Ch.215[Chapter 215] Dungeon Floor 4/3

“The fourth floor is actually no different from the third floor.”

“…?”

Mary said that as they descended the stairs toward the fourth floor.

Sir Dominic looked at Mary with a face full of questions.

“This is a bit difficult to explain… Anyway, you’ll understand when we reach the fourth floor.”

Mary grinned and popped a jelly into her mouth.

As the sweetness spread throughout her mouth again, Mary happily stomped the ground with her eight legs.

Meanwhile, Sir Dominic arrived at the entrance to the fourth floor.

“The fourth floor is the third floor. The third floor is the fourth floor. But when you clear the fourth floor, you go to the third floor, and when you clear the third floor, you go to the second floor. Just remember that.”

Mary spat out information worth as much as the jelly she had just received.

Sir Dominic tilted his head at those enigmatic words, but soon raised his shield and opened the door to the fourth floor.

And then…

…

Sir Dominic opened the door to the third floor.

A sparkling chandelier made of transparent crystal. Seven-layered cakes and cabbage rolls stuffed with various meats were abundant.

However, Sir Dominic paid no attention to such splendid things.

Instead, he extended his sword forward—

Wait, sword?

Sir Dominic looked at the hand that had been holding a shield until just now.

The shield was still there, but somehow Sir Dominic was moving forward with a sword instead of a shield.

What in the world was happening?

Sir Dominic put down the sword and raised his shield again.

Then he felt something strange on his face.

When Sir Dominic touched his face, he felt the texture of a porcelain mask.

Realizing something was wrong, Sir Dominic checked his attire next.

Instead of the casual clothes he had been wearing, he was now dressed in an admiral’s coat and flowing silk garments.

Masked nobles passed by Sir Dominic, looking at him strangely.

“My goodness. Brandishing a sword on such a joyous day. How disturbing.”

“Indeed. A knight should know how to maintain dignity.”

“Perhaps it’s because he’s a pirate knight?”

“I suppose. Pirates have no need for dignity after all.”

The nobles’ mocking laughter echoed through the hall.

Sir Dominic took a step forward.

This was still the third floor, the nobles’ masquerade ball.

He took another step.

This was still the third floor, the nobles’ banquet hall.

“What is this…? Where did Miss Mary go?”

Sir Dominic suddenly looked around for Mary.

But she was nowhere to be seen.

That’s when it happened.

“There you are. I thought you’d be standing around looking clueless.”

Sir Dominic looked at the person addressing him cheerfully.

There stood a girl in a white dress.

A black-haired girl wearing a mask adorned with six rubies.

“…Miss Mary?”

Sir Dominic addressed the girl before him.

She was… human.

Not with a spider’s body and legs, nor with severely pale skin, just an ordinary girl.

“How did you find me?”

Sir Dominic asked foolishly.

“Everyone is wearing masks.”

Sir Dominic thought about his attire.

Completely different clothes than before.

With a mask on top of that, it would be natural not to recognize each other.

But Mary spoke as if it were nothing.

“I gave you information, remember? There are very few people who know this place as well as I do. Besides…”

Mary picked up a glass from a tray carried by a passing servant and said to Sir Dominic.

“You’re the only fool at a masquerade ball carrying a sword and shield, aren’t you?”

Sir Dominic looked at the shield in his hand.

Indeed, he was the only one here with a sword and shield.

“Enough. I understand how you recognized me now. But… where are we?”

Sir Dominic asked Mary about his newly arising question.

“The third floor. Also the fourth floor.”

Mary said elegantly while sipping her wine.

Then she put a cabbage meat roll from a plate into her mouth.

“As expected. The taste is the same.”

“…This place seems normal.”

Sir Dominic looked at the surrounding food, recalling the rotten ingredients on the fifth floor.

“Because it’s fake. It’s empty inside.”

“Fake?”

Mary muttered as if it were obvious.

“Everything on the third floor is fake to begin with. The fourth floor is fake too, but the third floor is com-pletely fake. How should I explain this…”

Mary twirled her hair with her finger for a while, contemplating how to explain.

“According to a coder I met in a random chat before, the fourth and third floors are one world. A negative number world. A world that needs to be multiplied together to be complete.”

“But as you know, there’s no number that when squared equals -1. That’s why the fourth and third floors have become imaginary dimensions.”

“…What does all that mean?”

“It means it’s a fake of a fake.”

Mary summarized in one line for the confused Sir Dominic, but for someone weak in mathematics… no, now even weak in literature, Sir Dominic couldn’t escape his confusion.

“…It’s like a picture within a picture world.”

