Pastel ran through the sewer.
Huddled.
The oil lantern rattled, and the light source trembled.
A horde of giant rats followed like a tsunami.
The commotion filled the sewer.
Ugh!
“What happens if I get caught?!”
“You’ll probably stagger after a few slashes and be overwhelmed by their mass. Then you’ll be eaten alive.”
“Ugh!”
Fear! Shock!
“Rat friends! Don’t do this! We’re friends, right?!”
“They don’t think so.”
Gulp.
They’re really shy creatures!
Totally anti-social.
These kinds of creatures require careful observation and gradual approach, but I guess I came on too suddenly.
My mistake, heh.
“Look at the Destiny Compass. Which direction holds the Legacy?”
Oh, right.
Pastel examined the Destiny Compass she was carrying. The needle pointed behind her.
Eek.
While running, she glanced back. Countless beastly eyes swarmed in the darkness.
Eek.
“Devil! Devil! I think I need to make up with the rat friends! Sorry, friends! Let’s make up!”
There was no effect.
They must be very anti-social!
“We’ll have no choice but to go around the sewer.”
“That’s true!”
Pastel kept running. She passed through corridors and turned at intersections, encountering various fishy scents.
The rat swarm tirelessly pursued her.
“Friends! Isn’t this a bit obsessive?! No matter how much I want it, this is too much!”
Ugh!
What if I end up confessing? I really like the rat friends, but obsession and confession are troublesome! Let’s just stay friends!
From somewhere, the sound of a snake could be heard. Yellow eyes appeared in the darkness ahead.
Oh?
A snake charged through the darkness. It was several meters long and as thick as a human’s head.
The giant snake lunged at Pastel. Its mouth opened, revealing red flesh underneath. Droplets of venom dripped from its fangs.
Snake friend?
Pastel widened her eyes and swiftly twisted her body. With excellent reflexes and agility, she dodged the snake’s attack.
The giant snake soared past and crashed into the pursuing rat horde. The hungry beasts quickly covered the giant snake. Its flesh was torn away, and blood splattered everywhere. The resisting snake turned into meat chunks and vanished in an instant.
Ugh!
“Snake friend!”
The snake friend she had just made was torn apart while still alive!
Glancing back, Pastel felt chills.
“The Devil was right! Those friends are a natural disaster!”
The rat horde continued pursuing, with the rear group overtaking the front as they consumed the snake.
Ugh.
Pastel dashed ahead.
Had she entered snake territory? The sound of a snake was heard again.
Several yellow eyes appeared from the darkness ahead.
Oh?
Snake friends?
Are they here to help me?
The giant snakes burst forth, aiming for Pastel, their mouths wide open.
The girl threw her compass and lantern up to the ceiling with both hands. Emptying her hands, she clenched her fists.
Her fists struck forward repeatedly. The sound of impact echoed. The heads of the snakes burst open. Debris scattered everywhere.
Her hands caught the falling compass and lantern.
Immediately, a giant snake dove in from behind.
She spun her body around. Her pink hair flew as she delivered a spinning kick to the snake. The sound of the strike resonated. The snake flew away, slamming into the wall, creating an impact as its flesh burst.
Pastel exhaled and ran again. The rat horde swarmed over the remaining snake carcass. Blood splattered everywhere.
Sorry, snake friends!
I will remember your sacrifice!
After running through the corridors for a while, she stopped. The rat horde, busy eating, didn’t pursue her anymore.
She leaned against the wall and breathed heavily.
Ugh.
“I thought I was going to die.”
“You ran away well.”
“Ugh, it’s so terrifying when weak creatures gather together.”
As she walked again, she splashed some water on her face.
“Normally, it’s best to run when you encounter a creature that’s the level of a natural disaster. With that much of a horde, it might be a small number, but in a narrow corridor, it feels just like a natural disaster.”
Hundreds of giant rats are a small number?
“If there are that many, won’t they starve to death? What were they eating before?”
Is there a lot of food in this sewer?
Do our friends survive by eating moss?
“Think of it the other way. What do you eat to survive?”
I feel like I shouldn’t just say the Devil’s cooking.
“Magic stones?”
