Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Investing Through the Status Window.

Episode 44: After The Dungeon (1).

Viola was not feeling well. Not only had she lost Group Leader Allen, but her loyal Alex had disappeared as well. Moreover, the damage the mercenary group had suffered from this surprise attack was significant, and dealing with it all was giving her a headache.

‘…I shouldn’t have given such an order…!’

She regretted not going herself much later, but it was a situation that couldn’t be reversed. She had lost two precious people due to a momentary mistake, and the direction of the mission was now plunged into a labyrinth.

They had managed to recover as many of the bodies as possible, but they didn’t have the capacity to move them. Of course, she allowed the mercenary group who wanted to take their comrades’ bodies to do so. …However, in a dungeon where even protecting oneself was difficult, there was no one who risked dragging along someone else’s body as they might end up in the same predicament.

The mercenaries placed a coin in the mouths of the dead comrades they were close to. As fare for the journey to the afterlife. That was how mercenaries prayed for the repose of souls.

Viola first put them to sleep. They needed to replenish their strength. After them, she, too, had laid down on her mat to sleep.

After a nap, the group woke up to vividly witness the brutal scene from the night before again. The floor was still littered with uncleaned guts and flesh, and puddles of blood had formed here and there.

Viola, who rinsed her mouth with a sip of water, gathered the remaining squad members to ask for their opinions on what they should do.

“We are no longer capable of carrying out the mission. I think we should return.”

“I feel the same way.”

Excluding Viola, the remaining two group leaders all suggested that they should return immediately. However, she couldn’t make a decision easily.

Despite it being a mission that involved one of the top ten mercenary groups, they had suffered some damage due to a surprise attack. If they were to retreat without even sticking to the plan, how much of their reputation would it tarnish? …She would hear endless taunts from a few of the top ten group leaders who couldn’t stand seeing others succeed.

“…We were planning to return on the third day anyway. So let’s proceed for one more day, and if it seems not right, we’ll retreat immediately. We might even encounter the missing people. How about it?”

It wasn’t a situation where they couldn’t carry out the mission at all. At least, by showing that they did as much as they could, the marquisate would also save face.

The remaining two group leaders seemed to have roughly guessed their situation and nodded in agreement to her opinion.

And so, the group decided to continue moving according to the original plan. Of course, everyone grumbled internally, but no one dared to openly express it in front of one of the top 10.

Thus, the group started walking along the corridor again. …However, they encountered a situation completely different from anything they had experienced before.

Until just yesterday, the monsters they had been fiercely fighting, but not they were all lying limp and motionless. Upon closer inspection, there were no external injuries. If it had been once or twice, this might have been overlooked, but the scene continued to repeat itself, like witnessing the scene of a mass suicide.

‘…What is this…?’

Viola too couldn’t quickly grasp the meaning of this situation. Then, at some moment, a thought suddenly crossed her mind.

‘Could it be, is queen the dead—?’

‘Allen clearly said that all we need to do is capture the queen. Then the rest will disappear on their own. …And this disappearing on their own seemed to mean exactly this.’

This left her with the question, ‘Then, who killed the queen—,’ but naturally, the group that was torn apart at the entrance of the passage had the highest likelihood of success. ‘……Could it be…, but the chance that the missing group accomplished it was slim.’

It was really an extre—mely slim chance. If it were the usual Viola, she would have immediately dismissed it as nonsense, but strangely, this time she did not want to deny that faint possibility.

It was a peculiar feeling. Somehow, she had the strange feeling that 522 would survive until the end. She, who should be rational, was swayed by emotions.

‘…However, a feeling is just a feeling after all.’

They never met with the missing group in the end. Viola also gave up hope here that they might still be alive… Even if they were alive, they wouldn’t be able to meet.

Nevertheless, the mission on the third day was over. And they would start returning tomorrow.

“Let’s rest here today. We’ll head back when we wake up tomorrow, just so you know.”

Everyone’s faces brightened as if they had been waiting for those words.

Viola lay down, trying to shake off a lingering sense of unease.

“- Waaaake up, waaaake uuuup—–”

The mercenaries woke up abruptly to the loud noise.

The sentinel who cried out for everyone to wake up pointed towards the passage and shouted to Viola, who had gotten up with her sword in hand.

