Chapter 7 The Trap
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Three kinds of places are known as “Safety Areas”. One is the gate at a dungeon entrance. The second is the area containing the stairs that link one floor to the next. The last is the goal at the deepest point, which holds the “dungeon core” (meikyuu kaku).
Sadly, no one knows how deep the royal capital’s dungeon truly is. It has so many layers that even today, its end is still a mystery. For now, people call everything down to the fifty-seventh floor the middle floors, because that was the deepest record reached about eighty years ago, and no one has broken that record since. The party who reached the fifty-seventh floor used to clear floor after floor with ease, but as soon as they stepped into the fifty-eighth, one of them died.
When people pass from the shallow floors into the middle floors, useful items stop showing up, and the danger rises fast. Because it becomes even harder past that point, they began to call everything below the middle floors the deep floors.
Now, everyone sees the royal capital’s dungeon as a place to get safe items on shallow floors. Only a few brave or foolish people sometimes try the middle floors for a story to tell.
At the moment, Yuuri and the others stood at the end of the twenty-sixth floor, known as the Stone Hallway. This floor was rich in ore, and the bare rock walls ahead seemed to warn them that no more resources lay beyond, right up to the next “Safety Area”.
”I can see it now. The Safety Area,” Fried said.
”Do not relax until the end. Yuuri, any danger?” Marina asked in a soft but firm voice.
”I do not feel anything yet. Let us stay alert until we reach the Safety Area,” Yuuri said.
Five days had passed to reach this point, and the road here had been easy. Their trip in seemed about to end with no trouble at all.
If there was an assassin, would they wait inside the Safety Area? But as long as they stayed alert, an attack in such a man-made place would be hard to hide. Or was the danger not from people at all?
”There is no ambush or trap. We can enter,” a knight said after checking inside.
The knight returned safely, and the group let out a small sigh of relief as they stepped into the last “Safety Area”.
”We finally made it. Now we go home, right…?” Marina said.
”Your Highness, the rule says we only finish the shallow floors after we go down the stairs and enter the twenty-seventh floor. If we turn back here, our trip will be for nothing,” Fried reminded her.
Marina lowered her eyes, a bit ashamed. Maybe she had relaxed too early. She then told Yuuri to lead once more. Even a princess felt some nerves, it seemed. The group smiled and moved toward the stairs. Yuuri went first, then three knights, then Marina and Ashley, and Fried walked last to guard the rear.
The stairs between floors were long and narrow. People said they were built this way so that the different days and nights, and the different air of two floors, would not mix. Two people could hold hands and still touch both walls with their free hands. Because of this, people always went up or down the stairs in a line.
Once they reached the door of the twenty-seventh floor at the bottom, the trip in would be complete. After that, they only needed to walk back on the path they already knew. Everyone’s steps grew light.
”Your Highness, please wait,” Fried called.
They were halfway down the stairs when Fried’s voice reached them.
”What is it, Fried? …What is that!?” Marina said, shocked.
Yuuri turned as well. Fried held a shining, evil-looking stone in his hand.
”A magic stone!?” Ashley gasped.
”What are you doing, Fried! What will you do with that!?” another knight cried.
A magic stone was a resource from the dungeon that emitted a special, endless magic power. There were many types, and people used most of them to power home appliances and tools, making life easier. However, they could also be used to power small weapons, allowing even those without magic to strike with sudden, powerful effects.
The knights quickly stepped in front of Marina to shield her.
”What will I do? I will do this!” Fried shouted.
”B-be careful— gagh!?”
”Guh!”
”Aaah…!”
”Guuuuh!?”
All four knights cried out in pain and fell at once.
Sharp spikes like stakes stuck out from their chest armor, right above their hearts.
”Stone-stake magic…! You placed it in their armor before this!” Ashley said.
”Correct, Ashley-dono. But be at ease. I could not touch Her Highness’s armor. I will take your life here instead!” Fried said.
