6. Dungeon Agales
The faint light of dawn tilted the moon ever so slightly in Dungeon Agales. Ju Cheong-ah's innate sense of time, etched into her very body, naturally roused her from sleep. It was about time for her watch.
She glanced to the side. Ian was still fast asleep.
"Sleeping soundly, as always."
Her eyes, accustomed to darkness from years of bandaged blindness, caught something odd on Ian's face in an instant. Even in the gloom, one eye was unmistakably bruised—swollen shut like a ripe plum.
Did I accidentally hit him in my sleep?
Cheong-ah pondered for a moment, then shook her head. She didn't have such rowdy sleeping habits. At most, she might mumble a bit in her dreams. No, this wasn't her doing.
So why was Ian's eye blackened like that?
To think he'd get punched even in his sleep...
At first, she'd taken him as a husband out of necessity and purpose. But at some point, worry for him had crept into her heart—though she hadn't quite recognized it as such. She just felt a subtle pang at his injury.
"It wounds my pride as a wife when my husband comes home battered."
Denying it was heartache or concern, she chalked it up to bruised ego.
Wondering who the culprit might be, she perked up at the whoosh—whoosh of something swinging outside. No need to guess. There was only one suspect who could have done this to Ian's face.
"...Bella."
It couldn't be Ian himself, and it wasn't her. That left Bella.
Her thoughts turning to the redhead, Cheong-ah grabbed her sword—disguised as a cane—and decided to go give her a piece of her mind. The whoosh—whoosh continued relentlessly. What on earth was she doing at this hour, swinging something like a club?
Cheong-ah quietly parted the tent flap and stepped out.
A bright moon illuminated the scene. Beneath it, Bella—red hair soaked with sweat—gripped her massive greatsword with both hands, slashing wildly at the air.
Wait—both hands?
Cheong-ah rubbed her eyes and looked again. Bella stood there in the moonlight, unmistakable.
"How...?"
Bella was missing one arm. Cheong-ah had heard it was severed when she was exiled from her mountain kingdom. So how did she have two now?
Maybe she'd seen wrong. But no—definitely two arms. One was her original. The other, where her right should have been severed, gleamed strangely. Pitch black, like the obsidian skin of desert folk or dark elves from the distant south.
Cheong-ah approached with a soft crunch of gravel. Up close, the new arm was even clearer. Not quite black skin—its texture was utterly unlike human flesh. It looked like black metal forged into the shape of an arm.
Staring at it, Cheong-ah knew. This had to be connected to Ian.
...So husband finally made up his mind.
Calling out to Bella, still lost in her swings, Cheong-ah said, "Bella."
Bella halted mid-swing, turned, and upon seeing her, slammed the greatsword's tip into the ground. Grinning, she wiped the sweat streaming down her forehead.
"Oh, Cheong-ah. Up already? Time to switch?"
"Yes. But that arm of yours..."
Before Cheong-ah could finish, Bella lifted the black metallic arm casually, flexing it to show it moved freely at her command. She shrugged.
"This? No point hiding it. Obvious it's Ian's power, right?"
"As I thought. So... did you kiss him?"
Bella's eyes rolled playfully, then she sighed in resignation.
"Hah, fine. Yeah... we kissed. Ian and me. But hey, wasn't my idea! That bastard grabbed my waist out of nowhere like a madman."
"Liar. Someone of your skill would've seen it coming—and stopped it if you wanted."
Bella flinched, caught red-handed, then slumped her shoulders with a wry grin.
"Tch. Yeah, okay, truth is... it felt kinda good. After all his gorilla bitch talk, treating me like I'm not a woman—getting kissed by him? Nice."
"I see."
"Hey, look... I'm a bit sorry to you. Wasn't my call at first, but I went along with it."
Something twisted uncomfortably in Cheong-ah's chest. She'd egged Ian on herself—deliberately made him notice Bella, even encouraged it. But hearing it'd actually happened... why did it sting?
No, no...
Ju Cheong-ah. Don't get mad. No reason to. You didn't marry him because you liked him. It was all for your goals. Linking Bella to him was part of that plan.
So... you should be happy. He did what you wanted. Why are you angry?
I... I...
Her eyes grew misty. Why? She didn't know. But right now, she needed to vent this lump in her throat.
Grind. Cheong-ah clenched her teeth, gripped her cane-sword, drew the blade, and hurled the scabbard away. Pointing it at Bella, she snarled,
"Pick up your sword. Now."
"W-wait, what? Look, I'm sorry, but Ian said you okayed it..."
"Shut up and draw. Now."
Cheong-ah's eyes blazed with killing intent. Bella hesitated, met that gaze, and knew: no talking her down.
Damn, Ian you lying prick... She did say yes? Gonna black his other eye come morning.
Bella yanked her greatsword from the dirt.
"Fine, but heads up—this ain't the old me. Two arms now, got it?"
"...Doesn't matter. One arm or two, trash is trash."
"Ouch. That stings the pride."
Bella's face hardened at the blatant insult. She'd planned to go easy, understanding Cheong-ah's mood. But this provocation? No mercy.
"Fuck it. Let's go all out. One of us drops today."
Under the bright moonlight, the two women clashed once more.
§
"Urgh... ughhh..."
I blinked awake in a daze. Unfamiliar ceiling—no, what? I'm not some low-blood-pressure lightweight who blacks out from a nap.
"Nngh..."
My left eye throbbed—badly. Souvenir from last night's surprise first kiss: stealing Bella's lips.
Damn, Bella... hit lighter next time.
Touching the pulsing bruise only hurt more, so I left it and sat up.
"Yawwwn..."
Yawning, I scanned around. No Cheong-ah, as expected. Her shift was second, so mine should've been...
"Why's it so damn bright outside?"
Sunlight poured into the tent like full morning. My watch was 4 a.m.—pre-dawn, even if sunrise was early. Not this bright.
"Sigh, Cheong-ah again..."
She must've skipped waking me and pulled a double. Like that time escorting Princess Aria and Sierra to the capital. Told her not to—I'd be wiped later. Time for a scolding.
Parting the flap, I stepped out—and froze. The scene was devastation.
"...What the hell?"
Ground churned like a battlefield. Campfire toppled, surrounding trees splintered. Like a missile strike.
War while I slept?
Head tilted, I spotted a red-and-black tangle twitching in the corner.
What the—?
Closer: two battered women sprawled. Cheong-ah and Bella.
Instant dread. Whatever took them both down might still be here.
"Cheong-ah! Bella! Shit!"
I rushed over, revived them. Soon after...
"You lying little shit!"
"...Sorry, husband."
Both my eyes ended up black. Panda bear, basically.