The Look She Gave Another Man
Finding a rest area naturally made exploring the dungeon a little more manageable.
Even so, as Linton pressed on through the corridors, cutting down golems to carve out a path, avoiding every single trap proved impossible no matter how sharp his senses were. In the end, he triggered a handful of mechanisms—damaging his gear and exposing himself to strange vapors.
“Cough... Poison gas...?”
Judging by the mild symptoms, it did not seem fatal. Yet despite downing an antidote, a persistent heat smoldered beneath his skin, telling him this was no ordinary venom. Worse, he ran into pockets of the same mist more than once as he prowled deeper.
Fearing the symptoms would only worsen, Linton retreated to the safe room to recover, where he once again crossed paths with Catherine.
“My goodness, you're back, Sir Linton. Has your exploration been going smoothly?”
“Not particularly, I'm afraid. Ugh...”
“Oh dear, are you all right? If you're unwell, please rest over here.”
Supporting his weight, Catherine guided him toward an open spot. Accepting her kindness, he dipped his feet into the lake to draw upon its healing waters, feeling the feverish thrum throughout his body subside just a fraction.
How ironic. This was a man-eating dungeon, yet he found solace in the warmth offered by one of its denizens.
Is she truly a being who offers goodwill to those who enter this place?
No—surely it was nothing more than a ploy to prolong his suffering.
Telling himself he must not drop his guard, Linton braced himself. Just then, Catherine lifted a handkerchief and gently dabbed away the sweat beading across his brow.
“What are you...?”
“Ah, forgive me. You were sweating so profusely... Was I being impudent?”
Catherine looked at him anxiously, as if terrified she had crossed a line.
Feeling an unexpected pang of guilt at reprimanding such innocence, Linton let the tension drain from his shoulders and yielded to her touch.
“No. Please, go ahead.”
“All right, then...”
Her cloth brushed the perspiration from his skin.
As she worked, leaning closer with every stroke, a faint, sweet fragrance drifted into his nostrils until Linton felt his very mind drowning in its aroma.
She smells... wonderful.
Why was it that breathing in her scent made the heat coursing through his veins feel almost pleasant? Was it because she brought peace to his troubled heart, or did she possess some innate gift?
“There. All done.”
“...”
“Sir Linton, are you well?”
“Ah, yes. I am fine. Well then, I shall return to my expedition.”
“Take care out there. I'll be waiting for your return.”
Waiting for my return.
Did those parting words imply she expected him to make it back alive? Or perhaps... that she genuinely hoped he would?
Thump, thump.
Even after walking away from her, he could feel his heart hammering wildly against his ribs. Though he knew full well she was an enemy bound to this dungeon, his soul couldn't help but be drawn to the kindness she bestowed upon him.
No... is she truly an enemy?
He cast his mind back over their brief encounters.
From the very first moment, she had been unfailingly gentle and sweet. She had acknowledged his wounds, wiped away his sweat, and showered him with tender grace. Could this be what they meant when they spoke of a holy maiden...? It sounded absurd, yet Linton found himself unable to banish the thought from his mind.
Will I be able to see her again throughout this expedition?
Even as he pushed forward into the labyrinth, her face constantly lingered in his thoughts. When injuries piled up from desperate skirmishes against the golems, or when traps caught him unawares...
“Ah, welcome back, Sir Linton! How are you feeling?”
Whenever he returned to that sanctuary and met her eyes, he felt his exhaustion vanish as if washed away, finding a profound peace stealing over his soul.
An oasis in the desert. A sweet rain amidst a drought. Warm sunlight piercing through a blighted land...
None of those metaphors felt too extravagant. Before he even realized it, Linton had ceased regarding the demon known as Catherine as an ordinary foe.
Perhaps that was why even her slightest gestures felt so intensely electric.
“Oh my. There's dust on your cheek... Allow me.”
“N-no, that is quite unnecessary... Ah.”
“Right here... There we go. Hehe, it seems you've been working terribly hard on your expedition.”
Pinching the dust between her fingertips, Catherine gave a soft puff, blowing it away with her breath.
Unable to treat such intimacy lightly, Linton lowered his burning face and voiced his earnest concern.
“A grown woman ought not to behave so forwardly.”
“Pardon?”
“I am a man, after all. When you close the distance without hesitation, how could I not become conscious of it?”
In the heat of the moment, sharing a bed could easily result in a child; the bond between a man and a woman was something sacred, to be approached with the utmost solemnity. Having been raised under such strict aristocratic teachings, Linton couldn't help reacting with unease whenever she acted so casually uninhibited. If she were to behave like this toward any man other than himself, and someone approached her with dark intentions, it would lead to nothing short of disaster.
“It's not as though I do this for just anyone.”
Her reply, however, defied all his worries.
“What...?”
“It's because it's you, Sir Linton.”
Gazing softly into his eyes, her expression deep and tender, a delicate flush crept across Catherine's cheeks—as though she were terribly shy about what she was confessing.
“After all, when such a wonderful gentleman gives me his attention, how could my heart not be drawn to him?”
Thump, thump.
The pounding of his heart grew heavier.
The more he gazed upon her—especially in the solace found after such harrowing trials—the more he felt his reason unraveling. Yes, to a woman so profoundly gentle and caring, Linton had fallen utterly, hopelessly deep.
“Ah, Sir Linton! You've returned! Did you make any progress this time?”
“Yes. I managed to discover some food ingredients inside a dungeon chest.”
“How wonderful! I actually know how to cook. If you'd like, shall I prepare something for you?”
“Cook... for me?”
“Please, don't feel burdened. My role here is to look after those who visit. So... there, all finished! Say ahhh~”
“I-I can feed myself!”