He threw the now-useless magic stone aside and drew his sword. He did not look at the fallen knights at all. On the road, that sword had seemed so strong. Now it gave off a heavy pressure.
”Marina-sama…!” Ashley cried.
”Ashley, get back! You are in my way!” Marina said. Her voice had lost all polite tone.
She grabbed Ashley and pushed her toward Yuuri. With Fried’s sword, Ashley would not even work as a shield.
”Nuun!”
”Yaah!”
Fried raised his sword for a big swing, and Marina swung her own without fear. Her sword, like her armor, was gold. It shone with a skill’s light, and she cut without any doubt.
But Fried seemed to expect a side slash, and he pulled back at once, stopping his first swing. He jumped away, then aimed at Marina’s side, but his blade did not leave a mark on her golden armor.
”Hmph. You build your plan around your skills. I shall say you pass the first test,” Fried said, calm.
Even though his sword had done nothing, he still looked sure of himself. After that first clash, both stepped back and held their guard.
”You had no choice but to dodge my sword, yet you act so calm. If you give up now, I may spare you from losing your head at once,” Marina said.
”And you breathe quite hard after only one strike. If I recall, Your Highness has the skills Holy Sword and Holy Armor. Very fit for a royal, very… symbolic. But if you think a sword that cuts well and armor that is only hard will win you a duel, then you look down on knights,” Fried said.
”Enough!” Marina kicked off the step and rushed at him.
Her golden sword drew sharp lines again and again, but Fried avoided every strike.
Because Marina was a reincarnated person, the skill given to her by that cruel power could not be weak. If it hit, any defense would likely be useless. But that was all it gave. If a hit failed, then do not get hit. If hitting the armor does no good, aim at the parts that are not armor. A skilled fighter can do that.
For Fried, the real threat was the Holy Sword. If he did not take that blow, everything else would be easy. In fact, he used the trick of letting attacks strike the armor on purpose to break Marina’s rhythm and make her easier to read.
Marina’s Holy Armor was not truly invincible. While it stopped cuts and absorbed shocks without injuring her, it could not prevent the knockback from the force of impacts. Her body slid with each hit, and she had to brace herself to avoid falling. That slow, repeated loss of balance wore down her strength little by little.
Fried wanted a long fight. He would tire her until she could no longer swing her sword, until the armor could not protect her. Then he would press her down and deliver a single hit to her face.
Marina probably understood his aim.
There was no calm princess smile now, and not the bright golden smile she sometimes used. What showed on her face was the wild fear of someone who sees a death she cannot escape. Yuuri thought, This is why that cruel goddess does this.
That goddess made skills very strong, but she always hid a trap somewhere. That was her way. That was why Yuuri had sealed his own skill.
A skill that allows someone to control others as they please, treating their dignity as nothing? Who would trust a power that rests on such a cruel and demeaning idea? If Yuuri had used the gift without restraint, he would have lost his empathy for others and, in time, surely met ruin.
So he did not regret living with that skill sealed.
But because of that choice, Yuuri could not save Marina from the trap set by a reincarnation skill.
If he had used the Familial Workshop properly at some point, could he have turned this moment around? He did not know. Thinking about it now would change nothing.
Still, he had felt very powerless in front of this scene.
”Your breath is getting heavy. I cannot, to my regret, fight like a proper knight and clash fully with you. If you blame anyone, blame yourself for not training your proud skill well enough,” Fried said, mocking.
Fried believed he would win. A few more minutes—ten at most—of this dance would take Marina’s strength. She would lose the power to swing her sword.
”Wait… stop. Tell us why you did this…!” Marina gasped.
”Oh? Buying time, are you? A small, clever trick…very well. But only if you answer while we fight. Can you tell me why someone would want you dead before you die?” Fried replied, smiling as he spoke.
He used Marina’s offer to rest against her. Thanks to his skill, he was calm enough to move and talk at the same time. Marina wanted to steady her breath, but now she was forced to answer questions.
