Chapter 23
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Dragon Lair
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Are you ready?"
"Yes, anytime."
Roselia took a deep breath and slipped off the thick fur gloves she was wearing.
I tossed my own gloves aside as well and placed my palm against her small, pale hand.
This feels really weird... You're not her.
"... Ahem, let's begin then."
At the signal, I first drew up the purest glacial mana from deep within my circle.
At the same time, a golden haze began to rise from Roselia's hand.
Woooong.
The two energies, which had only faintly emanated before, twisted together like tails biting each other, and soon...
A resonance far more intense and vivid than what we'd practiced in the carriage this morning—or any time before—manifested.
The sun's heat didn't melt the glacial chill but embraced it, and the glacial chill didn't cool the sun's heat but cradled it.
Wuuung—!! Woong.
Opposing natures harmonized perfectly, as if they'd always been one, forming a spherical orb.
... It's working.
It wasn't complete yet, but I was certain.
Puzzle pieces fitting together without a hitch.
We'd succeed on the first try.
"Ugh!!"
As if to confirm my certainty, the iridescent aurora orb we'd created grew larger, radiating intense light.
The brilliance was so dazzling I had to squint for a moment.
Finally, as the light subsided, the orb of magic—perfectly blended opposing energies capable of opening the Dragon Lair—revealed itself.
The sphere slowly, almost willfully, took on a key-like shape, so realistic it could pass for one at a glance, slipping from our control.
"Ah...!"
The key passed through the ice wall without resistance and flowed outward.
Crossing the water without hesitation, it flew toward the largest, most majestic dragon statue guarding the stone doors.
It landed lightly on the outstretched palm of the statue, as if finding its rightful place.
Kugugugu—!
At that instant, the still lake bottom began to rumble.
With a dull vibration shaking the ground, the massive stone doors—sealed for an unimaginable time—slowly parted to either side.
Kikikik.
The shockwave from the colossal stones' movement rippled through the water toward us.
We watched breathlessly, and when the doors fully opened...
"... What's that?"
"Ha... Truly wondrous."
Not pitch-black darkness, but a mystical blue glow seeped from within.
Even more astonishing, despite the doors being wide open, not a drop of lake water poured in.
As if an invisible transparent barrier blocked the entrance, the water merely lapped at the boundary.
I stared blankly at the scene, unable to explain it with any knowledge—common sense, magic, or even modern science.
"As expected... Dragon magic is truly profound."
Roselia didn't seem greatly surprised, likely because she'd seen this scene in the original story.
Just a touch of awe at witnessing in person what she'd only read as text?
"Wow, the water really isn't coming in? Some kind of barrier, huh."
"They say dragons' barriers can block falling meteors... No exaggeration, it seems."
Putting aside my admiration, I directed an ice orb into the open doorway.
The moment it passed through the transparent membrane, a glass-shattering clang rang out, and the ice wall protecting us shattered completely, enveloping our bodies in a strange floating sensation.
As the momentary dizziness faded and I opened my eyes, dry air—not water—greeted us in a vast corridor.
We slowly adjusted to the awkward buoyancy and gently set foot on the ground.
Looking straight ahead once more, Roselia and I both let out sighs laced with resignation.
"Ha, I expected as much, but no easy path, huh."
"Deeper than I thought... and the air feels off."
Instead of dazzling piles of gold and jewels, an endlessly stretching gray corridor lay before us.
The ceiling loomed impossibly high, and bizarre runes densely carved the walls on both sides.
I couldn't be sure, but if my memory served, those were likely ancient runes.
Anyway, putting analysis aside, I extended my senses fully to scout ahead.
Just a light check for traps or lifeforms...
"... An enormous amount."
"Pardon? What is?"
"Traps and magic circles. Floor, walls, ceiling... densely packed without gaps. Fitting for a dragon's lair—the welcome is brutal."
I'd expected defenses, but the sheer volume exceeded my imagination, leaving me slightly flustered.
I traced the faint mana lines on the floor with my eyes and asked.
"Straight ahead like this?"
"Yes, should be. According to the... ancient tome's information, only those who press forward without flinching in fear can claim the dragons' treasures and shake the continent."
"I see."
Even hearing it now, what nonsense setting.
When was it? Shortly after Roselia de Loen received Dragon Lair info from the possessor and agreed to the contract engagement.
Even as an info provider, taking thirty percent of the treasure felt cheeky.
In a desire to mess with the possessor, I'd questioned her over tea in the glass greenhouse.
Not too seriously, as casually as possible.
How had Her Highness, who'd only known the palace and academy her whole life, learned of Drakenspitze's Dragon Lair?
Roselia had floundered, waving her hands like a mime.
"Ah, the academy! I was rummaging through the academy library and picked up this really old tome, and it was written there!"
She'd brushed it off vaguely like that.
Outwardly like a haughty Seoul girl, but inside, total airhead.
Snapping out of the reminiscence, I stared down the endless corridor.
The trap density was beyond imagination.
Not something you could just dodge carefully.
It required superhuman speed, reflexes beyond human limits, and perfect path prediction simultaneously.
After analysis, I glanced sideways at Roselia.
Alone, no problem breaking through... but...
The issue was matching pace with this fragile princess would turn us both into pincushions or kebabs.
So, only one option.
"Your Highness."
"Yes?"
