44 – Cleaning the Dark Castle (4)
44th episode
“Really. Then, back then that obsidian corridor appeared…”
“Maybe it’s because of me…?”
Frey gave me a quizzical look.
“Are you pretending not to know after all?”
“…Allen is weak.”
Although Clara tried to advocate for me, her words only pierced my conscience.
I apologize for being weak…
“hahahaha.”
“Of course, it’s admirable and good intentioned….”
Frei raised an eyebrow and looked at me.
“…Is it because you want to leave the party?”
“Well, what do you mean by that?”
“It’s fine.”
“Why do you come to that conclusion?”
“I was thinking about when Allen might need strength suddenly, and to become independent, you need strength, right?”
She felt embarrassed.
Honestly, when you guys act like such assholes, I sometimes want to leave. But it wasn’t that I wanted to leave right away, I just wanted to build strength.
Of course, there was also naturally the insurance of being able to be independent at any time, but I also had a desire to excel in battles.
“After all, I became immersed in a game where I know so much.”
It’s not fun if I can’t do anything in my life.
“That’s not it. I already told you the reason.”
“I understand. I will believe you.”
Frey looked at me and said,
“If you betray the faith of the Holy Maiden, the Divine One will be angry, right?”
“Well… that’s a bit scary.”
After witnessing the judgment of the Divine Vita a while ago, the story seemed even more frightening.
“What is there to be scared of? Just don’t betray her.”
Frey said that and smiled lightly. It feels quite fascinating when you look closely. Frey’s hair and eye color, to be precise.
Unlike Clara’s sparkling silver hair, Frey had white hair that looked a bit disheveled and ash-gray eyes that gave off a somber feeling. They were colors that ordinary people couldn’t find in someone.
“Can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“Was your hair and iris originally that color?”
“No way.”
Freya chuckled lightly.
“I’m not old enough for my hair to turn completely gray, and although gray irises are common, have you ever seen irises this ashy and dim?”
“Then why is it like that?”
“Because I’m a saint.”
“Huh?”
Freya explained, “It’s not easy to channel the power of the divine into a human body. In that process, I unknowingly experienced immense pressure and stress in both mind and body. So my hair turned white, and my irises lost their natural color.”
“…Did all the Vestals behave that way? Historically?”
“Most did. Some exceptionally strong-willed individuals were said to be different, but I’m not at that level.”
…I can’t think of anyone with mental resilience as strong as yours other than Ser-aria. Without a strong mental attitude, it’s impossible to not care about others’ looks and reveal oneself so openly.
While thinking such thoughts, Frey asked me,
“What color do you think my hair originally was?”
“Huh?”
“I’ll give you a reward if you guess.”
“What kind of reward?”
“That’s a secret.”
Frey asked with a beaming smile.
“What color do you think it was?”
“……”
Since I hadn’t seen her past setting in ＜Dungeon in Evil＞, I couldn’t answer quickly. Then Frey urged me.
“Hurry and guess.”
“Can’t I just think about it for a bit?”
“You’re taking too long. How badly do you want the reward?”
“It’s not about that…”
Clara spoke.
“…If I guess right, do I get a reward?”
“Of course. I’ll give you a reward too, Clara.”
“…Black?”
“Ding, no. I’ll give you a chance alternatively. This time it’s Allen.”
If black is not the answer, among the remaining colors, the most ordinary one is…
“Brown?”
“…What is it? Why are you guessing so easily?”
“Huh? Is that right?”
“Do you happen to know anything about my family?”
“No.”
I have no idea at all.
From Noble mtl dot com
“Our family members all have brown hair. It’s an uncommon color, how did you guess?”
So, brown hair was an uncommon color in ‘Dungeon and Evil’. Come to think of it, there weren’t many characters with brown hair.
“…Allen, I envy you.”
“Huh? What for?”
“You said you’re receiving a reward.”
“Oh.”
To be envious without even knowing what the reward could be, Clara must truly be innocent.
“So, what kind of reward is it?”
“It’s a reward that only the Saint can give.”
“Huh?”
In that moment of doubt, Frey embraced me tightly and pulled me towards her. As a result, my body slightly leaned towards her, and my face touched her chest.
Even within the party, Frey, along with Erin, had the largest bosom.
“The dress she was wearing exposed the upper part of her chest, so her cheeks felt soft and cushiony when they touched hers.
“Milady’s warm embrace is soothing.”
Fray said with a shy smile. I quickly pulled away from her embrace, my mind momentarily lost.
“What are you doing!?”
“It’s comforting, isn’t it?”
