Is It Wrong to Explore the Dungeon Even Though I’m Overpowered? (Danmachi SI- WC)

Chapter 30: The Plot Thickens

Lili’s POV

Instead of the pain or emptiness she was expecting, Lili was greeted by a sudden gust of wind that whipped through her hair and ruffled her cloak. It was followed by the distinct sound of monsters crumbling—the clatter of magic stones and drop items hitting the floor.

Confused, she hesitated to open her eyes, still caught between fear and disbelief. But then she felt herself being lifted—gently, securely—into a pair of strong arms, and the shock forced a small yelp from her lips as her eyes flew open.

The first thing she saw was white.

A pristine, elegant coat trimmed in purple with a black and white undershirt beneath. Expensive, familiar.

She tilted her head up—and froze.

Striking azure eyes met hers. That impossible red hair, as vivid as ever. And that face—handsome, kind, and noble—was burned into her memory. The same face that haunted her dreams with guilt. A face too good for someone like her.

“R-Reinhard-sama?” Lili whispered in disbelief. “W-What are you doing here…?”

He blinked at her question, head tilting slightly in confusion—almost as if the answer were obvious. Then, without missing a beat, his lips curved into the most radiant, genuine smile she had ever seen.

“What do you mean, Lili?” he said softly. “I was just rescuing our Supporter, is all~”

Almost flinching at his genuine response, Lili hesitated as the weight of the moment began to settle. She was still alive. And the one holding her—the one who’d rescued her—was the very person she had betrayed not even a full day ago.

“B-But I—” she began, but the words caught in her throat. Betrayed you hovered on the tip of her tongue, but refused to be spoken. “I lied to you… I put your friends in danger! Shouldn’t you be angry at me!?” she burst out, her voice rising, laced more with self-loathing than actual anger.

Reinhard looked at her calmly, his expression sobering as his smile faded into something neutral, serious. “You did do that,” he admitted with a small nod.

That single moment—seeing his smile disappear, even for a second—hurt more than the beating she’d received earlier. But then his voice came again, gentle and warm.

“But I wanted to hear your side of the story first. From your own words.”

As his smile returned, even softer than before, it somehow eased the guilt clawing at her heart.

Lili stared up at him, searching his face. Searching his eyes. She was good at spotting liars—life had trained her to be. But there was no deceit there. Only sincerity.

And something inside her broke.

Balling her fists, she brought them down against him—softly, pathetically—over and over as she let out a cry.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAME TO RESCUE LILI!?” she shouted, her voice cracking with each word. “YOU SHOULD BE ANGRY—FURIOUS AT LILI FOR SETTING UP YOUR FRIENDS TO DIE! WHY ARE YOU NOT YELLING AT LILI!? WHY AREN’T YOU CALLING HER A USELESS SUPPORTER LIKE EVERYONE ELSE DOES!?”

Her punches kept coming, but grew weaker and weaker as her voice broke completely and the tears began to fall.

“Why… why are you so nice to Lili…?”

Reinhard didn’t move, didn’t flinch. He let her scream, let her hit him, and only when she finally collapsed against him did he answer, voice as steady and kind as ever.

“Because,” he said gently, “in the time we spent together… I saw something real. I saw you laugh. Smile. You were happy. And in that moment, I saw the real you. That’s why I knew something must have happened. Something must have forced your hand. So I came here… to listen. And to help, if I can.”

His kindness hit her like a blade to the heart.

“…Y-You…” she sniffled, “you womanizer! Lili was right about you all along, wasn’t she!?” she cried out, words trembling. “Who even notices that kind of thing after knowing someone for a few hours!? Reinhard-sama is the worst!”

She buried her face in his chest again, fists weakly thumping against him—but never pulling away from his embrace. In fact, she held on tighter.

“I must be the worst,” he said with a quiet chuckle, “if I made a beautiful girl like you cry like this.”

He began walking then, his arms secure and warm around her, but Lili didn’t notice. Not really. She was too overwhelmed. Too broken.

“But you know what, Lili?” Reinhard said softly. “I don’t mind being called the worst or any other name… if it means I can see my friends smiling happily around me. And I still count you as one”

That did it.

With a choked wail, Lili finally let go.

She buried her face deeper into his chest and sobbed—years of pain, fear, betrayal, and loneliness pouring out all at once. And in the arms of the impossibly kind, impossibly handsome idiot holding her like she mattered…

=====

Back to Reinhard’s POV

Carrying Lili through the dungeon’s winding floors as we made our way out, I glanced over at Rem, Ram, and Naaza with a grateful look. Each of them gave me a nod in return, effortlessly clearing out any monsters that blocked our path.

Having witnessed Lili’s breakdown firsthand, the mood among us had noticeably shifted. Even Ram, who had been glaring daggers earlier, had turned her head with a small huff and let it go. Naaza walked with an air of quiet relief, clearly glad that it had all been a misunderstanding. As for Rem—she was glued to my side as usual, casting faintly jealous glances toward the Pallum in my arms.

Still, no one said anything. We all just walked.

