14. Variable
14. Variable
"Your Highness, could you please come here for a moment?"
At those words, Bella approached me, though she looked reluctant.
And when I pointed to the door in front of us, Bella stared at it.
"A password... perhaps...?"
Bella stepped closer as if to get a better look. Then, a change occurred on the door.
[Highest-level user verified. We greet the one who possesses the Great Blood.]
A crackling voice. Yet, it rang out clearly throughout the entire room.
With those words, the door opened on its own. The complex formulas and symbols all vanished, and it had become an automatic door.
Bella wore a bewildered expression at the situation.
She looked at me as if demanding an answer, but I just shrugged.
"I don't know either. Shall we head forward for now?"
In the next room, there was a giant cube. It was twisted as if challenging us to solve it, but the moment Bella touched it, it aligned itself, and the door to the next room opened.
The next room, and the one after that, were the same.
All sorts of bizarre and strange things. There were formulas that gave me a headache just looking at them, and even nonsense riddles, but they were all useless. Since the doors opened automatically whenever Bella approached.
Bella seemed to feel something was suspicious about the situation, but she couldn't grasp exactly what was happening.
'Is it really okay for it to be this easy...?'
Originally, this place has quite a high difficulty level.
Imperial Secret Laboratory.
A laboratory that the first Emperor who founded the Empire secretly built in his later years to extend his own life. It's safe to say that almost no one in the Empire knows of its existence.
As such, the difficulty was brutal. Even back in my gaming days, there were many times people would curse up a storm, asking if this was even meant to be beaten, and the general consensus was that since the puzzle answers weren't fixed and kept changing, the best answer was just not to do it.
'I really spent days and nights grinding to beat this.'
I looked at Bella in front of me. This time, Bella was standing in front of a bizarre painting. In front of the painting were art supplies like brushes and paint, as if challenging us to complete it.
'Ah, that.'
I remember seeing it. It's a gimmick where you complete an unfinished painting, but in reality, the painting is a trap; no matter how you draw it, a monster pops out of the painting and initiates combat.
I strained my eyes, preparing for any possible situation. However, rendering that preparation futile, Bella picked up a brush, made a single stroke, and the painting crumbled into ash and disappeared.
Bella tilted her head at the sight but headed toward the open door. I followed Bella, feeling a sense of inexplicable emptiness.
As Bella and I kept walking, what we saw was a dense forest.
"A forest...?"
The moment Bella muttered that, a voice was heard.
[Survive....]
The voice only said that, and then no other sound was heard.
Bella still had a confused expression, but I didn't.
My face went pale in an instant.
'We're screwed.'
The Imperial Secret Laboratory is mostly composed of gimmicks and puzzles. Because of that, the rooms change randomly to prevent cheesing. And the rooms contain not just gimmicks or puzzles, but also, albeit rarely, combat elements.
I looked around. As I gazed at the place filled with dense trees, I saw countless red lights. Looking closer, I saw monkey-like monsters watching us.
I lowered my head and looked at the grass. That place, too, was filled with red lights. I looked at the sky. It was red. Everywhere I looked, it was all red.
'What the hell...'
A hidden dungeon isn't called a hidden dungeon for nothing.
Feeling horrified, I grabbed the Princess and pulled her.
"What...!"
"This is no time for that!"
The Princess tried to shake off my hand, but at my firm attitude, she opened her eyes wide and obediently let herself be dragged by me.
I ran toward the place with the least amount of red light. My body, which hadn't fully healed yet, screamed, but I desperately ignored it and ran.
'There's still time.'
Wild monsters don't rashly attack humans. Monsters living in the wild basically act with extreme caution. Even if they defeat an opponent, if they get injured, other monsters will prey on them. That's why they don't attack unless they are sure of their opponent.
'Though, I'm that "sure opponent," of course.'
It's a hidden dungeon. I haven't figured out exactly what kind of monsters they are, but they will definitely be powerful. At our current level, avoiding them is the best policy.
But the monsters don't know that. To them, Bella and I must be strange creatures that suddenly popped out. That's why they were just watching and staying wary, and not a single monster approached.
That's why now is crucial. We must hide in the safest place possible while the monsters are still wary.
