Chapter 93
Chapter 93
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Unexpected Arrival
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Why is that man coming out here?
“Honestly, I thought a treasure chest from a place like the Demon God's Dungeon would be a bit more special.”
“For example...?”
“Like, crying out ‘treasure, treasure’ or something.”
“Oh, I saw one like that before. When I stabbed it with my sword, it went quiet.”
“How did it cry?”
“Kieeeek...”
“Disappointing.”
What Aren was talking about was a mimic.
A monster that occasionally appeared while clearing dungeons.
“B-but why does it have to cry ‘treasure, treasure’?”
“Then how should it cry?”
“Do you cry ‘Alicia, Alicia,’ Senior?”
“If you want, I can cry like that anytime.”
Alicia flicked her lower lip with her finger, a soft smile on her face.
“Or maybe you want to see me cry?”
I ignored her.
And so, with the treasure chest right in front of us, we exchanged silly jokes.
That was fine for me, but for the other three, this dungeon raid held deep meaning.
The Demon God's Dungeon, which the Empire had failed to conquer for centuries.
Since they had conquered it with their own hands, all the tension had melted away.
“Alright, let's see what gift the Demon God prepared for us weary conquerors.”
When I opened the treasure chest, a pink flash burst forth.
“Ooh...!”
Aren's eyes sparkled at the countless shard petals adorning the sky.
“No way, are all those shards...?”
But the three of us weren't particularly impressed. We'd seen it once before in Elevber.
“Traveling with Halibal is the problem with stuff like this. Now even Tier 1 shards don't excite us.”
At that moment, Mine caught one of the scattering shards and gasped in surprise.
“Th-these are all Tier 2 shards...?”
“What?”
That changed everything.
What spilled from the chest was enough Tier 2 shards for each of us to take at least ten or more. Nearly ten Tier 3 shards dropped too.
It was a shame no Tier 4 shards appeared, but that was because the dungeon hadn't fully opened yet, so it couldn't be helped.
With this quantity, it seemed we could lower the Alicia Machine's exchange rate to 5:1.
And with this much.
‘I might need to consider rushing the shards straight to Tier 4 if things get dicey.’
The drops weren't just shards.
[Holy Radiance] and [Adamant].
Perhaps because the boss drops from Negalrun and Necredin had merged into one, two special shards dropped.
Holy Radiance gave +8 magic power, Adamant gave +5 stamina and +1 defense.
The downside was that neither suited me.
I hoped their special abilities might be good, but like White Paper, both had their abilities sealed.
‘Still, this means I've collected about half the special shards.’
Three each by color.
Eight out of the total eighteen special shards. Including [Strike], that made nine.
‘Wonder if a dragon pops out when I get them all.’
Next came the Bone series equipment that Negalrun was supposed to drop.
A grotesque fan made by weaving something like the bones from Negalrun's fingers with worn leather.
[Bone Fan (III)]
[Magic Power 21 / Defense 14]
[On taking damage, has a chance to activate ‘Armor of Bone.’ (Cooldown: 6 hours)]
[Armor of Bone - Reduces incoming damage from enemy attacks twice.]
Naturally, it was Alicia's equipment.
“The design is... utterly hideous.”
Alicia let out a groan of ‘eugh’ and picked up the fan with just her index and thumb, as if it disgusted her.
She complains even when I give her something.
If Cecilia had come with us, this would have been my drop.
Of course, this was Negalrun's reward.
Naturally, Necredin's reward was separate.
“Oh.”
Aren and I reacted at the same time.
[Lich's Armband (III)]
[Attack Power 9 / Critical Hit 9 / Defense 9]
‘My weapon dropped, huh.’
Not a weapon, but an accessory armband dropped.
Being Tier 3, its attack power was even higher than Crushing Sword.
With a generous critical hit bonus too, it could even be used to bash monsters if needed.
Aren and I exchanged meaningful glances.
It was a sword-user item that either of us could use.
“Mind if I take this one?”
I claimed it boldly.
In situations like this, striking first wins.
But.
“...”
Checking.
No crisp reply came.
Looks like Aren had some greed for it too.
