Chapter 9 The Secret
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The result was the worst. Why did he have to draw the deepest floor among the confirmed ones? His spirit broke. There was no way. They weren’t going to survive.
”— — I see,” Marina replied curtly.
Yuuri looked at Marina. Her face seemed to be smiling, though he couldn’t be sure. Even though their desperate escape for survival had backfired, she didn’t blame them. Furthermore, her face showed a person who had made up her mind, ready to pay with her own life for the sake of the best outcome. Faced with such a look, Yuuri couldn’t give in to despair. He had to rally himself and search for any means to survive, even a little. Marina’s smile had brought Yuuri back to his senses when he was about to fall into grief. If she acted that way without pretense, Marina undoubtedly possessed the bearing of a princess.
He didn’t want her to die. He couldn’t give up yet. Was there anywhere they could hide before the monsters gathered?
”Yuuri, look at that,” Ashley said, her eyes already scanning their surroundings.
She pointed to a spot. The shadow, mostly hidden by the uneven terrain, was illuminated by a faint phosphorescence—
”It’s the ‘Safe Zone’! …Marina, get in formation. Let’s hurry.”
”Understood. Stay right with me,” Marina replied.
Marina immediately started running, keeping a pace Yuuri could follow. Ashley followed closely behind Yuuri.
After running for a few minutes, the “Safe Zone,” which had only been partially visible from above when they first spotted it, now appeared in its entirety before them.
”The entrance is there, let’s rush in!”
”Enemy in the front right! …A Moss Golem? Is it native to this floor? It’s darker than the ones from the upper levels!”
Floors like the fifty-seventh were rarely visited. Therefore, information about monsters and the specific floor layout was scarce, leaving them uncertain about the characteristics of the moss-covered rock giant before them.
”It’s slow, but it intends to block our path! Yuuri, my “Holy Armor” should be able to withstand it. While I hold it off, you and Ashley run through. Ashley, prioritize Yuuri’s life over mine, understand? Don’t hesitate,” Marina commanded.
”Princess…!” Ashley cried out in anguish, but she didn’t stop running. The entrance to the “Safe Zone” was just ahead. It was clear that rushing inside first would make them less of a hindrance. The black Moss Golem swung its raised arm down at Marina.
”Guh! —Go! Hurry!”
Marina braced herself, creating a gap. Ashley and Yuuri dashed through. They scrambled under the golem’s legs and immediately entered the “Safe Zone.”
”Marina, we’re safe here! You run too!”
”I—I’ll— Ah!!”
Seeing that it couldn’t crush Marina, the golem swept its massive arm sideways. Marina, caught off guard by the weakness in her “Holy Armor,” bounced off the rock face and plunged into a murky pool dozens of meters away.
”Ashley, stop its legs! I’m going!”
”Understood. Save Marina-sama quickly!”
As Yuuri dashed forward, Ashley’s ice magic immediately flew towards the golem. Attacking from within a “Safe Zone” was essentially a cheap trick against monsters, but relying on it on the shallower floors was forbidden. It was an unspoken rule that those with insufficient skill should not come. However, on the fifty-seventh floor, there were no other adventurers to enforce such a rule.
Ashley unreservedly focused on gathering her magic, unleashing it with maximum power and efficiency.
”Good, its movements are sluggish!”
”Haaah! “Shunrai!””
Ashley’s next spell struck the golem’s leg, which had turned white from the freezing. A sphere of lightning seemed to be absorbed by the leg, then erupted with a sharp flash, shattering the limb.
”Amazing, when did she learn magic like that… Now’s our chance.”
The golem, having lost its balance, fell to the ground but continued to crawl towards Marina. Since golems are not living creatures, losing limbs wouldn’t stop them. Yuuri understood this and didn’t hesitate in his rescue attempt. Ashley’s magic would also require multiple hits to defeat the golem, and during that time, other monsters could be attracted.
”Marina, are you alright!?”
”Ugh, I’m soaked. Ah, but I got a bit stuck in the muck… Could you pull me up?” Marina asked.
Marina sounded surprisingly energetic, but her gaze was unfocused. Her upper body swayed precariously while her lower half remained submerged in the murky water. Yuuri grabbed the outstretched hand, but Marina didn’t grip back, and her hand slipped free.
”Ah, sorry, I can’t seem to muster any strength…”
”N-no, the golem is coming. I’ll pull you out.”
Impatient, Yuuri stepped one foot into the water, wrapped an arm around Marina’s waist, and pulled with all his might. Once out of the water, Marina’s legs still wobbled, and even with his shoulder supporting her, her gait was unsteady.
”This won’t do. It’ll circle around us again. I’ll carry you.”
”Eh, wait, this is… a princess carry…!”
They had been in constant danger since Fried-kyo’s rebellion. They were so close to escaping into the “Safe Zone.” There was no time to worry about appearances.
”You’re a princess, so it’s fine, right?”
”No, that’s not what I mean… Also, I’m heavy, aren’t I?”
He remained silent. When a woman brought up her weight, silence was the only option.
They scrambled into the “Safe Zone,” and Ashley, who had ceased her pursuit of the golem, rushed towards them.
”Princess, are you unharmed!?”
”Yes. My head is still spinning, but… at least I won’t die immediately.”
”Good. That’s a relief. However, I have one piece of bad news,” Yuuri said.
He guided their gazes with his finger. Ahead lay a descending ‘stairway’.
”…We’re on the wrong side, huh?”
”Do you think the three of us can clear the fifty-seventh floor?” Ashley asked.
”Honestly, it’s difficult. We can train safely with attacks from the “Safe Zone,” but we won’t have enough food before we can reliably traverse the fifty-seventh floor.”
