Strongest Survival by Otome Game’s Heroine (LN)-Vol 4 Chapter 6: Dungeon Exploration Beginning

Dungeon Exploration Beginning

Forest monster would come out at forest, desert monster at desert, and sea monster at sea. But, such problem didn’t occur in ship travel.

It would be a different matter if the ship was small but, large ship that was owned by noble apparently wouldn’t be attacked unless the monster was really gigantic. Besides even small ship had “reverse hooks” so that sea monster couldn’t climb to the deck or traditional trick like scattering grass that monster disliked while fishing.

In the first place there was nearly a thousand years of history since human settled in this land. During that time, although nations fell and rose, the people living there kept doing their best to live. As the result the range that could be traveled with small ships were becoming environment where monster mostly didn’t appear.

That was the situation so speaking of what I was doing, at most I was training by myself to improve my sorcery and having mock battle against Viro to reach level 4 in Short Sword Skill. Other than that I also talked with the people who were the colleague of the knight that I helped at that time.

「M-miss adventurer, can I please have a little bit of your time to talk-!?」

「……Alright.」

As expected people like knights who chose fighting as their occupation had no prejudice even to adventurer. I too had grown in appearance to look like fourteen years old, almost like someone who was of age, so the knights especially the young ones kept coming to talk to me one after another without even treating me like a child. They asked me about my name or hobby.

……I could understand why they asked my name, but what kind of reason they could have asking about my hobby?

「My hobby is gathering herb……?」

「As expected from you, a famous adventurer is knowledgeable even about medicine-!」

Even I had the good sense to not say something like 『I’m mixing poison in my free time』. Certainly I also learned pharmacy from master, but why would hearing that make them red in the face…….

About those young knights, the knight who I helped at the highway rushed toward us when he saw them crowding me. He bowed his head apologetically to me and dragged them away.

「It really help me with Aria-chan here. The number of people coming to talk me is decreasing.」

「……?」

Mira placed her hand on my shoulder from behind and said such thing. When I tilted my head in puzzlement, Mira only smiled cheerfully and walked away toward the ship’s cafeteria. It seemed she had no intention to explain.

The voyage was so peaceful that the knights could let their mind wander like that, even so I didn’t get any chance to talk with Elena even though it had been so long since we last met.

It was only natural if I thought about it. In the first place a mere adventurer needed an official reason even just to be able to look at the princess’s face, but even without that reason the royal brother Amor wouldn’t allow an adventurer to meet his niece.

Why do I know that? That was because Elena’s bodyguard maid who knew me told me about Elena’s circumstance when she came to talk to me.

She was someone who was also present when Elena was staying at that lakeshore castle for her rest. She was someone who Elena trusted very much as someone who had been guarding and taking care of her since she was a baby.

She also trusted my opinion immediately when Elena got kidnapped. Thinking back now, I got the feeling that it was also her who left the role of being Elena’s personal attendant only to me and arranged an environment where Elena could easily make idle complaint in order to allow Elena to rest her heart.

That bodyguard maid──Chloe also told me about Sera’s son, Seo who was a year younger than me.

It seemed that even after I went missing, Seo still believed in my survival and focused into his training desperately. He was Sera’s son so it didn’t really surprise me but it seemed he was really talented. He might be able to become rank 3 too if he kept training for several more years. She also said that he was looking forward to be able to meet with me but…….

「I pity that child……」

「Why?」

I looked puzzled because I didn’t understand what she meant. In respond Chloe gently placed her hand on her cheek and sighed deeply.

Chloe was an attendant of the princess and a knight of the black ops at the same time. She had long black hair and slender body and kind appearance but, despite appearance she was apparently a heavy equipment type knight. She looked young, perhaps she was still in her early twenty, but her actual strength and reliability allowed her to participate as Elena’s bodyguard this time too together with Sera.

