Chapter 9: Dungeon Sex (2)
Chapter 9: Dungeon Sex (2)
I said we were heading to a dungeon, but we couldn't just dive in immediately.
Preparation was essential.
I led Carla, who was still wearing a coat over her dress like yesterday, out of the inn and briefly explained the plan.
"First, we’re hitting the alchemy shop for some contraceptive potions. After that, we’ll buy you a few changes of clothes and stock up on everything we need for this raid. Only then are we entering the dungeon."
"Huh? Contraceptive potions?"
"Don't 'huh' me. I told you, the end goal is to get you into the Academy. How are you supposed to manage Academy life while raising a kid?"
"...So, if I were to have a child, you would be the one to raise them, Master? Hehe."
I frowned, wondering why she was suddenly giggling, and Carla hurriedly waved her hands, speaking up in a panic.
"I—I just meant to say there's no need for that! I already know contraceptive magic."
"Wait, really? There's a spell for that? It's not just potions?"
"The potions are only famous because they're cheap enough for anyone to use, but the magic exists too. Most children of noble houses who've studied magic probably know it."
I suppose that makes sense. They can't afford to have accidental pregnancies, after all.
When I tilted my head as if telling her to show me, Carla gave a polite bow.
She placed a hand on her lower abdomen and chanted a short incantation. A moment later, her belly glowed faintly.
That was it.
"Are you sure that worked? It felt a bit... underwhelming."
"Of course. In fact, my magic is much safer than potions, which carry a risk of spoiling. Before I became a slave, I was the top student of the Magic Department!"
Carla puffed out her chest, practically begging for praise.
Whether it was explaining the Lintblum Breathing Technique or talking about this, Carla seemed to transform whenever magic was involved. Usually, she was a trembling mess, but she overflowed with confidence the moment the subject turned to her craft.
And she seemed to have the skills to back it up.
Being the top student of the Magic Department in the Academy's fourth year was no small feat.
Even considering she was part of a generation separate from the protagonist's—which was described as the greatest generation in history—she had to be at least an intermediate-level mage.
I hadn't really felt it until now because I only knew her through early-game rumors or her fallen state, but Carla’s talent truly was remarkable.
...Though right now, she was nervously watching my reaction, probably overthinking my silence.
I chuckled at the sight and held up a finger.
"One."
"Eh?"
"I'll buy you one snack from a street stall. We should fill our stomachs before we head into the dungeon."
"...Can I choose the menu?"
"I don't mind, but this is Gepp, the auction city. You'd be wise to avoid anything with meat."
The auction house here was considered one of the best on the Eurelia Continent. There was a reason Carla had ended up on the block in Gepp.
Because of the high-profile nobles who visited, various businesses had flourished, naturally earning the city its reputation. The luxury inn I had stayed in was also built specifically to cater to those wealthy patrons.
However, because the city had grown so rapidly around the auction house, several ghost stories had cropped up.
One of them was the rumor that some stalls sold human meat disguised as regular meat.
It was the kind of story that circulated to illustrate just how money-mad this place was... or so people said.
Carla, who had apparently heard the rumor before, began to tremble.
"M-Master. Are the rumors true? That slaves who don't sell are slaughtered and sold as meat...?"
"Ah, that's just nonsense. Think about it—why did the Gepp Auction House get so big? It's because their strategy of catering to the nobility's taste for luxury succeeded."
Therefore, they avoided illegal goods or crimes that could tarnish a noble's honor as much as possible.
Above all, Gepp was a city within the Levantine Empire.
The Levantine Empire, which ruled half of the Eurelia Continent, was the nation that most strictly prohibited cultist activities.
And the consumption of human flesh was one of the most infamous cult rituals.
Thus, the idea of the auction house selling human meat had to be a total lie. No matter how great the Gepp Auction House was, they wouldn't be crazy enough to make enemies of both the Levantine Empire and the Papal Court at the same time.
Carla looked visibly relieved after hearing my explanation.
"Phew..."
"But the part about human meat being sold is actually true."
"...Huh?"
Her face turned pale again at my follow-up.
Man, her reactions were so instant; it was hilarious.
