Chapter 95
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Village of Silence
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Dungeon conquest, day one.
The party, led by Count Wolfhaufen, entered the dungeon.
The members consisted of the PTSD knight, the noble slayer, the black mage, the half-ogre, and the count.
This was absolutely not a common combination.
With people who could never gather in one place now assembled, they even looked eerie.
"Everyone's memorized the strategy guide, right?"
"Of course."
The party shared a common goal: the magic stone.
Count Wolfhaufen sought it to save his daughter.
The PTSD knight, to live out his remaining days in peace.
The black mage, for absolute power.
The noble slayer, for pardon of his crimes.
And the half-ogre, to become human.
They hadn't revealed their names to each other.
They shared only their motivations.
One might think the party was creaking from the start on the surface, but what mattered to them wasn't personal bonds—it was capability.
There was no trust among them.
A noble busy filling his own pockets, a criminal who murdered such nobles, a retired soldier prone to periodic breakdowns, a black mage who used human lives as sacrifices, and a monster.
It was a lineup that made you worry if they'd even be able to divide the magic stone fairly once everything was over.
But.
"Let's go."
From the moment they entered the dungeon with death on their minds, their longing for the magic stone was genuine.
As long as they shared that common purpose, they could trust each other—at least somewhat.
No one could conquer what lay ahead alone, anyway.
They needed to pool as much strength as possible.
Everyone knew that.
So, there shouldn't be any major problems.
The party arrived at the entrance elevator.
Before starting the conquest in earnest, they discussed each zone.
Maze, school, mansion, ???, village.
Based on the contents of the strategy guide, they debated policies for what to do in each zone.
"Count."
The black mage, who had been looking at the strategy guide, spoke up.
"What."
"The guide clearly says to make loud noises in the fifth zone, so why are you insisting we stay quiet instead?"
The black mage continued.
By discarding items, you could distinguish truth from lies.
He understood that part.
But.
The part about 'sound' in the fifth zone wasn't listed under truths or lies.
Even so, the count insisted 'silence' was the answer.
He had told the party members as much.
The count replied.
"Instinct."
"Huh?"
It was a simpler reason than expected.
No extra explanations attached.
The black mage looked thoroughly flustered.
"Hm."
Well, the contents of the strategy guide weren't 100% accurate anyway.
The records related to sound were in a different handwriting from the rest.
That was conclusive proof that 'the information on anomalies was recorded correctly, but tampered with by the dungeon's minions.'
Therefore, while the phrase 'make loud noises to avoid death' was definitely related to the fifth zone, it could also be false information.
The black mage thought.
According to the log, nine knights had entered the village.
And all of them died.
The information they brought back was just two scraps.
It was a pitiful result compared to the seventh conquest where Dragred had been sacrificed.
There was a powerful anomaly in the fifth zone.
And it was related to 'sound.'
That much was certain.
Dreamland couldn't fabricate all the records.
"We need to make loud noises. I do think this part is a bit off..."
It felt a tad more natural to think 'we shouldn't make sounds.'
It wasn't clearly specified when, where, or at what timing to make noise.
It felt blatantly different from other strategies.
In truth, the black mage had found that part ambiguous too.
Even if they couldn't make sounds, they could communicate via telepathy.
Lorensia herself had been part of the conquest team with the count.
No one would fail to consider what he had thought of.
Or perhaps, with no clues about 'sound' at first.
They chattered away cluelessly and got wiped out.
That hypothesis fit too.
"I don't like baseless gambles like this, but fine. This time, I'll trust your instinct."
It was 50% odds anyway.
Live or die.
The count was the sole survivor with Dreamland experience, even if he had no memories.
It would be confirmed if they reached the fifth zone.
"Wonder where we'll transfer to."
"Anywhere but the fourth zone with zero info."
"To reach the core room, we'll have to pass through all zones anyway."
Assuming we can even get there, of course.
The count stepped into the elevator.
This would be his first time riding one of these contraptions.
Until now, he had recorded information from the safe zone with the mages.
Creak... creak...
Creak... creak...
An eerie sound echoed.
His heartbeat quickened.
He closed his eyes.
Were the knights feeling this too?
Dragred must have as well.
He trembled.
It would be a lie to say he didn't.
What lay ahead was filled with death.
"Just a bit longer. Hey."
Still, he had to press on.
He pressed the button.