She couldn't meet my eyes properly, just glancing back and forth between the armband and me.
Normally I'd assert my share, but the problem was I hadn't done much of this dungeon alone.
If anything, including the torch, Aren had contributed more.
I sighed inwardly.
No helping it.
“How about we meet up later and divvy it separately?”
“H-huh? S-sure!”
Aren brightened and accepted my proposal.
Why's she so happy? She's about to lose the item to me soon.
The treasure chest's glow began to fade bit by bit.
‘Is that everything?’
I rummaged through the bottom of the chest one last time.
Something caught on my fingertip.
‘What the hell.’
“Is this... an Abyss Core?”
“Do Abyss Cores drop in dungeons too?”
Yes.
Aren's Sun Shine had been from a dungeon too.
But I hadn't expected this one here.
[Abyss Core - Messiah]
In the original story, Mine's operation methods were usually divided into two.
Feed her Lumen and run her as a dealer, or feed her Messiah and run her as a healer.
And usually, she was run as a healer.
Because that was simpler and more efficient.
What did that mean?
Messiah was Mine's endgame Abyss Core.
Messiah's effect was extremely simple.
It increased healing output, and converted any healing that exceeded max health into a shield.
This effect, common in other games, was outright broken in the original action RPG.
For Messiah to drop right after Raphael, the awkward core, vanished.
‘What a steal.’
But it made sense.
If there was an MVP in this dungeon raid, it was undoubtedly Mine.
Above all, just reviving the dead Alicia more than made up for any mistakes.
It was then.
“Looks like there's one more thing. Everyone, take a look at this.”
Alicia pulled out a worn and tattered notebook from inside the chest.
Hidden beneath Messiah, it was covered in hardened bloodstains.
Through the cover, an elegant handwriting spelled out a name.
‘Arisha Rose.’
“Ah...!”
Mine snatched the notebook with a gasp.
She began reading it with trembling hands.
It was Sister Arisha's diary.
The diary recorded her daily life since arriving at Rose Orphanage, her worries about the children, and the circumstances that led her to enter this dungeon with the Imperial Knights.
The final page was especially stained with hardened blood, hard to make out.
Alicia skimmed it quickly and spoke.
“...Sister Arisha didn't die at the hands of the Bone Knight after all.”
[Sister Arisha's Diary - Final Page]
...Sword-wielding... monster... got me. Still alive...
Eyes... should turn back...
Mine... this diary... someday... will you?
If... don't blame. This... isn't your fault.
You... warmer than anyone... child.
Please... smile. The one you... like...
...I love you... Mine. My child...
Sister Arisha had been struck by Negalrun but hadn't died instantly.
This diary was likely her final words, scrawled in her dying agony.
The keepsake Mine had searched so desperately for.
That it was with Messiah.
‘Not a steal after all.’
Perhaps Messiah was the last gift Sister Arisha left for Mine, who would walk the path of the Saintess.
Mine clutched the diary to her chest and sobbed for a long while. We waited until she composed herself.
By then, the dungeon began to collapse.
Not a physical collapse, but the demonic energy crushing the space lifting away.
By the time the temple fully vanished, we finished distributing the dropped items with a composed Mine.
⁎⁎⁎
Once the dungeon vanished, the ruins returned to their original state before us.
And the hundreds of soldiers filling the entrance to the ruins.
Hundreds?
“Senior?”
Alicia had brought fewer than fifty soldiers here to begin with.
The raid party had been just over twenty.
There were those in the court who disapproved of her conquering the dungeon, so she could only muster that many.
Of course, she had called for reinforcements.
But this many?
Alicia looked grim too.
Apparently not her doing.
Then what?
The soldiers' armor was unmistakably Imperial.
But their banners bore a crest slightly different from the standard Imperial one.
Heat haze rippling like waves beneath a blazing sun. In the story, only one unit used that crest.
‘No way...?’
Pushing through the soldiers came a man in silver armor.
Golden hair swaying through the helmet's slits.
A handsome man with a sharp, veil-like impression, his forehead and eyes striking under the moonlight.
“Killien.”
“Your Highness.”
The Imperial First Knight Order.
Captain of the Sun Blaze Yangram.
