Chapter 57: Charlotte and the Void

"Charlotte-chan, are you okay?"

"Hah… y-yeah… I-I’m fine…"

We pressed on through the darkness, now on the fifth floor.

Because we’d been running nonstop to get this far, I was already gasping for air.

My chest burned. Ever since the first time we escaped the dungeon today, I felt like I’d been running the entire time. Hopefully I won’t be sore tomorrow.

But right now, we had to keep moving.

The darkness kept getting deeper and deeper. It had to be a bad omen.

"Hah… anyway, let’s hurry."

"Got it. Let’s take the shortest route."

The fact that we hadn’t run into any monsters yet was troubling.

Like how the tide pulls back before a tsunami—this had the same feeling of warning signs.

And when that wave hit, who would it fall upon? …There was no need to even think about it.

Still, running was too much. We moved at a fast-walk pace instead. Trichel seemed to understand, adjusting to match my speed.

"The lack of monsters is probably because of Salem’s influence."

"Salem… does she, um, have the dungeon’s treasure?"

Honestly, I’d never really believed in the so-called dungeon treasure.

A dungeon was a dungeon. I never thought it could be controlled like that.

This was a place crawling with monsters and warped environments—no human could possibly manage it. Not in any normal sense.

But… seeing it firsthand like this, I couldn’t help but think maybe it did exist.

There’s that saying, “If it can be imagined, it can be realized.”

Maybe I had to admit it. Or maybe it was just time to stop turning away.

"Close, but not quite."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"There is something you could call a dungeon treasure. But it doesn’t belong to Salem."

She added a clarification—by “dungeon treasure,” she meant a tool to control the dungeon itself.

…I closed my eyes without thinking.

There was no room for doubt anymore. Trichel knew.

About the dungeon. About whatever surrounded it.

When I first heard she was connected to Salem, I thought no way—but now…

I couldn’t keep pretending.

I opened my eyes, fixing them on Trichel’s back as she walked steadily ahead.

I had to know. What was happening, and what I had to do.

"What exactly is a dungeon? And what is Salem trying to do?"

If Salem could manipulate the dungeon even partly, then why was she after me?

What did she really mean by “princess”?

I wanted to know. No—I needed to know.

"…That’s something I can’t tell you."

"Why not?!"

"I’m sorry."

When she turned back, her face looked on the verge of tears, silencing me before I could say more.

With that expression, it made me feel like I was the one in the wrong.

"Someday."

"Someday?"

"You’ll understand everything. Until then… please."

When was “someday”? I couldn’t ask. The mood didn’t allow it.

Trichel, who usually joked around, was begging me in earnest.

That wasn’t fair.

We didn’t speak further. Only our footsteps echoed through the dark.

Were we moving forward? Or looping back? Doubt gnawed at me.

And then—suddenly, everything went black before my eyes.

"W-what?!"

I shouted, but Trichel, who should’ve been right beside me, gave no reply.

No, this was… what was this? Even the ground underfoot was gone. Was I still standing? Or had I fallen into some hole?

My feet froze. I couldn’t grasp my surroundings at all.

I couldn’t move. I was scared. What should I do?

I couldn’t even feel the temperature of the air anymore.

Slowly, it felt like even my consciousness was being swallowed by the dark. Falling, endlessly falling.

What was I? What was this? I didn’t know.

What had I been doing? What was I supposed to do?

Where was I? Did I even still exist?

My awareness was slipping away. Ah… it’s over…

"—lott… on. Charlotte-chan!"

"Trichel…?"

A voice.

That voice seeped into the dark, and light returned to the world.

The scenery wobbled back into place. Vivid blue filled my vision, brushing softly against my face.

I was… being carried?

"Thank goodness. You’re awake again?"

"Trichel, right? Just now—that was…"

"Salem’s doing. Sorry for touching you, but I had to carry you on my back."

Salem…?

My body still wouldn’t respond. I trembled faintly.

That was… nothingness.

Having nothing to feel, yet still being conscious—how terrifying that was.