“The same. You survive by eating the magic energy dispersed in the air. You can surprisingly gather a decent amount of energy. The rest is supplemented with ordinary food.”
Wow.
Pastel raised her hand.
“I want to live by munching on the air too!”
I will learn from the rat friends!
“Give it a try.”
She took a deep breath.
And then.
“Puuh~.”
After munching on the air energy, Pastel’s eyes widened.
“Whoa!”
Her belly! Her belly!
It feels like it’s swelling……!
Not at all.
It just felt like she was breathing.
Pastel quickly became glum.
I can’t do this.
“If you can’t do it naturally, then you just can’t do it. If it works for others, don’t be disappointed.”
“Even though the rats can’t even breathe properly, does that mean I won’t be able to become friends with them anymore?”
“They probably don’t want to be friends with you either.”
Gulp.
That’s harsh.
“More importantly, look at the direction. Are you going the right way?”
Pastel pouted and examined the Destiny Compass. The needle pointed in the direction she was walking.
“The dull Devil without friends. The compass friend says I’m going the right way.”
The Devil ignored the subtle jab.
“I don’t know what’s in the ruins. Last time it was a magic quiz, arrow traps, and a golem. It was beginner-friendly as a first ruin.”
“Really? The golem wasn’t at a level that beginners could handle.”
If not for her experience surviving in the mansion, she would have freaked out.
“The golem wasn’t there to be defeated. There was probably another intention. It could be a lesson to steal the treasure and run from an unbeatable opponent. It might have been easy to evade a slow golem and just grab the box.”
“Well, when you taught me swordsmanship, you also mentioned the aesthetics of running away in the last part.”
“It’s more important to know how to run away than to fight well. The heroic tales that bards embellish for their pleasing nature are entirely different from the life stories of real heroes. They too ran away when necessary and became heroes by surviving.”
“Oh.”
Pastel felt a sense of pride swell within her. She patted herself on the back.
“A prime example of weakness! I’m always ready to run away in front of the strong!”
It’s true.
Even the hormonal friend agreed with me.
The Devil fell briefly silent.
“I’m not saying to be that confident…”
Eek.
You’re being strict, huh?
After walking through the sewer, the compass vibrated against a wall. When she pressed it against the wall, the needle trembled as if it were screaming.
Ugh.
“I think it’s here!”
It simply looked like an ordinary sewer wall.
Which means it’s dirty.
Will touching it open a secret door?
As Pastel reached out her hand, she hesitated upon seeing a dark, grimy stain. The stain had a three-dimensional feel to it due to how ingrained it was.
Wow, it’s filthy.
It’s a bit gross to touch.
Instead of using her hand, she cautiously took out her magic sword.
“Devil, I have a question.”
“If it opens, the enemy won’t rush in right away. It’s a precaution for heirs.”
“No, it’s not about that worry of yours, Devil. I’m thinking of something smarter!”
“What is it?”
“If I touch the magic sword, will you, you know, what should I say…”
Pastel hesitated, then just smiled brightly.
“I don’t know! I’ll just ask bluntly!”
She continued cheerfully.
“Do you feel anything when I touch the sword?!”
Uh-huh?
The Devil’s response was abruptly cut off.
A moment of silence passed.
“I’m sealed in the sword, but I’m not the sword itself.”
It was a perplexed voice.
“Aha! Then, what about—”
Pastel rubbed the sword with her hand.
“Does that mean you feel nothing?!”
Considering how many living beings she had met, was that such an obvious question?
“Yes. But why are you asking?”
“Then I can treat you and the magic sword as separate entities whenever I need!”
“That’s somewhat correct.”
Oh yeah.
“I get it!”
Pastel sighed in relief and slightly stepped away from the sewer wall.
She lifted the magic sword.
“Not the Devil, just the magic sword!”
Then she pressed the tip against the wall. Scraping the sewer wall as if seeking a secret door, she scratched it. The ingrained stains scraped off, and sticky debris fell down.
Ugh!
It’s so dirty.
I’m glad I didn’t use my hands.
Pastel recoiled, feeling disgusted, and kept her distance. Turning her head, she closed her eyes and only used the sword to scrape against the wall.
