Chapter 90 The Third Layer
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The world beyond the door felt like a different place. At once, the air around us changed, and I almost thought we had lost our way into another dungeon. When I looked back, I saw the black dungeon door with the red eye mark. It was still part of the same strange valley.
Maybe it was not a fully new world, but it felt close. The shape of the mountains looked familiar. Then I noticed it was like the high plain and valley from the first layer. The land and peaks shared the same look.
”Is this the same place in an older time?” I asked.
There was no trace of the red and black Otherworld, yet the view made me think of it. At least, it seemed to be the same region.
Green covered all the hills. Soft sunlight fell on the flowers and grass, and thin white clouds crossed the clear sky. Wind moved over the bright field instead of a red poison swamp, and the sound was as gentle as light rain.
Water now filled the river that had been dry far in the future. It ran clear and calm, as if it showed the sky inside it. It came from the peak as melted snow, turning into a wide, clean river.
The green water shone like a mirror, and the mountain range with white caps spread upside down across its surface.
On a hill, a small herd of cows ate grass without even looking at us.
”Welcome. This is the third layer of the valley,” Himawari said. She stood in the grass, arms wide, smiling.
”This is our new hometown, the land we found. I wanted you to see this layer,” she said. The wind brushed her hair. One eye was covered with cloth, and her horn was half broken, yet she looked as cool as a picture on a postcard.
”Nice place, right?”
The fresh smell of grass tickled my nose. I drew in a long breath. The air was cool in my throat.
”It feels like the Alps. The blue sky, the snow on the mountains, and the wide green like a farm… It’s hard to believe this is inside a dungeon. The sun and wind feel real.”
We were not here to travel for fun, yet this place was linked to that ruined town. Still, I could not stop taking deep breaths. The view was wonderful.
”Maybe only this place escaped the end of the outside world,” I said.
”Who knows? No one can say,” she replied. “But I’m glad you like it. Coming here was the right choice, wasn’t it!”
She looked pleased as she watched me stare in surprise. It made all the long road here seem like a lie. It felt as if time had turned back before the valley was tainted, or maybe the red mist could not last forever, and this true nature of the land came back from the far future.
Near the door, a few people waited. They had already become residents here. They were not aberration monsters.
”Hey! I’m back!” Himawari called out with a light voice, not like a noble lady at all. Several young girls ran to her and surrounded her. They were quite young and showed no formal manners.
”Welcome back, Himawari-sama! We, the garden guards, have been waiting for you!”
”Himawari-sama, there was no attack while you were away!”
”Did you bring everyone? How is the surface?”
Happy voices rose around her at once. “Rina, Miko, calm down. I get it, just wait,” Himawari said, trying to hold them back.
The girls, who looked like high-school students, stayed close to her even though she was hurt. She seemed happy too, like a common girl meeting friends.
”Stop, Miho! Don’t pull my clothes!”
”You came back again, Himawari-sama! I see a few town people too, I’m so happy!”
”She’s busy. And there are men here, so move back!”
None of them feared her demon form. It was clear she was popular. They clung around her like students around an idol at a girls’ school, loud and full of energy.
Maybe they were fellow Imperial Guards or users of psionic power. Even if they held high status, they were still teenage girls and friends from battle.
They shared joy like young boy soldiers after meeting again.
”What happened to make you a black oni? And your eye—did you get hurt again?”
”The Katsuura clan betrayed us. But it doesn’t matter. I’ll be fine after I die once,” Himawari said.
”Don’t be reckless. Even if your head blows up, it will heal, but still… Come on, let me see the wound.”
”No, no. It’s nothing!”
”You can’t say that. You are like my little sister.”
Imperial Guards often fought as rivals, so I had never seen them this close. There was no sign of distance from rank. I understood now why the bond of Imperial Guards was said to be strongest in small towns. This was why Himawari had been so angry when her friend was killed.
Many more town people had waited for us too. They helped the tired refugees leaving the door, gave water in bamboo tubes and simple food, and welcomed them with care. Some sat and rested right away. Some fell down in faint with injuries a bit away.
I watched all this with my two companions.
”Trash-san, are those people going to be okay?” I asked.
”They let go of their fear at last. On the road, they used a lot of nerves. Many were from town jobs like clerks or fishers and had never entered a dungeon. It was a very hard march,” Trash said.
Unlike me, they had no strong guards. Nearly fifty people had become food for the dungeon. It had been only two days, but it was a cruel trip. Even with care, there were limits. Some drank to hide their fear, and some ran away to hide in houses. We could only leave them. The advance team from Kujukuri Town was behind us. There was no choice.
I put my hands together for the dead.
After about an hour, more injured town people came out, dragging their feet. When the last one arrived, we closed the dungeon door. Not all town people had moved here yet, but until the next group came, the door would stay shut.
