We walked through the meadow and after a while it turned to sand.
　Sand dunes.
　The adventure of bad footing continued for a while....
　Suddenly, a huge black tower came into view.

'Nito-sama, isn't that it!

　Sufilia is excited.
　It's a dungeon.
　It must be a rare thing for her to see.

　The whole area around the dungeon was festive.
　Several stalls were lined up, and several buildings built at some point in time can be seen.
　Although those seem to be lodgings for the wealthy.
　This is now a town.
　The town is spread out in the middle of the desert.

　I noticed something called dungeon juice and dungeon buns (manjuu) at a stall.
　Shall I buy them on my way home?

I'm getting thirsty from all the walking.

　Toa said so, so I bought a dungeon juice for four people.
　It tastes like citrusy sweet sugar water.
　Nemu was drinking the juice happily.
　He seemed to be quite thirsty.

I'm not sure if these stalls were originally here or not.

　I asked the owner.

'No, of course not. The dungeon attracts challengers, and that attracts us merchants. I built it for that, because it's a good time for merchants like us to make money.
"Hey, what do you want to do after this, go to the dungeon now?

　I was thinking about it before Toa asked me.

'Which one do you all prefer?　If you want, you can take a day off and try tomorrow.

　I'm not particularly tired, but I'm not sure about the three of them.
　Even though they are beastmen, Nem is still small, Sufilia is also raised in a greenhouse, and Toa is still a better one.

'I'll leave it to Nito-sama to handle me.

　Sufilia is still very reserved.
　Nem and Toa seem to be fine, though.
　They should be in full condition to take on the dungeon.

Let's just rest for today.
So we need to find a place to stay?
Okay. Hey, anyway, why don't we go check out that black tower?　I'd like to have a closer look at it once. We'll find a place to stay after that.

　We walked to the tower, juice in hand.



It's big....
This is a dungeon?
I suppose that's what it is.

　Up close, the power is different.
　Around the dungeon were several groups of exhausted and those who were about to take on the challenge.

''I wonder what these are made of.
What do you mean, the material?

　The Toa showed an unexpected interest.

　I walked up the short black staircase that was part of the tower and stood in front of the spaciously constructed entrance.
　At the bottom of the stairs, Toa waved at me.
　Behind me was the entrance, beyond which it was pitch black and I couldn't see anything.
　There was an occasional cool breeze, and a distant wind sound that seemed to echo.
　It sounded as if they were talking.

'Hey, let's get going!'

　I heard Toa's voice and turned back to the bottom of the stairs.
　There, I see two familiar figures walking towards us from the stalls.
　It's Francesca from the demonic news agency and Dolly, the photographer.
　Just as I was about to join the three of them, Francesca called out to me.

''Long time no see, your mask is still the same.

　I put on a mask before I went into this town, just in case.

I didn't want to give myself away.
Do you mind if I take one?

　Dolly held the camera up.

'Not three of them,'

　I told her in advance that she could take the picture from the top of the face.
　As the picture was being taken, Francesca asked her about her feelings.

I'm not particularly nervous, the challenge starts tomorrow.
'Oh, I see. But I don't mind, I'll do another interview tomorrow.

　What are you going to ask so much?
　Francesca put away her notes and pen.

''Actually, some time after I left the academy, I received information that the fortress city of Artemias was attacked by the Empire, probably for the Tri-Far, but...''

　What's the point, that was our doing, but it's the Empire's fault.
　Sufilia glanced at me for a moment.

''The king's body, as well as the bodies of his entourage and a number of kingdom officials have been found. And the princess is confirmed dead.

　Francesca took a glance at Sufilia.
　Sufilia had her usual smile plastered on her face.
　But Francesca would already see through it, and she's wondering.
　Why is there a princess here?

'As I've said before, I can't answer that question.
So what about my hobby, then?
Hobbies? ........no, it's impossible.
''Well I understand. So let me give up on that and let me change my question.

　Francesca showed no signs of resignation, despite her words.

'Are you related to the Empire, Nito-san?
No, no, no.
Okay. Now, I'd like to ask you about Miss Sierra.
How is Sierra doing?
He's hardly in good health. Rumor has it he's barely out of the house.
Well....
'It's been over a week since Hilda Ecarato's funeral was held. After two imperial raids, there is apparently a difference of opinion between the White King's Knights and the King.
Disagreement?
Yes, the White King's knight wants revenge on the Empire and war. But the king will not allow it.
I see.
'Master, what will happen to the Sisters and Sierra if war breaks out?'

　I could see Nem's anxious face.

