Chapter 47: Rescue Request
It was early morning, not even time for the gates to open, yet I was summoned. When I went out, I found the gate already open, thanks to the lord’s power.
Was this also a measure to keep Cornelia-sama out of the public eye?
“Good morning, Rui-sama.”
“Good morning, Cornelia-sama.”
The two of them had changed into the casual women’s clothes I bought yesterday. While they still looked somewhat well-bred, their appearance was no longer conspicuously eye-catching.
“Oh my, you no longer need to use honorifics for me. Won’t you please call me by my name casually?”
Her personal space was quite small, or rather, she was really, really close.
She linked her arm with mine, rested her head on my shoulder, and was giving me a flushed gaze.
It clearly felt like I was being seduced.
Eh, no, this isn’t okay, right…? I looked towards Chinatsu-chan.
As her Knight escort, surely she would stop her.
But, unexpectedly, she just nodded in response.
“Um, for now, let’s go inside. There’s something I want to discuss too.”
“Yes! Rui-sama!”
There was a chance this seduction was a joke, or that she wanted to use me for something. But if it was serious, I’d feel bad, so I decided to reveal our family connection first.
We entered the Dungeon, and after confirming no one was around using Enhanced Hearing, I faced them.
“Um, well, there’s something I want you to hear.”
“Yes! What is it!?”
“I think… Cornelia-san is probably my aunt.”
“—-A-Aun-!?!? Yes? Um, I’m still physically sixteen… though?”
Oooh. The highlights in her eyes vanished.
Wait! Those eyes are scary!
That’s not it!
That’s not what I meant!
“Um, that’s not it… I think you’re probably my aunt on my father’s side. Or rather, I was only recently told who my father was, so it’s a bit…”
“Huh!? Father, you mean, could you be Royce-chan’s child…?”
“Um, yes… Uncle Rudolf said so.”
“Rud… Rudolph, you mean?”
“Ah, probably. The name is the same.”
I then briefly told her about my upbringing. In the process, she learned about my mother’s death, started crying, and clung to me, so I let her cry on my chest.
“I’m sorry. Even though you’re the one who’s had it harder, Rui-sama…”
“I’ve had time. Besides, I’m genuinely happy that there’s someone who mourns my mother’s death.”
Yeah. The funeral was a lonely affair.
If Mom is watching over us, she’d probably be very happy.
After exchanging such words, I asked her, as someone in a similar position, if I could consult with her if anything came up.
“Of course! I’d rather you rely on me! But… we were family, huh…”
“I don’t really feel that way, though. But it seems to be true.”
“Then let’s continue not being conscious of it. Our ages aren’t that different, so please ask me anything, okay?”
Once the conversation settled, I said, “Well then, shall we go?” but for some reason, Chinatsu-chan knelt on one knee before me.
“Prince Rui, I was unaware that you were the son of Crown Prince Royce. I deeply apologize for my grave disrespect.”
“No, no, I told you, there’s no disrespect or anything. I’ve been a commoner for as long as I can remember. I’d be happier if you treated me normally.”
“Wonderful… Prince Rui, you are strong yet kind and pure, just like a hero from a story.”
“Um… Chinatsu-chan?”
“P-Prince…”
No, even if you look up at me like you’re about to kiss me… that’s not it!
“Um, I already have someone I’m fond of, so that kind of thing…”
“S-Someone you’re fond of? Are you already engaged…?”
Um, I wish even Cornelia-san would stop staring at me with such sad eyes.
“No, it’s unrequited… I think? Her parents seem to dislike me. …Anyway, enough about me! Come on, we’re going on a rescue mission, right!?”
Right, the main topic was to go find out if the attendants who were also thrown into the Abyss had been eaten by Treasure Chests.
Originally there were fourteen people; two were traitors, so twelve fell.
Four of them have already been found.
Two died while moving, so six remain undiscovered.
“That’s right. Um, I understand that it’s almost impossible. I apologize for this unpleasant task, but please, I’m counting on you.”
