Ch.238Entering Introspection

*Ku-ku-ku-ku-kung…*

“Ohhh, it’s opening…”

We had returned after defeating the rock golem at the top of the southeast tower and were now watching the inner castle gates open alongside the other surviving adventurers.

The total number of people decided to enter the inner castle was 29.

This excluded four casualties, one person with fractures, and two survivors from the party that had suffered fatalities.

Those who had lost four companions due to a momentary misjudgment chose to abandon the dungeon exploration and instead wait while escorting the injured. From what I’d briefly heard, one of the deceased members was apparently the mage’s younger sibling.

No matter how dangerous Grantis is or how high the mortality rate for adventurers might be, the shock of losing family before one’s eyes isn’t something that subsides easily.

I can only hope that such tragedy never befalls our party.

*Screech!!*

“Mutant Lesser Demons are swarming out.”

“Let’s wipe them all out and get inside!”

“Hyah! Hand over the treasure~~!!”

More than 50 mutant Lesser Demons came charging down the inner castle corridor, clutching tridents.

This would be a threatening force disparity if only one party of adventurers had set foot here, but against 29 armed individuals, they were nothing more than a suicide squad.

*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*

The echoing gunfire and dazzling display of white magic bullets filled the air.

The preliminary skirmish at the inner castle entrance ended in victory for the adventurers within 30 seconds, and the 29 adventurers who had breached the main gate began to scatter in their respective parties.

From now on, everyone would become rivals competing in a treasure hunt, so it made sense for their pace to quicken.

Except for our party, who were slowly examining the walls and pillars near the entrance as if we were mere tourists.

“Aren’t you folks planning to search for treasure?”

“Ah, don’t mind us. We’re interested in money too, but we’re more fascinated by ancient architecture and historical artifacts.”

“So if you don’t have other business, could you step aside? We’d like to capture the scenery without people in it.”

“…Well, what peculiar folks. We’ll go ahead then, good luck with whatever you’re doing.”

“Ah, wish you luck as well.”

The shotgun trio tilted their heads at our suspicious behavior but hurried deeper into the inner castle.

They probably didn’t have the nerve to keep watching us while falling behind in the treasure hunting competition.

“…Is anyone around?”

“No. This position shouldn’t be visible from outside either.”

“I never imagined we’d find one right after entering.”

My leisurely act of sightseeing while stalling for time was a prearranged signal for “Arcane Word discovered.”

An Arcane Word clearly engraved on the first pillar visible upon entering the inner castle had caught my eye from the beginning.

{To those who plot the Emperor’s return, remember that he is known by the epithet of Tyranny.}

{He will never repay your loyalty, so betraying him before being betrayed is the only way to save your life.}

{Beyond the swaying blue candles lies hidden the key to betrayal.}

As I recited the Arcane Word, some of the many lit candles around us changed to blue.

“It seems if we follow these blue candles, we can obtain what’s called the key to betrayal.”

“Blue candles? Where are those?”

“Hmm? Can’t Jessica see them? The fourth candle ahead has turned blue.”

“It looks like a normal candle to me.”

“Same here. Is it because of the Arcane Word?”

“Ah… if that’s the case, then only Phyllis and I can see it.”

It seems all the hints related to the Tyrant Emperor in this dungeon are hidden as Arcane Words.

It’s convenient that other adventurers can’t see the clues we’re following, but we’ll need to be careful about when we find the key to betrayal.

“Shall we go search for this key to betrayal then? The blue candles lead down the right corridor.”

“Let’s leave the candle tracking to Will, and Phyllis, please keep watch on our surroundings. I think other parties will wipe out the monsters inside the castle, but we should be prepared for anything.”

“Understood.”

We began to advance deeper into the inner castle, following the quietly burning blue flames.

~ ~ ~ Castle Dungeon, Various Parts of the Inner Castle ~ ~ ~

Just like the watchtowers built on the castle walls, there was a significant difference between the outer appearance of the inner castle and how vast it felt from inside.

The adventurers, split into seven parties, began rummaging through various parts of the inner castle, relying on their intuition and experience.

“A treasure chest!”