By the time we exited the dungeon and slipped through the quieter streets toward home, Lili had stopped crying. Though she hadn’t asked to be put down yet, the heavy wave of embarrassment radiating from her told me she didn’t quite know what to say… or how to say it. She was simply enduring being carried now, face red, expression flustered.

When we arrived at the church, we were greeted at the door by Hestia—already mid-run for her usual flying hug.

Only, she stopped mid-leap.

Her blue eyes landed on the small, trembling figure in my arms. At first, there was a flicker of jealousy… but then recognition flashed across her face. She blinked, opened the door wider, and stepped aside without a word.

I gave her a thankful smile as I passed.

Without another word, I led us to the hidden basement. The others stayed behind for now—crowding Lili would only make things harder. Hestia followed silently behind me.

Once we reached the quiet room, I made my way to the couch and looked down at the still-fidgeting Pallum. Her face was bright red, and she hadn’t looked me in the eye since we left the dungeon.

“Hey, Lili,” I said gently, keeping my tone soft and calm. “We’re safe now. This is my Familia’s home, and it’s just me and my goddess, Hestia-sama, here with you. Do you feel ready to talk?”

She flinched slightly at the mention of Hestia, but after a few seconds of hesitation, she gave a tiny nod against my chest.

She then tapped my arm lightly, signaling for me to put her down.

I obliged, gently lowering her onto the couch.

The moment her feet were firmly on the ground again, Lili moved with surprising speed. She stood straight, bent into a ninety-degree bow, and placed her hands stiffly at her sides.

“Lili is so sorry for causing you so much trouble… and for almost getting some of your Familia members killed,” she exclaimed, eyes tightly shut.

Hestia and I shared a quiet look. Neither of us sensed any dishonesty in her voice. With a silent nod between us, we turned back to her.

“Haah… you’re lucky,” Hestia began with a sigh, placing a hand on her hip. “Lucky that you were telling the truth—and even luckier that my Rein-kun is such a forgiving and kind soul, Supporter-kun.”

Her blue eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she stared Lili down. The Pallum flinched the moment she dared to peek up at her, clearly startled by the shift in pressure.

“Sit,” Hestia said firmly.

Lili nodded quickly and sat back down without protest, her back rigid.

“I’m only going to say this once,” Hestia continued, her voice harder now, her divine presence subtly flaring. “I will not tolerate another act of betrayal—especially if it endangers anyone in this Familia. Rein-kun is far too kind for his own good, which means it’s up to me to deal with those who’d take advantage of that.”

The air grew heavy for just a heartbeat as her divinity shimmered faintly in her eyes. Then, with a breath, it faded.

“Don’t expect me to go easy on you a second time.”

“T-Thank you, Hestia-sama… Reinhard-sama,” Lili murmured nervously, clearly shaken. Even if Hestia’s size didn’t scream ‘threat,’ the sheer divine pressure reminded her she wasn’t in front of an ordinary girl.

Now that the tension had eased a bit, I gave her a softer look and gently picked up the conversation. “Now that we’ve cleared the air… can you tell us what happened yesterday, Lili? What made you feel like you had to go that far?”

Before she could answer, I felt Hestia shift beside me—and a moment later, my left arm was being firmly pressed between two very familiar soft mounds.

Lili blinked at the sudden move, her eyes drifting to my trapped arm before twitching slightly at the smug little smirk that had crept onto Hestia’s lips.

The message was clear: He’s mine.

Taking a deep breath, Lili focused entirely on me, doing her best to ignore the smug goddess clinging to my arm. Her eyes were serious, and her voice steady—at least for now.

“Before Lili begins… does Reinhard-sama know which Familia Lili belongs to?” she asked hesitantly.

“The Soma Familia, right?” I replied without hesitation.

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise before she let out a sigh, some tension visibly melting from her shoulders.

“So Reinhard-sama already knew… That makes this a little easier,” she muttered. “Anyway, after we parted ways yesterday, Lili went and gathered all her savings before heading to the Familia home. I went straight to Zanis, the Captain of the Soma Familia.”

She paused briefly, her hands tightening in her lap.

“In the Soma Familia, only two things matter: Soma’s wine… and money. Lili hates it there. Hates almost every single person in that Familia. So for a long time now, Lili’s been secretly saving up valis to buy her freedom.”

Her voice darkened, and a shadow passed over her face.

“Unfortunately, when Lili finally made her request… Zanis denied it. He said Lili hadn’t made enough monthly contributions to the Familia and took all of my savings as ‘compensation.’” She clenched her fists tightly, an angry tear rolling down her cheek. “All of it—gone.”

I felt a pang of sympathy tighten my chest, but I waited for her to continue.

“At first… Lili was devastated. But then Lili remembered you, Reinhard-sama.”

“Me?” I blinked, surprised.

Lili nodded slowly, though she shot a half-scowl in Hestia’s direction when the goddess in question snuggled even closer to me.

“With your ridiculous ability to get a drop item from every single monster you slay, Lili thought… maybe it wouldn’t take so long to save up again. Just one more week with you, and Lili could buy her freedom for sure.”

“I see,” I said, frowning thoughtfully. “So what went wrong?”

Her face darkened again, gaze dropping to the floor.

