Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Dante's Dilemma
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Dante woke up about a day later.
Havel had fed him some medicine he'd brought from the Demonic Palace.
As a result, he recovered completely, as if by magic.
Pelleban was curious about the medicine but didn't pry.
"Lord Dante, thank goodness you're safe!"
"I didn't see the fight to the end, but it was incredible."
"Man, you fought like a beast, Lord Dante."
The three of them erupted into lively chatter.
Even though they'd all passed out due to the duality of the gods.
Dante's Dawn had burned itself vividly into their eyes.
Clearly, they would dream of joining the Dawn Knights from here on out.
"Is that so?"
Dante looked at them and scratched his head sheepishly.
And among them, the one most affected was Pelleban.
He had witnessed Dante facing off directly against the mad hound.
"I apologize for my earlier attitude. Dante, you're far stronger than I thought."
Dante was puzzled by Pelleban's changed demeanor.
But even so, Dante held Pelleban in high regard.
"No need. I'm still weak. It's only natural to see me that way."
Pelleban gave a wry smile, knowing exactly who Dante was comparing himself to.
"Staring at too vast a world isn't always a good thing."
"Dante."
As Pelleban murmured cryptically, Havel called out to Dante.
"Yes, Mr. Havel."
Dante responded immediately, and Havel motioned for him to follow with a glance.
Dante stood up at once, obedient as a loyal wolf.
As Dante followed Havel out, he stood silently gazing into the darkness.
"If you keep climbing the Tower like this, you'll die."
Havel cut straight to the point.
The Tower was growing stronger with each passing day.
They'd managed so far somehow.
But the next trials would be even fiercer.
Not to mention the owner.
Havel had realized this even before Pelleban mentioned it.
He'd agonized over Dante's training time for that very reason.
"......Yes."
And Dante had sensed it too, on some level.
He felt powerless before the Tower that grew stronger by the moment.
Even as he himself grew, he was struggling more and more.
But still, he followed Havel.
Because he wanted to climb the Tower with him.
And because he wanted to restore the prestige of the Banpellyon name.
"The Tower will keep getting stronger. And the reason is me."
Dante had felt it in his bones—the Tower was tougher than anything before.
It was an unmistakable anomaly.
And it had started the moment Havel arrived.
Havel looked at Dante.
'It might be my greed.'
He was a man from a hundred years ago.
Deep down, he thought the present era should be left to its own people.
That's why he'd dragged Dante along by force.
'But that too.'
In the end, if Dante died, it would all be meaningless.
"There's a group called Astraia."
As Dante fell silent, Havel continued.
"They're challenging Labyrinth Island."
Dante's face lit up with surprise at the mention of Labyrinth Island.
Havel had learned about it from Pelleban.
Dante had no way of knowing either.
"It's another place where you can make the Banpellyon name known."
"Are you telling me to conquer Labyrinth Island with Astraia?"
Havel stared steadily at Dante.
Dante's eyes were calm.
He would obey any order.
For next to Arthur, he respected and followed Havel most of all.
"That's your choice."
But Havel didn't give an order.
Instead, he handed the decision to Dante.
"Whether to follow me and die, or go to Labyrinth Island and spread the Banpellyon name."
Dante had to choose one or the other.
He bit his lip.
His heart was set on the former.
He wanted to climb the Tower with Havel, even if it killed him.
He wanted to advance toward a wider world.
But reality wasn't so forgiving of dreams alone.
The weight of the Banpellyon family rested on his shoulders.
Dante was the sole knight of Banpellyon.
It was his duty to lead the Dawn Knights.
Duty clashed with his sense of mission.
"Dante."
Havel's voice rang out amid his turmoil.
"The Tower isn't the end."
Dante's head snapped up.
Reaching the top of the Tower didn't mean the world ended.
You just moved on to the next.
"Your life's not meant to end at the Tower."
Just as his own life hadn't ended at the Demonic Palace.
Dante's wouldn't either.
Whether Dante realized that or not.
Havel wanted to tell him.
"So think it over."
The choice was ultimately Dante's.
If he chose to climb the Tower, Havel would gladly go with him.
Even if it meant his death.
"There's still time until the Fifth Stratum trial ends."
With that, Havel turned and walked away.
Dante stood alone in the darkness.
Lost in thought.
The Fifth Stratum trial had ended.
But Havel and the others were still climbing the Tower.
The stratum didn't end just because the trial did.
Calamity beasts still appeared.
Especially after the 55th floor, their behavior patterns changed.