It seemed both of them remembered today’s objective, and though their faces turned a little sad, they started looking forward instead of at me.
In that case, to hurry things along, I had them get on the Cart, rushed straight to the edge of the hole, transformed the Cart into a hot air balloon, and fell straight into the hole.
“Eh…!? Hey!! We’re falling!? We’re falling!!”
“No, that’s why we came here, to go down. As someone who was also dropped down here, I completely understand how you feel, but…”
Chinatsu-chan, trembling, grabbed my arm and wouldn’t let go.
Cornelia-san, clinging to me and muttering.
Having died once, both of them have quite severe trauma.
I’m not as bad, but the fear is still ingrained in me. I continued to observe the situation below with a telescope, along with Enhanced Hearing.
When we got reasonably close to the bottom, I fixed our position and stopped, then blasted the passage with explosion magic.
“Wh-!? What are you doing!?”
“No, I’m checking if there are any Monsters left alive. It’s dangerous if I don’t do this thoroughly.”
“N-Normally, it’s the other way around…”
No, that’s for places so wide you can’t annihilate everything, right?
While thinking that, I confirmed there were none, so we descended and started moving.
Then, we immediately descended to the Treasure Chest Floor and began clearing.
“Tomoe, Kaya…”
Chinatsu-chan muttered, looking at the empty spot where they should have left the bodies yesterday.
Those must be the names of those two.
“When it swallowed Monster corpses, I just thought it was convenient, but seeing a person absorbed as if nothing happened sends a chill down my spine.”
“Indeed. If it’s too hard for you, shall I do it alone?”
“No. I apologize for taking up your time. Please proceed.”
In that case, I proceeded down the passage as usual.
“Chinatsu-chan, I have a question… Do you know at what distance those box Monsters attack?”
“Yes… In our case, it was when we opened the box.”
“After it started moving, it attacked us even though we were some distance away.”
“Eh!? It doesn’t move until you touch it!? That’s perfect!”
“Rui-sama, you mustn’t underestimate it! It’s so fast you can’t see its movements!”
“No, yeah. All the Monsters on these Floors are like that. That’s why dealing with them before they move is the safest.”
It was a warning delivered with a loud voice, but when I told them the Apes and dinosaurs were the same, they seemed to understand.
While we were doing that, we arrived at the next room.
Two boxes were placed in what seemed like prime spots.
“By the way, this is what I was talking about earlier.”
And so, with a slow horizontal slash from the Laser Gun at the box, the Monster died instantly.
Apparently, cutting it horizontally is more effective than vertically.
Unlike last time, it didn’t even have a chance to rampage.
“This is overwhelming, isn’t it?”
“Well, this thing is what’s amazing, you know?”
I showed them the Laser Gun Magic Tool to correct them, but at that moment, a Magic Circle glowed, scattering the contents, so I approached it.
The contents were a broken box, a Magic Stone, and a bag that a person had likely used.
“This is?”
“It’s not ours.”
They shook their heads, so I checked the contents, but it only contained clothes and preserved food.
So, I absorbed the Magic Stone, stored the box, and searched for the next Monster.
Then, when I defeated the fourth one, I hit a Monster that had eaten a person.
I immediately had them drink a Potion, but they showed no reaction.
Either the body was too damaged, or too much time had passed; either way, it seemed hopeless.
I don’t know if I should call it fortunate, but this person also seemed to be from a different group, so we moved on.
And when I had defeated about ten of them, a corpse appeared again.
“Yunon! Aoi!”
I understood that these were them, but I couldn’t help but grimace.
For some reason, one of them had been hit by an Ape’s breath and was completely frozen.
Resigned, I left that one and gave a Potion to the other, and her body did regenerate, at least.
I immediately started cardiac massage and artificial respiration.
“Wait, Rui-sama!? What are you doing!?”
