Chapter: 179
The trio entering the Menestail Dungeon consisted of the same three members as always.
Me, Karl, and Alsetin.
Originally, I was supposed to have a water magic user arranged through Nick join us, but a little issue popped up.
Word of my encounter with Meg spread through Menestail Street.
It would be somewhat taboo to speak openly about the disgrace suffered by the count’s firstborn, but the folks living on the street? Not a single one was oblivious to it.
Given the circumstances, the workers in the Menestail Dungeon inevitably began to avoid me.
Sure, Meg’s a real piece of trash, but he’s still the firstborn of the Georg family.
If I’m on his bad side, life in Menestail becomes a hassle.
I might be leaving soon, but the adventurers based here are those who live and breathe this place.
They’d never dare act against Meg. That’s why I failed in recruiting a mage.
Not that it mattered much. I had only wanted the mage for convenience’s sake.
If I didn’t have one, I’d just have to deal with it myself. I stood at the entrance of the 46th floor and glanced around.
“So, we’re heading to the place where the evil god is sealed, huh?”
“Nervous? Alsetin?”
“Of course I’m nervous. It’s bizarre that you’re smiling like it’s a joke, Karl.”
I had previously explained to them where we were headed.
If we suddenly reached the evil god’s lair, it’d definitely throw them for a loop.
When I told Alsetin that I had received a revelation from the god to head toward the seal, he reacted just as I expected.
He seemed shocked but nodded when he heard that we had to go to meet my mentor.
However, Karl’s reaction was unexpected.
I thought he’d feel some fear at the mention of an evil god. But nope, not this guy.
‘Well, since the Young Lady is heading there, of course, I, Karl, must accompany her!’
Karl’s exuberance really made him seem like a loyal big dog wagging its tail.
I was on the verge of petting his head out of sheer affection!
Recalling yesterday’s events as I surveyed our surroundings, I spotted a marker confirming our location and nodded.
Alright. I roughly know where we are.
Let’s move.
[The malice intensifies as we go deeper.]
As we pressed onward toward the seal of the evil god, Grandpa finally spoke up.
‘Aren’t you familiar with this?’
He’s someone who once faced off against an evil god on the front lines. That aura must be bothersome for him.
[Yeah. You’re right. It’s so familiar it’s annoying.]
His grumbling was laden with memories, thick enough that you could feel them without even speaking.
[To be honest, I’m still unsure if this is the right thing to do. It’s incredibly dangerous.]
‘But the god bestowed this revelation to us, right? It’s going to be fine.’
Honestly, Grandpa worries too much.
The only times I’ve faced danger were when unexpected variables cropped up.
When I prepared for every possibility and did my utmost, have I ever gotten into trouble?
Especially in this case, I’ve prepared for any eventuality, so there’s no chance for things to go wrong.
[That would be nice, but…]
‘Don’t worry about it.’
As I reassured Grandpa and moved forward, we soon faced a wall blocking our path.
“Even the Young Lady Alrn gets tense sometimes. Making such mistakes.”
After seeing a dead end, Alsetin seemed to think I had taken a wrong turn.
‘Not a mistake!’
“Of course, it looks like a mistake from your unqualified perspective. Information seller. Truly pathetic.”
I’d visited this place more times than I could count while doing my True Ending speedrun, so there was no way I could forget about it.
I shot Alsetin a light glare before pulling a potion from my inventory.
What was inside was the holy water blessed by Phoebe.
Although she’s technically a saint created by the church, she possesses abilities that wouldn’t be out of place for an actual saint.
Her blessed holy water works wonders against the evil god’s aura.
Once I opened the vial and splashed the contents against the wall, it began to melt away, dripping to the ground like ice cream.
“What the…?”
Alsetin blinked in surprise at the suddenly revealed passage.
He’s got a rogue class, and boasts that he can figure out most hidden doors. Seeing a gimmick he didn’t know about must have knocked him for a loop.
I’d felt the same way.
Even if you max a rogue class, there are passages you simply cannot find. You can only discover them after completing related storylines.
When I stumbled upon this place while running for the True Ending, I was infuriated.
Honestly, shouldn’t hidden passages be at the final floor or something? I was screaming until I got a neighbor’s complaint.
Looking back, those weren’t the fondest memories. It truly sucked.
Before stepping inside, I pulled out another item from my inventory.
A pair of earrings that protect from the evil god’s aura.
These were also crafted by Phoebe.
Normally, I’d have to pay a hefty price for something worse than this, but asking Phoebe solved everything in an instant.
It’s something that wouldn’t even be possible in the game.
The real-life saintess is more OP than anything you’d find in the game.
“Let’s go.”
“Right behind you.”
The dungeon where the evil god is sealed is classified as a hidden dungeon.
This implies several meanings, but the important one is simple.
There are no adventurers here.
