Chapter: 274
The first time I faced a knight, everything except my hearing came to a complete stop.
All I could see was the scenery of the Burrow mansion, while my sense of touch and smell had completely shut down.
So, I was able to focus solely on the fight with the knight.
Initially, I struggled because I wasn’t used to relying on sound in battle, but the moment I adapted, I easily took down the knight.
The next fights weren’t much different.
As soon as I stepped into another room, the door closed, and the battle began, where other senses were just as useless.
However, there was one thing that was different.
As the fight progressed, an odor began to invade my nose.
And it wasn’t the fresh scent of the air.
It wasn’t the comfortable scent of antique furniture.
Nor was it the fragrance of tea.
It was far from the mustiness found in old places.
The scent in the room was…
It was the smell of blood.
The foul scent that filled the room was the repulsive odor of what seeped from a human body.
Maybe because of that smell.
Even though it was a moment to concentrate on the fight, images of the knights’ agonized faces kept creeping into my mind.
And the long line of corpses I had seen before entering the dungeon resurfaced.
At least I was fortunate that the ones attacking me weren’t that strong.
I could take them down easily even while distracted by other thoughts.
“…Damn. Seriously.”
When the battle ended and the paused scenery of the mansion vanished, there were once again things that looked like human corpses.
These were the bodies of maids.
A few corpses with faces so smashed they were unrecognizable, gradually being stained by the thick red color of their own essence.
I knew they were fake, but still, I couldn’t hold back the nausea.
“If this keeps up, I might lose my voice.”
[…Young Lady.]
After some time, I touched my sore throat, trying hard to act calm, but grandpa’s worried voice came from my mind.
Geez, grandpa. Why are you so clueless?
In a moment like this, you should be saying it’s fine if I can’t speak.
This is why you end up losing all the girls to your buddies.
[It’s not losing! I’m just fulfilling my duties as a priest! How many times do I have to say this?!]
“Sure, yeah. I get that.”
[You little brat!]
In the next battle, Taliki pulled some tricks again.
This time, the sense that emerged was touch.
I could feel the sludgy liquid every time I moved my legs.
The weak hands gripping my ankles at intervals.
The desperate sensation of something trying to block my path.
If that were just a simple touch, I could have easily ignored it.
But that feeling was mixed with smells.
The scent of blood.
The odor of the people blocking my way.
The disgusting stench that would emanate from rotting corpses.
It drove me insane.
I thought it was a miracle that I could deal with the monsters without getting hurt.
If the monsters had been even a bit stronger, I would have already been on the ground, cowering in fear.
After the battle ended.
Of course, numerous corpses were now sprawled across the floor.
The scene looked like what a protagonist from an action movie would leave behind, making me chuckle despite it all.
What’s amazing is that I didn’t feel my stomach turning when I faced that scene.
Maybe there was nothing left to vomit out.
I don’t know if I’ve gotten used to such sights, but at least it wasn’t a bad thing.
Vomit is pretty exhausting, after all.
With a reluctant glance away from the gruesome sights, I forced my feet to move towards the upper area.
More battles followed.
Sometimes on the stairs.
Sometimes in various rooms.
Sometimes in hallways.
The monsters took advantage of my impaired vision to ambush me, and throughout the battles, Taliki’s malice surrounded me.
While fighting in the Burrow mansion, my feet were always stepping in a puddle of blood.
And the unknown figures lingering around me kept trying to hinder my movements.
My nose was assaulted by surreal scents that could only be found in hell.
And after each battle, my surroundings always transformed into a gruesome hellscape, clearly marked by a serial killer’s presence.
And as I passed through this landscape, my steps grew heavier than before.
How long had it been?
When I finally regained my senses, I found myself standing in front of the Burrow mansion’s office.
“Is anyone there?”
My heart hoped this would be the boss room, but as soon as I opened the door, a voice rang out from the center of the room.
It was a face I hadn’t seen in ages.
An annoyingly serious-looking kid, showcasing the typical mid-teens angst.
Tall but hollow inside, like a giant.
Taliki’s apostle.
Nakrad was lounging at the desk in the office.
…Or rather, it should be called Nakrad’s illusion since he doesn’t actually have a physical form here.
“How was the dungeon I crafted just for you? I’d be glad if it entertained you.”
The moment I saw Nakrad smirking while sunk into the chair’s backrest, blood surged up my spine.
“Yeah♡ It was fun♡ Watching the pathetic creativity of the hermit evil god buried in a burrow was a blast♡”
So I responded first.
I had no idea if this was a trap Nakrad had set.