“It’s an action to restart a stopped heart. If it’s right after death, there’s still a chance it can be restarted. Sorry, but I did this for both of you too, you know?”
“Eh…!?”
Although I replied that way to Chinatsu-chan’s voice, on second thought, I realized I could probably manage it somehow with Magical Power.
But since a life was on the line, I was too scared to change methods now and continued.
Then, her heart started beating again, and she began to breathe on her own.
“Fuu. For now, we’ve secured a possibility.”
“Eh, wasn’t she saved…?”
When I explained to Chinatsu the possibility of brain damage or her not regaining consciousness, her face turned pale.
But there’s no point in offering false comfort.
More importantly, the other girl, completely frozen and shattered.
This child is probably Royalty too.
It was the same outfit Cornelia-san had been wearing, and she just stared at the girl, silently shedding tears, unmoving.
“Yunon…”
“I’m going to try something, so please step back a bit.”
“Eh…? But, in this state, it’s already…”
No, my leg reattached just fine.
It’s precisely because she’s completely frozen that there’s a chance.
First, I need to piece her shattered body back together.
“Rui-sama… it’s alright now. Humans can’t live after becoming like that.”
No, what are you even saying? Even if she weren’t frozen, you can’t survive being split in two at the torso, you know? This isn’t the time for such retorts, is it?
The problem is how to melt the ice.
Since I’m not casting it on myself, using fire magic would just burn her. Her hair and stuff would probably burn off. Would a Potion restore that? No, no, if it doesn’t work, it’ll be way too awkward. Let’s think of another way.
In that case, maybe I should activate Water Wall and Fire Wall simultaneously? Hot water should be fine, right? No, wait, wouldn’t the sudden temperature change cause her to crack and shatter?
I just imagined the rapidly thawed girl’s remains bursting apart. That’s too terrifying…
I guess I have no choice but to thaw her slowly at first. Once she’s somewhat thawed, I’ll melt the rest quickly and start artificial respiration.
By the time I’d made that plan, I had finished reassembling her.
I created a simple bath with Magical Power, filled it with water, and began to thaw Yunon-chan by simultaneously activating two Healing Magic spells and a fire magic spell.
However, as expected, the Healing Magic couldn’t keep up with repairing the missing parts, and blood began to flow.
So, I poured a Potion directly into the hot water and continued thawing her.
Then, once she was somewhat thawed, I exposed only her face, had her drink a Potion, and used Mana Manipulation to send air into her lungs and contract her heart.
Occasionally, I touched her body to check her temperature. She had warmed up considerably, so I took her out of the water. By then, she had already started breathing on her own.
“Alright! This is as much as I can do. The rest is up to luck.”
“No way… Her heart is really beating… No matter how you look at it, this is resurrection magic, isn’t it…?”
Yeah, well. I’m surprised by this fantasy world too. Normally, this would be impossible no matter what you did, right? And I don’t even really understand the criteria for whether it’ll work or not.
“Um, rather, shouldn’t you cover up Aoi-chan’s body…?”
“Ah!? Y-You’re right! Rui-sama, you mustn’t look!”
Hey now, you’re the one who forgot, Chinatsu-chan, right? You’re the one holding the clothes this time. Well, I forgot at first too. But I figured I should point it out, or the person who just woke up might glare at me.
So, I moved a short distance away to keep watch on our surroundings, and while I did, they wiped Yunon-chan’s body and got them both changed. Afterward, I had the two of them tell me about the situation at the time.
At the time, Cornelia-san and Yunon-san had come to Oldam incognito for a visit.
The reason they came to this land was to see the Abyss, mentioned in the forbidden books of Belfast Castle, with their own eyes. Of course, that meant confirming the existence of the hole.
Apparently, they admired heroes, and in the process of researching them, they learned about the Abyss.
They had tagged along when a scholar mentioned going to investigate, as it was about time for the flowers’ cycle.
Relying on a map, they approached the location and found an incredibly deep hole.
