Chapter 43 - Post-Construction of the 12th Floor: A Foreign Princess' Perspective
I am Glaida, First Princess of the Kingdom of Kenma.
They said that the year I was born, a newly discovered gemstone dungeon brought immense wealth to the kingdom, ushering in an age of prosperity.
By the time I was old enough to be aware of the world around me, our kingdom had already reached the pinnacle of luxury, all thanks to the treasures born of those gemstones.
And so, naturally, I was allowed to do whatever I pleased.
Even so, there was one thing I could never conquer—my skin problems. No matter what kind of medicinal herbs I tried, I simply couldn’t get rid of my acne.
The fact that money couldn’t solve everything felt like a cruel, senseless injustice. The world, it seemed, was full of sorrow and unfairness.
It was during those troubled days that I heard a rumor from a faraway land—the Kingdom of Sepans—where a hot spring dungeon had appeared. They said its waters could cure any kind of skin trouble.
Without delay, I poured a fortune into the endeavor and had merchants bring some of the water back to me. And just as they said—it worked.
Of course it did. There was nothing money couldn’t fix.
Satisfied with my now-radiant skin, several months passed in bliss.
Then one day, a group known as Sepans' First Unit stopped by our palace to deliver a letter.
I remembered seeing them once as a child—back then, their terrifying appearance had nearly given me trauma. They didn’t look like fellow women... I wasn’t even sure they were the same species as me.
But strangely enough, this time they looked... impressive. Dashing, even. I hate to admit it, but my heart skipped a beat.
In fact, upon closer inspection—wasn’t their skin even more flawless than mine? What was this?
When I inquired further, they told me that was the true power of the Hot Spring Dungeon. What I had used was merely a sample—water from the first floor, the kind you could take home. Just a trial product, really.
I. Snapped.
I was furious.
I swore I would vanquish the vile scourge that dared blemish my beauty.
I, Glaida, knew nothing of politics. I was a pampered royal, spoiled since birth.
I had grown up indulging in fine cuisine and idle pleasures—but when it came to skincare, I was second to none in my passion.
At dawn that very day, I departed the kingdom, journeying across fields and mountains until at last, I arrived at the distant Kingdom of Sepans.
I wasted no time. I marched straight into the Hot Spring Dungeon’s archive and pored over every document I could find.
It seemed that, just like our own Gem Dungeon, a demon had begun appearing even on the upper floors. Though unlike the lewd, perverted demon illustrated in our kingdom’s tomes, here they were depicted as a charming little girl. Quite a difference.
But never mind that. What I truly cared about was the beauty effects.
According to the records, it was the eleventh floor’s hot spring that had transformed that savage, beastlike First Unit into elegant warrior maidens.
That eleventh floor required one to endure torturous physical training. A replica facility had been built in the royal garden, and only those who could complete thirty laps were even eligible to participate—regardless of status.
But I would do it. Absolutely. There was nothing a Kenma royal couldn’t accomplish.
...Except I couldn’t even climb the very first obstacle on the course.
My hand was scraped raw, the skin peeled off and one of my nails was chipped and bleeding. My attendants rushed to disinfect the wounds in a panic, but it stung—it burned—stop it this instant or I shall end you!
While I wailed in pain, a Sepans knight approached with something in hand.
“This is water from the first floor,” she said. “Please soak your hand in it.”
The moment I dipped my hand in, the thin layer of damaged skin quickly regenerated and the pain subsided. It wasn’t meant to fully heal injuries—only aid the skin’s recovery—but even that much was impressive. Dungeon products truly were something else.
As I waited for my hand to heal in the warm water, I observed the Sepans nobles attempting the obstacle course.
With terrifying intensity etched on their faces, they ran lap after lap until they collapsed, foaming at the mouth and twitching on the ground.
They would crush the blisters on their palms again and again, soak their hands in basins of hot water, then force themselves back up to climb once more. It was like a soldier’s boot camp. If I recall correctly, one of those girls was the daughter of a Sepans count.
Honestly, it was terrifying.
I decided then and there to give up on the eleventh floor. I would aim for the sixth instead. Knowing when to retreat was also a virtue of royalty.
Apparently, to explore the dungeon at all, I needed the assistance of Sepans' female knights.
