Reincarnated as Twins: And Then, I Was the Only One Abandoned - ☆14 Into the Depths of Darkness ③

☆14 Into the Depths of Darkness ③

“Do you even realize what you’re saying??” 

Upon returning to the resting spot where Elysia and the others were, I informed them of my decision to keep the Hellhound puppy. Gald let out an exasperated sigh before speaking. 

“Its food source is mana, right? Even if it grows huge in the future, my mana should be enough to sustain it.” 

There was no way I could just abandon such a cute little thing. 

It reminded me of how the dark elves had taken me in. 

Besides, I had experience raising dogs in my past life. So I was confident in training it. 

I’d make it work somehow. 

Looking down at the puppy’s anxious red eyes gazing up at me, I solidified my resolve. 

I was the only one who could protect and raise this little one. 

“Hehe. You really do operate on a different scale than the rest of us. The idea of keeping a Hellhound as a pet is something no ordinary person would ever come up with. I’ve heard that magical beasts, which grow by absorbing mana, develop based on the type of mana they consume. If it’s your mana, I doubt it’ll turn into something bad.” 

Elysia smiled. She was slightly amused but seemingly impressed. 

“L-Lady Elysia, this isn’t something to be laughing about…! Hey, once we leave this cave, it’ll be out of our jurisdiction. But make sure it doesn’t cause trouble for others!” 

Ignoring Gald’s grumbling, I started thinking of a name for the pup. 

Something inspired by fire in the darkness………. 

In the puzzle game I played in my past life, what was the name of that character with both dark and fire attributes? 

Oh yeah—*Kagutsuchi*! 

(Note:

Kagutsuchi from Puzzle and Dragons

)

“Alright, from today on, your name is Kagutsuchi!” 

The pup was nestled in my arms. It seemed to have calmed down after absorbing enough mana. It was now dozing off. 

Its small body rose and fell with gentle breath. A faint red glow was drifting around it. 

◆◆◆

Once Elysia had recovered to some extent, we resumed our journey into the depths. 

We followed the source of the ominous mana strong enough to sustain an entire pack of massive Hellhounds. 

Instinctively, I felt that whatever lay ahead was bad news. 

The Great Southern Chasm. 

No one who had ever ventured to its deepest reaches had returned. That must be referring to what lay ahead. In fact, the map we received at the outpost had almost no information past this point. 

All it indicated was that there was supposedly a much larger space further in. 

I tightened my hold on Kagutsuchi. 

Silently, we pressed on through the narrow path leading out of the vast cavern. 

The air grew colder, and an unpleasant mana clung to my skin. 

Then, suddenly—I sensed something ahead. 

Footsteps echoed, growing closer. 

“Oh? So there’s a party that made it this far.” 

A human approached us. 

Illuminated by the faint light in the darkness, she was a female swordsman with fiery red hair. 

And her mana—was absolutely overwhelming. 

From the way she carried herself, it was clear she was on a different level from us. 

Her sharp gaze swept over the area as she spoke. 

Her movements were precise, fluid—like the wind itself. 

“It’s dangerous past this point. You should turn back. I’ve been trying to push forward for three days, but I can’t find a way through. The paths split off, and it’s easy to get lost.” 

Her low voice carried not just exhaustion but the weight of deep experience. 

It wasn’t just a warning—her words were a serious caution. 

Our eyes met. 

Her piercing blue gaze studied me, as if evaluating my worth. 

“Huh? You’ve got some crazy mana, don’t you?” 

She sounded genuinely surprised. 

“In terms of potential, you might even be on par with an S-rank….… Though you’re completely unrefined. But if you’re here, maybe I can push a bit further ahead.” 

After seemingly finishing her assessment, she murmured to herself before finally speaking up again. 

“My name is Lilith Starseeker. What’s yours?” 

“Souta Amagi.” 

I answered, a little taken aback. 

Glancing to my side, I saw both Elysia and Gald frozen in shock. 

“Lilith Starseeker…… the S-rank adventurer…….?” 

Gald barely managed to get the words out. 

Wait, she’s that famous? 

And wasn’t Gald the one who always looked down on humans? 

I guess S-rank adventurers were a different story. 

Paying no mind to the two, Lilith turned back to me. 

“Would you be interested in working for me? I’m mapping out this area. And if you help me, I could get a lot more done.” 

Wait…… she’s offering to pay me? 

I’d been feeling a bit frustrated about working for free this whole time. So this was perfect. 

I came to this island just to eat sashimi. And yet, I’d somehow gotten dragged all the way here. 

“How much? Just so you know, I don’t come cheap.” 

I made sure to set the tone early to avoid getting lowballed. 

“Three gold coins. How’s that?” 

“Deal. Looking forward to working with you.”