“How is this supposed to be comforting?”
“Don’t you like it? I thought Alan would like it because he’s a man.”
“…I don’t like it.”
…But the truth was, I did like it. The soft and cushiony touch was truly addictive.
“That fact couldn’t be denied, but saying it’s good outright would be strange in itself.
“Surprising. Is Alan really only meant for Erin?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Oh… I’m sorry. It’s nothing.”
Freyy stumbled over her words before speaking.
“Shall we stop procrastinating and look for Yong-Ok now?”
“Um, sure.”
Why is that kid suddenly showing up? Could it be that he’s making such a misunderstanding because we used to be childhood friends?
“Before I possessed her, maybe things were really like that.”
“Now, it was definitely not. Is there any way I could like that damn Masaki?”
“…Heart, Allen likes…”
Ignoring Clara’s incomprehensible muttering, we set out to find the sapphire.
#
We might have walked a bit longer, and the path was long, but no more monsters came out after Minotaur. He seemed to be the only monster and boss monster in the labyrinth, and he was the gatekeeper.
And at last, we could face a large door.
“Something incredibly suspicious has appeared.”
“It looks like it’s right here, doesn’t it?”
“…Yeah.”
As it looked incredibly suspicious, it also seemed incredibly sturdy. Even after defeating the Minotaur and passing through, this door felt like a secondary gateway.
However…
“Clara, can you open it?”
“…I’ll try.”
We had our lock-pickers. Picking locks was one of their signature skills. Soon enough, a door like this should be…
“…Huh? Why isn’t it working?”
“…It’s not working?”
“Wait just a little bit.”
Clara tried several times, but there was no sign of the door opening. How on earth was it supposed to open?
“Huh?”
“Alan, did you see that too?”
Upon closer inspection, the carvings on the door seemed to signify something.
“Some kind of gesture?”
“Yes, exactly…”
Frey said.
“It looks like a dance.”
Dance. It gave a feeling of the brain freezing slightly at those words.
“… Do we have to dance this?”
“It probably means it’s right to have something like this here. Isn’t that natural?”
Yeah, it’s a cliché… Why do you know it so well?
“… There are three holes here. Something like jewels is embedded inside.”
“Wouldn’t they shine every time you do a dance? If all three shine, the door opens.”
It was a pretty convincing guess.
“Do we need only one person to dance?”
“I don’t think so. Look, there are three people drawn, and their movements are slightly different. With three holes, doesn’t it make sense?”
Three people…I can’t exclude myself either.
“It seems like Allen does what tall people do, and Clara does what relatively small people do. It seems like the dance is divided between men and women.”
“…sigh.”
“…Are we going to do this dance?”
“Clara, you don’t seem to like it either.”
“…It looks interesting.”
No, it doesn’t.
Surprisingly, Clara showed an interest in this. Although she seemed well-suited for dancing as a whole, it was unexpected. Is self-esteem separate from hobbies?
“Let’s try dancing in the order engraved on the floor. Allen goes first.”
“I really dislike it.”
I quietly observed the movements etched into the relief. Soon, I realized it was a dance that seemed familiar from somewhere.
“…It’s the sad cat dance.”
It was the dance that had once become a meme on the internet.
For a moment, it was strange to wonder why this was engraved here, but this was a world in ＜The Evil of Dungeon＞, so it wasn’t particularly strange. It’s not uncommon to include memes popular in the game…
But to tell me to dance this now…?
“Allen, come on. We have to retrieve the jade.”
“…Fighting.”
“…Yes.”
The movements themselves were not difficult. It was mostly about repeating similar actions. However, as I watched female characters and broadcasters perform this, a wave of self-disgust washed over me because I was doing it myself.
Especially since I knew what dance Pray and Clara were doing, while they had no idea, my self-disgust was doubled.
As I continued dancing, suddenly a light shone through the door. It was coming from one of the three holes.
“Allen, great job.”
“…You did well.”
I truly feel like committing suicide. It was even worse because Clara innocently applauded.
“Then it’s my turn this time.”
The sculpture on Pray’s turn…
‘Zero Two…’
When she gathered both arms behind her head and moved her upper and lower body in opposite directions, it seemed like the dance was right. Just like the dance that once set the internet on fire, this one existed too.
“It’s difficult to mimic the movements…”
“I can’t not do it.”
I couldn’t be the only one to do it. So when I told her seriously to do it, Pray slightly smiled and said,
“I will do it.”
