Chapter 56 Exploration
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
When I opened my eyes, a face filled my view.
A woman watched me with a soft, loving expression. Her features blurred in the haze of waking, the world still fuzzy around the edges. Even through that blur, I could tell—she was beautiful. Lucky are those who can look like that; waking up to such a face doesn’t feel bad at all.
”Good morning. You’re awake now,” she said.
”Maggot-san…?”
Seeing her so close reminded me—her face was rounder than I usually thought. Her cheeks and chin had that gentle curve that made you want to reach out and poke them. Half-asleep, I did just that, patting her face with my hand. She only looked so mature because of her calm expression. Well, that and her chest.
Wait. Why is she here?
Did she come into my room on her own?
”Maggot-san, what are you doing here…?”
”The old woman told me there was no reply from your room during lunch,” she said politely. “You seem pale. Has something happened?”
Ah, that makes sense. I guess that’s fair.
My thoughts started to clear. The fog in my mind lifted, and memories came rushing back—our battle with that crab-like machine, Kaede-san being blown away, her severed head, and the way her consciousness faded.
”Oh, crap! What should I do? Is she okay? I need to check!”
I jolted upright, panic snapping me fully awake. I’d been half-asleep this whole time—what was I thinking?
”Maggot-san, I’ve got something I need to do,” I said, climbing out of bed.
On the small table beside me, my dungeon notes and half-used medical treatment potions were neatly arranged. Like a mother who tidies her child’s desk and even straightens out the hidden magazines.
Ugh. Busted. Or worse—definitely busted.
”This medical potion isn’t what it looks like. I was just testing the flavor. You didn’t read my notes, right?”
”I did not,” she said smoothly.
”Really?”
”Yes.”
”Good. I… kinda passed out, huh.”
”I have informed no one of your loss of consciousness,” Maggot-san replied. “The other Imperial Guards continue their duties at the rear without issue.”
”They’re in the back lines, right? That’s good.”
As usual, she knew too much. Oh well.
I trusted her completely. Maggot-san would never let me down.
She didn’t scold or question me, even though she must’ve known I’d been using Psionic Power while pretending to rest. She only told me not to overdo it.
”I thought for sure you’d stop me,” I said.
Her answer came with a small pause. “To be honest, I know it is wrong, yet I cannot resist the temptation of sharing secrets with Your Lordship.”
There was a strange guilt in her tone. What did she mean?
”Could you say that a bit more simply?”
”To share a promise known only to myself and Your Lordship… it is as sweet as boiled tanghulu,” she said softly, smiling.
Her words drifted like incense. “To know Your Lordship’s hidden truth, and be trusted not to betray it… that alone fills me with joy. Especially when your secrets are for the sake of women like us. Your devotion is so pure, so adorable—”
”I don’t understand what you’re saying!”
She just smiled, the kind that hides a thousand meanings. As always, she thought in ways far too deep for me.
”Well, I understand that I don’t understand,” I muttered.
”Please remember,” she said quietly, “the Imperial Guards exist only to serve you. A world without Your Lordship has no meaning. …Take care wherever you go.”
”Wait, are you mad at me? Don’t say it like that—it sounds scary! …Alright, I’m going.”
I decided not to think too hard about it. Kaede-san and the others were what mattered now.
I called up the mental list and focused my mind, linking to her name. My strength had mostly returned thanks to that potion. My Psionic Power would hold steady now.
Just to be sure, I gave Maggot-san’s chest a light squeeze—for mental balance.
Hours later, evening had fallen.
’The fog’s gone,’ I thought.
When I reconnected, the three of them were walking across a rocky plain. The fog had been thickest around noon, but after the bells stopped ringing, it began to fade, like it had never been there. Only thin traces of red mist still clung to the dips in the ground, and even those were disappearing.
Kaede-san moved stiffly. She tripped on a stone, and Kiri-san, carrying her rifle, called out, “How’s your body holding up?”
”I’m healed,” Kaede-san said flatly.
”That’s good. That fog’s no joke, huh? Makes monsters stronger. That one was like fighting something three floors deeper. Scary stuff,” Kiri-san said with a grin that showed no fear at all. She walked with lazy steps, boots crunching on gravel, following the quiet Kaede-san.
’She’s moving. Thank god. That healing’s crazy fast. Still hurts though, huh?’