That means I can control all the variables in this place.
As expected of a hidden boss zone, the monsters that appear here are as strong as those around floors 60 to 70.
Even Karl wouldn’t handle the mobs all by himself.
But what’s the point of being strong if I’m not gonna fight them?
I’m going to show them the route I’ve painstakingly crafted!
*
It was surreal.
“Straight ahead, a junk rock is going to raise its arms. Ignore it and keep running!”
Alsetin desperately followed Lucy’s lead, thinking as he did.
“There’s a trap that drops the ground ahead! Jump over it!”
Lady Alrn had mentioned that her mentor would be here.
Upon hearing that, I presumed that my mentor would be doing everything he could to prevent the evil god’s seal from breaking.
Considering that she was someone who walked the path of light in the darkness; if she were alive, she’d surely be working for the world.
“Damn it, you fools! Freeze for two seconds! Then…!”
I also thought there was a possibility I’d witness my mentor’s lifeless corpse.
No, I denied it, but truthfully, the likelihood of that was much higher.
The fact that all traces of anyone who had entered the sealed location had completely vanished surely meant something.
And with Lady Alrn’s warning to not be surprised by anything we saw, it practically confirmed that I should look at her as if she were dead.
“Run! You idiots!”
Alsetin didn’t particularly care either way.
If she were alive, he’d be elated, but if he stumbled upon her corpse, he’d be sad yet able to find closure by giving her a proper burial.
Regardless, he thought it would be enough to just be able to meet her.
“On three, then jump down! There’s no way you cowards can’t manage that!”
Yet, remarkably, after entering this place, Lady Alrn hadn’t once mentioned her mentor.
She was solely focused on navigating through the dungeon.
Why is that? Alsetin’s first thought was one of suspicion.
Was Lucy invoking her mentor’s name just to use him?
But Alsetin swiftly shook his head.
If that were the case, she wouldn’t even bring up meeting him.
His next thought was confusion.
Did Lady Alrn not know the exact location either?
He shook his head again.
This woman has always been open about her abilities. There’s no way she wouldn’t know about someone existing in the dungeon.
In that case…
“Information seller! What are you doing?!”
Lucy shouted at Alsetin, who had fallen behind while ruminating on his doubts.
Finally, Alsetin noticed the falling flames above him.
Oh no, too late to dodge now.
Instead, he’d have to brace for impact to minimize damage…
Just as he was preparing to take the hit, Lucy pulled on his neck and shielded him with her own.
Boom!
The flames crashed against her shield, creating a massive shockwave, but her shield stood firm.
“You pathetic information seller♡ Are you trying to get hit on purpose?♡ Turns out you’re even more of a pervert than our dumb mutt?♡ Should I collar you and drag you around?♡”
“I’m sorry. I’ll focus now.”
…For now, let’s concentrate on making it through the dungeon.
I can’t become a worse idiot than that perverted knight.
Thanks to Lucy’s nearly miraculous leadership, we arrived at the boss room without encountering a single fight, and Alsetin approached Lucy, who was resting against a wall.
“What’s up? Perverted information seller?”
“…Lady Alrn, I have something I wish to inquire about.”
“Is it about your dumb mentor?”
“Yes. It’s not that I doubt the Young Lady.”
“You’re about to find out. Patience, you fool.”
As Lucy said this, she gazed beyond the door to the boss room.
Alsetin was no dimwit; he could catch on quickly.
“Is my mentor beyond that door?”
“Seems like you’re not completely clueless? Better than a dog, I suppose. Still less than human.”
The implication of her saying that his mentor awaits beyond the boss room was clear.
Ah. Is that the case?
So, she’s probably fighting over there, instead of coming back victorious.
Did she lose her life pursuing her ideals?
Working for the world in the shadows…
…Such a foolish woman till the very end. Even after all that time teaching me to be cunning, what’s she doing now?
Understanding this situation, Alsetin didn’t ask Lucy any further questions, nor did she offer more information.
Instead, she explained how to handle the boss we were about to face.
From the various attacks the boss would unleash to the ways to counter them.
How to deal with unexpected crisis situations.
Lucy’s strategy, being a seasoned commander, was so clear that it would leave both Alsetin and even Karl in awe.
This time’s encounter would surely conclude with the ease of all the previous ones.
“Alright, you bunch of fools. Get up. It’s time to move.”
After wrapping up all the explanations, it was time for us to enter the boss room.
Karl enveloped his sword in aura and took a deep breath, Alsetin checked his arrows and tools, biting his lip cautiously, as Lucy, with her usual impassive face, pushed open the doors leading into the boss room.
“You ignorant fools. Have you come to disturb me?”
In that instant, Alsetin was finally able to face the mentor Lucy had mentioned.
There was no other option but to confront her.
It was only natural. Because standing in the center of the boss room was clearly…
His mentor.
Karia.
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