Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Squirm, squirm.
The Skeleton went into the tunnel.
And then it died.
So that was it?
Quest complete?
Were we supposed to go back to the Guild and say, “We sent in a Skeleton, and it really died!” and collect thirty silver coins?
That felt a little cheap.
So I made a suggestion to Yuna.
“What if we send a few more in?”
“Should we?”
Yuna summoned three Skeletons and ordered them into the tunnel.
Watching them crawl in one after another somehow looked a little cute.
A little later, Yuna pouted.
“They all died…”
“Can you tell how far they got? Or what’s inside?”
Yuna shook her head.
“I can only tell how badly they’re damaged. But this time, there wasn’t even a process. They just died.”
So…
Instant death?
What the hell was in there?
If even undead died, it probably wasn’t poison.
If the tunnel collapsed, instant death would make sense.
But only collapsing whenever someone entered?
That felt too deliberate.
I couldn’t even guess.
Yuna looked at me.
“Want to try more?”
“You sure? Don’t overdo it. We’ve technically completed the request already.”
“Overdo it? I’m just summoning.”
Yuna summoned even more Skeletons and sent them into the tunnel.
How many could she summon, exactly?
There had to be a limit on simultaneous summons.
And now that I thought about it, I’d never once seen Yuna complain about running out of mana.
Still…
Watching the Skeletons march into the tunnel in a line felt like ants returning home.
Then—
Crack!
A pile of shattered bones burst out of the tunnel.
But it wasn’t just bones.
Something soft and slimy shot out too.
Slime…?
Tentacles?!
The tentacles immediately rushed toward us.
“Eek!”
“What the hell?!”
I drew my sword, but I couldn’t react in time.
Why are they so fast?!
The next thing I knew, both of us were tightly bound.
Ugh…
This felt gross—
Actually… no, it didn’t?
But the tentacles were ridiculously strong.
I couldn’t move at all.
If they tightened any more, it felt like they’d crush me.
“What is this?!”
Yuna struggled beside me.
I tried to break free too—
But stopped.
Because standing in front of us was a girl I’d never seen before.
A noble-looking red dress.
Long golden hair.
She was stunningly beautiful.
But in this dark forest, her elegance felt so out of place that it only made her more unsettling.
With an angry face, she spoke.
“This is excessive rudeness… Throwing trash into my palace?”
“Who are you?!”
“That’s what I should be asking. Who are you?”
I lowered my gaze.
And then I saw it.
The tentacles binding us—
They were extending from her feet.
What the hell…
A monster?
Yuna saw it too and started trembling in fear.
At the same time, three Skeletons appeared behind the woman.
Huh?
Wait.
Was Yuna acting?
Pretending to be scared while attacking from behind…
That was surprisingly calm and clever.
Good.
Then I should distract her.
I quickly spoke.
“I’m sorry! Are you perhaps nobility?! We had no idea someone lived here! May I ask your name?”
“…Hmm?”
The woman stared at me with glowing eyes.
Glowing eyes…
That was the best way to describe it.
But looking into them felt like staring into a bottomless swamp.
I’d once heard that a master liar could even deceive themselves.
Maybe I’d reached that level.
I was trembling, acting terrified.
Though honestly—
I was actually terrified.
At this point, I felt like I might wet myself for real.
Yuna!
Do something!
As if answering my prayers, the Skeletons swung their swords from behind.
And Yuna squeezed her eyes shut, just like when she decapitated Goblins.
Meaning—
I was the only one here watching.
At least, I should have been.
But—
New tentacles burst out from the woman’s back and destroyed all three Skeletons in one strike.
Yuna’s eyes widened.
“Wait…?”
But the woman—
No, the monster—
Didn’t look offended at all.
Instead, she slowly spoke to me.
“My name is Melaim. Try saying it.”
“Melaim… ma’am?”
This is really bad.
…Just grovel.
If not for these tentacles, I’d be flat on the ground already.
The monster called Melaim nodded in satisfaction after hearing her name.