At least she was still alive.
I circled her, checking closely. No bleeding, but bruises covered her skin. Her clothes were torn, soaked in dried blood. Half-naked, she looked like someone beaten within an inch of life. Just seeing her made my chest ache.
Still, she walked on without a word, her eyes fixed on the path ahead.
At that point, I wasn’t watching for dungeon intel anymore. I just couldn’t look away from Kaede-san and the others—the way they kept walking through the fading mist.
They were deep in a canyon now, its floor flat and wide like a dried riverbed, stretching more than a hundred meters across.
The ground was a mix of pebbles and dark red soil, scattered with scraps of flesh left behind by the fading fog. Trees stood here and there—if they could still be called trees—sprouting strands of hair and tangled organs from their bark.
These trees, at least, seemed to belong to this world now.
”Door. I’ll record it,” Kaede-san said.
She stepped into a blue dungeon door set into the canyon floor. The surface shimmered with tiny white hairpin bubbles, like air caught underwater. It looked like a snapshot of someone diving deep with an oxygen tank.
A minute later, she returned.
”Where did it lead?” Kiri-san asked.
”A sunken ship.”
”Yamato, huh. Nothing we need in the deep-sea dungeons of the Pacific Ocean.”
That name—I knew it too. The three of them shut the blue door and kept walking through the canyon.
After a while, another door appeared in the shadow of a rock—this one black, with two red lights glowing like eyes.
They’d seen this type before. It matched the pattern of the doors from Kujukuri Town. The Uncanny Valley dungeon.
When a current dungeon door shows up, it means you can go deeper—or back toward the surface. Either way, the patterns are identical. You can’t tell which direction until you step through.
”Go in?”
”All of us,” Kaede-san said.
One by one, the three passed through.
I couldn’t enter a dungeon door alone, so I grabbed the edge of Kaede-san’s coat and slipped in right behind her, careful not to be noticed.
I’m getting good at this stalking, I thought grimly. Not a skill I’m proud of.
’What the—’
We emerged inside a cave made of flesh.
The ceiling hung about three meters above. The tunnels branched in several directions, lined with things that looked like doors or stage backdrops. It felt like an apartment complex built from living tissue.
The air was damp and brownish, with a sour, moldy smell. Everything was too quiet.
”Wrong one. Deep layer,” Kaede-san muttered.
”Feels nasty,” Kiri-san said, wrinkling her nose. “What the hell’s wrong with this dungeon? I’d rather stare at a drunk old hag’s puke.”
I had to agree. Crude as she was, she voiced exactly how I felt.
A knocking sound came from behind a wall. We quickly turned and left.
They walked the canyon floor again, passing one, two more doors—but none led where they wanted.
Outdoor dungeons always have a main route, the path where monsters and useful mystical objects appear most often.
There were no monsters now, but finding so many doors meant they were still near the dungeon’s key points. Maybe one door every two kilometers or so.
It’s huge, I thought. Feels like walking through a foreign nature reserve.
Dungeon coordinates usually matched surface geography, so they headed southwest. On real maps, the enemy town was southwest of Kujukuri Town. Logically, the door to that town should be in the same direction.
But logic didn’t mean much in the dungeon. They just kept moving that way.
”No end to this,” Kiri-san grumbled. “This is work for the town folks, not us.”
After the third or fourth useless door, Kiri-san’s patience was gone.
”I’ll do a far-sight scan,” Kaede-san said suddenly. “Stay alert.”
She stopped, placed both hands on her head—and threw it high into the air.
’What is she doing?’
Her head shot upward, shrinking to a dot. Wasn’t she scared?
After several seconds, it fell, hair streaming, and landed with a solid thud.
The sound was like dropping a heavy object from a rooftop.
”Ah, I messed up,” she muttered.
”What the hell are you doing?” Kiri-san barked.
”When I get too far, controlling my body gets tricky. I missed the catch.”
”So? What did you see?”
”No doors. But there’s a white mansion about a ri and a bit ahead,” Kaede-san said, picking her head off the ground and fitting it back in place.
She’d turned her head into a makeshift scout drone. It must’ve gone ten stories high—smart idea.
Kiri-san just sighed, rifle slung over her shoulder. Kaede-san’s forehead was a little swollen from the fall, but she seemed fine. Psionic users had tough bodies.
