10/3, 23:00 Major revision.
Revised the Villainess section and the types of enemies.
The ship journey didn’t bring about the problems I had feared. All I did was self-train in magic, aim for level 4 in Dagger Arts with Viro in mock battles, and occasionally chat with the knights we had saved back then.
As expected, the knights probably had things they wanted to ask a famous Adventurer. Several young knights even approached a newbie like me, asking for my name and such.
Elena-san was with Amor, so she didn’t have time to talk to me. Inevitably, all I could do was mock battles, but Sera-san was nominally a “maid,” so she couldn’t do that, and with Feld and Dolton, mock battles on the narrow deck were impossible. I was also curious to see Mira-san’s Spirit Magic, but Viro stopped me, saying the ship might sink.
So, I spent most of the mock battles with Viro. He didn’t use multiple weapons like Sera-san and I, but was an orthodox light warrior. When it came to fighting enemies, I felt a difference in the weight and sharpness of his strikes compared to me, who specialized in “killing” enemies.
“Your idea of emphasizing a single strike isn’t wrong. But don’t get too caught up in it. We’re not ‘warriors’ like Feld and Dolton. If you still want a ‘strike,’ then master just one thing.”
“Understood.”
Viro, on the other hand, had acquired the “strength” to survive in any desperate situation by training everything evenly. That’s probably why he survived the battle with Grave. I felt that this was the fighting style of a scout skilled in party battles, something I didn’t have.
We arrived at the destination island at night. As far as I could see with Night Vision, it seemed like a scenic place during the day, but this time, the young royals’ Dungeon exploration was supposed to be confidential. It seemed some nobles were aware, but it was still incognito.
Similarly, entering the town would be dangerous. The townspeople would know that nobles had arrived as soon as this huge ship entered the port, but including the group entering the Dungeon, as well as the guards and caretakers prepared by Duke Fudeer, it would be quite a number, so it would stand out considerably.
If rumors spread, other nobles would notice where the royals, who hadn’t shown their faces in the Royal Capital, had gone.
“It seems they’ve thought about that. There’s a guest house near the Dungeon for royals visiting this place. It’s like the lakeside castle in Dandole.”
Viro, having gathered information quickly, told me the upcoming schedule.
We wouldn’t enter the town as is, but head directly to the guest house near the Dungeon. We would prepare there and enter the Dungeon early in the morning two days later.
However, since this Dungeon was open to general Adventurers, even if it was early in the morning, a group surrounded by more than thirty knights would still stand out, but that apparently wasn’t a problem either.
“This is top secret information from here on out. Since we’re taking a job from the royal family, we have a duty of confidentiality, and if we leak information, those who know will be ‘dealt with’ by the Shadow Unit, and we… well, you know.”
To put it simply, there was a secret entrance to the Dungeon exclusively for the royal family.
The Dungeon here was said to have eighty-five floors, and the reachable floor for general Adventurers was forty. It was said that stronger Monsters appeared the deeper you went in a normal Dungeon, but the reason general Adventurers couldn’t go deeper than the fortieth floor was simply the limit of time they could spend there.
You could go back and forth to the third floor in a day, but it would take four days to go back and forth to the tenth floor.
By the time you reached the twentieth floor, Monsters below Rank 3 would hardly appear, and it would take three weeks to go back and forth.
For a normal Adventurer, that would be the limit no matter how much they prepared. To go deeper than that, you would need more wealth than Rank 3.
This Dungeon had been completely cleared hundreds of years ago by the authorities at the time in cooperation with the Adventurer’s Guild.
At that time, it took about a year to clear it with a hundred-member exploration team and several times that number of support troops, but they discovered one of the ‘outlets’ to the outside world at the seventieth floor, and several court Magicians succeeded in fixing that outlet.
A huge budget was poured into fixing that outlet as an ‘entrance/exit’ every year.
The reason for using this entrance was for the royals to obtain [Divine Protection], and if it became known that the tax rate was being raised for that purpose, anti-royal voices would rise.
However, if the situation became such that Divine Protection could be obtained without order, those who didn’t know the danger would obtain Divine Protection and wield power, and the order of the country would collapse.
Even so, for the sake of the stability of this country, there seemed to be no choice but to “use it.”
“…Will the Spirit really give Divine Protection with that?”
“Who knows? That’s why not everyone gets it, so aren’t they just throwing in young royals at random?”
“…………”
Even with such a cheating strategy, the Dungeon’s Spirit seemed to give Divine Protection, but strangely enough, almost no one other than the royals and their fiancées received Divine Protection.
I don’t know what the selection criteria are, but if I were a Spirit, I wouldn’t give Divine Protection to someone who cheats, unless they were someone who risked their life to seek power…
Three royals and the Crown Prince’s fiancée… How many of them will be able to obtain “Divine Protection”?
Elena-san seeks power for the sake of the country, but she doesn’t rely on Divine Protection. Carla-san is basically the same. They both believe in their own power like I do.
Still, if they want to get a healthy body, I want to cooperate with them.
As for the remaining three… what do they “desire”?
With the Dungeon exploration scheduled for tomorrow, the royals were resting their bodies and minds in their assigned rooms.
