Chapter 52 - Boiling Water
Foreign knights had begun pouring into the Kingdom of Sepans.
Most of them were female knights sent by their queens or princesses, tasked with scouting the fabled Hot Spring Dungeon.
These knights, clearly thrilled by their assignment, eagerly devoured the description panels displayed in the Hot Spring Dungeon Archive.
The more they read, the more fantastical the effects seemed. Just imagining it made their cheeks loosen with anticipation. They could barely wait to get in.
It was hard not to think that these knights were already forgetting the seriousness of their mission.
After all, the mirrors displayed in the archive—so perfectly polished they showed every detail—were the same mirrors that had reflected their rejuvenated forms after bathing in the waters of the dungeon’s first level.
That first-floor bath alone had been enough to wash away the grime of travel—and leave them astonished by the results. And yet, if the rumors were to be believed, the effects only grew more incredible the deeper one ventured belowground.
They understood that this was an important assignment handed down from their royal mistresses, and yet... their smiles just wouldn’t stop forming.
Some male knights had tagged along on the expedition as well, taking the opportunity to perform a light investigation of the No-Hunger Dungeon.
“Still, if the descriptions in the archive are accurate, wouldn’t it be more cost-effective to just use the knight deployment budget to purchase the drop items directly?”
Before the influx of foreign knights, Auf had already rewritten nearly every word of the archive’s text.
Thanks to her thorough work, the confirmed information was clearly and carefully documented.
Thus, their role in exploring the No-Hunger Dungeon was, in effect, a mission to verify the accuracy of the data already displayed.
And so, as knights from foreign lands joined the fray, the dungeons grew ever more lively and bustling.
That was when new levels emerged—one in each dungeon.
♨♨♨♨♨
“Ahhh... I hope those foreign knights keep taking over the soap digging and mirror hauling. It’d make our lives so much easier...”
At the Duke of Nausa’s residence, Vihita grumbled between bites of honey-drenched toast and thick chocolate.
Having been stuck with the daily grind of transporting soap and mirrors, she had grown thoroughly fed up. She let out her complaint to Auf.
“Forget the mirrors—soap’s the real problem. It’s a consumable, so demand’s never-ending...”
As they chatted, a female knight galloped into the estate on a fast horse.
“Vice-Captain Vihita! Reports are in—a new level has appeared in the dungeon!”
“Which dungeon?” Auf asked.
“...Both. Auf-sama, you’ve been entrusted with managing the archive’s information. Would you like to hear the details directly from the discoverers?”
“Absolutely! Vihita, get the carriage ready!”
“...Yes, My Lady.”
Seeing the sparkle of excitement in her lady’s eyes, Vihita knew there was no escaping this outing. She answered with the resigned slowness of someone who had just lost a precious day off.
She had only just begun to savor her rare break when—once again—work came knocking.
“A useful dungeon in the kingdom just means more work for us. There’s really not much good in it for us public servants...”
One of her subordinates had often said that, back before the Hot Spring Dungeon even existed.
And now, Vihita realized, her subordinate had been absolutely right.
♨♨♨♨♨
“These are the discoverers—both knights from the Kingdom of Marponware, if I’m not mistaken.”
One was a stern-looking female knight, her expression sharp and disciplined. The other was a burly, middle-aged man with a rugged face.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Auf-sama of House Nausa.
I am Shield, commander of the Marponware Kingdom’s Order of Female Knights. I look forward to working with you.
And this is Katar, instructor to our trainee knights.”
So the one leading the Hot Spring Dungeon exploration was the commander herself, while the one in charge of the No-Hunger Dungeon was an instructor bringing along his trainees.
It seemed that Queen Teta of Marponware had ordered her nation’s female knights to deploy at full strength for the Hot Spring Dungeon.
On the other hand, the exploration of the No-Hunger Dungeon was clearly a more casual affair—likely just a preliminary sweep.
Still, even as trainees, they were capable of exploring below the tenth floor of a foreign dungeon they had never entered before. That alone spoke volumes.
As expected of the world’s foremost military power, Auf mused.
“Here you are, Auf-sama. These are the new drop items from the No-Hunger Dungeon.”
The male knight instructor pulled out what looked like a long, stiff box made of thick paper.