”Is it worth checking out?” Kiri-san asked.
”Yeah,” Kaede-san replied.
She gazed down the rocky path ahead, like a riverbed of scattered stones.
”Could be human. Could be monster. We haven’t cleared even one dungeon floor yet—it might be their nest.”
”Fine by me,” Kiri-san said with a crooked grin. “If it belongs to that town’s people, all the better. Could be a monster shelter, could be a base. Either way, worth looting. Maps, food, booze—hell, even cigarette butts. I’ll take whatever.”
”I just want white rice,” Kaede-san murmured. “I’m sick of millet and barley meals.”
”There’s bound to be something good.”
”Maybe.”
They sounded like bandits planning a raid.
I only prayed there wouldn’t be any unlucky women inside that building.
They continued along the dried riverbed, where no monsters stirred.
Eventually, they reached a small, isolated church.
It was Western-style—brick walls coated in plaster, one story high, with a red triangular roof and a single pointed spire.
A few houses stood nearby, but each seemed wrong. The doors and windows were warped, handles replaced with thick branches. As if the buildings were pretending to be homes.
On the ground before the church’s front doors, a red smear trailed inward. Something—or someone—had been dragged inside.
There were no signs of life anywhere.
As they watched, the sun’s lower edge disappeared, and night fell quickly. In the canyon, darkness came suddenly and completely, swallowing everything.
Kaede-san activated her visor, the cracked lens flickering red for a moment along the side of her face.
”Switched to long-wave mode,” she said quietly. “There are multiple heat sources.”
”People?”
”Not sure. But the shapes are human.”
”Should we shoot them?”
”I can’t move properly yet.”
”When will you be able to move?”
”By morning, I should be able to move.”
”Then we’ll wait until dawn. If they leave before that, we won’t have to kill them.”
That was all they said. The three of them backed away to a distant rock outcrop and began resting in shifts, no fire, no covers—just a patch of shadow deep enough to hide them.
By morning, they’d decided to raid the church. Whatever lived in that ruined village, it wasn’t something you’d watch for fun.
With nothing else to observe but their sleeping forms, I returned to my own room.
”Maggot-san… you startled me,” I said as my senses faded back in.
”My apologies,” she replied softly.
She was still there, gazing at me with that gentle, affectionate look. Had she been watching the whole time? Didn’t she have other duties?
”You haven’t moved since before I used my Psionic Power,” I said. “Doesn’t your body ache?”
”There’s no problem,” she said calmly.
”Alright… if you say so.”
Still, a young woman staying alone in her master’s room just to watch him sleep—that was pretty questionable.
Maggot-san had always been overprotective, but this was… different. Not like Cult Slut-san’s motherly worry or Trash-san’s devoted care. More… sticky. Clinging.
”Tell everyone I’ll be resting in my room again tomorrow,” I said. “Please send breakfast through the mail slot.”
”As you wish.”
I ate a bit of dinner, let her kiss me goodnight, and drifted into sleep. In my half-dreams, I worried about her future. Smart people always think too much—it must be exhausting.
When dawn’s edge touched the horizon, I sent my consciousness back to Kaede-san and the others.
The Uncanny Valley’s sunrise matched the real world. The morning star glimmered faintly above, the constellations almost identical. It was strange how both skies aligned.
It looked like a clear day, but distant bells echoed through the canyon as thin red mist began to creep along the ground—not enough to block sight, just enough to stain the air.
”Wake up, Kiri. We’re moving.”
”Mmm… ah, so you’re fine then,” she yawned.
”I’m healed.”
”That finger’s still bent, you know. If that’s healed, then corpses are healthy too.”
”I don’t need that finger. Just like we don’t need ourselves.”
”Are your ribs still broken?”
”Yes.”
”Then we’re even. Perfect.”
Kaede-san let her bent ring finger dangle loosely. Watching it made my spine crawl, like a maggot had slithered down it.
The two women stretched, then quietly started preparing under the dim sky. They didn’t light a fire, just adjusted their packs and weapons.
”We’ll push straight through,” Kaede-san said. “Places like this always have a back route. If they escape, it’s trouble. Time to wake Natsume.”
Kiri sighed. “She’d be happier if we let her sleep forever.”
