Chapter 342: True face (2)

……

Silence.

It flowed within the bath as if it were eternal.

Dolores stared blankly at Choco, or rather, Vikir.

“…Choco, did you talk?”

She grabbed Choco..

Sliiide—

Vikir, feeling caught off guard, shut his mouth and averted his gaze, but it was too late.

“Choco? Are you Choco? You are… The freckles on your sole and the scar on your nose… Is this demon’s trick? But I don’t sense any magic at all… No, but you definitely spoke just now, didn’t you?”

Dolores began inspecting every inch of Vikir’s body, from the condition of his gums to the widening of his eyelids, scrutinizing every detail.

Vikir, barely holding onto his fading consciousness after the battle with the demon, managed to gather his thoughts.

He had to speak to avoid suspicion, reluctantly opening his mouth.

“…Grr.”

However, his clear and deliberate pronunciation, making his words even more awkward and unnatural, only heightened Dolores’ wariness.

“Who are you? What’s your identity?!”

Dolores now seemed somewhat frightened.

Realizing the situation could spiral out of control if left unchecked, Vikir had no choice but to tell the truth.

“Calm down.”

As Vikir spoke, the warm bathwater seemed to freeze instantly.

Dolores stiffened as if turned into an ice sculpture.

“….”

“….”

Once again, an infinite silence began to flow.

“Well, it seems there’s been a misunderstanding….”

“Aaaah!”

Unable to bear the weight of the silence, Vikir, as soon as he opened his mouth again, was met with Dolores’ scream echoing.

Given the circumstances, there was no avoiding it now.

Vikir decided to transform into Night Hound, wearing a mask.

Perhaps obscuring just his face while retaining the human body could somehow provide an explanation.

It would be far more expedient and intuitive than trying to explain verbally.

*Splash!*

Eventually, due to the effect of the Picaresque Mask, Vikir’s human body was revealed.

With a thud, Vikir’s body overlapped Dolores’s body, half-lying in the bathtub, causing ripples to spread.

Even through the hazy steam, Dolores’s astonished expression was unmistakable.

Facing such a Dolores, Vikir attempted to distort his voice as low as possible.

“It’s me. Night Hound…”

However.

“DIEEEEE!”

What returned was Dolores’s fist.

*Splutter!*

Dolores, in her astonishment, even managed to miraculously split the bathwater in half.

She punched with a force enhanced by her divine power, dispersing the chaos in front of her.

Thunk.

Emitting an immense aura, the fist that shot out reminded one of Dolores in her prime, once hailed as the Steel Maiden.

And the moment that fist struck Vikir’s jaw.

*Thud!*

Vikir’s consciousness, which had been barely maintained, was severed.

* * *

It was a deep sleep after a long time, devoid of any nightmares.

“….!”

Vikir shot up from the bed.

His injuries were almost completely healed.

But his mask and clothes were still stripped off.

Throwing off the blanket and getting up, Vikir locked eyes with Dolores, who was sitting by his bedside.

“….”

“….”

The silence was so thick it was chilling, to the point where one could hear cells dividing.

After a long silence, Dolores was the first to speak.

“Are you… awake? Night… or rather, Choco… no, Vikir…”

She spoke with a flushed face, lowering her head deeply.

“I… I tried not to remove the mask… but there was too much water, and you couldn’t breathe…”

Vikir nodded. What else could he do?

“You’ve been through a lot.”

It was an attempt to continue the conversation.

But upon hearing these words, Dolores’s face turned even redder.

Just when it seemed impossible for her to blush any further, she still had enough reserve to do so.

Since Dolores remained silent with her head bowed, Vikir shifted his gaze elsewhere.

Then, on the other side of the couch, he noticed baby madam and Decarabia sitting somewhat awkwardly.

“…I was wondering where you went.”

[“Sorry, human. Tried hiding you, but got caught immediately.”]

“Shiik”

Exposing his bare face, along with his distinctive mask and voice, and with baby madam and decarabia present, disguise and deception were now meaningless.

Vikir sighed and spoke up.

“This situation…”

“I understand.”

But before Vikir could say anything further, Dolores lifted her head and spoke.

“I believe you had good intentions behind everything.”

“….”

“Don’t struggle alone. We’re teammates,” Dolores echoed Vikir’s words from the past.

“Don’t push yourself too hard alone. We’re teammates.”