It wasn’t the same as dying. It was like watching your awareness fade while being stripped of everything you were.

But worse—it felt like everything I’d seen until now had been a lie.

And the thought alone nearly drove me insane.

Just remembering it made me start shaking all over again.

Trichel’s arms tightened under my thighs, the strength in her grip clear. It was probably to reassure me—to remind me, through touch, that I was really here.

"I-I…"

"It’s okay. You’re right here."

Tears welled up and spilled over. The comfort of human contact overflowed and wouldn’t stop.

I was here. I was real. I existed.

I’d been so scared. Truly, utterly terrified.

Without caring about appearances, even though I was on Trichel’s back, I broke down and cried out loud.

And through it all, she said nothing—just carried me forward.

"...All cried out?"

Sniff. "Y-yeah… thank you."

"That was Salem’s doing. This dungeon… it’s built to strip away your senses like that."

Apparently, this dungeon was designed so that the deeper you went, the more of your five senses it stole away. Normally, that effect only took hold gradually as you descended, but Salem had twisted the dungeon and forced us into a state like the deep layers—if only for a moment.

So it was true. Salem could manipulate the dungeon, at least to some extent.

"I was able to come back because…"

"Because I can mimic it a little. It took time, but…"

I was stunned. Trichel could interfere with the dungeon too?

…Maybe that was why she normally avoided diving into dungeons. To hide this fact.

She’d been called lazy, unmotivated, said to be cursed with inaction so severe it would bring down spears if she ever did anything… and yet she still refused to act.

Could it be because of this secret?

Did Reynard know about it when he accepted her into the clan?

There was so much I didn’t know. I’d thought I understood a lot, but really, I was still in the dark.

I gripped a little tighter around Trichel’s neck—not enough to choke her, but enough to hold on.

"...We’re almost at the next floor. Since Salem’s already made her move, there’s a high chance we’ll run into her."

"Riven…"

Right. We had come to save Riven.

Even though I was still trembling, I chose to stay on Trichel’s back. It might burden her, but this way we’d move faster. Right now… I couldn’t run properly on my own.

We descended the stairs to the sixth floor—the layer with the area boss.

"Yeah, still dead. That means he passed through here not too long ago."

"The fact it hasn’t revived even after we came…"

"That’s Salem again. She’s twisting everything…"

When we entered the seventh floor, the atmosphere changed immediately.

The killing intent was so thick, even I could feel it. If I hadn’t known Riven was here, I would’ve already suggested we retreat.

"Charlotte-chan. Can you walk?"

"...Yes."

"We don’t know when the enemy will appear. Sorry, but I’ll need you on your feet from here."

I slid off her back and planted my feet firmly on the ground.

The shaking in my legs—I could handle it. Somehow.

Trichel gripped the long staff she’d brought and leveled it toward the darkness ahead as she advanced.

I followed close behind.

Would Riven be alright? What if he’d already been defeated?

…What if that nothingness had driven him mad?

Doubts swarmed my head endlessly.

I wanted to find him. I was afraid to find him. Those conflicting feelings churned together in my chest.

"Get back!"

At Trichel’s shout, I instinctively jumped backward.

It was pure reflex. A split-second later, a metallic clash rang out.

"You really are ridiculously strong, aren’t you…"

"Trichel?!"

"Stay back!"

The darkness spread like a thick fog, and I couldn’t make out the figure clearly.

But I could hear it—Trichel clashing with someone.

She was fending off a relentless assault, using her staff to block every strike. Barely holding on.

Even someone with her skill could only just manage to defend.

Who was it? Was it Salem? Was she really that powerful?

They pushed forward, gradually forcing Trichel back—closer and closer toward me.

What should I do? Should I retreat further?

I hesitated—then something flared white in the darkness.

A light I had seen many times before.

A gleam I had admired so many times, always from just behind.

I knew instantly what it was. I couldn’t mistake it.

A light that had felt so reliable. That had filled me with awe.

"…Riven!"

Riven was attacking Trichel.