Kays Translations

Chapter 7

“So this is a dungeon… it’s not like those typical labyrinths or underground caves, huh. More like a tangled, deep ravine.”

Descending into the dungeon alone, I was a little taken aback at how normal the terrain looked. But upon closer inspection, I noticed monster corpses scattered around—clear signs that battles had taken place.

“…Come to think of it, I haven’t seen any of those people from that country or my old classmates on the way here. Could they be inside already?”

Just as I was wondering that, I spotted what looked like a makeshift base camp—several tents clustered together and guarded by many soldiers, like a temporary operations HQ.

No doubt about it. Those are troops from that country. You can tell by their armor.

Better avoid getting too close…

“Where did that girl go, I wonder? I don’t think she could’ve gotten too far yet…”

I wandered around looking for her, wondering if she was still wearing that robe—but she was nowhere to be found.

Wait, to cross the border and exit the dungeon from the other side… don’t tell me you have to pass through that base camp? What a troublesome place to set up.

Resigned, I approached—and was immediately blocked by the soldiers.

“Identify yourself! This area is currently under operation by the Kingdom of Golda’s military. If you’re here to explore, come back another day.”

“I just want to pass through. I was actually supposed to go through the checkpoint as part of a guild mission, but since my companion is a beastkin, I thought it best to avoid any trouble and go through the dungeon instead. We got separated, and now I’m trying to find her. Has she already passed through here by any chance?”

“…Hmm. Let me see your guild registration card, just in case.”

No problem—it’s legit. The soldier began chatting with his comrade.

“His story checks out… and earlier, that girl…”

“But a beastkin would make for a good fighting force…”

Whoa, not something I can just ignore.

“So she did come through here? Where is she now? I really need to find her and regroup with the folks from Pigeon Trading Company.”

I dropped the name of the merchant group. Actually… that trading company is basically the economic hub of Golda’s capital. I did some research—it’s someone the kingdom needs to treat with care.

If they’re operating here at the border, neither I nor that beastkin girl can be dismissed so easily.

Feels like my negotiation skills have leveled up or something. Is this a character trait bonus?

“What!? Just a moment, let me discuss this.”

“Understood.”

After a short while, they told me to enter the tent. Inside, waiting with a serious look, was a soldier—he wasn’t the king, but he had once served as our instructor.

“You… are you the guard hired by Pigeon Trading Company?”

“That’s right. So, where’s my companion? We need to hurry or the merchants will be in trouble.”

“…Sorry, but that beastkin girl isn’t here. We had her head into the deeper part of the dungeon.”

“Why? If she was just passing through, all she had to do was go straight across. Why send her deeper?”

Why is there even a base camp set up here like some kind of border checkpoint?

Could it be… they’re using this to capture guild members and explorers like me?

“At the moment, an important figure from our country has gone missing deep in the dungeon. We’re gathering volunteers to aid in the search. In exchange for providing her with identity guarantees, we asked that beastkin girl to help find them. She agreed without hesitation. Is she also a guard from your merchant group?”

Ugh. This is bad. I can’t say she is. And she accepted that offer!?

“…I’ve got a day’s leeway. I’ll head into the depths to find her. If I run into your VIPs, I’ll bring them back too.”

“Oh, that would be very helpful. Actually, I was just about to ask you. The details are complicated, so I can’t explain, but we’d appreciate your help.”

Even I had to admit—despite barely knowing her, I was getting too emotionally invested.

…No, it’s not just that. She saw me when I transformed from Silent to Same. I can’t risk her getting pulled in by those people.

Besides, I don’t trust this kingdom. Weren’t they the ones persecuting beastkin? She could end up being used and discarded as just a convenient guard.

“Well then, I’ll be going. I thought dungeons were supposed to be neutral territory, but I didn’t expect this kind of restriction.”

“…Yes, well, this is an emergency. We had no choice.”

Don’t blame me if eventually all the guild members and explorers refuse to cooperate and leave the country. Even the merchants seem ready to give up on this place. Maybe this kingdom doesn’t have much time left…

As I headed deeper into the dungeon, the terrain suddenly changed. From a simple ravine, it became dark and twisted—sunlight barely reached, and the path consisted of precarious ledges, tunnels, and trails along steep cliffs. Now this felt like a dungeon.

I tried using a spell from the menu screen to reveal a partial map of the area—like you would in a game.

“If this were a game, this would show part of the map… Oh, it worked.”

It didn’t reveal enemies or people, but it helped me identify a path that seemed to lead deeper in.

As I proceeded—

“Whoa… there they are. And she’s with them.”

Up ahead, I saw a group moving deeper into the dungeon, led by that girl.

Wait, wasn’t I supposed to bring her back? Did they convince her to keep going? Honestly, she seems pretty naive or childish. I’m worried. I don’t have a choice—I’ll have to speak to them.

“Hey! You group over there! I was sent by the kingdom to bring you back—could you stop for a moment?”

“Oh no, he’s back… What should we do?”

“It’s fine. It’s faster to beat the Dungeon Master than turn back now. Who knows—maybe Silent is up ahead too.”

“Still, since we’re already past our scheduled return, maybe we should head back?”

“…Well, I’m not strong enough to fight, so I’ll just go along with whatever you all decide.”

“I don’t really care either way~ Worst case, I’ll just run off by myself.”

“I’m with Isaka-kun. If we accomplish something here, the kingdom will value us more, and we’ll have more freedom to act.”

What the… They didn’t get lost—they’re just chasing glory!?

I don’t care about the kingdom’s people, but still, this is a bit much…

Also, that girl in the robe is just staring at me.

I walked straight over and spun a quick story.

“Ah, there you are! You can’t do that—you and I were supposed to go through the dungeon and cross into Lendia together, remember? I’ll make lots of tasty food again once we get there.”

