Otome Game no Heroine de Saikyou Survival-Chapter 102

Dungeon Capture (1)

The boat trip did not cause any of the problems I had worried about. The only things I had to do was self-training in magic and a mock battle with Viro for Level 4 of Dagger Arts, and the knights I had saved that time were getting along well with me.

After all, the knights probably had questions they wanted to ask a famous adventurer. A few young knights approached a newcomer like me and asked me about my name.

Elena had no time to talk to me because Amol was always there. Inevitably, the only thing we had to do was to have a mock battle, but Sera was nominally a “lady-in-waiting,” so she couldn’t do that, and it was impossible for Feld and Dalton to have a mock battle on the narrow deck. I wanted to see Mira’s spirit magic, but Viro stopped me from doing so, saying it would sink the ship.

Therefore, I did most of the mock battles with Viro. He was an orthodox light fighter who did not use multiple weapons like Sera and I. When it came to fighting the enemy, I felt the difference in the weight and sharpness of each blow compared to me, who specialized in “killing” the enemy.

“You’re not wrong to emphasize on a simple strike, especially when it comes to fighting the enemy, but don’t get caught up in it all. We are not warriors like Feld and Dalton. If you still want a coup de grâce, you must master one thing and one thing only.”

“Okay.”

Viro, on the contrary, had acquired the “strength” to survive in any hopeless situation by training all aspects of the game. That was why he was able to survive the battle against Grave. I felt that this was the fighting style of a scout skilled in party warfare, which I did not possess.

We arrived at our destination, a remote island, at night. From what I could see with my night vision, I felt that it would be a scenic place in the daytime, but this time, the young royal family’s dungeon attack was considered a clandestine affair, and although some nobles seemed to know about it, they were still undercover.

Similarly, it would be dangerous to enter the city. The town’s residents would know that the nobles had arrived as soon as this huge ship entered the port, but it would be quite conspicuous, not only to the group entering the dungeon, but also to a good number of people, including the escorts and caretakers prepared by the duke of Fudale.

If rumors were to fly in this way, other nobles would notice where the royalty who were not seen in the royal capital had gone.

“You seem to have thought about that. They have a guest house near the dungeon for royalty visiting the area, kind of like the castle by the lake in Dandol.”

Viro, who had gotten the information quickly, told us what our plans were for the next few days.

We would not go into the city as we were, but head directly to the guest house near the dungeon. There we will make preparations and enter the dungeon early in the morning two days later.

But this was a dungeon that was open to ordinary adventurers, so even in the early morning, it would still be conspicuous if a person were to enter surrounded by more than 30 knights, but apparently that would not be a problem.

“From here on, it will be top secret information. Since we are working for the royal family, we are obliged to maintain confidentiality, and if we leak the information, anyone who finds out will be “Managed” by the Dark Side, and we will be… well, you don’t have to tell me.”

To answer your question first, there was a secret entrance to a dungeon in this land that was exclusive to the royal family.

It was said that this dungeon had 85 levels, and the level that ordinary adventurers could reach was 40. It was said that the deeper one dived in a normal dungeon, the more powerful monsters would appear, but the reason ordinary adventurers could not go deeper than the 40th level was simply the time limit.

It took one day to go up to the third level and back, but it took four days to go up to the tenth level and back.

At the 20th level, monsters of Rank 3 or lower almost ceased to appear, and it was said that it would take three weeks to make the round trip.

That was the limit for ordinary adventurers, no matter how much preparation they put into it. To go deeper than that, you needed more than just rank and financial resources.

The dungeons in this region were conquered several hundred years ago by a powerful man in cooperation with the Adventurers’ Guild.

At that time, the attack team of one hundred people and several times that number of supporters took about one year to conquer the dungeon. At that time, one of the exits to the outside was discovered at the 70th level, and several court magicians succeeded in fixing the exit.

Huge amounts of money were poured in annually to fix that outlet as an [entry and exit] point.

The reason for using this entrance was so that the royalty could get [Gift], and if it were known that the tax ratio was going up for this purpose, anti-royalist voices would rise.

That said, if the situation were to become one where Gift was obtained in an unregulated manner, those who were unaware of the danger of using Gift would gain in and overuse it, and that could end up leading to the collapse of the country.

Even so, for the sake of the stability of this country, there seemed to be no choice but to “not use” it.

“…Will the spirits give us the Gift because of that?”

“I don’t know. So, since they can’t all get it, aren’t they just randomly plugging in young royalty?”

“…”

It seemed that even with such a cheating strategy, the spirits in the dungeon would give you a Gift, but strangely enough, it seemed that almost no one but the royal family and their fiancées would get a Gift.

I didn’t know what sorting criteria they used, but I suspected that even if I were a genie, I wouldn’t give Gift to someone who cheated unless they were someone who would risk their lives to seek power…

Three royals and the Crown Prince’s fiancée…how many of them would get the “Gift”?

Elena did not rely on the Gift to seek power for her country, and Clara was basically the same way. Both of them believed in their own strength, just as I did.

But if they wanted to have a healthy body, I was willing to help them.

