Chapter 131: The Overprotective Party

Preparing breakfast for everyone on top of everything else would have been too much work for Qiu Nuoya, so his responsibility was limited to dinner. In the mornings, everyone simply prepared something for themselves. Lunch was usually eaten outside.

Today, however, everyone happened to be together because they had been roused so early. It was a rare occasion for them to have breakfast together.

Warren, who liked a hearty breakfast, was frying bread and bacon, filling the living room with a wonderfully savory aroma.

Perhaps drawn in by the smell, Igor unusually decided to head toward the kitchen.

"I’ll eat too."

Qiu Nuoya sat down in his usual chair in the living room, took a slice of the bread Warren had prepared, and sipped the tea Viktor had made for him.

Ah, this was comforting.

The nightmare from this morning had only been a dream and what he had seen last night had probably only been a dream too.

Yes. It had to be.

"Um, Nuoya..." Viktor timidly spoke to Qiu Nuoya as he stuffed his mouth with bread. "I was forced to drink last night, but it seems I caused trouble once again. I sincerely apologize."

"Ah, haha. Yeah, it’s fine."

Viktor really was a difficult case. Whenever he drank, he ended up causing all sorts of trouble, yet he was the type who remembered almost everything he did afterward. Perhaps alcohol simply caused him to lose his inhibitions, while normally he was just constantly holding himself back.

"Also, there is something I would like to ask. About the things you confiscated from me last night, I would like to have them back..."

"No. That’s not happening." Of course Qiu Nuoya was not going to give them back. Those terrifying things were going to remain permanently sealed inside his magic bag!

"Please, can’t you reconsider?"

"I left one for you, didn’t I? Besides, did you really need three of them?"

"Those are my precious collection!"

"No means no. And now that I’ve left you with one, please don’t make any more new ones."

"No..." Viktor looked utterly devastated.

Qiu Nuoya honestly could not understand why he was taking it so hard.

"What have you two been talking about all this time? Did Viktor have something confiscated by Nuoya?"

"Well, it’s just..." There was no way they could exactly explain it. Collecting dolls that looked exactly like him would probably make anyone stare in disbelief. Besides, the real person was right there in front of Viktor. Why would he even need dolls?

"More importantly, what should we do today? Should we head into the Dungeon Castle right away?"

The forty eighth floor was rumored to contain a vast ocean. It was an unknown world to Qiu Nuoya, a place crawling with terrifying monsters. Still, he had a feeling that if Long was with them, the dragon could probably fly straight across the entire ocean without much trouble.

Knowing what Long was really like made things somewhat complicated, but Long was still a dragon, after all. A monster that would be terrifying as an enemy became an overwhelmingly reliable ally.

"Sounds good. Since the tamed monster contract is limited to one year, we should probably make our move as soon as possible."

As Igor said this, he bit into some uncooked bread with a few vegetables casually stuffed inside.

"Um, about that, can I come with you too!?" Warren was the one who spoke up.

"Hm? You want to come with us too?"

"I finally made it to Rank D Adventurer. I know I’m still more of a hindrance than anything, but I can at least carry supplies!"

Warren pleaded earnestly, but Viktor’s attitude remained as cold as ever.

"We have magic bags, so there is no need for someone to carry our supplies."

He was technically right, but Qiu Nuoya could not help thinking that Viktor could have phrased it more kindly. He was probably also taking out his frustration over having his precious collection confiscated on Warren. How childish.

Warren still did not have a magic bag. Qiu Nuoya intended to give him one if he ever found another, but they were surprisingly difficult to come across.

"I think it’s fine. It would be fun if we could all go together!"

"It won’t be enough for you to simply have fun there."

Qiu Nuoya understood that the Dungeon Castle was not somewhere they could visit like a school field trip, and he was sure Warren understood that too.

Still, he thought having ambition was a good thing. Personally, Qiu Nuoya wanted to support Warren’s determination.

Although Qiu Nuoya was currently younger than Warren, in terms of mental age, Warren was old enough to be his son. That made Qiu Nuoya naturally want to cheer on a young man who was doing his best.

When Qiu Nuoya had been Warren’s age, he had never really set goals for himself and challenged himself to achieve them.

That was why he admired Warren’s willingness to try things and take on new challenges.

He thought that determination was admirable.

"It is a complete burden. Considering the trouble of having to rescue him when things go wrong, it would honestly be better if he did not come. He might be useful as bait to lure monsters out, though."

"Come on..."

"Just so we are clear, I am saying this because I am worried about him. The monsters inside the dungeon are strong. Igor understands that too, does he not?"

"Well, yes. But the enemies we have faced so far were not ones the two of us could not defeat, right? Why not think of it the other way around? The more people we have, the easier things will be."

At Igor’s words, Viktor sighed.

"That is certainly one way of putting it." He then fixed his gaze on Warren. "But let me make this clear as well. If everyone is ever in a critical situation, my priority will always be Nuoya. There is a good chance that I would leave you to die if it meant I could save Nuoya. Knowing that, do you still want to come with us?"