The Supporting Protagonist Goes to Work - 4
“First, let me ask — why keep Dorothy alive and restrained?”
“Because the Secret Room’s conditions might require her to still be breathing.”
“That much I understand, but the method of restraint is… peculiar, is it not?!”
“I learned it from Marianne. Looks weird, sure, but the binding power is rock-solid.”
“Even so, that is far too…”
Dorothy dangled from the laboratory ceiling, trussed up tight. Her entire body was wrapped in the same tortoise-shell binding Marianne’s squirrel had once demonstrated. The more she struggled, the deeper the ropes bit in; there was no way she could free herself. I had bound her thoroughly just in case she tried anything suicidal.
To anyone else the sight might have looked a little too provocative, but the performance was flawless.
“I might be a little envious…”
“What was that?”
“N-nothing! Nothing at all! Let us move on already!”
Frach gave a startled shove against my back. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a distinctly longing look; apparently even she had a bit of that streak in her. Still, I had no idea how one was supposed to tie up a sword.
“What sort of place awaits us next, and what monsters will we face?”
Sensing my suspicion, Frach hastily changed the subject. Poking at it would only make her angry, so I played along.
“Next stop is a place called the Sheep’s Library.”
“The Sheep’s Library?”
“This dungeon is Felix’s legacy, so everything in it ties back to him somehow.”
The flower field had been a place he loved. The Wizard of Oz was a fairy tale he adored. Sheep were his favorite animals, and a library was where he had spent most of his life.
“For reference, the dungeon’s final boss is the monster born from whatever Felix hated most while he was alive.”
“Surprisingly straightforward for a dungeon.”
“Only if you already know about Felix. To anyone else it would be completely baffling.”
Dungeons always have a theme — lava dungeons, dungeons of the dead, even lust dungeons full of erotic traps. This one was no different; it had to revolve around Felix.
“Man-eating plants in the flower field, grotesque monsters in the laboratory, and now a library… Anyone else would be lost.”
“Pretty much.”
“So in the Sheep’s Library we will be fighting monsters that look like sheep, yes?”
“Unfortunately there are no monsters in this section. I probably won’t even need to draw you.”
“You mean there is nothing for this body to fight?”
“Yep. What we’ll need this time is this.”
I tapped a finger against my temple. This stretch demanded wisdom, not combat. Dungeons weren’t just about slaughtering monsters; they included trap disarming, maze escapes, and the like. Just as I had once played hide-and-seek with the snow woman all the way to the deepest floor of the Jealousy Dungeon, the Sheep’s Library was a maze-escape puzzle.
“Then this body will have no chance to shine…”
“Haha. This is the dungeon of a man once called the Sage of Prophecy. If it were nothing but mindless fighting, that would feel off, wouldn’t it?”
“When you put it that way, I cannot argue.”
First section: observation and response. Second: raw power. Third: wisdom. Felix’s dungeon wasn’t merely trying to keep intruders out; it felt more like a series of tests. As a prophet, he must have known from the start that his tomb would become a dungeon. He had wanted someone from a later generation to clear it. In other words, the dungeon itself — not just its rewards — was his true legacy.
“We’re here.”
“Yet another door that has no business existing in an underground tunnel.”
“The inside is a library. Can’t be helped.”
I stood before the antique door and glanced around. The surroundings were pure cave, yet right in front of us sat a door as out of place as a flaw in a jewel. Exactly as described in Monopolizing the Strongest in the Academy. No doubt about it — this was the Sheep’s Library. I pushed the door open.
The distinctive scent of paper and old books washed over us.
“Mee~!”
What came to greet us was not a sheep… but a sheep beastkin with fluffy white hair so soft it looked like wool. Unlike Dorothy, this one was almost entirely human in form — only the ears, eyes, horns, and a patch of fur around the shoulders marked her as anything else.
“Welcome to the Sheep’s Library!”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Mee…?”
I had only said hello, yet the sheep girl froze with her eyes wide and round. She looked so startled that I couldn’t help smiling.
“Something wrong?”
“Meeh! I-I’m so sorry! You’re the first guest who’s ever looked at Meril and not immediately tried to attack her, so I was surprised!”
The moment she said her name, I remembered Kang Junhyuk’s party’s second major mistake. Meril, who lived in the Sheep’s Library, greeted every newcomer with open friendliness. But adventurers still high on adrenaline from the first two combat sections tended to draw steel the instant they saw her, assuming she was just another monster. Even those who managed to calm down usually decided she looked suspicious and voted to eliminate her.
In the original story Kang Junhyuk had hesitated, but his companions’ protests forced him to raise his sword. Meril simply turned her back on the hostile party and vanished. Only later, when they realized the library demanded wisdom rather than strength, did they regret it. With the librarian’s help the whole section would have been far easier.
But I’m alone, and I already know Meril isn’t an enemy.
That meant I could take a route no one else had ever walked — clearing the library with Meril’s full cooperation.
“Want to fight? I can oblige if that’s what you’re after.”
“Meeh! Meril is a pacifist! And fighting inside the library is strictly forbidden!”