Officials would go back to the surface to bring more. The death rate on the road would likely be even higher next time.
”Still, this place is so pretty. Can one dungeon change this much?” I asked.
The first and second layers had been dirty and dark, so this clean world felt like a swing back to the other side. No one warned us, so there were likely no monsters or traps here.
Trash stayed more alert than me as she explained, “This itself is not rare. In fact, those mountains look familiar, and there are many shared points with the shallow layers. Still, we must not relax.”
Some layers inside a dungeon were like rest rooms or save spots, I had heard. For a town, finding one meant a useful base or even a tourist spot.
Trash checked the area with care. She tore some grass, took a bit of soil and rubbed it between her fingers as if reading something. She also spoke in a serious tone with Flatty-chan.
I let my mind drift. From the hill, I saw a field of soba (buckwheat) and a small bean field. Town people were already working, turning soil and dropping seeds with busy hands, their backs bent under the warm sun.
It felt like stepping off a bus at a summer mountain resort. The sun seemed bright in a kind way.
By the blue river, a small water mill stood, like old Japan farmland. People had already begun growing crops fit for the cool highland, as if they had lived here for a long time.
What kind of place was this? I feared the red mist might return, but I saw no sign of it.
”Flatty,” Trash said.
”That one? The lift box thing?” she replied.
”Yes. The only trouble is that tricky mystical object that misuses the Young Master’s hair.”
”Leave it to me.”
”Can you handle it?”
”I’ll try. Come here, lend me your ear.”
They whispered in secret and even passed a small item between them. I did not understand any of it.
”What are you talking about?” I asked.
”Young Master, I will explain at the right time. I am sorry, but please endure it for now,” Trash said.
”Okay. I don’t get it, but I’ll leave it to you.”
They clearly did not plan to tell me. It was likely about the escape plan. The rescue team had not made it in time.
At times like this, the best choice was to do nothing extra. I would just look after my own worries. I was weak, after all.
”So, what now?” I said to myself.
Maybe I should wait for orders. My attendant, the widow-like older sister, had slipped away too, so I had no guide. I thought I should greet the leaders of Isumi Town, but then Flatty-chan made a show of stretching, lacing her fingers above her head.
Her flat chest rose with a deep breath.
”This is a nice layer. Mmm, the air tastes so good,” she said. She stretched like a cat, eyes half closed, her long hair swinging in the wind. She looked like a college girl on summer break at a tourist spot.
”Hmm… yes, I wonder how big this place is. Maybe we can sell plots here as summer homes for nobles. We could make good money,” she said.
Even with this view, her first thought was profit. While I was changing my view of the valley, she was already thinking of money.
”Right. Let’s make this the property of Kujukuri Town. The first finder was Flatty-chan. We can use the profit for research funds.”
”Locals are around. Be careful what you say. And please don’t act so casual in front of the Young Master. It’s rude,” Trash said, a little angry.
But I did not hate Flatty-chan’s way of thinking. She was so different from Trash that it was fun to watch.
”You always drag the Young Master into your scolding. That’s low,” Flatty-chan said with a frown.
A new layer was not the finder’s private property. In name, all layers belonged to the Great Japanese Empire, to the Majesty. A town could control it, but hiding a new layer too long was tax trouble, because a town must pay mystical object tax.
”Still, to be honest, I want these people to leave. I’ll give them some random farmland on the surface,” Flatty-chan said.
Trash gave her a tired look. “Flatty, I bet there is someone like you in Inubo Town, and that is why they are attacking in the north.”
”Weak towns are to blame. It’s not Flatty-chan’s fault. Being poor is a sin,” she said.
Flatty-chan was cruel. Even I felt that was too much.
”They have lived in hiding here for half a year. Isumi Town’s sad people don’t deserve good land, so we should take it. I’ll put a flag here,” she said, and stuck a twig into the ground.
Himawari had said the Isumi Town people started moving here half a year ago. Bringing Flatty-chan here had been a mistake. Her dark jokes were a shock to tired refugees.
…No, I hoped it was only a joke. In this time and world, it was not strange to hear such words.
”You say what you want. If you think you can chase us out, try it,” a low voice said behind us.
Himawari and her group came closer. It seemed they had heard everything. The air around them turned sharp.
”What now? Eavesdropping on Flatty-chan again? You must love me,” Flatty-chan said, turning without a care.
”Sadly, I hate you,” the girl said. “Be quiet. You owe your life to the town people you want to push out. And only because your master is kind.”
She looked at me. Trash and Flatty-chan were still alive only because I was here. This small town did not follow high-class rules of keeping prisoners safe, unlike Kujukuri Town.
Since the talk had turned to me, the young girls now stared at me with curious eyes. Their stares felt rude toward a man, so I hid a little behind Trash. The girls noticed and quickly lowered their eyes.
