'By the way, William. Do you have any reason to believe that thing you were talking about?

That's what Cyril asked me when we went down into the tunnel and started exploring, just like yesterday.

We were going down the tunnel in two rows, Satsuki and Mee in the front row, and me and Cyril in the back.
As I was walking along, paying attention to the low ceiling, Cyril, who was walking beside me, asked me.

'Which one is that thing you were talking about earlier?

I looked sideways at Cyril and saw her breasts pushing up her white priestly robe, swaying in time with her gait.

...... What am I looking at?
I quickly look back ahead and try to clear my mind.

'......? I'm sure you've heard of it. William said, "Probably not a problem. I was wondering if there was any basis for that.

'...... Oh, is that it?'

She looked at me curiously.
I try not to be conscious of it, but squeeze out a few words.

'First of all, although the odds are not very certain, in terms of simple factors of advantage and disadvantage, we have a significant advantage. For example... one of them is this.

I tap on the low ceiling of the mine with the staff in my hand.
A few fine scraps of sand fell.

Hearing this, Cyril's face showed his understanding.

'It's true that Glenn was a big man. With this low ceiling, it's possible that he won't be able to show his full potential.

'Yeah. Besides, that man's weapon is a greatsword as long as he is tall. He's not going to be able to wield it well here.

Then Satsuki, who was walking in front of you, interrupted you.

'I guess so. It's too tight for me to swing a sword. That thing is useless in here. You can use it for thrusting, but that's not the strength of a big sword.

I nodded at Satsuki's words.
When it comes to fighting with weapons, I can rely on her sensory input.

But then Satsuki adds another word in a low voice.

'But... he's still probably stronger than me, though.

'............'

Satsuki, who had fought with him once in the bathhouse, must have felt that man's strength firsthand.
Perhaps her assessment of Guren's strength was accurate.

And Satsuki is capable of fighting off the Rockworm almost single-handedly with simple magical support.
Cecilia would be able to provide that simple support.

In other words, Guren and the others certainly have the ability to kill the Rockworm.

'So, this side and that side are almost evenly matched in strength? Isn't that a game of luck?

Mee, who was walking in front of me, asked me with some concern.
Cecilia is also a magician with the ability of a B-ranked adventurer, so it's not hard to understand why she would think that after hearing the story so far.
But...

I put my hand on her head, and it wasn't until later that I realized that I had been defeated by her magic power, and I ruffled her hair.

'No, but still. What do we have that the other side doesn't?


******


Glenn and Cecilia were going through a different tunnel than William and the others.
Glenn, the man in front of them, was walking with his head bent down, looking cramped, but with the swagger of a large predator.

'd*mn, the ...... bastard was so confident because he knew about these dwarven tunnels.'

Guren's mouth curved into a frown.

It was true that the terrain was bad for him.
He knew that better than anyone.
Still, it was his humanity and pride that kept him from venting his frustrations and grievances on his partner.

Incidentally, the black greatsword, which is as tall as Guren, is carried diagonally by Cecilia, who is walking behind him, because it would interfere with his walking if he were to carry it himself.
And it was Cecilia who was rather dissatisfied.

'This is so clever. It's not manly at all. Can't a man compete head-on with his own strength? That's why mages are ......'.

Cecilia complained.
Then Glenn interrupted her.

'That's not true. Wisdom, tactics, and trickery are all power. Besides, Cecilia, you're a mage, aren't you?

'That's why. Men like someone who's strong and straight and who can hug them so tightly that their bodies feel like they're going to break. Like Glen.

'...... You've really changed, haven't you? I thought the old you was good, but the new you is really good.

I'm honored...

The two of them are kissing each other even though they are exploring.
But when Guren tried to hug Cecilia, Cecilia's hand slapped Guren's armor with a bang.
Glenn releases Cecilia.

'What's wrong?'

'Huh, ...... response, there it is, on alert.'

'Are they insects?

'Yes, probably.'

There was a reaction to the alert spell that Cecilia had cast beforehand.
Hearing this, Glenn glanced at his surroundings and asked.

'Where are they coming from? What's the timing?

'...... Sorry, I don't know. The response came from down ahead, though.

Cecilia points to the ground ahead of them.
Glenn frowned again.
Cecilia says to Glenn apologetically.

'I'm sorry, Mr. Glenn. If only I had the ability to use the see-through spell ......'.

'Oh, what, if you don't know, you don't know. Don't worry about it.'

'Yes ......'.

For the next few tens of seconds, the two of them kept a watchful eye on their surroundings, waiting for the Rockworm to strike.
Fearing an attack that could come from anywhere and at any time, Cecilia leaned towards Glenn.

With one arm, Glenn embraces Cecilia, and with the other hand, he takes the greatsword that she is holding.
He sharpened his beast-like senses...

'Cecilia, get out of my way!

'What the ......!



Glenn grabbed Cecilia and threw her backwards.
Cecilia fell to the ground on her buttocks.

A moment later, the ceiling above Glenn's head collapsed, and a large mouthful of Rockworm fell from it.

The large mouth of the Rockworm swallowed Guren's upper body headfirst...

'Guren-samaaaaaa!

Cecilia's scream echoed through the mine.


******


' What do we have that they don't have ......? I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.

I nodded to Cyril who asked me that.

'Yeah. The ability to respond to a surprise attack is very different if you don't have Mi's ability to listen in and spy on the enemy. If Cecilia is able to use the see-through spell, that's not an issue, but even if she could, it would be difficult to cover it with just that since it consumes a large amount of mana and has a short duration. It's a big advantage for us to have a competent thief like Mee.

When I patted her head, she shivered and wagged her tail.

'...... William's nudging is a Myar killer. I can't get enough of the other nudges. ......'

'Hmm ......? What is it, Mee?

I thought I heard her say something in a whisper, but she shook her head and said, 'It's nothing! She shook her head.
I wondered a little, but I decided to go on with my story.

'Still, they're capable people, and they won't go down easily. However, it will be difficult for them to continue fighting off the Rockworm without suffering a single wound. And when that happens, there's a big difference between having a good healer like Cyril and not having one.

'Well, ...... that may be true. I'm sure you've thought that through. That's what I'm talking about. ......'

Cyril put his hand to his chin and nodded approvingly.
I'll add to that.

'And one more thing...'

'What, there's more at ......?

To Cyril's surprise, I gave him a big nod.