Chapter 409: Intruders in the Dungeon
“I’ve decided to return to the village.”
The next morning, Rizelade, wearing a solemn expression, blurted this out as soon as we met. We had just finished breakfast in the mansion’s dining hall, but her strange behavior from yesterday persisted. I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was avoiding me, and it was driving me crazy with curiosity.
“That’s quite sudden.”
“Y-yes… it is.”
When I spoke to her, she flinched slightly, responding a moment later.
“I thought you were looking forward to the hot springs. Is that no longer the case?”
“Um… I just remembered I have some matters to attend to.”
Rio tilted her head, trying to engage her, but she didn’t seem as frightened as she had been around me.
Did you do something to her, Shuu?
Huh? No, I don’t remember doing anything…
Right? What could it be…? Anyway, I’ll handle it today.
Please do.
Rio’s telepathic communication reached me, but I genuinely had no idea what was going on. It felt a bit unreasonable, but for now, I decided to leave it to Rio.
Just when I thought she would leave immediately, Rizelade mentioned she was going to inspect the Reception Hall. She needed to check on the environment in which the two she brought with her were working. It seemed she had the intention to leave right away, but if she had perked up the moment she stopped facing me, that would be a bit disheartening.
I had created a guest key that would allow access to the Dungeon for the first time, and I figured a one-day validity would suffice. Without the key, notifications would be sent out, making it essential.
“Sigh…”
I couldn’t help but let out a sigh, but I couldn’t just ask Rizelade directly about her behavior.
“Are you going to the Dungeon today as well?”
“Well, Phonia is looking forward to it.”
“I’d appreciate it if you could come along.”
While Ivan and the others could handle the Dungeon without much trouble, I wanted to avoid entering without a scout. I could probably trample over some traps, but there might be others that wouldn’t be so easily dealt with.
“Is your sister not coming?”
“Oh, she had a bit of work to finish, but she should come later.”
“I see…”
“Woof-woof!”
Phonia drooped her ears in disappointment, and seeing this, Nil also flattened her ears in sympathy. It seemed that recently, Nil had taken to mimicking Phonia.
“Well then, shall we go?”
“Yeah!”
“Woof-woof!”
As I opened the Dimensional Rift leading to the Dungeon, Phonia raised her right hand energetically, while Nil mimicked her by perking up her right ear. It was amusing how she didn’t quite get it.
As we all crawled through the rift and emerged before the Dungeon, a sudden warning echoed in my mind.
“Huh?”
“What’s wrong?”
Ivan turned around, responding to my involuntary exclamation.
“No, it’s just… what is this? An intruder in the Dungeon?”
The warning indicated that there was an intruder in the Dungeon where I served as the Dungeon Master. It felt different from the alerts for someone without a key; this one seemed to carry a higher level of urgency. The doors connecting Hinomaru’s various bases were set up in the Dungeon, frequently used by the staff, but I had never received such a warning before.
“Wait, an intruder? Is that okay…?”
Phonia’s worried voice mirrored Ivan’s concern, her brow furrowed.
“Ah, yeah, just a moment.”
Focusing on the blaring alarm, I began to discern the specifics of the warning.
“Huh? Risk of the Dungeon Master having their core stolen? Threat level 2… what the heck is this?”
“The Dungeon Master… you mean Shu, right?”
“Yeah, that’s true, but…”
As I concentrated further, the location of the intruder became clear. It seemed to be in the corridor of the Dungeon near the Reception Hall, the very place where Rio and Rizelade had just headed.
“Hmm…? So, Rizelade is the Dungeon Master of another Dungeon…?”
I turned my gaze toward the entrance of the Dungeon before me.
“This is also a Dungeon, right?”
“That’s right. It’s the Dungeon near the Dark Elf settlement, isn’t it?”
“Ah, so it really is?”
In other words, Rizelade was likely the Dungeon Master here. If the warning was accurate, there was no doubt about it. Since I, the master of a different Dungeon, had entered, it made sense that she would receive a similar alert. Perhaps that was why she had been acting so suspiciously yesterday.
As I shared my hypothesis with Ivan, a sense of certainty washed over me. It felt like a revelation that had clicked into place, perhaps because I had voiced it aloud. Still, the fact that Rizelade had a threat level of 2 seemed rather insignificant. This meant that my own threat level was also displayed on her side, and I couldn’t help but wonder what it looked like.
“Oh, right.”
“Hm?”
Rio, can you hear me? Is Rizelade still nearby?
I ignored Ivan’s reaction and checked in with Rio through telepathy.
Huh? Oh, she’s still here, but why?
I was thinking of conducting a little experiment.
If I were to enter the Dungeon right in front of me, it would likely trigger another alert for Rizelade about an intruder. If Rio casually asked if an intruder had entered the Dungeon, it could lead to an amusing situation. After explaining this to Rio, she responded with a wry smile, but she understood my reasoning.
That would indeed be a misfortune for Rizelade…
While Rio felt sympathy for Rizelade, I was left with only the lingering emotion of being unjustly avoided. Now that I understood the situation, I thought a little bit of payback wouldn’t hurt.