As they descended the steps, a rotten, fishy stench joined the bitter cold.
Even though Lonis had never been here—not even when she was the Hero—she could still tell what kind of place this was.
A dungeon.
That rotten stench was the distinctive smell of blood left to ferment over time.
Heavy metal doors and bars filled the visible stretch of the dungeon. Rusted metal shackles hung along the walls, catching the torchlight as if to threaten anyone who passed by.
(Th-this is terrifying...)
Lonis tried to keep calm, but her body had already started trembling despite herself.
These torture devices were nothing like the little toys she wore, which were mainly designed to please girls. These were real instruments of torture. They were incredibly heavy, and every one of them could pierce a person's body.
Lonis figured that if she put on a complete set of these devices, she probably wouldn't be able to take a single step.
...
In this terrifying atmosphere, Elucia's back looked especially reassuring.
If Lonis were a timid girl, she probably would've hurried over to her by now.
But as a Hero, Lonis had her dignity to uphold. She held her head high and walked behind Elucia, pretending to be brave.
...
But her composure soon vanished.
Because out of the darkness...
A humanoid monster suddenly leaped out!
Its skin was charred black, as if it had been burned. Its face was hidden beneath a mess of tangled hair, and it crawled on all fours like a wild man.
But...
One slash.
Elucia didn't even dodge. The black humanoid monster was already split in two.
Black blood burst from the wound, but not a drop landed on the black-haired girl. Elucia's swordsmanship was precise: swift, yet without wasting even the slightest effort.
...
The girl in black stared at the blackened figure and murmured with a sigh:
“It's still alive...? No, judging by the blood, it should already be dead. Then the Fallen Demons must be behind this again.”
“Huh? Fallen Demons?”
“Hmph. They're just like that puppet demon from before. Nothing to worry about.”
“Eep!”
Though she said there was nothing to worry about, Lonis's heart had already started pounding.
There were simply too many monsters in this world... And unlike in a game, they weren't just models. You could clearly see their bones—and even smell the stench they gave off before they died.
...
But perhaps Elucia had noticed how frightened Lonis was.
Elucia actually smiled faintly and ordered her:
“Lonis, search that corpse and see if there's anything useful.”
“The corpse?”
“Your clothes are dirt-resistant. Don't make me say it twice.”
“Ugh...”
...
Lonis finally understood what the long gloves on her hands were for.
Even when searching a disgusting corpse, they kept its blood from getting under her fingernails... though there was no escaping the foul stench wafting straight into her face.
Lonis could only hold her breath as best she could and roll the blackened man over.
Its black muscles looked as if they'd been soaked in dark blood, like rotting chunks of meat. It was revolting.
There was nothing unusual on the corpse.
Lonis only found a scrap of paper. When she opened it...
...
...
『I'm sorry. I betrayed my country.
But isn't this all because the princess failed to quell the Flame Abyss's fury?
I'm torn up about this too. I want everything to be okay!!!
But it's too late to say that now.
General Kelu has become a puppet of the Fallen, and we've...』
『reached the point of no return.』
...
...
When Lonis remained silent for a long while, Elucia frowned.
“What did you find?”
“A note...”
“A note? Hurry up and let me see it!”
“Ah—huh?”
Lonis was just about to hand over the note, but the moment she lifted it... a gust of wind blew through, and the paper instantly fell apart!
“You idiot! You can't even protect a scrap of paper?”
“I'm sorry!”
...
Elucia's delicate brows drew together, as if she wanted to teach Lonis a lesson.
But... she seemed to remember something, and in the end, she didn't lay a hand on her.
“Anything else?”
“N-no...”
“Hmph. So the demons really are behind this... Bringing a corpse back to life? What a vile spell.”
“Elucia?”
“Stay behind me. This time, four meters is enough.”
...
...
As they continued downward and deeper into the dungeon, Lonis realized that it was getting warmer and warmer around them!
But on second thought, that made sense. Cellars stayed warm in winter and cool in summer, and the thick layers of earth kept the heat from escaping.
...
Along the way, Elucia and Lonis encountered more than a dozen blackened figures.
Every one of them sprang from the shadows, reeking like a corpse... but Elucia cut them all down without exception.
One slash each. Clean and simple.
But after the first one, Elucia didn't ask Lonis to search any more bodies.
...
She simply kept going down, deeper and deeper.
Her black high heels echoed through the depths of the dungeon, each step ringing with unshakable authority, as if telling the terrifying monsters: An invincible valkyrie has arrived. Come out and meet your death!
Though the light was dim, Lonis noticed that many of the blackened figures wore metal shackles.
Some even wore blindfolds. Metal pierced some of their bodies, while others were missing half their heads... They looked like the ghosts from a horror movie, and the sight made her shudder.
...
Lonis had no idea where Elucia was going, but she kept following her and pressing on.
At last,
they seemed to have reached the lowest level of the dungeon.
The air around them had grown even hotter. It was a little like a sauna. Maybe the heat had sped up the growth of microorganisms; the floor was covered in black stains, and a foul stench hung in the air, just like in a cesspit.
The moment she arrived, Lonis instinctively covered her nose and mouth.
Elucia, on the other hand, looked completely unfazed as she examined their surroundings. After a moment, she nodded.
“Mm. This is the place... Kelu really is still alive.”
“Kelu?”
“I think locking you in one of the cells would keep you safe... but you're a little masochist. You probably wouldn't want to stand alone in the dark, would you?”
“Mm...”
At this point, Lonis couldn't afford to worry about saving face. She hurriedly nodded like a little girl.
She knew nothing about this pitch-black dungeon, and she couldn't even hurt a fly. Who knew what might happen if she left Elucia's side?
...
“All right. But when I kill Kelu in a moment, don't throw up.”
“Huh?”
“I'm going to kill him in the most brutal way possible. Otherwise... it'd be far too easy on him, wouldn't it?”
A glint of cold fury flashed in Elucia's eyes, and her right hand tightened firmly around the black sword.
...