She had combat strength around 400, a rank 3, so Elena should be fine under her protection unless there was something really unexpected. Her equipment was also different from her usual equipment, she was only wearing a loose maid uniform, but it seemed she was wearing extremely fine mythril chain that was weaved into a chain mail. Her defensive strength wasn’t inferior even against the knight of royal guards. I heard she also brought a huge shield and a mace with her but……if it was me I wouldn’t even be able to move properly wearing such equipment.

By the way Sera looked no different than usual but, she prioritized speed like me and wore a maid uniform that was made from monster leather. Underneath it she was wearing a bustier that was created from mythril fiber. ……How much such thing cost? It seemed it was also Gelf who created that, so perhaps I should also order something similar if I got enough money in hand.

There was no problem with this side. Based from what Chloe told me, it seemed there was also no problem with Elena. In that case the problem might be the crown prince Ervan and the royal brother Amor…….

Ervan who was worried for Elena who he saw as a sickly little sister apparently harbored distrust toward the black ops after what Grave did. That was why he refused to have bodyguard from the black ops. This time each participant was bringing two servants at most because the concept of the group was to be a small elite force, but in contrast to Elena who was being protected by elites of the black ops, Ervan was only bringing servants whose combat capacity was only so-so.

Amor whose participation was decided too suddenly was in an even worse condition. He claimed that he could protect himself and only brought luggage carrier with him.

Clara was bringing female knights of Dandall with her so her situation was still better than those two but, Sera and Chloe would have to focus completely on defense in order to protect Amor and Ervan, so it didn’t feel like those two could be counted as fighting strength.

In other words, we could think that the one in charge of offense in this dungeon exploration would be solely our “Rainbow Sword”.

Even if we had the royal guards with us who could be entrusted with the fighting to some degree, considering the situation, it would be better for the royal guards to be entrusted with the defense and us with the offense instead of all of us taking care of offense and defense together.

With that in mind, I wanted to have a spar with Sera too if possible, but Sera too on paper was a maid so she had no free time like that. And having a spar with Feld or Dalton on the ship’s cramped deck was impossible.

「I also want to see Mira’s spirit magic at least once……」

「Stop, the ship will seriously sink!」

──Viro suddenly cut in from the side and stopped that.

When I wondered why he suddenly butted into the conversation, it seemed he was looking for a chance to talk with Chloe seeing that she was a pretty maid of the palace.

……He mentioned that recently he got a lover didn’t he?

「Then please excuse me.」

But Chloe smiled sweetly and simply turned her back to return to Elena’s side. Viro’s eyes unsteadily followed the swaying of her hip. But then he twitched in surprise when I grabbed his shoulder.

「No, you misunderstand okay!? I’m devoted to my current girlfriend, honest! But, that kind of neat and clean beauty is still a sight for sore eyes whether you’re single or not, that’s why I’m looking, just for a bit-」

Viro started confessing his deed for some reason. I looked at him with a slightly cold gaze while nodding a little.

「Then if you’re free, please be my sparring partner.」

「Again!?」

Because of that Viro became my sparring partner most of the times.

Unlike Sera or me who used multiple weapons, Viro was an orthodox light warrior. Compared to me who specialized in killing enemy in battle against enemy, I could feel the difference in sharpness and variety from his technique.

「Your thinking of putting your weight into a simple attack isn’t wrong. But, don’t get too focused in only that. We ain’t “warrior” like Feld or Dalton. But if you still want an “attack” like a warrior even then, master just a single technique to the extreme.」

「Got it.」

Viro trained himself not to defeat the enemy, what he trained himself in was the “strength” to survive in every situation by training his every aspect uniformly.

In a sense, it was a tactic that was partly similar with master and my tactic to survive by ourselves.

Because he was someone like that, he was able to survive even in the battle against Grave. I had to learn that lesson from him no matter what. From it I could feel the way of fighting of an adventurer who excelled in group battle.

.

We arrived at our destination, the island four days later in the middle of night.