“Yes. I am the noble Doppelganger, Melaim.”
“A Doppelganger… what do you mean…”
A Doppelganger?
That was a legendary monster.
Yuna tilted her head at the word.
Did she not know?
No—
Maybe she just couldn’t believe it.
Of course, I’d never heard that Doppelgangers had the combat power of other legendary monsters like Dragons or Balrogs.
But their unique abilities were enough to throw entire kingdoms—no, the whole continent—into chaos.
A Doppelganger could perfectly reproduce the memories and appearance of any human it consumed.
There were countless rumors about kings and nobles secretly being Doppelgangers.
Wait.
Then did that mean this appearance—
Belonged to someone she’d eaten?
So the original owner of that face…
Was dead?
Melaim, the Doppelganger, continued calmly.
“Hard to believe, isn’t it? I know how humans view creatures like Doppelgangers.”
She stepped forward.
At the same time, her body twisted and squirmed—
And in an instant, she transformed into a cheerful huntress.
“How about now? Easier to believe?”
Melaim now looked like a tanned woman with bright eyes, an athletic body, and a charming smile.
Even her tone of voice changed instantly.
Maybe that was why—
Or maybe because it belonged to someone dead—
But even though it was pleasant to hear, it sent chills down my spine.
…Wait.
She even copied the bow and clothes?
Seeing that, I had no choice but to believe she was truly a Doppelganger.
Yuna looked amazed, like she was watching a circus.
“Wow!”
Then she quickly shut her mouth.
Suppressing my trembling, I slowly spoke.
“Um… were you living down there? We’re very sorry. We had no idea this was your home, Lady Melaim.”
“I’m sorry as well.”
Both Yuna and I lowered our heads.
Melaim returned to her original form—
The blonde woman in the red dress.
“To be precise, my palace is the cavern beneath that tunnel. It’s very deep. Quite a few humans have fallen and died there. I ate them. They were delicious.”
So that was it.
The Skeletons had fallen too.
That made sense.
Yuna had only ordered them to go inside.
And Skeletons would’ve kept walking even if there was a hole.
Poor things.
They must’ve marched straight to their deaths.
“Then… you didn’t actually harm them yourself?”
Melaim smiled chillingly.
“The rude ones who threw torches into my home? I killed them myself.”
Ah.
Right.
Any adventurer trying to explore the tunnel would’ve crawled in with a torch.
And if they found a drop—
They’d naturally throw the torch down to check.
Perfectly reasonable.
I would’ve done the same.
But instead, I put on a look of outrage and shouted,
“That’s arson! Even under human law, setting fire to someone’s home is punishable by death!”
Sorry, adventurers.
The living have to survive.
From Melaim’s perspective, we were the idiots who dumped Skeletons into her house.
We had to calm her down somehow.
Melaim smiled, apparently pleased by my desperate effort.
“You are a polite one.”
“As soon as we return, we’ll make sure the Guild prevents such rude behavior in the future!”
So please don’t kill us.
Yuna nodded beside me as if agreeing.
Melaim touched her lips thoughtfully.
Please don’t be licking your lips…
“Hm… there were indeed adventurers sent here by the Guild before. Are you one as well?”
“Yes!”
…Did she really inherit the memories of the people she ate?
She knew about the Guild and quests.
So probably.
After thinking for a while, Melaim spoke.
“I’ve decided.”
I swallowed hard.
Decided what?
Whether to let us live?
“This one shall become an adventurer as well.”
“…What?”
“You will serve me well from now on.”
Me?
No thanks!
But my mouth gave a completely different answer.
“Of course!”
I don’t want to!
…
At the Guild, as always, Miss Aira worked diligently.
Checking subjugation proofs.
Managing quest records.
Distributing rewards.
And…
Registering new adventurers.
Aira smiled brightly and asked the newcomer standing before her,
“May I have your name?”
The new adventurer lifted her chin proudly and answered,
“My name is Melaim.”