Chapter 12: Charlotte and Dungeon Exploration〇

And so, the day of the dungeon dive had come.

As part of our prep, I dragged Riven around yesterday—our spare day—to get his gear in order.
This guy… even after hearing all that explanation, he still planned to go in with the same setup he used for the Catacomb Dungeon. I couldn’t help but lecture him about how absurd it was to face a dungeon like this with that kind of equipment.

Since my argument was perfectly reasonable, he only grimaced at me, never once denied it.

I made him buy a magic bag—something he’d need sooner or later anyway—and a belt with potion holders, which would be handy this time. That way, even if he gets hit with paralysis poison, he can down an antidote immediately.
He complained he didn’t want anything that’d restrict his movement, so the magic bag ended up being a wraparound waist type.

He resisted a lot, but in the end, I wore him down with sheer exasperation until he gave in. No matter how he reacted, the one whose opinion prevails in the end wins. Heh heh…
Though I did feel a bit annoyed at the display of wealth. Still, if it raises my survival odds, I can live with it. In a small party, each member’s strength matters even more. And since I’m a non-combatant this time, that leaves only three who can actually fight.

"Alright, is everyone ready?"

"Yeah."

"All set~."

"I’m fine as well."

Each of us answered Reynard’s call.

Today’s dungeon run would focus on exploring the first and second floors. From the third floor onward, we’d leave it for tomorrow and beyond.

Since it was a day trip, we hadn’t packed overnight gear. Instead, we carried more combat equipment so we could comb every corner of the target floors.

As for me, since I wasn’t fighting, I’d brought a slightly larger magic bag than usual. Inside were supplies for post-battle treatment and notes to record our findings.

"The information’s the same as I explained before. Any questions before we go in?"

"We’re free to cut down the monsters we meet, right?"

"Yes, just be careful of the fluids."

"The paralysis poison, right. Got it—I’ll watch for it."

The frontliners were practically brimming with fighting spirit.
Meanwhile, the rear guard…

"Stop it, don’t come any closer!"

"Aw, what’s wrong? What’s wrong~? Ehehe, we’re dungeon buddies now, aren’t we?"

"Quit fooling around and face forward! Look, those two are already heading inside!"

"Wait, just one thing before—ah, wait for meee!"

…Yeah. This was our rear guard.

Running from the pervert, I hurried after the other two and stepped into the dungeon as well.

The entrance looked like a gaping mouth torn into the earth.
Every step down the fleshy stairs filled me with disgust. My feet sank into the meat, throwing off my footing. And was it damp? It felt awfully slippery.

At the bottom of the stairs, we stepped into a space heavy with stifling, lukewarm air.

The walls, floor, ceiling—everything looked like it was made of some kind of organs. Revolting flesh everywhere.

I nearly gagged but managed to hold it down.

"Trishel, where should we start?"

"Hmm, well, might as well do it methodically. Clear it out bit by bit from one end."

"Sounds good. Charlotte, what do you think?"

"Eh!?"

Why are you asking me!?
I’m a total beginner in this dungeon—how would I know anything!?

And yet, the way they stared at me made it clear not answering wasn’t an option.
Even Riven just looked on curiously, watching the two wait for my response.

"…I guess that works."

I caved under the pressure, giving a safe, generic answer to dodge the responsibility.
They nodded in satisfaction, then turned back to the front.

"Alright, let’s go with that."

"Let’s gooo!"

What the hell was that question just now? Watching their excited backs, I wiped the nervous sweat from my face.

"What was that about?"

"I’d like to know too."

Seriously, what was that? Sure, being asked to make judgments in a dungeon happens. But to be asked something like this in a dungeon I’ve never set foot in? That was a first.

Up until now, the most I’ve ever been asked was whether we should press forward or retreat. Simple calls like that—just weighing resources left and the current situation.
But this? This was way too much. With so little information, what was I supposed to say?

Grumbling at the weird responsibility they dumped on me, we pressed deeper into the dungeon.

My mood was at rock bottom. The ground underfoot felt gross—squishy, slimy. How could they keep moving without a single change of expression?
You’d think Trishel, of all people, would be complaining, but she seemed unfazed, maybe used to it. She even had the gall to wave at me. That pissed me off a little.

And sure enough, it was Trishel who first picked up on the disturbance as we advanced.

"…Enemies. Next intersection, to the right."

The words left my mouth the same moment I stopped walking.
We’d made it this far without trouble, but it looked like we’d finally run into something.
Moments like this really prove the worth of having a professional with us—knowing about enemies before contact is huge.

"Okay. Battle stations. How many?"

"Probably not too many. At most three, I’d say."

"Then we’ll conserve Trishel. Riven and I will take them."

"Understood."

The plan was laid out in one smooth flow, and we gathered at the corner.
After confirming nothing was waiting on the opposite side, we all swung around the bend together.
Just like Trishel said, three monsters were waiting.

Two of them looked like sea anemone variants, whipping around fleshy tendrils like whips.
The other was a squat, barrel-bodied thing, like a short-legged octopus stuffed into a vat of meat.

Disgusting didn’t even begin to cover it. Just plain grotesque.
And this meat is supposed to taste good? Seriously, who was the first idiot who thought to eat one? I honestly can’t believe it.

