Chapter 52: Charlotte and Beyond the Darkness
"Hye!"
A short scream slipped from my mouth.
"Hm… weak."
Riven cut the area boss clean in half, without even a drop of blood on him.
Was he always this strong? Or is this dungeon just low difficulty? …No, that can’t be it.
After our prep two days ago, we took the shortest route and reached the sixth-floor area boss.
The first area boss here was supposed to be a giant bat. Flying through the dark, filling the dome-shaped chamber with distorted echoes to throw off our sense of direction… a nasty opponent, or so I thought.
But the fight ended in barely ten seconds. The bat lunged, and Riven countered—splitting it clean in two.
The man who did such a feat now calmly wiped the blood from his blade.
…Is it that sword? He didn’t move this well with his old weapon. Almost like it’s a magic tool boosting his physical ability.
"Hm, what?"
"N-no, it’s nothing."
"? Strange one, aren’t you. Never mind, let’s go."
Of course, since we’d beaten the boss, he urged me to hurry.
I glanced at the corpse in passing. Ugh, gross. No—that thing was split perfectly down the middle. Honestly a little pitiful, going down without ever putting up a fight. Rest in peace.
"Ah! Don’t leave me behind!"
And just like that, we pushed deeper into the dungeon, brushing aside even the area boss.
It was going almost too smoothly—it made me uneasy in ways beyond the darkness.
Come to think of it, have we ever had an assignment this trouble-free?
Back in the first catacomb dungeon I nearly got kidnapped, we had constant disputes, and then there was that meat-sack dungeon with all its abnormalities. And don’t even get me started on the recent auction fiasco.
It really has been a long time since a dungeon crawl felt this peaceful. Not since I was running with the beginner group. Ahh… how wonderful…
"Stop."
"Fugya!"
Lost in thought, I bumped right into Riven’s back as he halted.
"Ugh, s-sorry—"
"Who’s there?"
"Huh?"
There’s someone… beyond the darkness? In a place like this?
"I’ve felt eyes on us for a while. Observing us. At first, I thought it might be a trick of the dark, but no. That clear hostility can’t be ignored."
I carefully peeked past his shoulder. But beyond his pointed blade was only darkness.
I couldn’t see anyone there. Even if someone was, without a light source they’d vanish in this dark.
"…As expected."
A voice answered!? A woman’s voice.
Riven’s blade rang sharply as he raised it.
"Are you Salem?"
"And if I said yes?"
"Show yourself. By request, we’ve come to rescue you."
He called into the darkness.
Silence answered. No footsteps approached.
The bat earlier proved sound still carries in here—so why nothing?
"…I thought so."
It was like a gust of wind—but no. That was Riven unleashing killing intent so thick even I almost fell on my backside.
Salem, though—
"Wait wait wait! I really am Salem, and no, I don’t plan to show myself just yet, but I swear I don’t intend to harm you right now!"
Her voice was frantic, almost desperate. I could practically imagine her raising both hands in surrender.
Ah, Riven’s pressure eased—though it sounded more like exasperation than mercy.
"…Then why not show yourself?"
"There are… circumstances. But, well! I can tell you did come on request!"
"Don’t tell me—that wasn’t a rescue request?"
"Eh!?"
Wait, seriously? The posting only said “locate,” but still—when a person goes missing in a dungeon, isn’t rescue implied!?
Who posts a quest just to find someone!?
"I get why you’re surprised, but yes. I arranged for that request myself, through surface people."
"Surface… meaning you are—"
"A resident of the underside, you could say. I can’t move openly, so I used this dungeon as a meeting spot."
Riven clearly didn’t follow. But I understood—though I couldn’t accept it.
Sure, I’d heard of underworld folk using dungeons as meeting grounds with the surface. But choosing a dungeon this deep, and this strange? It didn’t add up.
Salem spoke as if trying to reassure us, but who knows what she was really thinking. Especially if she was from the underside.
The fact she could get someone to post a request for her meant she had strong ties above.
And more than that—she had the strength to make it this far alone.
…We couldn’t let our guard down.
Riven seemed to be thinking the same. The tension in the air still lingered.
"Ohhh? Am I being watched that closely?"
"Of course. You haven’t shown yourself, you’ve aimed hostility our way. With someone like that within earshot, there’s no reason to drop my guard."
"Ahh—? That’s so logical I can’t even argue back!"
…What a thoroughly infuriating person. She reminds me of Trishel. No—Trishel would at least act a little more normal… probably!
"Fine, fine. Then at least talk with me for a bit like this, won’t you?"
"And why should I believe those words?"
"Because I’m basically the client here, you know."
That was a problem.
If Salem truly arranged this request to meet us safely, ignoring her now could mean failing the job—and losing our reward. That would be unacceptable, since that reward was why we took it in the first place.
For now… we’d have to play along. At the very least, so long as payment was on the line, we couldn’t risk hostility.
"Riven-san…"
"I know."
I tried whispering, but he already understood what I was thinking.
Still wary, he lowered his blade for now.
"Ohh, so you’re willing to talk now?"
"Very well."
"Splendid! Then let’s sit and chat a while, shall we?"
Her voice was light and bright, completely at odds with the pitch-black dungeon.
Riven and I exchanged glances, checked that no monsters lurked nearby, then sat down. We’d brought bedrolls expecting to spend the night, so we spread one out and sat on it.
The situation had calmed.
Though doubt remained, it depended on what she’d say next.
"Now then, where should I begin…"
"Then allow me to ask a question."
"Hm? Go ahead."
Riven’s tone was stern, but she accepted without hesitation—almost like she welcomed it.
"Why did you call us here?"
"Strictly speaking, I only called one of you. Riven, was it? You’re just the extra."
…Riven’s the extra?
Wait, then…
"Eh, me?"
"Yes indeed—our princess."
Huh? Princess?
What the hell. That just made her sound a thousand times more suspicious.
Don’t tell me she’s part of the Victims of Princess-Play Society. My dark legacy. Here, of all places.
"…I’ve heard those words before."
I couldn’t help but glance at Riven. Eh—when? With who?
Please don’t bring up those days. It’s embarrassing. I’ve moved on, I’ve changed, so just let it go.
"Oh? Then perhaps you met one of my comrades."
"I see. So you’re their ally, then."
While I was dying inside, struggling to contain my shame, Riven remained completely serious.
The difference in mood between us was painful. Painful—but no, seriously, can we not? This isn’t the kind of thing you talk about in solemn tones!
"If you met anyone on the surface, it was probably her. But she tends to act on her own. I wouldn’t go so far as to call her a comrade."
"Hmm. The fact you don’t casually claim her as such gives you a bit more credibility."
"Why, thank you."
Unbelievable. They humiliate me and still sound so damn cordial with each other!
"And? What did you want by calling her here?"
"Hmm… let’s see."
She went quiet. Thinking, maybe, about whether or not to say it—or what exactly to reveal.
Me, I was still too busy boiling over in shame to care.
"I want to invite her. To our town—our princess."
Those words finally shocked me back to my senses.
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