Chapter 81

Ohhhhhh!!

I made it just in time for today’s updateeeeeeeeee!!

That’s it!

“…Ugh”

As Rad peered into the next room, he let out such a groan.

In that room, there was yet another coffin.

Like the place where the bat attack had occurred before, a coffin lay in the center of the room, and his body instinctively went on alert, remembering the previous ambush.

“No, this is…”

“Huh? Old man!?”

However, what I saw inside the coffin made me step into the room without hesitation.

I passed by the surprised Rad and quickly reached the coffin.

“…As expected.”

Unlike the coffin that had contained the bat, this one was already open.

And inside was someone’s clothing.

It was as if the contents had vanished completely, leaving only the clothing spread out in the shape of a person.

And there was one more thing.

“What is…?”

In the exact spot where the left chest of the clothing would be, something strange was stuck.

Approaching the coffin silently, I pulled it out without hesitation.

“Mr. Rex. Is that a weapon…?”

In response to Nuk’s question as he caught up, I nodded.

“Yeah. It’s the ‘Knife of Regret.’ A weapon specialized for thrusting, and it’s particularly effective against certain undead.”

As I examined the knife I had in my hand, a rumbling sound, like something heavy moving, came from outside the room.

When I went out to check, a staircase leading underground had appeared where there had been nothing before.

“Was that knife a switch?”

“Finally, the next floor. I’m pumped!”

Mana and Rad were peering down the stairs, showing enthusiasm for the exploration, but I stopped them.

“No, it’s late. Let’s call it a day. We’ve finished the minimum exploration here.”

We had achieved the bare minimum goal of the exploration.

Considering our current strength, it would be better to avoid going deeper.

“What! Old man! I can still go on!”

Rad said this with a look of dissatisfaction, but I shook my head.

“If we go down there, the enemies will be stronger. I’m not saying you can’t win with your current strength, but the risk is too high. Have you forgotten the ambush in that room?”

“Ugh… But, if you fight like you did just now…”

“Even without considering the loss of my weapons, if I join the fight, you won’t gain as much experience. That would be counterproductive.”

In reality, the enemies are a higher level, but their actual level is around forty.

If I, at level fifty, join the fight, the experience points Rad and the others would receive would drastically decrease.

“Yeah, well… but…”

“Just focus on raising your class proficiency through guild quests for a while. We can come back here later.”

As I tried to persuade Rad, and the discussion seemed to be coming to a conclusion, an unexpected support came from Nuk, the intellectual boy with glasses.

“But, I’m a bit curious. Why are there monsters living in such a place? Perhaps, at the deepest part, there’s something terrifying…”

“Nuk!”

I stopped Nuk, who was speaking rapidly as if driven by anxiety.

“Don’t say things carelessly. There are plenty of places that have become dungeons because monsters happened to live there. If we go all the way, there probably won’t be anything.”

To cut off Nuk, who seemed about to say something more, I added:

“Besides, we can always come back here. Right?”

I said this with emphasis, and Nuk nodded, as if swallowing something, saying, “Yes…”

Feeling Leesia’s gaze, which seemed to want to say something, we retraced our steps.

Due to the game mechanics, monsters we had defeated would not respawn for a while.

We climbed the stairs without any obstacles, and finally returned to the surface.

The hidden door creaked open, and we returned to the familiar interior of the mansion.

The natural light, which seemed to burn our retinas, made us squint.

“…It’s already sunset.”

Being underground distorts the sense of time.

The blood-red light from outside the window announced the arrival of dusk.

“…It feels like a different world.”

Hearing this, I looked out the window.

Beyond it, the streets of Freelea looked the same as always.

People walked by, their faces peaceful and free from any hint of monsters or conflict.

…That’s right.

This mansion is located in the middle of Freelea.

—This ‘Mansion of Roses’ is a special dungeon within the city.

※ ※ ※

“Ah, welcome back, everyone. Are you all unharmed?”

As we reached the entrance of the mansion, we were greeted from the side.

“…Rose”

I called her name softly.

With her long white hair and gentle eyes, the ethereal woman who owns this mansion stood there.

“We thoroughly defeated the monsters on the first underground floor. There should be no chance of them appearing on the surface.”

At my blunt words, Rose’s eyes widened for a moment, but she quickly bowed gracefully, saying, “Thank you.”

“You adventurers are truly amazing. You immediately found the hidden door leading to the dungeon and defeated the monsters in no time…”

When she raised her face, her eyes seemed to shine with admiration.

“…It’s just my job.”

For me, it was just a matter of revealing facts I knew from the game, pretending as if I had deduced them.

Being praised for this made me feel uncomfortable.

Beside me, Prana puffed out her chest and said, “Yeah, Rex is amazing,” making Rose giggle.

“But, I was really surprised. I never thought there would be a place where monsters live under a house I’ve been living in normally…”

“Do you have any idea why the hidden door was created, Miss Rose?”

Curious Nuk asked, but Rose simply shook her head.

“I only inherited this mansion from my uncle. So, I don’t know the details…”

Rose’s shake of the head didn’t seem like a lie.

Nuk said, “I see,” with a disappointed look and stepped back.

“I was surprised to find monsters, but I’m happy that you all visit. …This mansion is a bit too large for me to live in alone.”

“Miss Rose…”

Hearing Rose’s wistful words, Mana was at a loss for words.

Realizing this, Rose forced a smile and suggested in a bright voice:

“Since you’re here, would you like to have some tea? I’d like to hear about your adventures.”

Her words, which seemed forced, made us nod without hesitation.

※ ※ ※

After drinking tea at the dining table and saying our goodbyes to Rose, who looked lonely, the sun had completely set.

We hurried home, relying on the streetlights in the dark night.

“Still, we’ve really gotten stronger! That bandaged guy would have been impossible for us a while ago!”

“I think it’s thanks to Nuk’s support magic! Elemental attributes are really powerful!”

“Well, I learned it for that purpose. …If someone hadn’t been so careless, we could have won more easily.”

“T-That was my fault, I said!”

As Rad and the others continued their cheerful conversation, I stopped and looked back at the path we had taken, avoiding the light of the city.

The ‘Mansion of Roses,’ which floated faintly under the moonlight, seemed to be trapped in deep darkness, in stark contrast to the houses filled with light.

(…Sorry, Nuk)

I actually know everything about that mansion and what’s underground.

But I can’t tell them.

This mansion is the epicenter of Freelea’s collapse.

It’s where one of the six ‘Devil Kings,’ who follow the evil god and aim to destroy the world, is sleeping….

Finally, the main part of the fourth volume begins!

I didn’t think it would take so long to introduce the Devil King’s setting!

I have to write three bonus short stories to match the book version, which is quite a challenge,

but I’ll say that the next update is scheduled for tomorrow!