Chapter 48: Into the Dungeon (Part 4)

Leo headed to the problematic area where the dungeon appeared with Irinia and Chloe, and I went with Leticia.

The area where Leticia and I arrived was a small village created by farmers located on the outskirts, a little far from

the imperial capital.

As we looked around and entered the village, we could see the villagers who were uneasy with somewhat dark faces,

and it seemed that they were very anxious because of the dungeon.

Why did the dungeon have to appear in a village that doesn’t even have proper troops?

If things had gone wrong, a terrible disaster could have happened.

Fortunately, we should be thankful that the dungeon doesn’t show any reaction.

‘…Well, most of the people in this village have experienced the Human-Demon War, so it’s understandable.’

During the war, there were many demons who tried to destroy the outskirts of the imperial capital before attacking

the capital itself.

Dozens of villages were trampled by such demons.

In the first place, most of the people in this village are a little older or older, so they may know the dangers of

dungeons better than the residents of the imperial capital.

The difference between those who have experienced it directly and those who have not is like heaven and earth.

In contrast, the young children who have not experienced the war do not seem to accept the advice of adults well, but

they seem to feel the threat.

When we confirmed with our own eyes that there was no direct damage to the village, and were about to move our

steps to the dungeon, a middle-aged man appeared in front of us.

The man bowed his head to the two of us, expressed his courtesy, and asked Leticia.

“Are you the Sage-nim?”

“Who are you?”

“My name is Ganesha, and I am the village head of this village. I heard the story from the knight who came as a

representative of His Majesty the Emperor. I never thought I would meet the Sage-nim, one of the members of the

hero party.”

The middle-aged man who introduced himself as Ganesha shone his eyes at Leticia, saying it was an honor.

Pure longing, awe, gratitude, and respect were mixed in his eyes.

It was the eyes I always saw after the war with the demons ended.

Then Ganesha asked, looking at me next to Leticia.

“Is the person next to you a member of your party?”

“My wife… Ugh.”

“A member of the party.”

I stepped on Leticia’s foot once, who naturally tried to say wife, and answered with a smile on my face.

Ignoring Leticia, who frowned with a small groan, and looking at Ganesha, Ganesha let out a small exclamation as if

he was impressed by something, and bowed his head to us.

“The knight-nim has returned to the capital, so I will guide you to the dungeon in question.”

“It’s dangerous to go to the dungeon, you can just tell us the location.”

“I know the dangers of dungeons well. I will guide you to a safe line, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

Because my life is precious too.

Ganesha added with a serious face.

These are the words of someone who has experienced war once.

He’s the leader of this village, so it’s true that he can’t be easily ignored.

However, although it has not yet caused any damage, a dungeon is a dungeon.

It could be dangerous, so I don’t want to be guided by a civilian without power if possible, but with the guidance of

the village head, I can get to the dungeon in question more quickly.

After worrying for a moment, Leticia and I looked at each other once, looked at the village head, and nodded.

“Then, please guide us only to the front of the dungeon. We’ll take care of the rest, so don’t follow us.”

“As I said before, my life is precious too. The only reason I took on the role of guide is because I wanted to be of some

help to the Sage-nim…… Thank you very much. Please follow me.”

I want to help even with a useless task like a guide.

Ganesha definitely said so.

You could just tell me the approximate location.

It’s a dungeon anyway, so if you get a little close, you’ll be able to see it well because of its huge size.

But you still want to guide us?

I turned my back with a puzzled face and looked at Ganesha’s back, who said to follow him.

Is there something going on?

It didn’t seem like it, but my nerves were on edge, making me suspicious.

“Charlotte.”

“Leticia?”

“The village head doesn’t seem to be lying. It doesn’t seem like a trap either. So relax your expression. He’s human

and he’s not corrupted, so you can rest assured.”

“…You mean he purely wants to help us.”

“Probably.”

Well, maybe our hero party helped him during the war, even if we don’t remember?

Leticia said so, put her hand on my shoulder, and said that it’s not a good habit to be too suspicious of others, and I nodded.