''I don't know. But the war hasn't started yet, right?
'I don't know, I don't know. It's just that Radshausen is a small country, and I don't think it has the military strength to challenge the Empire.
So, what is it that you want to ask me about Sierra?
'There will be an article about the White King's Knights, and I'd like to write about Sierra-san at that time.
As long as it's not something that makes my connection to you public, you'll be fine.
All right, now I'd like to ask you a few questions.

　The interview has begun.

*

　The interview ended a short time later.

Thank you for your valuable talk.

　Francesca had just bowed and was about to leave when she saw a man who had been killed.
　I felt a murderous atmosphere coming from somewhere.
　I felt the presence of a small fly behind me, and I quickly turned around.

Hm, what is it?

　There was a large one.
　A man with pure white body hair, trying to swing his sharp claws down at me.
　I grabbed the guy by the scruff of his neck.

"Gah!
What is it all of a sudden?

　A white bear, is it a beastman?
　I threw that guy to the ground.
　After being lightly slammed to the ground, the white bear regained its stance and turned another sharp gaze at me.
　Yet another direction felt another killing intent.
　He grabbed the neck root in the same manner as before and threw it away.

''Two white bears........''

　The two beastmen are staring at me.

'Are you Nito?'

　Behind me - I heard a voice from behind me - near the dungeon stairs.
　I turned around and saw a lone man sitting on the stairs, a man with shaggy black hair that looked like it had been messily twisted by a perm.

'An adventurer with a woman in a dwarf's fool's mask. No doubt, Nito.

　The thought passed through my mind at those words and I looked at Francesca's face.
　I told you not to write about your friends in the article.
　But Francesca's shook her head.
　In other words, you didn't do what I told you to do.

'How the hell do you know me?

　A condescending look and a fearless smile.
　A pair of shiny earrings and a simple jacket.
　The crumpled and twisted black hair.

".........

　The man silently shifted his gaze to the two white bears.
　Immediately after, as if they received some kind of signal, sharp claws were coming at them.
　From the front, the figure of the white bears were visible side by side.
　I took a step toward the gap that had been created between the two of them.
　With the biceps of both arms on the faces of the two animals, I activated the "God's Speed" at once to slam them down.

-- ''With the defeat of 《Jackson Frederick [Lv:41], the unique skill 《Goddess Blessing》 has been activated. Please choose your loot.''

-- ''Defeating Samuel Frederick [Lv:42] has activated his unique skill, Goddess Blessing, by defeating him. Please choose your loot.''

　An announcement for two of them played in my head.
　When I turned around, I saw two giant headless bodies standing there.

'Hahahahahaha, this is a masterpiece!

　The messy-haired man stands up.

''Where do you have that kind of power, and I don't even feel any magic in it!

　Your friends are dead and you're smiling like a crazy person.

Don't feel bad, but you messed with me first.
I don't care. I don't care. I'll put the blame on them for their performance.

　No word of thanks.

No way, you're not....

　Francesca said in surprise.
　She had an idea, and gradually her expression became that of fear.

'You know this guy?'
'There is no doubt about it this is Lage Cottos, the king's shield.
A king's shield?
'The three who guard the Emperor. We were told there are dozens of White King's knightly class in the Empire. But the Emperor once told the world that there are three men in this country who are far superior to them.
Is that a king's shield?
Yes, sir. Yes, but the reality of the Empire has remained a mystery until recently. The reason for this is that the emperor never revealed the reality of his shield. So the public believed the shield was a lie, a show of power, a lie of the Emperor.

　In other words, the king's shield, which was thought not to exist, has been proven to be true by this guy's appearance.

"Wow, as expected of a demonic communication, you know about me.

　The man with the messy hair - Lage praised her.

'The canyon city of Pulsetera--you're known to the world because of that one incident.
You're good at that!

　Raju gave a big smile.

'What's that, well, what's a pulsera?'

　Lage sat down on the spot.
　Francesca freaked out at the movement.

'Don't be alarmed, I like it when people talk about me.
He was a former court mage in the canyon city of Palustria.

　Lage bared his gums.

'Yes, yes!　Huh, I miss those days. Palustria, as the name suggests, was a city built in a canyon, and it was beautiful at night.

　Raju smiles while looking up at the sky.


I can't.

　Lage said with a smile pasted on his face.

'Because I already destroyed that country,'
Break it, huh?

　Lage's smile gradually turns into a creepy one.
　When she smiled, the corners of her mouth rose and her eyes narrowed and narrowed.
　The eerie eyes I could see between the narrowed eyes caught me.