How much she yearned to say these words to Vikir, Night Hound, or rather, to express them to him! Although the timing might be a bit off, what did it matter?

Finally, she could say these words to him! Even though she knew his identity as the companion of her soul, Night Hound, whom she had longed for and been curious about!

Dolores carefully examined Vikir’s appearance. Although it was an action to check for injuries, her face soon flushed red again.

“Oh, you should put on some clothes…”

Dolores handed him a bathrobe, speaking in a voice that seemed to crawl inward. She had seen countless naked men while treating patients, but why was her heart pounding so loudly now? Even she was surprised at her own reaction.

After enduring the awkward silence for a while, Dolores spoke up again.

“But, how did you get the ability to transform into a dog… why?”

“It’s a skill I acquired after hunting down a Dantalian in the past.”

“I see…”

Then, Dolores asked in an even more hesitant voice than before.

“Then, the time we bathed together last time…?”

“It was still me.”

At the same time.

*Splutter!*

Dolores’s face now seemed like it would explode. Memories of kissing Vikir’s hands and feet flooded her mind. Then came memories of stroking his head, pinching his cheeks, touching his chin, and patting his belly. They even rubbed their noses together…

“Normally, dogs kiss a lot.”

“….”

“But Choco never kisses me. It’s disappointing.”

“….”

“Are you sure you’re a dog? It’s suspicious.”

Vikir’s tongue, which had licked Dolores’s cheek. And Dolores, who had kissed Vikir’s mouth, nose, and entire face. Dolores, biting her lip and trying to stifle the bursting scream.

In an attempt to break the tension, Vikir threw out his own joke.

“…Uhh, thankfully you didn’t neuter me tho, haha…”

“Aaaah!”

Of course, it only provoked Dolores even more.

* * *

Two more days passed.

Dolores was able to clear away all the doubts she had before.

“The more painful reality is, the more deeply we must contemplate the meaning of life. It will ultimately lead you to a better realm of goodness… This isn’t the result of agonizing and worrying, but rather, the process itself holds meaning. Thank you, Vikir.”

Her expression, seemingly enlightened, was resolute like never before.

Vikir, not well-versed in theology, simply nodded.

“Before, Dolores wasted the most time on this floor before regressing. But this time seems different.”

In the past, Dolores had wasted months on this floor, until unexpectedly Tudor convinced her to leave in search of Bianca.

But this time, Dolores quickly shook off her doubts.

Whether it was due to enlightenment, the shocking event in the bath, or both, it’s hard to say.

“…If we go outside the gate, will we part ways again?”

“Most likely.”

Vikir casually nodded in response to Dolores’s wistful question.

But even if they parted now, they would meet again someday. That’s how the Tower worked.

Just by Dolores waking up a bit earlier and entering the Tower, countless lives could be saved.

With determination, Dolores took a step forward.

Vikir took a step forward.

Dolores, who had hesitated for a moment behind him, briefly grabbed the hem of Vikir’s clothes. And then…

With determination, she also took a big step forward, standing side by side with Vikir.

<※ A small bonus for those who have endured to come this far! Send a message to the person waiting outside the Tower for you!>

“We won’t be fooled by your fake answers.”

<※ Originally priced at the equivalent of one gold candy, the 'Letter Item' is provided free of charge once a month to residents of this floor!>

“We don’t have time to wait for months. Even at this moment, countless people are suffering on other floors.”

<※ The chance of entering this room is not even 0.0001%. You are the chosen lucky one!>

“Whether what’s in front of me is luck or not, that’s for me to decide.”

<※ Starting from the next floor, the difficulty will increase by at least 10 times compared to the floors you've passed!>

“No matter what hardships await, it doesn’t matter. I’m not afraid.”

<※ Please rest here, recharge your body and mind, and challenge the Tower again!>

“…Are you ready?”

“Of course.”

Vikir and Dolores stood side by side at the starting line.

“The path ahead will truly be a difficult journey.”

“With you, I can endure anything.”

“Are you really okay with leaving this comfortable place behind?”

“My heart won’t change, no matter the circumstances.”

In response to Dolores’s confident answer, Vikir nodded.

Eventually, they walked together, towards the same place, in the same direction, with the same stride.

Companions.

Their gaze was unwavering and shining brightly, seemingly unafraid of the imminent core of darkness awaiting them in the Abyss tree, the 11th floor.