Volume 2 - CH 16

Pure white robe and wavy long black hair.

Skin that is so white to a sickly degree. Deep dark circles around  her eyes. The girl who saw me killing a man is smiling with innocence  that is unthinkable from someone who has just killed.

Her age seemed to be similar with me. From the amount of magic  particles surrounding her, her body must have grown from magic power  just like me.

If I have to describe her in one word, it will be……dangerous……I guess.

「……Who?」

「Who cares about something like that……is what I want to say but, I’ll tell if it’s you. You can call me Carla.」

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▼ Carla  Race : Human 

【Magic Power : 375/395】【Stamina : 31/45】

【Overall Combat Strength : 323】

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Immense amount of magic power and stamina value that is like a little  kid. Powerful sorcery that can turn a single human into ash and the  abnormality to think nothing of it. ……She is dangerous. Can I kill her?  With her stamina value, it feels like she will die easily if just a  single hit land on her, but my “instinct” is screaming at me that it’s  dangerous to carelessly make a move against her.

I killed for the sake of living but, Carla……it’s strange to describe  it like this but, it feels like she 『killed for the sake of killing』.

「As I thought, you’re nice……. You’re different from some random humans(trashes). Even after witnessing my strength, your thought is only filled with the question of “can I kill her”.」

「……That’s the reason you came talking to me?」

「That’s right. You have off a “bloody scent” that differed from other  people. Or else, are you also someone who likes to prattle about the  preciousness of life?」

A bizarre pressure oozed out from Carla who is still smiling. For her  she doesn’t need any reason to kill but, depending on my answer, her  reason for 『not killing me』 might vanish.

「Regardless of the reason, it doesn’t matter at the slightest for the one who get killed right?」

「……Fufu, you’re nice just as I thought. I want to kill you and yet I  don’t want to kill you, don’t you think that’s lovely just like a  romantic tale in a story?」

As expected she is that kind of person. Watching her, I stopped  applying body strengthening on my body even while I’m still keeping  vigilant against her.

「Hey, tell me your name.」

「……Aria.」

「Aria……the name really suit you. I was the one who asked but, what made you decided to tell me your name?」

I took anything that can be used to identify the corpses and threw  them down the drain while sending my gaze for just a bit toward the girl  who is smiling in enjoyment.

「I realized that I also don’t have any reason to kill you.」

The instant I gave that answer, Carla broke out laughing so hard that  she choked. Her low stamina value decreased even more by three points.  Her purple eyes are shining fierily with me reflected on them. I don’t  know the reason but, it seems that I have passed Carla’s muster. ……At  the very least, she is thinking that it will be a waste to kill me right  away.

I felt that because I’m also feeling the same.

I have no reason to kill Carla. Carla has obtained a reason to not kill me.

She is an abnormal and dangerous fellow but, for some reason I can  understand a single-minded way of thinking more easily than thousands of  lip services that are lined up by the decent sort. Perhaps she is also  the same. Her talking distance with me has been shortened by half a step  compared to the beginning.

「I’m planning to dive into the dungeon after this. I had been doing  that alone this whole time but, if it’s with Aria then I want to try  exploring with a party.」

「Can you dive into a dungeon with that kind of stamina?」

A kid the same age like me is saying that she has been diving into  the dungeon. The dungeon is a dangerous place. Even I who am a scout who  has trained my Stealth skill will die immediately if I got ambushed.

That will be even truer for Carla. She doesn’t even look like she has  Stealth skill. I can only consider it suicidal for her to dive into  there alone, but I also don’t think that she is lying.

Carla is the same like Elena and me. I thought that she is struggling  desperately in order to live with the strength that was stuffed into  her. I have a reason to become strong and the meaning of fight, while  Carla also has a reason to become strong even if it endangers her life.

「It’s fine. If I die, father will grimace from losing his pawn but, I think mother will rejoice from the bottom of her heart.」

Carla laughed cheerfully while saying such thing.

Her offer to dive into dungeon must be nothing more than just a topic to talk to me at first.