Based from what my Night Vision saw, it must be a scenic place if it was noon but, although the undertaking this time was found out by a part of the noble faction, as expected it didn’t change that the fact that we were travelling incognito. That was partly because this undertaking was something that the average noble couldn’t know about, but partly it was also because we didn’t know whether the assassin guild that had washed off its hand from this was genuine in their withdrawal or just pretending.

Although from here we were going to head to the large scale dungeon that was managed by the duke house, it should be dangerous for us to even enter into the city. The citizens would have noticed that some noble was coming by the time this large ship entered the harbor, but just knowing that wouldn’t cause any commotion. But, our group that would enter the dungeon plus the guards and servants that Duke Fudale prepared consisted of great number. We would draw attention when we acted.

If rumor was formed from that, the other nobles would also realize where the royalties who weren’t seen in the capital had gone to.

「It looks like we have a plan for that. There’s a mansion for guest near the dungeon. It’s for the royalty who visit this island. It’s something like the lakeshore castle at Dandall.」

Viro had quickly obtained information and taught us the plan from now.

We wouldn’t enter the city and headed directly to the guest mansion near the dungeon. We would make our preparation there and then entered the dungeon early in the morning two days later.

But the dungeon here was also open for adventurer in general, so even if it was early in the morning, nobles surrounded by more than thirty knights entering the dungeon would draw attention. But it seemed there would be no problem with that too.

「The information from here will be extremely classified. Because the royal family is our employer, we have the duty to keep any secret to ourselves. If we divulge information, those we told will be “purged” by the black ops, while us……well, it goes without saying.」

To speak of the answer, there was a secret entrance in the dungeon’s here that was exclusive to the royal family. I was just barely permitted to know this but, perhaps Elena and Sera gave their guarantee about my trustworthiness.

The number of floor in this dungeon was ninety. The deepest level the average adventurer could reach was forty. It was said that in normal dungeon the monster would get stronger the deeper you went, but here I was told that the average adventurer couldn’t go deeper than floor 40 simply because the limit of the time they could dive and their budget.

It was possible to make a roundtrip in one day until the third floor but, it would take three days to make a roundtrip from floor 10.

At floor 20 almost all the monsters that came out wouldn’t be lower than rank 3. Just making a roundtrip from there would take two weeks.

For the average adventurer, that would be their limit no matter how much they prepared. Financial strength became even more important than the rank to go deeper than that.

This was an extremely classified information but, the dungeon here had been conquered several hundred years ago by the royal family of that time that was working together with the adventurer guild.

At that time they took a total of one year to conquer the dungeon using a hundred people in the conquest force and several times that number in the support unit. At that time they discovered one of the 『evacuation gate』 that led to the outside from floor 70. That evacuation exit was successfully fixed in place by the effort of that era’s royal sorcerers’ full effort.

Enormous amount of budget was pumped each year in order to fix that evacuation gate in place to function as 『entrance』.

This entrance was left there in order for the royal family to obtain Gift. The criticism to the royal family would definitely swell up if it became known that the tax rate was increased for that purpose.

Even so it seemed the option of “not using” it didn’t exist for the sake of this country’s stability.

「……Will the spirit grant its Gift even if we take shortcut like that?」

「Who knows. That’s why not everyone can receive the Gift, but perhaps that’s why they’re sending in a lot of royalties like this, hoping some will get lucky and get a Gift.」

「…………」

It looked like the dungeon’s spirit would still grant Gift even when we used that kind of cheating method, but mysteriously it almost never happened that someone other than royalties and their fiancées received a Gift.

I didn’t know what kind of selection standard was used but, if I was the spirit, I wouldn’t grant my gift to human who cheated unless they were someone who sought power with their life on the line.

Three royalties and the crown prince’s fiancées……I wonder how many of them would be able to obtain a “Gift”.

Was Elena seeking Gift for the country’s sake? I think she would seek a Gift without hesitation if she judged that it was necessary. That was Elena’s resolve after all…….

