Chapter 1: Utterly Helpless
"…Huh?"
When I came to, I found myself in an unfamiliar place.
"…What?"
No, this is really bad.
Realizing I was thrown into an unknown place upon waking up left me with nothing to say but "Huh?" and "What?"
This is strange.
I was supposed to be napping in my private room within the Royal Castle of the capital, Pentragon.
Lately, due to cooperation and conflicts with the wielders of the divine swords, both my mind and body have been worn to their limits.
Especially my mind, delicate as glass, was already in tatters.
So, while Shion was diligently training and sweating it out, I was taking a nap in my private room.
And then, I woke up to find myself sleeping in an unknown place.
This is terrible.
It's utterly unreasonable.
Indeed, I've recently been through bizarre experiences, like delivering the divine swords to the hero, getting into life-and-death situations with other divine sword bearers, and flying across the continent on a Pegasus.
Yet, I am still as powerless as ever.
How could I possibly handle suddenly being thrown into an unknown place?
First things first, I took a look around to assess the situation.
Even though I said I was napping, it was more like dozing off in a chair, so I was dressed in my usual black attire, shoes and all.
Being scolded by Instructor Cattleya and Iris for lying in bed in my pajamas during the day turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
They lectured me endlessly that oversleeping during the day leads to shallow sleep at night, which makes you sleepy during the day, creating a vicious cycle. So, they advised against sleeping soundly during the day.
How naive.
Unlike them, I can still sleep soundly at night even if I take a nap during the day.
Well, talking back would only earn me a punch, so I don't argue.
Anyway, I'm not barefoot in my pajamas.
And the place I'm in is indoors, not outdoors.
The walls, floor, and ceiling are all made of stone.
It's oddly bright here, even though there are no torches or lamps.
I've come to a conclushion.
This is a dungeon.
"This is baaad!"
For some reason, I am now all alone inside a dungeon.
This situation is way too dangerous.
Dungeons are the breeding grounds for monsters that are constructed all over the world the moment the Demon Lord is resurrected.
Monsters proliferate inside and once their numbers exceed a certain limit, they burst out to attack humans.
In other words, monsters are lurking inside this dungeon.
Being alone in such a place means one thing.
I'm as good as dead. Especially in my case."…"
Thinking about it, yelling out loud like I did earlier is a surefire way to attract any monsters lurking nearby.
I let out a scream in the heat of the moment, forgetting that I'm all alone right now.
I need to avoid any reckless yelling and stay cool.
Well, it's okay.
Ever since I got involved with Holly, a spirit with an absurdly sharp tongue, I've found myself screaming a lot more. But fundamentally, I'm a calm and collected guy.
Standing silently, erasing my presence, and moving through the darkness is a piece of cake for me.
No matter how quietly I try to be, I can't feel safe inside a dungeon, but it's okay.
Or rather, I hope it's okay.
"Crow!"
"Yaaaah!"
Suddenly, Holly appears from the floor beneath me, causing me to scream once again.
I was genuinely startled.
Because, you know, Holly just sprouted out of the floor.
"Why did you disappear so suddenly? Why are you in such a place?"
"No, I was startled because you suddenly appeared…"
I said, while actually feeling relieved.
If I could regroup with Holly, then somehow everything might be okay.
I don't know why I was suddenly dumped into the depths of a dungeon, but Holly has the ability to instantly understand the structure of the dungeon and guide me through the shortest route to its deepest part.
With her ability, we should find the exit from here.
I reached for the cloth bag hanging around my neck.
It contains the gemstone that was on the hilt of the Holy Sword, which I make sure to always keep with me. It was the right decishion.
Without this gemstone, it seems Holly wouldn't be able to join me.
First, let's assess the situation.
"This is inside a dungeon, right? I have no idea why I'm here either. I just found myself here when I woke up."
"We're not just inside a dungeon; this is its deepest part."
"What!?"
I involuntarily looked around.Indeed, it looks more like a large room than a hallway.
There's a door on one wall, and on the opposite side,
"…"
There's something like a throne, but what's that all about?
"Shouldn't there be a boss in the deepest part of a dungeon?"
"You'd think so, but there isn't one here. Did you defeat it?"
"There's no way I could do that. Plus, doesn't defeating the boss make the dungeon disappear?"
"Right. But it's strange. It's unheard of not to have a boss in the deepest part. It's common for animals nearby to be suddenly transported here when a dungeon appears."
"Animals?"
"Yes. It's not uncommon for wildlife and insects to be absorbed when a dungeon forms and then transformed into monsters."
"…"
I feel like I've stumbled upon some alarming information.
At least it's not some twisted fantasy where the monsters that Iris, Saffron, and Instructor Cattleya have been defeating turned out to be the remnants of humans.
"Wait a minute. You're saying it's common for animals nearby to be absorbed when a dungeon appears? What about humans?"
"I don't think humans are absorbed into dungeons. Even if they were, they'd probably be attacked by the monsters inside and die immediately."
"Why was I absorbed, then…? I hope it's not because they mistook me for a monkey or a gorilla."
"Ah! That might be it!"
"Deny it! I mean, please deny it!"
That's just too harsh.
I've been napping daily due to the extreme stress and exhaustion, but that doesn't mean I should be treated like a monkey.
Well, monkeys probably wouldn't appreciate being compared to me either.
"So, does that mean this dungeon appeared near the capital, Pendragon?"
"That could be said, but also not quite."
"Huh?"
"I'll explain later. For now, let's focus on finding a way out."
Holly was crossing her arms, looking at me.
"A way out? Can't you just guide me to the exit?"
"I don't mind, but are you planning to go through a dungeon filled with wandering monsters by yourself? Even if I possessed you, it's impossible to defeat the monsters with bare hands."
That does seem impossible."Then, why don't we use the Pegasus Sword and guide Shion to this dungeon to come get me?"
"That means you'll have to wait here alone until Shion reaches the deepest part. While guiding Shion, I won't be able to check on you."
That's risky.
Even if it's okay now, there's no telling when monsters might attack.
While I'm with Holly, at least I can significantly enhance my physical abilities through possesshion once and maybe escape.
So, it's either wait alone for Shion to arrive at the deepest part or escape on my own.
"…"
Is choosing either option basically a death sentence?
"Wait a sec. This sounds really bad…"
"This dungeon is quite high-level. The monsters wandering around are top-tier, and its size and complexity are at the peak. Even with my guidance, it might take a whole day to conquer."
"Staying here for a whole day is a death sentence…"
"Choosing to wait for Shion to come get you would take even more days."
"What?! Why?"
"First, the time it takes to get from the capital to the dungeon's entrance. Then, considering Shion's basic movement speed is slower than yours since he's normally twelve, and I can't be possessing him all the time without reaching my limit and becoming unable to fight, Shion will need to rest while moving through the dungeon. So, it could take at least two or three days."
"Three days here would definitely kill me!"
"So, will you head for the exit yourself? I can guide you through the shortest route."
"…"
I crossed my arms and thought hard while staring at Holly, who was also crossing her arms.