As for the other three…, what do they want?

***

With the dungeon attack scheduled for tomorrow, the royals were resting their bodies and minds in the rooms allocated to them.

“…Even my uncle is in trouble…”

Recalling her attitude on board and so far, Elena let out a troubled breath.

“He must be in a difficult position. But more importantly, Elena-sama, are you sure you don’t need to see that girl?”

If Sera had her way, there would be no reason to bring a single adventurer into this room. Elena shook her head, her eyes narrowing at the aroma of the herbal tea, which she said would help her sleep well.

“It’s okay. I and that girl were not ‘friends’. As long as she’s alive… and safe, I don’t want anything more.”

“…I hope that’s all right.”

Sera began to think seriously about how she could lighten the weight on the small shoulders of Elena’s concern for the girl, even though she said she was not her friend.

At the same time, Clara, the Countess of Dandol, received a visit from a boy in the evening.

“Ervan-sama…what is the matter?”

“Yes, Clara hasn’t been looking well for a long time…are you alright?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Clara’s fiancée, who was concerned about her, smiled slightly.

Clara was worried about the death flags that had been planted before the “Otome Game” and the fact that the girl who looked so much like “Heroine” had reappeared before her, traumatizing her. She was unable to play the game because the girl who resembled the “Heroine” reappeared in front of me.

Since I had lived longer in my previous life as Clara, the daughter of a frontier countess, her view of life and death was influenced by her previous life, and I was not likely to risk my life for my country like other people.

Still, Ervan was looking at her, and Clara felt that for the first time she was able to face him as a human being, not as a Capture Target in a game.

“I’ll do my best, Clara, and we’ll do our best together. I will protect you as much as I can.”

“Yes…”

The crown prince had a gentle temperament, but his kindness saved her life, and Clara gently touches Ervan’s hand.

(Is there anything I can do for him…?)

At the same time, alone on the unlit terrace, Clara looked up at the night sky and made a wish to the “moon” with a miserable smile on her face.

“Hurry, let it be tomorrow.”

***

Early in the morning, we finally entered the dungeon. The entrance to the dungeon was said to be located behind the guest house, but we did not see any door that looked like it.

The faces of the 30 or so people gathered there, who were about to enter the dungeon, were filled with enthusiasm, but also with a sense of tension and anxiety that could not be hidden.

The dungeon’s 70th level. A low-ranked adventurer could be killed instantly in that dangerous place.

The feelings of those who were forced to enter there not because of their own desires, but for the sake of others, were quite unstable.

“”…””

When my eyes met those of Elena, who was surrounded by knights, she gave a small laugh as if she was troubled.

I joined them to prevent Elena from having any unforeseen accidents, but I thought Amol would be a troublesome existence if I approached her.

Amol was probably comparing himself and Elena, who was being kept by the royal family. I could sympathize with his position, but people who were full of themselves were in danger in many ways.

The crown prince Ervan, who had tried to talk to me in the beginning, was interrupted several times by Amol, and now he was taking care of Clara, who was looking blue.

Clara Lester, his other fiancée, would be in a bad situation since Ervan was neglecting her, but I thought she was the one who seemed the most at ease.

Even the caretaker squire was afraid of her and would not approach her unless necessary, and Carla gave an evil smile when she spotted me.

“Now, by royal decree, we will begin our dungeon crawl!”

A few moments later, the attack on the dungeon began with the nervous Ervan’s words.

At his words, the knights in charge surrounded the royal family as if to protect them, and when Ervan pointed his crested ring at them, the [rock door], which had emerged from the empty rock face, began to open slowly with a heavy sound.

When the door opened, Ervan, protected by a knight, stepped through, followed by the other royalty.

“We’re coming too!”

Dalton’s voice, we nodded and followed.

We were the last to enter, but the royals waited in the open area ahead, where we and the lead swapped places.

The part up to this point was the part built by the old sorcerers, and from there on, the color-changing part led us into the “dungeon”.

“Let’s go, Aria.”

“Roger that.”

From here on out, it’s all Rainbow Sword’s job.

Viro, the scout, and I would lead the way to detect traps and dangers. Many of the traps in the dungeon were simple but deadly, such as the ones that spewed poisonous gas and collapsed the ceiling if you stepped out of them, so we had to be especially careful when taking a bunch of amateurs like we did this time.

Even so, Viro checked the traps with his experience and intuition, and proceeded onward as if to make sure it was safe by himself. I followed closely behind him, learning his skills with my eyes, and used my “eyes” to check for unnatural magical elements, and used detection.

“Viro!”

“Oh, it’s coming this way. What do you think it is?”

I imagined the “enemy’s appearance” as I had been told before.

“I don’t know what it is. It is fast and heavy. Maybe… an ogre?”

“Probably right. [Dalton, Ogres. Estimated number, Seven.]”

Viro used his dark magic [Phantom Noise] to send a “voice” to Dalton and the others behind him, and a resounding echo echoed from behind them, as if they had heard it.