“In Lili’s excitement… she got careless. Some of her fellow Familia members followed her to her hideout. They stole everything—everything. And when Lili refused to explain how she earned that money, they beat her up.” Her voice trembled with suppressed anger. “Then… they changed tactics. They threatened to come after you, Reinhard-sama. You, and your Familia.”

My jaw tightened involuntarily at that. I only barely stopped myself from frowning.

“And?” Hestia asked, voice cool. “Did you tell them?”

“No!” Lili snapped, sitting up straighter. “Lili would never… after everything you’ve done for me. Lili is not too far gone yet to wish that kind of thing on the only person to treat Lili so nicely.”

“Then why?” Hestia continued gently. “Why lure Ram and Naaza into a trap?”

Lili looked down, shame written across her features.

“Lili… thought if she made it look like she was just using you like Lili did with every other party she joined… they’d stop suspecting you. That if Lili played the villain again, they’d turn their attention back to Lili, and leave you alone.”

There was a pause before Hestia raised an eyebrow. “And those bait bags you supposedly used to attract monsters?”

Lili’s face instantly turned red. “A-Actually… those weren’t monster bait at all. Just some Morbul Lili kept in her bag. They smell really, really bad, so monsters usually avoid them.”

We both blinked.

“Huh,” Hestia and I said in unison.

“So you only made it seem like you were attracting monsters their way… when in reality, you were trying to protect them,” I muttered, rubbing my chin thoughtfully. “Then why did Ram say the bag actually drew monsters in?”

“They did!?” Lili’s eyes widened in genuine shock as she sat bolt upright. “Lili is so sorry!” she quickly bowed, panic and guilt evident in her tone.

Hestia and I exchanged looks before nodding, confirming Ram’s report.

“Hmm… maybe they only repel certain kinds of monsters?” Hestia mused aloud, her expression softening now that the truth had come out.

“T-They’re supposed to keep all Upper Floor monsters away… or so Lili was told,” she replied nervously, fidgeting under our scrutiny.

I gave a small shrug and decided to let it go for now. “It doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that we know the truth. And that means I was right about you, Lili—my trust wasn’t misplaced.”

A soft, genuine smile crossed my face as I said it, and Lili instantly blushed, lowering her head and twisting her fingers in her lap to hide how flustered she was.

“Haah… looks that way,” Hestia sighed in dramatic relief, before turning to Lili with an all-too-knowing smirk. “By the way, dear Supporter-kun… there’s something you should probably know if you’re planning to stick around.”

Lili glanced up nervously. “W-What is it?”

Hestia didn’t say anything at first. Instead, with the slow confidence of a cat who caught a mouse, she rose onto her knees, leaned toward me—and planted a loud kiss on my cheek. Then, without ever breaking eye contact with Lili, she grinned smugly.

“Get in line, Miss Supporter-kun. Rein-kun belongs to me~”

And just like that, Lili’s expression changed entirely. Determination flashed in her eyes as she shot up from her seat and marched straight over to my other side. With a blush blooming on her cheeks, she wrapped herself around my free arm and pressed it to her modest chest in a bold move that surprised even me.

“Reinhard-sama doesn’t belong to anyone, Hestia-sama! So please let go of him already!” she huffed, red-faced but unwilling to back down.

Caught between the two of them—one goddess and one fiercely blushing Pallum—I tried to focus on something, anything else to avoid the chaos forming around me. My thoughts turned back to the Morbul and the monsters.

‘Strange that Ram and Naaza said it attracted monsters instead of repelling them… could it be that stronger monsters from deeper floors made their way up to the upper floors? Or maybe they’re drawn to something in the Morbul? Why do I get the feeling this isn’t over?’

Unfortunately, neither of the girls appreciated me zoning out. I flinched slightly as I felt two fingers poke each of my cheeks, one from either side. Looking down, I found both Lili and Hestia glaring at me in unified annoyance.

“Haha… d-did you two want something?” I asked nervously, offering them a sheepish smile.

They both let out a long, synchronized sigh of exasperation.

Feeling bad for ignoring them, I decided to redirect the conversation before things spiraled again.

“Ahem—anyway, now that everything’s out in the open, Lili, I want to help you,” I said seriously, shifting the tone. “So tell me—what exactly do we need to do for you to leave the Soma Familia?”

Lili’s eyes widened in disbelief. The fire of her previous outburst disappeared, replaced by something more vulnerable and hopeful.

“Y-You would really go that far for Lili, Reinhard-sama?” she asked quietly, as if unsure she deserved to hear the answer.

“Haah… you’d better get used to it, Supporter-kun,” Hestia said with a fond sigh, the edge in her voice softening. “Rein-kun is far too nice for his own good sometimes.”

Before Lili could reply, a knock echoed from the top of the basement stairs.

Moments later, Ram descended into view, looking as deadpan as ever—though her eyes glinted with dry irritation.

“Apologies for the interruption, Reinhard-sama, Hestia-sama,” she said flatly. “But there’s an annoying, ugly, and perverted blonde at the front door demanding to see you, Hestia-sama.”

‘What? A blonde?’