Our climb through the second stratum went smoothly at first, though certainly far slower than the way we cleared through the first. As I couldn’t just destroy everything to get to the portal, we had to actually traverse through the architecture. And let me tell you, it was a serious, absolutely hadcore of a maze. A 3D maze at that. With a map, you can only draw in 2D. Even in JRPG games, their 3D maps tend to suck.

And so, to deal with it, I came up with a method I remembered from one of the manga I used to read in my old life. Using my Earth Magic, I would form a certain unique Earth structure to mark that we had been there before. And to mark our steps, I would create conspicuous puddles of mud and dirt behind us. As we were inside a massive hyperstructure of interconnected spires and towers, there was no other way such things could be here other than by my spell.

The first day went by smoothly. We found the teleporter on the next floor just before the day ended. I actually had purchased a dwarven pocket watch in my shopping with Felicia, so I could tell the time just fine, even if the place didn't have an obvious day or night cycle. The contraption was pretty expensive but it was all worth it.

On the next floor, after we found a safe spot we could use to rest, we erected our tents. To be honest, I could just use my earth magic to create earth huts, but I still preferred sleeping in the former.

When we finished, I realized there was something off on the number of tents we had. Specifically, the tent Theo and Tama had built.

"Wait, you guys only made one tent? Heh, don't tell me that you're sleeping together?" I grinned at the kid.

"Y-yeah, well, about that…" He scratched his cheek with his index finger as he averted my gaze. "We… are a couple now."

...What?

"She confessed to me yesterday. And I accepted. And now, w-we're going to sleep together. That's what couples do, right?"

I froze.

I… I didn't know what to say.

Too fast! This development is too fast! Aren't brats like them supposed to stay as friends for years, only realizing their feelings for each other once they're older? And how can the tsundere confess out of the blue? That only happens when the male lead is dying or something!

"Well, I… I'm happy for you, kid." I placed my hand on his shoulder while forcing a smile.

"Thank you, Master Hugo! I swear I'll make her happy! Just like I will with Mother!"

This kid… He might actually end up marrying his mother as well once he's older. They're not really related so it's okay, right?

Still, goddamn it—this means he might lose his virginity before me. It's only a matter of time until their cuddling turns into actual sex. Believe me, that shit can happen so fast. Even back on Earth, teenage pregnancies are everywhere.

Sure, I can do it with Felicia, but I'll feel bad for Sherry. I'm already betraying her trust by taking in Felicia as another lover. Not to mention all the lewd stuff we had done together. If another girl gives a man a blowjob, that counts as cheating for sure.

At the very least, I want to give my first time to her. She deserves that.

That night, though, no weird noises came out from their tent.

Or the next night. Or the night after that.

A month passed with us reaching the 150th floor.

And he kept his virginity all the way through.

--------

Tira

Meanwhile, back at the city, Tira was walking nervously with a tray in her hands.

Tonight, her master finally returned from his many business trips. And so it was her chance to pay her long-standing debt to him.

However, she had to wait for her turn, as he was now preoccupied with a guest.

"What?! What do you mean she's dead?"

"I-I've told you, Sir! A thief sneaked in and murdered her in her sleep! They stole her money and left immediately afterwards!"

"Impossible! That witch can't be killed by a common thief! Tell your guards to hunt down the culprit at once!"

"O-of course, Sir!"

Quickly, Tira ran to the corner of the hallway she was at, making sure to not spill the tea she was carrying on said tray.

The elf had been ordered to bring it to her master's study, but when she arrived, she heard shouting and yelling from the inside.

She couldn't help herself from eavesdropping. Her elven ears were very good at it after all.

She quickly determined the man her employer was yelling at. He was the commander of the city guards. And yes, he was bribed enough by her master that he was now practically under his employ.

Another reason why she didn't dare to run away with her debt.

The large oaken door opened and a man with a plate mail and a cape exited. Only after he disappeared that she was brave enough to return back to her original position, just behind the door.

“That idiot! That’s 6% of my income now gone! I swear, my luck has been rotten ever since the disaster with Crandis!”

