"Ei~! Hit it!"

'Pigyuuuuuu!'

The orange slime is destroyed by the serpentine sword wielded by Monica.

The exploded slime melts into sludge and spreads on the ground, leaving only the 'core' of the drop item.

'Squeakkkk!'

"Monica-chan, behind you!"

Aeris shouted.

A big bat comes at her from another direction. Monica turns around as if she herself was bounced, and manipulates her serpentine sword with a smooth movement.

"Haaa!"

With a snap of her wrist, the sword changes direction, and the sword is thrust into the bat's forehead.

The bat, which had been weakened beforehand, falls to the ground, twitches, and then stops moving.

"I did it! We won!"

The battle is over, and Monica jumps for joy.

An hour has passed since we started exploring the dungeon.

At first, Monica was nervous and her movements were stiff, but she was now able to fight with much more ease.

She seems to have gotten used to using the Serpentine Sword, which was supposed to be difficult to handle, and now she rarely misses the target.

And with Aeris's auxiliary magic, she had become strong enough to defeat the enemies at this level by herself.

"[Villager] can't use magic or martial arts, but their growth rate is faster than other jobs... Still, this girl's growth is a bit unusual..."

I muttered in exasperation.

Monica has a talent for fighting.

No... to be frank, she had a sense of fighting that made me think she was a genius.

She did not just attack the enemy in the dark, but she grasped the battle situation from a bird's eye view and attacked with a clear judgment of which enemy to defeat first.

It was hard to believe that this was the first time for her to dive into the dungeon today, but she did a remarkable job.

"She is indeed descended from the lineage of a hero. Or perhaps because she is Leon's sister? Anyway, I'm sure she can overtake the mob students of the Swords and Magic Academy by the end of the day."

"That's true, Monica-chan seems to have very good qualities. I'm sure she'll become a great knight or adventurer in the future."

"Hmm, I'd like to make her a student of Aomi Itto Ryu. Perhaps she is more gifted with the sword than Brave?"

Aeris praises Monica with a smile. Nagisa nodded her head in admiration, jokingly.

"Muu... I have a feeling that a powerful enemy is about to appear, desu~no"

On the other hand, Urza's lips were pouting in frustration.

She looked at Monica with a wary look in her twinkling eyes, and for some reason was touching her breasts.

"She is small and cute and has a talent for fighting. She's a character similar to Urza, and she's not to be underestimated... No way, Goshujin-sama's "poor-breasted loli" slot has become a battleground, desu~no!"

"I said, such a slot doesn't exist in the first place! And you two don't even have the same characters!"

"Agh!"

I hit Urza's head hard.

Since the demon, Miura Agares appears. Urza seems to be very wary of a little girl like Monica, who appears without a pause.

But even if Miura is a legal loli, Monica is a child. There is no way I would touch her.

"Onii-san, I've retrieved the drop items! Can you put them in the bag over here?"

Monica comes running up to me, having retrieved the slime nucleus.

She looks like a little puppy dog. I can almost see her tail buzzing and wagging wildly on her hips.

A little while ago, Monica started calling me "Onii-san" or something like that. She calls Leon "Onii-chan," by the way.

"Yeah, that's fine. But still... you seem to be very lively. Do you know where we are?"

"Yes, of course! I know we're in a dungeon... but I feel strangely light and very easy to move! It's as if I have wings on my back!"

"Well... instead of being scared, your reaction is encouraging. Enjoy your adventures, but don't forget what you're here for, okay?"

"Yes, I know! I'll save Leon-oniichan!"

Monica grips the handle of the serpentine sword with both hands and says, "Mnh!". She really puts her mind to it.

But still, she really has changed a lot.

Yesterday she was in tears because she was afraid that her brother had died, but since she started to dive and fight in the dungeon, she has been as energetic as a fish out of water.

"Come on, keep moving! Let's keep on going and killing the monsters!"

"...finding vitality in battle... Maybe this is the talent of a hero, huh?"

But it's much better than whimpering.

After that, we continue to walk deeper and deeper into the dungeon, not resisting Monica who pulls me by the arm.