“Great labors in handling a disaster centuries old.”
Knight Order Captain, Killien Rubel.
After removing his helmet and bowing to Alicia, he glanced at Aren.
“...Senior Brother.”
“I come today as the Empire's Knight Order Captain. Show proper courtesy, last successor.”
‘Even so, I didn't expect Killien at this point.’
The sixth successor of the Extreme Divine Sword, Aren's senior brother.
The man called the Empire's Dark Sword.
In the original story, he prioritized the Empire's peace above all, clashing repeatedly with Aren, who focused on dungeon raids—a mid-boss type character.
“I expected applause, but this is awkward even for me. You're not here to arrest us, I hope?”
“Far from it. Thanks to Your Highness handling the disaster, the Empire can reclaim its territory.”
Killien bowed politely.
“I'm merely here to confirm the raid's success and escort Your Highness safely to the palace.”
“On my brother's orders?”
He didn't answer her question.
It meant ‘You know without me saying.’
“Bringing this many troops suggests my safety was quite the concern.”
“Your Highness's well-being is the Empire's well-being.”
Not wrong, but bringing hundreds of soldiers felt like pressure no matter how you looked at it.
Proof the Crown Prince didn't approve of Alicia's unilateral actions.
“Where are Kai Zel and my soldiers?”
“Sent back to the capital first.”
“By whose authority?”
“If overstepped, I apologize. I'll gladly accept punishment, but please understand I merely follow orders.”
“That wasn't His Majesty's command, was it.”
Killien didn't answer this time either.
“And...”
His gaze shifted from Alicia to the battered Aren and exhausted Mine, then finally to me.
His eyes lingered on me especially long.
“The three main contributors to the raid must come to the palace as well. ‘His Majesty’ wishes to praise your achievements personally.”
“What?”
“Considering your conditions, palace medics have been brought along, so you can recover fully on the way.”
‘Fuck. Everything's gone sideways.’
In the original, we met the Crown Prince only after second semester ended, not before first semester even finished.
Blame clearing the dungeon too fast.
The Crown Prince was wary of Alicia's ‘save the world’ idealism and dungeon raids.
To him, who prioritized Imperial stability, her independent moves were uncontrollable variables challenging his authority.
He committed all sorts of atrocities under the banner of stability, so in the original, he was branded trash.
Killien Rubel was the Crown Prince's loyal retainer.
“My brother is quite impatient. Not content with sending my soldiers away without permission, now he wants my guests too?”
“His Majesty wishes to see not Your Highness's guests, but the Empire's heroes.”
The word ‘heroes’ carried a subtle emphasis.
Meaning he'd frame the third Demon God's Dungeon conquest not as ‘Alicia's achievement,’ but the ‘Empire's achievement.’
“Praise... was it.”
Alicia smiled coldly, grasping the implication.
“I hope that praise isn't a golden collar.”
Killien said no more and gestured politely toward us.
Not a single opening in his stance.
‘No escaping this.’
Original knowledge sucked most at times like this.
When I alone knew this was a forced event.
We had no choice but to be dragged along by Killien here.
Setting aside treason, we simply couldn't win.
Among the Empire's top five swordsmen in raw power. Even all four of us at full strength would struggle.
‘I wanted to delay this scenario as long as possible.’
No helping it.
Have to go along obediently now.
As I stepped forward in resignation.
“Wait.”
A booming voice echoed.
From the direction the soldiers and Killien turned, a middle-aged man strode up the mountain.
Aren, Mine, even Alicia couldn't hide their surprise at his commanding presence.
But I was the most shocked.
‘...Why is that man coming out here?’
A face with thick blue beard.
Black eyepatch over one eye.
And at his waist hung a massive greatsword matching his sturdy build.
A familiar face.
No, a face I couldn't not know.
“The other three don't matter, but I'm taking that skinny one.”
Father to Seidin and Cecilia.
Patriarch of the Empire's greatest sword family, the Ren Ducal House.
Ragnar Ren.
Ignoring Killien's words entirely, he grinned only at Alicia.
“That alright with you, Your Highness?”
And.
BOOM!
A roar rang out, and darkness fell before my eyes.