Chapter 84

After preparing the snacks, I returned to the second-floor living room, where Miralca and Aileen had also come out of the bath, saying they were thirsty. The evening drink with everyone lasted for about an hour.

Not only Aileen, but I also ended up drying Miralca's hair—perhaps because she usually takes good care of it, it felt surprisingly smooth.

"We've been through the desert level and all, so our hair inevitably gets damaged in battles."

"Well, Miralca is a backliner, so she should be fine, right? Dick also uses a comb to smooth it out. It feels so nice to touch."

"Dee, I prefer hair that's smooth, you know."

Everyone's gaze focused on the master—did they want to know more about me? I couldn't let that happen.

"…Aileen's hair is a bit like cat fur, but everyone else's is similar. However, the master's hair is in a league of its own… How do you manage to keep it like that?"

"Uh… well, I wasn't included in that. Miralca and everyone else's hair is so smooth, so I thought Dee would be happy."

"Gruru…"

"Hey, stop it. Aileen's hair is fluffy, but I don't mind it."

I immediately added a follow-up when Aileen showed her fangs, a characteristic of the demon race, to intimidate me. She then calmed down.

"Hmm, I'll be smooth too, eventually."

"…Cody, what are you doing? Touching your hair like that…"

"Uh, n-no… It's nothing."

"Maybe you should try letting it grow out. Cody usually keeps it short, but…"

Cody smiled wryly at Miralca's suggestion. Perhaps he thought it didn't suit him.

"For now, I'm fine. As long as I'm the frontliner of the party."

"Well, Cody can handle middle or backline roles too. Aileen is the dedicated frontliner."

"I haven't been able to shine much lately. Sigh, I wish we'd encounter enemies that match well with martial artists. I'm losing confidence."

"Parties are about complementing each other's weaknesses. I rely on Aileen, and I will continue to do so."

The Demon King has become a full-fledged member of our party. It's a strange situation, considering the Demon King is part of the party that once aimed to defeat him.

And there's the master, who was part of the party that saved the kingdom a thousand years ago. There's not much to fear—though I don't say there's nothing, as overconfidence can lead to complacency.

"…Dee, do you rely on me?"

"Of course I do. But when Aileen gets serious… there's some risk, right?"

"Y-Yeah, I'll be careful. Even if I 'demonize,' I can control myself, so it's okay."

"Speaking of which, are you okay today? When we fought that bone dragon, you were demonized."

The side effects of demonization—gaining immense power temporarily and significantly boosting combat performance come at a cost.

She doesn't want to talk about it, but from what I've seen—no, it's better not to even imagine. Aileen is, in fact, more of a lady than anyone else, an unspoken truth.

"…I'm fine now, but at night…"

"Hmm…? Are you really okay? If you're not feeling well, I can check on you."

"I'm not a doctor. Dee, you worry too much. I know you can do doctor-like things, but…"

In addition to healing wounds with recovery magic, I learned from the master how to detoxify and diagnose basic illnesses. I only found out after moving here that my skills surpass even those of the capital's doctors.

The master watches me silently with a smile. It feels unsettling, as if she's watching me grow, but I can't tell her to stop looking at me that way in front of everyone.

◆◇◆

The next day, after finishing our preparations, we entrusted the inn to someone and moved to the temple.

There, not only were there adventurers heading to the dungeon, but also the Marquis. As soon as he saw me, he bowed deeply.

"Dee, please forgive me… My shortsightedness led me to include such a person in the exploration…"

"Marquis, you shouldn't bow in front of the people. Doing so won't change anything."

"However… in a crisis for the nation, I let my pride get in the way and hindered your efforts…"

Aileen went to the Marquis's mansion last night, wearing a mask, to get information about Clive.

The Marquis, mistaking the 'Masked Rescuer' for someone who had come to punish him, was so terrified that Aileen had to ask me through a telepathic magic item what to do. I conveyed that I wouldn't blame him further for what he had done—still, the Marquis couldn't rest easy and came to apologize to us.

"…The Masked Rescuers see everything. To them, I might as well have tried to harm you… But I can't die yet…"

"It's not about dying or not. What you should do now is think about the lives of the people in the capital, which means improving governance. That's something a mere guild master like me can't do."