“Huh? Huh?”

“In Lendia, beastkin can live freely. You won’t even need that robe anymore. No need for ID or guarantees. Once we send these guys back, let’s head over there together.”

“What!? There’s a country like that!? I wanna go! I can live in a new home there!?”

“Exactly. Wasn’t that why you joined the caravan in the first place?”

“No… I just wanted to ask you something, so I chased after you. But when it seemed impossible to reach you, I came here instead… and they said they’d vouch for me.”

Huh? You had business with me? If they ask me here and now about my change in appearance… that would be bad. I’m already drawing attention.

“Alright then, once we leave this place, feel free to ask me anything. Now then, you over there. Our goal is simply to pass through this dungeon, but are you planning to go even deeper? If so, then I’ll have to turn back here—with this girl.”

“Wha—wait! She’s an important fighting force to us. We’d be in trouble if she left now!”

“You’re still saying that even though you can’t even properly explore without relying on someone who arrived after you? You should learn your place. Look around—many explorers like me have been forced into this job by the kingdom’s army and are stuck. Are you planning to trouble everyone even more?”

Kazunuma fell silent as I said that with a slightly thorny tone.

Well, maybe he does have some awareness that he’s being a nuisance.

“We’re basically like saviors of this country, you know. It’s our duty to defeat the Dungeon Master and bring wealth to the kingdom. A little inconvenience is just the cost of doing business. As for that girl—if the kingdom guarantees her identity, she’ll live a much better life here than wandering into some foreign country where she knows no one. After all, she’s our ally.”

“Well… I guess we are being a burden, but if we just quickly clear this dungeon, won’t everything be fine?”

…Isaka-kun, were you always this kind of character? Acting all high and mighty—are you getting drunk on the situation or something?

“…Alright then. I’ll head back first, but you—are you going with them?”

“Hmm… I want to go back, but… I did accept their request, so…”

Oh yeah, I was asked to help too… Honestly, I want to throw everything away and disappear, but… that wouldn’t be very human of me. I’ll just finish this quickly then…

“If I accept a request, I want to see it through in a good way… I see. You guys are heading deeper into the dungeon to fight the Dungeon Master. From how you’re talking, it sounds like you already have a plan. I guess I’ll stick with you until she’s satisfied.”

“I appreciate your understanding. Naturally, we’ll expect you to fight as well.”

“I was only asked to bring you guys back, though. Well, I can’t exactly bring back corpses, so I’ll help out.”

Feeling irritated, I responded a bit provocatively, and Isaka looked down on me as he said—

“Says the lowly adventurer. Just make sure you can protect yourself.”

And with that, he briskly walked ahead.

Thus, despite my changed appearance and position, I once again found myself acting alongside this former classmate.

“…Hey, why did you follow me?”

“We traveled together, didn’t we? You were always there, even ate meals with me.”

“Eh, you noticed!?”

“Of course. And… the questions you wanted to ask me—can we wait until we’re out of here and away from them?”

“Okay, I understand.”

“One more thing. Can you tell me your name?”

“My name… I hadn’t told you, had I? It’s Melt. I think I’m probably the last of the original beastkin in this country.”

“Original…?”

“My clan has lived here for a long time. But we always hid ourselves. After my grandma died, I lived alone. I came down here for a reason, but I was told not to go into the city. So I wandered around the forest near it, wondering what to do… and that’s when I found the bell you threw.”

The last one of her kind, huh… that’s not exactly peaceful. But strangely, she didn’t seem sad. Maybe she’s been alone for a long time.

“I was always taught that humans are scary. But you’re kind. You knew and still gave me food, right?”

“Well, yeah. There’s a lot I want to talk about, but let’s wait until we’re out of here.”

“Okay. Then… will you tell me your name too?”

“Ah, I forgot too. I’m Same. Yeah… I’m alone too. No family, no home to return to.”

Yeah, I’m alone. Those people walking ahead of me—they may be from the same world, but… they’re not my friends, not my comrades. So really… I couldn’t care less what happens to them here.

With that lingering unease in my heart, I continued deeper into the dungeon.

As expected, monsters appeared along the way, but my former classmates—especially Isaka—managed to defeat them without much trouble, even if they struggled a little.

As for Melt, who they were counting on as a combat asset—she was even stronger.

Her speed, her handling of the knives she used as weapons—it was obvious she wasn’t a novice.

She took down three monsters in an instant, rendering them completely incapacitated.

Yeah… after seeing that, it makes sense they wouldn’t want to let her go.

Eventually, we progressed smoothly through the dungeon and reached what appeared to be the deepest part.

The path had become increasingly maze-like, but I guess that “Pathfinder Power” or whatever Hishida-san had was guiding us in the right direction.

“Huh, so the deepest part isn’t always a building like in that forest dungeon.”

“I heard making a dungeon inside a dungeon is super rare. This is probably how it’s normally supposed to be.”

It was a large altar carved out of a cliff face.

Ornate columns stood in place, and embedded in them were familiar-looking red crystals.

Those are… dungeon cores, right?

“So this is the Dungeon Master’s lair? Well, if we can take it, we should.”

“Wait—don’t touch anything recklessly. Let’s scout around a bit more—”

Just as Yuko lazily approached the pillar, Shu’s sharp voice froze everyone in place.

At that moment, countless vines sprang from the pillar she had almost touched, spinning violently and slashing the surroundings.

“Aww, too bad. Guess it’s faster to kill you myself. You were so close to being minced by my favorite trap.”

The voice echoed from nowhere—and then, before we realized it, a boy stood at the back of the altar.

That aura, that appearance… no doubt about it.

“…The Dungeon Master.”

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