"They have intelligence."
Dante said as he felled another calamity beast.
"Forming teams among themselves, huh."
"Yes."
The calamity beasts in the dark zone moved with organization.
From scouting parties.
To vanguard, rearguard, and long-range bombardment squads.
They had clearly divided roles.
Different types of calamity beasts cooperating like that.
"They say it's like this from beyond the Sixth Stratum on."
"Hmm."
Havel stroked his chin.
Of course, to Havel, whether the calamity beasts had intelligence didn't matter.
A single sword stroke killed them all anyway.
What caught his interest was that their traits differed from those in the Demonic Palace.
'The Demonic Palace didn't have particularly intelligent calamity beasts.'
The ones there moved purely on instinct.
Intelligence never stood out.
But the Tower was different.
It even treated humans like calamity sorcerers as calamity beasts.
'If I keep going up, I might encounter ones I can talk to.'
That piqued his interest.
Not half-baked sorcerers like the calamity sorcerer.
Maybe even calamity beasts that understood calamities themselves.
'I might learn about my current situation.'
Another reason to climb the Tower.
With that thought, Havel checked on the others.
Whether from the trial or the endless calamity beasts, they all looked physically drained.
'The constant darkness means rest doesn't recover fatigue.'
They were holding up well, but they were nearing their limits.
Dante's face showed fatigue—that said it all.
"Dante."
"Yes, Mr. Havel."
"We're picking up the pace."
There was no reason to dawdle in the dark zone.
His Transcendent Endurance had only three days left anyway.
With no telling what might happen.
Havel decided to blitz through the Fifth Stratum.
"Dorison, can you keep up?"
Dante quickly asked Dorison.
He clenched his fists tight.
"Faster is better! I'll keep up!"
"Ugh, can we really go faster here?"
Dorison replied with enthusiasm.
But Ronslot, beside him, was horrified.
Havel and Dante's pace was already hard to match.
"It's a maze. How do you speed up?"
Even the taciturn Blen spoke up unusually.
As he said, the dark zone was a labyrinth.
Paths twisted wildly, and you couldn't see ahead.
That's why it kept wasting their time.
But mazes meant nothing to Havel.
"Just make a path."
Havel said as he raised his sword.
In that moment, Dawn began to gather on his blade.
He'd held back to let Dante gain experience.
There had always been a faster way.
"Brace for impact, everyone."
Dante, already clued in, assumed a stance.
As the three looked puzzled.
Pelleban alone drove his sword into the ground.
Then Havel swung.
And Dawn descended.
Krraaaang!
The belated shockwave roared in fiercely.
"Gwaaaah?!"
Dorison slammed his hands into the ground but still got flung.
Ronslot survived thanks to being behind him.
Blen endured like Pelleban, sword planted.
By the time the three were a mess.
"Ha."
Pelleban let out an admiring chuckle.
As expected.
The enveloping darkness had been swallowed by Dawn, vanished entirely.
Not only that—the infuriating maze was utterly shattered.
What lay before them now was a straight plain.
The dark zone's signature terrain, demolished.
And the calamity beasts too.
Intelligent as they were, with traps and formations.
All rendered meaningless in one strike.
'Nice and clean.'
Havel sheathed his sword and glanced back.
"Let's go."
His command was curt.
As everyone stood stunned.
Only Dante silently followed Havel.
Familiarity now etched on his face.
Pelleban followed suit, and the three hurriedly chased after.
The dark zone without darkness was fascinating.
Here and there, hardy ferns and plants grew.
Thriving without light.
Insects invisible before crawled about.
They bizarrely clustered to form walls.
The shifting paths after floor 55 were their doing.
"The maze changed because of the calamity beasts, not the Tower."
Pelleban marveled at this new facet of the Fifth Stratum.
The lantern bearers' light couldn't reveal such sights, naturally.
"Wh-what? Why's it bright here?"
Meanwhile, other climbers gawked at the Dawn.
Plenty challenged the Fifth Stratum besides Havel.
So they recoiled in shock.
Pelleban smiled wryly at them.
Havel's ascent was on another level.
It would leave them feeling deprived.
No wonder his three constant companions were speechless.
'Dante's been seeing this up close all along.'
Pelleban was convinced anew.
Dante would die chasing Havel.
No human could follow this path.
Pelleban glanced at Dante.
He couldn't read what he thought, gazing at the Dawn.
He just hoped Dante wouldn't dream too big.
Pelleban silently wished.