Heck, I wasn’t even sure if this was the real boss room.
It was hard to predict what this provocation would lead to.
But there was one thing I was sure of.
The frown on Nakrad’s brow told me he was indeed listening to me.
And if Nakrad was listening, then Taliki was also tuning in to my words.
That was enough.
I’d think about the repercussions later.
What mattered more right now was giving payback to the assholes who annoyed me.
“Honestly, I had zero expectations from you scrub lords♡ One’s an evil god buried in a burrow, having lost to a human, and the other is an apostle that fled while crying after getting schooled♡ Of course, I thought you’d be pathetic♡”
“You little—”
“Pwahaha♡ But you exceeded my expectations!♡ You’re so pathetic it was actually entertaining!♡”
In the middle of his attempt to rebut, I drowned him out with my words.
With the help of my Mesugaki skills, my voice was clearer than anyone else’s.
No matter how loudly he shouted, it was impossible to out-shout me.
“Trying to torment me by robbing my five senses with your delusions♡ You cowardly loser who can’t win openly, trying to mess with my mind!♡ You’re so pathetic that you think you can just bluster and provoke me afterward!♡ To keep up this kind of lowdown antics is a good way to become an even lower-life loser, huh?♡ Honestly, I’m impressed!♡”
Provoked by my taunts, Nakrad slammed his hands on the desk and stood up, but there was no sound. His body had no substance.
“Why?♡ You want to hit me?♡ Since you can’t beat me with words, you want to resort to violence?♡ Wow, I’m impressed again!♡ How do you manage to act so stupidly without feeling embarrassed?♡ Is that your… talent?♡”
“Shut up!….”
“What’re you doing?♡ Why won’t you attack?♡ Ah~♡ So you’re scared of this cute little lady?♡ Right?♡”
“…”
“Pff♡ Coward!♡”
Ah. Why did you even challenge me to a word war?
You’re nothing more than a pathetic excuse of a human who can only pick on the weak, and it’s just sad.
Maybe it was too much for Nakrad, who couldn’t bear my mockery. He didn’t utter another word and disappeared.
Hmm. Since there was no retaliation, this wasn’t the real boss room after all. If it was an actual battleground, he wouldn’t have been able to hold back from attacking me.
In the end, though I took a detour, coming here paid off. Watching Nakrad’s face crumple felt pretty good.
As I left the office, stretching my arms, I drew a map of the Burrow mansion in my mind.
If this wasn’t the boss room, there was only one place left to check.
My steps moved forward without hesitation.
Having fought countless battles so far, the picturesque scenery of the Burrow family was long gone.
Underneath the landscape filled with blood and corpses, there were no gaps to move into, so why should I tread carefully?
After moving swiftly, I arrived at the spot where Nakrad had created the dungeon.
The room of the deceased eldest son of the Burrow family.
Without hesitation, I opened the door to that room, and there lay a vast wilderness in front of me.
The expansive field behind the Burrow family territory.
In that wide open space, there were only two people present.
One was a boy who couldn’t have been more than ten years old.
The boy, wielding a spear slightly taller than himself, wore an expression of pure innocence.
And across from him was a man who had clearly undergone adulthood.
Dodging the spear swung easily by the boy, the man praised him while offering various bits of advice, showing he cared for the boy.
Even though they were strangers to me, it was only natural to be curious about their identity.
But I couldn’t muster any interest in who they were.
Since this place served as the backdrop of the Burrow mansion.
And the moment I opened the door to the room of the Burrow family’s eldest son and stepped into the wilderness.
Their identities were already set.
The smaller one was Jack Burrow.
And the larger one was undoubtedly the deceased brother of Jack.
Ah, so the memories of the brother had become an obsession for Jack, tying him to this dungeon.
It’s just like someone who can’t live without their older sibling.
With a chuckle, I readied myself for battle.
I regripped my mace.
Tightened the straps on my shield.
And draped my divinity over my body.
Despite the fact that after rushing here without a single break, I was more ruined than intact.
But that’s fine.
If I can punch Jack’s face, then this penalty is worth it.
Just as I finished all the preparations I could muster, the Burrow brothers stopped their sparring.
Their gazes turned toward me.
“Hey there. Who are you?”
The eldest son of the Burrow family approached me, wary, while Jack cowered behind him, trembling.
Seeing this, I had a decent idea of how this boss battle would unfold.
Considering how this dungeon had tried hard to gnaw away at my sanity, it was clear what kind of conclusion it had prepared.
“Answer me!”
“What will happen if I don’t?♡”
First, let’s smack them around a bit until I relieve some of my pent-up emotions.
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