“Li, light—! There’s a light over there—!”

‘Light—?’

It was true. Though still faint, there was a light flickering. And it was indeed approaching them directly.

At least she was certain that it wasn’t a monster. So, it was one of two possibilities. Either it was the missing Allen’s group, or the group they had been separated from. If the passages were connected in a loop, they couldn’t rule out the possibility of running into the group they had separated from in the passage. …Of course, it would be normal for them to be resting now.

Viola ordered the other mercenary groups to stay put and prepared only her own members to move out.

“Let’s go.”

The Viola-Mercenary Group hurried towards the source of the light. The two lights rapidly closed in on each other.

Soon, the opposing group began to gradually come into view. …And then, Viola couldn’t close her mouth due to the shock that hit her hard on the back of her head.

It was really, truly, the Allen group she had thought to be dead. They, who had vanished without a trace, had really come back to life. Truly.

“Group Leader…!”

Moreover, there was Captain Alex, who had left to save Allen.

The Viola-Mercenary Group hurriedly ran towards them. The condition of Allen, the leader who sent a light greeting towards Viola, did not look good. …No, the entire troop seemed as if they were about to collapse any moment….

Just as she had that thought, several people collapsed to the ground all at once. The mage holding the wand also fell down as if fainting and the light went out with a click.

“Support everyone. Take them with us. Hurry—!”

A miraculous return—.

Viola,

Felt the miracle of 522.

After the long hardship, Viola finally returned to the city and spent a comfortable night. The next morning, she woke up early, took a thorough bath, and greeted the rising sun.

Seeing the sun burning red, she could deeply feel it in her bones that she had truly returned.

Throughout more than ten years of being a mercenary and exploring quite a few dungeons, the difficulty of this dungeon was certainly among the top three. Of course, if the mercenary group had been composed of truly skilled first-class members, the evaluation might have changed, but still, it was clear that the dungeon was not easy.

‘…Anyway, it ended safely. That’s all that matters.’

While she was soothing her stomach with tea before breakfast, someone came to her room. She thought it was the maid announcing that the meal was ready, but an unexpected person appeared.

“Group Leader.”

It was Captain Alex. After rejoining the group following a separation, he had been groaning until they returned to the city. Still, after a good night’s rest, he seemed to have miraculously recovered as if nothing had happened.

“How do you feel?”

“I’m all better now. I apologize for causing concern.”

“Apologize? But I was the one who gave the reckless order.”

“Not at all. It wasn’t a reckless order.”

The commander seemed to have a lot to say. Indeed, Viola also had a mountain of questions she hadn’t dared to ask her groaning subordinate.

“Sit there.”

The group pointed with her chin to the seat opposite her. The captain quickly took the seat, clasped his hands together, and rested his chin on the table.

“What in the world happened? Why did you disappear? And what’s with that hole?”

“I heard that it’s a feeding hole. The larval monster pushes the food through that hole, and it flows into the room where the queen is.”

“So, you killed the queen there.”

“Yes.”

Alex nodded vigorously without a moment’s hesitation, a pride that couldn’t be hidden surfacing on his face.

Viola also heard in the dungeon that they had killed the queen. She just didn’t know the details… And now, that were gradually coming to light.

“The place was filled with slime up to our knees… To give a more realistic comparison, it felt like falling into a cesspit. I’m sorry. That’s the only thing that comes to mind… Yes, anyway, there was a giant queen monster there. And we killed it… Though, it was mostly the magic that did it.”

“……It’s hard to imagine just by hearing about it.”

“Even I, who got out of there, sometimes wonder if it was all a dream.”

At that moment, the faint smile that had blossomed on the captain’s face slowly faded away. It seemed like an important statement was about to be made.

“Group Leader.”

“Hmm.”

“You must hold on to Group Leader Allen.”

“…What?”

His gaze was beyond conviction, almost bordering on blind faith.

“Going after him to save that man was the best decision I could have ever made. Even if I had died in the process, I would have had no regrets.”

Viola momentarily lost her words and just stared blankly at the captain.

“You must absolutely take him under your wing. You absolutely must.”

“……It’s to that extent?”

The captain nodded vigorously without a hint of hesitation.

“He will undoubtedly become the greatest group leader.”