I focused my eyes and looked around.
'Please... please....'
If my memory is correct, there is definitely a safe spot on this field. Of course, it's not a completely safe place, but at least it's not swarming with monsters.
I ran around for a long time while holding Bella's hand. Then, Bella shook off my hand and said.
"Wait! Where on earth are you going? You need to at least explain so I can listen."
At those words, I looked around. On the surface, it looks fine. But in my eyes, I could clearly see the vivid red markers. There's no time for this. We have to move even now. We have to get out of their line of sight.
"There's no time for..."
"No, I need to hear it. It's been strange since earlier. What were those rooms, and the cube and the painting are all suspicious. Just what are you?"
Princess Bella's eyes are looking at me. A gaze that seems to be interrogating the truth.
I looked at Bella. Seeing those eyes, I intuited that I couldn't just drag her along like this.
"Hoo...."
I looked around. Red markers are still overflowing, but they aren't attacking right now.
Yes, for a moment. Just for a moment.
"This place is the Imperial Secret Laboratory."
"Secret Laboratory? Of the Empire?"
Princess Bella asked as if to confirm if she heard correctly. I nodded at that question.
"I've never even heard of such a thing. A secret laboratory? How can such a massive facility exist in a place I don't know about?"
Of course. I expected this reaction. She's a Princess. And now, she's practically in the position of the Emperor. A position that governs and is involved in everything in the Empire. Yet, it makes no sense for an Imperial facility to exist in a place she doesn't know about.
But what can I do when this is the truth? I really told her the whole truth.
It's natural for her to feel confused. But I can't just stand there and watch...
"Details later..."
"No, I can't believe your words, and if it really is an Imperial facility, that's even more of a problem. How do you know about this when I, the Princess of the Empire, don't?"
The Princess said, looking at me with cold eyes. I looked around. The red markers are getting darker. There's really no time now.
"Right now...."
Just as the Princess was about to say something, a red marker approached Bella. I pushed Princess Bella as if shoving her away.
And at the same time, a monster with a small build appeared. The monkey-like monster rushed at me, holding something sharp in its hand. It was too late to dodge. I gritted my teeth and took the monster's attack.
"Ugh..."
I feel something hot in my stomach. It's only one spot that was stabbed, but my whole body is screaming. However, I can't just stand there stupidly.
I hugged the monster in front of me with both arms. To prevent it from moving anywhere. The monkey-like creature struggled as if flustered, but the more it did, the tighter I hugged it, making it unable to move.
"What are you doing! I'm holding it!"
At those words, Bella, who had been pushed by me, seemed to come to her senses, and she raised the dagger in her hand and stabbed it down toward the monster. The monkey-like monster struggled a few times and then soon went limp.
"Kieeeek...."
I pushed away the limp monster.
I looked at my stomach. A crudely made knife seemed to be stuck in my stomach. A ridiculous sight.
"Hoo...."
Maybe it's the adrenaline, but the pain isn't that great. I looked around. The red markers are still dark. I have to run away right now.
"...Let's move."
At those words, Bella was led by my hand without a word. I tried to ignore the pain rising from my stomach and glanced back. The red markers hadn't disappeared. I need to move a little more, a little more.
How long had I been running?
Before I knew it, I could see the place I was aiming for. Princess Bella is still walking, led by my hand without a word.
"Hoo... hoo...."
My vision is dizzy. I can't see well.
I'm out of breath. Seeing that my stomach area is damp, it seems like blood is flowing.
But I can't stop. I'm almost there.
A small cave appeared in front of my eyes. Seeing that, a laugh came out. It's the place I was aiming for.
'At least monsters don't come out in this place.'
I dragged my body, which was at its limit, and entered it.
I looked around, but no red markers appeared. I felt relieved seeing that. At the same time, perhaps because the tension in my body was released, the strength in my legs gave out just like that.
"Haeil? Haeil Cartis!"
Princess Bella's voice sounds like background music. She's clearly speaking close by, but it sounds like I'm hearing it underwater.
"What is this suddenly, no, in this state until now..."
Bella seemed to be examining my body in shock, but I have no strength left to maintain consciousness.
I lost consciousness just like that.