Certainly, that’s right.

“Sorry. I was too sensitive.”

“Pfft. What do you need to apologize to me for? He knows the way here better than we do, so let’s trust him and follow him.”

I affirm Leticia’s words.

I brushed off Leticia’s face, who was laughing at my reaction, and made an awkward expression, feeling a strange feeling.

“Sage-nim, this way!”

Whether that was the case or not, the village head, who went ahead first, didn’t seem to care about our story.

To be precise, it might be correct to say that he couldn’t hear it.

I muttered, as if I had given up, looking at the village head who was saying this way with a somewhat excited

expression that didn’t suit his age.

“I made a mistake.”

Yeah.

Even if it’s a trap, it doesn’t seem to be a problem.

“Ahaha.”

Leaving Leticia, who burst into a small laugh, behind, I followed the village head, and Leticia and I soon arrived in

front of the dungeon in question.

The dungeon was based on a cave.

A huge artificial door welcomed us as if the cave itself had become a dungeon.

According to Ganesha, it was an animal that had existed since ancient times.

Leticia and I sent Ganesha, who had worked hard until here, back to the village and started a full-scale investigation.

“It’s a bigger dungeon than I thought. It’s really fortunate that nothing happened after the dungeon appeared.”

If elite soldiers of the Demon King’s army had popped out of such a large dungeon, this village, which is not equipped

with soldiers or anything properly, would have been instantly turned into a wasteland by the Demon King’s army.

I frowned, imagining the worst future.

“Is Leo’s side the same?”

“It would be similar.”

Leticia, who was carefully watching the dungeon, swept the wall of the dungeon once with her finger and continued.

“It doesn’t seem like they’re trying to use this cave as a temporary base, and it seems like they made it to lure

humans… I don’t feel any response from living things inside.”

“This dungeon feels like an empty shell.”

An empty shell that is unnecessarily large, without any contents.

That’s how I would describe this dungeon now.

As Leticia said, I don’t feel the energy of life inside.

A cold silence divides the two of us.

Tap. Tap.

I hit the dungeon door with my hand and asked into the air.

“Is this thing really working?”

“It’s best if it doesn’t work, but it’s definitely working. And this might also be their plan, right? If they spread

dungeons all over the world, it’s hard to see it as a simple provocation.”

“Come to think of it, did the previous Demon King usually not make such large dungeons?”

“Dungeons were for surprise attacks. That guy didn’t make big dungeons well. Small dungeons are not easily

noticeable and good for surprise attacks, and usually humans who entered the dungeon were helpless against the

Demon King’s army.”

Leticia’s eyes shone strangely.

She must be checking the energy of another ability that is different from the magic that flows along the dungeon.

I could also see something like an opaque film covering the entire dungeon as I opened my demonic eye, but Leticia

could see beyond that, so her eyes were more accurate in this kind of thing.

How many minutes have passed?

Leticia raised her eyebrows.

“Hmm. I’ll have to go inside for a more detailed investigation. The wave of the dungeon itself is completely different

from that of the previous Demon King.”

“Since we have to go inside once anyway, it doesn’t matter… Is it like a trap?”

“It might be a trap.”

“…I really don’t want to go in any further.”

I said, letting my tired look show.

Then Leticia laughed softly.

I glanced at such Leticia once and put my hand on the dungeon door.

A hand that is shabby and infinitely small compared to the dungeon door.

Soon, veins stand out on my wrist.

At the same time as I feel the magic concentrating on my hand, I open the dungeon door with a force that is

unbelievable to come from a slender hand.

Creak, creaaaaaak—.

—Kuuuung.

At the sight of the dungeon that appeared with the terrible noise of opening a rusty iron door, I narrowed my eyes,

looked around, and opened my mouth.

“The dungeon feels like it was made not long ago, as I was told… I thought there would be at least one demon soldier

since it’s a dungeon, but there isn’t even a single monster.”

“That’s right. I wonder if the purpose was really just to buy time.”

And the moment we took a step into the dungeon, the dungeon door closed and a new quest appeared in front of our eyes.