Though the monsters we encountered were weak enough to be wiped out with a single fireball, their grotesque appearances slowed our progress. But as we gradually got used to this setup, it wasn’t a big deal anymore. Soon, we reached around the 5th or 6th floor.
[That’s enough for today~~~ The labyrinth gets complicated beyond this point.]
Aerin said, flipping through the *Beginner’s Guide to Dungeon Exploration*.
[I agree. If we go deeper, we won’t have enough food and water left.]
Tia supported Aerin’s suggestion.
[Then let’s head back~~~ We’ve nearly finished the guild’s quests anyway.]
I checked off each task on the list Tia had brought.
Just as we turned to leave, Aerin suddenly let out an excited cry—as if she’d struck treasure. And indeed, she had.
[Here!! Over here!! There’s a treasure chest!!]
Aerin shouted, pointing excitedly at a chest at the end of the corridor.
[Dungeon treasures are always top-tier~ Just like husband’s Magic Staff here.]
Tia raised the Magic Staff in her hand as she spoke.
[Is that so…]
My lies were getting harder to keep straight, but thankfully, Tia didn’t press further.
[Open it! Open it now!!!]
Aerin dashed toward it like a shooting star.
[Wait!! This is a beginner’s dungeon—why would there be a treasure chest here? Shouldn’t it have been taken by now?]
Something felt off about that chest.
But before I could finish, Aerin had already pried it open.
*Poof—*
A cloud of pink powder burst out.
[It’s a trap!!]
Just like in games—sometimes chests hold traps instead of treasure.
[Eh…? Trap…? What’s a trap…?]
Aerin turned around with a dazed, foolish grin. She was poisoned.
[What’s this~~? Can you eat it? Gotta taste it!!]
Aerin pulled out a blue, jelly-like blob from nowhere.
[Don’t eat that!! It’s a slime!!!]
I lunged to stop her—but the moment I stood up, something yanked me back.
[What’s wrong?? Pull Aerin away!]
I shouted at Tia, who was holding me.
[Husband…]
Tia clutched my sleeve, gazing at me with tender longing.
[Eh??]
I froze.
[Let’s consummate our marriage right here!]
Tia whispered, face flushed, head bowed.
[Wha—????]
My mind went blank.
[Don’t be shy!! We’ve been engaged for so long.]
Tia pounced on me.
[Eh?? We haven’t even been engaged—and it’s only been half a year!!]
But Tia ignored me, crashing into my arms.
[What the hell is this poison—aphrodisiac or what?!]
Why wasn’t it affecting me? Maybe my higher level granted poison resistance.
[Aerin!!! Pull Tia off me!]
I yelled for help, afraid to use too much force and hurt Tia.
[Eh~~~? You want some too~~~~?]
Aerin stood by the chest, clothes hanging off her in tatters, slime oozing all over her body. She held up another wobbling blob.
[Eh!! What happened to your clothes?!]
I gaped. Did slimes really dissolve clothing like in those H-games?
[Clothes? What’re clothes~~? Come eat this!!!]
Aerin charged at me, the shredded fabric barely covering key areas.
[No!!! Don’t shove that in my mouth!]
I blocked desperately as she tried to cram the slime down my throat.
[Husband, if you won’t undress me, I’ll start first.]
Tia began stripping.
[Eh!!! Wait!!!!]
My arms were busy fending off Aerin—I couldn’t stop Tia.
[Husband, hurry!!]
Tia was down to her underwear now, fingers hooking into my waistband.
[Stop!!]
Just as my pants were about to slide down, I grabbed her wrist.
[Eat up!!]
Aerin seized the chance and jammed the slime toward my mouth.
[No—!]
Before I could react, a huge glob of slime filled my mouth.
*Help!* Eating slime? This refreshing texture, the perfect chew, that hint of sweetness…
[Actually… not bad…]
I swallowed the jelly-like slime like dessert.
[Right?! Eat more!!!]
Aerin peeled another slime off her body, aiming for my mouth.
[Wait!!!! This is disgusting!! And you’ll choke me!]
I blocked her assault again.
[So tasty!! Eat up~~~~]
Then Aerin’s foot slipped on slime—she tumbled straight toward me.
[Eh??!]
Before I knew it, my face was buried in softness.
[Who’d have thought she’d be this… stacked?]
[Aerin wants to join too? No way~~ I called dibs first.]
Tia’s hands returned to my pants.
I had no idea what twisted pose we were in—but it must’ve looked disastrous.
[Umm… sorry to interrupt, but could you *not* do this in the dungeon?]
A stranger’s voice cut through the chaos.
[Wait!! It’s not what it looks like!! Let me explain!!!!]
---
[So that’s what happened~~ My apologies for the misunderstanding.]
A burly middle-aged adventurer smiled warmly at us.
[Thank you so much for the antidote.]
I bowed deeply in gratitude.
[Sniffle…]
Tia and Aerin, wrapped in my cloak, stood behind me with heads bowed.
[You two should thank him too.]
I nudged them.
[Tong is a big idiot!!!!!!!]
Aerin’s face burned crimson as she spun and fled.
[Wait!! Don’t go alone!!]
I called after her.
[Go after her~~ Even a beginner’s dungeon is dangerous for a girl alone.]
The adventurer urged me.
[Thanks again~~~]
I bowed once more before chasing Aerin with Tia.
[Husband…]
Tia whispered as we ran.
[What?]
[You’ll take responsibility for me… right?]
Her cheeks flushed.
[Uhh………………]
[Will you?]
[I guess…]
I dodged the question for now.
[Aerin!! Wait up!]
I grabbed Aerin’s arm.
[How am I supposed to marry anyone after this?!]
She punched my chest.
[You saw me naked before too! Consider us even—and I didn’t see anything anyway!]
Her clothes had covered all the important parts.
[Don’t lie!!! Waaah!!! You *will* take responsibility!]
She punched harder, but her blows barely stung.
[Take responsibility again?]
I glanced at Tia. She nodded firmly.
[F-Fine… I’ll take responsibility…]
Was this plot moving too fast?
[Really?]
Aerin’s anger softened slightly.
[Really! Let’s get out of the dungeon first, then talk.]
I just needed to calm her down for now.
[Then… can you forget what you saw earlier!?]
Aerin smiled sweetly—and punched my head.
---
By the time we exited the dungeon, night had fallen. After handing in our quests at the guild, we rushed back to the inn to rest. Aerin’s armor and clothes had been dissolved by the slime, so we decided to pause dungeon exploration tomorrow and take her shopping for new gear in the city.
