Isekai Grimoire System

Chapter III: The Cursed Cave Dungeon (VII)

Things have changed, and now Archie comes and takes the initiative himself. Basically, he didn't care what the three adventurers would get into. Allowing them to flee towards the entrance was understandable—so that no one would see him using his Grimoire.

The atmosphere inside the cave area is rather dark, making their vision limited. Kane, who ran into Archie, did not immediately realize that Archie was using the Grimoire’s powers. Whether Kane will think about where Archie got the skill from, it's not essential.

The deal was taken unilaterally by Archie. He decided to continue the dungeon and headed for the next room, while the other three adventurers immediately ran towards the dungeon entrance. Though it was a waste since they wouldn't be able to escape immediately, at least they would be safe there—that was what they thought.

Layla has activated [Aura of Velocity] on Archie. His figure can now move faster and more agile by combining Layla's skill effect with the passive skill from Grimoire, [Floating].

The girl also had a similar question regarding how Archie could get the skill and why he could beat purple-grade monsters without difficulty.

One obvious reason to her was the sword Archie was carrying. He wasn't using a sword bought in Craydon town but another sword he hadn't had before.

“Did you get the sword as a drop item?”

Layla, who already had more flying experience, knew there were classy drop items with innate skills, but stuff like that should be rare items that could be priced high.

"I got it, not too long ago," Archie replied.

He didn't lie, nor did he answer Layla's questions truthfully. He got the sword not long ago from an awakened Grimoire. Cutting off part of the sentence will be a sentence with a different meaning.

"No wonder, it must be a sword with purple grade and above, and what I know is that only Redcaste grade weapons and above have skill in them," explained Layla.

The fact that the sword he used was only Whitecaste grade disturbed Archie's concentration. He had another wild theory running through his head when he heard Layla mention something like that.

'If a Spiritual Weapon with Whitecaste rarity is this good, how about the grade above it?'

Archie wanted to interrogate Layla directly regarding information about the Spiritual Weapon, but he had to endure it.

“Do you think we can clear this dungeon?”

"In my experience, no. I don't have enough offensive capacity, I'm just a support after all.”

Although different, that's a satisfying answer for Archie. The next question is why she wanted to go with him to continue the exploration. As for Archie, he just wanted to increase the exp he got from defeating the spawn monsters while he was in a dungeon with a higher level than him.

"Isn't that strange? Then why did you voluntarily come with me?”

Archie had thought about several answers that Layla would say, all based on his experience and knowledge of women's characteristics, especially his fiancée. Even if it weren't quite right, at least it wouldn't go too far—or so he thought so.

“For the first time…I feel like you've made a decision that can't be contested. Besides…it's a wife's duty to always support her husband's decisions.”

Their footsteps stopped. Archie turned and looked at Layla, who was trying to hide her face. Any average man would be bothered by Layla's statement, and so was he.

Currently, he took an ID card and explored the dungeon out of curiosity and his quest to learn about his mother’s cure. Archie didn't put it into his plans that he had a fiancée in the first place.

Not using a Grimoire in front of Layla was his decision from the start, as he believed Grimoires were an unusual power. But he did that, too, because he thought his relationship with Layla might loosen and break up one day. When that happened, Archie didn't want his personal information exposed.

Relationships should come naturally to him, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want them. However, Archie's experience with women in his world makes him have his criteria in choosing a partner, especially if the relationship is intertwined because of the engagement’s coercion, which does not involve their feelings.

"You know…you can say that you don't want this relationship, and you can choose your own partner," Archie replied.

From the start, Archie never forces Layla's will. He thought the Whitehall family would also consider it a polite, formal relationship. If it were only to unify the two territories into one, there could be other ways in the future without forcing the girl's heart.

“Eh?! Why? Did I say something wrong?” Archie was nervous when he saw Layla shed tears.

“I don't know…I…why?” Layla tried to wipe away the tears that kept flowing, and as if without stopping, she tried to be as strong as possible to face the abysmal feelings in her heart.

She felt that what Archie said was true, but somehow her heart hurt so much to hear it. “—do I not deserve you?”

Layla's expression when she asked made Archie regret his judgment. He shouldn't have made his own decision, and he had hurt a woman's heart.

He should have realized that their families, Whitehall and Shellford, had such a good relationship. Even though the Whitehall family had warmly welcomed him, he still had doubts in his heart, which seemed to say it was just an act.

They stopped long enough in the dungeon, and the monster spawns reappeared. It was a disadvantageous location for them. A fork that had spawn points on each side made both of them surrounded.

"No, no. From the start, I was the confused one, whether having you are appropriate for me," whispered Archie.

With his thoughtfulness and reasoning that he prided himself on, he should have guessed how Layla felt about him—is it because of compulsion or carried away?

"Yeah...as your fiancé I don't seem to shown what I really am, right?" muttered Archie. He tried to wipe Layla's cheek, which was still a little wet, then pinched it small. "Sorry, I was wrong."

Adding one person—no, one extended family to his thinking wouldn't harm him. Instead, it was a storehouse of information that he could dig into and make use of.

“[Activate, Grimoire of the Winds].”