Chapter 61

“What’s with those kids…?”

“Are they really planning to enter the dungeon?”

People whispered again as they saw Ariel’s party arrive in front of the dungeon.

Two little girls, two large wolves, and one small fairy.

It was a party that looked weak to anyone.

Other formidable parties had failed to even conquer the entrance of the dungeon, so Ariel’s party entering the dungeon seemed like a suicidal act.

“Hey, it’s better not to go into the dungeon.”

Eventually, a worried adventurer tried to stop Ariel’s party.

“All the other parties have failed. This dungeon is unconquerable.”

Sena scoffed at that.

“Hmph, that might be true for ‘ordinary’ people. I can easily conquer the dungeon.”

“You…? You’re just a kid holding a staff. You even look younger than my little sister.”

“Age and skill are separate. Despite how I look, I’m the top mage of the Magic Tower. In short, a genius. Do you think a genius like me can’t conquer a mere dungeon?”

Sena confidently headed towards the dungeon entrance, with Ariel following closely behind.

“……?”

But Ariel soon stopped and looked back.

Because Ghost wasn’t moving.

Ghost had its tail drooping and was looking at Ariel and the dungeon entrance with a timid gaze.

“It seems like she’s scared.”

Roo said.

“I heard that monsters and beasts usually don’t go near dungeons because of the mana flowing from them.”

“……”

Ariel approached Ghost and gently stroked her chin, asking,

“Ghost. Will you wait outside?”

Ghost nodded and licked Ariel’s cheek.

Ariel turned her gaze to the black wolf standing behind Ghost.

The black wolf, larger and stronger-looking than Ghost.

The black wolf had protected Ghost without caring for itself during the fight with the Owlbear.

So, it would surely protect Ghost well while Ariel was in the dungeon.

“Then, I’ll be back.”

Ariel stroked Ghost’s chin once more before turning around.

*

The inside of the dungeon was filled with damp and cold air. Moreover, it was so dark that you couldn’t see an inch ahead.

“Light.”

When Sena cast the spell, the surroundings brightened up.

Several glowing orbs appeared around, pushing back the darkness.

Thanks to that, they could now see ahead.

“Hehe, a dungeon, how exciting. Ariel, stick close behind me and don’t fall behind… Kyaa!!”

Sena, who was speaking, screamed and crouched down.

Because a man was standing next to the glowing orb.

Sena immediately raised her magic staff.

“Wait, hold on.”

The man then spoke.

“I just followed you guys. No need to be wary.”

The man was middle-aged but had a rather handsome appearance.

With that handsome face, the man smiled, and though he seemed somewhat suspicious, no ill intent was felt.

“You guys seem to be underestimating the dungeon too much, so I came along as a self-proclaimed protector.”

“We don’t need a protector.”

Sena said bluntly while looking around.

Beside her was the expressionless Ariel, and Roo sitting on Ariel’s shoulder.

Other than that, there was only this man. It seemed there would be no more surprises from others suddenly appearing.

“Alright, let’s go, kids.”

The man said as he started walking. Then, with a click, the ground he stepped on slightly sank.

“Ah.”

The man immediately turned and rolled on the ground, pulling Ariel and Sena with him.

At the same time, a giant blade passed through the air.

Whoosh!

A trap had been activated.

“……”

After the blade completely passed, the man stood up, brushing himself off.

“Phew, almost got cut in half right from the start. No need to thank me, kids.”

“You’re the one who triggered the trap in the first place!”

Sena protested roughly as she got up.

“Besides, I was about to cast a shield!”

“But you didn’t. You’re alive thanks to me, kid.”

“So, the trap was your fault…”

While the two were bickering, Ariel also slowly got up.

“Big sis, this place seems fun.”

Roo said as she fixed Ariel’s disheveled hair.

“Actually, our adventures have been lacking in danger lately. It’s probably the same here, but it seems a bit enjoyable. I wish Rakia could have come too.”

Ariel nodded in agreement.

As Roo said, the dungeon seemed fun, so it would have been nice if Rakia had come along.

But since her mother called, there was no choice.

They could come back with Rakia next time, and for today, they could gather treasures to give to Rakia. The shiny things Rakia mentioned.

