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The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

Episode 324: Investigation Begins

“Hot…”

As soon as we passed through the entrance of the dungeon.

What greeted us was an intense heatwave like nothing I had ever experienced before, enough to make sweat trickle down just from a gentle brush against my cheek.

“Magma… a lava zone, huh? This was unexpected.”

Just as Olga said, the sight stretching out before us was indeed a lava zone, with magma flowing down the mountainside like a waterfall, oozing up the slopes and flowing upwards like a river.

“Hot, hot, hot…”

“Fiera, are you okay?”

“I can’t… I’m dying… it’s so hot…”

Fiera, being a beastman, already had a high body temperature, and with her tail adding to the heat, she loosened her collar and fanned herself while replying to Shuvina. She waved her tail around, trying to send some cool air her way.

However, realizing that the wind itself was hot, she quickly stopped moving and her ears and tail drooped listlessly.

“Um, Fiera-san. I understand it’s hot, but maybe you should be a bit more mindful of your surroundings?”

“Yeah. You’re looking a bit too seductive right now, Fiera.”

As Iris and Sonia pointed out, Fiera’s loosened neckline revealed a glimpse of cleavage, where beads of sweat trickled down, making the scene quite alluring, leaving the other male members awkwardly avoiding eye contact.

That said, it was much more gentlemanly of them to be uncomfortable and look away compared to the lecherous stares from other nobles in the same situation.

“But it’s so hot…”

“Lewis, can’t you do something about it?”

“Ugh, fine.”

I replied to Iris, then received the magic bag from Miria, pulling out necklaces and bracelets.

“Olga. I’m going to make some magical tools to cool us down. Do you guys need them?”

“Please. I thought it would be a labyrinth or rocky area since we’re in a cave, but I never expected a lava zone. I didn’t prepare anything as backup.”

“Got it. Wait a moment.”

I said this while infusing the accessories I took out with ice magic and wind magic, then asked Iris and the others to distribute them to everyone here.

“So cool!”

“This is the best!”

“It’s like the heat we just felt was a lie!!”

The moment Fiera and the others equipped the items they received, their expressions turned to pure bliss, and Fiera’s ears and tail perked up with newfound energy.

“I made the cold air from the ice magic circulate around with the wind magic, and it seems to be working well.”

“Impressive, Eir. Without you, I would’ve had to step outside and buy some expensive magical tools. From now on, we should check what it’s like inside beforehand.”

“Don’t worry about it. Normally, yes, it would be standard to investigate ahead of time, but I don’t mind this sort of spur-of-the-moment approach. However, if you learned something from this, as you said, bring that knowledge to the next time.”

“Haha. That’s so like you. You really are unwavering.”

For me, entering a dungeon without any information and feeling the fresh air in the moment is enjoyable, but it’s hard to share that feeling with Olga and the others, who have the constant worry of dying before they even get started.

“Well then. Thanks to Eir, we can move around without worrying about the heat. So, let’s go as planned, checking our surroundings for any monsters and traps.”

“Understood!!”

With that command, the members of the Black Lion’s Judgement formed their usual formations with skillful ease and started moving in perfect unison.

“We’re going too.”

“Mm.”

After that, we followed Olga at the front as the Black Lion’s Judgement carefully began exploring the dungeon.

“Gyaaaaaah!!”

“Vanguard, draw its attention! Rearguard with magic and bows, seal off its escape route! Don’t let it attack from the air!”

A few dozen minutes later.

We were currently battling a swarm of twenty B-rank wyverns.

“Sonia, let’s make a bet on who can take out more!”

“Hehe. You think you can win against my eradication skills? Fine, I accept your challenge!”

“Iris, from what I can see of everyone’s movements, it looks like we’re in good shape. Let’s support our clan!”

“Understood. Leave it to me!”

While Olga and the others fought with caution, Fiera and Sonia started their competition, while Shuvina and Iris began supporting Olga and the team.

And me…

“Eir’s hair is so silky!”

“Is that so? If you like it, I don’t mind you playing with it a bit longer.”

“Yeah!”

While balancing Dōna that Shuvina summoned on my shoulder, I watched as she stroked my hair or braided it while observing the battle.

“Hey, aren’t you going to fight, Eir?”

“Well, I think I’ll just watch for now.”

“Why not?”

“If I jump in, it’ll be over too quickly, right? It wouldn’t be fair to those who invited us.”

“I see! Eir is so kind!”

Normally, I’d be eager to charge into battle with Fiera and the others against the wyverns, but this time, I stayed back, enjoying the fight alongside Miria and Dōna.

That’s because if I fought, even a swarm would be taken down in no time, which would rob the members of Black Lion’s Judgement of their chance to battle.

It would be unfair to those who invited us, like Olga, and above all, I needed to understand how well the other members, aside from Olga, could fight for the future.

“They know our abilities from the promotion exam, but we have no idea how strong they are. So, I want to take this opportunity to gauge their combat abilities, judgment, and attitude towards fighting.”

“I see! Eir’s thinking ahead is impressive!”

Dōna said that, propping her chin and kicking her legs in excitement while sitting on my shoulder.

“Miria, you can join in if you want. I’ll handle things on my end.”

“No, I’m not really the fighting type. I’m happy just to guard your back, Eir-san.”

“I see. Well, as long as you’re okay with that.”

Currently, Miria was not part of the fight with Fiera and the others, but while holding back, she was taking out the wyverns targeting me using poison.

Thanks to that, I was able to relax, but I couldn’t shake the slight dread of leaving my back exposed to Miria.

After a while of observing the movements of the wyverns while leaving the approaching ones to Miria, the entire swarm of almost twenty wyverns finally transformed into magical stones.

“Phew. Leading the fight is more exhausting than fighting directly.”

“Great job. But I think you managed the commands just fine. It was reassuring to watch.”

“Coming from you, that will definitely boost their confidence.”

After the battle, Olga wiped off his sweat and approached me, gulping down a drink he had in hand.

“Still, for the first layer to feature B-rank monsters, no less a swarm, this dungeon might actually be S-rank or higher.”

“Might be.”

Given the nature of dungeons, the deeper you go, the stronger the monsters become, so having B-rank monsters show up on the first layer means that S-rank or higher monsters likely await us on the final floor.

“I can’t make a precise judgment just yet, but let’s proceed with the expectation that we’ll be dealing with a dungeon that is at least S-rank.”

“Right. By the way, is the plan to only investigate the first layer?”

“No, we’ve been told by the guild to try for the second if possible, but I’d like to go for the third layer if we can. The more information we have, the more it’ll assist other adventurers.”

“Certainly. Especially if we want to fully clear it before the other clans.”

“Exactly.”

Olga may seem gentle beneath his appearance, but his priority is always with his comrades, and even though he talks about helping other adventurers, he never misplaces his priorities.

Thus, I don’t find his request reckless, nor do I think of stopping him.

“Well then, it looks like we’ve taken a break, so let’s move on.”

“Yeah.”

With that, we readjusted our focus, heightened our alertness, and resumed our exploration of the first layer.

By the way, the competition between Fiera and Sonia ended in Sonia’s victory thanks to her area attacks. Fiera looked a bit frustrated, but she seemed to have fun while fighting, so I don’t think it was a problem to leave her be.

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