Leyfa Southerndall clutched her broken magical bracelet in one hand, stricken with keen regret.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. How did things turn out this way?
Everything had started off smoothly. Though the princess had experienced an unexpected setback in failing to recruit Note Athlon, she’d serendipitously acquired Miya Line and subsequently made steady progress through the dungeon. But now...
The bracelet in her hand was a magical item capable of warding off its owner’s death once and only once. The fact it was now broken meant Leyfa was in dire straits. She’d used all four stacks of her magical cross shield, Schildlicht, and the rest of her defensive items had failed her too.
In her arrogance, she’d completely let her guard down.
She’d thought that conquering the dungeon with her own personal party, the Princess’s Legion, would be a cinch. After they’d failed on floor 21, she’d believed that the Arrivers were no match for her. She would be the one to claim the glory of being the first to clear the dungeon. It was simply a matter of time.
Or so she’d believed, but in the end, the Princess’s Legion hadn’t fared any better on floor 21. The demonic boss that the Arrivers couldn’t defeat had already hobbled half of Leyfa’s party. One member was wounded, another had his powers sealed, and a third yet was beyond treatment with holy arts.
They were all living on borrowed time. They’d barely done any damage to the sword-wielding demon, and there was no telling how much longer they could hold out. How had the Arrivers escaped with only a single casualty? Leyfa had no idea anymore. She couldn’t see how any of them might survive this situation.
“Leyfa! Pull yourself together!” She could hear a voice calling out to her, but that was all she heard. Her brain wasn’t processing the words. It was just screaming that had no meaning. “Get a grip and give us your orders!”
“If we keep fighting like this, it’ll be the end of us! Hurry up and make a decision!”
What orders? A decision about what?
She couldn’t understand what they were asking of her. Their deaths were all but assured now. What was the point of orders?
The expedition had begun well enough. The monsters on floor 21 were a little annoying, but nothing the Princess’s Legion couldn’t handle. They spawned in small numbers, and the layout of the temple was simple. Clearing floor 21 should have been a breeze.
Leyfa had even scoffed at the lack of a mid-boss. She’d thought to herself, “What a letdown. The Arrivers lost to a floor like this? I guess the former favorites to conquer the dungeon weren’t such a big deal after all.” But, oh, how mistaken the princess was. Floor 21 was cunning. It lulled adventurers into a false sense of security before throwing them into a surprise fight against an overwhelmingly powerful and agile boss in a profane sanctum that negated holy arts.
The Princess’s Legion was built around Gilbert as its foundation, so having his holy arts disabled had been especially devastating. With their tank suddenly out of commission, they’d tried to regroup in a hurry...but the fearsome prowess of the demonic boss had them in disarray.
✦ ✦ ✦
The demon dodged Miya’s attacks with ease. And when Onz charged straight at it, the demon simply ignored him. It then descended on their rear line. Leyfa activated her cross shield just as the boss brought down its magic sword. It was commendable she’d reacted in time. Once the demon was fully within view, she’d already expended a stack on her shield.
Seeing this, she exhaled in relief—her first mistake. The attacks continued in rapid succession, and she reflexively continued to rely on Schildlicht. Within seconds, she’d expended all of its uses. And by the time she reached into her bag for another defensive item...it was too late. Her head went flying. She found herself looking at her own decapitated body. She could still feel the sensation of rummaging for an item, but she was observing the gesture from a third-person perspective.
Immediately following that, there came a bursting noise. It was the sound of her death-warding bracelet breaking. A retrogression that defied the laws of the world then took place. A one-time pardon from the god of death. Leyfa only realized she’d spent it when she put her hands on her head, which was now attached to her body again.
Leyfa remembered very little after that. She hardly knew what she’d done or how she was still alive. All she knew was that she’d used up every artifact in her bag and that Mille had ended up gravely wounded in the process of covering for her. Onz, Miya, and the art-less Gilbert were still facing the boss, but they were struggling to land hits while slowly being whittled down themselves.
“Hey, Princess! You’re gonna conquer the dungeon, ain’tcha?! You said the throne would be yours, right?! So hurry up and make a call!”
Was that Onz’s voice? His tone was even rougher than usual, so Leyfa wasn’t sure.
“Agh, forget it! She’s useless right now! Let’s go with the old man’s plan!”
What was the old man’s plan? The conversation was completely beyond her.
“You sure?” someone else asked. “Don’t you need Leyfa’s permission?”
“She’s in no state to be giving it! Hey, Limuna!”
“Wh-What is it?”
“Get out of here! Flee the dungeon and go call for help!”
Call for help? They think they can run?
It was true that there was no boss room on this floor. That meant more than six people could fight the boss at once. Theoretically, calling for backup was a good plan. But it was hopeless. This was one of the end floors of the dungeon. Only a small handful of parties could make it here, and of those, Leyfa couldn’t imagine any of them coming to her aid.
Would they do it out of the kindness of their hearts? People didn’t do anything for that reason. But would they do it for a reward? Perhaps there was someone who’d risk it all for that prospect. In fact, if anyone would come to save her now, Leyfa would be willing to grant them any wish.
But no matter the reward, the risk was too great. Who would face certain death for the promise of a prize never to come? No matter what Leyfa had to offer, death would negate its value. Any dungeon party knew that. Those who regularly laid their lives on the line were intimately familiar with the dangers involved.
“Who do I call?!” Limuna screamed.
“Anyone! The Arrivers! I don’t care! Just get anyone who can come!” Onz screamed back.
The Arrivers were the last people Leyfa wanted to see, and she was sure the feeling was mutual. Not only had she threatened Note and Neme, but now they’d also taken Sofie in. Leyfa had personally thrown the knight out of the party for her failures. There was no way she’d be willing to lend Leyfa a hand in her hour of need. If anything, she’d probably celebrate the news of her looming demise. It was only natural after what Leyfa had done to her. Humans were naturally that petty.
Regardless, there was no guarantee that Limuna would actually call for help if she managed to escape. She had the chance to flee for her life, and there was no sensible reason for her to return to this deathtrap after the fact. Promising to go get help was the perfect pretext. She could simply leave the party behind and go about her life like this had never happened. That was surely her plan. It’s what Leyfa would have done. She didn’t want to die here.
“Wait...” Leyfa called weakly. She tried to rise, but immediately toppled back to the floor. “What?! Why can’t I stand up?!” The answer was obvious—her leg was gone below the knee. She had no foot to stand on, plain and simple. “I have to run... I know I have to run, but...”
“Princess...”
“Limuna! Ignore her and go! I’ll take responsibility! Now hurry!”
“But everyone will—”
“You’re going to get help to save us! Mille’s still breathing thanks to that magic item! The princess won’t die immediately from her wounds either! We can still manage thanks to Miya’s healing spirit arts!”
“But...!”
“We can hold out for another fifteen—no, twenty minutes! So go fetch help before then!”
Fetch help in twenty minutes? That was impossible. There was no way they’d last twenty minutes against that demon. They’d be wiped out in the next two.
“Don’t waste another second, Limuna!”
“Fine!”
Limuna turned her back on the boss and took off. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her without ever looking back.
How unfair... I want to run away too. I can’t die in a place like this.
Leyfa watched Limuna go, her gaze full of resentment.