Chapter 202: Bell Cranel!
"Quick, after them!"
"There are other adventurers on the upper floors!"
Finn's words snapped the Loki Familia executives out of their shock at the scene before them.
Everyone's expression darkened as they watched the herd of Minotaurs charge up the stairs toward the 16th floor.
"Don't let a single one escape! ...Hm? Luke, are you alright?"
After giving orders, Finn noticed Luke's distraction as he led everyone in pursuit.
"Don't push yourself if you're tired. Leave the pursuit to us."
"No, I'm fine."
Shaking his head, Luke gestured to Finn and chased after the monster herd that had already disappeared into the passage.
16th floor, 15th floor, 14th floor…
Floor after floor, the scattered fleeing Minotaurs were gradually being taken down.
The monsters' erratic movements combined with the dungeon's complex terrain meant the pursuit wasn't very efficient.
Of course, Luke deliberately holding back was also one of the factors.
Not intending to cut short the plot regarding a certain young man's growth, Luke was actually somewhat looking forward to the scene he watched in the anime.
'Maybe he could become a worthy opponent in the future.'
With this kind of thought in mind, Luke deliberately suppressed his speed to match roughly the same level as Ais and Bete.
To pursue the Minotaurs scattered across different floors, the Loki Familia members disappeared one after another around corners.
By the time they reached the 5th floor, only Luke, Ais, and Bete remained in the pursuit team.
Just then, a scream reached their ears.
"AAAAHHHHHHH——!"
Hearing someone in danger, Ais immediately rushed forward.
However, another figure moved even faster.
Luke originally didn't want to act, having no intention of interfering with the protagonists' opportunities.
But when he saw Ais rush forward, his body moved instinctively.
'Ais will meet another man, form bonds with the protagonist.'
The moment this thought arose, Luke's entire body transformed into blue starlight and shot past Ais toward the distance.
Whoosh—!
Slash—!
Moving at full power purely on instinct, Ser-Veresta's light flashed for an instant, and the last Minotaur was cut clean in half.
Standing still as he sheathed his sword, Luke was momentarily stunned, then gave a self-deprecating smile.
"Am I... being jealous?"
This was Luke's first time experiencing such an emotion.
Up until now, all his actions had been based on clear intent and will.
And this was the first time his 'body moved before his rational mind could think.'
Feeling his somewhat turbulent heart, Luke was extremely surprised.
'Without me realizing it, has Ais become this important to me?'
Suppressing this thought deep into his heart, Luke looked at the young man he had just saved.
Pure white short hair reminiscent of fresh snow, deep red eyes that seemed ready to overflow with tears.
Combined with his slightly trembling body that appeared frightened, the impression of a 'white rabbit' immediately came to Luke's mind.
While Luke was lost in thought, this human youth had been silently staring at him.
Now that he had come back to his senses, Luke took a small step forward, intending to say something to the youth slumped on the ground.
But his movement seemed to startle the young man, who suddenly screamed and ran away in panic.
"WAAAHHHHHH——!"
"Ahhh... eh?!"
"Alright, stop screaming. Running away screaming from your savior isn't very polite."
Luke grabbed the youth's collar the instant he tried to flee.
...
"I-I'm so sorry!"
"My name is Bell Cranel, I'm a member of Hestia Familia. Thank you so much for saving me!"
The white-haired youth, now somewhat calmer after being caught by Luke, kept apologizing.
"I'm really, really sorry! After being saved, I actually tried to run away screaming. I'm so sorry!"
"Well, no need to apologize anymore."
Luke looked at this continuously apologizing 'protagonist'.
Honestly, it was impossible not to feel some emotion looking at it.
Though Luke wasn't sure if changing who saved Bell would affect his growth, Luke wasn't worried about altering the so-called plot.
"The Minotaurs that escaped were our responsibility in the first place. If anything, you're a victim who got caught up in our mess, so I should be the one to apologize."
Luke's words scared Bell.
"No, no, no, please don't say that."
Bell, who had a great admiration for Orario, adventurers, and especially 'heroes', naturally recognized the person who stood before him immediately.
A first-class adventurer of the Loki Familia, the 'Sword Master' Luke.
Also known in Orario as 'The Man Closest to Being a Hero'.
Though it might be embarrassing to say, Luke was absolutely Bell's idol.
Ever since coming to Orario and learning about Luke's deeds, Bell had been deeply moved.
This was exactly the image he dreamed of, just like the 'heroes' described in his favorite story tales.
The difference was, Luke wasn't a fictional character, but a real, living person.
'Heroes' really existed in this world, and this 'reality' moved Bell immensely.
Earlier, his screaming and attempt to run away wasn't because he was scared of the monster.
Rather, it was because he had embarrassed himself in front of his idol.
Being saved by his admired 'senior' filled him with such shame that he instinctively tried to run away from reality.
"In any case, you saved my life. Please let me have a chance to thank you properly."
Bell's desire to thank Luke was genuine, but he also had some of his own ulterior motives.
He naturally didn't want to miss such a good opportunity to interact with his idol.
"Thanks, hmmm..."
Luke pondered for a moment.
Honestly, he was quite curious about this supposed grandson of Zeus as well.
And having just returned from the expedition, chatting with him seemed like a good idea.
"Well, you look like a new adventurer, right?"
"The first few days after becoming an adventurer are when enthusiasm is at its peak, so I won't disturb you during the daytime."
"How about this: tomorrow night, our familia just returned from an expedition, so we'll probably be having a party at the Hostess of Fertility."
"If you'd like, come by then and we can chat."
Just like that, Luke and Bell set their meeting time and parted ways.
...
"I'm curious, does it really take you this long to kill one Minotaur?"
Not long after walking back, Luke found Ais and Bete resting in a place.
The one speaking was Bete.
"Ais and I waited here for you, but if we'd known you'd take so long, we would have gone to meet up with Finn already."
Earlier when they heard the scream, both Ais and Bete had stopped in their tracks when they saw Luke dash out.
One reason was trust - with Luke taking action, a mere Minotaur couldn't cause any trouble.
The other reason was that Ais and Bete were genuinely tired.
The consecutive major battles on 51st and 50th floors, plus the long journey back, followed immediately by pursuing the fleeing Minotaurs.
Although Ais and Bete were agility-focused adventurers, endurance wasn't their strong point.
With their endurance stats not being particularly impressive, the two chose to rest after seeing Luke take action.
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