The Guide Played Her Role as a Stand-in a Little Too Well - Chapter 45
“If we don’t all go in together, we might get separated once inside, so we have to go in at the same time.”
Shaelock, holding my hand, explained in a gentle voice.
It was the first time we held hands without me guiding her, which felt novel.
Perhaps it was because the situation was serious.
“Then, I should hold this hand.”
Pheon joined in the conversation naturally and reluctantly took my other hand.
Esban took Pheon’s hand without any change in expression.
This was not the time to be chanting ‘all hold hands together…’
“Shall we go then?”
Everyone seemed unconcerned about Hedonia.
“Most of the Blackbirds around here have been taken care of, so the way back shouldn’t be a problem.”
He even talked as if it were a given that he would return.
Hedonia looked at us and said nothing.
“Let’s go in then.”
“…I am―”
It was when Hedonia belatedly started to speak.
Hedonia, trying to hurriedly talk to us, stumbled on a rock and lost his balance.
“Uh, uh―”
He reached out to Esban, who was off guard.
“Ah―”
Esban, expected to react immediately, surprisingly fell over as well.
…Because he was looking at me.
As Esban fell, Pheon lost his balance, and naturally, Shaelock and I also fell.
Into the dungeon.
“Aaaah!”
‘Was this disaster supposed to bring Hedonia into the dungeon with us?’
This is almost as coincidental as a first kiss in a romance novel!
In the end, we were all thrown into the dungeon together.
* * *
Like dominoes, we all fell together and held our awkward poses for a moment, overwhelmed by embarrassment.
Fortunately, we landed in a bush, which was a relief.
The scent of the grass and the unique aroma of the trees tickled my nose. It felt more like we had arrived at a resort forest rather than a dungeon.
But the reason Hedonia ended up in the dungeon with us was truly absurd.
‘It might be seen as the will of the gods trying to follow the original work…’
Otherwise, this ridiculous situation cannot be explained.
Though we didn’t hit our heads, our bodies screamed in protest from the sudden greeting with the ground.
“Ugh…”
I turned my head towards Pheon and Hedonia.
‘What if Hedonia’s condition worsens?’
I worried about the frail young master, Hedonia.
What if he broke something in his body, which was still undergoing awakening?
However, my worries were unfounded.
Hedonia was practically using Pheon’s body as a bed.
…It was a scene straight out of a romance movie.
Pheon, who had bumped his head squarely, was slower to recover than I was.
Once he regained consciousness, Hedonia realized where his body was and hastily detached himself with a look of disdain.
Pheon’s eyes, slowly blinking, turned towards Hedonia. The way he frowned and murmured something did not bode well.
‘…Could it be?’
Did he realize?
That Hedonia was not a woman?
Given Pheon’s quick wits in the original story, it was entirely possible.
But before Pheon could say more to Hedonia, he turned his head away.
“Esban, where do you keep your mind wandering off to!”
Pheon stood up and yelled.
His somewhat theatrical tone felt like an attempt to avoid the awkward situation with Hedonia.
It might just be my misunderstanding.
“Talking quite a lot for someone who fell together, Pheon.”
Esban, who had already stood up and was dusting the grass off his body, replied as if it was nothing big.
“Well, I’m a mage, you know. You’re a swordsman. Our reaction speeds are different from the start.”
“And yet, you keep your body well-maintained.”
“This is just for show.”
“…….”
Esban’s eyes shot daggers.
Pheon seemed at a loss for words in response to his brazen statement.
Esban’s method of conversation, useful only in covering the cheap stuff, surprisingly had no impact on Pheon.
That mental fortitude was definitely worth emulating.
“Since things have turned out this way, we have no choice. Let’s pair up two by two and hold hands as we move.”
Shaelock, who, like Pheon, had bumped her head, replied while pressing on her head.
“……Understood.”
Esban, the main culprit for not catching Hedonia, responded obediently.
“Hmmm…….”
Shaelock made a pondering noise for a moment before dividing the groups.
“I’ll go alone… and Hedonia with Pheon.”
“With Lady Hedonia?”
Pheon asked with a small laugh.
“Yes. Considering what you said about different reaction speeds and having a body for show, it’s better to take someone less strenuous to be with.”
“……Are you saying Miss Karina is stronger than Lady Hedonia, Your Highness?”
Pheon’s tone, now naturally using my name, felt subtly off.
‘Something feels strange…’