Himawari glared at my two Imperial Guards as if holding them back. “If you think you can, then try it. Come attack us here. My friends will face you.”
”I see. Birds of a feather, is that it,” Trash said, answering the provocation. Dislike showed plain on her face. Even if she knew she should act with her status in mind, she could not hide her disgust toward someone who played with men’s dignity.
Trash spoke in a hard voice. “I wonder how many cheaters this town has. It must be a very fine town. Please, introduce me.”
The Oath of Fealty Ritual was normally a gift from a man, not something women ran like a plan to gather power. A town’s strength should be its people and its weapons, not just psionic power users. Relying solely on psionic power was, in Trash’s eyes, a broken way for a town to live.
Still, it was strange to see Trash pick a fight like this.
Himawari’s face shifted again, and not for the better. “Say what you like. I hope your sneaky town friends hear it too.”
She stepped closer, grabbed Trash by the front of her clothes, and lifted her. “Are you insulting my bond with the three of them?”
”Guh—”
”Should I take one of your eyes too?”
Her long claws pointed at Trash. Steam escaped Himawari’s lips, as if she might blast psionic breath at any moment.
”We may be few, but if you look down on us, you will regret it. If you don’t cause trouble, you can go home safe, so stay quiet.”
If her girls had taken the Oath of Fealty Ritual after her, they might become demon-like or gain close psionic power. Even if not now, it could happen later.
Even hanging in the air, Trash did not stop talking back. “No, you will regret it. A town that treats men as nothing has no future.”
”I don’t want to hear that from low Imperial Guards like you.”
Now Himawari’s face carried open scorn. “What did you say? What do you mean by that?”
”On the road, I saw you touching your master like that. Don’t tell me you slept with him.”
”Are you insulting the Young Master— ggh!”
When Himawari began to bend Trash’s fingers back, I rushed over. “Stop! Don’t fight!”
Trash dropped to the ground, coughing, her knee down. Two of her fingers bent the wrong way.
”You didn’t need to go that far!”
”A-ah, I’m sorry. Doing this in front of a man… I get angry when people insult my town, and I forget myself,” Himawari said. When I stepped in, her mood changed at once. She bowed her head, eyes darting.
”It was too much. We came to learn about your town, so don’t scare us.”
”You’re right. I was wrong. I said a bad thing. I didn’t mean to insult you from my heart.”
I saw her black cowlick dip as she bowed. She looked shaken. She had said something very bad about my purity, but I felt she did not mean harm. Yet she did not plan to say sorry for the broken fingers. That surprised me more.
And to be honest, she was not fully wrong about the close contact.
”When I’m here, I feel I must protect this place. It makes me heated. It’s only my fault, so please don’t hate my town.”
”It’s fine. Just don’t do anything cruel.”
”I understand. I’m truly sorry. I won’t say such things again.”
”That’s not really the point…” I muttered.
I accepted her apology while checking on Trash on the ground. Himawari was kind to locals and very cold to outsiders, especially those who threatened her town. I often saw this harsh side, but her treatment of men was more nuanced.
In return for forgiving her, I made her promise not to hurt my Imperial Guards for no reason. Trash’s words had been too sharp, but Himawari reacted like it hit a nerve.
When I asked more, she said this part of the valley was shared by Isumi Town and Kamogawa Town. She feared the Kamogawa Exploration Squad might find it and claim it since Kamogawa was bigger. Flatty-chan’s joke had been close to the truth.
That meant my visit here was a problem too, but Kujukuri Town was busy with its own dungeon and had enough food. We would not try to take this layer by force.
Well, “enough food” only applied to the nobility and upper classes. Commoners and town people often struggled.
While we spoke, I noticed something small on the ground. “Ah, that’s mine—”
”Careful. You almost lost it,” Himawari said.
A lock of my hair, tied with string, lay on the grass. I tried to pick it up quietly, but Himawari saw it at the same time and grabbed it. It must have slipped from her sleeve during the fight.
Bad luck. If I had noticed sooner, I could have taken it back without her knowing. I wasted a good chance.
”You still won’t give that back?” I asked.
”As we agreed. I’m sorry, but I’ll return it when everything is over.”
”I really want you to stop using that mystical object. It scares me. We reached the place, didn’t we?”
I was already here, so there was no need to call me back. Watching me should be enough.
My hair was the key for that speaker tool that controlled people, calling them back like lost items. Someone else held the main body, but Himawari always carried the most important part.
As long as she had it, I could be pulled back from anywhere. No rescue would work, and I would stay a hostage forever.
”I’m sorry. There are still reasons. While our town rebuilds, we will repay you so much. I promise. Please bear with us for now,” Himawari said.
”Well, if you say so,” I answered.
”Thank you. I give our thanks on behalf of the town.”