The moment I made a mock fighting stance, Meril flapped her hands frantically in denial. She was so flustered her sheep ears were flapping up and down. From the original dialogue I had guessed she might be cute; I had been exactly right. True to her innocent sheep nature, every gesture was pure and straightforward.
“Ahaha! Just kidding. I have zero intention of fighting you.”
“Meee… You nearly gave me a heart attack. Please refrain from that kind of joke!”
“Sorry.”
“Since you apologized so honestly, Meril will let it slide just this once!”
She puffed her cheeks out adorably, then deflated them just as quickly. Temper already cooled, she pulled a book from under her arm and flipped it open.
“Mee~! Now then, for first-time visitors, Meril will explain the library rules!”
“Please do.”
What followed was a lecture that never appeared in the original. Don’t raise your voice, don’t run, no food or drink, don’t damage the books — ordinary library rules, yet somehow not boring at all. Meril’s voice was so sweet it felt like listening to a grandmother’s bedtime stories from childhood.
“Have you understood everything?”
“Yep. Got it all.”
“Mee~! Excellent! Then Meril will begin the official tour! Please follow me!”
What happens if you clear the library without rejecting Meril? I was about to find out firsthand as I trailed after her quick little steps.
“This is the first gate! Solve the riddle hidden inside and you may pass!”
“Got it.”
Even with Meril along, the puzzles and solutions were identical to the original. I immediately pulled the note hidden behind a bookshelf and began working. Five minutes. That was all it took to crack the first gate. Of course I already knew the answer without solving anything, but I could hardly blurt it out without even looking while Meril was watching. I at least had to show the process so she wouldn’t get suspicious.
“Th-that’s amazing! To clear the first gate so quickly!”
“Just got lucky.”
“Mee~! No need to be modest! You’re the only guest who has ever cleared the first gate in under ten minutes!”
Her reaction made me realize I had solved it a little too shamelessly. I should look like I was struggling a bit. From the next gate onward I resolved to put on a proper act.
“Hmm…! This one’s pretty tough.”
“It’s all right! A guest like you can definitely solve it!”
“Thanks for the encouragement. I’m going to think for a bit — why don’t you go rest in that chair?”
“Mee~! Understood!”
The moment I decided to slack off instead of actually thinking—
“Auuugh!”
Crash—!
Meril, who had been walking just fine, suddenly stumbled against a bookshelf. Books rained down in a cascade. I had thought she was the pure-but-not-clumsy type like Rene…
I hurried over to help clear the fallen volumes.
“Mehehe…! I’m so sorry! I accidentally tripped!”
“You should be more careful… Hm?”
Right by Meril’s ankle, a book had fallen open. The title alone was clearly related to the current gate’s riddle. I picked it up and skimmed a few pages — the answer was written out in plain text.
“Oh…”
I casually lifted my eyes to Meril. She was humming under her breath, pretending to tidy the shelf as if nothing had happened.
Coincidence? Or deliberate?
I still couldn’t tell, so I let it slide. But at the next gate, and the one after that, and the one after that… Meril kept “accidentally” helping me with the same little stumbles. And every time I got the answer right she praised me with sparkling eyes and flapping ears.
Right? I never expected her to hand out hints this blatantly…
Having Meril along made the difficulty plummet. Kang Junhyuk, you absolute idiot. Leaving a path this easy and choosing the hard, painful route instead… The sheer absurdity kept tugging the corners of my mouth upward.
Before long I had breezed through every remaining gate and cleared the third section with almost no effort. With hints this generous, even an elementary schooler could have finished it. I almost started worrying whether it was allowed to be this easy.
“Congratulations! You have passed every gate!”
“Thanks. Guiding me must have been tiring.”
“Mee~! Not at all. You solved everything so quickly that Meril isn’t even a little tired!”
“Glad to hear it.”
What happens when you bring Meril along: the gates become ridiculously easy. A slightly anticlimactic ending, but just watching the adorable sheep girl had been entertainment enough. I thanked her and turned to leave the library.
Until Meril caught the hem of my clothes.
“Mee~! Guest! Please wait just a moment!”
“What’s up?”
“Um…! The gates are finished, but there is still one extra problem remaining!”
“An extra problem?”
“Mee! A problem Meril herself is setting! If you answer correctly, an incredible reward awaits!”
Of course it wouldn’t end that simply! The word “reward” made my cheekbones lift. An opportunity earned by winning Meril’s favor. I didn’t know the answer this time, but I was determined to get it right. With that resolve I listened carefully to the question she posed.
“Mee~! Here is the problem! When is a sheep’s estrus cycle?”
1. Today
2. This very day
3. At present
4. Right now
5. This day
“What the…?”
“For reference, this problem is a bit difficult, so Meril will give you a hint before we begin!”
Still smiling brightly, Meril trotted right up and whispered into my ear.
“A mountain goat’s folds are more impressive than you’d think…!”
The instant the words left her mouth she stepped back. Her cheeks were flushed. Then her reddened lips parted, and a languid, coquettish cry spilled out.
“Mee~♡”
It was a resonance trap.