Crandis was a name she barely recognized. Remembering all the other times her master had mentioned him, he seemed to be one of his many merchant partners, though his base of operation was at Korlopur instead. And apparently, him and his entire entourage had been slaughtered by a band of demon bandits.

...Hold on… that’s…

She nearly dropped the tray she was holding.

Only now she realized the truth.

The one who murdered Sir Crandis… it was Sir Hugo and Miss Felicia. The bandits were actually late to the party.

Theo told her about it yesterday. That was the slaughter he meant.

Chills ran up her spine.

Oh no…

Sir Hugo, you’ve made a powerful enemy...

“And where’s that damn elf?”

“Aah, c-coming!”

Quickly, she opened the door with her free hand.

The study was decently large, with a number of bookshelves scattered around the room. A large chair and table sat across the room, perfectly supporting the man that was sitting behind them, as Mr. Bartholomeus was a large man with an even larger waistline. He was wearing a loose-fitting white coat with a green shirt underneath. A cravat rested on his neck, making his already short neck disappear completely. His hair was short and black, with the classic signs of middle-age balding.

“H-here’s your tea, Mr. Bartholomeus.”

“You’re late! My guest has already left!”

“I-I apologize!”

Quickly, she walked over to his table and put the tea cup down before pouring it with black tea. He always took his tea without any sugar or milk, something she already learned from the very first day she worked here.

"Mr. Bartholomeous, about my debt to you…"

"What? You want more money? You haven't even paid the 100 gold coins you owed."

"N-no! I...I want to pay that debt."

The large merchant nearly dropped his cup.

"You? Pay for it?" A perverted smile formed on his baby-like face. "Ooh, are you finally considering my offer?"

"N-no! Not that! I really have the money with me! Here!"

She took out a coin pouch from her pocket and dropped it on his table.

"Here! All 100 gold coins!"

The man froze. Judging by his raised eyebrows, he clearly wasn't expecting this in the slightest.

Putting down the cup of tea, he quickly opened the pouch and looked into its content.

"...You… how did you get this?"

"M-my brother… he got it from the Dungeon…"

"Really now? I thought he was a horrible adventurer. The weakest or something like that?"

"H-he's gotten a lot better lately." The elf forced a smile. C-calm down, Tira. He can't possibly know these coins came from his murdered associate.

"Huh… So you say." He grabbed the pouch and stored it in his own pocket. "However, this doesn't mean that you're free of your debt."

Her smile dropped like an iron anvil.

And a much more disgusting smile appeared on the merchant's face in exchange.

"You see, you might have paid the capital but you have yet to pay the interest, which would be 200 gold coins."

"B-but you said you won't charge me interest when you lent the money!"

"Hmm? I never said that." He grinned.

"You-you lied to me!" She slammed her hands on the table.

"Well, feel free to take it to Lord Relfatia if you're dissatisfied. But I assure you, you won't even get past the front gate. So, how about it? I'm still giving you the offer. A night with me in my room and I'll pretend the interest is never even there."

The merchant was a perverted man through and through. He would dress his maids with short skirts so he could fondle their bottoms whenever he wanted to. And yes, herself included. In fact, she could sense he had somewhat of an obsession with her. She didn't know why since he had so many other maids with a lot more breasts and hips than her, and they actually happily obliged his perversions. After all, they were paid handsomely for their work.

The man who recommended her to go work to him was his merchant friend. He told her he was a gentle man that would pay handsomely for a maid. He only neglected to mention that all that would only be true if you were willing to be molested by him.

Of course, she never told Theo about this. She didn't want him to worry. It was the only way she could pay for his medicine.

Until now.

"Oh, you probably don't know but your alchemist was murdered yesterday morning."

"W-what?" She faked her surprise.

"Terrible, terrible thing." He shook his head. "A thief did it to steal her money. But don't worry. I'll ensure you'll have another alchemist to replace her. Leave it to the great Mr. Bartholomeous." He gave a toad-like smile.

