Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Ancient Ruins Arben (2)
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"I'll pair up with Rion. I've spent way more time with her than you have."
"What? That's so unfair! Let's decide it fairly with a coin toss!"
"It says to prove your friendship. Why are you trying to prove your luck instead?"
Why did her uneasy premonition always have to hit the mark?
Watching those two kids bicker over a few measly seconds of holding hands was already giving her a headache.
"Hey, doesn't it just say we need to pair up and hold hands? Why are you dragging this out?"
"That's what I'm saying..."
It was a baffling scene for Sion and Linie, but for Cloe and Edella, this was the most crucial moment imaginable.
Who got to pair with Rion here would decide who could claim her from now on—a battle for dominance, plain and simple.
"...Fine, let's just pair up—you and me."
"Huh? M-Me and you, Linie?!"
'I just wanna pair with Cloe...'
Unlike the hero and Olivia's case, Sion didn't dislike Linie.
Linie wasn't one to enjoy chatting with others, so she rarely initiated conversations with Sion.
That alone was reason enough for Sion not to dislike her.
Of course, that didn't mean the two were on friendly terms, either.
Linie despised Sion.
[What the hell are you doing?]
[Huh? N-Nothing?]
[...Filthy bastard...!]
Back in the subjugation party days, Sion had earned all sorts of misunderstandings from Linie.
Rumors like enjoying killing, not caring for comrades, conducting horrific experiments, thinking only of her own safety—none of them flattering.
And her terribly clumsy way with words did nothing to clear them up.
"Wait just a sec, hic!"
"Hold still, it'll be over quick."
Linie grabbed Sion's hand as if intercepting it, staring at the girl who looked ready to yank it free and bolt.
'Is this girl really Sion?'
She looked like just another cute kid on the surface.
But inside? A grand archmage aged decades, if not centuries.
'Does this even make sense...?'
No matter how good her acting, could she really fool her this thoroughly?
Or had she herself completely misjudged?
'No, don't waver.'
No matter who it was, not even Sion could fool her demon eyes.
So that had to be the real deal.
"Hey, see those two?"
Shaking off her rattled thoughts, Linie pointed at the pair fighting over who got to pair with Sion.
"No matter which side you pick, it'll be noisy. Better off with me, right?"
"...Y-Yeah, true..."
In the end, while those two squabbled, Linie seized the chance.
"Ehh? Linie, that's not fair!"
"...Quick on the draw."
Linie bore the full brunt of their resentful glares.
'I don't exactly love pairing with her either, you know?'
Of course, Linie felt utterly wronged.
"Tch, hurry up and grab on."
"..."
And so the pairs formed: Sion with Linie, Cloe with Edella.
With the Friendship Room's condition met, the group was sure they could move to the next room...
They only broke through the Friendship Room after exhausting all three chances.
"You know... we could've just done it right the first time..."
"...As if it'd go that smoothly."
With all chances used up, the final condition was for the pairs to hug.
'Did I do something that bad to deserve this much hate...?'
'Ugh... gross.'
Linie endured extreme disgust hugging Sion, whom she loathed.
'Why her and not Rion...'
'Tch, so much for imperial dignity.'
The other pair wasn't faring much better.
"We've come this far—let's blast through the rest as fast as we can. There's gotta be a way, right Rion?"
"Of course... This room is..."
[Prove your wisdom.]
This was the Wisdom Room.
Of course, judging by the Friendship Room, it might not simply test wisdom.
"No way it's another one like the last room, right?"
"It's not like that..."
Thankfully, it wasn't.
"This room... you pass by answering five questions the dungeon gives correctly in a row."
She'd thought the Wisdom Room would be tough, but the condition was straightforward.
"Huh, easier than I thought."
"Leave this to me! I've mastered every genius education course in the imperial palace!"
"I'm no good with brainy stuff..."
Linie and Edella brimmed with confidence.
Watching Cloe wilt at the word "wisdom," Sion could already picture what was coming.
'No way she'll get it right anyway...'
Arben's underground dungeon offered great rewards but was notoriously vicious without strategies—you could spend all day lost.
The Friendship Room alone required holding hands—an absurd condition if you didn’t know the clear strategy.
And this Wisdom Room above all...
[First question. Arben's founding king, Ed Arben, had six children. Who among them ascended to the throne next?]
...was arguably the most maliciously designed of the four rooms.
"...How the hell are we supposed to know that?"
"Arben's imperial family tree? Stuff like this never shows up in imperial genius education!"
Even elves who'd lived centuries and the empire's princess schooled in elite knowledge could only stomp in frustration.
"Correct answer: Edid Arben."
[Correct.]
Of course, if you had the answers memorized, no problem.
She'd slaved over them back in the day.
"What? How'd you know that?"
"As expected of Rion... amazing!"
[Second question. Arben's art style—]
"Correct answer: Arventina Orveroc."
[Correct.]
"...Didn't the question even finish?"
"Huh?"
[Third question—]
"Correct answer: Yulow."
[Correct.]
Thanks to Sion nailing the answers before the questions even finished, they breezed through the Wisdom Room.
Having cleared the Friendship and Wisdom Rooms, Sion's group easily conquered the next, the Courage Room.
It would've been a pain without the strategies, but Sion knew them all, so they progressed smoothly.
Only the Trust Room remained. The group waited for Sion to spill the strategy as always.
"The Trust Room here... ugh..."
But this time, the words stuck in Sion's throat.
[Prove your trust.]
"...Like the Friendship Room, pairs share their biggest secret with each other."
This Trust Room tested how much pairs trusted one another—even enough to bare their deepest shames.
'The problem is... my biggest secret...'
Sion was currently hiding that she was the grand archmage Sion.
A secret she couldn't easily spill to Linie, Edella, or even Cloe.
'Ugh, why'd I forget this condition...!'
Recalling the Trust Room's requirement too late, Sion regretted coming to these ruins.
"...Our biggest secret, huh."
Watching her, Linie saw this as a golden opportunity.
'A perfect chance to confirm if she's Sion or not...'
Though she doubted Sion would pair with her this time.
True to form or acting, this Sion seemed endlessly timid.
Pushing might work, but still...
"Princess, you and me this time."
"Huh? I want Rion..."
"Hurry—up."
"Eek! Wait, let go!"
As old comrades, she'd show some mercy.
"Then I'll pair with Rion."
"N-No... Cloe, hold on... I need to mentally prepare..."
The moment Linie grabbed Edella's hand, an opaque barrier enveloped them.
No sound leaked out, so it was clearly for soundproofing.
"Tch, I wanted to pair with Rion..."
"You could see she was freaking out. You'd do fine together."
Linie had to rush to Elnora Forest—no time to waste, even a little.
Cloe, who'd spent plenty of time with her, would let Sion open up easily.
So this time, she and the princess made sense.
"Let's make a promise: everything that happens in this dungeon stays secret to the grave."
"Music to my ears."
The biggest secrets could be fatal weaknesses if exposed.
The elves' grand elder and the empire's princess—their secrets could doom entire nations.
With soul contracts sealed between them, spilling secrets would now cost their lives.
"I-I'll go first... I... drew a map on my bed sheets when I was 14!"
"Uh... okay..."
With safeguards in place, Edella revealed her greatest shame.
Though it was pretty out-of-left-field.
Linie shared her own biggest secret with Edella.
"I hate elves."
"...Pardon?"
To Edella, it was startling in a whole different way.