Traumatized Elf

"Someone asked you to save me?"

"Let's just leave that for when we reach the surface. That way, you'll have something to look forward to. Though just to be clear, I don't really accept requests of saving people. It's just because you're a good friend of mine.", Kisuke clarified as he didn't want her to spread the word of him accepting commissions like this.

Ryuu's eyes widened and said, "Thank you... I'll repay this favor once we're out here."

Chuckling, Kisuke just waved his hand, "I'm doing this to repay a favor, so you don't have to do anything. Anyway, if you can heal yourself, do it now and eat some food here. You'll need all the stamina you can get to pass through the 37th floor."

"37th floor!?", Ryuu exclaimed, "What are we doing here!?"

"Don't you remember? You were eaten by a Worm Well and I had to chase that snake all the way over to here. That's also the reason why you don't have any clothes left."

Kisuke's overall countenance once again entered Ryuu's sights and she couldn't help but bite her lips, 'So that's why he's injured all over... Because of me, he almost died...' Thus a misunderstanding was born.

"What should we do now?"

"Rest for now and then slowly and carefully move forward. No one knows where we are so we can't really expect any rescue team to come.", answered Kisuke while thinking, 'No one who could do so, would send any since it's me anyway.' Kisuke then grabbed one of the fruits which he got on the 39th floor and started munching on it while thinking and calculating his spells.

Ryuu nodded and started chanting her healing spell. Since they had enough food, she intended to get fully healed and also to heal Kisuke before moving, 'Looks like he's unwilling to tell me but his current situation isn't ideal. I have to get back on my feet and at least ensure his safety on the way...'

As such, a vow was formed inside her head that she would sacrifice herself so that Kisuke could escape. If Kisuke were to know what was on her mind, he would immediately tie her up as he made his way back to the surface.

.

.

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After half a day of rest, Ryuu and Kisuke were already fully healed and decided to move on. Not even a quarter of an hour had passed, before a group of 12 Spartois and Barbarians appeared to block their road.

If it was any other kind of monster, Ryuu would be confident that she could take on a handful of them. However, Spartois were the most dangerous monsters that roamed this area except for rare monsters as they were stronger than Lizardman Elite or Loup Garou, and more agile than the Barbarians. On top of that, they were warrior-type monsters that could carry random equipment and fight like Adventurers, making them a lot more dangerous than the usual monsters which had only one set of behavior and movement.

Since they were also at least around Level 4, Ryuu could only take on three or four of them at most. 'Just our luck.', thought Ryuu and couldn't help but bite her lips.

However, it didn't end there, because a few moments later, another similarly sized group of Spartois and Barbarian appeared behind them and cut off their path of retreat.

Ryuu was shaken and at a loss of what to do when Kisuke suddenly proposed, "Focus on making an opening on our front. I'll take care of the backside."

Since they didn't have much choice, Ryuu nodded at his instructions and dashed forward. After engaging the enemies in front of her, she heard the activity behind her. But when she was about to turn around and see how Kisuke was doing, the latter shouted at her, "Just focus on making an opening!"

After that, Ryuu ignored what was happening behind her and chose to trust Kisuke. A few minutes later, the two of them were able to go through the monsters and managed to run away, giving them some breathing space.

"That went well. Let's continue on this pa- !?", said Ryuu, but when she turned towards Kisuke, she saw his right arm bleeding profusely and leaving a trail of blood behind them, "You're hurt! Why didn't you say anything!?"

"'Cuz it isn't a big deal?"

Ryuu sighed, "Show it to me."

But before Kisuke could even agree, Ryuu grabbed and lifted his arm and activated her healing magic. Kisuke, on the other hand, controlled and carefully timed his regeneration with her Magic since her healing wouldn't really work on his body now.

While looking at the serious expression she was making, Kisuke asked, "I thought you don't like touching others and others touching you?"

"I do.", Ryuu nodded, "But this isn't the time for that… And I don't particularly mind if it's you... Strangely enough."

"Well, I'm honored if it's like that."

However, Ryuu smiled wryly at his response, "Honored? Please don't be. It's nothing special. Besides, I'm just a dirty Elf that threw away her own justice for the sake of her own revenge and satisfaction."

"What's wrong with that?", asked Kisuke immediately back.

Stunned, Ryuu looked at his genuinely confused expression before saying, "It isn't just simply bad, but it's also wrong. Discarding your own justice to satisfy your dark desires isn't right."

Shaking her head, Ryuu finished up Kisuke healing. While she was shocked at how effective her healing was on Kisuke, she immediately turned around to change the unpleasant subject, "Let's continue before monsters surround us again."

Kisuke silently stared at her lonely back and thought, 'As expected of an Elf. Stubborn and rigid. Though it seems that her case stems from past trauma. I wonder why Astraea-sama left her that year when everything was supposed to be over?'

The two of them continued at a slow pace because of the numerous monsters on the way. And each time, Ryuu would break through the walls of monsters while Kisuke would guard her back, leaving him injured each time.

However, the real reason why Kisuke kept getting injured wasn't because of the monsters attacking him, it was because of him using his spells which would always create a backlash. But because Kisuke would always receive an attack meant for Ryuu when she couldn't handle it anymore, the latter had no reason to doubt the source of his injuries despite the inconsistent sounds she was hearing while he was behind her.

And each time they would have a break, Ryuu would heal Kisuke while she reprimanded him for his 'thoughtless' actions. Nevertheless, all her words came in from his left ear and left out of his right ear. In any case, he wasn't really hurt and his priority was her safety. He was just moving with that in mind without thinking of the consequences in her emotions as usual.

As such, Ryuu's guilt kept piling up as did her determination to sacrifice herself for his safety when the situation would call for it.