''...I see, so that's how it feels.''
That was fun. Nito, do you know the last look on the face of someone who is killed by someone you thought was your friend?
You're in bad taste.
'You're confused about whether you're an enemy or an ally, and you're dying and confused!　And then you realize, this guy was the enemy!　But by the time you realize it, it's too late, you're dead.

　Oh, you're just a crazy person.

I see. So you betrayed that country and turned it over to the Empire?
No, I'm not. I've always been an Imperial man.
Yes,

　Francesca cleared me up.

'It was over ten years ago that the Emperor announced the existence of the King's Shield. He returned to the Empire five years ago after destroying the Pulse Terra he had infiltrated as a spy. Then the Emperor announced it to the world again. That he had been an Imperial man all along. The proof of that.
'Yes, and the proof of that is that my real name is Lage Durmscales.
"...Durmscales?

　It was a word that sounded familiar.
　I first heard the word "empire" when I was in Rathhausen.
　I wasn't particularly interested in it, so I didn't question it.
　But since then, I've heard the name of the Empire over and over again.
　The Durmscales Empire--.
　I had heard this name from Mr. Khalifa.
　But this country was destroyed hundreds of years ago, and it is a country that does not exist today.
　That's why it's different from the empire as it's called today....

'Why is Damescales still around?
"Master Nith, the name of the empire in this era was also Durmscales.

　Sufilia answered.

　It was so obvious, apparently I was the only one who didn't know.

''What were you talking about earlier, what did you say about the times?''

　Lage stood up lightly.

'Well enough talking. For now, I know you're crazy.
'Awful - I'm not crazy, I'm not crazy. I mean, I felt a little close to you.

　Lage looked deliberately depressed.

'Why did you target me?'
It's not hard to understand if you don't ask, because you turned against the Empire. I'm sure it's a good idea to kill you before it becomes a problem, so they chose me for my free time.
I see, but you can't do it, can you?

　I'm not trying to be overconfident.
　It's just that this guy's magic is on the same level as Zeke and his friends.

"I'm just here to challenge the dungeon.
I see........I see......so you can't be bothered to get involved with me, can you? Then I'll kill one of my friends and make you come to your senses.

　At that moment, Lage disappeared.
　But I can see it.
　In front of Toa's eyes, the figure of Lage is still there.
　He was about to swing his purple glowing hand sword down to Toa.

''Gwah!''

　I stepped between Toa and Raju and slapped Raju's right hand off.
　I'm not going to be able to get to the bottom of it.
　You can see a different kind of fear in his expression than before.

''Everyone, stay back. I'm enough on my own.''
Geez, that's impressive, Nito. I didn't see that at all.
You wanna die in here?
Haha, that doesn't sound like a joke. I'm scared.
I'm serious.

　This guy tried to kill Toa when he could tell I wasn't going to do it.

'You're a pain in the ass, man,'
That's my line. I've heard a lot of stories, but I didn't expect to be this far out of my league. I think I'm still a strong man, but in front of you...

　Instantly, Raju's expression changed completely, as if he was scared of something.

''Oh, you! ....what the hell!　That's right, your eyes!
What... what?
Get away from me!

　Lage lost his balance and fell on his ass.
　He hurriedly stood up and hurriedly took the distance.

'd*mn, you're coming! --The Curse Ball!

　Lage sent the purple ball flying, and more.

'No, no, no, no! --Divorcers of Darkness!

　A huge purple sphere appeared above Lage's head.
　It didn't even have a magician's circle, and it approached me as soon as it appeared.

''As expected of the Empire, your chanting is fast-- ''Artistic Destruction (Soul Break)!

　But the giant sphere disappeared, as if sucked into the center.
　Lage looked even more frightened.

'Don't come close!'
'Yes, let me ask you, what are you Imperials going to do with Razhuisen?　That country is peaceful, it's supposed to be free of violent people like you, so why attack us?
Hey, don't come any closer!
You're just asking questions.
Transmetas!
What?

　His feet flashed, and at that moment, Lage disappeared from the scene.

''Eh.........''

　It was too sudden.
　Lage had fled, leaving the body of the white bear behind.



　After leaving Francesca and the others, we were strolling around town in search of a place to stay.

'It was an amazing magical experience,'

　I don't know, but from the Toa's point of view, Lage was a strong sorcerer.
　Nem was shrinking in a state of exhaustion.
　Sufilia seemed as calm as ever, though.

''It seems that the only thing that seems to be good is your magic skills but it's troubling that you were able to escape. It would be a hassle if he attacked you again.''