"If I do something foolish again… the block where your mansion is located will have a much better view, I'm sure."

"…Y-Yes. I will take that to heart…!"

Miralca, who had somehow appeared next to me, indirectly threatened the Marquis. If you know the origin of her nickname, 'The Adorable Calamity,' you'd understand that she's not joking.

"Actually, I wasn't the one directly affected. After this operation, I'll have the person you wronged apologize again."

"Y-Yes… I've heard from the Masked Rescuers that there were injuries."

"To believe the Masked Rescuers so readily, yet act selfishly… Who were you trying to save face for, to go to such lengths?"

"Guh…"

Miralca doesn't hold back when it comes to hitting where it hurts. From what I heard from Lowe, the Marquis tried to use Clive's power to outmaneuver Premiere.

The rivalry between the Orland and Stollen families. Caught up in this, Sherry was once severely injured.

—Honestly, the reason I didn't visit the Marquis was that I wasn't confident I could control my anger.

"…I'll also hear from Premiere. In the future, even as a ducal family, please report any involvement in exploration in advance. I think that's a reasonable request."

"Understood. I will assign Kirsch, our house steward, as the liaison with you… I may not need to say this, but I wish you good luck."

The Marquis left the temple with his elderly butler. Kirsch, one of the fifty guards from the Orland family, came to me.

She had brought a request to my guild to prevent the rebellion of the Vinsbruck family and later moved to the Orland family. It seems she hasn't had the best of jobs. Being a house steward of a ducal family is a coveted position in the capital.

Kirsch, with her light red hair tied back in a single braid, showed a bright smile as soon as she approached me. She had a stern face when the Marquis was around, but now she seemed much softer. She was dressed in an active, feminine outfit, though she wasn't wearing a skirt.

"It's been a while, Guild Master. I've wanted to greet you, but I didn't want to trouble you while you were on the front lines…"

"No, you can greet me anytime. I've been wondering how you're doing at the Orland family."

"S-Such kind words… I am but a humble servant of the ducal family, unworthy to stand before heroes like you."

"This person isn't comfortable with such grand treatment. Treat her like any other person around here."

Miralca has been very kind to me since today—since I retrieved the portrait from Lowe last night. It's a pleasant change, but it makes me uneasy. If the ideal woman for a man suddenly appeared, it would be very problematic—especially for me, who tries not to feel anything romantic towards my party members.

"…What kind of dazed look are you giving? Don't get the wrong idea just because a woman is being nice to you."

"Right, that's good. Keep criticizing me."

"Dee, you're very strict with yourself… I only have feelings of respect for you. As a fellow hero, I can offer constructive criticism to my comrades…"

"A, affection… What are you talking about? It's pure and straightforward criticism, don't get the wrong idea."

Miralca drives the point home, but her cheeks are flushed. Kirsch, hiding her mouth with her gloved hand, smiles gracefully.

However, she then changes her expression, looking serious and professional.

"The fifty guards from the Orland family will now fully follow your command, Guild Master."

"Ah, thank you. I'd like to ask the ducal family for supplies. We need them when setting up bases in the dungeon. Ideally, we'd like to create safe havens on each floor."

"Understood. We will coordinate with adventurers and the knights to increase the number of bases."

This will give the waiting personnel something to do. The newly spawned monsters are weaker than the older ones, so the floors we've cleared are relatively safe.

The only thing left is to keep moving—there's no need to clear all 90 remaining floors. The priority is to reach the bottom floor by any means. The exploration of the remaining floors can be a task for the explorers after we seal the 'Serpent.'

◆◇◆

We activated the teleportation magic array and descended to the eleventh floor. At the base, exhausted adventurers were lying around.

Kasumi and Leonid were having a serious discussion, looking like they were in the middle of a battle command post, albeit a makeshift one.

"…You're here, Dee. I've been waiting."

"Leonid… Did you explore all night?"

"I didn't intend to, but we found a soldier's diary in an abandoned fortress in the forest, written just before they retreated."

"The monsters were manageable, as you said, but the hobgoblins were a challenge. Their skin was black, so they might be called dark goblins… Some of them could use magic, and they were unusually tough. Even my sword had a hard time cutting through them."