Ugh.
Scrape, scrape, scrape.
Thud, thud, thud.
Ugh!
After doing that for a while, the Devil seemed slightly displeased.
“Um… I feel a bit… complicated.”
Pastel flinched.
“You do feel a connection to the sword, right?!”
Am I in the midst of a fierce revolt?
“No, it’s just…”
The Devil made a sound as if deep in thought.
“Do as you like. It’s better than dirtying your hands.”
Oh yeah.
“Then I won’t hold back!”
Pastel scratched the wall with the magic sword even more vigorously. Of course, she was keeping herself at a safe distance from the wall.
Scrape, scrape, scrape.
The stains thudded down.
Oh wow.
Pastel stopped her task and glanced at the magic sword. Dirty residue was stuck at the tip.
Eww.
She looked at the magic sword as if it were dirty.
Disgust.
Disgusting beam~.
The Devil is disgusted~.
Enjoying the slight revolt, the Devil said,
“I didn’t mean for you to hold back that much.”
Oops.
You’re sensitive.
“Maybe instead of scraping, you should stab it. That way it won’t be as dirty, at least.”
Gulp. A genius?
“Got it! I wasn’t enjoying the revolt at all!”
“You…?”
Gulp.
That slipped out of my mouth.
“W-Wow, so busy!”
So very busy, Pastel!
Pastel was insistently searching for the secret door.
So busy, so busy!
After digging into the wall for a while, she finally struck a promising spot. The sewer wall shook and shifted, opening a space.
Wow!
“Alright! Let’s start the exploration of the ruins~!”
Shaking off the dirt as if to clean herself, she moved cheerfully. Then she sneakily sniffed the magic sword and held it far away, making a grimace.
Uh-huh?
“Are you doing this on purpose—”
“Let’s start exploring the ruins~!”
Yay!
Pastel entered the first room. Just like last time, there were magical tomes and a magic quiz. It had a structure where the door would open upon solving a puzzle.
“It looks easy!”
Pastel exclaimed while looking at the quiz set up with a rod mechanism.
“Oh? Give it a try. It’s a problem of a significantly higher level than last time. It seems the Demon King values the intelligence of successors. You’ll need to study the texts carefully.”
Intelligence?
“Let’s solve it in one go!”
Pastel put on a serious, studious expression.
It was the expression of someone who’d topped the research department with just research reports without even submitting a combat report.
A fierce brain exercise ensued.
The answer clicked in her mind.
The tough problem was resolved.
“Hu-ra!”
She struck the quiz device with her sword. A tremendous noise erupted. The device emitted light before exploding.
Boom—!
The closed door swung open.
Pastel celebrated with joy.
“Correct~!”
Oh yeah.
“No.”
Pastel beamed with pride.
“I can’t let a broken device deprive the successor of their legacy! The flaw is that it was designed to just open if it breaks!”
A perfect answer, having deciphered the intent of the quiz setter.
Is this what the former Demon King wanted in terms of intelligence?
“Don’t just learn strange things.”
“Yes.”
Pastel confidently entered the second room.
And stopped short.
What appeared to be a trap corridor was a complete mess. It looked like a giant creature had stirred, with cracks in the floor and walls shattered. Various traps that had filled both walls lay broken and abandoned.
Oh?
“There’s been a guest. Judging by the signs, it was a snake. It wasn’t long ago.”
It must have been a snake with a thickness equal to her height. The length was hard to guess.
Wow?
Pastel moved forward, feeling as if it wasn’t real. She stepped out past the broken door.
A cavern opened up.
In the center lay a white snake coiled up. It seemed massive enough to occupy half the cavern.
Pastel rubbed her eyes.
Whoa.
Is this a dream?
Why is there a train-sized snake?
The white snake rested its head in a corner of the cavern, flicking its tongue. Its split tongue tasted the only treasure box nearby.
Oh?
The snake’s mouth opened.
The treasure box was swallowed.
Nom, nom.
Gulp.
Ohie?
The white snake savored the taste. Then it slightly opened its mouth.
Burp.
A burp reverberated.
Ugh!
My legacy……!
