Chapter 75

※I will be updating for two consecutive days. Each update will be at 19:00.

In his office within the Albein Kingdom castle, Chancellor Lowe opened an ancient document and had been reading its contents for three hours.

The document recorded the existence of the "Snake of Versalis," a being with strength surpassing that of a demon king and a threat to the kingdom. It detailed how the snake was sealed a thousand years ago, as recorded by a priest who fought alongside the first king, Albein. This document had been copied many times and had been preserved to the present day.

Lowe, as chancellor, was granted the privilege to take the document out of the Albein Church and read it.

The previous chancellor had been afflicted by illness and had passed the position to Lowe. Lowe had longed for the position of chancellor, where he could use his administrative talents for the country, but now he even felt averse to sitting in this chair.

The ancient document clearly stated that the seal on the Snake of Versalis would eventually be broken.

However, successive chancellors, fearing to descend into the deeper levels of the dungeon and make sacrifices, had neglected to confirm the seal and left it unattended. They believed that as long as the first level was secured, it was fine even if the transfer magic array connecting to the fifty-first level ceased to function.

The dungeon itself can produce monsters, and much of its principles remain unexplained. Some say the Snake of Versalis generates monsters, but there is no concrete evidence. Ideally, such matters should have been continuously investigated to understand the true nature of the dungeon.

The cost of long-term neglect in crisis management by successive chancellors was now being placed entirely on Lowe. They knew the contents of the ancient document but thought they could escape once their term as chancellor was over.

Lowe held his head in frustration at their foolishness. When faced with a visible threat like a demon king, the king immediately called for a hunting party, but he left the crucial task of the dungeon to others, thinking it was not his responsibility to handle it. Even when Lowe suggested that Princess Manalina give a speech, the king asked, "Is it really that serious?" as if it were someone else's problem, making Lowe want to look up to the sky in exasperation.

If things continued like this, the country would fall. There was only one way to seal the Snake of Versalis, and it was unlikely that the conditions would conveniently align.

First, Lowe consulted with the two ducal families, Orland and Stollen, to discuss the future direction. However, the current heads of the two families, Marquis and Premiere, were in a competitive relationship due to past conflicts and argued over who would lead the "Snake" hunting party.

Lowe then approached both Marquis and Premiere. He did not favor one over the other but worked with both.

Today, Marquis was visiting Lowe to discuss the progress of the dungeon exploration. Officially, it was a meeting between responsible parties, so Marquis could visit the palace and knock on Lowe's office door with confidence.

When Lowe ordered his secretary to open the door, Marquis entered the room with a thin smile, as he usually did.

"You look troubled, Duke Lowe. Or has it been like this for a while?"

"Not as much as you, Marquis. I am already halfway through my term."

"Even with the support from the rear, the demon king hunting party is too excellent. I am struggling to gather enough support personnel."

"Hehe, that's a harsh comment. But you're right; having only a retainer weaker than the excellent adventurers from the guild is a fact."

Marquis was smiling, but Lowe knew his inner turmoil.

The power balance with the Stollen family had been evenly matched, but "coincidentally," Premiere had acquired excellent personnel for the dungeon exploration.

The man had burn scars on his face, hidden by bandages, but his combat ability was so high that he could easily defeat several A-rank adventurers and was considered at least S-rank.

"…Where did Premiere find such talent… through channels I don't know about. If I could sort out the talents entering the capital…"

"Do you have no intention of reconciling with Lord Premiere?"

Lowe knew it was not the right time, but he asked to understand Marquis's feelings. Marquis and Premiere were originally engaged, but when Premiere inherited the Stollen ducal title, they could not marry, and their engagement was dissolved.

After that, Premiere began to wear a veil in public, indicating that she would not have a legal spouse and would not reveal her husband's identity even if she had a child. An unmarried woman wearing a veil meant she was refusing romantic advances from men.

Marquis had already married a countess, but his lingering affection for Premiere, known as "Albein's White Flower," was obvious to Lowe.

"Reconciliation? That sounds bad. We haven't had a falling out."

"Yes, of course. You and Lord Premiere are working together as representatives of the noble families supporting the king for the kingdom. I apologize for asking such an insensitive question."

Lowe replied with a gentle smile. Marquis also smiled, thinking to himself that Lowe was a tough nut to crack.