But I think, Elena aren’t seeking a Gift. Carla too was fundamentally that kind of person. The two of them believed in their own strength just like me.

Even so if they wished for a healthy body and it could come true as a “Gift”, I’d help them with that.

But……what was the “wish” of the other three?

***

In preparation of the dungeon exploration tomorrow, the royalties were resting their body and mind in each room the mansion that was assigned to them.

「……Uncle is really troubling.」

Elena recalled Amor’s behavior in the ship and since then until now and sighed with annoyance. Sera was filled with the impulse of nodding along with agreement, but she suppressed it and poured tea into Elena’s cup.

「That person too has gone through painful experiences in his own way due to his position. More importantly Elena-sama, is it alright that you don’t meet with that child?」

It was impossible to do so in the cramped ship but, if it was here Sera could make arrangement to at least sneak an adventurer into this room. Sera brewed tea while asking that. Elena closed her eyes while breathing in the scent of the herb tea that could help with having a nice sleep and shook his head slightly.

「It’s fine. After all she and I aren’t “friend”. I won’t ask for anything more as long as she is alive……and safe.」

A girl who she met at her childhood. She risked her life to save Elena, and not only that she also protected her heart. In this world she was the only one who she could call a kindred soul.

The time where they were together wasn’t long by any means. Even so, just knowing that Aria existed had saved Elena’s heart beyond measure. Aria was the moonlight that illuminated Elena’s path of protecting the country, a dark path where she couldn’t see ahead.

Elena had her own way of living, while Aria had her own way of living. Because they were “kindred spirit”, she couldn’t distort Aria’s path just because of her own selfishness.

「……That’s fine if that’s what Elena-sama wished for.」

Elena said that they weren’t friend even as she was concerned for her. She had learned to endure as she grew in heart and body.

The heavy pressure of the ten million of lives in Claydale Kingdom were hanging on her small shoulders. The crown prince who ought to shoulder that burden together didn’t have the resolve for that, while the king was in the way by trying to keep Elena away from politic due to his consideration for Elena’s sickliness.

Sera began to seriously think whether there was something she could do in order to somehow protect the body and mind of this girl who was fighting a lonely fight.

.

Around that time, the young lady of Dandall House Clara was receiving a visit from a boy at night.

「Ervan-sama……is something the matter?」

「No, as I thought your complexion doesn’t look good Clara, so I come to check on you……are you alright?」

「Yes, your highness.」

Although he didn’t look reliable, a small smile came through on Clara’s lips due to the consideration of her fiancée for herself.

What weighed down on Clara’s mind was partly because of this activity that exposed her life to danger even before the main part of the “otome game” began, but an even greater part came from the girl who looked very similar to the “heroine” that was gradually turning into a trauma for her appearing once more before herself.

The life of the margrave daughter Clara was shorter compared to the life of her previous self. It wasn’t like she was able to recall all the emotions of her previous life but, as expected the noble’s pride that she had before she regained her memory had dimmed down and now it didn’t feel like she would be able to risk her life even if it was for the country’s sake.

Even on their way here Ervan had been showing some meager consideration toward such Clara. Although Rockwell and Mihail were also worried for her, those two who were trueborn high ranked nobles were thinking that risking one’s life was only natural, so Ervan’s kindness made her happier than theirs.

The first queen was a middle ranked noble from a region with comparatively greater freedom. She took away the education as royal family from Ervan. Her mother did that only because she wished to give her love to her son just like how her parents did for her, but she was unable to understand that the resolve and duty of a royalty couldn’t possibly be cultivated with that kind of perspective.

The otome game’s Ervan sympathized with the heroine who was raised as a commoner and became inspired by the heroine’s growth. With that he became able to look into himself that he was no good as a royalty and grew to become a proper crown prince.

But, the current Ervan who hadn’t gotten involved with the heroine was still unreliable.

Although Clara had the mentality of a commoner just like the heroine, she was still a high ranked noble. Doing her best and working hard was only something expected from her. And so she couldn’t take the role of heroine.