"I… thank you, Mr. Bartholomeous." She lowered her head.

He stood up, walked around the table and stood right in front of her.

And proceeded to lift her skirt.

"Blue again today, Tira? You're really fond of that color, aren't you?"

His other hand went behind her and gave her butt a squeeze.

"Ah! M-Mr. Bartholomeous…"

"Oh, don't be afraid…" He leaned forward and moved his hand back and forth. "I'm a nice guy. Is it because of my weight? I assure you, I used to be a buff man when I was younger."

"Mr. Bartholomeous, p-please, I—"

"Shhh…" The hand that lifted her skirt moved to pat her head. "You are really cute, Tira. Cuter than any other of my maids. You are precious to me. Your smooth skin… your petite body… your elven ears… that's why I gave you so many leniency compared to the other maids. Remember that time you slapped me? Any other girl and I would've sold her as slaves. It's a crime to assault a noble like me after all~"

And then, he did something that broke her.

He licked her right cheek.

With her full strength, she pushed the big man away before yelling, "I quit, Mr. Bartholomeous! I don't need you anymore! Theo is cured now so I don't need your gold!"

With tears in her eyes, she ran. Right to the outside and back to her apartment.

She could handle having her skirt lifted and her butt fondled. That happened on her job as a server in the tavern too. But being licked like that, it sent chills right to her very core.

And so she did something she shouldn't have done. That was no way to act to a powerful man like him. Now she wouldn't know what he'd do to her. Especially knowing that she was involved with someone that had messed up his business.

But for now, she just had to run away. As far away from that ugly toad as she could.

---------

A week passed since then, and to her surprise, no cloaked men had appeared on her front door to kidnap her.

Perhaps he was just too busy with his business to care about her? Or perhaps he had found another girl for her replacement?

Whatever the reason was, she wasn't complaining in the slightest. Even though she now had to work in an inn for the day with a far lower pay as a washing maid, she didn't mind at all. Sure, it was hard work, harder than just being a housemaid, and it made her soft hands turn cracked and rough, but at the very least, she wasn't being harassed in the process.

Her tavern job though, it still remained the same. Drunk patrons would lift her skirt and slap her butt from time to time. The owner said it was part of the job to bear it. Only when they went into something more physical that he would step in.

Her tribe viewed humans as barbaric wretches that couldn't control their desires, especially when it involved their crotch. She couldn't help but agree. Which was why she encouraged Theo to be with Tama. He had hit puberty and he would yearn for sex soon. She'd rather have him have it with a good girl like her over a prostitute.

I hope they're alright in there… Oh,

She would kneel every night and pray for their safety. But not to the Saint or the Heavenly Dragon. Instead, she prayed to the Timeless Queen.

She was part of the elven tribe who still revered the purebloods, even though they weren't pure themselves. And so they worshipped the Timeless Queen, the purest high elf of them all.

To her, it was still too odd to pray to the human god, even though she had been banished from her tribe.

Sir Hugo… you're going to keep them safe, right?

--------

Hugo

In the end, we didn't find an encampment on the 150th floor. Not even another adventurer. Even though it was supposed to be a shared floor.

Guess it was just our luck. Or the place was too complicated for something like that to happen. I had lost count on how many staircases I took in this past month.

Moving on to the 151th floor, I noticed a bit of a shift in the difficulty of the dungeon. There were now quite a lot more ambushes, where one monster would attack you from the front while another flank you from behind. The Shadowstalkers were particularly fond of this tactic.

Oh, if you don't know, Shadowstalkers are B-rank monsters that reside in the shadows, usually in the dim corners of the room, that would leap out and attack an adventurer that got too close. You can think of them as the monster version of Felicia's shadow spell.

With Felicia's own mastery of the shadows, they posed no threat whatsoever. Even I could sense their presence with ease. However, it was still difficult for Theo and Tama to notice them, which was why I always told them to stay close to us.

Speaking of Theo, he could actually win against a C-rank monster one by one now. He said it was thanks to my training but I believe it's thanks to his own determination. I'm just a guide to his destination.