Lowe may not have the talent for war, but in terms of strategy, there were few who could surpass him.

Marquis was desperately trying to get information from Lowe. In this dungeon exploration, he wanted to achieve a clear and significant success, surpassing Premiere and earning her recognition.

That was Marquis's revenge for Premiere breaking off their engagement without explanation and covering her face with a veil.

"…I think it's about time. Lord Premiere will lose her influence in this operation."

"Wh-What? Did… did you do something for me, Lord Lowe?"

Marquis almost said it but swallowed his words as Lowe slowly shook his head.

"What happens when you hire someone of unknown origin just because they are strong? Lord Premiere was too eager to achieve results in this regard."

"Y-Yes… you're right. As you say, Lord Lowe."

"This is just a general observation. It's just an unfortunate coincidence."

At that moment, the sun, which had been hidden by clouds, reappeared, and the light from the window behind Lowe grew stronger.

A shadow fell on the face of the man known as the White Beauty. Marquis felt a chill when he noticed the smile had disappeared from Lowe's face.

—How far has this man interfered with the operation behind the scenes, and what is he planning?

To defeat or seal the "Snake," even with the power of the demon king hunting party, Marquis was unsure if it was possible.

But Lowe was plotting to achieve it. The fact that he hadn't left his office meant that things were progressing according to his will.

(Dick Silver is the strategist of the demon king hunting party and is said to be quite sharp… I hope he doesn't notice Lowe's schemes. If he does, it will be a bloodbath.)

If Dick discovers Lowe's schemes and they are seen as exploiting the demon king hunting party, they could incur the wrath of the party, and Lowe's head could be on the line. If that happens, the relationship between Marquis and Lowe could be questioned, and the consequences could affect Marquis as well—though he thought it was naive, he genuinely feared it.

Marquis believed Lowe was on his side, but he couldn't understand why Lowe chose him over Premiere.

Premiere was an excellent woman, but Marquis wanted to see her beauty shine as his wife. Even though he knew it was a betrayal to his current wife, he couldn't help but dream about it.

"Even if Lord Premiere falls from power, it's not certain that things will go as you wish. In any case, we must stand united to protect the country."

"Y-Yes… Chancellor, you're right."

If Premiere lost her position as head of the family, she would return to being a duchess's daughter. Marquis wondered if he could see her face again. Even though he had already married another woman, he couldn't help but dream about it.

(What did Premiere think when she saw Dick Silver? Men and women are fragile. When a woman senses potential in a man, she instinctively wants him as a partner.)

Lowe once visited the home of Milarca Ilyis, a girl he had met only once when they were young, after learning she had become a professor at the magic university.

There, he saw a dull-looking man with black hair dining and chatting with Princess Manalina.

Milarca Ilyis. Lowe had intended to propose to her father, Fenroot, to marry her when he became chancellor and his achievements were recognized. Despite only meeting her once and not having a proper conversation, Lowe believed that if he obtained a title, he could have that beautiful girl.

It was also a dream. When Milarca joined the demon king hunting party, everything ended without even beginning.

"…Lord Lowe?"

"Yes, no… nothing. I was just thinking about the past."

Lowe had visited Milarca's home only once, despite having a professor for a father.

Lowe praised her for reading a very difficult magic textbook. The book she was reading was so complex that even Lowe would have taken time to understand it, but he didn't mind.

The flawless beauty of the quiet girl reading a book, even at a young age, captivated Lowe. He felt a possessive desire to keep her under his control.

Lowe, who had only ever been favored by women, expected the same from Milarca.

However, contrary to his expectations, Milarca looked up from her book and gave him a cold stare. Despite this, Lowe was confident he wouldn't be rejected.

As if reading his mind, Milarca said, "Please don't use me to satisfy your ego."

◆◇◆

Not long after Sherry and the others began exploring the seventh floor, Sakyu's excellent hearing detected a slight anomaly in the "Flow of Sand." She led the party to the left after descending to the seventh floor, a direction they had not taken to reach the next level.

Dick could also enhance his hearing with magic, but it couldn't match the moon rabbit's hearing. As they moved forward, Sakyu deduced that there was likely a cavity in the sand ahead, as she could hear the sound of sand trickling into it.

Fortunately, the cavity had not been completely buried by sand over the years. However, Sakyu and her party did not have the skill to dig through the sand quickly.

