With that, the girl took a bag from the maid and showed it to me.
What was inside was...
"‘Micro Magic Stones’ and ‘Iron Knife’...?"
"Yes. These are the items Shouta-sama defeated and dropped. Ira picked them all up."
Ira bowed her head slightly.
You chased after me and collected everything...? Even though I was running at full speed while looking for monsters...
"What do you want me to do with this? If you want them, I'll give them to you."
"What are you saying? Since these are the items Shouta-sama defeated, they belong to Shouta-sama."
"But I discarded them because I couldn't pick them up while prioritizing speed. Your maid picked them up, so they belong to you."
"Then, it's my choice to do what I want with them. So, I will give them to Shouta-sama."
"...You're stubborn."
"Shouta-sama is the one being stubborn. You lack desire."
"I do have desire."
I muttered softly.
The desire to uncover the secrets of the dungeon, a desire that no one can surpass.
"Then, why did you follow me? I thought I declined your invitation."
"Was I not attractive to you?"
"That's not the point. It's about valuing them and the fact that I can't fulfill your wishes."
"In that case, there's no problem. Ideally, I would have wanted to be first, but I have the tolerance to accept being third. And Shouta-sama, as I expected, is indeed strong. So there's no problem."
"There are only problems..."
How can I make her give up?
Akki and Maki seem to know this girl well, and she seems to be a handful. If there was a proper solution, they would have told me. Hmm, can I make her give up?
"By the way, I don't even know your name."
"Oh! How could I forget. I was so excited about our meeting that I forgot to introduce myself."
She seemed to have genuinely forgotten and quickly corrected her posture.
"Allow me to introduce myself again. I am Ayane of the Hozushoin family. Please call me Ayane, my lord."
"You've upgraded to 'lord'!? ...Anyway, Ayane-san."
"Just Ayane, please."
"..."
My 'Intuition' tells me that this conversation will continue indefinitely if I don't refuse. It's troublesome, but whatever.
"...Ayane. I said it before, but I want to take care of the two of them, so I can't accept your invitation. Also, I have things I don't want to tell anyone. So it's inconvenient for you to follow me."
"Oh, you really do love them. And the fact that you didn't get blinded by desire when you heard my name is charming. I want you even more now."
So, she's some noble's daughter.
Hozushoin... Where have I heard that name before...
"Also, please rest assured about secrets. Ira and I are very tight-lipped. So there's no need to worry!"
"No, that's not the point... Sigh, I understand. Since indirect approaches don't work, I'll be blunt. I can't trust you. So no matter what you say now, it's meaningless."
Our first impression was terrible, and if you were following me in a way I couldn't detect, it makes sense.
"Ugh... Then, my lord, please give me a chance to make amends. Ira, remove the interference."
"As you wish."
"Huh?"
"Also, introduce yourself. This is your new master."
The oppressive aura I felt from Ira disappeared completely the moment Ayane said that.
Could she really change her emotions just by her words? However, the oppressive aura and sharp gaze were gone, but her expression remained unchanged. It's a bit of a waste for such a beautiful person.
"...Ahem. I am Aira of the Inukai family. Please call me Ira. I am the loyal servant of the young lady and, as of now, your servant. Please give me any commands, my lord."
"M-my lord!?"
"I have also removed the interference. My lord, this is our resolve. Please check our status with 'Appraisal.'"
"..."
If words can't make me trust them, they're willing to fully open their status? Are they serious?
No... They are serious. Ira is stronger than me. If she wanted to, she could overpower me by force. But instead of forcing me, she's trying to gain my trust.
...Are they really willing to disclose all their information to me?
"Here, please look. Or do you prefer to just stare at us after we've exposed our most important parts?"
"Hey, the way you say it!"
...When they show this much resolve, I feel like I should respond to it.
"‘Appraisal’"
＊＊＊＊＊
Name: Ayane Hozushoin
Level: 46
Strength: 50
Dexterity: 98
Stamina: 50
Agility: 97
Magic: 325
Intelligence: 415
Luck: 10
Equipment: Gem Staff, Hyper Protector built-in New Style Autocouture
Skills: Appraisal Lv3, Appraisal Interference Lv3, Fire Magic Lv3, Wind Magic Lv2, Healing Magic Lv2, Wisdom of Magic
＊＊＊＊＊
Ayane's status is impressive, especially her Intelligence and Magic. And 'Healing Magic'? I've heard of it, but it's supposed to be incredibly rare. It's said that the recovery potions I carry as insurance, commonly known as 'Recovery Agents,' can't compare to it.
I suspected she wasn't just anyone when she talked about sealing the first floor and brought such a maid around...
＊＊＊＊＊
Name: Aira Inukai
Level: 169
Strength: 1017
Dexterity: 1018
Stamina: 680
Agility: 1354
Magic: 342
Intelligence: 345
Luck: 6
Equipment: Palladium, Life Steal, Custom Hyper Protector (Battle Maid Style)
And then there's Ira. She's in a league of her own. Not just her level, but her overall stats are insane.
With stats like these, she must be a top-tier adventurer. I've never seen stats in the thousands before. She might be famous enough to be known if you look her up.
"By the way, my growth rate per level is 3 for Magic and 5 for Intelligence. My ‘SP’ is 8, so I distribute it equally between both."
"I increase equally by 4 from Strength to Agility. My ‘SP’ is also 8, so I distribute 2 to Strength and Dexterity, and 4 to Agility."
This is the real deal, the kind of strength that only those with high growth rates can achieve among those who can grow properly...
Compared to my 1 for all stats and a mere 2 ‘SP’, it's dazzling.
Really... I'm really envious.
"My lord, have you accepted our resolve?"
"...Yes."
"Do you trust me now?"
"Well, to some extent."
"Then let's get married!"
"That's a different matter."
"Boom!"
There was a hypothesis that no matter how much you increase your Intelligence, you can't cure innate stupidity. It seems to be true...
"That's terrible, my lord. You peeked at a girl's secrets and now you treat me like this... I can't get married now."
"You're the one who showed me... And I'm not taking responsibility or accepting you."
"That's too much..."
Now she's sobbing. It seems more like she's genuinely hurt rather than fake crying.
I can't help but feel a bit sorry for her, but if I acknowledge her, it would be unfair to the two of them. Besides, even though she's hurt, she doesn't seem to be giving up. She's a tough one.
"...Sigh. Are you going to follow me no matter what?"
"Of course!"
She's not giving up. Honestly, it's a waste of time to stand here, and I want to end the conversation and move on. But this girl won't give in, and even if I run, Ira's stats and skills mean she'll definitely catch up.
I could go home and consult the guild about harassment, but... Showing all your stats like that is not something people usually do. Since they have 'Appraisal Interference,' it means they don't want their information to be known.
So, I should be the one to give in. I won't tell them what I'm doing in detail, and I won't use 'Level Gacha' in front of them. I'll take all the experience and items.
They can just be spectators.
"Fine, you can follow me."
"Really!? I did it!"
"But you have to listen to what I say. Got it?"
"Y-Yes. I would have preferred our first time to be in my bed, but if my lord wishes, even in an uninhabited forest..."
"...I'll leave you behind."
"J-Just kidding!"
It's gotten noisy, but let's continue with the goblin hunting.
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