Their last resort was “local procurement,” but they certainly couldn’t eat golems. In the worst-case scenario, they could subsist on insect-type monsters, but there was no guarantee they would be present on this floor. When Yuuri explained this, Marina, who had some concept of “insect cuisine,” managed a wry smile, but Ashley’s face drained of color.
”If Ashley grills it, we’ll be fine… maybe. I’m sure… I think.” Marina sighed, lying flat on the stone floor. “Even if we do find food, the political situation will likely be decided by the time we get out. Marishio-aniue… please don’t do anything rash.”
This escape was intended not only to evade the Fried-kyo but also to inform Prince Marishio that a subordinate harbored divided loyalties. Ultimately, that goal was unmet. While they had secured their immediate survival, the possibility of being forced back into the maze remained high.
”First, we have to survive. Yuuri, tell me what we can do right now. While my body still moves— heh… heh-CHOO!”
A cute sneeze echoed in the silence. They had forgotten in their relief at escaping the golem, but Marina was drenched from head to toe. Yuuri immediately looked to Ashley, expecting her to use Purification, but the attendant merely rushed to Marina’s side, showing no intention of using her skill.
”Yuuri, I can’t possibly show you my bare body. Please turn around, okay? I won’t make you go all the way down the stairs.”
”W-wait. If Ashley uses Purification, won’t it remove all the dirty water absorbed by my clothes too?”
During their journey through the shallower floors, Ashley had indeed not used Purification. Yuuri had assumed it was because other faction knights were present as witnesses, forcing her to conceal her abilities. Now, with only Yuuri, who already knew about Purification, and Marina, who had taken Ashley in due to her rare skill, there should be no reason for her to withhold the skill from her soaked master.
However, to his direct question, Marina, who had been looking blank, began to explain carefully.
”Hmm. If Ashley also possessed Purification, she wouldn’t have been assigned to me. It’s far too convenient. Only Father has someone like that as a personal attendant. Besides him, there are only a few Purification users dispatched to various departments as needed…”
She meant that even as a princess, she didn’t receive such treatment, and therefore Ashley didn’t have Purification. But then, what about the cleanliness Yuuri felt when he woke up on Ashley’s lap pillow? It was as if her entire body had been cleansed, making it believable that she had used Purification.
Seeking an answer, Yuuri looked at Ashley. She removed her hand from Marina.
”…Is there no longer any need to hide it?”
Ashley stepped back slightly and held her palm towards the princess. Her lips moved, forming the name of the skill, and the mud staining Marina’s armor vanished. She then turned her palm towards Yuuri and whispered the same. The unpleasant sensation of his waterlogged shoes disappeared.
”You… had it? But if you had Purification, you wouldn’t have needed to come to me. …Hah! Did you perhaps hide your power just to come to me!?”
”No. If I had possessed it from the very beginning, I believe I would have become more arrogant and never come to the princess.”
Marina’s face had lit up with the conviction of their bond, but she was immediately deflated by the blunt denial. Her shoulders slumped. Then, she quickly raised her head and pressed the secretive attendant.
”You just said ‘from the very beginning’? So you obtained it midway? Is that even possible!? How!?”
”Do you wish to know?”
Marina nodded vigorously. “Then I shall tell you,” Ashley said with a meaningful smile, bending at the waist.
Yuuri watched with Marina, intrigued, but gradually began to feel uneasy about whether he should be watching.
Ashley, still bent, lifted the skirt of her apron dress and tucked it over her hips. She then lowered the long pants she wore underneath… and the moment Yuuri confirmed that this also included her shorts, Marina lunged at him.
”N-no! Yuuri must not look. Ashley, you’re not…!”
”Ow, ow ow ow! My eyes! Be careful with the gauntlet on!”
He could accept being blindfolded, but not being blinded. Yuuri dodged desperately as Marina pursued him. Meanwhile, Ashley finished lowering her underwear and began to lift the front of her skirt.
”Uwaa~, no, no, Ashley! You’ll never get married! Then Yuuri will have to take you! Yuuri, turn around, turn around!”
There was no other choice. Yuuri turned his back as Marina bounced in front of him to block his view. This was a conversation a man should not be privy to. He decided to leave it to Marina until it was over.
However, he didn’t cover his ears. Perhaps it was a man’s nature, unable to completely sever his curiosity.
”Hey! Ashley, really, no. Even if you’re explaining, use your words first— Eh? Wh-what… is that…?”
Thus, Marina’s flat tone sparked his curiosity, which he couldn’t suppress. He knew he shouldn’t look. Yet, he slowly turned his head.
It was red-black.
First, his eyes fell upon Ashley’s white skin. On her thighs, white as fresh snow, a soft pale gold—just like her hair—grew modestly to conceal her private parts. The line from her pelvis to her sides was captivating. Her abdomen was well-toned, with faint muscle definition—
And there, it stained her white skin like a bruise.
Between her navel and the pale mound, on her lower abdomen. It looked like a bruise, but it couldn’t possibly be from a blow; its outline was too distinct. Its general shape was an inverted triangle. The red-black markings formed a blasphemous design, as if offering her womb.
He had seen this in a daydream once.
It was the proof of a skill Yuuri possessed, the one he had sworn never to use, the one he had paid a skill holder to seal. Yuuri knew exactly what it was.
It was because of the “Erotic Skill” that had shown him that daydream.
Therefore, his confusion did not subside. Why? How? Why was it on Ashley?
It had been ten years since he realized he had reincarnated. He had been proud to live without this skill all this time.
It was a crotch tattoo.
Notes:
• Marina – First Princess of Restea—needs labyrinth escort.
• Ashley – Count’s daughter, royal attendant, has a crush on Yuuri.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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