I Have a Stalker of Noble Status. And to Make Matters Worse, their Numbers are Increasing (BL) - Chapter 34

W-Wait, what!? Why did that happen!?

As I stood frozen, staring at the exploded remains of the slime, Ray and Douglas came rushing toward me at full speed.

“What happened, Pat!? Are you alright!?”

“Lord Patrick! That technique just now—what was that!?”

Ray looked worried, while Douglas’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

Ahhhhhh!!

I had no idea what had just happened, and honestly?

I was terrified.

“M-Max…”

If anyone could figure out what was going on with me, it would be Max.

I turned to him with desperate hope—

Only to find him completely lost in thought, his eyes shining as he muttered to himself while analyzing data.

Ah.

His otaku switch has been flipped. He’s gone.

“Lord Patrick! Once more! Show me that again!!”

AHHH! Now the meathead switch is active too!?

In a panic, I instinctively darted behind Max—

Only for him to grab my shoulder with a firm grip.

“Yeah, Douglas is right. Let’s test it again, Rick.”

NOOOOOO—!!

“What are you two even talking about!? Shouldn’t we be making sure Pat is okay first!?”

“Shut up, overprotective prince. He’s obviously fine! Testing comes first!”

“What!? What if he has some internal injuries we can’t see, you glasses-wearing otaku!?”

…Wait.

So Ray also considers Max an otaku?

No, focus!

**“BOTH OF YOU, STOP IT!

We’re in a dungeon! Making noise attracts monsters!”**

Despite my warning, Ray and Max continued their argument.

And, as expected, monsters started gathering—

Though Douglas took them down effortlessly, looking way too happy about it.

This entire situation was turning into absolute chaos.

“Enough already! Both of you—”

And at that exact moment—

The entire dungeon shook.

—An earthquake!?

Almost simultaneously, the ground beneath me gave way.

“Lord Patrick!!”

Douglas immediately grabbed my arm, trying to pull me back—

But the collapse spread beneath his feet as well.

“Pat! Douglas!!”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

I could hear Ray and Max shouting—

But before I could react, Douglas and I were swallowed by the collapsing floor.

——THUD!

A sharp impact rippled through my body as I hit the ground.

Oddly enough, despite the height we fell from, the pain wasn’t as bad as I expected.

That alone sent a warning through my mind—

Something wasn’t right.

Cautiously, I opened my eyes.

“Lord Douglas!?”

Right in front of me, Douglas lay on the ground, his face twisted in pain.

—That’s right. He had been holding onto me when we fell.

Which meant—

He had shielded me from the impact.

“Lord Douglas! You protected me, didn’t you!? Are you hurt!?”

I turned to him frantically, but he simply grinned.

**“This is nothing. I’m built differently, after all.

More importantly—are you hurt, Lord Patrick?”**

…Liar.

I looked up.

The ceiling was high, and the gaping hole above us was too dark to see through, but I could tell—

We had fallen from quite a height.

No matter how much training he had, falling from that distance while shielding me and walking away unscathed was impossible.

“I’m fine… but you—”

**“Then there’s no problem. I told you, I’m fine.

More importantly, this is the first time I’ve seen a dungeon with such a large-scale trap!”**

A trap…?

I had been through this area countless times.

There had never been a trap here before.

Could It Be That I Triggered an Event by Meeting Some Unknown Condition Before Entering the Dungeon…?

The thought sent a chill down my spine, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on it.

Douglas’s condition was more important right now.

Before anything else, I needed to figure out where we were.

“Lord Douglas, can you stand?”

“Of course. You’re worrying too much, Lord Patrick.”

With an easygoing smile, Douglas got to his feet in one fluid motion and took a few steps forward, completely at ease.

Or so it seemed.

Unfortunately for him, I had experience handling four younger brothers.

And my Big Brother Instincts were telling me he was definitely not fine.

Normally, Douglas carried himself with impeccable posture, his balance never wavering.

But now, his left shoulder was slightly lower than usual.

Even the way he lifted his feet while walking was uneven—his left leg moved just a bit lower than his right.

Meaning—

He was definitely in pain.

Nice work, Big Brother Instincts!

…Now what?

Even if I knew he was hurt, I wasn’t Angelica.

I didn’t have any healing abilities.

So much for being a protagonist.

I was still just an extra content protagonist, a lower-tier one at that.

If I really had to be the protagonist, then why couldn’t I have been given some special ability or something?

With a sigh, I turned my attention to our surroundings—

And immediately realized something was very wrong.

Normally, as we ventured deeper into a dungeon, the space would gradually transition from a natural cave to something that looked more artificial.

That much was the same here.

But the place where we had landed wasn’t just artificial—

It was grand.

Refined.

Like something you’d find in a temple or a royal palace.

What is this place?

This wasn’t just another floor in the dungeon.

This was something else entirely.

A terrible feeling settled in my gut.

For a brief moment, I actually considered climbing back up the walls and escaping through the hole we fell from.

But before I could act on that impulse—

A deep, gravelly voice echoed in my head.

“You have done well to come, one who bears the bl00d of the hero…”

…

…Excuse me?

Forget everything I just said.

I take it back.

All of it.

I don’t want to be special.

I don’t want any powers.

So please…

Just pretend you didn’t see me.