Pray gathered her arms behind her back and lightly moved her hips. Even from behind, the impact of her body movements was significant. Especially since she was wearing a martial arts uniform, there was something even more captivating about it.
“It wasn’t for nothing that the internet was once ablaze. Perhaps if you had seen it before…
‘…We could have been in big trouble.’
As I diligently worked, light began to shine through the second hole soon enough. This must be the last one.
“Wow, we did it!”
“…Yeah, congratulations.”
“How was it? Did we do well?”
“Uh…yeah, we did.”
“Allen, there’s no soul.”
Though Frey insisted bluntly, it was best for me to say it like that. I couldn’t tell the saint that she looked s*xy.”
The following is Clara’s.
“…Yeah.”
The dance Clara was to perform…uh, I didn’t even know this dance. It seemed to be a dance unrelated to dance moves. It was like nothing I had ever seen before.
“What kind of dance is that?”
“…This is the traditional dance of the Kingdom of Shazal.”
“Ah, I see. It seems familiar.”
Clara glanced at me and raised her hand slightly.
“Dance.”
With that short word, Clara began to move calmly, and I was a little surprised. It wasn’t just me; Frey seemed slightly amazed too.
Clara was exceptionally skilled at dancing, beyond imagination. She danced until the feeling of being an orphan could be sensed. Clara maintained her usual expression, but there was an atmosphere because her gaze itself was slightly indifferent yet somewhat serene.
It seems that Clara should have worn a tutu.
“…Beautiful.”
The word “beautiful” used here is not to simply compliment her appearance, but rather the scene itself of Clara dancing was beautiful. It’s difficult to explain the exact feeling.
Even that damn door seemed to acknowledge her perfect dancing, as light seeped through the third keyhole.
“That’s it!”
“Clara, well done! You dance so amazingly!”
“…Thank you.”
Clara nervously scratched her cheek. The traditional dance appeared to have the most complex process, but thanks to Clara’s flawless performance, she succeeded in unlocking the door.
And finally, we did…
“Allen, are you there?”
“I’m here!”
We were able to reunite with Yongok.
#
After bringing Yongok out of the maze, Caius was waiting for us at the entrance. Not only her, but also Erinha, Sera-Aria, and Leticia were with him.
“You finally came out. Why are you so late?”
“In here is a labyrinth.”
“It’s not because I’m being lazy~♡”
“No… but why are you all here? Blocking the way…”
Letizia answered my question.
“We already took care of it.”
“…Ah, I see?”
They sure handle things quickly.
Cer-Aria also rushed towards us and asked.
“What about Yongok? Has my bar tab been cleared!?”
“Are you worried about alcohol even in this situation?”
“I’m here.”
“Oh, I’m so relieved!!”
“Did you find your way okay? It’s not like you to be so clumsy~♡”
You knew I was looking for this, you bi-…? I came all this way after dancing.
While Ceraria worries about the cost of alcohol and Erin teases me even in this situation, Leticia looked at us with amazement.
“Thank you for your hard work, everyone.”
“Leticia, you’ve worked hard too.”
“…You’ve all worked hard.”
…I guess, in usual times, she’s the most normal one.
I saw Cassius.
“Did you get hurt?”
“Alan, what do you think of this body? Do you think it’s going to get hurt when dealing with a bunch of insects?”
“Well done. But that darn sound of the insects is still not fixed.”
“…I spoke falsely, please forgive.”
“No, you can fix it.”
“No, please forgive! I said the horn seems to be getting angry…!”
No, you can’t.
“Then should we go back and sell the jade too?”
“Yeah, let’s go back soon.”
“I handed the sapphire to Caius and said, ‘Don’t forget to keep it safe.’
‘I didn’t forget, but…’
Humans do tend to forget.
‘You, being a dragon, should take good care of it because humans tend to forget.’
‘I guess so. I will make sure to keep it safe and not forget.’
When Caius picked up the sapphire with a sigh, Erin whispered to me, ‘He’s doing well, huh? Surprisingly, he has the qualities of a caretaker.’
‘He’s a bit simple-minded…’
‘Hmph♡’”
Erin spoke.
“You’ve worked hard, mediocre♡”
“…Why are you saying something like that out of the blue?”
Curious, I asked, but Erin didn’t answer and turned away with a desperate smile. Still silently watching her back, I let out a sigh and followed Erin.
“Kaiser, come with me.”
“Alright.”
Thus, the subjugation of the dark organization, Teen Tala, and the recovery of the Dragon Gem were successfully accomplished.
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However, at the moment, I didn’t realize that this incident would come back to haunt us like a painful arrow in the future.