"Let’s go."

"Wait—be careful!"

Riven slipped past the lashing tendrils with the barest of movements and closed in on one of the anemone monsters.
But just as he moved, the barrel-octopus creature stepped in to shield it.
Without hesitation, Riven’s blade slashed straight into the barrel.

From the gash in its meat-like body, fluids sprayed out in a torrent.

"Damn it!"

"Fall back! I’ll cover!"

Reynard cut down the tendrils aiming to catch Riven, intercepting the follow-up strike while Riven leapt back to avoid the spray.
Even so, he looked rattled, like the unexpected burst of fluids had shaken him.

"These things are nasty because they purposely get cut to spray their fluids."

"Got it. Where should I strike?"

"The head’s down near its base. Smash that, and it’s done. Anywhere else—including the tentacles—is fine to cut."

"Understood."

Just that short exchange was enough to turn the fight around.
Riven’s movements, hesitant a moment ago, sharpened instantly.
With precise cuts he deflected the tentacles, backing Reynard up as he pressed the attack.

Again, as Reynard moved in on an anemone, the barrel-octopus threw itself in his path.

"There."

Reading the moment perfectly, Riven’s sword thrust into the barrel’s head.
The creature lost all strength and collapsed. This time, the splatter was minimal.

Without its shield, the anemone flailed weakly with its remaining tendrils, but Reynard’s blade neatly sliced them aside and drove straight through its core.

"…Phew."

"Good work. Did you get any spray on you?"

Trishel strolled up leisurely to the two who’d just finished the fight.

"I’m fine. How about you, Riven?"

"No issues. …Also, no need to use honorifics."

"That so? Then I’ll just call you Riven from now on."

"That’s fine. I slipped up—my apologies."

"Don’t worry about it. My warning came too late too. Sorry."

After just this one battle, Reynard and Riven already seemed closer.
Guess that’s the bond you forge when you fight side by side.

"No reinforcements in sight."

"Good. Keeping watch like that—well done, well done."

I’d been scanning the surroundings, since sometimes monsters show up after hearing the noise of a fight.
But when I reported in, Trishel just smiled and reached out to ruffle my hair.
I slapped her hand away before she could.

"Please don’t mess around inside the dungeon!"

Reynard laughed. I thought Riven gave a faint smile too.

Seriously, they’re treating me like a toy in tandem.

I’m not really in a position to complain, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel annoyed.

"Well then, let’s move on. I don’t want to linger too long."
"Right. Staying in one spot goes against the point. Let’s move quickly."

Reynard took the lead and reorganized our formation.

――And then, it happened. I felt something brush my ankle, and suddenly the world flipped upside down.

"Wh-what, what, what!"

"Charlotte!"

"No way, I didn’t notice—!"

I looked around to see what caused the flip and saw a tentacle extending from my foot. It connected to the ceiling, where a monster had been camouflaged.

I was now hanging in the air, caught by the tentacle.

"W-wait a second!"

"Hold on, I’ll get you free!"

Trishel swung toward me to help, but the monster’s movements grew more active as she did.
My body was violently shaken, and the monster began moving across the ceiling as if fleeing.

"It’s sw-swinginggggggg!"

"Ah! Charlotte! Damn, I can’t predict its moves to aim properly!"

My flailing body was getting in the way, preventing them from targeting the ceiling monster.
I felt sick from being swung around, and with my head upside down, blood rushed to it.

"It might be faster to cut the tentacle than strike the main body."

"I’ll do it."

Just as I was getting dizzy from being spun around upside down, Riven’s face appeared in my field of vision.

"Seriously, what are you doing?"

"Ah, thank you."

The tentacle that had been thrashing around was cut off, and Riven caught me midair, lowering me safely to the ground.
Saved again. Good.

The monster, now severed from its tentacle, didn’t attack us further—it just ran off somewhere.

"Ahh—thought I’d turn it to ashes for trying to kidnap Charlotte."

"Charlotte, are you okay?"

"Y-yes. I’m fine. Just a little dizzy."

What the heck? It tried to kidnap me? Why now?
Even with the Skeleton General before, I seemed to attract monsters. Am I giving off some kind of pheromone or something? No, that didn’t happen before. This must be the irregularity at work.

"Trying to kidnap people, huh? Seems like irregularities are definitely occurring."

"Is that so? It almost happened to her just the other day too."

From Riven’s perspective, this is the second time it’s nearly happened to me, so he probably just assumed it was normal. No, it’s not.

If this keeps happening, I could never join a beginner party. There’s no guarantee anyone will protect me.

"Hmm, Charlotte, you’ve been in dungeons a fair bit, right? Ever had anything like this happen before?"

"Never. If this happened regularly, I wouldn’t even be alive."

"Right?"

I have no idea what could have triggered it. Since this is a dungeon where an irregularity has occurred, it’s the only explanation.
Under what conditions does a dungeon try to kidnap someone? I have no clue. Dungeons are full of unknowns, so it’s a question for another time.

"Anyway, let’s keep moving. At the very least, I want to cover one full floor today."

We decided to set aside what we didn’t know and focus on what we could do.
Exchanging glances, we nodded at Reynard’s instructions.