Let's get this straight.

There are ruins in front of us.
But there's no entrance anywhere.

Instead, there are stone monuments and statues, indicating that only two people, one man and one woman, are allowed to challenge this dungeon.

After Mee has finished investigating the area around the statues, I call the remaining four players, Irene, Satsuki, Cyril, and Ildora, to the area around the statues.
Note that Ildora has already been humanized and is in the form of a girl.

'Now, as for who I'm going with...'

I look around at my five companions.
The girls are standing side by side in front of me, and all four of them except Ildora look nervous.

Who will go with whom to explore the ruins?
Assuming one man and one woman, one of them would be me.
Then who should I choose as my partner?
Let's compare the abilities of each member.

First, Irene.
She's a genius with swords and auras, and is one of the best of the five at close combat.
Compared to Satsuki, her aura is thicker and her abilities are less biased.
Her employer, the princess, and the surrounding circumstances are troublesome, but Irene herself doesn't seem to care about them, and I don't feel the need to pay attention to them.

Next, Satsuki.
Her fighting ability used to be inferior to Irene's, but now it's almost on par with hers, and her ability to see things through is even more divine than Irene's.
On the other hand, his pure aura power is a little inferior to Irene's, and his words and actions are rash, so I'm a little worried about that.

The third one, Mee.
She is an excellent thief, and is very reliable when exploring the ruins, where you never know what kind of tricks are in store for you.
Although she is hidden behind Aileen and Satsuki, she can use her aura to fight well.
His weapon is a dagger, so his offensive power is inferior, but his agility is comparable to that of Irene and Satsuki, and he also has excellent judgment and quick thinking.

The fourth, Cyril.
He is a highly skilled acolyte of the divine miracle.
However, his ability to use a mace in melee combat is limited to a minimum of training, and he is not as good as the others.
With my own lack of weapon combat skills, I'm afraid I'm going to have to eliminate you from the list.

Finally, Ildora.
Her abilities are unknown, but she has indicated to Irene and Satsuki that 'her strength in human form will be a good match for your girls'.
If she were in dragon form, she would have the highest fighting power, but with the low ceiling of the ruins, it would be impossible for her to change into a dragon and fight.
In addition, he is now yawning like he is not interested. He may do it if you ask him to, but basically he seems to be unwilling to do it.

Now, the question is who to choose among them.
Considering not only their combat power, but also their balance of various factors...

...... Well, I'd say she's the obvious choice.
I made my decision and stood in front of the girl.

'Mee, will you come with me?

I held out my hand to the beastman girl.
But Mee looked surprised.

'Heh, ......? Are you sure it's Mee? Not Irene, not Satsuki?

The girl looked up at me with a mixture of anxiety and happiness.

I don't think it's a strange decision. .......
It seems that this girl, Mee, is the type who doesn't have a very high self-esteem.

'Oh. If you look at Mee's abilities as a thief and her fighting skills, I think Mee is the most suitable partner for me to go exploring the ruins with.

'Is that so? ...... Oh, that's a little unexpected. ......'

Mee averted her gaze, scratched her neck and looked embarrassed.

'Huh, I've been rejected. So, Mee-chan, please.

'Well, I can't help it. But I'm sure you'll be fine. I'll leave it to you.

'Mee, please take care of William for us.

Irene, Satsuki, and Cyril gave Mee some encouragement, looking a little disappointed or relieved.
Ildora, by the way, still looks uninterested.

I'm not sure what to say, but I'll try. It's a big responsibility. ......'

In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

'So, William ......, please take care of me .......'

The girl who said that to me looked like a miraculously lovely creature.


I'm not sure what to say.


After a while, the two of us, me and Mee, were inside a building that seemed to be inside the ruins.

As it turned out, the teleporter functioned normally when both Mee and I got on the pedestal.
The word "couple" written on the stone monument means that we did not have to be married.

The teleporter took us to a small stone room.

As a precaution, Mee had prepared a torch and I had prepared a light spell to illuminate the room, but there was no attack immediately after the transfer, as we had feared.
On the contrary, the ceiling of the small room was even lit by magic.

'Lighting using the spell of continual light? It's a great service for the explorer. It means they're welcome.'

'On the contrary, it's creepy. We're treasure vandals. It's strange to be welcomed.

As she said this, Mee looked around carefully, her cat ears twitching as she listened.
It's always a good thing that Mee, who is an expert on perimeter security, is so careful about this.
Thanks to her, I can concentrate on my other thoughts.

'Mee, you're always so helpful. Thank you.

'Heh, ......? What's that?

'No, it must be tiring to be on the lookout all the time. You've done it without complaining. I can only thank you.'

'Well, that's Mee's job,......, but I'm very happy to be recognized for my work,........ Thank you too .......'

Mee looked very embarrassed and fidgety.
As I thought before, she might not be used to being praised for her work.

Seeing her like this makes me want to praise her even more and see how she reacts, but unfortunately I'm in the middle of a dungeon search right now, so I'll try to keep it in moderation.

In the event that you've got a lot more than one, you'll be able to take a look at a few of them.

'...... Come to think of it, I feel like this is the first time I've been alone with William like this. Actually, maybe not.

That's true.
It might be a rare opportunity for the two of us to be alone, without Satsuki and Cyril.

'It's tempting to make a run for it, but since they trusted me and sent me out, I have to do my job properly.

Mee said this and ran towards one of the doors of the room.

The small room we were in was a bleak place with no furniture or furnishings, and a large magic circle was drawn on the floor.
The magic circle had been emitting phosphorescence just after the transfer, but now it was gone.

The only other things in the room were two metal doors - one on the front wall and one on the back wall, facing away from where I and Mee were standing at first.



Mee went to one of the doors, the one at the rear.

'William, it's those letters again.

Mee, who was examining the door, tells me.
I walk over to her and look at the metal plate the beastman girl is pointing to - it's on the side of the door.

The plate read, in ancient civilization letters, "If you want to retreat, that's fine. If you want to retreat, that's fine, but you can't try again.

Mee beside me looked up at me.

'What does it say?

'It says that you can leave, but in that case you can't challenge the ruins again.

'So, this is the exit.'

When Mee opened the door after examining it, there were two stone statues and a pedestal in the small room at the end, the same as the ones outside the ruins.
I suppose you can return to your home by riding on those pedestals, but... well, it's probably best not to try.

'There's nothing to do here for now. Mee, can you check the other door?

'Yes, sir!

Mee went to check the other door, looking somewhat pleased with herself.