The last woman—Natsume-san—had been smiling the whole time, eyes unfocused, like she was sleepwalking. She was petite, with a mix of black and white hair, and a generous chest.
Kaede-san reached out and pulled a strange mystical device from Natsume’s head. The moment it came loose, Natsume’s body jerked—and she screamed.
”Why did you wake me!? I wanted to keep sleeping!”
”That mystical object—the Monkey’s Electrode—is dangerous,” Kaede-san said flatly.
”Dangerous? It’s the best thing ever! Just press the button and you feel amazing! Don’t take it away! I can’t live without it!”
Her round eyes went wide in fury.
Kaede-san didn’t flinch. She gripped the device, its needles and wires bending with a groan.
Natsume screamed again, scrambling to snatch it back from her hands.
”I’ll crush it if you don’t move,” Kaede-san warned.
”Alright, alright! I’ll work, okay? Just tell me where we are! Where’s Ichimatsu-sama? I’m supposed to take the Oath of Fealty next week—he’s going to bless me with a beautiful Psionic Power and praise me so much!”
She hugged the device to her chest and glanced around, dazed.
Kiri and Kaede-san exchanged looks.
”What’s wrong with her?”
”She’s gone,” Kaede-san said. “She thinks she’s still her teenage self. Still happy back then.”
”Can she function at all?”
”She’ll stabilize soon. She always does.”
They dropped the subject and started moving toward the ruined village.
The thing that had been tied to her head was a banned mystical object.
Right… that thing, I remembered.
Alien ships sometimes produced useful artifacts, but some were forbidden from circulation. This one was on Kujukuri’s banned list—press the button, and pleasure floods your brain. That’s all it did.
Tests showed monkeys would press it until they starved to death. It was called the Monkey’s Electrode.
It seemed Natsume had used it to lock herself inside a cage of false joy, running from pain she couldn’t face.
Her short, mostly black hair framed a flushed face behind her visor, and her breathing was rough.
”Don’t be mean,” she suddenly snapped. “I’ll tell Sakura-chan and Tsubaki-san on you!”
”They’re dead,” Kaede-san said. “And all of us—our Psionic Power has left us. Stop looking away. Work.”
”No! You’re lying again!”
”Shut up, Natsume. We’re in enemy territory.”
Natsume didn’t even listen. She reached out, fussing with Kaede-san’s messy hair, brushing away dried blood and dirt from her shoulders. Bit by bit, she made her neat again.
Kaede-san didn’t resist. Maybe she had a weakness for small, lively girls like Natsume. She didn’t dislike it, at least.
”That’s enough,” Kaede-san said at last. “Natsume, you’re rear support. Watch the area. Don’t let anything slip.”
”Understood.”
Natsume nodded obediently, adjusting her sword and gear with calm, practiced motions. Despite her childishness, her movements were those of a veteran. I wondered what time her mind was living in.
Then she turned to Kiri-san, smiling.
”Kiri-chan, what kind of Psionic Power do you want?”
”Mine’s great,” Kiri said, smirking. “See—springs shoot out from my body. Most useful power in the world. They call me Kiri the Coil.”
”Impressive trick,” Natsume said sweetly. “But your jokes aren’t that good.”
”Not joking,” Kiri shot back. “Let’s just hope you don’t awaken some dumb power like glowing letters on your skin.”
”You’re mean today, Kiri-chan.”
Natsume puffed her cheeks in mock anger. Her face changed expressions every second, her voice soft and sugary, sliding through her nose like syrup.
The three of them began walking through the cold canyon. The morning air was still and heavy, like the bottom of a coffin.
But the silence didn’t last—Natsume, fresh from her happy dreams, couldn’t stay quiet.
”This place feels really creepy,” she said.
”Of course it does. It’s a dungeon,” Kiri replied.
”Then I need to hurry to school! I’ll miss Ichimatsu-san’s speech! But I can’t attend the academy without a guard role, and the wedding ceremony—oh no!”
”Wake up already,” Kiri groaned. “You’re annoying.”
”Natsume, quiet,” Kaede-san said flatly.
”Ugh, this place is the real nightmare! Gross! I’m going to puke!”
She pointed at a nearby tree whose branches sprouted tufts of hair and bits of flesh, gagging dramatically. Loud, childish, and strangely full of life—Natsume was chaos given form.