However, most of their main force had been assigned to investigate the newly-formed twelfth floor and wouldn’t be returning anytime soon.
With no other choice, I resolved to wait. Fortunately, there was a noble-only bath filled with water from the first floor, so it wasn’t too much of a hardship. If anything, soaking in it each day and watching my skin grow more radiant was... rather pleasant.
The food, too, was outrageously delicious. I would go as far as to say it was the best I had ever tasted in my life.
Apparently, it was all made using ingredients sourced from the No-Hunger Dungeon. Between the meals and the hot springs, I found it utterly unacceptable that this kingdom possessed two such unfair dungeons.
Using Kenma’s vast financial resources, I demanded that we purchase every last piece of this confection they called chocolate. Do you understand?
What’s with that look? It's just sweets, yes, but with Kenma’s wealth, we can buy as much as we want—no need for such hesitation.
About a week later, I attended a banquet for nobles, where even Her Majesty Yuzha was present.
She was supposed to be nearing forty, yet her skin was more radiant than mine—and I was only twenty! I nearly lost my composure. No wonder the daughters of nobility were obsessed with reaching the eleventh floor. I was starting to understand their madness.
While the evening unfolded, a group identified as Sepans’ Second Unit finally returned to the banquet hall.
...They were a breathtaking group of lady knights—and they smelled absolutely divine. Far more enchanting than the fragrance I wore. What was this? Jealousy surged within me before I knew it.
And my male attendants! They were gawking with stupid, love-struck expressions. I should kill them. Truly.
When I inquired, I was told the scent was a result of the twelfth floor’s effects. Even the citizens of Sepans were catching whiffs of it for the first time, looking astonished.
Even Her Majesty Yuzha remarked, “What’s this? You all smell incredible,” clearly surprised. So it really was new to everyone.
“There were plenty of soaps on the twelfth floor,” one of the knights explained. “If you bathe with them, perhaps you’ll all smell like this too?”
Saying so, she pulled bars of soap from the massive pack she carried on her back.
I took one, brought it to my nose, and—oh, what a luxurious scent.
I absolutely had to use it that very night. I would pay any price.
From that moment, the banquet transformed into an impromptu soap auction, drawing nobles from other countries as well.
Naturally, I secured a large quantity. With Kenma’s financial power, nothing was out of reach.
My butler’s face stiffened slightly, but it was of no concern. Kenma’s wealth was limitless.
A few days later, I heard that nearly the entire female knight force of Sepans had gathered to escort me into the Hot Spring Dungeon.
As they should. I was Kenma’s First Princess. Security had to be absolute.
And so, I set out for the dungeon.
We arrived. “Go on,” I told them grandly.
...What’s that? I had to dismount from my horse? Why?! Were they seriously expecting me, this me, to walk?!
They claimed that in the lower floors, it was actually more dangerous to be on horseback than to encounter monsters, because horses could panic and kick people to death.
...Ugh. So unfair. But it seemed I had no choice. I reluctantly dismounted.
In the worst case, they said the Sepans knights could carry me on a stretcher. I was already discussing the costs with my butler.
He told me, “Please walk as much as you can, Princess.” But I had nothing to fear—Kenma’s wealth could solve anything.
Still, considering I’d eventually aim for the eleventh floor, building some stamina might not be a bad idea.
On the first floor, the place was packed with workers drawing up hot spring water, merchants selling that water, and other merchants feeding the workers—it didn’t feel like a dungeon at all.
More like a wholesale fish market by the sea.
After walking for about twenty minutes, we finally reached the stairs descending to the second floor.
...Security was intense. Hmm, I see. From here on, men weren’t allowed, so constant surveillance was necessary.
Naturally so. Even someone as noble as me would be entering the baths. Of course they needed strict protection.
But this second floor—it was enormous. Just getting to the bath was grueling... absolutely grueling! Why weren’t we there yet?!
My legs were about to give out!
Just as I was about to cry, the knights signaled that we had arrived. They moved ahead to clear the way and told us to queue up in that line over there.
A line? I don’t care what ranks these people hold—but me, the First Princess, made to stand and wait in line like the rest?! The audacity!