From the perspective of a normal person, they would be in disbelief  by the girl’s action and they should also feel terribly uncomfortable.  But……the way she was acting so free without deceiving herself was worthy  of trust far more than the like of Dino who was all talk and approached  with fake smile and pretty words.

Carla was honest only to her own principle.

「I’ll leave you behind if you collapse.」

「Of course. I’ll be happy if Aria also die together with me at that time.」

「Die on your own.」

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We were having such conversation while ending up challenging the  large scale dungeon that is said to be a dangerous place by ourselves.

Although we have grown bigger physically due to magic power, compared  to adult our appearance is still childish. When such pair tried to  enter the dungeon, decent soldiers who guarded the entrance tried to  stop us, but a knight who came out from the guardroom saw Carla and  opened the path in fear.

「So rude. He looked like he had seen an indiscriminate murderer after looking at me, unbelievable.」

「Don’t you have any mirror at your home Carla?」

「Mother is someone who is only interested in herself, so we have a  ton of them. You are so pretty Aria……surely you will be pretty even when  covered in blood. Whether it’s with your own blood, or other people’s  blood.」

Apparently Carla is a noble lady, but she can wander around without  even any guard must be because she is a 『dangerous person』 with both  strength and influence.

「This is a dungeon of beast demihuman you know. There is a rumor that  it has a hundred floors but, the official number of conquered floor is  only around fifty.」

「Official?」

「It happened once in the past where a noble used money lavishly to  brute force going through the dungeon with outrageous amount of  casualties and reached until the deepest floor. You must have heard.  There is a spirit of the dungeon at the deepest part of an ancient  dungeon.」

「……You mean Gift.」

I had heard about it. A spirit is residing at the deepest part of  ancient dungeon. The one who arrived there will be granted a Gift that  they wished for as reward.

Is that the reason Carla is diving into a dungeon alone? According to  master, you can obtain powerful power that is accompanied with a very  troublesome limitation that way. It looks like Carla is unhealthy, but  she might be planning to heal herself with that Gift.

「Only goblin or kobolt came out at the first floor. Look, they’re coming.」

「Yes.」

She didn’t even need to say. I sensed three presences approaching us.

「Aria, show me how you kill them.」

「…………」

She “asked” as though she is coaxing someone to pick some flowers for  her. I silently pulled out a hidden weapon from my waist and threw it.  One goblin that came right from the front got its throat hit and fell  backward. It died right away after that.

『Gugyah!?』

The remaining two stood still because they can’t comprehend what  happened. I used Stealth while closing the distance silently. The  instant the goblins noticed, I cut the two’s necks simultaneously with  my black knife and stiletto, ending their lives.

「Just as I thought, you’re pretty Aria……」

When I returned from reaping lives, Carla narrowed her eyes in ecstasy like a girl admiring a plucked flower.

「Don’t make someone else do all the works.」

「Certainly, perhaps I’ll do the next one.」

When two goblins appeared next, they ate the Fire Arrow and Wind Cutter that Carla fired simultaneously and died.

Double Spell huh……Carla mentioned that she can use sorcery until  level 3. The sorceries she used were level 1, but their power is  incomparable compared to the sorcery that woman used.

If it’s Carla, I got the feeling that she can kill her opponent even if they’re level 4.

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It seems that Carla is genuinely intending to show me around. She  chose the shortest course and taught me the path until third floor.

「Hey Aria. Why do you think the dungeon’s trap doesn’t harm monster?」

Carla is unexpectedly talkative. When there is no battle, she will  talk to me about a lot of things, whether it’s a meaningful talk or  meaningless talk.

A dungeon is a monster. In order to obtain vitality and magic  particle from living things that wandered into it, it drew humans and  monsters and made them killed each other but, there are cases where  ancient dungeon that has obtained intellect put traps.

The traps aren’t that complicated. Pitfall that drop you to lower  floor, wall that will cause the ceiling to crumble when it’s touched,  and so on. There are traps with simple mechanism, but in exchange it  will large size and easy to cause harm.

