章節 103: Chapter 103

With a yawn, I slowly woke up and realized it was already evening. Bahamut was still peacefully sleeping, so I carefully got up and made my way to the bathroom to freshen up.

After cleaning myself, I realized I was famished after the exhausting intimate session with Bahamut. However, I couldn't find any of my familia members around.

It seemed like they had ventured off to the dungeon and hadn't returned yet. That was the only explanation for the absence of them all.

Now, it was just the Gofannon workers, Bahamut, and me left in the manor. I sighed and muttered to myself, "Well, whatever, I'll go early tomorrow." I decided to take charge and prepare dinner for their return.

After pondering for a while, I got lost in thought trying to figure out what I could make in bulk within the limited time of two and half hours. Eventually, I settled on making pizzas, despite not being a master at it.

"Just stuff the crust with cheese and sauce, and load it up with lots of toppings to mask any imperfections," I muttered to myself as I began gathering the necessary ingredients. Within an hour and a half, I had finished preparing the pizza bases.

I had underestimated the time it would take, forgetting that I needed to make the sauces from scratch in this world where canned sauces were not available. Additionally, there were the toppings to consider.

Taking some more time, I carefully prepped each pizza, making them large and generously filling them with cheese, tomato sauce, meat, and vegetables.

Well, the vegetable pizzas were just for the sake of diversity and not something I personally enjoyed. Finally, I placed them in the brick oven and patiently waited for them to bake to perfection.

"Sigh, I'm so tired and hungry. Dimitra, please make us something tasty. Wait, what's that smell?" I heard Vasileios say as he entered the kitchen.

"It's probably Draco nii cooking. He probably returned earlier than us from the dungeon," Vasiliki replied. I smiled to myself, relieved that they had concocted an excuse for me, indicating that they didn't know what had transpired the previous night.

"You all go clean up before coming to eat," I yelled from the back of the manor. I could hear them scrambling to the bathroom, their exhaustion evident in their hurried footsteps.

"Sniff, sniff," I heard a faint sniffing sound coming from upstairs, signifying that Bahamut was now awake.

"Bahamut, you go clean up too," I said, my voice echoing through the manor. A simple "Hmm" was the response I received.

With everything prepared, there was more than enough food for everyone to enjoy. I set the table, arranging the dishes and pouring out the drinks, and settled down to wait for them to join me.

Suddenly, I remembered that I needed to go to Bahamut's room to clean up the remnants of our last night activities.

As I entered the room, the air still carried the lingering scent of our intimacy. I swiftly removed the sheets and replaced them, relieved that this time we hadn't caused any further damage.

Opening the windows, I let a refreshing gust of air circulate to dissipate the remnants of our private encounter.

Once I finished, I made my way back downstairs to where everyone had gathered to enjoy their meal.

After a satisfying dinner, I retired to my room. As much as I cherished the nightly escapades with Bahamut, I knew they needed to be kept in check if I wanted to level up within the planned timeframe.

It was well past midnight, but sleep eluded me. The previous night's activities had messed with my usual sleep routine, and I knew I had an early appointment in the dungeon the next day.

I couldn't help but think that Bahamut, my lover, might be experiencing the same restlessness. With that in mind, I decided to check on her.

Walking silently down the hallway, I approached Bahamut's room and gingerly pushed the door open. As I peered inside, I was taken aback to find her sound asleep. It struck me as odd, but considering she had been unusually quiet during dinner, it kind of made sense.

Realizing that I was probably overthinking, I quietly closed the door and decided to proceed to the dungeon early on my own.

Grabbing my gear, I left the comfort of the manor and embarked on my walk towards the dungeon. The streets were eerily quiet, with only the occasional passerby stumbling out of the pubs, their heavy scent of alcohol filling the night air.

It was difficult to gauge the time, but it felt like the dead of night or perhaps the early hours of the morning.

As I approached the looming entrance of the dungeon, thoughts swirled in my mind. 'Which floor should I farm today?' One benefit of delving into the dungeon during these odd hours was that I didn't have to endure the curious stares of people who caught sight of my draconic features.

Over time, I had grown accustomed to the attention, but there was an undeniable freedom in not being treated like some sort of rare creature, even if that's what I was.

"Halt! State your identity and familia," the guild worker guarding the dungeon entrance called out.

I couldn't blame them for doubting my presence at such an hour. It was certainly unusual for adventurers to enter the dungeon in the dead of night.

"Don't worry, it's just me," I replied confidently, hoping my reputation would precede me.

"Oh, Draco, what brings you here at such a late hour?" the guard questioned, curiosity marking his tone.

"Well, I couldn't sleep," I confessed, recognizing how trivial my reason sounded.

"You dive into the dungeon when you can't sleep? You're a strange one, Draco," the guard chuckled, granting me access.

The guards had surely witnessed countless adventurers come and go, their fates uncertain within the labyrinthine depths. It seemed they had learned not to invest too much concern in individuals, as caring too deeply only led to heartache. I proceeded into the dungeon, leaving the guard's words behind.

Navigating the lower floors with ease, I soon found myself on the tenth floor. The decent to the nineteenth floor lay ahead, but it was not a daunting task. Thankfully, due to the efforts of the Astraea who had slayed the Goliath, It was going to be less stressful getting to the 19th floor.

Suddenly, a cry for help pierced through the silence on the thirteenth floor. "Help!" the voice echoed.

I sighed, slightly annoyed at the interruption. Part of me wished to ignore it, suspecting it might be a ploy to lure in unsuspecting adventurers. However, the other part of me, one that still sought recognition and a reputation as a just and righteous familia, felt compelled to respond to the plea.

I had learned the hard way during my early days as an adventurer that not everything was as it seemed in the treacherous depths of the dungeon.

Following the sound, I set off in the direction of the desperate plea. I relied on my heightened senses rather than magic to find my way, wanting to conserve my mind for the challenges awaiting me on the nineteenth floor. It was still going to be difficult even for me to solo the 19th through 24th floor.

Though the thirteenth floor posed little threat to me, I remained cautious, fully aware that anything could happen within the dungeon's unpredictable domain.

"Help!" the voice called out once more, closer this time. I quickened my pace, dispatching monsters with a single flick of my tail as I approached the source of distress.

To be continued...