CH 103

The familiar damp smell of a dungeon greeted me as soon as I stepped inside. The sticky sensation of the ground clinging to the soles of my feet brought me back to reality, with the others crossing the gate not long after me. Vegan and August looked at ease as if they were at home, leisurely looking around the dungeon.

“Hoo, been real long since I’ve been to a dungeon at this level,” Vegan commented.

Sevi and Julieta, on the other hand, being their first time in a dungeon, were rigid with tension. Even the impeccable Nova couldn’t hide his nervousness. The way they were, it was plain they would sit doing nothing when the fellspawn appeared. Still, it was better to be nervous than to needlessly put on a strong front. I surveyed the front line of our party.

“Now, then…” There was a mountain of issues to point out to the group. I immediately thundered, “Nova! How could a shield keeper be relaxing his arms already!”

“I’ll do better, ma’am!”

“Julieta, the same goes for you. You never know when the fellspawn will jump out. Raise your weapon! Sevi! What did I tell you a wind mage should do the first thing they enter a dungeon?”

“To read the flow of wind in the d-dungeon!”

“Good. Pull the front line together. I told you guys that we’re not the only ones rattled by a gate opening, right? The fellspawn are the same. The ones that find their cool first get to hold the chances to victory. Carelessness here leads to death. Don’t let up your guards, everyone!”

“…Roger!”

Nova, Sevi, and Julieta gulped as they responded. Their brave voices made the corners of my mouth turn up. I confirmed the round clock hanging on my belt before turning to the veterans, Vegan and August. “We’re a lot later than expected because of the captain. We should hurry.”

As he was reminded of Mayer’s actions before we entered the gate, Vegan commented, astonished, “I kid you not, I was shocked there. If the folks in the capital saw how he was, they wouldn’t be talking about becoming the second Jun Karentia—you’d outright become public enemy number one, Vice-captain. I don’t think it’d be at the level of mere envy anymore.”

“Oh, be quiet, will you? That’s the biggest worry on my mind.” My shoulders felt heavy at the reminder of that incoming disaster, but I had too much on my plate right now to spend my thoughts elsewhere. For now, I had to focus on the matter at hand.

“I can feel breathing closest from this side!” Sevi indicated one of the countless caverns riddled like ant dens in the dungeon.

“How many?”

“Not a lot. About five?”

“Good. We’re going in.”

Everyone’s eyes shone at my order. We walked into the darkness that held nothing but the glints of fellspawn eyes.

* * *

We encountered our first foes in a situation where the dark stole our vision. I had presumed the three rookies would run about in confusion, but the kids regained their cool faster than I expected. The darkness actually seemed to work in their favor. By removing the unnecessary things from sight, it allowed them to focus on the fellspawn.

“I leveled up!”

“Me, me too!”

It was their first level up. Any first experience in life was bound to hold large meaning, even more so if you had been working hard for that moment. I could empathize with the feelings of the three, so I stopped ushering them for a moment. I watched quietly, allowing them to enjoy the moment, and that alone was enough to spur them on. As I had expected, they began to hurry on their own, motivated by the level up. Nova wiped the sweat from his face as he asked, “Where are the other fellspawn, Sevi?”

“The tunnel on the right! There’s a little more than before. Will you be okay, Sister Julieta?”

“I’m okay!”

All three were bursting with energy, eagerly moving ahead to take down the fellspawn. Sevi was especially in high spirits at properly using magic for the first time. Back at Nochtentoria Castle, I had mostly trained him in refining the flow of mana. Maybe that was why the boy was so anxious to wield a stronger power.

“Cute,” Vegan muttered with mirth.

“You would find them cute. You would’ve had a child their age if you married early.”

“…I suppose so.” A shadow fell over his face as he replied. For a moment, Vegan’s eyes flashed with hatred. It was a sentiment that only those who had lost their families to the dungeons could comprehend. Excluding a few cases, such as Sevi’s hometown, now it was possible to find out where a dungeon would appear. Thanks to the prompt dispatch of expedition corps’, it was rare for fellspawn to come out of the gates.

But in the past, it was common for people to suffer from monsters escaping from dungeon gates. It wouldn’t be strange if Vegan was a victim of one such tragedy. In fact, most of the older members in the corps held similar pasts. The spearman’s eyes followed after Sevi, a faraway look in them as if he were looking at something else. “I don’t know how they ended up joining the corps at their age, but… I hope those children won’t die.”