We continued on to Floor 152, 153, and so on until Floor 160.

And then, the incident happened.

-------

"Hey, aren't you two going too far forward? We're supposed to stay together, you know!"

"It'll be fine, Master Hugo! There aren't any monsters around!"

I could only respond with a sigh.

We had been walking for a good 12 hours or so and we were now pretty much just looking for a place we could camp in for the night.

As to where we were exactly, we were now walking across a bridge between two towers. We were now out in the open, with a bright white moon in the sky. The sky was completely clear with not a speck of cloud. Dots of tiny stars decorated the otherwise pitch black visage.

Theo's confidence was not without reason. We had crossed bridges like this multiple times before and we had never been attacked while we were on it. The monsters seemed to only occupy the inside of the towers and spires.

As for the books, they agreed with his statement. There weren't any bird type monsters flying on the outside.

Still, I kept my vigilance, continuously scanning my surroundings for anything that might pop out of thin air.

Too bad the enemy was the invisible thing.

"Tama! Look out!"

It all happened in a flash.

Theo, who was walking a good distance in front of me, suddenly pulled Tama behind him.

Just in time to block a hookshot from hitting her body.

By his own.

"Argh!"

"Theo!"

Realizing what just happened, I bolted forward, moving as fast as I could with Graceful Step.

But I was too late, as Theo was now flying forward, pulled by the hookshot that had manifested out of thin air.

I jumped to get a better view. Thank God he was being pulled across the bridge and not to the chasm down below.

Tch! This monster's good! I can't find him even when he's attacking! It knows how to hide its presence! And my Sight's range isn't far enough!

Fine! I'll just cut the hookshot!

Dispelling my Wind Step, I fired a Boom Rifle. Only the tip of the hookshot was visible so I had to guess where the rest was. And I had to be careful not to hit Theo in the process. Thank God I could control its trajectory now.

It worked!

Seeing Theo stopping safely, I now switched my attention to the invisible monster. Felicia could handle his wounds. I, on the other hand, had to be the one to catch it, as I had my Sight to aid me. It might be able to mask both its noise and aura, but it shouldn't be able to hide its nana flow as well.

Reactivating Wind Step, I flew to the spot at the end of the bridge where I suspected the monster was.

There!

Activating my Sight, I could immediately see a network of Mana circuits in the shape of a chameleon. Only it was walking on two legs.

Naturally, it was running away. It knew its plan had shattered completely and it was smart enough to know how to retreat. If I had to guess, it was at least an A-rank.

I easily stopped the creature of course, obliterating it with a single Boom Cannon.

I then flew back to where the others were.

"Theo! Theo! Hang in there!"

"Don't shake him you idiot girl! Pull the eye off his chest. I'll pour this potion that would close his wounds."

"R-right!"

When I arrived, Theo was laying down on Tama's lap, with Felicia kneeling beside them.

...Oh no. The hookshot eye has buried itself inside his chest. If it pierces his heart…

"Pull it in one swift move, got it?" Felicia instructed.

"Wait, Felicia, if the eye reaches his—"

"No. It didn't go that far. I've inspected the wound. Please, trust me, Milord."

Her gaze at me—it was a firm and resolute one. No doubt in it whatsoever.

The legendary alchemist had proven herself to be smarter than me once again.

I might know modern medicine, but my knowledge was still nothing compared to her mastery of alchemy and biology.

"On the count of three. One, two, three!"

"Hyah!"

"Arghh!"

In one swift move, Tama pulled the eye off his chest. Naturally, Theo screamed from the pain, but Felicia didn't waste any time. She immediately poured the content of the bottle she was holding onto his gaping wound.

And then, like the magic concoction that it was, his flesh regenerated in a flash, mending the hole until there was none.

Theo was now panting, his forehead slick with sweat. He rubbed his chest with his hand.

"It… healed… it doesn't even hurt anymore… you're amazing, Miss Felicia!" He smiled at her.