This dungeon seemed to be a subhuman dungeon, the same as the dungeon near Royal Capital. I had no problem with that, since I was more comfortable in humanoid form, but–

“There was no point in hiding the sound, was there?”

“Well, don’t say that. Even knights don’t get many chances to fight high-ranking monsters, so I’ll settle down once I’ve killed a few of them. Look, both of them are approaching.”

As soon as Viro said that, a nearly two-meter tall, muscular humanoid with horns sprouting from its forehead appeared from the back of the passageway.

[Ogre] [Rank 3]

[Magic Power: 138/143] [Strength: 384/401]

[Total Combat Power: 494]

The Ogre was Rank 3 like the Orc, but if the Orc was a lower Rank 3, the Ogre was a higher Rank 3.

It was strong, but still not as strong as the Orc Soldier. Its skin seemed to be harder than the orc’s, and a large hand grabbed my shoulder to stop me as I pulled out a black dagger instead of a knife and tried to step forward.

“Feld…?”

“We’ll take it from here.”

Oh, by the way, Viro said [neither].

Grinning, Feld leaped forward with his great sword of magical steel, followed by Dalton, dressed in a full plate of mithril all over his body, making me feel as if the earth was shaking.

[Gaaaaaah!!!]

The difference in basic stats between the “human” species, such as Humans and Dwarves, and the ogres was understandable, but the ogres’ behavior was not. But–

“Hah!

Feld suddenly leaped out of the way with blinding speed and slashed the ogre’s club in half with his great sword. Feld looked more like an ogre than the real ogre itself.

“Doriaah!”

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Dalton caught up to the ogre and leaps forward, his armor bouncing off the ogre’s meager weapons, and crushed the nearest ogre with a huge mithril war hammer.

So, this was [Rainbow Sword], one of the top adventurers in the country.

I could hear the knights’ exclamations of admiration from behind me as well. They must have regained their composure after realizing that the monsters appearing here were not the “terrifying monsters” they had heard about in fairy tales when they were young, but “enemies” they could fight.

When Feld and Dalton returned after quickly disposing of the remaining ogres, the knights shouted their praises in joy.

Since the royal documents remained below the 70th level, we followed the route without taking any detours.

Along the way, not only higher-ranked enemies such as ogres and higher species of orcs, but also hobgoblins and high kobolds appeared, although in greater numbers. The knights were able to deal with such enemies, but Amol had difficulty with the knights’ decision to fight in front of them.

“It would be the job of the adventurers to clear away the dew. Aren’t you knights supposed to protect the next generation of young royalty, like Ervan and Elena?”

I hated to say it, but that’s what we were hired to do, and none of us had the finesse of mind to worry about it.

However, even though what you were saying was right, some of us were not happy with the way you had stated it. Frustration started to build up among the young knights who were deprived of the opportunity to play an active role, and mental fatigue built up among Sera and Elena, who tried to suppress it.

More than that…it was a little eerie that Carla still did not move under the circumstances of the dungeon.

It was when we descended two levels that the delicate atmosphere was broken. As we emerged into a hall-like area where multiple corridors intersected, a few people, including Viro and I, looked up as soon as we all reached the center of the room.

“Guys!”

“Draw your weapons! Many monsters are coming!”

At the words of warning, we and the knights drew our weapons and released the lower-class spirits of the wind that Mira was using into the air.

“Spirit of the wind, protect our surroundings with the protection of the wind!”

At the same time as her protection surrounded the group, low-grade monsters, such as goblins and hobgoblins, came pouring out of the several passages leading to the hall.

“Damn, a ‘monster room’!”

Viro exclaimed, referring to a dungeon trap in which a large number of monsters suddenly overflowed into what was thought to be a safe area.

“Let’s go!!!”

“We’ll cover them, too, with the pride of the Royal Guards!

[Let the Royal Guards be proud!]

As soon as Dalton and Feld jumped out, the knights, who had not had much of a chance to fight until now, jumped out at the monsters who were trying to surround them.

We were in a sudden state of melee, and as I put out my pendulum to see if I should cover them, I heard a voice telling me to stop.

“Can we get away from here?”

At the same time as Carla’s amused voice, a large number of monsters began to overflow from the direction of the passageway we had come from.

“Come back, you knights! Shit.”

Amol noticed this and raised his voice, but it did not reach the knights who were already in a state of melee, and perhaps sensing that their lives were in danger, the royal squires began to panic as if frightened.

“Calm down, first evacuate, your highnesses!”

Sera, who was capable of fighting in this situation, was stuck in dealing with them, and her gaze intertwined with Elena’s, who was still trying to protect the crown prince in such a situation.

“I won’t let you hurt them!”

Amol raised his voice to dispel his fear and pointed his dagger at the approaching high kobolds.

Just as the High Kobold’s claws were about to tear Amol’s throat out, the blade of the pendulum pierces his face.

“…nah.”

“Stay back.”

I stepped in front of Amol, who was stunned by the monsters falling to the ground in front of him, and thrusted my dagger at the approaching hobgoblin and slashed at the two Kobolds’ throats with my knife.

“I’ll take it from here.”