Except for mine and Mia-san’s footsteps, there should be no other footsteps to be heard. Yet we clearly heard it.
“E-enemy?!”
At the same time that we turned around, we both got ready. If we were to encounter something in this unexplored space, the first thing we’d encounter would be a monster.
“That is rude.”
But what greeted us was a bright smile.
He’s a man. He looks to be about 20 years old. He carried a staff in his hand and he is wearing a grey robe.
After saying that line, he looks around the room. When he moved his head, his silver coronet sparkled in the icy light.
“Are you in this space?”
He approaches as he speaks.
Solana flashes and passes in front of him. The man stops in his tracks as the wind suddenly rises.
“……That’s a strange wind. Do you mean to say that I shouldn’t go any closer to you?”
Is he talking to Solana?
“W-who are you?”
I asked.
It’s not like there aren’t rumors of monsters that turn into people.
“That’s exactly what I wanted to say.”
The man bowed then he added, “I have come from the Temple of Odis to investigate this dungeon.”
He smiled at us, trying to divert our suspicions.
He is a cold one.
—I could say it clearly not just because the air is cold, but because he is giving such indifferent look in his eyes.
“The other day, one of our companions reported to us that something unusual is happening in this dungeon.”
As he said this, he began to observe the ice by the wall.
Mia-san whispered at me.
“Rion, look. His back.”
On the man’s back, a pair of ravens were depicted on his robe.
“The Dungeon Investigation Team from the Temple of Odis. The Raven Warriors.”
As if waiting for Mia-san’s words, the man nodded.
He beckoned towards the entrance and several more people entered. They were all dressed in the same way, but their eyes were stern.
The one they are staring intently at in particular is.… me.
“C-can we join you guys even for a bit?”
“It’s rare for an unexplored area to be found in a boss layer……!”
Still looking at the ice, the man at the beginning spoke up.
“That’s not necessary. You’re Rion-kun, the wake-up caller in the Royal Capital, right?”
While we are surprised, he continued.
“The red-haired adventurer next to you is also a benefactor. We owe you guys two things.”
“……What are you talking about?”
Mia-san asked, and the dark-haired man smiled again.
“Kindness is not for the benefit of others—your good deeds will come back to you, that is what I mean.”
Mia-san grimaces. She did not like his roundabout way of speaking.
The dark-haired man pointed his staff at me.
“And you, Rion-kun. You are Mr. Rutger’s son.”
I held my breath.
Rutger, the Adventurer—that’s my father’s name.
“Uhm, why do you know my father?”
I asked hurriedly.
“He was a brave man.”
The black-haired adventurer looks up at the giant god encased in ice.
“Did you hear the horn?”
I lose my voice. I could only remain silent.
Without looking back to us, the gentle words came.
“Get going.”
He is unlikely to tell me anything more.
Another person took us back to the boss area. The Raven Warriors blocked the entrance to the unexplored area. The dungeons are managed by the royal family and the Temple of Odis. I guess they’re going to take charge of that space.
“Mia-san, let’s go.”
“But…… well, I guess it can’t be helped then.”
There had been plenty of ups and downs, but we are now on our way home. We climb the stairs to the boss floor, then up to combat layer. It was very quiet. There was not even a sign of a monster, only the sound of our footsteps.
Maybe because of that, my heart was beating unusually loud.
What was that giant god? What about those adventurers who suddenly appeared? Why did my father’s name come up?
Solana speaks to me from a gold coin.
『…… Rion, I think I remembered something about the god Odis.』
My mind was in a daze, so I could only reply half-heartedly.
『But I won’t tell you now. If my guess is correct, you definitely don’t know his name. And if it’s that God, it wouldn’t be strange if he had a mechanism somewhere that would detect when his real name was called. 』
Eventually, we returned to the exploration layer.
On the first level, almost at the exit, I saw a face that I never wanted to see.
“Hello, Rion.”
It was Gideon.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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