Author's Note
Hello, Hannes-kun!
"Please forgive me now." (Hannes)
"No." (Rena)
As I dragged Hannes—who had lost all his limbs and was in a daze—down the road, he let out a word of forgiveness. If he had wanted to, he could have healed himself and freed himself from the restraints, but the fact that he went out of his way to cut himself free showed that he was a very conscientious person. For now, as he wished, I would let him stay like this until I felt better.
"Well, I don't think you need a collar though." (Hannes)
"Not at all. It suits you very well." (Rena)
"You..." (Hannes)
He giggled as I pulled on the chain that was attached to the collar and then dragged him along by pulling the collar. So, when should I release him? I'm starting to feel like it would be fine to leave him like this.
"...a dead end...no, the road is blocked." (Rena)
Continuing on, I arrived at another large hall....Other than a vast ice floor, the only thing I could see was a staircase at the very back that was blocked off by thick ice. It seemed like here too we couldn't proceed unless we deactivated some kind of gimmick, or maybe there was a real path somewhere.
"So, Hannes, what do you think about this?" (Rena)
"Huh? ...Just try walking for now." (Hannes)
"Hmm..." (Rena)
For now, I stepped into the hall just as Hannes instructed—only to quickly pull my foot back as cracks suddenly spread across the floor.
"...This is an unstable footing, huh?" (Rena)
"Ah, I thought so." (Hannes)
"What do you mean?" (Rena)
As you are very knowledgeable about games, do you have any knowledge about spaces like this?
"This is it, the one that makes the floor covered in cracks so you don't step on the same spot twice and then you can move forward." (Hannes)
"What happens if you step on the same spot?" (Rena)
"As you can imagine, you'll be dropped to the lower floor and have to start over." (Hannes)
"I see" (Rena)
As I looked closely, I could see that in places, pillars of ice extend from the ice floor toward the ceiling. If I wanted to avoid these and fill the cracks on the entire surface, I would need to think carefully and look down as I walked. If we couldn't walk in the same place, we would have to walk more carefully...but it was a bit of a hassle.
"—‹Downburst›" (Rena)
I used Wind Magic to control a wide area from above and attacked by slamming the enemies into the space with all my might. This caused cracks to appear across the entire floor, and the ice blocking the innermost staircase melted and disappeared in an instant.
"So how do we get across?" (Hannes)
"I'll throw it over there, so please pull it." (Rena)
"Huh? What are you talking about—" (Hannes)
I once again tied a string around Hannes' waist before carrying him.
"Huh? No, wait, wait!" (Hannes)
With the support from Inoue-san, I threw Hannes with all my might towards the stairs on the opposite bank.
"Remember thaaaaaat――……" (Hannes)
As Hannes flew in a straight line, leaving a trail of thread behind, I couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow!" I hated to say it myself, but I thought it was a nice shot.
"It was easy to throw because you were wearing the Daruma costume." (Rena)
This reduced unnecessary air resistance, and all Hannes could do was twist his body, making the throw extremely smooth. Normally when throwing someone all you can do is grab them by their clothes and throw them roughly, but this time I was able to throw them properly using both hands with beautiful form.
"Now then, Hannes, once you've recovered over there, you'd have to pull this chain——huh?" (Rena)
I thought for sure the thread extending from my hand would be pulled, but instead, golden chains flew in and wrapped around my body. I see, tying up both your hands like I did...that's a great way to get revenge.
"Oh~……"
I was pulled with all its might, tracing a gentle trajectory and flying towards Hannes...this is fun in its own way, right?
"Thank you for your hard work" (Rena)
"Really, how long do I have to conquer the dungeon with this person?" (Hannes)
I was told this while Hannes held me in his arms.
"...Do you not want to be with me?" (Rena)
"...It's not like I dislike it, it's just tiring." (Hannes)
"Is that so" (Rena)
"Yes." (Hannes)
Hmm, he frowned and looked away, but it didn't seem like he disliked it, so that's good to hear.
"Even so, it's a bit disturbing that there are so many simple gimmicks..." (Rena)
"That's right, considering the difficulty level there are only basic, well-behaved creatures... I think the trap near the entrance was the most annoying." (Hannes)
As for that scene where the entrance suddenly closed, that was definitely a trap placed with a good understanding of the player's psychology. In comparison, although the things we did along the way were certainly annoying, they didn't seem particularly difficult or cruel.
"Like at the entrance, something will come when you let your guard down." (Rena)
"...Let's tighten up a bit." (Hannes)
"Well, let's stop with the shenanigans." (Rena)
"So you were aware that you were doing it." (Hannes)
Ignoring the astonished look from Hannes, I once again inspect my equipment and tools. No matter how vicious the traps and gimmicks that lied ahead may be, I was sure I would get through them in one go.
"A lot of explosives?" (Hannes)
"I just wish we had a few more prepared." (Rena)
"The bomber." (Hannes)
"Excuse me." (Rena)
Well, I do love making explosions, to be honest.
Author's Note
Art is an explosion!
We received fan art again this time!
First up is an illustration of Rena by Hoshino Mitsuru!
So cool...!!
Next up is from "Nodoguro", also an illustration by Rena!
Ah, how beautiful...
Lastly, from "Neruko" comes the starry sky and Rena!
She's so beautiful it's amazing...and as expected from Rena, she has long legs.
Thank you so much for your continued support!
The third volume of the book has also been released without any problems, and the comic book adaptation is scheduled to resume, so please look forward to it!
If you haven't bought the book yet, please check it out! Maria-chan is so cute!
Translation Note
Thanks to TV.Station for correcting some mistakes.