She looked troubled, yet she spoke to me with clear words. No matter how strong and selfish she seemed, she was still a girl. She did not want to put me through pain. But for her master, her family land, and her town, she held that pain inside.
”I’ll take your thanks, and your apology. I don’t want you to suffer on purpose,” I said.
”…I’m sorry,” she whispered so soft it was hard to hear.
I could not know how heavy this was for her. But I still needed rescue. For Kujukuri’s pride, it mattered if a man was saved or simply returned after use. And we did not trust Isumi Town to keep their word with a smile.
”Let’s stop the sad talk. I’ll show you around now. When all is done, you can take home lots of gifts. Look forward to it!” she said, her usual bright self again.
She had a maid treat Trash’s fingers, then began to prepare a tour. She had hurt me and herself, yet at heart she was cheerful.
”Ugh… that looks painful,” Flatty-chan said.
”You say that like it’s someone else. I’m the only one who suffered,” Trash said.
”You poor little fingers. Shall I kiss them better?” Flatty-chan teased.
”Never.”
Flatty-chan, who had stepped on Himawari’s nerve first, now looked like she had bitten foil after seeing the broken bones. Then she lowered her voice.
”So? How was it?”
”Yes. She reacted exactly as you said,” Trash answered.
She pulled a small black bundle of hair from her sleeve. It was tied in the same way as the one Himawari had picked up.
”I got the real hair. The one she picked up is the copy.”
It was her psionic power. In that short moment, she had stolen the hair, made a copy, and swapped them. I had not seen a thing.
”It’s a perfect copy, right? She can’t use that one to call the Young Master? If we failed, it would be a disaster,” Flatty-chan asked.
”I lowered the quality. That one isn’t anyone’s hair anymore,” Trash said.
”You can do that?”
”Only to lower it. I can’t make it stronger.”
They spoke as if it were nothing.
”Wait, really?” I said. So Flatty-chan had spoken loudly on purpose. The whole scene had been their plan.
They had waited for the right moment, let Himawari hear the worst words, pushed her to anger, and Trash threw more fuel to steal her focus. Since Himawari had laid hands first, it helped hide the theft. She thought she grabbed Trash by her own will.
They said the one thing that would make her snap, and used that opening to take the object that blocked our escape.
I had thought Flatty-chan simply made a bad slip. But yes, Trash’s behavior had seemed odd.
”I’m surprised. You read her so well.”
”Well, anyone gets mad if someone mocks what they love,” Flatty-chan said, stretching again like before.
”After being fooled by monsters so often, maybe you forgot humans lie the most. They looked like honest girls, so I can’t blame you.”
She looked toward Himawari’s group chatting on the green hill. …Strange. Flatty-chan looked cool for once.
Soon after, Trash left us. My rescue team had finally caught up and started fighting Isumi’s psionic users inside the dungeon. She went to mediate.
Himawari’s group had expected a rescue attempt. They had left Trash, who they believed could “contact the outside,” alone, so of course.
They had a vague idea that Trash’s psionic power was some kind of talk ability centered on me. Because they cared about my feelings, they had not tortured her for details, and so they misunderstood. That misunderstanding saved me. If they had known more, they might have learned I helped the town people escape. If that led to finding out Kaede could use psionic power, then the secret of us sleeping together could spread, and the dragon god might burn us both. Even this safety was thin ice.
If Trash and the others ever questioned how they lived as prisoners, they might find the truth.
Himawari’s group had been ready for an attack on the road. A hidden unit guarded the rear of the refugees. They also had the speaker mystical object as insurance, and it made my rescue team hesitate.
Now both sides were fighting, pulling in the second group of town people who had left the surface. I did not know the battle’s state, but Trash went back to the dangerous second layer to calm both sides.
Much had changed since the start. Kujukuri had known nothing about this migration, so they would now open talks again about my custody.
From their view, they would shed blood to take me back and destroy Isumi Town. But Isumi wanted to avoid that, and Trash cared about my hate for death on both sides.
She was the only one who could speak with both and keep the balance.
”Trash-san, be safe. I’ll come see you any time,” I told her.
”Young Master, please do not trust anyone. Do not feel pity. Promise me,” she said.
”I promise. No pity. Sad women left alone,” I repeated.
She feared my soft heart. She said goodbye with great pain. Normally she would never leave me in such a time, but she had to, for the rescue plan.
Notes:
• Himawari – A one-eyed black oni girl/aberration-type psionic; town leader/face; asks for promotion help; apologizes for killings; sets 2‑day deadline.
• Miko – A lively “garden guard” who reports no attacks in Himawari’s absence and crowds her with the others in playful admiration.
• Rina – One of the cheerful “garden guards” who greet Himawari with excitement, showing youthful attachment and relief at her safe return.
• Miho – A spirited “garden guard” who pulls on Himawari’s clothes in excitement, showing informal closeness and affection toward her.
• 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.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply