Three Days Left.

"Woooooah!!! Yes! We cleared the mid-boss room! Let's keep pushing further in—"

"Now, now, Narikin-sama. We've reached a good stopping point for today, so let's end the stream here."

"But there's still thirty minutes left…"

"Since we hit a good milestone, shouldn't we do a Q&A session?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"Now, now, now."

Having made it through the meadow area, Narikin and his party were now tackling the deep cavern area, a brand new zone.

However, they were having a surprisingly rough time of it. Progress was painfully slow.

… Only three days left until the deemed marriage kicked in. Were they going to make it?

"Hey, Rokuko. Just tell me this. Can they make it in three days?"

"Why not just let them get married? You'd just need to keep the Saintess out of dungeon-related discussions."

Yeah, not looking good.

So I decided to put a rescue plan into action.

I'd make sure to enter through the front like a proper visitor so Rokuko couldn't complain. Yep.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

With the Saintess on watch, Narikin was resting in his tent.

In the end, today's exploration had been slowed to a crawl by the stream, too.

"Ugh. At this rate, it's going to hit one month… What do I do…!"

"Hey, Narikin. It's me. You up?"

"…! Master, what do I do!? There are only three days left…!"

"Yeah. I'm putting the countermeasure into action as we speak."

"As expected of you, Master. But what kind of countermeasure?"

"You'll find out soon enough… Alright, over and out."

With that, the transmission from Master ended.

… What could he be planning? Narikin decided to just wait and see.

"Hmm… Should I step outside the tent? Or just stay put and wait… I'll go out."

Narikin stepped outside.

His tent in the deep cavern area was pitched at a dead end, with the Saintess stationed about halfway down the passage as lookout.

Both Narikin and the Saintess were perfectly capable of solo camping, so the distance between them was no issue.

Since they were, after all, a man and a woman, they'd adopted a camp layout that balanced security with a respectable amount of space.

The Saintess had hung a cloth to keep light from leaking out of the passage and was reading by a floating [Light] spell.

It was a quiet cave. Listening for sounds alone was more than enough for watch duty.

So of course, she noticed Narikin's footsteps and looked up.

"Oh my. Is something the matter, Narikin-sama?"

"No, nothing. I was just thinking about how the clear is taking longer than expected…"

"Yes, indeed. It's nearly… been one month now, hasn't it?"

"Mm… I had planned to finish the clear well before the month was up."

The Saintess smiled sweetly.

"By the way, were you speaking with someone just now?"

It was a quiet cave. Even if she couldn't make out the words, she could tell someone had been talking.

"… It was nothing. Just thinking out loud. Reflecting on today's stream."

"I see. Everyone seemed to enjoy today's stream as well… This is my first time on such a lively expedition. It's quite refreshing."

"True. I'd say this dungeon clear is anything but a two-person affair."

"Oh my, but there are only the two of us here."

The Saintess was all smiles.

That exchange had been, in essence, a very transparent back-and-forth: "It's not just the two of us, so the deemed marriage doesn't apply, right?" "Wrong."

A nearly direct exchange with zero pretense.

Narikin broke into a cold sweat.

(Master, please hurry…! Before it's too late—!!)

The moment Narikin thought that, footsteps echoed through the cave. Clack, clack. They stopped at the passage entrance.

"Hmm, a goblin perhaps…? Let me go deal with it."

"No. Those footsteps are too well-shod for a goblin."

As they cautiously got to their feet, the newcomer called out.

"… Hey. Narikin, you in here?"

"…! Oh! Right here, right here! I've been waiting!!"

That voice was unmistakable. His former self—Kyou.

"Oh my, that voice. Isn't that Kyou-sama?"

"That's right! It's Kyou! … I called him in as backup in case we couldn't clear it before the month was up!"

With that, the "just the two of them" situation was finally broken. Narikin threw his arms up in celebration and beckoned Kyou in.

Thank you, Master! Master, thank you! Oh wait, he's Kyou right now!

"Yo, Narikin. Heard your dungeon clear's hit a wall."

Kyou strolled into the passage and greeted them with a casual wave.

"Yeah, hit a few snags. But with you here, we're worth a hundred men."

"Been a while, Saintess."

"Oh my, if it isn't Kyou-sama… If only you'd been a bandit. I could have dealt with you then."

"Ha ha ha. Come now, Alka-dono, there's no way Kyou is a bandit… Well, he was a terrorist, though."

"Fair enough. Anyway, I'll be joining you starting tomorrow. I'll help with the clear and show up on stream too."

"… I see?"

Saintess Alka's smile didn't waver.

"I would never dream of doubting Kyou-sama's abilities. However, it wouldn't do for Kyou-sama to show his face, would it? It might be better to disguise yourself as the figure already known to the public as Narikin-sama's wife."

"Mm, good point. Give me a sec… Don't watch me change, you two. [Blind]."

With a swift [Blind], both the Saintess and Narikin (just in case) were blindfolded while Kyou changed his appearance.

When [Blind] lifted, there stood Kyou in Nerune's form, adjusting the loose parts of the outfit by folding them over.

"There. This should work, right? … Actually, I could've just waited until right before tomorrow's stream."

"Indeed. Then Kyou-sama, if you'd like, you're welcome to share my tent?"

"Ah, no, I'll pass. I brought my own tent, so I'll set up next to Narikin."

With that, he pitched his tent further in. Right next to Narikin's.

Conspicuously closer to Narikin than the Saintess.

"Well then, we'll need to announce on tomorrow's stream that Kyou-sama has joined us."

"Yeah. That we will."

"I'm going to get some rest. If there's a watch shift for me, Narikin can cover it."

"Of course, no problem. I'm the one who asked you to come, so that's only fair!"

Narikin accepted the duty with a beaming smile.

After all, Narikin was a Living Armor. As long as he had mana, fatigue wasn't even a concept.

… Though lately, Saintess Alka had been running him ragged in a more mental sense.

"Well then, starting tomorrow. Good night."

"… Yes, good night. Kyou-sama."

Kyou pulled a pre-assembled tent from [Storage] and ducked inside.

Not just Narikin. The Saintess, too, kept her smile firmly in place, never letting it falter.