「Trap doesn’t activate against monster?」

「That’s right. For some reason monster won’t get caught by trap. It’s  not because they know the trap’s location, but apparently it’s the trap  itself that doesn’t activate. That’s why it’s said that it’s the  intention of the monster which is the dungeon. That’s why don’t just  charge recklessly. It won’t be pretty if you get crushed and died.」

「I see……」

……An interesting information.

「Hey, Aria, will you listen? I have a 『fiancee』, and just the other day I met him for the first time.」

「Hee」

The topic changed again. I still wanted to hear about dungeon, but I  don’t think she will change the topic back, so I stopped saying anything  more.

「So indifferent. Well, it’s alright. That person was really adorable. He is to my liking in a different sense with Aria.」

「I pity him.」

「I didn’t do anything so horrible with him you know? I wonder if that  person has ever even killed a bug. He is someone whose head is filled  with flower field. I can’t wait until the day come he got defiled and  dirtied. Ah, but, I’ll be patient until we marry. It will be more fun  when he can’t run away from me anymore don’t you agree?」

「If only your partner can also enjoy it.」

「My, I won’t let him die so easily. Despite appearance I’m someone  who dreams of keeping an adorable thing as pet. But, that person also  has other fiancées than me. But it’s alright. I think I won’t be able to  have a child anyway, so I’ll let them live until they give birth to a  heir.」

「I see.」

「But, I won’t let him cheat anymore than that. I hate it when other  people touch my toy. That’s why you see, if that person look at other  woman than us his fiancées, I’m thinking of having that woman die in  front of that person’s eyes.」

「It can’t be helped if they have an affair.」

「Right? You also think so aren’t you? I’m really looking forward to that time that I can’t bear it.」

Multiple fiancées huh……. Perhaps Carla is from a noble house with  really high status. In that case she might also has involvement with  Elena.

……If she become Elena’s enemy──

「Don’t get too wild. It’ll be troublesome if I got a request to stop you.」

Carla seemed to feel something from my words. She stopped walking and looked straight at me.

「Are you saying, that if it’s you, you can stop me Aria?」

Carla’s eyes pierced straight at me. Her purple eyes looked a bit  lonely and a bit delighted. I too stared back straight into those eyes.

「If that’s what Carla wish for, I’ll kill you.」

「……Aa, how lovely. If I’m going to die one day, then I want to die from being killed by Aria.」

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The dungeon tour ended when Carla’s stamina can’t be maintained  anymore even by recovery medicine or magic. In fact Carla’s complexion  is already like a corpse. Her stamina value also only has ten remaining,  but Carla’s parents won’t be so worried if she can die so easily.

Why is Carla diving into the dungeon that she went until this far?  It’s not just because she want to kill. It’s only because there is  something that she want to kill even at the cost of her life that she  could obtain her strength. That’s what I felt.

It had become evening when we came out from the dungeon. There is a  luxurious black carriage waiting outside for Carla at that time. Perhaps  it’s her daily routine.

I parted with her there. I noticed the butler that came out from the  carriage to pick up Carla and took a moderate distance from her. There  Carla made an innocent smile and secretly whispered to me.

「Say, Aria. It looks like you are being targeted.」

「……I know.」

This faint out of place feeling……it’s Radha. I don’t know whether she  is able to sense it but, I don’t think that it’s strange that she can.

「Want me to help you with the killing?」

I quietly narrowed my eyes at her teasing and let out my pressure.

「I’ll kill you if you lay your hand on my prey.」

Carla’s strength isn’t a match against Radha. But, if Carla said that she is going to kill her then she will definitely do so.

「Fufu……that sounds like it will be fun too, but I’ll stop for now. Then see you later, Aria. Don’t die until you kill me.」

「…………」

Carla left behind those ominous words and vanished into the black carriage.

A part of me want to train for a bit more in the dungeon but, there  is no need for me to expose my hands to Radha who is watching me.

Besides my Dark Magic skill will reach the limit soon. I stayed in an  inn near the adventurer guild in order to make Radha let her guard  down, diligently trained in the fundamental of short sword skill and my  mind, and two days later──in order to meet Mercenary of Dawn that should  be returning from the dungeon, I headed towards the adventurer guild.