Even so, that weak part of Ervan found “himself” inside Clara. Exactly because he was weak that Ervan could see and sympathize with Clara’s weakness.

Seeing Ervan acting like that made Clara felt like she was able to face him not as a game’s capture target but as a real human being for the first time.

「I’ll also do my best, so Clara, let’s do your best too together with me. I’ll protect you to the best of my ability.」

「Yes……」

This crown prince had gentle nature──which looked like a lack of drive and ambition to the noble faction, but Clara was saved by his kindness and she softly grasped the hand that Ervan held out toward her.

(Is there something that I can do, for the sake of this person……)

.

Around the same time──at a dark terrace with no light turned on at all, a black haired girl wearing white nightwear was dancing.

She performed simple dance steps that any noble daughter would be made to learn. Her hands were lifted up while tightly holding the hands of an imaginary person. One may wonder who her illusionary partner might be…….

Carla smiled like a little kid. But that smile looked ghastly coming from her. Her hands reached out toward the moon at the night sky with a wish in her heart.

「Quuickly, becomee tomorrow already」

***

The day for us to enter the dungeon finally arrived. Early in the morning, it seemed that 『entrance』 was located at the garden behind the mansion that was surrounded by high walls, but I couldn’t see anything like that there.

The more than thirty people who would enter into the dungeon had gathered there. They were radiating enthusiasm, but tension and anxiety that couldn’t be hidden completely were mixed into the atmosphere.

「「…………」」

When my eyes met Elena who was being surrounded by the royal guards and Amor, she made a small troubled smile.

In the first place I accepted Viro’s invitation and participated in this bodyguard mission was to prevent any unforeseen accident from befalling Elena but, there was no way Amor would allow me to get near Elena.

Elena had conceded the position of crown prince to her brother without any protest because of her poor health. Amor who was being kept as a freeloader in the royal family must be seeing himself in her. I could sympathize with his position but, someone who had their hands full with their own matter was worrying if they got driven into a corner.

Even the crown prince Ervan who had tried several times to talk to me at the beginning got obstructed many times by Amor. Right now he was occupying himself by looking after the scared looking Clara.

He was neglecting his other fiancée Carla, but from the start she was someone who even entered a dungeon by herself. She didn’t bring a single attendant with her and only carried a single storage expanded bag. She looked to be the one most at ease among everyone here.

Even the royal guards whose role should be including Carla’s protection sensed her dangerous atmosphere and wouldn’t get any closer than necessary toward her. That Carla noticed my gaze and lightly waved her hand at me with an innocent smile.

「……B-by, the royal command, we shall commence the dungeon exploration now-」

After a while the dungeon exploration got started by Ervan’s nervous declaration.

With his words as the signal, the officer knights surrounded the royalties to protect them. Then Ervan pointed a ring that had a crest engraved on it. With that a 『stone door』 surfaced on a large rock where there was nothing there before. It slowly began to open with a loud sound and when that door opened fully, Ervan stepped inside with the knights protecting him. The other royalties followed behind him.

「We’re going too.」

We nodded at Dalton’s words and followed them.

We became the last one entering, but after walking forward for some time we entered an open space. There we switched position with the royalties and took the frontline position.

The area until this point was created by the past royal sorcerers. The color of the walls changed from the way ahead. This area with different color was the interior of the “dungeon”.

.

「Let’s go Aria.」

「Roger.」

From here on ahead would be the job for us “Rainbow Sword”.

The scout Viro and I went ahead to detect trap and other danger. The dungeon’s trap wasn’t something delicate like mechanical mechanism, but simple things like poison gas spurting out when you stepped on the trigger or the ceiling crumbling. But despite their simplicity a lot of them were lethal in large scale. We had to be especially more careful in this situation where we had a lot of amateurs coming along.

Viro checked for trap with his instinct and experience. He used his own body to check for the safety while going ahead.

