Early DAR Vol. 5 Chapter 16 Part 1

Full title: Starting a New Life for the Discarded All-Rounder

Note: If you found any typos/mistakes, pls write them in the comment. Thanks.

Translator: Airis

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Chapter 16 - Into the Citadel Dungeon

In a certain kingdom, within a certain royal castle, in a certain chamber—

At the center of a spacious room constructed from marble, a young man was enjoying an elegant bath.

The young man reclined in a porcelain tub, lavishly decorated with vibrant illustrations. Supported by four legs, the tub gleamed not only with colorful designs but also with touches of gold ornamentation, as if a top-tier teacup had been magnified to life-size.

The youth soaking within it was equally beautiful, perfectly suited to such an exquisite bath.

Were it not for the absence of a bust, one could easily have mistaken him for a woman. His skin glowed white like polished porcelain; paired with the bath, he resembled a living bisque doll.

“So, the Gryphon child—Roa, was it? Do you think we can win him over?”

He ran a bath sponge gracefully along his elegant arm.

The sponge, made by processing sea-dwelling organisms to extract only their soft skeletal structure, was exceptionally rare. Due to the difficulty of harvesting it intact from the ocean floor, only a privileged few could afford its use.

“No, it appears contact has not yet been made. Fortunately, he’s been assigned to the same Citadel Dungeon investigation team, so we’re currently working on creating an opportunity.”

The reply came from a rugged, soldier-like man kneeling a short distance away. His head bowed, he avoided making eye contact with the young man in the bath.

“The one doing the legwork is that girl, right? The one embedded in that something-or-other Knights group? I thought she was quite useful for intel gathering and distributing drugs, but isn’t this taking a bit long?”

“My apologies. The boy is always accompanied by either a Gryphon or a Magic Wolf, making direct contact difficult. Also, the count’s daughter appears to view them with hostility, which complicates matters.”

“If that spoiled noble girl is getting in the way, just kill her. Her knight order proved useful enough as cover for gathering intel, but they’ve already been deemed expendable. They were supposed to die in the Citadel Dungeon anyway. Just slaughter them all, reach the target boy, and if he can’t be turned, kill him too. Simple enough, right?”

“Understood.”

The soldier responded curtly, without so much as a twitch at the young man’s callous decree.

The young man then reached for a glass on the side table and downed a gulp of amber liquid.

It fizzed as he drank, bubbles rising from the bottom only to vanish instantly, leaving no trace behind.

𑁋

The twin Magic Wolves dashed across the plains, carrying Roa on their backs.

They were headed for the center of the Citadel Dungeon, traveling alongside the members of Nostalgia.

<I have to get stronger.>

Both twins murmured in unison, their eyes fixed ahead.

Just before reaching the Citadel Dungeon, they had been humiliated in the forest by a group of ordinary rabbits.

Despite being vastly superior in power, they had been overwhelmed by the rabbits’ coordination and numbers.

Later, they fought the Winged Rabbit—the rabbits’ king—alongside Roa in a three-on-one battle.

Even then, the rabbit had held back. The twins had been treated as insignificant, not even worth serious effort.

They despised that rabbit. They wouldn’t feel secure until they had defeated and subdued it.

They couldn’t allow it to ever harm Roa.

<If we’re not strong enough, we can’t protect him.>

Then came the massive horde of Undead that had attacked them after leaving the forest.

The twins likely could’ve defeated that horde on their own, but not while also protecting everyone Roa wished to protect.

Roa wanted to defend the knights and soldiers who had accompanied them to the Citadel Dungeon.

His wish was their wish, and thus, they had to become strong enough to protect them all.

But that strength still eluded them.

In the end, it had been Roa’s strategic brilliance that defeated the Undead horde.

Thanks to him, the knights and soldiers had survived.

The twins had assisted, but they knew full well that the victory hadn’t been theirs.

<At the very least, we want to be stronger than any Gryphon besides Uncle Gry.>

That same night, they had been attacked by two Gryphons; beasts that had once been raised by Uncle Gry himself.

