Liam could barely see anything from inside Lydia’s body.
It wasn’t exactly dark. The inside of his wife’s body had a sort of translucent greenish glow that allowed him to vaguely make out the shapes of the outside world. It was a strange sensation, but, to his surprise, quite comfortable.
Lydia, meanwhile, had taken on a completely different appearance.
Thanks to her [Slime Shapeshifter] ability, she now looked exactly like Captain Armstrong: a huge, muscular man with a serious face and an intimidating presence.
Furthermore, several figures were walking around her.
Or, at least, that was what it looked like.
The illusions created through [Illusion] made it appear as though a small group of guild hunters were accompanying the supposed captain.
She had used the appearances of hunters they had seen around the guild headquarters over the past few days.
Lydia walked with firm steps as she slowly approached the fences.
[Lydia: Are you okay, darling?]
The system chat appeared inside the slime’s body.
Liam smiled.
"I’m perfectly fine. Your insides are very soft."
Lydia immediately blushed.
[Lydia: Liam!]
"What? It’s true."
[Lydia: I’m still not used to this...]
Liam let out a small laugh.
"You’re doing great. Just stay calm."
Lydia tried to concentrate, but as she passed by a window, she caught sight of her reflection.
For a moment, she forgot that she was herself.
Armstrong’s face stared back at her.
"Ah!"
Lydia flinched and had to stop herself from screaming.
"Relax, darling."
[Lydia: I forgot that I have his face!]
"Don’t worry. You’re doing amazing."
Lydia took a deep breath.
[Lydia: What if they ask me something?]
"Don’t talk too much. As long as you look confident, they probably won’t suspect anything."
[Lydia: I hope you’re right.]
Liam smiled.
’I definitely have an incredible wife.’
Lydia continued moving forward.
◇◆◇
The two guards stationed in front of the entrance to the S-Rank dungeon were chatting casually.
"Do you think time really passes differently in there?"
"I have no idea."
"I heard some dungeons feel like dreams."
"I heard you can spend days inside while only a few hours pass outside."
The second guard shrugged.
"Whatever the case, I’d rather not find out."
Both of them looked toward the enormous tower rising behind them.
The S-Rank dungeon.
Even from the outside, it was intimidating.
When they turned back toward the front, one of the guards narrowed his eyes.
"Wait."
"What?"
"Isn’t that...?"
In the distance, a massive figure could be seen approaching.
He walked with firm steps.
Several hunters surrounded him.
The guards immediately recognized the man leading the group.
Captain Armstrong.
Both of them straightened up.
"Attention!"
They each brought one hand to their foreheads and kept the other behind their backs.
Lydia watched them from a distance.
From inside her body, Liam could practically feel her smile.
He communicated with his wife through his [Call] ability.
’I think they fell for it completely.’
Lydia nearly laughed.
[Lydia: Don’t make me laugh! I have to look serious.]
’Sorry.’
Lydia hardened her expression once again.
A cold, serious, authoritative look.
Exactly how she imagined Armstrong should look.
The guards swallowed nervously as the gigantic figure reached them.
"Sir!"
Lydia simply stared at them without saying a word.
One of the guards began to grow nervous.
Then, one of the illusions stepped forward.
It was the female hunter Evan had been flirting with during their shooting practice.
The illusion had exactly the same appearance as the young woman.
Even her voice sounded convincing.
"We were sent to assist the sub-captains with the dungeon."
The guard blinked.
"Sent?"
He looked at his companion.
"We weren’t informed that Captain Armstrong would be coming."
Lydia simply stared at him.
The guard felt a chill.
There was something about Armstrong’s gaze that made it difficult to hold his stare.
The illusion stepped forward.
"I don’t think Captain Armstrong needs to notify you that he’s coming if he’s already here with part of his squad, does he?"
The guard’s mouth opened slightly.
"Well..."
He looked at the group again.
There were several hunters.
They all looked completely real.
Some carried weapons, while others wore protective gear.
One of them even appeared to be talking to another as they walked.
There was absolutely nothing that seemed strange.
The second guard swallowed.
"Of course."
He hurriedly moved the fence aside.
"You may pass."
Lydia slightly inclined her head.
"Thank you."
The word came out in a much deeper voice than she would normally have.
The two guards were startled.
Captain Armstrong had just smiled.
But the smile lasted barely a second.
Lydia remembered that she had to maintain a serious expression and immediately returned to her emotionless face.
"S-Sir!"
The guards moved even farther aside.
Lydia continued walking.
The illusionary hunters followed her.
Liam remained inside her, trying not to laugh.
’That was close.’
[Lydia: Don’t tell me that now!]
’You did perfectly.’
[Lydia: Thank you.]
Lydia finally passed through the fences.
Behind them, the guards watched the group disappear into the distance.
One of them finally exhaled the breath he had been holding.
"Captain Armstrong seemed to be in a good mood."
"Why do you say that?"
"He smiled."
The other guard thought about it for a moment.
"Armstrong smiling?"
"Yes."
"This day can’t get any stranger."
◇◆◇
The group continued walking toward the dungeon entrance.
Once they were far enough away from the guards, Lydia finally relaxed her shoulders.
"That was close."
Liam began laughing from inside her.
"You were incredible!"
"Really?"
"Of course. Your powers are much more versatile than I imagined."
Lydia smiled.
"Thank you, darling."
The slime woman looked at the enormous stone door in front of her.
Unlike the F-Rank and E-Rank dungeons they had visited before, this entrance seemed far more intimidating.
Even the air around it felt different, bringing back memories of the day they had accidentally fallen inside.
Lydia placed one hand against the door.
"So..."
She looked at her reflection again, and Armstrong’s face was still staring back at her.
This time, she didn’t get scared.
She simply smiled.
"Let’s go."
"I’m with you."
Lydia pushed against the door, and the enormous structure slowly began to open.
A cold wind blew out from inside.
Lydia took the first step.
The illusions followed her, and Liam, hidden inside his wife’s body, stared in wonder at the interior of the S-Rank dungeon.
’So we’re finally coming back.’
The last time, they had arrived there by accident.
But this time was different.
They had entered willingly.
Lydia completely passed through the doorway.
Behind them, it began to close.
And with one final flicker of illusion, the false Captain Armstrong and his supposed squad disappeared from the guards’ sight.