I was just about to shout, “Don’t be ridiculous! Step aside!”—but then I noticed that everyone in the line was carrying spears.
All of them were women, but not all were young. There were ladies of every age—mothers, grandmothers, even girls who looked no older than ten—lined up, chatting casually, each one armed with a spear.
As I stood there, staring at the bizarre and unsettling sight before me, a grotesque beast suddenly leapt out from a crack in the wall and lunged at the line of people.
In perfect coordination, the women in the queue raised their spears toward the monster, waited until it was close enough, then skewered it in unison—killing it instantly.
After dispatching the monster, the townspeople simply resumed their conversations, as if nothing had happened.
I was so appalled by the surreal scene that I lost the will to shout at them to move aside. How barbaric. How terrifying.
What was wrong with the people of this country?
Were they seriously diving into the dungeon without proper escorts?
The noble daughters training for the eleventh floor had been one thing—but now it seemed like all the women in this country underwent combat training for the sake of beauty.
In truth, by this point, only the ultra-wealthy nobles in Sepans still bothered to hire professional adventurers just to go down as far as the second floor.
If you were born in the No-Hunger Dungeon, handling the second floor alone was perfectly manageable.
And even if you weren’t alone, just gathering twenty or so civilians with basic dungeon experience into an impromptu party was enough to keep things safe.
Around the dungeon, it had become the norm—much like forming a temporary hunting party in an online game—to recruit groups for reaching the second-floor baths.
Those who wanted to bathe would simply team up and descend together. That was how things were done here now.
Eventually, it was my turn.
The bath was enormous—absurdly so—and packed to the brim with people. Where was I supposed to fit? I looked around in disbelief and spotted a small empty corner at the edge of the pool.
This was insulting. It looked like some filthy public bathhouse for the commoners. Did they not realize who I was?
Fuming, I dipped into the water—and immediately, I felt my skin growing more radiant by the second.
That long-forgotten sensation... Oh, yes, this was the effect I had long sought after.
Compared to those frustrating days when I was constantly tricked into buying fake beauty remedies that never worked, even this crowded, potato-washing peasant bath was bearable. Barely. Barely. But I was still mad.
“Maids! Wash my body—use that soap!”
The fragrant lather enveloped my entire being. It felt as though all my stress and impurities were being washed away at once.
My maids began washing themselves with the leftover suds they’d used on me, but I supposed that much I could tolerate.
After emerging from the bath, I heard that the path to the sixth floor was about six times longer than what we’d already walked. So I gave up.
Now then, Sepans knights, please carry me properly and with the utmost care.
I had only abandoned the idea of walking on my own. I had not given up on the hot springs themselves.
My maids looked visibly strained, but since they also benefitted from the soap and the bathwater, they would simply have to endure.
Being carried on a stretcher was certainly easy—but being carried by two Sepans knights up close? That was torture.
Their skin was flawless, and the scent from their bodies... divine. And what’s more, the fragrance grew stronger the more they moved. Was their sweat perfumed or something?
Surrounded by that lovely scent, I was lulled gently as we passed through the third, fourth, fifth, and finally the sixth-floor baths.
The hot spring on the sixth floor was extraordinary. I could actually feel my skin becoming unbelievably smooth and beautiful.
At just twenty years old, I felt like my skin had reversed its age by three full years. Bathed in this water, I could even rival the knights of Sepans in terms of skin quality!
Granted, those knights were now bathing naked in the same spring, and—ugh—their bodies were perfectly toned, every line sculpted like warriors...
Still, at least I could match their skin!
...That said, every time I gripped the soft flesh around my waist, I had to reassure myself. I had something, at least.
I finally understood why those noblewomen had looked so desperate while clinging to those absurd obstacle courses. It made sense now.
Once I returned home, I would have to take physical exercise somewhat seriously.
Now then—time to go back.
I dozed off while being gently rocked on the stretcher and woke to find we had already returned to the dungeon’s entrance.
Next to me, my maids lay sprawled out in exhaustion.
What was that posture? In front of the First Princess? Straighten yourselves up—now!
...Hmm?
Looking around, I noticed only about ten people remained—my attendants, a few nobles, and some of the Sepans knights.
But where had the rest of them gone? The several thousand knights who had gathered to guard me—where were they now?
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