I chuckled at the frozen Carla and told her the truth.
"There's a cultist branch in Gepp. Those are the guys selling it secretly."
"The... cultists..."
Carla’s voice trailed off, her expression turning gloomy.
Right. Come to think of it, the Lindelheit family had fallen because the head of the house was framed as a cultist.
Well, the frame-up had been so perfect that even Carla herself probably believed it was true.
I patted the shoulder of the half-dazed Carla and spoke.
"Snap out of it. Anyway, you realize what kind of dungeon I'm planning to raid now, right?"
"...There's a dungeon hidden somewhere in Gepp by the cultists."
"Exactly."
A dungeon hidden by cultists.
In other words, a hidden dungeon.
*
The playstyle of H&A was simple.
On weekdays, you build your strength through Academy classes, and on weekends or vacations, you raid dungeons to claim rewards.
Of course, there are events with heroines sprinkled in between... but that was the general framework.
So, where do these dungeons come from?
They appear in the Academy, which is the main setting; they appear in remote areas during field training; they appear in a friend's territory during summer vacation...
They really do pop up everywhere.
Most of them are managed by the state, and their locations are public knowledge. Even if a country can't fully clear a dungeon, killing some of the monsters inside isn't that difficult.
And monster byproducts equal money.
From the perspective of the state, there's no reason not to go public when they can make a tidy sum just by providing basic management and taking a commission.
Sometimes, for dungeons with high-value byproducts, they keep them private and send their own knight orders for periodic subjugations.
Either way, because the state manages them, they're easy to find. In the game, the only difference was whether it was a dungeon anyone could enter or one that required a certain level of contribution to a specific nation.
However, there are always exceptions.
Cultists.
Those bastards can detect and conceal the existence of dungeons using special methods.
It makes sense, considering dungeons are subspaces where the Evil God's army is sealed, and cultists are those who serve such gods.
There's a restriction that they must serve the same Evil God... but regardless, there are times when cultists snatch up a dungeon before the state does.
The dungeon here in Gepp was one such case.
It was a place crawling with monsters and cultists who worshipped the Evil God known as 'Confused Unity.'
In the original game, a player visiting Gepp frequently for the auction house would eventually sense something suspicious and have to investigate. Gathering rumors and clues to pinpoint the location without the help of a quest board or mini-map was no easy task...
"But who am I?"
A hardcore veteran with 7,000 hours of playtime.
I'd cleared the game multiple times; of course I had the dungeon locations memorized.
As I was feeling proud of myself, Carla, who was standing beside me, flinched—perhaps having heard my monologue—and spoke up cautiously.
"Um... my master?"
"That's also true. Anyway, how are the new clothes? Not too uncomfortable to move in?"
"No! B-but is it really okay to buy me this much? And are the two of us really going into a cultist dungeon alone...? Shouldn't we report this to the guards even now...?"
Carla looked back and forth between me and her new clothes with an anxious expression.
The Carla of now was wearing something entirely different from the dress she had on at the auction.
We were going into a dungeon, after all; she couldn't exactly go in wearing something that was only meant to look pretty.
So, I had geared her up from head to toe for combat.
The overall design was reminiscent of a riding habit. The frills on the chest and the short cape covering her back were the highlights.
And what about the staff she was holding?
The way it glittered in gold was a bit gaudy, but its mana amplification rate was high, and its body was sturdy enough to be used in close quarters if necessary.
On top of that, she was decked out in all sorts of accessory-type magical tools—necklaces, earrings, rings... I think I spent about 5,000 gold in total?
They were all shop-bought items, but equipment this expensive couldn't be ignored.
Money really is the best.
Furthermore, Carla was a senior at the Academy. And the former top student of the Magic Department at that.
The hidden dungeon in Gepp was only early-to-mid-game difficulty, and since I remembered the strategy perfectly, there was no way it would be dangerous.
I gave Carla a satisfied smile and a nod.
"Don't worry about the dungeon. As long as you follow my instructions, we'll clear it without a hitch. As for the money..."
I scanned Carla's outfit for a moment and shrugged.
"It's time for you to start earning your keep."
Work, slave.