It was a paper carton—specifically, a sake carton. But to these denizens of another world, it was nothing more than a strange, unfamiliar artifact.
“What is this, exactly?”
“We managed to acquire a few of them, and when we opened one... it appeared to be some kind of alcohol.”
“Oh? Alcohol, is it? So that’s the next thing, huh. And how did it taste?”
“...Regrettably, we’re on duty, so—”
“Same here. But just from the aroma alone, it smells like a truly exquisite brew...”
It was plain to see that both of them were holding back a powerful urge to drink, their iron will on full display.
Though if anyone looked closely, it was clear that Commander Shield—the female knight—was the one struggling harder to maintain her composure.
“...Well then, Vihita, why don’t you give it a try?”
“There’s no way that’s appropriate, my lady! I’m on duty too, you know!”
“But you’re off-duty today, aren’t you?”
“Once I’m out escorting you, that counts as official duty!”
“Huh? Wait... So what you’re telling me is... I’m the only one here who can drink this?”
The three of them—Vihita, Commander Shield, and Instructor Katar—all exchanged glances in silence.
“No, my lady. There’s no way the duke’s daughter should be the one to taste-test dungeon drop items without verifying their safety first.”
An entirely reasonable and responsible answer.
“Well then, let’s shelve this for now. Would you mind telling me about the Hot Spring Dungeon instead?”
“Certainly. Regarding the mirrors in the upper floor—we found none. It seems your people had already collected them all before we arrived.”
Commander Shield shot Vihita a resentful look.
Vihita averted her gaze, her expression clearly saying, Don’t look at me like that. Her Majesty said to strip the place clean before the other kingdoms got to it...
“Well, I did leave most of my subordinates behind. If the information at the exhibition is accurate and the mirrors regenerate over time, they should be retrieving them shortly.”
Auf nodded, satisfied.
Oh, so while they were waiting for the mirrors to regenerate, they must’ve wandered around the wider expanse of the 13th floor... and stumbled upon the new level.
And if there had been anything worth taking from the new 14th floor, they certainly wouldn’t have left most of their troops behind on the 13th. That meant the new floor had little to offer.
“The hot spring on the 14th floor was boiling hot—far too hot for any human to bathe in.”
“Boiling hot?”
“Yes. Naturally, we tried digging out a pit and mixing in cooler water, but... the result didn’t seem to have any noticeable effect.”
Auf frowned. She couldn’t imagine the Hot Spring Dungeon including something so impractical without reason.
The dungeon clearly had a kind of intelligence behind it—an intent to create areas with meaningful functions.
Which meant... there had to be a reason for the boiling water.
Could it be... a sauna? Or a steam chamber heated by the spring’s natural heat? Perhaps it was meant for boiling food? Or brewing tea—so that the spring itself could be drunk?
Sauna seemed unlikely. If it were intended as such, the dungeon would have prepared a steam-filled chamber from the start.
Expecting people to rig up their own leather tents and harness the heat of boiling water felt overly complex and uncharacteristic.
More likely, it was for cooking—yes, that made the most sense.
“Understood. Thank you. This information was very useful.
As for the alcohol—we’ll register Katar as the item’s discoverer. One carton will be kept as a display sample, and the already-opened one will be purchased for testing purposes at the exhibition.”
With that, Auf wrapped up the discussion swiftly and began preparing to leave.
Vihita watched her in surprise. The young lady ending a dungeon report so quickly? Is she feeling unwell? It was out of character.
What Vihita didn’t realize, however, was that Auf’s head was now completely occupied with one thing: What kind of dish should she have Vihita prepare using the boiling water from the 14th floor?
On the carriage ride home, as the scent of sake wafted from the opened carton, Auf murmured:
“Hey, Vihita. Doesn’t alcohol-steamed cooking sound wonderful with this?”
“Hm? Oh, that’s true... Once we’re back at the estate, I’ll officially be off-duty. I could actually have a drink myself.”
So that was it.
Vihita now understood—her lady had been more interested in examining the taste of the alcohol and structure of the carton than anything else.
She didn’t realize that Auf’s comment had actually sprung from her deep contemplation about the Hot Spring Dungeon.
Comments
Post a Comment