48. Dungeon

48. Dungeon

“I-I’m doomed….”

A pitch-black space where not an inch ahead could be seen.

Claire gazed ahead, relying on a single, faintly glowing torch. Before her stood a wall.

A cold, hard stone wall with repeating, interlocking patterns. This was where the entrance to the dungeon had been. Though it wasn’t anymore.

Claire turned around. A long staircase descending deep underground, the only choice she could make, was visible.

In the silent space where not even a breeze blew, the crackling sound of the torch burning could be heard. The small dagger at her waist reflected the light, shimmering erratically.

Gulp, she swallowed.

She didn’t know what lay at the end of that path. Claire murmured softly.

“Ugh, I’m crazy. Why did I come here….”

Claire recalled the circumstances that led to her being trapped here.

——

About two hours ago.

“Mmm.”

Even after several days, Claire couldn’t forget what had happened at the tea party. For her, who had only ever seen swords in her life, witnessing two women kissing and their tongues entwining was too stimulating a memory to forget.

Claire idly took out the dagger at her waist and licked it. A fancy dagger decorated with gold, given by her father who told her to stop messing with the armory.

She felt the familiar metallic taste, a good quality taste, on her tongue.

Claire didn’t stop there. She gently bit the blade with her mouth, then rubbed her tongue against it until saliva made the dagger shiny.

Something soft and yielding touched the cold object. It was a familiar sensation, and one she liked, but something was different. What she desired was a little more… soft….

“Ugh….”

Claire shook her head from side to side. Her blonde hair fluttered. At least for now, it wasn’t the time to be lost in such thoughts.

Because-

“Princess!”

She was running away from her attendant, Edel.

Skipping class and running away was practically her daily routine. Claire took a breath.

If she made a wrong sound, she might be discovered immediately. She didn’t know why her attendant possessed such abilities, but her opponent was a master of stealth and tracking.

Claire moved with a golden aura enveloping her body. Claire, who ran out with light, nimble steps, soon found a very good hiding spot in the corner of an alley. It was a very small gap that only a child as small as herself could fit into.

She didn’t like being short, but sometimes it had its uses. Claire hid, and when she saw Edel going the wrong way beyond the alley, she quietly slipped out.

“Phew….”

She had bought herself some time. She whistled nonchalantly and walked along the path.

And then, the Academy’s central library caught her eye. One of the few institutions used by both commoners and nobles, a repository of all knowledge, and….

A place she would probably never visit in her entire life. An idea flashed in Claire’s mind.

‘She’ll never find me if I hide here, right?’

She surely wouldn’t have thought she’d be hiding in the library. After all, she always hated books.

Claire immediately squeezed through the crowd. Being small, she was pushed and shoved, and after struggling to enter the library, she chuckled, imagining a bright future.

“Then, shall I go a little deeper….”

Claire didn’t stop and moved deeper into the library. She was worried about being caught by Edel if she stayed near the entrance.

The noisy entrance sounds quickly faded, replaced by the rustling of pens and the scent of books. From students reading books with smiles to students diligently taking notes with dark circles under their eyes.

This was her first time at the library, so all of this was quite a novel sight for her. Claire, feeling a sense of wonder, headed even deeper.

“… Huh? What’s this….”

Then, a book suddenly caught her eye. She wasn’t looking for it intentionally; it was just a book she happened to pass by and it caught her attention.

Claire stealthily pulled the book out. The title looked familiar. It was the series of books that Skadi’s roommate, Priscilla, read every day.

Wolf and Lily, Vol. 3 ~Wait a Minute, That Can’t Be Right, No Way, No Way! ※It Turns Out ‘No Way’ Was Right?!~

“Hmm.”

She wondered why it caught her eye, perhaps because it was a book she read. Claire gazed at the book for a moment, then, intrigued by the cover illustration, took the book and headed to a nearby desk.

It was a space partitioned by dividers on the sides, allowing her to read the book alone. Claire opened the book.

Although Claire disliked books, she found this novel enjoyable. The battle scenes that drew her in, along with the illustrations on each page, helped her focus on reading.

“Oh….”

As Claire read the book as if in a trance, she suddenly felt something strange. Every single character in the book was female. The protagonist, her companions, even the minor characters they encountered.

