"A treasure map?" Nolan nodded, somewhat agreeing. Finding something like this in a treasure chest wasn't particularly surprising.
After all, such occurrences were common in the original game. Although he didn't understand it for the time being, there must be some reason behind it.
Besides, the mere existence of a treasure chest was already miraculous enough; having a treasure map was nothing extraordinary.
"By the way, I'm not sure what time it is now. We should head out and check. If it's too late, we'll have to put off the treasure hunt until tomorrow," Nolan said, gently releasing the plum-black hem of Fischl' off-shoulder mini dress.
The sliding hem lightly brushed against the soft legs wrapped in black stockings due to gravity.
Fischl nodded and walked back from the muddy ground. "Hmm, let's go back!"
As they walked along the gentle slope and reached the top, they called Ellin, who was still roasting by the fire, ready to leave the cave. After all, they had reached the end of the cave, and there was no other place to explore.
Leaving the depression with the water pool, the flame gradually disappeared, and the cave returned to darkness.
It didn't take long before Nolan's group reached the cavern entrance, greeted by golden rays of the setting sun pouring in, bathing the walls in a warm amber glow.
"Finally out. It feels a bit oppressive staying in a dark cave for too long!"
Ellin ran to the outside of the cave and opened her arms as if to embrace the sun.
Nolan and Fischl followed closely behind. Bathed in the sunlight, Fischl felt lazy all over and couldn't help but stretch.
Interlocking her fingers, she raised her hands with the palms facing upwards, wearing black thin long-sleeved gloves.
Her snow-white armpits were fully exposed, and the curves of her chest wrapped in the shoulder-revealing skirt and bodysuit were also accentuated.
"At this time, we might not be able to go to the 'Windmill Chrysanthemum Garden'!"
After all, according to the map, it seemed quite far away. In one or two hours, it might be completely dark, making it inconvenient to travel in the dark.
Although everyone had tents with them, they were only used as a precaution for camping in the wild. It was best to avoid it if possible.
After all, the wilderness at night was still a bit dangerous.
"Yeah, if we don't go back soon, Mom and Dad might worry!" Ellin nodded, her orange ponytail swaying slightly.
After all, she still couldn't handle things independently. It was natural for her parents to worry.
"Well, this princess is also tired. Let's go back."
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Fischl parted her lips, yawning a bit, and was about to move her legs clad in black stockings to leave.
Her attendant, Oz the raven, suddenly noticed something and looked up at the sky.
"Miss, look! up there - some huge creature is flying this way!" Oz said with some surprise.
Hearing Oz's words, everyone looked curiously at the dim sky. With their good eyesight, Nolan was the first to see a large creature flying towards them from the upper right corner.
A draconic head. A verdant body. Three tiers of breathtakingly beautiful wings, large to small, arrayed in descending order from front to back.
However, despite the appearance of this creature resembling something out of a fantasy, Nolan showed no appreciation. Instead, his pupils shrank as he shouted, "Run! Get back into the cave quickly!"
However, whether it was Ellin or Fischl, they were momentarily immersed in shock, their reactions slightly slower. The verdant draconic being swiftly flew over them from above.
"...Whew." Just as Nolan thought the ethereal dragon hadn't noticed them and started to relax—
"Kyaa!" The two girls couldn't help but cry out.
An unstoppable gale force wind immediately followed, effortlessly sweeping up the grounded trio like leaves in the breeze, about to smash them against the cavern walls.
Fischl was probably of a higher level, but neither of the girls had Nolan's strong physique. If they crashed like this, they might not be seriously injured, but it would definitely be painful.
Fortunately, Nolan was slightly behind them when they were swept away, so he instinctively shielded them in his arms.
The warm and soft sensation of the girls' bodies just transmitted to his brain through his hands, and then a stronger sense of pain came from his back!
Nolan realized that he might have overestimated himself; the force of the hurricane was too violent.
Even with the adventure backpack as a cushion, he almost spat out blood without directly hitting the cave wall.
Subsequently, Nolan was rubbed against the wall by the remaining kinetic force of the hurricane, feeling as if the backpack had completely disintegrated and its contents were scattered all over the ground.
Finally, Nolan fell to the ground, rolling several times while protecting Fischl and Ellin, before coming to a stop.
He lay on the ground with the girls' soft bodies pressing on his hands, unable to move at all. His back felt hot, aching, but fortunately, the pain was relatively superficial, indicating that his muscles or bones were not injured.
Fischl and Ellin, cushioned by Nolan's backpack and body, except for the final rolls on the ground, hardly had any other bumps or bruises.
The two girls quickly got up and turned back, patting Nolan's cheek. Fischl's expression was somewhat worried as she asked, "Nolan, are you alright?"
She leaned over Nolan's body, her knees pressed against the ground through the black stockings, the purple-black skirt hanging down along the curve of her buttocks, eventually touching the ground and getting slightly damp with mud.
Ellin also asked him with the same worried tone.
Nolan turned his head, spat out a bit of blood with barely perceptible traces, took a deep breath, and smiled, "Help me up. Luckily, there was cushioning from the backpack; it should be fine!"
Of course, His words weren't just bravado - the minor self-healing boost from the [ Abundant Life ] specialty was kicking in, the pain already starting to dull.
Hearing Nolan's words, which didn't seem forced, the two girls breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you!"
Ellin helped Nolan up. She hesitated for a moment, wanting to express her gratitude, but didn't know what to say. In the end, she could only express her gratitude with the simplest words.
[Ellin Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 300 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.3 (135/300)]
"Hey! Nolan -Whatever, you, don't take the initiative to shield this princess from harm next time. It's just a bump; it's not a big deal!"
The worried expression on Fischl's fair face faded away as she stood up, crossed her arms over her chest, and then revealed a slightly annoyed expression.
[Fischl Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 450 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.8 (160/800)]
Looking at the significantly increased favorability of the two, Nolan felt that it was fine to do it again, but then again, the creature that just appeared must have been Stormterror AKA Dvalin, right?
How did it appear here? Nolan was slightly confused.
(End of Chapter/Volume—Volume 1: Girls)
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