“Yahooo~~~!!”

Those who found valuable treasures shouted with joy, while…

“Aaaaargh!”

“Bu-bugs! It’s a bug pit, aaaargh!!”

“Shut your mouth! Bugs will get in!”

Those who fell into traps or were ambushed by monsters screamed and cursed while seeking ways to survive.

“…Didn’t you hear screaming just now?”

“Someone must have fallen into a trap. Poor fellows…”

“At least they’re not bored over there.”

Of course, there were also those who experienced neither, simply wandering aimlessly through the castle.

Finding treasures or defeating monsters would yield some small gains, and even falling into traps—as long as they didn’t die or get seriously injured—would at least give them stories to reminisce about over drinks.

These unfortunate adventurers, however, had been walking for an hour along paths that others had already cleared, gaining nothing and experiencing no excitement whatsoever.

And when spending such boring, worthless time, useless thoughts tend to multiply.

“…Hey, I just thought of something.”

“Hmm?”

“That party with all the non-human women. Which way did they go?”

“Not sure. They seemed to be lagging behind… Why do you ask?”

The scout of the four-person party, suffering from boredom, began talking about Will’s party, the dark horse of this emergency quest.

The only party that had saved the Wellord Mine from the Dungeon Overflow disaster, arrived at this dungeon first by carriage over mountain roads, uncovered important information about the Tyrant Emperor and the Cunning Usurper, and participated in the assault on both watchtowers.

With their well-rounded composition of melee fighters, gunners, mages, and engineers, everyone expected them to be at the forefront of conquering this dungeon.

But after the inner castle gates opened, they seemed completely uninterested in the treasure hunting competition, leisurely following behind as if enjoying a sightseeing trip.

Even for a party with a high proportion of non-humans, their attitude was difficult to understand.

“Those guys, don’t you think they’re hiding something?”

“Hiding what?”

“For example, knowing where the treasure vault is located, or having obtained a map of the inner castle while investigating outside.”

“That’s not impossible… but if that were the case, shouldn’t they be ahead of everyone else?”

“That’s exactly why it’s suspicious! There’s definitely something going on. There must be a reason they can remain so relaxed while other parties are desperately scrambling for treasure.”

It was nothing more than an unfounded speculation, but at the same time, it was remarkably close to the truth.

The reason Will’s party had given up competing with other adventurers and was acting so leisurely was because they were following the secret of the Arcane Words.

They didn’t want to reveal that they were following these clues in front of other adventurers.

Of course, someone unaware of these details would naturally draw conclusions somewhat different from reality.

“I think most of the treasures people are finding are just distractions.”

“Distractions? You mean they’re forgeries?”

“No, not that kind of distraction. How should I put it… the items obtainable through conventional methods are all mediocre, and the truly valuable treasures can only be obtained by people who satisfy certain conditions.”

“…That makes sense.”

The inner castle gates could only be opened by conquering the four watchtowers, and each watchtower had as many floors as the number of people who entered.

If there were also some kind of secret mechanism hidden inside the inner castle, and they had already discovered and were concealing it, there would be no need to compete with other adventurers.

In fact, from their perspective, this whole treasure hunting competition might be nothing more than a grand comedy.

“So here’s what I’m thinking. Since we’re likely just wasting our time wandering around like this, why don’t we just follow that five-person party?”

“Would that accomplish anything? If they really are hiding some secret, they probably won’t do anything while we’re following them.”

“That’s exactly what I’m counting on. If they won’t share the castle’s secrets with us, then they won’t be able to monopolize them either. Let’s make them feel that pressure.”

“Hmm… do we really need to go that far?”

Following another party and hoping for scraps to fall is not only a blow to one’s pride but also violates travelers’ etiquette.

However, the four adventurers who had yet to gain anything since entering this dungeon were already leaning toward immediate profit rather than pride or manners.

“Alright, we’ve got nothing to lose. Let’s try it.”

If it’s a gamble with low chances of success anyway, it’s easier to spy on five people than to compete with twenty.

With that reasoning, the adventurers turned back from their path toward the depths of the inner castle and began searching for Will’s party.