Several days had passed since the fierce battle against the lord and his subordinates inside the dungeon. Afterward, Milène had taken us under her protection, and we’d spent a few days receiving treatment at the lord’s mansion. It had felt like ages since we’d slept on proper bedding. We’d even gotten some basic lessons on the dungeon, magical beasts, and magic itself.
But soon enough, we’d left the mansion and stepped back into the dungeon.
Honestly, I want more time to rest, but we don’t have that luxury. We’ve gotta conquer the dungeon before the curse gets us.
“Oh, I found a plant we can eat!” said Shiro.
“There’s some over here toooo.”
Shiro and Kuro were happily gathering plants. They’re certainly peppy, considering they nearly died. Maybe their hearts have grown stronger through our experiences in the dungeon.
“Gathering stuff’s fine, but don’t slack off on keeping watch,” I said.
“We know!”
“We got thiiis.”
We were deep enough in the dungeon that any sort of dangerous enemy could pop up out of nowhere. If a magical beast with stealth abilities showed up, we might not even notice it. Then again, the whole idea of trying to conquer this dungeon with just the three of us seemed incredibly reckless in the first place.
Milène had even tried to come with us until the very end. Geos, meanwhile, had been bedridden from the aftereffects of drawing out his magic sword’s power, the surviving subordinates of the lord couldn’t be trusted, and the civil officers were up to their necks in corruption.
Milène was the only one who was still healthy and could intervene with political matters. If she entered the dungeon, the town would plunge into chaos. At the very least, the knights and soldiers would resume their tyrannical behavior. Some might even start illegally hoarding wealth even more than before so they could skip town.
Well, we’d come this far as a trio, and there were secrets we had to keep, so it was easier being on our own.
“Is this where the needle was pointing?” I said.
“There’s something on the grooound.”
“I sense mana!” said Shiro.
“Oh? This is a teleportation circle for escape!”
Following the magical compass through the forest, we’d discovered a circular platform about five meters wide embedded in the ground. It was carved from pale stone and had a magic circle painted in green. It matched the description of the teleportation circle that Milène had told us about. Apparently, using it would let us escape the dungeon. It randomly appeared in a different location every day, which made it a hassle to find, but it was valuable insurance for us.
“Let’s try it once,” I said.
“O-Okay!”
“Is it saaafe?”
Shiro and Kuro looked uneasy, but when I stepped onto the circle, they joined me without hesitation. We were sticking together, no matter what happened. That was a given for them—and for me too.
I might have been their guardian, but I relied on them a lot as well, and they’d protect me just as much as I protected them.
Our surroundings shifted in an instant. It was a place I recognized.
“Isn’t this the sewer?”
“We’re at the entrance!” said Shiro.
“Whoa, teleportation is cooool.”
We had arrived at the sewer entrance we’d been using to access the dungeon. Just stepping onto the circle had taken us out and back to the exact spot we’d entered from.
It wasn’t the main entrance where soldiers checked everyone coming and going, which was a huge relief. Sure, Milène could probably get us in through the front now, but we’d risk being seen by soldiers and mercenaries. Since that would only draw unnecessary attention, it was better to stick with the sewer route like before.
I guess the only downside’s that it’s one-way? To return to the deep layer, we had to start from here again.
After a short break, we plunged back into the dungeon. I’d say it only took about half the time to reach the area with the teleportation circle again? We’d already gathered materials during our first exploration, so we just had to keep on trucking.
Still, after that, our pace slowed to a crawl.
“There’s some strong magical beasts roaming around,” I said.
“We don’t need ’em if we can’t eat ’em.”
“No golems, pleeease.”
“Well, it’s not like we can stop them from coming to us.”
“Too bad,” said Kuro.
“What a shame,” followed Shiro.
Just as Ares had warned, high-tier magical beasts kept appearing in the forest that was most likely the dungeon’s deep layer. We’d encountered three of them in just two hours—sadly, his warning had been spot-on.
We managed to defeat them without much trouble—the killer treants we knew how to handle, and the golems moved slow enough. But they’re not edible, so all we did was burn through our mana. Sure, defeating them lets us absorb some mana and grow stronger, but a tiny increase in our internal mana reserves isn’t enough to feel any real growth. It’s hard to stay motivated without a visible reward like food.
And then came our fourth encounter with a magical beast—a golem this time. It seemed like a hassle, so I’d wanted to just avoid it, but apparently it was a type that had high detection capabilities. It charged straight toward the thicket we were hiding in.
Its speed was impressive, so running away probably wasn’t an option. It might’ve been the same type as the metallic golem we’d fought before.
“I guess we’ve got no choice. Let’s do this.”
“Arf.”
“Myah!”
We used our magic to launch a preemptive strike. Blades of water, wind, and darkness flew toward the golem, striking it, but didn’t leave so much as a scratch. Rather than the golem just being tough, it looked like some strange force had deflected the attacks off its surface. It seemed to have high resistance to magic.
“Let’s hit it with something stronger!” I said.
“Understood!”
“Let’s do it.”
We each fired off intermediate spells. If this doesn’t work, we’ll be in serious trouble. Thankfully, the golem’s resistance wasn’t strong enough to block intermediate magic. Our spells landed hard, cracking the golem’s body. Its arm was torn off, one of its legs snapped, and its head exploded. The golem collapsed on the spot, completely motionless.
“Whew, we got it.” I was able to put the golem into storage; it had fully shut down.
“Myah!”
“Wuffu.”
Shiro and Kuro threw their arms up in celebration. I felt relieved too.
But the very next moment, I jumped in surprise.
“Huh?” a voice said. “There’s some kids here. Where’s the magical beast?”
“K-Kids? How?” replied another voice.
Two figures with black hair and dark eyes suddenly appeared. We’d been so focused on the golem battle that we hadn’t noticed them approaching. The same thing’s happened before, but I guess it’s just impossible to keep track of our surroundings during a battle with a strong enemy.
Besides, they seemed to have decent stealth skills. If they were right in front of me, I’d notice for sure, but if they were hiding a hundred meters away, no way I’d pick up on that.