They finally reached the area near the church. The first light of dawn brushed the cross at the top of the building like a crown.
I hovered near Kaede-san, startled by how human—how messy—they all seemed. Beneath their cynicism, there was still something real left.
From behind a rocky cover, the three peered toward the church. I stayed close, watching them.
”I think I might be pregnant,” Natsume whispered. “My body feels heavy.”
”Oh, shut up,” Kiri snapped. “That’s just age catching up to you. We should’ve left you asleep.”
”You’re awful!” Natsume gasped.
Ignoring them, Kaede-san studied the church’s entrance in silence.
Following her gaze, I saw something moving slowly among the ruined houses.
A lump of red flesh was walking.
There it is…
It stood roughly the height of an adult woman, moving at a human pace. The thing was grotesque—a monster pretending to be human. The thought of it chilled me to the bone. Who could’ve created something so vile?
It circled the area in a steady rhythm, like it was taking a stroll. That casualness made it even worse.
”Only monsters here. We withdraw,” Kaede-san said, voice blank.
Maybe it was just the light, but she looked almost sad.
As I turned to the others, my visor link flickered and dimmed.
”Are you not taking the shot?” Kiri asked, hand resting on her long rifle-staff.
Kaede-san touched her neck, where the joint always came loose, tilting it back into place.
”I want to save power,” she murmured.
”Yeah. Since your gear got crushed,” Kiri said dryly.
”I’m sorry.”
”It’s okay.”
They began backing away quietly and deliberately.
Good… no fighting this time, I thought, relieved.
They’d decided to retreat. Attacking this nest of monsters wasn’t worth it—no good loot, no experience, no point. Their real goal was the enemy town.
As they withdrew, more lumps of flesh began to appear. The three moved carefully to avoid being seen.
This place was just a gathering spot for those things—no maps, no supplies, nothing useful. Even the village itself was fake, built into the canyon floor with scattered pumice stones instead of soil.
In front of the church, smaller flesh-creatures had joined hands—or tentacles—forming a ring and spinning in circles.
It should’ve been horrific, but somehow, the sight looked almost cheerful. Like they were playing. And that frightened me even more. I wanted to leave immediately.
If they’re gathering, stronger ones might appear soon, I thought.
If the mist thickened again, maybe the one Kaede-san couldn’t beat before would return.
But just as we started to slip away, Natsume broke away from the group.
She wandered toward the monsters, her steps dreamy and slow, like a moth drawn to fire. By the time they noticed, it was too late to grab her.
Her mystical device was back on her head, drool spilling from her mouth, and her eyes were glazed with bliss.
”That idiot…” Kiri hissed.
”Natsume…” Kaede-san whispered.
One of the flesh-creatures noticed her and lumbered closer, reaching out.
Before it could grab her, the other two rushed in, tearing the monster away and snatching the device from Natsume’s head.
Then, without hesitation, they started beating her—fists, boots, rage.
”Stop! What are you doing!? The monster’s controlling you!” she cried.
”You’re the crazy one, you damned burden!” Kiri shouted back.
”Ah—Kiri-chan, stop!”
Kaede-san’s team fought on, their figures moving through the dim dawn—a desperate, miserable battle they hadn’t wanted, but couldn’t avoid.
Notes:
• Kaede – A female psionic explorer known as Necksplitter, is a veteran assassin and messenger of Lord Ichimatsu. Her appearance is both young and old, with gray hair streaked through black and vibrant, unlined skin. She is graceful yet carries the fatigue of a long life in war, resembling an old hunting dog. Her psionic ability is mysterious and potentially dangerous.
• Psionic Power – Mental energy concept in Chapter 35’s lecture. Trash-san teaches it to strengthen the protagonist’s mind after dungeon ordeals.
• Kiri – A female sniper and member of Kaede-san’s team, white-haired with sleepy eyes, wielding a disguised sniper rifle, known for her quick hands and slow speech, often joking in dire situations.
• Natsume – A female companion and younger sister of Kaede-san, cared for by Kaede-san during their journey through the dangerous valley, at risk of infection from the parasitic creatures.
• Ichimatsu – A high-ranking figure associated with the Imperial Guard, mentioned as having spineless guards around him, with no further details provided.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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