The Dungeon's Hope (1)
It seemed the magi that had gathered in the laboratory were not the full spectrum of those in this dungeon. Scattered here and there, they began to appear one after another.
— Bang!
— Kuek!
Still, Elise showed no hesitation whatsoever.
After all, what could possibly annoy a Death Knight recognized as the worst across the entire continent?
Even the magi that had looked like humans—eight arms sprouting from its body, crawling around like a spider—had been no match for her.
The magi could be disregarded, but there was one fact that left a bitter aftertaste in Elise’s heart.
This dungeon was not filled with only the hideous magi.
The victims of Zern Cormier’s cruel experiments—those confined here, reduced to terrible states—occasionally appeared before her eyes.
People with three arms.
People whose hair had all fallen out, their bodies like corpses.
People whose bodies had been fused together from magi parts.
Their forms were far too wretched to be called human.
For the people who had lost their lives entirely to the experiments, the only thing Elise could offer was one thing—peace.
***
Whenever magi appeared, she would destroy them.
For the victims of the experiments, she granted them death without damaging their bodies.
How long had she been repeating this?
Finally, after rummaging through every corner of the room, Elise found the space she had been looking for.
The space she had found was a massive warehouse.
Compared to the other rooms, this one had an extremely high ceiling and was very spacious.
In front of the warehouse stood various weapons, and at the back were arranged chemical reagents.
“…Hmm?”
Despite wearing not a single scrap of clothing, Elise—uninterested in the equipment—had her eyes drawn to something.
The object turned out to be two glass display cases filled with weapons.
A single parchment scroll was spread out on the table in front of the display case, and the contents written on it caught Elise’s attention.
——
Announcement from the Black Cult Council.
Recipient: 3rd-class necromancer Zern Cormier.
Your review of the submitted Death Knight experiment report, tentatively named Ludmilla, is complete.
The individual based on the remains of a Rosenheim family knight obtained from the northern front line of the Empire has shown results exceeding initial predictions in terms of preservation state, wartime combat skill, and mana output.
In accordance with this, the Council hereby approves your request for weapon extraction from the 7th Seal Coffin.
Registration number 727—Morglas, the Dirge Sword.
A dark iron greatsword used by the last Death Knight of the Cult 358 years ago. The command rune engraved on the front of the blade harmonizes with the mana circuit of the Death Knight entity, enhancing the power of the aura blade. Please refer to this.
Registration number 1216—Noir de Serment.
A dark iron barrier plate designed for female Death Knight entities. The last time of use is estimated to be about 1,200 years ago.
It automatically adjusts to the wearer’s body structure and generates a protective shield in response only to the Death Knight’s magi. Please refer to this.
Zern Cormier, the recipient, should familiarize himself with the following precautions.
First. This entity is not your personal possession but a strategic asset of the Cult.
You will be notified that if you use the experimental entity without Council permission or perform unreported modifications, your granted authority will be immediately revoked.
Second. The mind-binding magic appears to be incomplete, so please pay attention to this.
Third. Within three days of the entity’s awakening, conduct a battle suitability test with the weapons you have delivered and submit the results to the Council.
That is all. The silent scribe has notified you.
——
After a quick scan of the parchment, Elise’s gaze turned back to the glass display case.
Inside the case, two weapons were neatly arranged.
A black greatsword wrapped in bandages with rune-engraved triangular blades.
And a dark-colored armor that boasted exposure levels worthy of a swimsuit.
Next to it, shoulder guards, gauntlets, and greaves that rose to the thighs were included as well.
“The rune blade and the barrier plate.”
Elise fixed her gaze on the expensive items she had only heard rumors about, as if they were something novel.
Her gaze lingered for a moment.
“…So what? There’s no need for them anyway.”
Muttering, Elise shifted her steps.
It was certainly a precious weapon worth drawing attention.
However, for Elise, who had decided to end her life along with this dungeon, it held little meaning.
After leaving the section where the weapons were arranged, Elise entered the area where the chemical reagents were displayed.
“Found it.”
As Elise wandered between the chemical reagents, she finally located the item she had been searching for.
Elephant oil.
The item Elise had been looking for throughout the dungeon was oil.
It was filled to capacity in a massive drum that could hold at least 160 liters.
With this amount, Elise smiled contentedly, thinking it would be more than enough to burn the entire dungeon to ash.
— Slurp, slurp, slurp.
Elise made a very small hole in the lid of the drum and pulled it along with one hand. Oil seeped out from the hole and spread silently through the warehouse.
