Cinderella in the Dungeon - 2
Cinderella in the Dungeon - 2
The damp, cold air seeped into her skin.
A musty smell of wet earth wafted from the moss spreading along the walls.
From far off in the distance, an unidentified reverberation could also be heard.
Edel unwittingly swallowed her breath.
This scenery was all too familiar.
A dungeon she had frequented with her companions while completing countless requests.
A space where a single moment of carelessness led to death, and where one could only come out alive by trusting each other's backs.
Even so, a place where numerous people became nameless corpses and vanished from the world.
The reason she felt at ease even while walking through such a place was thanks to having companions by her side.
However, things were different now.
Neither Quixote nor her other companions were here; no one was.
The one taking their place was...
"Now then, shall we step inside?"
"..."
"I'll take the lead. Please follow slowly from behind."
It was only Danilu, the loan shark who had taken her as collateral.
Anxiety tightened a corner of her chest.
He hadn't treated her harshly.
He had prepared pajamas for her, hadn't skimped on meals, and this morning he had even come looking for her to receive treatment.
He was clearly a different person from the cruel figure she had heard about in rumors.
Even so, she couldn't let her guard down.
'I don't know what might happen here.'
This was a dungeon.
An extreme space where lives were on the line.
No matter how calm and rational a person usually was, they could change all they wanted when death loomed right before their eyes.
Pushing someone else away to survive oneself.
Using someone as bait or a meat shield.
Edel had seen such sights more than once or twice after becoming an adventurer.
'Just in case.'
Danilu might also become someone who would make such a choice.
Though he called her precious collateral, in the end, she was merely an existence calculated in money.
A relationship where it wouldn't be strange if he put her in front to use as a meat shield if necessary.
At that thought, Edel unwittingly gripped her robe tightly.
'Let's not let our guard down.'
No matter how kindly he treated her, she couldn't fully trust him.
What she had to do right now was follow behind, keep an eye on the situation, and survive no matter what happened.
After quietly catching her breath, Edel heightened her vigilance and followed Danilu into the dungeon.
"It's dark."
"Shall I cast some light for you?"
"Yes, please."
Illuminating the surroundings, Edel walked behind him.
'Is this person not even scared?'
Even though they were inside a dungeon, there was no hesitation in Danilu's steps.
Just like a person walking down the hallway of their own house.
"...Are you not scared?"
"Hmm?"
"About the dungeon, I mean."
"Ah."
Danilu chuckled softly.
"If I got scared by something like this, how would I make money?"
"Money?"
"Yes. Doing loan shark work, you see all kinds of weird bastards."
"...Ah. That's true."
"Good grief. When borrowing, everyone borrows in a hurry, but when paying back, they take their sweet time."
She couldn't fathom what was inside this man's mind.
A loan shark coming directly into a dungeon without a shred of tension.
She couldn't get a grip on him at all—it was just when she was thinking that.
"Ah, for your information."
Danilu suddenly pointed ahead.
"Pardon?"
"I've taken care of most of the small fry."
"What?"
"I cleared them out over there."
The moment Edel turned her gaze, her breath caught in her throat.
On one side of the passage, corpses of goblins were strewn about carelessly.
One whose limbs were bent in bizarre directions.
One whose chest was caved in deep.
One stuck against the wall, completely motionless.
And... even a goblin whose head was crushed beyond recognition.
Edel unwittingly swallowed her saliva.
"This..."
Her gaze shifted to Danilu's hand.
In his hand, he held a heavy-looking golf club.
"...By yourself?"
"It's nothing much. They were acting up without knowing their place, so I just sorted out the hierarchy a bit."
He tried to move forward, ignoring the fishy stench of blood.
It was at that moment.
Kiiiiik!!
A sharp sound scraping against the cave wall filled the passage.
Rough footsteps followed right after.
Edel's expression instantly hardened.
"...!"
Edel knew that sound all too well.
A sound she had heard until her ears bled while going in and out of dungeons countless times.
Edel reflexively turned her head.
In the darkness, dozens of eyeballs were glaring in this direction all at once.
"Goblins!"
Edel instinctively took a step back.
However, she soon felt something strange.
"They're not ordinary goblins."
They weren't normal specimens.
Their skin was red as blood, and their physiques were larger than typical goblins.
"Red Goblins!"
Red Goblins.
Higher-tier specimens known to be three times faster and three times stronger than ordinary goblins.
They were dangerous monsters that even experienced adventurer parties wouldn't lower their guard against.
"Danilu-ssi!"