　He noticed that Toa had stopped.
　It was in front of a white tent.
　It had 'Infirmary' written in large letters on the roof, and Toa was staring inside, looking terribly upset.

'Toa, what's going on?'

　Curious, I walked back to the Toa.
　I looked into the tent.

'This is....'

　All that could be seen were several beds and patients with bandages all over their bodies.
　Toa held his hand over his mouth, shocked at the sight.

'Are you guys challengers too?'

　A large man emerged from the tent.

''Yes ... yes.''
So keep your eyes open for these guys.
What's wrong with these people?


You know, they're all dreamers and fools.

　The tent is full of moaning and groaning.
　Is this the end of the dreaming fool the dungeon challenger?

Everyone was so cool with it until just a few days ago. Now they're in this mess. But these guys are still lucky. Since the dungeon appeared until today, nearly a thousand people have tried. And most of them still haven't come back.
What, just these people?
Yeah. That's what dungeons are for. Everyone says the same thing, and they go in for the challenge. But deep down inside, the person who talks about it is the one who thinks, "That could be me. Maybe it could be me," he says. As far as I'm concerned, there's no one who thinks they can do it from the start. No one realizes their own stupidity until they try.

　The dungeon makes the seeker dream, and the world makes fun of it.

You should have thought more about why there hasn't been a conqueror for hundreds of years.... You should think about it. Are you sure that was the right choice? I'm not going to say any more, you're on your own....

　With that, the man walked back into the tent.
　He probably came to stop us from challenging us.
　He was a challenger himself, we could tell that by looking at his right shoulder and beyond.
　He had no arm, only a bandage that was smeared with blood.

'Toa.....

　Toa looked down and shivered.
　It was a tough one after this sight.
　It might not be possible for Toa to do it.

''I'm going...''
"...Toa, no need to take it easy, I'm perfectly fine on my own.
'No, it's okay, I'm going. I've come all this way, that's what I'm following you for.
It's like I forced you to come with me.
No, Master Nito, that is not true.
Sufilia...
I want to be there for you. I haven't changed my mind.
'Nem, and Nem, follow your master!
Nem...

　I couldn't answer well.
　But maybe this was a good time to do it.
　I hadn't thought it through, and now I know what it means to take on a dungeon.
　It means to risk your life on an adventure.

All right. I won't ask any more questions. Come on, let's go to the dungeon.

*

　The next day.
　We came to the front of the dungeon again.
　There was Francesca there.

'Nito-san, are you going to try now?'
Yes, sir.
Can you tell us what you're feeling now?
I'm excited.

　Francesca saw the expressions on each of our faces.
　I looked away, not asking any more questions, as if she had guessed something.

'Then we await your attack.

　After the interview, the four of us walked up the stairs.
　We stood in front of the entrance and looked at each other one last time.

"Okay, let's go... hmm?

A man came out of the dungeon with a woman in his arms.
He is clad in a large layer of armor. He looks like a knight. The woman is bleeding a lot.
As he walks past.

Wait--

...hmm?

Are we going to the dungeon?

Yeah, I know.

I wouldn't do that. It's not like they're challenging you up there.

　The guy looked at all four of us.

Three women and one man.... This is the graveyard.

'To the losers, I suppose, but it's none of my business.

Listen to my advice. Easy people like you will be the first to die. Why not you? You're going to kill them?

　Nem Nem's menacing.

If you taunt your master any longer, I will cut your head off!

　Sufilia said.

''I don't know who you are, but why don't you worry about yourself first? The man in this room is S-ranked adventurer Nito-sama.''

"You're that Nito?

'Let's go,' said Toa grimly.

'Right. 'It's already before noon, even for free.'

Wait a minute.

I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait. Why don't you take care of that guy first?

My name is Leonardo!　He is a knight of Dames Aldan. I'll see you again, Lord Nito.

Oh, well...

　When he found out I was Nito, he said his name suddenly. He's a peach of a guy.

　We walked into the dungeon.

"What's the meaning of this?

　The moment I stepped in, the scenery around me changed completely.

''Eh, this place...''

　Toa was puzzled.

'I see ... but it's an unusual style I've never seen before.

　Sufiria calmly analyzed.

''This is the dungeon?''

　Nem nods his head.

'This place....'

　A piercing sunset.
　A warm (lukewarm) breeze and the sound of crows.
　It's the fleeting evening that I hate the most.
　The school gate, the gymnasium, the ground, and the school building.
　Everything is familiar to me.

It's a school.

　It was a space where I spent meaningless time.
　It was a high school building.