“Let’s go right now.”
We shouldered our backpacks and emerged from the hole.
We had to act quickly now that we were in an unknown environment.
“…Why did you become an escort knight? I bet the guild master of the Construction Guild would welcome you with open arms-”
What was the meaning behind her question?
I stared into Sif’s luminous yellow eyes.
Her feline eyes, shining like stars in the darkness, were fixed on me.
I casually tossed a piece of wood I had cut from a nearby tree into the bonfire and replied.
“I hate sweaty places.”
“You could be rolling in money.”
“I’m making plenty of money now, aren’t I?”
If it weren’t for that damn true ending, which forced me to stay by Karina’s side, I might have opened my own architectural firm and been designing buildings.
Or become a professional dungeon explorer.
Either way, I’d be making more money and living a more fulfilling life than I was now.
There would be no need to maintain this ambiguous relationship.
“That’s true, but… I’m jealous… I wish I had a lucrative skill, then I wouldn’t have to go in and out of dungeons like this.”
“You seem quite comfortable with it, though.”
Sif shook her head with a complicated expression at my words.
Did she dislike what I said?
An awkward silence fell between us.
It wasn’t until the soup I had hung over the bonfire began to bubble that Sif spoke again.
“…If I die, my siblings will starve. Those good-for-nothing parents disappeared when we were young, and my siblings are too young. To feed my two siblings, I have no choice but to do dangerous work… or…”
Sif trailed off, her gaze fixed on the bonfire.
I could guess what she was about to say.
It must have been difficult for her to say it out loud, even to me.
“My siblings would be worried…”
What could a young girl like her do?
I patted Sif’s shoulder as she hugged her knees, her face filled with worry, and offered words of comfort.
“You’re making enough to live comfortably now, aren’t you? We’ll get out of this safely, so don’t worry.”
“I guess…”
Perhaps because we were having a campfire alone, Sif was unusually sentimental tonight.
It wasn’t a bad thing, but it felt strange to see the girl who usually only talked about money reminiscing about the past.
“…It’s about time to eat.”
I filled a wooden bowl I had carved from a nearby tree with soup.
A hearty meal was essential for regaining energy.
I handed the overflowing bowl to Sif.
“Eat.”
“Thanks. I should be the one doing this… well, I am getting paid a lot.”
Sif obediently took the bowl from me and began to eat the soup with a spoon.
The way she blew on it before putting it in her mouth suggested that, like a true cat-beastkin, she couldn’t handle hot food.
What a troublesome trait.
Still, it was a somewhat endearing sight.
Sif was quite attractive, after all.
It was just that I was always surrounded by the Saint, whose beauty overshadowed everyone else.
“Just act normal. I’m seriously considering whether you’re a doppelganger right now.”
“I, I have a sensitive side too! A person can’t always be cheerful! You gloomy bastard!”
“Oh, is that so?”
I casually responded and savored the flavor of the soup I had made.
It turned out quite well today as well.
The green soup, made from edible plants I had gathered nearby, had a surprisingly pleasant taste.
“Seriously… haa.”
We fell silent and finished our meal.
We both agreed that it wasn’t a good idea to make any more noise.
After all, the most important thing in a dungeon was to avoid attracting attention.
We cleaned up after our meal and pulled out our sleeping bags.
It reminded me of my second or third year on the deserted island.
Back then, I was constantly moving and setting up camp in new locations.
“…Johann, we can go back, right?”
“Of course.”
As if I’d die in a place like this.
Compared to the deserted island, where a house-sized bear and a mountain-like hydra fought for territory, this place was paradise.
It was unlikely that a monster of that caliber existed here.
“You should go to sleep too.”
“What about keeping watch?”
“Didn’t you see how many traps and alarms I set up?”
Even Renny wouldn’t be able to get past them.
Sif seemed to recall the traps and alarms I had set up during the day and nodded in agreement.
“With that many… I guess so.”
A rustling sound filled the air.
Sif was spreading out her sleeping bag.
I closed my eyes, thinking about what I had to do tomorrow.
We’d eat breakfast and then head north… to…
Creak-
“…Got one.”
How much time had passed?
I woke up to the sound of a trap being triggered, using it as an alarm.
It was time to check on the prey caught in the trap.
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[Johann must tame his gold digger before she eats him out of house and home]