"Running together would be tough while protecting you. Hard to react to surprises too."
I turned my back and lowered my stance.
"So, I must beg pardon for carrying the noble imperial blood on my back... Is that alright?"
"Eh... Y-Yes?!"
Roselia startled back in shock.
"C-Carry me? On your back? Duke?"
"Yes. Safest and surest way. Stick tight to me, and I'll block any trap."
"B-But... man and woman... and..."
Her face flushed as she hemmed and hawed.
More intense skinship than napping in the carriage, it seemed.
But hesitation aside, now was time for duty over decorum.
She knew her reflexes couldn't navigate that deadly trap field, and my proposal was the only solution.
"Ugh... No choice. Fine."
Roselia sighed deeply in resignation and cautiously approached my back.
"Even if I'm heavy... don't say anything. Just don't mention the weight. Blame the delicious Kaltstein desserts."
"Kh, no worries. Light as a feather—slightly heavier, that's all."
Her arms wrapped around my neck, her warm body pressing against my back.
And the substantial weight at once.
... Sigh, who knew I'd carry another woman before Seria.
I knew it was necessary, but felt sorry toward Seria anyway.
Plus, whatever the desserts' appeal, she weighed more than she looked.
Above all, the constant heavy sensation on my back drew every male instinct—and Sword Master's keen senses—rearward, making me briefly wonder if separate movement was safer.
"... Whew, let's go."
I took a deep breath, firmly supporting her thighs and steadying my posture.
"Hold tight. Careful not to bite your tongue."
"Yes, got it!"
"Here we go."
Paat—!
I kicked off the floor and shot forward.
Kwaang—!
Simultaneously, the marble floor where I'd stood exploded with a roar.
"Kyaaak!"
"Kuh!"
Roselia's sharp scream burst from my back, her arms clamping my neck like a vice, but I didn't falter my breathing.
Landing, I kicked off again without pause.
Pang—!
This time, a volley of blue-glowing arrows rained from the side walls.
Damn, obviously not ordinary arrows.
The prickling on my skin suggested dual enchantments: paralyzing poison and explosion magic on the tips.
Lethal weapons that could turn you into a vegetable on a graze.
Of course, their trajectories were crystal clear to my eyes—no issue dodging.
Three right, five left. Upper one's a feint.
Without slowing, mindful of Roselia on my back, I twisted my torso fluidly.
Whistling winds grazed my ears as arrows narrowly missed my clothes and embedded in the walls.
Peobeobung!
Chain explosions rocked the corridor.
Choking dust and acrid smoke assaulted my nose, but I pressed on through the haze without stopping.
"D-Duke! What was that just now? Huh? Something whizzed by my ear?!"
"Don't mind it. Keep eyes closed—for your sanity."
"They're already closed! Too scared to open them! Damn it!!"
Roselia mumbled into my back, face buried.
Her heart pounded wildly against me, transmitted fully.
From a normal person's view, this was hellish.
But to me, this trial hallway was just an annoying obstacle course.
Dragon's lair had me tense, but patterns are simpler than expected.
Individually, traps could wound even my body, but their classical placement was textbook dungeon raid.
I scanned the minute rune arrays on the floor, predicting the next trap and stepping accordingly.
But the instant my foot landed, a massive axe blade swung like a pendulum from the ceiling.
"Oh."
I used my momentum to twist and slide along the floor.
Whoosh—!
The chilling blade whistled past my nose.
Roselia's hair tip sheared off slightly, but luckily her head was fine.
"Eek...! W-What was that?!"
"Don't raise your head. It'll get cut."
"C-Cut!? O-Okay! I'll stick to the floor!"
Thus dodging the surprise axe event, minutes into the run...
From the gray corridor's distant end, a faint different air current stirred.
Exit?
No, something felt off for an exit.
Not the sharp killing intent so far, but a heavy, overwhelming mass blocking ahead.
What is it?
I slowed slightly, sharpening my senses.
And as if waiting, faint vibrations climbed through my soles.
At first, I thought it mere trap mechanisms.
Kugugugung!!
But the quakes grew, soon shaking the entire corridor with thunderous roars.
Kururung—!
Like a landslide's massive echo.
"W-What's that noise? Earthquake?!"
Roselia peeked out and asked.
I started to reply but froze upon spotting something ahead.
A colossal shadow emerged from the corridor's dark end.
"Ha, this is insane."
It was a boulder.
Not just any— a monstrous sphere filling ceiling, floor, and walls seamlessly.
Blue-glow on its surface suggested magic reinforcement, spinning ferociously toward us.
Regaining composure, I scanned around.
No escape.
Walls left and right, blocked above and below.
Perfect crushing execution tool.
"W-What's that?! Crazy, why's it rolling?!"
"Calm down. Still a way."
I calmly turned back.
Blocked ahead? Retreat or detour.
But.
Kugugugugu—!
The same vibration from behind.
I slowly turned to check our path.
There too, an identical—or larger—boulder plugged the entrance, rolling terrifyingly fast.
Boulder ahead. Boulder behind.
Trapped rat in a poke.
"Ah... We're screwed."
Roselia's resigned mutter echoed in the empty corridor.
Even then, the two boulders rolled relentlessly to pancake us.
Between the closing walls of despair, I clicked my tongue briefly.
"Didn't see this coming."
Dragon's lair hospitality sure packs a punch.