Chapter 824: Auden
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 824: Auden
Of course, everything we’ve discussed so far is purely speculation.
Even so, it was information that couldn’t be ignored.
“What should we do? Should we go and confront her directly?”
Since we already know Miriel is Demonkin and an Auden, she won’t be able to simply feign ignorance if we question her.
Besides, we have the ultimate justification: acting for the sole goddess of this world.
“Hmm. No. That doesn’t seem like a very good idea.”
But at my suggestion, Diana shook her head with a thoughtful expression.
“Huh? Why?”
“I’m concerned about where Miriel got the information that the Dungeon and the Demon God are connected. I hope it’s just my overthinking, but perhaps….”
Saying that, Diana furrowed her brow, her expression grave.
“Do you have a hunch?”
“Hmm. It’s not quite a hunch, but Miriel, who grew up as an orphan, knows information that even I only managed to deduce by accompanying you. Perhaps the Arachne Clan has someone affiliated with them who can’t help but know a lot about the Dungeon’s information—no, the Demon God’s information.”
“A reason to know so much about the Demon God?”
“I don’t want to think about it, but I’m talking about someone like a follower of the Demon God who has been hiding for a long time.”
“Someone like that exists?!”
In a world where there are only fervent devotees of the Goddess, there are still psychos who follow the Demon God?
“No. As far as I know, there isn’t. So it’s all just speculation. But it’s not impossible, is it? The idea that a follower of the Demon God found out Miriel’s origins through some means and lured her in. If it weren’t something like that, how else would Miriel have learned about the connection between the Dungeon and the Demon God?”
“That… that’s true.”
“Or there’s the possibility that they know a way to communicate with monsters. If it’s the Arachne Clan, who are striving more than anyone to conquer the deepest parts of the Dungeon and know more of its secrets than anyone else, then perhaps… And through conversation with monsters living directly in the Dungeon….”
As I nodded in agreement, Diana placed a hand on her chin and continuously mumbled something to herself.
No, Diana. Even for you, isn’t that going too far?
It’s not like I haven’t seen them slice up monsters in the Dungeon countless times.
Even if, by some chance, they could communicate, there’s no way monsters would willingly engage in conversation and give them information.
Seriously, being too smart can be a problem.
Because Diana is so smart, she comes up with so many possibilities, which only seems to complicate things further for her.
“There’s no point in us just speculating here. For now, to uncover the source of the information, it’s enough for us to pretend we know nothing, right?”
“Ugh, hmm. I suppose so.”
As I stroked Diana’s head and summarized it so simply, Diana finally managed to lift her head.
And perhaps a little embarrassed that her thoughts had run wild on their own, she subtly blushed.
To be shy about just that, between us, of all people. She’s cute, though.
“Well, just pretending we don’t know won’t help us uncover the source of the information either. What should we do to find out?”
“Hmm. I have an idea for that.”
As I asked Diana another question to boost her spirits, she seemed to understand my intention, smiling faintly and puffing out her chest.
“But before that, first, we need to think about what to do when we go to the Turtle Cave this time.”
Ah, right. I forgot about that.
Now that I think about it, that’s the biggest problem staring us in the face.
“But is that really true? Like Miriel said, that beyond the 5.5th Floor is the end, and we can go there without a key—do you think so too, Diana?”
“I don’t think so. I don’t believe we can go without a key, nor do I believe the end of the Dungeon can be reached through a sub-layer.”
To my question, which had me racking my brain, Diana denied it with a nonchalant expression.
“Huh? Really?”
“Hmm. If our assumptions are correct, the Dungeon was created by the Goddess. There’s no way the Goddess would handle the final stages of her work so carelessly, is there?”
Ah, right. You’re a person of this world too.
It’s not usually emphasized, but Diana is, after all, a person of this world. Her faith in the Goddess seemed unwavering.
Even when I was anxious, wondering if the Goddess might be plotting something, she would reassure me, yet still maintain the attitude of ‘Surely the Goddess wouldn’t do such a thing.’
“And as for the sub-layers, I believe they are devices set up to allow people like you to descend the Dungeon quickly. But that’s all they are. My belief is that the final floor of the Dungeon must be reached through the 6th Floor. But there’s no harm in being careful, is there?”
“…So, in the end, you’re saying we shouldn’t send them to the 5.5th Floor.”
“Hmm.”
Diana… Isn’t that an answer to say with your chest puffed out? What was all that elaborate talk before, then?
She really loves to explain things, though.
Well, that’s cute too.
“What should we do? Honestly, to those who’ve completed the map so perfectly, I don’t think saying we couldn’t find anything no matter how much we searched will work.”
“Hmm… I suppose so. Finding the male and eliminating it before using the Saint’s skill… that won’t work. They’ll just tell us to wait until it revives. Hmph.”
“They definitely would. Ugh.”
Since no good ideas came to mind, Diana and I put our heads together and fell into thought for a while.
But before a good idea could surface, a knock came from outside the door.
“Guwon. Diana. What on earth have you two been talking about for so long? Those people have been getting impatient for a while now, so if it’s not urgent, come out quickly.”
Had the Arachne Clan finally exploded from waiting too long? Indeed, quite a bit of time had passed since we entered the room.
I thought that, but fortunately, the knocker was Sara.
“Ah, sorry. It’s urgent. Wait a little longer.”