“…Uncle is such a problem,” Elena-san muttered, troubled, recalling his attitude on the ship and so far.
“He must have his own difficult position. More importantly, Elena-sama, is it alright if you don’t meet that child?”
If Sera-san put her mind to it, it wouldn’t be difficult to bring an Adventurer to this room. While brewing tea, Sera-san asked such a thing. Elena-san, narrowing her eyes at the scent of the herb tea that was said to help with sleep, shook her head slightly.
“It’s fine. That child and I are not ‘friends.’ If she lives… if she’s safe, I won’t ask for anything more.”
“…If that’s alright.”
Sera-san, seeing Elena-san caring about that girl despite saying they weren’t friends, began to seriously consider how to lighten the burden on her small shoulders even a little.
Around that time, Clara-san, the daughter of Margrave Dandole, was visited by a young boy at night.
“Elvan-sama… what’s wrong?”
“Well, Clara-san hasn’t looked well lately… are you alright?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Clara-san smiled slightly at her fiancé’s concern.
What Clara-san was worried about was that such death flags were being set up before the main story of the “Otome Game,” and that the girl who looked so much like the “Heroine,” who was becoming a trauma, had appeared before her again.
Since she had lived longer as her previous self than as Clara-san, the daughter of the Margrave, her view of life and death was dragged along by her previous life, and she couldn’t bring herself to risk her life for the country like the others.
Even so, Clara-san felt that she was able to face Elvan, who was looking at her, not as a target of the game, but as a person for the first time.
“I’ll do my best too, so let’s do our best together, Clara-san. I’ll protect you as much as I can.”
“Yes…”
Clara-san gently touched Elvan’s outstretched hand, feeling saved by his gentle nature—the Crown Prince who, according to the Aristocratic Faction, lacked ambition.
(Is there anything I can do for this person…?)
At the same time… Carla-san, alone on a terrace without lights, looked up at the night sky and made a wish to the “moon” with a gruesome smile.
“I wish tomorrow would come soon.”
Early in the morning of the day, we finally enter the Dungeon. The entrance is said to be behind this guest house, but no such door can be seen.
The faces of the thirty-odd people gathering there, who are about to enter the Dungeon, showed a sense of tension and unhidden anxiety amidst their enthusiasm.
The seventieth floor of the Dungeon. A dangerous place where even low-ranked Adventurers could die instantly.
I think the feelings of those who have no choice but to enter there not for their own desires, but for the sake of others, are quite unstable.
“………”
When I meet Elena-san’s eyes, who is surrounded by knights, she smiles slightly, troubled.
I participated to prevent Elena from encountering an unforeseen accident, but I think Amor will become troublesome if I get close.
Amor probably sees himself in Elena, being kept on a leash by the royal family. I can sympathize with his position, but people who are preoccupied with their own issues are often dangerous.
Crown Prince Elvan, who initially tried to talk to me, has been repeatedly interrupted by Amor and is now taking care of Clara, who looks pale.
Carla, another fiancée, is being ignored by Elvan, but she seems to be the most carefree.
Even her attendants fear her and avoid approaching her unless necessary, but Carla gives me a guileless smile whenever she finds me.
“Now, by royal decree, we will begin the dungeon exploration!”
After a while, the dungeon exploration began with Elvan’s nervous announcement.
At his words, the knight in charge surrounded the royal family to protect them, and when Elvan pointed his ring with the crest, the ‘Stone Door’ that had emerged on the bare rock face began to slowly open with a heavy sound.
When the door was fully open, Elvan, protected by the knights, stepped inside, followed by the other members of the royal family.
“Let’s go, too.”
At Dolton’s voice, we nodded and followed.
We are the last to enter, but the royal family will be waiting in an open space ahead, where we will switch places with the vanguard.
The part up to here was created by ancient magicians, and from the point where the color changes, it becomes the interior of the “Dungeon.”
“Let’s go, Aria.”
“Roger.”
From here on, it’s the job of the ‘Rainbow Sword.’
Viro and I, as scouts, will go ahead to detect traps and dangers. The dungeon’s traps are not delicate mechanical ones; they are simple but fatal traps, such as poison gas spraying out or the ceiling collapsing if you step on them. So, we have to be especially careful when bringing a large number of amateurs like this time.
Even so, Viro investigates the traps with experience and intuition, proceeding ahead as if confirming the safety himself. I followed behind, learning his skills by observing, examining unnatural Mana Particles with my “eyes,” and using detection.
“Viro.”
“Yeah, they’re coming this way. What do you think it is?”
To his testing question, I imagine the “enemy’s appearance” as I was told before.
“…An unfamiliar presence. It’s fast and heavy. Maybe… an Ogre?”
“Probably correct. ‘Dolton, it’s an “Ogre.” Estimated seven.'”
Viro used Dark Magic’s [Noise] to send a “voice” to Dolton and the others behind us, and as if they heard it, a response echoed from behind.
This dungeon seems to be a Beastkin-type dungeon, like the one near the Royal Capital. I’m better with humanoids, so it’s not a problem, but—
“There was no point in suppressing the sound, huh?”
