Adventurer's Guild Café: I Was Wrongfully Exiled by the Saint, So I Will Enjoy My Second Life with My Fluffy Friends - V 2.1 Chapter 3.12

After we watched Ares disappear from sight…

As I stared absentmindedly at the light shining down from the ceiling, someone let out a deep sigh.

“That was incredible, Kuna. A complete success, wouldn’t you say?”

With Simon’s gentle voice, the tension that had been gripping me finally began to melt away.

“Haaahhh…”

Looks like everyone else was relieved too.

The moment it hit me, my exhaustion came crashing down, and I collapsed onto the ground with a flop.

“Ahhh, seriously… that was so scary.”

“It really was. Kuna-chan, are you alright?”

“Y-Yes, sorry for worrying you.”

As I sat there, Lulu and the others ran over to me.

“Sorry for leaving you behind, everyone.”

“Ruu!”

“Pii!”

While petting the fluffy little ones, I gave them a brief rundown of everything that had happened.

When I mentioned seeing the city of Finaldatt from the sky, everyone looked stunned.

Apparently, griffons—especially proud ones like Ares—almost never let people ride on their backs.

“Can’t believe that griffon let you on. He wouldn’t even let me get near him,” Kiril-san said with a snort.

“Stuck-up bastard. Bet he just wanted a cute girl to fluff him up.”

“K-Kiril-san…”

“Well, it all worked out, didn’t it? Kuna-chan’s safe, and that’s what matters,” Stella-san said as she gave me a gentle pat on the head.

“Let’s head back to the surface already. I’m starving.”

“Mui-mui too~!”

“Mai-mai too~!”

The cheerful voices of the twins echoed through the quiet underground lake.

I nodded, about to stand up—when it happened.

“!?”

The ground began to shake violently.

“What the hell!?”

Kiril-san and Gier immediately stepped in front of me, shielding me with their backs. The surface of the water rippled with a loud splash-splash, and waves rolled toward the little island.

A deep, eerie sound rumbled through the space—one that seemed to vibrate in the very depths of your bones.

“Simon…”

Kiril-san turned to look at Simon. For once, Simon’s usual smile was gone. He stared intently at the water’s surface.

“The boss of the hundredth floor was originally supposed to be the Subterranean Fish.”

“So the gryphon being here… kept the raid boss from spawning?”

Gier’s eyes widened as he said it, like something had just clicked.

“I thought we had a bit more time, but… no. It’s coming.”

I wanted to ask what that meant, but the ground was shaking so much I was afraid I’d bite my tongue. My body refused to move—paralyzed by fear.

That eerie voice, like something out of a nightmare, kept echoing through the air.

Everyone instinctively formed a protective circle around me.

“Kuna, it seems the raid boss has appeared sooner than expected. No matter what happens, stay absolutely still. I promise—we won’t let a single scratch touch you.”

“Y-Yes.”

Simon said it firmly, and I clenched my clothes tightly in both hands.

Something… was coming.

“!”

Zapaa!—a tremendous splash echoed as the underground lake churned violently. Water sprayed high into the air, and a massive black shape emerged from beneath the surface. The sheer size of it sent a chill down my spine.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa—was the Subterranean Fish always this huge!?”

Gant-san shouted in alarm.

“Seems like something irregular might’ve happened… probably because it hasn’t spawned in so long,” Stella-san said as she raised her staff.

The next instant—Zaaah!—an enormous fish… or something like a fish, burst from the lake.

“Hyaaa!?”

Calling it a “fish” didn’t even do it justice. It was the size of a whale—like the ones I saw in picture books when I was a kid.

And this fish—this Subterranean Fish, I guess—isn’t just swimming through the lake. No… it’s swimming through the air.

Gwoooooooooh!

A low, otherworldly roar rang out, like it was echoing from the deep ocean. The Subterranean Fish fixed its gleaming eyes directly on us.

Then it dove back into the water with a splash, sending up a massive pillar of spray. For a moment, it looked like our little island might get swallowed up—but Simon waved his hand, and a translucent dome formed around us, shielding us from the rushing water.

“When we get back, how about a grilled fish party?”

Everyone’s eyes sparkled at once.