Impregnation Reincarnation Adventurer ep030. Growing Tension

 

 

I notice a presence incoming and opened my eyes.

There’s a familiar face looking at me with a furrowed brow.

「 Did you wake up? Been a while, Zarmen 」

A handsome man with burning red flame hair, spreading out like a lion’s mane looking down on me.

Alex, the flame sword.

His nickname “Flame Sword” comes from the two-handed sword he wields, the flamberge.

However, the bard also described Alex the flame sword as such because of his hair, and the fierce way he fights.

Well, he’s a heroic guy. He also got the looks and skills to back it up.

He’s never less than a grandiose alias as he’s always in the front of the battle, attacking the enemy.

In a sense, he’s the most adventurous among adventurers.

He doesn’t hesitate to jump into danger. He’s a daredevil who fights with his life on the line.

He takes a stance that most closely resembles the adventurer image

If there’s anything out of ordinary about Alex, then that would be his exceptionally good looks. He’s such a graceful man that his profile looks like a woman’s by combing his long hair, making it shiny.

…It’s shameful to say, but I’m not good at dealing with good-looking guys like him.

It’s an allergy ingrained in my previous life, so I can’t help it.

「 I never dreamed that I’d have a reunion with you in this place 」

「 Likewise, Alex 」

He seem to hate me since the first time we met, while I was still stuck in iron rank.

Alex continued to aim for higher ranks, like silver, meanwhile, I was representing the bottom ranks, who would never rise. Truly like water and oil. I counted it as one of the drawbacks of the party Alex would lose his temper all the time, and I would have a hard time quieting him down.

Honestly, I never thought I’d see him again, but talking to him directly like this feels a little strange.

「 Haa didn’t expect a small fish to dive into a dungeon, get caught by a trap, and fall into a coma because he ran out of mana. You’ve gotten duller compared to before 」

He speaks harshly, but I didn’t respond.

He raises his eyebrows, not liking that attitude.

「 Hey, if you’re a man, at least talk-back 」

「 Claire and Cindy are sleeping. Quiet 」

「 Hmm, you’re just being the usual then 」

Alex’s anger fades and he sat down.

He then raised his knee and folded his arms. That’s so picturesque that even I admire him as a man.

He’s a good-looking guy who looks sophisticated in every gesture, and it’s truly disgusting.

「 It’s frustrating to say but your arrival has softened the mood of the party. We were running out of water and food. We’re both at our mental and physical limits. Zalmen 」

He too seems fatigued. He’s being meek.

That shadowed expression, melancholic eyes, and self-mocking sarcastic smile could invite the other sex with the desire to protect him. It’s got that oddly sexy flurry. This kind of thing just makes me lose my temper.

「 Stop. That’s disgusting. That’s not like you 」

「 Pfft 」

What do you mean by “pfft!” Asshole!

What’s with that nostalgic meek smile?

You’re the kind of guy who’d fearlessly charge at the enemy while laughing.

It’s been a while since I last saw you but you’ve become a bit more of a nobleman.

Sure, he’s a son of the aristocrat. Yeah.

Geez.

I’ve been holding an agonizing through my chest. Back then, we always have a clash of ideas, and now he’s showing how vulnerable he is, and I’m feeling discomfort. I speak up, unable to hold it.

「 Stop that. That face doesn’t suit you. Where’s that audacious guy who acts like he owns the place? 」

「 You really said it 」

There’s a glint of power returning to his eyes in response to my lighthearted talk.

「 Well, at least I’d like to make my senior look better. I call you a small fry, but I still respect you as a senior. Shouldn’t a silver rank set an example for the iron-class adventurers? 」

「 There, that’s the personality 」

We’re giving a sarcastic exchange, but we’re not offended.

We have different abilities, achievements, and reputations as adventurers, but at least we can make this kind of talk.

Even after staying out of contact, we still have that much mutual trust. We still give each other a fearless smile. It’s been a while since I had this kind of exchange with friends.

「 By the way. You weren’t here alone, were you? Who else was in the search party? 」

「 Just Marie and me 」

「 What? Marie’s here?! 」

Alex’s face suddenly changed color.

He’s been holding off his voice so he doesn’t wake up the two sleeping women, but now it’s filled with passion.

I can’t hide my amazement at that change. In a fit of rage, he grabs me by the hair, lifts my face, and glares at me. I was taken aback by the ghastly expression on his face.

「 Hey, Zalmen! Why is Marie here? 」

「 H-Hey, calm down! Alex, what’s wrong? 」

「 She retired six months ago, right? You don’t know that? 」

「 S-She told me that too 」

「 Tsk, that stupid woman didn’t tell you the important part 」

Alex releases my hair from his grip while clicking his tongue in frustration.

My head hit the hard floor of the dungeon, but Alex’s words pierced through my chest. It’s occupying my brain instead of the pain.

「 Alex, tell me about it. What do you mean by that 」

I feel a cold gaze looking down at me.

Alex paused for a moment, but then he bit his lip and speaks in determination.

「 Marie’s got an incurable illness. She’s going to die soon 」

I didn’t understand what Alex meant.

The words just kept repeating in my head over and over.

Marie’s dying.

Marie’s dying?

Marie?

「 !!! Fuuuuuu!! So…how long? 」

I’m glad we’re in the dungeon.

I’m glad I couldn’t move yet.

If my emotions weren’t suppressed, if my body could move, I would’ve grabbed Alex in front of me without thinking of what to do next and I might’ve choked him as my emotions told me.

「 Answer me, Alex 」

Alex remained silent for a while in response, but then again, unable to bear my penetrating gaze, he began to speak.

「 I don’t know the details. She only told me it was a curse. The reason she became an adventurer was to obtain clues to break that curse. Six months ago, the symptoms worsened, she collapsed, vomiting blood during a quest. Gradually, she lost the strength to participate in the adventures, and realizing that she doesn’t have much time to live, she left the party, saying that she was going to retire from adventuring and devote herself to researching spells to break them as a last-ditch effort 」

Alex ruffles his hair and covers his eyes with his hands.

His hands are trembling.

We came here in search of a legendary artifact that might break her curse, clinging to the rumors of hidden treasures in the magical city of Mara.

Alex’s shocking confession left me in a daze.

Marie never showed me any behavior like that.

I couldn’t even consider that she was already trying to overcome a curse.

Her dirty room, the tools tossed around.

She mentioned that she spent six months without seeing anyone.

She mentioned that she hasn’t been out of the house in a while when we met.

Now the dots are connecting

Now I see why Marie joined me in search of Alex and his party.

She wants to save her friends at the cost of her life.

Alex immediately understood that that was the reason why he was angry at me for bringing her to this place.

「 Where’s Marie? The other side? Or here? Where? 」

「 I can’t be sure, but she should’ve crossed to this side first. I followed her from the same magic circle to find out why she disappeared 」

「 In short, it’s likely that she’s wandering somewhere on this labyrinth 」

Alex sighs.

He puts the hand down covering his face and I see a burning righteousness glistening in his eyes.

「 You brought her here! 」

He punches me on the cheek.

I’m feeling a dull aching pain on me.

「 –At times like this, I…I!! 」

Alex then punches his head with his fist.

Blood flows out of his skin, trickling down from his knuckles.

I can tell that he’s feeling deep regret. The sound of his teeth gnashing echoes through the room.

「 Once you recover your strength and mana, we’ll search for Marie right away. Good? 」

「 Of course 」

Alex and I have shown each other our determination.

At the same time, I feel clinging from both sides.

Seems like the two woke up and listened to the story and feel the same way as us.