Chapter 8

Aldo stepped into the dungeon for the first time. Despite being in a cave, it was strangely filled with light. As he walked cautiously step by step, he heard a giant buzzing sound.

Before Aldo appeared a bee covered in black armor. It was a large size for a bee, about the size of an adult man’s palm. This evil spirit belonged to the weakest group of evil spirits known as Dark Bugs.

“Bwuuuuuuuuuuun.”

The Dark Bug flapped its wings and approached Aldo, the intruder. Aldo readied his sword and swung it at the Dark Bug.

“Here goes!”

With his battle cry, Aldo swung his sword. However, the Dark Bug reacted to the slight wind and air currents generated by his sword swing and dodged the attack. The buzzing bee easily avoided Aldo’s strikes.

“Is this really the weakest evil spirit?”

Aldo was surprised. He had thought that defeating the weakest evil spirit would be much easier. But that was not the case. Aldo was not a chosen hero or a legendary warrior; he was just an ordinary miner. It was only natural that he would struggle against even the weakest evil spirit.

“I can’t lose for the sake of my daughter, Iris!”

Aldo swung his sword vigorously. He adopted a strategy of simply attacking repeatedly, believing that eventually, he would land a hit. The Dark Bug avoided Aldo’s attacks time and again. After repeating this fruitless effort dozens of times, the Dark Bug finally began to tire, slowing its movements. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Aldo struck the Dark Bug with his sword.

With a slashing sound, the Dark Bug was cut in half and vanished from the spot. From where the Dark Bug had disappeared, a shard of black stone emerged.

“So this is the material obtained from defeating an evil spirit.”

Aldo stuffed the material into his bag. It could be sold. However, since the materials from Dark Bugs were in oversupply, they would likely be bought at a low price.

“Just hunting the weakest monster takes this much effort… Huh, clearing this dungeon might be tougher than I thought.”

The condition for clearing the dungeon was to defeat the evil spirit residing in its deepest part. Once that evil spirit was defeated, the seal on the spirit would be lifted, releasing it. The area that had been a dungeon would return to its original state.

Aldo turned his gaze to the rock wall of the dungeon. He took his pickaxe and struck at it vigorously. From the spot he chipped away, a certain raw stone emerged. This raw stone was affected by the evil spirit and possessed a mysterious power.

“I knew it. I had a feeling something was here. I guess I can call it my miner’s instinct. Maybe I’m more suited for gathering like this than for combat. Hahaha.”

Aldo laughed self-deprecatingly. He had eagerly ventured into the dungeon for his daughter, but he had gained little in terms of combat results. In the end, true to the name “Digger,” he had only managed to dig and concluded his first dungeon exploration.

Upon returning from the dungeon, Aldo brought the materials he obtained to the Digger Association. He had an obligation to report everything he found in the dungeon to the association. Anything recognized as belonging to the digger would become their property. If the church needed something for research purposes, it would be forcibly purchased.

This time, all the materials belonged to Aldo, the digger. However, Aldo had no use for the Dark Bug materials or the raw stone. He sold them to the Digger Association to earn some money.

While the Dark Bug materials were not worth much, the raw stone fetched a decent price. Aldo left the Digger Association building with a smile, carrying the money he had earned back to the home where his beloved daughter was waiting.

“I’m home!”

“Oh, Father!”

As soon as Aldo returned, Iris jumped into his arms.

“Whoa, what’s wrong, Iris?”

“Father… I’m so glad.”

Iris was genuinely relieved that Aldo had returned safely. During his absence, she had been extremely anxious.

“I’m sorry to have worried you, Iris. But I’m strong, so I’m fine.”

Aldo lied to Iris. The truth was that he only had enough strength to struggle even against the weakest monster.

However, if telling a lie would ease Iris’s anxiety, he was willing to do so.

“Really? Father, you were strong! Hehe, then I feel a little better.”

Iris spun around, twirling away from Aldo. Her skirt fluttered gracefully.

“Come on, Father. Let’s eat. I made dinner again today!”

Iris smiled brightly. Aldo was warmed by that smile as he took his seat at the table.

Tonight’s dish was pot-au-feu. Aldo tasted it and praised Iris’s cooking as he always did.

“Delicious. Just like you, Iris!”

“Yay! Thank you!”

After dinner, Aldo took a bath and then spent a relaxing time. Iris was reading a book, but her eyes were half-closed, and she was dozing off.

“Yawn…”

Iris let out a cute yawn, causing Aldo to chuckle softly at her adorableness.

“Iris, don’t you think it’s time to go to bed?”

“Yeah…”

Iris placed a bookmark in her book, closed it, and started heading toward her bed, but she kept glancing at Aldo. It seemed like she wanted to express something, and Aldo sensed that.

“What’s wrong? Iris. Do you want to tell me something?”

Noticing Iris’s demeanor, Aldo spoke up. However, Iris was fidgeting and didn’t respond. Given her past environment, she had become the kind of person who couldn’t voice her wishes or whims to Aldo.

“It’s okay, Iris. You’re my daughter. You can say whatever you want, and it’s fine to be spoiled.”

Encouraged by those words, Iris shyly looked down and replied.

“Father… I want you to sleep with me tonight.”

“Together?”

“Yes. I was feeling anxious being alone today, so…”

Iris couldn’t quite put her feelings into words, but Aldo understood perfectly. The stronger her anxiety, the more she wanted reassurance. The cause of her unease was undoubtedly connected to Aldo’s absence. That’s why Iris wanted to feel his presence to ease her mind.

“Alright, then. Shall we sleep together tonight?”

“Yes!”

To be honest, Aldo wasn’t all that sleepy. Still, he matched Iris’s schedule and went to bed with her. As they lay in bed together, although Iris was the one who suggested it, she didn’t snuggle up to Aldo; she kept a small distance between them. She was almost entirely comfortable around him by now, but there was still a bit of hesitation left.

Aldo didn’t push to close the gap, letting Iris set the pace. Moving too close too soon might make her wary again. He decided to wait patiently until Iris could openly come to him for comfort.

“Goodnight, Iris.”

“Goodnight… Papa.”

“Papa?”

“Ah!”

Iris quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. She had always called him “Father,” but now she’d slipped and used “Papa,” like when she was a child.

“Th-that didn’t count! I just made a mistake.”

“Alright. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it.”

Despite his words, Iris turned away in embarrassment, her back facing Aldo. She soon drifted off, her breathing soft and steady in sleep.

After confirming that Iris was asleep, Aldo closed his eyes as well. In time, he too slipped into the world of dreams.