”Who ordered my murder? Marisio would not… he would not tell anyone to kill me…!” Marina cried.
”Hmm, you are duller than I thought. You think no one hates you. Of course you have not been hated for doing something wrong yourself. The ones who hate you are the current king—your father—and those who fell into ruin when the kingdom grew rich. The king cleverly brought dungeon resources home and made our Kingdom of Restea rich. But at the same time, others slowly lost their place. The local nobles—especially those far from the capital—fell into ruin. Of course, if your father brings better goods from the dungeon to the regions, those goods are better than what the local lords make. They lost their power. They, I mean we, and those who say they will follow us, will not forgive your family!” Fried said, his voice hot.
Marina’s sword just grazed Fried’s shoulder guard. It cut that piece in two without much force. It was not a simple cut; it was a move to pull Marina open and into a trap.
Fried’s kick, with all his weight, struck Marina’s chest.
The Holy Armor kept her from harm. Yet even the heavy-armored Marina bounced like a ball and tumbled down the stairs beside Yuuri.
”Stand up, Your Highness. Or shall I return your servant to the dungeon first?” Fried taunted.
Ashley almost raised her staff, but Yuuri held her back.
Fried’s sword came down so fast that magic would be too slow to help. “Wait… Ashley can still do something,” Marina panted.
”How touching. Yuuri, take Ashley away. My skill, ‘sturdy body’ (goutai), makes magic weak. Do not do anything foolish,” Fried said.
Ashley’s hands shook around her staff. She was no longer seen as a fighter. Yuuri took her hand and led her down the stairs so she would not lose hope.
By the time Yuuri stepped down, Marina had no strength to climb back up.
”Marisio is preparing the border forces…” Marina managed to say.
”So what? It is a policy to spread dungeon goods to the countryside. Give the capital’s plenty to the empty bellies in the regions. This will grow the local economy. Some say it is preparation for invasion, but you know Marisio would not do that!” Fried answered, voice thick with feeling.
His words grew hotter, and each sword blow carried more force. Marina could only use her Holy Armor to absorb the hits now. She could no longer keep the Holy Sword out as a threat.
Fried was sure of victory and looked for the opening to finish her.
Then he noticed something: Marina’s shoulder shook.
”…ck, fufu, hahaha…!” Marina’s laugh sounded like a crack.
”Hah. Have you lost your mind? Well, if you give up, that is fine,” Fried said.
In that moment, Fried’s attention drifted from Yuuri and the others. Poison had been cleared, and his focus slipped for a beat.
Ashley leaned close to Yuuri and whispered.
”Is there any way to run?” she asked.
”There is. But I do not know what comes after. If you can keep them from chasing us for a few minutes, we can get away,” Yuuri answered in a low voice.
It was only a little better than dying here, but Ashley nodded at Yuuri’s plan.
”Hahaha, ahahaha… you… you are so stupid!!” Marina burst into wild laughter.
”Wh-what? What do you mean!!” Fried shouted.
He should have held both the upper hand and her fear, yet he could not understand why Marina mocked him. This was not her calm princess face, nor her bright golden smile. It was a look of pure scorn, the kind Marina Twai Restea would never show to anyone. She looked down on him as if he was beneath her.
If it had been a last sad try, he could have cut her down and ended it. But her eyes showed a cold, sharp contempt for his foolish move. Something was wrong. He needed to know what he had missed—what she was about to say.
Against his will, Arman Fried froze, unable to swing.
”Hah… hahaha…! ‘No invasion’, you say? ‘Marisio won’t allow it’, you say? Ahahaha! Then why, why is a dog of Marisio—who would never kill his own sister—biting at me right now!?” Marina yelled.
”—!!” Fried’s face burned red.
He tried to form a new reason to defend his actions, but before he found the words, Marina spoke again.
”You will. Of course you will invade! And when things go bad, you will offer Marisio’s head to save yourself! Poor things. I feel sorry for you. No, I pity you! My dear brother has such useless men! Hahaha! I cannot die now. I must tell him. Your policy has a big, big weak point!”