Just as they casually approached to look inside the hole, the entire party, except for two traitors, was supposedly dropped into the Abyss by wind magic.
“It’s a good thing the flower Monsters spawned properly, wasn’t it?”
“Indeed. If not for that, the Yeti would have wiped us all out.”
Their party had continuously used Petals to retreat, but their supply of Petals dwindled, forcing them to descend here.
“So, why did you split up from Yunon-san and the others?”
“Well, to secure food, they brought an Ape, saying they’d use the remaining Petals to pit it against the Monsters on this Floor. I tried to stop them, but they said if we did nothing, we’d run out of food and that would be the end.”
Hmm? Weren’t there any box Monsters in the first room?
“In the end, no one returned, and we opened a box we didn’t think was a Monster, and…”
Didn’t think it was a Monster…? Come to think of it, she did say it attacked the moment she touched it. I was so happy it seemed easy to defeat that I just brushed it off, but…
“Eh, no, no, that box is clearly a Monster, isn’t it!? You can’t fall for that… It shouldn’t even be in a place like this!”
Just as I blurted out that retort, a reply came from an unexpected person.
“You… you’re a rude one… Stop… insulting my Older Sister…”
“Yunon!?”
“Your Highness!?”
Oh! She looks like she’s in pain, but she seems to be clearly conscious. Looks like it was a success.
“If you’re in pain, here, have this.”
I handed the Potion, with about a mouthful left, to Cornelia-san, who was hugging and supporting her. She had Yunon-san drink it, and she made a full recovery.
“This stuff really works, doesn’t it? So, why is there an unfamiliar person here in this situation?”
“Yunon! Shouldn’t you start by thanking him!? Rui-sama used a secret art to bring you back to life!”
“Bring me back to life…? That’s ridicu… —Huh!? What’s that lower half… It’s human… right?”
Thinking ‘what nonsense,’ she looked around, spotted Aoi-san’s lower half, and froze.
“That’s Aoi’s. You were in a similar state.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. If someone could be saved from that state, it would be nothing short of a divine miracle.”
“Yes, it was exactly like that.”
“No, it’s just that those Petals were the raw material for Elixir, that’s all…”
“It’s not just that!!”
Yeesh… You don’t have to get so worked up…
“Well, your sister has been saved too, so shall we head back for today?”
“Head back…? Is there even a place on this Floor that could serve as a base?”
“Yunon, I’ll explain later, so please be quiet for now. Rui-sama has his own plans, and I apologize for delaying him. Could we trouble you a little longer?”
“Alright, alright. Well then, shall we move? Can you carry Aoi-san?”
After that, we efficiently defeated the box Monsters. As for the rescue, we found three people; one started breathing again, but the other two had passed away.
In the process, Yunon-san somehow became quieter and quieter.
In the end, we annihilated all the box Monsters, so we concluded the rescue operation and left the Abyss. By that time, she had stopped speaking altogether.
That’s strange. Everyone else was crying with joy.
Ah, maybe she’s bewildered by how much time has passed. Even if it’s only about twenty-odd years, it’s still a Rip Van Winkle situation. You can’t just laugh that off, can you?
While lost in thought about her future hardships, I took out the Ape we defeated the other day at the Dismantling Yard, which caused a commotion because their blades couldn’t cut it and they couldn’t dismantle it.
Having no choice, I called for the tanner and asked him to just skin it.
Perhaps because I was also commissioning a Coat and a large sheet, he happily accepted, saying, “You finally brought it, huh?” So I splurged and paid him the processing fee for the Ape’s hide.
I also presented the box Monster, but it was returned to me with a “What am I supposed to do with this box?”
Apparently, they didn’t think it was a Monster’s corpse.
Well, that makes sense. It’s just a broken, high-quality box. It does have a lot of jewel-like things attached to it, though… Oh well, since I submitted it and got it back, I guess I can do what I want with it.
And so, the rescue request from Cornelia-san was fulfilled, and the day came to an end.