The sense of incongruity didn’t end there. The descriptions of the companions, who overcame hardships and deepened their bonds of friendship, seemed strangely suggestive. Unreserved physical contact, blushing characters….

As the battle scenes ended, the characters’ actions became increasingly explicit. They caressed, squeezed each other’s chests, intertwined tongues, and finally, took off their clothes-

“Hyak!”

Claire was startled by the illustration of naked figures entangled obscenely and slammed the book shut. Her heart pounded furiously. Her face was as red as a tomato. Despite closing the book so quickly, her excellent eyesight had fully captured the illustration. Claire gasped for breath.

“Y-you read things like this? Like this…?!”

Claire shook her head from side to side. She couldn’t understand why such an obscene book was in the library.

Even as time passed, the redness on her face showed no sign of fading. Claire, stammering, finally summoned her golden aura.

“Hoo….”

A faint golden light spread out. The redness that had filled her face gradually disappeared. Her heart rate also returned to normal quickly.

This was one of the abilities of this golden aura. Claire herself didn’t know exactly what this aura was, but most problems were solved by activating the aura.

The true Claire looked at the tightly closed novel.

“….”

Why did she keep thinking about the tea party from a few days ago?

Priscilla’s image, enjoying reading this series, came to Claire’s mind. Perhaps the reason she read such books was because they were already in such a relationship from the start?

… If so, did the two of them do what was in this book?

As soon as she reached that thought, Claire’s imagination shone. Clouds gradually swirled in her mind, quickly forming the images of the two.

A white-haired, expressionless wolf beastman, and a relatively short, gentle-faced red-haired girl with braided hair. The two looked at each other and smiled sweetly.

The space beside them shimmered, and soon a bed appeared. It was a small bed, too small to be for two people, it was the dormitory bed.

The imaginary Skadi roughly pulled Priscilla and laid her on the bed. And as Skadi climbed on top of her, Priscilla blushed and avoided eye contact. Skadi was still smiling.

Skadi gently stroked the other’s collarbone with her hand. As she forcefully lowered her hand, the school uniform immediately came undone. Priscilla blushed but did not resist.

Then, her undergarments were revealed. A striking red, a suggestive and alluring….

Skadi gently massaged the exposed shoulder and opened her mouth.

“My cute one, when did you prepare these clothes?”

And soon, as the undergarments were torn and loosened, and no longer any covering could hide her….

“Hyek!”

Her blushing cheeks, clearly visible despite the golden aura, were now bright red. Claire fanned herself vigorously and turned her head. She needed something, anything, to distract her from this lewdness.

“… Huh? What’s that?”

Then, something suddenly caught her eye. A book shimmering with a golden light, like the aura she wore. It was wedged in the middle of the bookshelf.

Claire casually put the book she was reading into her bag and approached it.

“This is….”

As she got closer, she could tell for sure. The golden light shimmering on the book was exactly the same as her own aura. Claire, as if entranced, reached out and took the book.

It was just a plain black cover. Not a single word was written on the front or back of the book. Claire tried to open it.

Rustle!

The book floated into the air, opened on its own, and then showed a certain page. Claire, though hesitant, began to read the contents.

“… Magic sword?”

The content spoke of a great magic sword, worthy of the Emperor’s bloodline, slumbering within the Academy’s central dungeon. Claire tried to turn the page, but it wouldn’t budge.

“….”

It was a suspicious book. Starting with the golden aura, and even the explicit mention of herself.

But.

“Magic sword….”

Claire hesitated. Normally, she would have thrown the book away without a second thought, but she had happened to see Skadi’s magic sword with her own eyes before. After experiencing that perfection, most swords seemed unsatisfactory to Claire.

“It’s a dungeon within the Academy, so there shouldn’t be any major problems…?”

Moreover, Claire thought, recalling her golden aura, she could probably overcome most situations on her own.

Thus, Claire stealthily headed towards the dungeon.

Entering the dungeon made of stone bricks, Claire summoned her golden aura-

Kuu-ung!

A massive magic circle surrounded her, and her golden aura crumbled weakly. Claire was startled and turned back, but the entrance had already been firmly sealed by the wall.

Claire waved her arms around. There was no sign of the aura appearing. It felt as if the aura had been sealed.

“I-I’m doomed….”

This was the sequence of events that led to her being trapped in the dungeon.