Edel hurriedly turned to Danilu and shouted.
"Be careful! Those aren't ordinary goblins!"
However, before her warning could even finish.
The Red Goblins roared in unison and began to charge.
A red wave filling the narrow passage.
As the distance closed in an instant, Edel's heart pounded violently.
'There are too many!'
Strength entered her fingertips as she prepared her magic.
Would they really be able to get through safely this time as well?
It was the moment Edel raised her staff with trembling hands.
"Not a heal, step back."
"Pardon?"
Before she could even turn her head in confusion.
Tap.
Reaching out from behind her back, Danilu's hand pushed her to the side.
"...!"
And in the very next moment.
Kwaaang!!
A deafening burst of sound shook the entire cave.
A roar as if a cannon had exploded.
Dust and gravel scattered in all directions from the shockwave.
"Kyaak!?"
One that had been charging at the very front was flying backward.
The goblin, blown away as if pierced by a spear, tumbled across the floor and slammed into its comrades.
Kudangtang!
Several goblins tumbled together in a heap.
The pack, having lost its leader, shrieked and scrambled backward in confusion.
'With a single kick?'
It was on a completely different level from the kicks of knights or martial artists Edel knew.
An instantaneously exploded power.
And an overwhelming force that even Red Goblins couldn't withstand.
With just that single blow, the momentum of the goblin pack was noticeably broken.
At this rate, they could safely get through this hurdle.
It was the moment she thought so.
Fwwip— something flew over rapidly.
Before she could even dodge, Edel's head reeled.
"Agh!"
Along with a blunt impact brushing her forehead, a burning pain rushed in.
When she brought her hand to it, red blood stained her fingertips.
"...Blood?"
It was a small stone.
Even though it was just a normal rock thrown with full force, her forehead tore open and a stream of blood trickled down.
—Kieeeeek!!!
A sharp roar echoed from deep inside the cave.
As the Red Goblins parted to make a path on both sides, a goblin twice as large revealed itself between them.
Baring yellow fangs, it held a crude sling in its hand.
Only then did Edel understand the situation.
"The boss."
The pack that had fled just now wasn't the end of it.
They had brought back their leader for revenge.
Danilu stared at the sight for a moment, then narrowed the space between his brows.
"Found you."
His voice sank low.
"It's that guy."
"Pardon?"
"The bastard that gave me the wound on my side this morning."
Edel looked at him with wide eyes.
'That goblin did that to Danilu-ssi?'
Which meant the large wound she saw this morning was sustained while fighting that boss.
Danilu let out a sigh and turned his body toward Edel.
"Edel-ssi."
"Y-Yes?"
He gestured with his chin toward a nearby rock.
"Have a seat."
"Pardon?"
"Because I need to treat your head first."
When Edel hesitated, Danilu added briefly.
"I'll handle that guy."
Danilu stared intently at Edel for a moment.
Blood was trickling down her forehead to her cheek.
"..."
Without a word, he reached out his hand.
Edel's body flinched for a moment.
'I'm going to get hit.'
Why didn't you take care of your body as collateral, you stupid bitch?
If you get hurt, my property gets damaged!
She thought she would get slapped across the cheek while hearing such words.
However, what touched her cheek was not a trace of violence.
The cool texture of a leather glove gently brushed past her skin.
"...?"
Surprised, Edel forgot to breathe for a moment.
Danilu was slowly wiping away the blood flowing down her cheek with his gloved hand.
As if trying not to touch the wound, his touch was surprisingly careful.
"These arrogant bastards. How dare they harm my collateral?"
His gaze was already directed toward the leader of the Red Goblins.
"Arrogant bastards."
Edel's heart sank heavily.
'Collateral.'
That single word weighed down on her chest particularly heavily.
It wasn't out of concern for her.
She was merely his collateral, after all.
Property replacing money.
That was why no one else could touch her recklessly.
It was a statement confirming that fact once again.
And yet.
Why was it that the touch conveyed through the glove felt strangely soft?
In the movement wiping away the blood, no rough force could be felt at all.
'Why? Why on earth?'
A cold face, tone of voice, and indifferent expression.
Yet his actions made her feel that he truly cared for her.
Could this really be simply because of money?
Was that all?
Though the glove touching her face was cold, Edel's cheek was gradually growing hot.
Whether it was out of shame.
Or an unexpected sense of relief she hadn't anticipated.
She couldn't tell the reason herself.
"Now then."
Looking at the back of the man standing like a shield in front of her, Edel tightly gripped her own hands.
"Shall I exert some strength?"