Leaving the warehouse while dragging the drum in one hand, Elise wandered aimlessly through the dungeon corridors.
From the first path she had taken to every corner of the paths she had already passed.
How long had it been since she had been spreading the oil throughout the dungeon while pulling the drum?
— Clunk.
The drum emitted a hollow sound.
Feeling the drum lighten, Elise threw it down anywhere.
Now it was time to light the fire.
It would oxidize to ashes along with this cursed body.
Elise entered a random room in the dungeon to find a match and opened the door.
But—
“…Huh?”
An unexpected sight greeted her eyes.
“O-ing?”
In the room was a single slender girl engaged in knitting, locked inside.
***
Elise had seen many people sacrificed as experimental entities, but this was the first time she had encountered such a young girl.
The saddest fact was that the child’s appearance was far from safe.
Her face lacked color, and her hair was half gone.
Moreover, a thin hose was inserted into the child’s left arm.
Seeing the child’s wretched state, a surge of anger rose in one corner of Elise’s chest.
Did it mean that even the barest morality did not exist in Zern’s dungeon?
Since the person who needed to vent that anger had already been exhausted, Elise calmed her rage and approached the girl before her.
“Wah—! The gods heard my prayer! Thank you, gods!”
As Elise approached the girl, an unexpected reaction popped out.
“…Huh? Prayer?”
Elise was momentarily bewildered by the child’s reaction, which was far too cheerful compared to her appearance.
“Y-yes! Two days ago, Zern-nim told me that my remaining lifespan was only three days! So before closing my eyes, I prayed to the gods to make a friend! And an unnie appeared—!”
“F-friend…?”
“Y-yes—! A friend! A friend! And such a pretty unnie! The gods really listened to my prayer—!”
Elise was taken aback by the child’s extremely cheerful reaction.
But she quickly regained her composure and decided to go along with the girl’s lively mood, which had nothing to do with the gloomy dungeon.
“…Good. My name is Elise von Rosenheim. What’s yours?”
“Wah—! Your name is so pretty, unnie! Um, I, I…”
Elise was bewildered by the child’s hesitant reaction about revealing her name.
“E, actually, I don’t have a name. Zern-nim only called me ‘little one.’”
“…What? You don’t have a name…?”
Taken aback by the unexpected answer, Elise could not hide her confusion again.
After hesitating for a moment.
“N-no… Um, just call me little one. Elise unnie—!”
The little one returned to being a cheerful girl.
“…Hehe, okay little one. What should we play?”
“Y-yes?! Actually, I only prayed to the gods for a friend, and I didn’t decide what to play—!”
Elise’s question made the little one scratch her head.
“…And because I can’t leave the room because of this thing, hehe…”
Then the little one raised the thin hose connected to her left arm and smiled awkwardly.
While listening to the little one, Elise carefully examined the transparent hose.
There had clearly been traces of liquid flowing, but now there was no sign that anything was being injected or drained.
Elise made her judgment, grabbed the hose connected to the little one with both hands, and—
— Tock.
She snapped the transparent hose connecting to the little one, freeing her.
“U, uwa—! Amazing, unnie—!”
The little one could not hide her surprise at Elise’s action.
“Hehe, it’s nothing special. Now, shall we go out and play together?”
“Hehe, I’m so happy! We can read fairy tale books, look at interesting things, and finish the scarf—!”
The little one waved her arms around and expressed her joy of freedom.
The little one jumping around happily warmed one corner of Elise’s heart, and she smiled without realizing it.
“Eh?”
Then suddenly, her legs gave way, and the little one sat down on the spot.
“H-hehe… Because I’ve been sitting for so long, my legs must be weak…”
Elise’s heart ached at the little one’s words.
To be unable to walk properly while locked in one corner of the room like this.
How pitiful.
But there was no time to grieve.
Without delay, Elise carried the seated little one in her arms like a princess.
“U, uwa—! You’re not heavy? Elise unnie—?!”
“Of course. This unnie is stronger than she looks?”
“Wah—! I love it, unnie! Your skin is so soft, and it feels good! Your chest is super big! Hehe…”
“T-this is not something you say…”
While being carried in princess style, the little one touched Elise’s upper body, making Elise’s face blush slightly.
Even so, it felt like her lost humanity was returning through the playful girl’s actions.
A breeze blew through the withered heart of Elise, and at the same time, an important goal was born for her.
She had to grant this child the greatest happiness.