”You—why you…!!” Fried roared.
He gave up trying to argue. He raised his sword high for a strong strike.
Marina knocked Fried’s sword aside with her Holy Sword, but even in his rage, Fried was still a skilled knight. The sword was a decoy. He kicked Marina’s hand, causing her blade to split in half from her holy power, and at the same moment, her sword flew from her grip and fell down the stairs.
Before Marina could guard herself, his large fist crashed into her face.
”Gah…!”
Marina flew, and Fried stood still. There was no need to chase. She had lost her sword and fallen. No one could stop him now.
But by focusing on Marina, he failed to watch Yuuri’s side or move closer to them. That mistake would cost him.
”Ice Wall!” Ashley cried.
A mass of ice filled the stairway. A thick wall, over five meters deep, blocked the path between Fried and the others. The narrow stairs were sealed from wall to ceiling.
”Hmph. This is nothing,” Fried’s muffled voice came through the ice.
A heavy thud sounded, and cracks formed in front of Yuuri’s eyes.
”Ashley, freeze down the stairs as we go. I will get Princess Marina,” Yuuri said.
”O-okay!” Ashley answered.
Thankfully, Ashley formed ice faster than Fried could break it. The broken ice did not melt. Fried would have to smash through the wall and then crawl through the shattered ice for over a hundred meters. Even for him, it would take time. They had to believe that.
Dozens of meters down, Yuuri reached Marina and lifted her.
”H-hey…! Oh, right! Princess Marina! Are you alright!?” he asked.
”I’m fine. And drop the polite talk. I can’t act like a princess right now,” she said.
Even after that punch, her face was only a bit red and swollen. Her hair ornament had shattered and fallen across the steps.
”Wow, what a punch. Hitting a girl’s face like that… he’s the worst,” she said with a weak laugh.
”Was that ornament a tool to take the hit for you?” Yuuri asked.
Marina nodded.
If her whole body was covered by armor, the face was the only target. Yuuri did not point it out.
”Can you walk? Once we block the stairs, we’ll step on the random-warp trap. It’s right at the start of the twenty-seventh floor. If all three of us step on it at the same time, we will land in the same place,” Yuuri said.
”…Is there a chance we appear in a terrible place?” Marina asked.
Yuuri nodded.
People had recorded where the random warp sent them—anywhere from the first to the fifty-seventh floor. There was a half chance to go up, and even if they went down, they could return from around the fortieth floor. Below that… But staying here to die by Fried’s hand was worse.
”I see. We’ll follow your plan. I don’t want to see more of our people die. I’ll go find my sword. Without it, I can’t use the Holy Sword. Stay with Ashley. If it looks like he’ll break through, run. I’ll buy you time,” Marina said.
Yuuri looked for words to stop her—what was the point if she stayed behind? But Marina, bright again like the sun, just winked and ran down to the floor below.
He turned back to Ashley.
”Where is Marina-sama?” Ashley asked.
”Her hair ornament took the damage, so she’s almost fine. She agreed to my plan,” Yuuri said.
”I’m… glad,” Ashley whispered.
The ice wall had grown thick. Fried was no longer in sight. The faint tremors still reached them, showing his stubborn will, but it seemed they were pulling away.
Hearing Marina was safe, Ashley’s fear faded.
”Yuuri, put your arm around my waist. There’s room there,” she said.
He did as she asked, and Ashley leaned on him while still holding her staff ready. Watching her magic, Yuuri thought her spells came faster now, maybe because she felt calmer.
Feeling that first wave of relief, Yuuri slowly guided Ashley down the stairs.
Notes:
• Marina – First Princess of Restea—needs labyrinth escort.
• Ashley – Count’s daughter, royal attendant, has a crush on Yuuri.
• Marisio – Princess Marina’s older brother who already holds the right to the throne.
• Restea – Yuuri’s homeland.
• Arman – Knight captain who escort Marina on the first mission.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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