The Saintess and the Black Wolf

Saintess Alka obediently followed the black wolf's lead.

She tried to figure out how things had come to this, but couldn't find an answer.

However, since she always explored dungeons solo, being guided through one like this wasn't bad at all. It almost felt like she had become a tamer.

"Hm? Was there, a wall here?"

Correction: they were lost.

But in the next moment, the black wolf said something outrageous.

"… Should I, destroy it? Sniff sniff… yeah, I can."

"Eh, you can destroy it?"

"I can. I'm, strong. I can, destroy it, no problem."

To think it could destroy a dungeon wall—what an extraordinary monster, the saintess thought.

However, she knew that while [Treaty] was in effect, dungeon walls repaired themselves at an absurd speed. So fast that even a completely destroyed wall would be back in 0.1 seconds. She had once gotten caught inside a wall and died. That wasted day had been painful.

"No, it's fine. Let's search for a path."

"Okay."

The black wolf turned back the way they came. As the saintess tried to follow, she suddenly heard the sound of something cutting through the air.

"—!"

She reflexively tilted her head. Immediately after, an arrow flew through where her head had been.

Then came pain. A second arrow that had been hidden in the first's shadow had pierced her shoulder.

A sniper attack—and a highly skilled one at that. Looking toward where the arrows came from, she saw a golem equipped with bows in both hands. No, "both hands" wasn't quite right. This golem had four arms and four legs. The arms extending from its back were already nocking more arrows.

But the black wolf devoured it instantly. There was no second volley.

"Kh, for a golem… impressive. **, ********— [Healing]."

She forcibly yanked the arrow out. The barbed arrowhead tore out flesh with it, but that was no concern. More importantly, she felt slight numbness, so she gouged out additional flesh from the wound, rubbed antidote into it, then cast healing magic on herself. The gouged-out flesh and blood were replenished by the healing magic's power, and she recovered.

The black wolf returned.

"Hey, it shot, my follower, so I ate it. Was that, bad?"

"… No, you saved me."

"Hmm, good then. Let's go."

The black wolf resumed walking as if nothing had happened.

… The saintess followed behind it again. She suddenly realized she had been protected.

It wasn't a big deal. She had merely been sniped by a variant golem—that was all.

Monsters that used poison were common enough. So were monsters that used bows. And monsters with four arms and legs existed too.

But if the wolf hadn't dealt with the golem, she would have taken another poisoned arrow, and her response would have been delayed.

"Hm."

The wolf flicked its tail. Four arrows fell to the ground.

The saintess had noticed the new attack as well, but she hadn't realized there were twice as many this time. There were two of those variant golems now… Variants, yet multiple of the same type existed. Maybe they were a new species? If she were to name them, perhaps Hecatoncheir Golems or something.

"What about, those?"

"… I'll defeat them."

The saintess retrieved a battle hammer from her [Storage]. These were still golems. Even if they were variants, the basics shouldn't change.

This time the wolf didn't interfere… nor did it attack the saintess from behind.

She quickly dispatched the golems and returned to the black wolf.

"Then, shall we go?"

"… Yes."

The saintess had always explored dungeons alone. She died alone, and conquered them alone. If she had companions who could resurrect, that would have been different, but unfortunately she had never met such people. Even if she searched, they probably didn't exist…

So being protected was a first for her.

That the one doing the protecting was the wolf—her supposed enemy—was unexpected.

… She felt her heart skip a beat.

Perhaps the antidote she'd applied earlier had been a bit slow to circulate.

"Hm? This one's, a wall too… Should I, destroy it?"

"No, I have [Mapping], so let's look for another route. Destroying it is a last resort."

"I see. Well, fine… Make sure you, follow closely. You're, weak, after all."

"… Right. Fufufu."

The saintess obediently followed the black wolf as it wandered in search of a path.

This was also her first time walking behind someone on a battlefield.

Even when she hired guides, the saintess walked in front. Others had limited lives that she should protect. She was the strongest.

But now, she was being protected by the black wolf, which was far stronger than her. "You're weak, so follow closely."

The saintess walked through the dungeon with feelings she had never experienced before.

She even thought that perhaps she could take a little more time with this conquest.