"Of course it does!" She smiled back. "It's my potion after all!"

Oh Felicia. You really like being praised, don't you?

Just like me.

"Theo! You idiot! You shouldn't have done that!"

Tama then hugged the boy, sobbing in the process.

Exchanging a knowing look with Felicia, we immediately agreed to give them a bit of a space for their lovey dovey moment. Though we didn’t go that far, of course. Not after what happened.

“They’re adorable, aren’t they, Milord?” Felicia smirked.

“Yep! He’s a lucky guy, having a cute cat girl like her as his girlfriend.”

“Cute cat girl, hmm? Better than a sexy alchemist?”

“Oh, we’re going there now?” I replied with my own smirk, not falling for her obvious tease.

“It’s only normal for a woman to constantly compare herself to other women. Especially one with self-esteem issues such as myself.”

“Really? I think you’re pretty confident these days.”

“All because of you, Milord.”

I ended our conversation with a quick squeeze of her butt, earning a yelp from her.

To keep her self-esteem up, I guess I’ll just have to do perverted things to her from time to time. Make her feel attractive, you know.

------------

After the incident, we resumed our walk across the bridge. Nothing else popped out but we still redoubled our vigilance nonetheless. Whatever that invisible monster was, the explorers and scholars who wrote all those books knew nothing about it.

As for Theo, he was now stuck with Tama pressing her body into his. She refused to let him go, just like a spoiled house cat would.

We eventually found a good spot to rest for the night. As usual, we erected our tents and settled on a watch order. Felicia would be first, me second, Theo third, and Tama fourth. And so, after having our dinner, I headed into our tent to sleep.

…

"Milord, Milord, wake up."

"U-urghhh…"

Opening my eyes, I saw Felicia looming over me.

With an uncharacteristic grin on her face.

"Milord, you might want to hear this."

"Hear what?"

Only once I crawled out of my tent did I notice the sound she was referring to.

"Aahh… ahnnn… that's it… keep it up…"

….Holy fucking shit! Is that what I think it is?

Tiptoeing my way , I walked closer to Theo and Tama's tent.

"Haa… haa… am I… doing a good job?"

"You're doing… a great job… keep it up… aahnnn!"

They're… they're fucking each other in there! Copulating! Having sex! Theo entering his meat rod into Tama's flesh cave!

He… he really does lose his virginity faster than me!

Ahhh….

Suddenly, a hand rested on my shoulder.

"Is something the matter, Milord? You look distraught."

Felicia was leaning down slightly to my height, smirking in the process.

"N-nothing. It's just that—"

"He graduates to adulthood earlier than you. What a shame." She put on a dejected expression before switching back into her smirk. "You know, if you want, I can make you graduate too tonight~♥"

"N-no." I shook my head. "I… will still keep it for Sherry."

Clacking her tongue, she straightened herself up, her smirk disappearing into the wind.

"Suit yourself. Really, I just hope this Sherry girl treats you as well as I do." She huffed. "As for those two… I have some contraceptive drugs in case they don't have any. I doubt they'll want a kid right away."

She walked away, back into our tent as it was her turn to rest.

As for me, I had to bear hearing their moans until they finished. I assumed they fell asleep after it as I heard nothing else.

And when I entered their tent to wake Theo up, an unmistakable scent of bodily fluids entered my nostrils. Not to mention the fact that both of them were naked from the waist down.

Yep. They did it alright. This wasn't some misunderstanding like in an anime. They really did it.

"Hey, Theo. Wake up. It's your turn." I shook the boy.

He slowly woke up at first but when he realized I was there, he quickly stood up and put on his pants.

"M-Master Hugo, t-this isn't—"

"It's alright, kiddo." I gave him a reassuring grin, patting him on the shoulder. "Good job! You're finally a man now!"

He didn't say anything else as he hurriedly left the tent, his cheeks burning in the process.

-----------

A/N:

And so, the apprentice graduates first than the master.

Also, just posted a new chapter on Patreon. More Ilymhrra stuff. And we get to see the return of a certain legendary figure.