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 3.2

I stuck close behind Simon, looking around curiously as I walked forward.

Right now, we are on the third layer. It’s still bright around us. If I look up, I can see the cliffs we descended earlier and the comfortably warm sunlight. But little by little, I started to smell the damp scent of grass. I thought I could hear the sound of water trickling somewhere.

Because we were moving in a large group, it felt almost like we were going on a picnic. Simon had been listening to Kiril’s complaints with a grin, casually brushing them off. Perhaps it was rare for the guild master to come this far, and people who were using the dungeon for business purposes were watching us with curiosity.

Before we got here, several people had called out to me in surprise. It’s no surprise, since an ordinary person with no qualifications was heading into the dungeon.

“How are you? Are you nervous?”

While I was absentmindedly looking around, Rouge, who had her hands behind her head, smiled and called out to me. There were four other female adventurers with her.

They were part of a rare party consisting only of women.

“Just a little bit.”

I said with a somewhat awkward smile, and Stella-san, the blonde-haired magician, grinned and pulled me close.

“Don’t worry, big sis will protect you~”

“Ah!”

My face was pressed into her soft chest, and I almost felt like I couldn’t breathe.

“Stella, that’s dangerous.”

The one who warned her was the small, blue-haired girl. Her name is Maki-chan. She’s the healer for this team. She’s a regular at the café and always quietly reads by the window. She’s quiet but really kind and a good person. She’s the same age as me and sometimes introduces me to interesting books. She’s my reading buddy.

““That’s not fair!””

The two voices harmonized perfectly.

“Stella’s the only one getting to cuddle!”

“Mui Mui wants to cuddle too!”

“Ah!”

With a thud, two children clung to my back. Then, they each nuzzled my ears.

The children had beautiful wings on their backs. They were twin adventurers, Maia and Mui. Maia had pink hair, and Mui had light blue hair.

They looked like little children, but apparently, they were very long-lived.

It seems they were fairy archers, a profession that I don’t quite understand.

“Hey, stop that. Don’t touch people’s ears without permission. Sorry, Kuna-chan.”

“Oh, no… it’s fine…”

Rouge pried Maia and Mui off.

“Our party is loud, right?”

“We used to have men too, but you guys were so noisy that they got fed up and left.”

Saying that, Stella laughed. I didn’t know that. This party was famous for being all women, but apparently, they used to have men in the past.

“Well, don’t be so nervous. We’ll definitely protect you.”

Saying that, Rouge winked.

“Actually, we’re kind of looking forward to this.”

“Looking forward to it?”

“Yeah. I heard we’re going to see a gryphon!”

Rouge stuck her tongue out playfully.

“I’ve been an adventurer for years, but when you get to see mythical creatures like that, it just makes you think, ‘I’m glad I became an adventurer!'”

“That does sound wonderful. I once saw an immortal phoenix with seven-colored feathers, and I was really moved at the time.”

Both of them nodded, looking deeply moved.

They really are like adventurers. It’s like they have such strong curiosity.

If it were me, I might be too scared to be an adventurer.

““Gryphon fluff~!””

“…Please don’t fluff without permission.”

The twins shouted, and Maki muttered with a displeased look on her face.

“I’ll never forget the time we almost died after awakening a golem in the underground ruins…”

It seems she has some terrible memories, as Maki looks completely drained.

“Well, anyway, as long as Simon is here, everything will be fine. Kuna-chan, just think of this as a field trip.”

Rouge and the others laughed and said that. It seems everyone has absolute trust in Simon.

That’s true, as long as Simon is here, we’ll be fine.

As for Simon,

“Huh? You borrowed money in my personal name?”

“Because I didn’t have enough.”

“Please, I’ve told you many times that I’m being watched by the central authorities!”

“I don’t care, idiot.”

W-wait, it seems like Kiril is having trouble with Simon, but I’m sure it’ll be fine…

While we were chatting like this, the surroundings started to grow dark. The path, made for walking, was lit by torches. As I nervously walked along, we reached an area that seemed like the dungeon’s reception in the third layer.

Wow, it’s bigger than I thought! There are so many people, and it’s really bustling.

The third layer was like a large facility of stores. There were shops selling equipment, counters for item appraisal, and even a first aid room for treating the injured. There were also seasoned adventurers around, so it had a slightly more tense atmosphere than the guild.

Since we had already prepared our equipment above ground, we made a final check before heading further in.

When Simon appeared, a beautiful elf woman who had been inside nodded and opened the door.

“Ninety-eighth floor, right?”

“Yes. Sorry, it’s a large group~”

I was prompted by the woman to enter the dimly lit room. On the floor of the room, a huge magical circle was drawn. Thanks to the faintly glowing magic circle, the area was illuminated.

“Please come this way. Of course, you won’t all go at once, right?”

“Yes. We would like to go in about two groups~”

The beautiful woman looked at me.

“Is this your first time using a teleportation circle?”

“Y-yes!”

When I answered, the woman explained the precautions regarding the teleportation circle.

The teleportation circle in this space would transfer us to designated spots on each floor of the dungeon.

For first-time users, most people experience “motion sickness.” Today, they had set an entry restriction for us, so it would be relatively easier to travel back and forth.

“As you may know, the deeper you go into the dungeon, the more strain it puts on your body. Please be careful.”

Simon had already explained this to me. Compared to the surface, the dungeon contains more magic in the air. To gradually acclimate my body to it, we chose the ninety-eighth floor as the destination today. From ninety-eight to ninety-nine, I would get used to it, and on the hundredth floor, I would finally face the gryphon.

“Well then, shall we have Gier and the others go first?”

“Understood.”

The squad was split into two. Of course, I was in the latter group.

The members of the first group stepped onto the faintly glowing teleportation circle. At that moment, the glow of the magic circle intensified softly, and everyone vanished.

“Wow!”

I let out a voice without thinking. People had disappeared right before my eyes. This technology didn’t exist yet in the Kingdom of Aruda. If it were to become widespread, wouldn’t the world change drastically?

“Well then, it’s about our turn.”

Simon said that and looked at me.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes!”

I followed behind Simon and stepped onto the teleportation circle.

The woman gave a deep bow.

“May fortune be with you.”