If it was Sara, I figured I could make her wait a little longer. That’s what I decided, and I was about to try to buy more time, but of all people, it had to be Sara.
“Why? You two aren’t doing anything weird, are you?”
Sara… aren’t you suspecting me too much?
No. It’s probably because she likes me that much, so she gets jealous.
That’s what I thought, but on the other hand, it also struck me as a good excuse.
If I said we were in the middle of it, even Sara or the Arachne Clan members wouldn’t dare burst in.
I’ll worry about the aftermath later, but for now, let’s make that excuse and then decide what to do in the Dungeon.
“Weird things, you say! Why can’t you just say ‘lewd things’! It’s lewd things! Lewd things! Just as you said, Diana and I are currently busy doing lewd things, so wait just a little longer… Guh!”
“Wh-what are you saying?! What are you saying?! You, of all people! You, of all people! No! Sara! It’s not true! I’m not doing anything like that!”
However, my attempt was thwarted before it could even properly begin.
Because, of all people, I was with our perverted Archmage, who gets excited when others find out what she’s doing.
Diana’s face turned bright red, and she hastily patted my chest a few times, then flung the door wide open as if to prove her innocence.
No, Diana… that just means we have less time to discuss.
Seriously, she’s usually so rational, but if her exhibitionism is even slightly provoked, she turns into that.
“What on earth were you talking about for so long?”
At her utterly desperate demeanor, even Sara, who also gets excited in such situations due to her own inclinations, didn’t seem to have any thoughts of suspicion.
“Hmph, hmph. It’s a secret. A se.cret just between me and my darling.”
But even so, an Archmage is still an Archmage.
Her rationality hadn’t completely flown out the window, so Diana, in response to Sara’s question, rather provocatively puffed out her non-existent chest as she replied.
It wasn’t something she could carelessly tell Sara. She must have been trying to gloss over it like that.
The only problem, however, was that the person Diana was provoking was that Sara.
“What are you puffing out like that for? You don’t have anything to puff out.”
Just as expected. Our Sara, without hesitation, spoke aloud what I only thought in my mind, and struck Diana right in the solar plexus.
“Wh-what are you saying! I certainly do! It’s you, Sara, whose growth has stopped at that stage, hasn’t it! Compared to you, Sara, who has no more potential for growth, I! If I just grow, someone like you, Sara, won’t even compare….”
“I’m satisfied with what I have.”
“Ugh! Ughhhhh!”
No. So don’t look at me with that wronged expression. I can’t help you.
You provoked her first, anyway.
It’s a little pitiful that she threw a light jab and got unilaterally beaten down, though.
“Anyway, are you done talking? Let’s go. Those people are nagging too much; I can’t stand it anymore.”
Indeed. I wondered why it was Sara, of all people, who came, and it seems she came herself because she couldn’t wait any longer.
Besides, Sara doesn’t particularly care for Alicia, so that must be why.
“Alright, alright. Let’s go.”
We hadn’t decided what to do in the Dungeon, but it wasn’t like we’d arrive at the Turtle Cave immediately just by leaving now.
There was at least a week’s grace period, so all I could do was hope a good idea would come to me by then.
“Ugh…”
Thinking that, I hugged Diana, who had suffered a deep emotional wound from her defeat against Sara, and headed straight for the dining room.
However, my expectation of a week’s grace period was easily shattered by Miriel’s words, which came as soon as we entered the Dungeon.
“Oh, by the way, you guys have the monster penises from the 4th Floor, right?”
“Huh? Why that?”
Well, we did collect at least one of each type, and used them to enhance Leia’s staff.
Why is she suddenly asking about that?
“Huh? Well, of course, we’re going straight from the 4th Floor to the Turtle Cave. You saw the completed map through Alicia, didn’t you? We don’t have a way to obtain the penises, so we couldn’t use them ourselves, but by cross-referencing the locations, we’ve already identified where the passage from the 4th Floor to the Turtle Cave is.”
…Ah, wait. Oh, damn it. How could I make such a mistake.
I was so distracted by other thoughts that I just mindlessly assumed we’d go through the Ice Cave to the Turtle Cave again!
“Based on past examples, the males are often located near the sub-floor bosses, and the passage leading to the Turtle Cave is much closer to the village than the passage to the Ice Cave. We should be able to arrive tomorrow.”
T-tomorrow?! No, no! I haven’t come up with any plan yet!
“Th-that’s great!”
But I couldn’t openly show my true feelings, so I could only respond with an awkward smile.
And in the end, no ideas came to me until we arrived at the passage leading to the Turtle Cave.
The Arachne Clan members wiped out any monsters that appeared on the way as soon as they showed up, so I had plenty of time to think, but there was a limit to thinking alone.
And of all places, we were underwater, so if I tried to talk to someone else, it would be incredibly obvious.
Even the night watch was taken care of entirely by the Arachne Clan members, so Diana and I had no time at all to talk privately.
“Alright, Leia.”
“Ah, yes.”
And when Leia inserted her staff into the hole the Arachne Clan had found, the hole opened with absurd ease, creating a path.
Seriously? We’re already here. What do I do?
No. To be honest, it wasn’t that I had no brilliant ideas.
There was one way to prevent the Arachne Clan members from going to the 5.5th Floor.
However, implementing this method without even telling my own party members had too low a success rate, and above all, my party members would undoubtedly hate this method.
I’m talking about a method where I intentionally get severely injured and have to retire from this Dungeon exploration.