Kasumi drew her sword to show it, but the blade was undamaged—though when I focused my magic sight, I could see signs of metal fatigue.

"If you need weapon maintenance, I can introduce you to a good blacksmith. The workshop we use at the Blue Maiden Inn is also skilled, but I know a master craftsman named Mogri."

"That would be a great help. I'll ask for the details later. If this breaks, I'll lose my ideal weapon. I was worried about it."

Kasumi's eyes were closed, but her smile was calm and reassuring, putting the people around her at ease. Leonid, who had been exhausted, regained some energy, poured water from a canteen over his head, and wiped his face with a towel offered by a guild member.

"Sorry, I'm causing you trouble… About the diary. It's in bad condition, and many parts are unreadable, but the soldier who wrote it survived for a few days in a hidden room after the fortress was attacked by hobgoblins, continuing to write the diary. Unfortunately, he was probably killed there. He wrote about the kingdom not sending reinforcements and hiding the existence of this dungeon from the people."

Leonid took out a tattered leather-bound book from a leather bag—some parts were stained black—and handed it to me.

The book, made of parchment, had few faded letters, suggesting it was well-preserved. The goblins, who can't read, must have treated this diary as a treasure they had stolen from humans.

I flipped through the pages. There were a few pieces of information that caught my attention, but the content on the last page immediately drew my focus.

(Magic script… This pattern seems familiar…)

"Master, can you take a look? I feel like I've seen this before…"

"This… I think these characters were included in the magic array we found on the altar in the seventh floor. It seems to be related."

The text on this page is faded, but I can make out fragments of the word 'summoning.'

"Hmm, 'summoning.' If you want, I can summon whatever this text represents. It could be a risky move, like opening a can of worms… What do you think, Master?"

Is there a unique spirit or monster specific to this dungeon? I doubt a mere soldier could summon something powerful, but if there was a summoner in the fortress at the time, it's possible they used this magic script to summon something.

That could have led to the fortress's downfall—no, there's no point in speculating.

"Dee, it's okay. There are many types of magic scripts, but this one isn't dangerous. It's probably a fairy."

"Fairy… I've heard of them, but I've never seen one. Can they be summoned?"

"Rare, but if you go to a fairy's forest and call out, they might respond. In my experience, no one knows the land better than the fairies who live there. If we can summon a fairy, it could greatly advance our exploration."

Leonid's eyes widened, and Kasumi showed interest. If we can summon a fairy, they would want to see it, but considering the potential risks, it should be done with a small group.

I communicated through the magic piercings I gave everyone that I would try to summon using the magic script, and that there might be danger, so we should change the location. Lotte and Sherry were particularly tense, but the rest of the party remained calm.

(We'll be watching, so the danger will be minimized. You're not thinking of summoning with just the three of you, the master and the shop owner, right?)

(No, I understand. If I did that without consulting you, I'd have no place in this party.)

Cody's telepathic message reassured everyone. Miralca explained to the two guild masters on my behalf.

"Summoning might affect the surroundings, so we need to change the location. You two look exhausted from exploring all night, so it's better to rest and let the relief team take over."

"We'll do that… Dee, it seems you're expanding the base."

"It will be safer for other explorers. The area around the teleportation magic array should be fortified. The goblins you fought won't respawn once they're defeated, though."

"The older ones are the dangerous ones. I won't fall behind to inexperienced monsters… *yawn*. Sorry, I need a three-hour nap."

Leonid and his subordinates yawned and teleported away. Kasumi smiled at us before teleporting with her female aides.

◆◇◆

We ascended to the tenth floor where the spirit dragon was. The vast, empty space was suitable for summoning.

The master and Verlene drew a magic array on the ground. Once the preparations were complete, Verlene took out a dagger and was about to cut her finger—blood was apparently needed for the summoning.

"Verlene, can you use my blood?"

"I'm touched by your concern for a woman's finger, but… *ah*…"

"Dee, you're so careless about yourself."

"I can use recovery magic."

I unsheathed my sword slightly and cut my thumb, then dripped the blood onto the magic array and healed the wound with recovery magic.

"By doing this, you will gain the qualifications to form a contract