The transfer happened in an instant.
A wondrous sensation.
Like waking from a dream and facing the ceiling.
The count blinked.
The cramped elevator scenery vanished completely.
A village came into view.
"......"
This quiet village lay nestled between forests.
Fog pooled, unable to escape.
The scattered houses evoked a sense of desolation.
The sun hung in the sky.
Yet the place was dark.
Hazy, like peering through frost-covered windows.
Beyond lay a path connecting to the forest.
An old, leaning signpost stood as if about to collapse.
The faded letters made it hard to tell if it was a guide or a warning.
All the houses looked similar.
Low fences, shuttered windows, red roofs.
The count gazed at the faint light leaking through a curtain gap.
For a moment, he considered entering, but held back.
'Here.'
The count cast a detection spell.
He confirmed he was in the fifth zone.
The others were too.
The entire party had transferred here.
Before boarding the elevator, they had set plans for each.
For the fifth zone, if 'spawned conquerors' positions are random' was true.
Gather at the count's location.
And act assuming silence was the key.
No one had died so far.
So it was probably safe to assume it was correct.
Lucky.
"......"
Annoying that telepathy didn't work.
But since the others were heading to the village, he could investigate lightly while waiting.
The count walked through the village.
The more he walked, the more oddities caught his eye.
A well stood in the village center.
The water was unnaturally black, undrinkable.
Round things like bird eggs floated on the surface.
They were large enough to fill the well's mouth.
Thud... thud...
Thud... thud...
As the count examined the well.
Footsteps approached from somewhere.
He felt eyes on him.
Right from behind.
The count knew.
The others were separated from him.
It would take time for them to arrive.
Which meant.
This presence was most likely a dungeon minion.
He swallowed hard.
He turned his head.
There.
A person stood.
He was an utterly ordinary human, the kind you'd find anywhere.
His appearance matched that exactly.
He resembled someone from the count's memories.
'Where have I seen this face? Who is it?'
The count bit his lip.
He hadn't expected to encounter an anomaly so soon.
It couldn't be a real person.
No ordinary folk lived in a dungeon.
The names of those who died in Dreamland flashed through his mind.
He could end up the same anytime.
Think.
Think of ways to survive.
Running was a last resort.
Fighting was the same.
He needed to find the countermeasure.
Until it stated its business.
The count stayed still.
"Welcome to the Village of Silence."
He approached with a written note.
Whether the count reacted or not, he kept moving the pen.
"Our village is in a remote area, so there aren't many people, and the fog makes it look gloomy, but it's actually a pretty decent place."
"Take your time deciding on residency. Time is infinite, after all."
He bowed his head.
Then continued on his way.
"?"
The count was bewildered.
Was nothing going to happen?
For now, he felt relieved.
His head was still attached, after all.
The count sent off the anomaly.
He stared at its retreating back in a daze.
Communication via writing, not speech. Hm.
It was still just a hunch, but his instinct was drawing closer to the truth.
With his mouth shut, nothing happened.
It was a meager clue, but the name was Village of Silence, after all.
"......"
The count turned his head.
His gaze headed east.
Woooong—
A dull sound reached his ears.
The source was the eastern forest.
The PTSD knight was in the eastern forest.
What had happened?
An ominous premonition gripped him.
Woooooong—
The earlier noise had been a precursor.
The count winced at the deafening alarm he'd never heard before in his life.
The pitch rose.
It tore upward toward the sky.
A shrill wail piercing his eardrums.
A siren blared from the eastern forest.
The count cast detection magic.
In an instant, the PTSD knight's mana signature vanished.
He was dead.
"......"
Now only four remained.
What killed the PTSD knight?
That blaring sound from moments ago?
It was definitely an anomaly, but without knowing the reason, it was frustrating.
Telepathy was connected.
He wanted to speak up to assess the situation.
But mindful of 'sound,' the count couldn't.
Dreamland demanded suspicion of everything.
It was a dungeon where idiotic mistakes led to doom.
At least in the fifth zone.
He had to keep his mouth shut.
If he did.
Nothing would happen, just like now.
As agreed before the entrance elevator.
Party members began gathering around the count one by one.
Count, black mage, noble slayer, half-ogre.
They eyed each other.
One had died.
No telling who the next sacrifice would be.
"From now on, let's communicate like this."
Each pulled out paper and pen.
And began writing.