To an onlooker, they surely appeared like an ideal pair of lovers. If her words rang true, she wouldn't do this for just anyone. Yes, perhaps she truly viewed him as someone special.
If so, how ought he to answer her affections?
Placed here merely to drag out an adventurer's despair, she was unequivocally his enemy—yet how was a man striving to conquer this dungeon supposed to treat her?
Psssssh.
Caught up in his inner turmoil, he failed to notice a trap until it was too late.
Swallowing a particularly dense cloud of gas, Linton felt his body flare up with an unprecedented heat, his mind turning stark white as he stumbled blindly back toward her sanctuary. Instinct screamed at him. This is dangerous. I must see her. Right now.
“Haah, haah...”
“Sir Linton? Are you all right?”
Yes, in that feverish haze, Linton's raw instincts fixated entirely upon her. To extinguish the burning fire consuming his flesh, he had to take her.
“Sir... Linton?”
Placing both hands upon Catherine's shoulders, Linton stared into her eyes, breathless. Yet he could not press forward any further. Despite the primal urge driving him, he had no inkling of what to actually do next.
What... am I supposed to do? What comes after this...?
How was he supposed to act upon this burning desire directed at her? How was he supposed to relieve the stifling ache throbbing between his thighs?
“Sir Linton...”
As Catherine met his gaze, she suddenly looked away, her voice trembling with fright.
“You're... scaring me...”
For the first time, the woman who had always welcomed him with radiant warmth showed genuine fear toward him.
The sight snapped Linton back to his senses. Pulling his hands away from her shoulders in a panic, he stammered out an apology.
“I-I am so sorry! The poison gas hasn't cleared, and I lost my head...”
“Ah, yes, I understand. These things happen when you trigger a trap. If you rest here for a bit, you'll feel much better.”
“Y-yes... Thank you...”
His body was still on fire; if he let his guard down for a single moment, his consciousness threatened to slip away. Perhaps because the poison was so potent, even the lake's healing waters offered no relief.
“Here, drink this. It should help soothe your body a little.”
Yet seeing her tender care as she offered him warm tea, Linton felt immensely comforted, his feelings for her only deepening. Surely, there must be something he could do for a woman who treated him with such boundless devotion.
“Lady Catherine... why are you in a place like this? Do you have some kind of circumstance?”
“A circumstance?”
“Yes. You simply do not strike me as someone who belongs in a dungeon...”
“...Who knows? I'm not entirely sure myself.”
“You... don't know?”
“When I came to, I was already here. With nowhere else to go, I signed a contract, and I've simply been working here doing as that person commands.”
Coercion. Uncertainty. And emptiness...
Even a mere glimpse of her plight weighed heavily upon his heart, yet a soft smile still graced her lips.
“Still, I don't think it's all bad. Being here means I get to meet wonderful gentlemen like you, Sir Linton.”
Ah, what a selfless, radiant soul.
Surely, before losing her memories, she must have been a saintly maiden. And the monster who abducted such a gentle being to use as dungeon labor had to be vile beyond measure.
“I must be going.”
“My? Shouldn't you rest a little longer?”
“No. I now have one more reason to conquer this dungeon.”
Yes. If he conquered this place, he could lead her out into the light.
Driven by that fierce yearning, Linton dragged his weary body forward, slaughtering every foe in his path and braving every trap with a single conviction etched into his soul.
Defeat the Dungeon Master. Retrieve the core. And take her away from this place.
Yes, so long as the fighting spirit blazing within his breast remained true, it was a vow he would surely fulfill.
Crash!
But such reckless bravado was destined to shatter against an insurmountable wall.
Upon reaching the Dungeon Deep Layer, Linton was sent flying by a crushing strike from the golem barring his way, feeling his will to fight buckle under sheer force.
This golem... is strong.
A female-type golem clad in a maid uniform. Though she bore the delicate visage of a slender woman, the combat power she unleashed was nothing short of monstrous. Strength, technique, reflexes, battle sense... Everything within him screamed that he was completely outmatched.
“Out of my way! I...!”
Even so, Linton refused to yield.
If he gave up here, she would never escape this wretched dungeon. The only one who could save her was him—the man who burned with passion for her.
“I swear I will take her and walk out of this place alive!!”
His burning resolve manifested into a raging burst of aura, surging violently toward the golem.
Yet even that was mercilessly pulverized by a swinging fist, followed by a vicious kick straight to his gut that slammed him down onto the cold stone floor.
“Guh-ack!”
A devastating blow that rendered any defense meaningless. He tried desperately to resist the crushing weight bearing down on him, but his battered body could take no more, and his consciousness sank into the dark abyss.
Catherine... I... I will surely...
A regretful murmur never uttered aloud.
As that unspoken vow echoed into the dark, Linton drifted into unconsciousness. But it was only for a moment; before long, his senses returned, and he realized he was still alive.
He hadn't died? Had he somehow survived that encounter?
“Haah, ahhhn~♥”
Then, Catherine's voice drifted into his ears. Clinging to a desperate glimmer of hope, Linton immediately turned his eyes toward the sound.
Perhaps Catherine had come to his rescue. Believing wholeheartedly that she, too, longed for him to conquer this dungeon—
“Ahhn~♥ Yes~ Harder~~♥♥”
But what met his eyes was—
Her figure, rolling her hips atop another man, panting in wanton ecstasy.
“Haaahng~♥ Master~ I love your cock so much~~♥ Please, make a complete mess of me with your own hands~~♥♥”
The look painted across her face—an expression of raw, breathless rapture she had never once shown to him—
Cruelly proved that her deepest desires were being fulfilled by another man entirely.