“Well, don’t say that. Knights don’t have many opportunities to fight high-ranked Monsters, so if they defeat a few, they’ll calm down. Look, they’re both coming out.”
As soon as Viro said that, a muscular humanoid with horns growing from its forehead, nearly two meters tall, appeared from the depths of the passage.
[Ogre] [Rank 3]
[Mana Capacity: 138/143] [HP: 384/401]
[Overall Combat Strength: 494]
Ogres are Rank 3, like Orcs, but if Orcs are low-Rank 3, Ogres are high-Rank 3.
They are quite strong, but not as strong as Orc Soldiers. Their skin seems to be harder than Orcs, and as I was about to step forward with my Black Dagger instead of a Knife, a large hand grabbed my shoulder to stop me.
“Feld…?”
“From here on, it’s our turn.”
Come to think of it, Viro said “both.”
Feld, grinning, took a stance with his Magic Steel Greatsword and jumped out, followed by Dolton, clad in full Mithril plate armor, who moved forward with a rumbling sound.
“Gaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!”
Realizing that only two people had jumped out, two Ogres also jumped out. There is a difference in basic Status between “human species” like Humans and Dwarves and Ogres, so the Ogres’ actions are understandable. But—
“Haaah!”
Feld, who suddenly jumped out with a speed that seemed to blur, slashed the Ogre’s club in half with his Greatsword. …Feld is more like an Ogre.
“Doryaaah!”
Dolton, who caught up there, leaped forward as if deflecting the Ogres’ crude weapons with his armor, and crushed a nearby Ogre with his giant Mithril warhammer.
…This is the ‘Rainbow Sword,’ one of the top Adventurers in this country.
I can hear the voices of admiration from the knights behind me. They must have realized that the Monsters appearing here are not the “terrifying monsters” they heard about in fairy tales when they were young, but “enemies” they can fight, and they have regained their composure.
Feld and Dolton, who quickly disposed of the remaining Ogres, returned, and the knights raised voices of joy as if praising them.
Since the royal family’s documents remained for the seventieth floor and below, we proceeded along the route without making any detours.
Along the way, not only high-ranked enemies such as Ogres and higher species of Orcs, but also numerous enemies such as Hobgoblins and High Kobolds appeared. The knights also dealt with such enemies, but Amor objected to the knights coming forward to fight.
“Clearing the way is the job of the Adventurers. Isn’t it the mission of you knights to protect the next generation of young royals, such as Elvan and Elena?”
His way of speaking is bad, but we were hired for that purpose, and none of us have such a delicate spirit to worry about it.
However, even if what he says is correct, some people will feel dissatisfied if his way of speaking is bad. The young knights, who have been deprived of the opportunity to be active, are accumulating dissatisfaction, and Sera and Elena, who are trying to suppress it, are accumulating mental fatigue.
More than that… Carla’s continued inaction in this dungeon situation was a little eerie.
Such a delicate atmosphere collapsed when we descended two floors. When we came to a hall-like place where multiple passages intersected, everyone raised their faces the moment they reached the center, including Viro and me.
“Everyone!”
“Draw your weapons! Many Monsters are coming!”
At the words of warning, we and the knights drew our weapons, and Mira released the wind lower Spirit she was using into the air.
“Spirits of the wind, create a wind barrier around us!”
At the same time as the wind barrier surrounded the group, low-level Monsters such as Goblins and Hobgoblins poured out from several passages connected to the hall.
“Tch, a ‘Monster Room’!”
The Monster Room that Viro shouted about is one of the dungeon’s traps, referring to the phenomenon of a large number of Monsters suddenly overflowing in a place thought to be safe.
“Let’s go!”
“We will also support them, in the pride of the Royal Knights!”
“In the pride of the Royal Knights!”
At the same time as Dolton and Feld jumped out, the knights, who had not had many opportunities to fight until now, also jumped out at the Monsters trying to surround us.
We fell into a sudden melee, and as I was about to take out my Pendulum to support them, I heard a voice stopping me.
“Is it okay to leave here?”
At the same time as Carla’s amused voice, a large number of Monsters began to overflow from the direction of the passage we had come from.
“What, knights, return! Damn it!”
Amor, who noticed it, raised his voice, but it did not reach the knights who were already in a melee, and the royal family’s attendants began to panic in fear of their lives in such a situation.
“Calm down! First, evacuate the princes!”
Sera, who has combat ability in this situation, cannot move due to dealing with them, and in such a situation, Elena, who is still trying to protect the Crown Prince, and I make eye contact.
“I won’t let them hurt them!”
Amor raised his voice as if to shake off his fear and pointed his Dagger at the approaching High Kobold.
At the moment when the High Kobold’s claws were about to tear Amor’s throat, the Blade of the Pendulum pierced its face.
“…What?”
“Stay back.”
I stepped in front of Amor, who was dumbfounded by the Monster falling to the ground before my eyes, stabbed a Dagger into the approaching Hobgoblin, and slashed the throats of two Kobolds with a Knife.
“From here on, it’s my job.”
Aria faces the enemies in the rear alone.
Next time, her Blade will tear through the Monsters.
The next update is scheduled for Saturday or Sunday.