“Ah. I somewhat understand now.”

Sir Dominic finally nodded upon hearing something comprehensible.

The fourth floor was a world inside a picture, and the third floor was a world inside a picture within that picture.

That explained why Sir Dominic was wearing such elaborate clothing, and why everyone around was eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves without a care.

He also understood Mary’s comment about the food being empty inside. If this was a world inside a picture, it would be natural to remain hungry no matter how much picture food one ate.

“By the way, what do we need to conquer this place?”

Sir Dominic asked Mary.

He was holding a jelly in his hand, as if it were the most natural thing.

“Ugh, goodness. Could you put that away? I’m watching my blood sugar right now and don’t even want to see it.”

But Mary looked at the jelly Sir Dominic offered with disgust.

When Sir Dominic looked at Mary with surprised eyes, she explained defensively.

“Well, I’m human here. You can’t compare a monster who stays fine no matter what it eats to an ordinary, even fragile girl.”

Under her mask, Mary’s cheeks reddened.

She seemed embarrassed, probably recalling her behavior until now.

“Anyway, you can’t get information with just jelly right now. If you want, I can repay you when I return to my original form… but there will be some interest then, you know?”

Mary said proudly to Sir Dominic.

But Sir Dominic just nodded.

He still had more than enough jellies left.

He was even thinking this might be a good time to organize his inventory.

“That’s fine. I have plenty of jellies left anyway.”

“…This isn’t right.”

Mary’s brow furrowed.

In truth, Mary had intended to tease Sir Dominic a little.

For Mary, who was trapped in this dungeon when she should be out having fun, such small pranks were enjoyable.

But Sir Dominic was truly a knight among knights, clear and decisive.

He wasn’t someone who would easily fall for Mary’s tricks.

“…You’re no fun.”

Mary soon gave up on trying to tease Sir Dominic.

“Anyway, this is a world inside… a picture inside a picture. Then what method might there be to get out of the picture?”

Mary asked Sir Dominic in return, as if posing a riddle.

Sir Dominic tilted his head at Mary’s puzzling words, but soon he was able to deduce his own answer.

“I see. So that’s what it was. Thank you.”

“Huh, what?”

Sir Dominic strode forward with purpose.

Mary looked at Sir Dominic with surprised eyes, apparently not expecting him to figure out the answer.

Sir Dominic moved toward the most out-of-place area he could find.

It was a space where nobles gathered to chat, and Sir Dominic had been observing it carefully for some time.

Sensing something strange, Sir Dominic walked over and realized where the sense of incongruity came from.

What he had thought were nobles engaged in conversation was actually a poorly painted image of nobles on a wooden board.

“This seems to be it.”

“W-wait—”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Sir Dominic headed behind the painting.

With a “ting” sound, the world went dark.

In this darkness, all that could be seen were Sir Dominic, Mary, and the board they had just passed through.

Sir Dominic didn’t understand the gimmick of this floor, but he realized something was wrong.

“…Is this right?”

“No, wow. My goodness. I’ve never seen anyone find a bug in this floor before. Well, this is the first time I’ve been here anyway.”

Mary muttered toward Sir Dominic as if in disbelief.

“I was about to tell you that you just need to go through the door to return to the fourth floor, but you went and caused an accident.”

“I’m used to it.”

Sir Dominic retorted to Mary’s comment.

“I’ve experienced quite a few bugs, despite appearances.”

“…Most people don’t see one in their lifetime.”

Mary shook her head, tired of Sir Dominic’s confidence.

Mary had somehow returned to her half-human, half-spider form.

Sir Dominic’s appearance had also reverted to his disheveled state.

“By the way…”

Sir Dominic looked around in the darkness.

It should have been so dark that he couldn’t see anything in front of him, but something was different here.

As if the darkness had condensed into matter, its outline was clearly visible to the eye.

“I don’t know where we are.”

Sir Dominic said.

“Yeah, me neither… Huh?”

Mary sighed at Sir Dominic’s words but suddenly realized something strange.

“Wait, can’t we leave here whenever we want?”

Mary turned around to look at the board.

The board was still clearly visible even in the darkness, with a bit of light leaking through from the other side.

“Indeed.”

Sir Dominic nodded.

“Then let’s go back.”

Sir Dominic passed by Mary, who was staring blankly at the board.

“Hey, wait! I’m going first!”

Mary moved beyond the board before Sir Dominic.

Sir Dominic followed her back to the third floor through the board.

When only darkness remained in this space—

“…Grrrr.”

Eerie lights and growling sounds emerged from the darkness.