Ch.128Might as well just smash it all to pieces.

“…So, I stopped Demian from trying to destroy the door. I wasn’t sure if it was the right decision, but… it seems it was the correct answer in the end.”

Frider nodded with a smile.

It was indeed the right answer.

I gently touched the bandage wrapped around my cheek while shooting a glance at Demian, who was sleeping obliviously.

That reckless idiot Demian.

He tried to just break the teleportation door? If Frider hadn’t been there, it could have been disastrous.

If that had happened…

A chill ran through my chest, as if I’d swallowed an icicle.

Did that fool even realize what he almost did? Probably not.

When one side of these teleportation doors breaks, the function immediately becomes distorted.

Either the magic itself shatters and fails to activate, or even if it does activate, you don’t reach the other side.

Far from arriving… you’d be caught in the spatial gap and your body would be instantly torn to shreds.

Starve to death or be torn apart.

Both were horrifically terrible ends.

In other words, Frider was truly the savior of my life.

I had no intention of telling her this fact, though.

I could already imagine how much she’d milk it if she knew.

“Well done. Your judgment is certainly reliable. Is that the experience of a senior?”

“Senior? That makes me sound quite old. You and I, we’re only a year apart, aren’t we?”

Frider crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly, giving me a sharp look.

Seeing her tap her arm with her index finger… it seemed she was quite displeased with being called a senior.

“A year older is still older. So, what happened after that?”

“Hmm… changing the subject, I see. Fine, I’ll let it slide. After that… we decided to explore the rooms on either side first. There might have been a passage leading inward, and even if you returned, we had no idea how long that would take.”

So they did wander around while I was gone.

Given that they were resting here again, it seems they didn’t find any passages.

“The left room was like an armory. Old weapons and armor were scattered about. Everything was broken and rusted, so there was nothing worth salvaging. There was what looked like a passage leading inward, but the ceiling had collapsed, blocking it.”

Frider shrugged and pointed to the door on the right.

“So we came back and headed to that door. There was a long corridor stretching out, and then… monsters started appearing.”

Frider was about to continue her explanation.

“Um, Senior Frider?”

Millia, who had tightly wrapped my wounds with bandages, called out to Frider.

“Yes? I’m talking with Haschal right now. Do you have something to say?”

“About that story… does it have to be discussed here and now? I’m worried about the dark mana… and I think Haschal’s injuries need proper treatment from a priest.”

It was an irrefutable point.

“You’re right, I suppose there’s no need to discuss it here… Hmm. Then let’s head back. You must have cleared all the monsters inside, Haschal. I’ll tell you the rest on our way back.”

Frider nodded and stood up.

She clearly believed without a doubt that I had cleared the entire dungeon.

“Actually… I couldn’t defeat them.”

It was an embarrassing confession, but it was an issue that needed to be addressed. For future reference, too.

In my opinion, this dungeon needed to be sealed off completely.

“What? I think I misheard you. Could you say that again?”

Frider asked with an incredulous expression.

Even Millia, who was trying to wake Demian, looked at me with a doubtful expression.

“I couldn’t defeat them, so I escaped. That place inside is complete hell, absolute hell.”

I shook my head. As if I never wanted to set foot in there again.

That was genuinely how I felt.

At least until I had the ability to defeat that Deathknight, it was a place I didn’t even want to look at.

“Hell? What exactly did you face? You said earlier they were monsters around Master level.”

“I defeated those, of course. The problem is, that wasn’t the end.”

“There were more monsters? That seems excessive.”

My point exactly.

Dungeons discovered at this point typically end with just one or two Master-level monsters at most.

For an area that only allowed entry to those above Master level, the balance was completely broken.

“Have you heard of Baltyr’s Warriors? There were seven of those, plus a Deathknight as strong as all of them combined. A monster that could shatter the ground with a single sword strike.”

“Baltyr… Baltyr… Ah, right. I remember. Monsters that look similar to Werebeasts. About ten years ago, they appeared in the north once… You’re saying there were seven of them? Plus a Deathknight…? My goodness, it would take half the Empire’s Masters to subjugate them. It’s fortunate you were able to escape.”

Frider drew in a sharp breath. Indeed, it was something to be surprised about.

Thanks to them falling while fighting among themselves, I was able to escape, but if they had united to attack me, I probably wouldn’t have lasted long.

“The thing is, the Deathknight and those creatures were fighting each other. Strangely enough. That’s how I survived.”

“Monsters fighting other monsters? You’re not joking, are you?”

Her attitude suggested disbelief.

I understand. I couldn’t have imagined such a thing happening until I saw it myself.

Even in the game, I had never seen monsters attack each other.

I didn’t bother to answer and just maintained a serious expression.

Sometimes, a simple expression can be more convincing than a hundred words.

Sure enough, seeming to accept that it was all true from my expression, Frider let out a deep sigh.

“…It seems you’re serious. So what do we do now…?”

Frider lowered her head as if pondering.

Deep wrinkles formed on her brow, shadowed by concern.

“I do have one countermeasure in mind. Want to hear it?”

“A countermeasure? What is it?”

As they say, if you can’t defeat an opponent, you should trap them.

“We bury this entire dungeon. Break the doors, collapse the passages, so that nothing can escape.”

It was a crude but practical solution.

Even if the Deathknight could shatter the ground completely, it would only affect a portion compared to this rocky mountain.

If we destroyed all the passages, it wouldn’t be able to hack its way out with a sword.

If it tried, the ceiling would collapse from the impact before it could swing more than a few times.

No matter how strong that Deathknight was, what could it do with just a sword when a mountain collapsed?

Unless it had the destructive power to penetrate this rocky mountain in one strike, it wouldn’t be able to escape.

“Are you serious? I don’t think you understand, but the value of this ruin could change human history. Rather than that, we should inform the Empire and gather as many Masters as possible to subjugate them…”

“Only if this technology doesn’t leak out. What if the method to permanently activate magic without mages gets into the hands of other races? Imagine Werebeast legions attacking with magic. Think about how many people would die. It’s too dangerous a technology.”

“That may be true, but…”

“Even without the monsters, this ruin would need to be sealed. The inside is contaminated to a level that can’t be purified.”

I told Frider about the lake of dark mana.

Even if we somehow managed to defeat the Deathknight, purifying that lake would be impossible even with ten Lacys.

In the end, the best solution was to collapse it to prevent the dark mana from leaking out, then designate it as forbidden and close it off.

I didn’t mention it, but I was also concerned about the phenomenon that occurred before Baltyr’s Warriors appeared.

The approach of a god-like being. Given that it tried to kill me by summoning monsters, it wasn’t a benevolent god.

Fortunately, it ended without incident, but it was a strange experience that’s difficult to explain.

Would it only happen to me? I couldn’t be sure.

It might try to manipulate not just me but others who might come here later.

Indeed, it’s a place fraught with danger in many ways.

Destroying it is the right thing to do.

“Hmm… Hmmmm… It doesn’t sound wrong…”

Lost in thought, Frider kept stroking her hair.

Well, from her perspective as an Imperial citizen, it would be a shame to give up an opportunity for the Empire to become more powerful.

But well, what can she do if I insist?

If Frider continues to oppose, I plan to push through forcefully.

Our relationship might suffer a bit… but falling out with a friend is far better than watching the world end.

“But Haschal, I understand about the doors, but how exactly do you plan to collapse the passages?”

Millia, who had been listening, spoke softly.

Well, I’ll just smash them on our way out.

It shouldn’t be too difficult. I just need to target the load-bearing areas.