While considering whether to request support from Dick and the others, Sakyu noticed a Sandworm approaching from the front, burrowing through the sand.

"Everyone, be careful. It's coming from the front."

"…Lotte, are you ready?"

"Yes, I'm ready, Sister."

At first, Sakyu would shout whenever she sensed a worm, but as her companions became more stable in defeating them, she lowered her tone to a warning. Sherry and Lotte had become accustomed to it and showed a calm response befitting their guild master's reputation.

Zect, who was determined to protect Dick's dear friends from the Red Twin Inn and his guild companions, found that the coordination of the three S-rank women was so impressive that even the vulnerable Riza could avoid attacks by focusing on evasion, leaving him with nothing to do.

(I can feel their resolve not to rely on me. The guild master's acquaintances are strong women.)

"Zect, if you daydream, you'll be eaten!"

"Ah… right."

Riza, an A-rank, was moving better than he was, and Zect chuckled. Seeing his companions bravely facing the worm without his help, he decided to provide the support he could.

"—It's coming!"

As Sherry called out, the sand ahead rose dramatically, and a worm burst through, lunging at the party. However, at that moment—

As the worm emerged, a large amount of sand was kicked up, revealing a buried structure.

"—Shaaa!"

The worm, emitting a sound that was neither a cry nor a whistling wind, lunged at Lotte. But its speed suddenly dropped, as if it were caught in a net.

"My enemy's shadow plays in my hand—'Shadow Play.'"

Using the shadow created by the worm's emergence, Zect cast a spell. By slowing the movement of the shadow, he slowed the movement of the body that cast it. This spell, a basic yet advanced form of shadow spirit magic, synchronized the cause and effect between the shadow and the body.

The worm landed heavily in the sand and opened its jaws to bite Lotte, but the sisters moved in unison, striking it from both sides.

"Lightning Whip!"

"Whirlwind Strike!"

Sherry's lightning-laden whip struck the worm, and Lotte's powerful blow followed, but the worm, being larger than usual, was not defeated in one hit. It recoiled and changed its target to Sakyu, who was nearby.

"Phantom Step"

Since the worm's attack was physical, it was nearly impossible for it to catch the current party members. Sakyu deceived the worm's vision with a special step, making it attack the wrong spot.

She then slipped under the worm's vulnerable body, tensed her supple muscles to their limit, and delivered a decisive martial arts technique.

—Moon Surface Aerial Kick—

"Haah!"

Kicking off the sand with great force, Sakyu performed a backflip and kicked the worm's body, lifting it and the buried part into the air. Then—

"Shadow Slice!"

Zect's muscles bulged as he threw a shadow spirit-infused slicer with all his might. In the air, it could pierce the worm's mouth, which it couldn't do in the sand.

The slicer penetrated the worm's mouth, broke through the exoskeleton shattered by Lotte's blow, and was drawn back to Zect by the power of the shadow spirit.

"Phew… I can't even breathe from watching. It was a rough fight, though."

Riza, who had been hiding, emerged and sighed in relief. Sakyu was already walking toward the revealed structure.

A square, polished stone floor with a circular magic array depicting a two-headed snake was visible. Pillars surrounded it, and there had been a roof, but it was half-destroyed by the worm's body.

Sakyu crouched down to examine the array. The snake symbol easily evoked a connection to the "Snake of Versalis."

"Wow… it's a big magic array. Is it like a teleportation array? It looks like ten people could stand on it."

"I don't know what it's used for, but we should call the master. This structure… it's probably an altar, and investigating it is beyond our capabilities."

"Wait. Someone is approaching… they're very close."

"Wh-What? Zect, you weren't just imagining it!?"

Zect had maintained vigilance in the rear even while the worm was present. However, someone had managed to sneak past his guard.

Either they were skilled in stealth or on par with Zect—SS-rank.

—Finally. I've finally found you, you insolent twins!

"Sister, that voice…!"

"…The wind user who attacked our guild… he was supposed to be in the knight's prison…!"

The man who was supposed to have been defeated by Dick and imprisoned. How had he managed to enter the dungeon?

While Lotte and Sherry were in disbelief, a tornado formed in front of them, kicking up sand.

In the center of the tornado stood—Clive Garland.

With bandages wrapped around his head and upper body and a tattered cloak, the man stood with the predatory eyes of a carnivore.