Click, click.

Then, the man put a cigarette in his mouth and lit a match.

“What, what are you doing, smoking inside the dungeon…”

Sena said incredulously, but the man calmly smiled and blew smoke into the air.

“Doesn’t matter. Dungeons are dangerous. Who knows when you might die, so no need to worry about health…”

“No one cares about your health. More importantly, *cough, cough*… what if the cigarette smoke triggers a trap? And it stinks.”

“Ooh, look over there.”

The man then pointed somewhere with his hand.

There was a space that looked like a room, with a treasure chest placed right in the middle.

“It’s a treasure chest! Already found it, this feels like a good omen.”

The man said excitedly, but Sena looked uninterested.

“I don’t care about treasures. My goal is to conquer this dungeon.”

Sena was about to move on.

But glancing to the side, she saw Ariel standing still, staring at the treasure chest.

“Ariel, do you want the treasure?”

“Yes.”

“R-really? That’s unexpected. According to the Magic Tower Lord, elves are a race without greed.”

The man chuckled at Sena’s words.

“Is there really such a race? All living beings have greed. Come on, let’s go in and get the treasure. Since I’m the oldest, I’ll pick first, and you two can split the rest.”

“Where does that happen? Using age as an excuse… no, wait, if that’s the case, you go first.”

Sena pointed to the room.

“You said you came as a self-proclaimed protector, right? Then you go in first.”

“That’s unreasonable.”

The man shook his head and stroked his beard with a serious expression.

“I’m not an adventurer. You saw earlier, right? I fell for a basic trap.”

“Then you… what are you?”

“I’m a merchant. I originally came to buy treasures. But the adventurers kept saying this dungeon is dangerous, unconquerable, and it was frustrating, so I came in myself. I saw you guys entering. Besides, you’re the genius mage of the Magic Tower, right? I thought it would be fine to follow you.”

“So, saying you came as a protector…”

“That was a lie. I want the treasure.”

“……”

Sena glared at the man with a look that said, “How can someone be so shameless?”

Of course, the man wasn’t fazed by Sena’s glare and calmly continued smoking.

“Then you’re of no help at all, and yet you want to pick the treasure first? Shamelessness has its limits. Ariel will pick first, then me, and you last.”

“Fine by me.”

The man immediately agreed. After all, as long as he got the treasure, it was a win for him.

“Hmm.”

Sena cautiously stepped into the room with the treasure chest.

Of course, Sena trusted her magical abilities, but in a dungeon, you never know what might happen, so it was best not to let your guard down.

Step, step.

The man and Ariel followed behind Sena, and soon the three arrived in front of the treasure chest.

And nothing happened.

“What the.”

Sena said, dumbfounded.

“The trap didn’t activate. Is there no trap in this room?”

“That can’t be. Then this treasure is free…”

The man extinguished his cigarette on the ground and examined the treasure chest closely.

“Nothing in the world is free. The trap might activate the moment we open this treasure chest. Otherwise, the treasure inside must be worthless.”

“Hmm.”

While the man and Sena were observing the treasure chest, Ariel looked up at the ceiling.

Something was falling from the ceiling.

“Ah.”

Sena noticed belatedly and raised her staff, but it was too late.

Crash!

What fell from the ceiling was iron bars.

Iron bars had been placed around the treasure chest.

As a result, the three were trapped inside the bars.

“What, just a prison? It’s a bit boring, probably because it’s the entrance.”

The man said as he opened the treasure chest.

“W-what are you doing opening that…!”

Sena flinched and stepped back.

The sudden fall of the iron bars had startled Sena, and before she could calm down, the man opened the treasure chest, making her instinctively scared.

But fortunately, no trap activated when the treasure chest was opened.

“Hmm.”

The man took something out of his pocket.

It looked like a fountain pen, and when the man pressed the end, a light shone with a click.

The fountain pen was a magical tool used to light up dark places.

It had a similar effect to Sena’s Light spell, but magical tools could be used even by ordinary people who couldn’t use magic.

The man used the light from the magical tool to look inside the treasure chest.

“Ooh… this is amazing.”

He then smiled slyly.