「Aria, give it a try.」

「Got it.」

Viro taught me the method and I checked for trap at that place. But the place that I investigated wasn’t the path that we were going to take but the side path. We had to be careful with amateur accompanying us because some of them sometimes could go off on their own somewhere because of a little bit of curiosity or taking care of their physiological need.

I didn’t learn only from Viro’s teaching but also from watching his technique with my own eyes. I also used my “eyes” to check for any unnatural magic particle. And I was checking the side road not only for “trap”.

「Viro.」

「Aa, they’re here huh. They’re heading this way.」

The group formation would become longer the more people it had. The longer the formation became, the more time it would take to pass through a spot.

If it was just a single party of several people, they could just pass through without accident, but with our group that took time to pass, it increased the chance of monster appearing from unexpected place.

「What do you think it will be?」

Viro gave me a testing question. I imagined the “enemy’s form” just like he taught me before.

「……Unknown footsteps. The steps are wide and fast and heavy. The footstep of one side is heavier than the other, so they are holding weapon in one hand. They large humanoid monster……number estimation is three or four.」

「Based on those criterias they might be orc or ogre but, they might be ogre I guess. Ogre isn’t as heavy as orc but their physical ability is high and their footsteps are faster and heavier. 『Dalton! Enemy detected, presumed “ogre”. Four at least!』」

Viro used the darkness sorcery’s Noise to send his “voice” to Dalton and others at the back. It seemed they could hear it. I could hear the commotion from the knights over there.

This dungeon was apparently a beast demihuman type dungeon, similar like the dungeon near the capital. I had no problem with it because facing humanoid enemy was easier for me but…….

「There’s no point with us not making sound.」

「Well, don’t say that. even knights don’t have that many chance to face high ranked monster, so they’ll calm down after seeing us defeating a few. Look, both are coming.」

Right after Viro said that, muscular humanoid monsters with height that reached two meters and horn growing from their forehead appeared from the side path.

.

▼Ogre　Difficulty Rank ３

【Magic Power：１３８／１４３】【Stamina：３８４／４０１】

【Overall Combat Strenght：４９４（With Body Strenghtening：５７２）】

.

Ogre was rank 3 just like orc, but orc was a low rank 3 while ogre could be considered a high rank 3.

Ogre was really strong but not as strong as an orc soldier. Even so its hide was harder than an orc. I pulled out my black dagger instead of a knife and stepped ahead, but a large hand grabbed my shoulder.

「Feld?」

「It’s our turn.」

Feld grinned and rushed forward with his magic steel great sword. Behind him Dalton whose body was wrapped in mithril full plate armor went forward with every step of his creating tremors.

『GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!』

The ogres also rushed out with only two when they saw that only two humans came rushing at them.

There was difference in the fundamental status between ogre and mankind like dwarf and human, so the action of the ogres was understandable. But──

「HAAH!」

Feld suddenly rushed so fast he looked blurry. The ogre raised up its club to swing it down on Feld. But Feld’s great sword bisected the ogre along with its club vertically.

*DODON-* The ogre that was split into two scattered blood while falling on the ground loudly. ……Amazing. When watching the fight from far, it was as though Feld was the ogre here.

「Aa, I see.」

「Right? “Both” are like ogre right?」

After having such carefree exchange, Dalton arrived at the battle just slightly later than Feld.

「DOORYAAAAA!」

Dalton sprang forward and bounced back the crude club that the ogre swung with his armor. Then he crushed the ogre like a waxwork with his huge mithril war hammer.

So this was “Rainbow Sword”, the adventurers who were top class even in the whole country.

The knights who had also caught up from behind cheered in admiration from the view.

Before this they saw the monsters that appeared in dungeon as 『terrifying monster』 like in the fairy tale that they heard in their childhood, but now they understood that it was just 『an opponent they could fight』 and regained their composure.

Feld and Dalton finished off the remaining ogres in the blink of eye and returned back. The knights let out shouts of joy as though to extol them.