Because the Gryphons’ attack consisted of ice bombs launched from high altitudes, the twins had been able to defend due to elemental advantage.

However, they had no way to retaliate against aerial foes.

It was Uncle Gry who dragged the Gryphons from the skies and nearly killed them.

Had Roa not intervened for the sake of the nearby humans, those Gryphons would not have escaped.

<We want to be useful.>

The Gryphons had kidnapped a human, taking them hostage.

To rescue them, Roa and Nostalgia headed for the Citadel Dungeon, the Gryphons’ lair.

During their journey, they encountered a Gigant Skeleton, a colossal moving mass of bones.

And the twins had been utterly useless.

Roa’s adhesive concoction immobilized it, and the finishing blow came from the Nostalgia adventurers.

<We want to be able to defeat anything that comes our way.>

After that battle, Uncle Gry had knocked out the Nostalgia members, claiming he needed to perform a secret ritual to amplify his magic.

In truth, it had been preparation for a battle against a Greater Lich.

None of the Nostalgia members could’ve withstood even being present at that confrontation.

Uncle Gry had no choice but to put them to sleep and remove them from harm’s way.

The Greater Lich, a top-tier Undead with no physical form, couldn’t even be harmed, let alone defeated.

Uncle Gry himself lacked any means to attack incorporeal enemies.

Yet even so, he used his wits to bring it down on his own.

Normally a bumbling oddball, Uncle Gry held the strength needed to protect Roa when it counted.

The twins envied that strength.

<We have to grow stronger.>

They repeated the words once more, and behind them, Uncle Gry silently observed their backs.

<Twins…>

His voice reached them alone, and so began a secretive conversation—

a quiet scheming shared only between them.

𑁋

Roa, his familiars, and the members of Nostalgia had reached the outer wall of the Citadel Dungeon.

Having left their campsite at dawn, they arrived at the base of the dungeon’s walls still early in the morning.

Originally, they had come this far due to a request from Count Amadan; nearly a compulsory assignment issued through the Adventurers' Guild.

But now, their presence here was by choice.

They had come to rescue a single soldier who had been abducted.

The culprits were Gryphons who had once been harshly trained by Uncle Gry and resented him for it.

Wounded in battle, they fled and snatched the soldier in their escape.

Even if Uncle Gry had guaranteed safety, the decision to pursue them was reckless.

Though they had been part of the same investigation team, Roa and the others had no obligation to risk themselves.

In fact, the investigation team had already decided to abandon the soldier, reasoning that saving them would incur too many losses.

With proof of the Gryphons’ presence secured, their mission was technically complete.

There was no need to push further.

Roa’s initial commission would still be fulfilled if he returned now.

He could officially register as an adventurer, his long-held goal.

But he couldn't accept that outcome.

Roa aspired to be an adventurer who upheld his ideals.

One who never abandoned comrades, who would help those in need.

If he left that soldier behind now, he could never truly consider himself an adventurer.

The members of Nostalgia shared that spirit.

They were the kind to smile even while undertaking reckless, selfless rescues.

Even Kristoff, who had voiced the strongest objections, never actually denied the decision to go.

Once resolved, he grumbled, but worked harder than anyone to ensure their safety.

And so they stood now before the outer wall of the Citadel Dungeon, a towering fortress that loomed high above.

“How the hell are we supposed to get in?”

Even the tall Dietrich could do nothing but crane his neck to look up.

It was far too high for any human to climb.

Though overgrown with moss and ivy, the wall bore no visible damage.

It had resisted even the passage of time itself and would no doubt repel any attack without flinching.

“There’s gotta be a gate somewhere, right? It’s a wall, there has to be an entrance.”

It was Kristoff who responded to Dietrich’s mutter. Pulling the reins of his horse, he, too, gazed upward.

He wasn’t the only one. Everyone except Uncle Gry was staring helplessly at the towering wall.

<There are a few portcullis gates, but the wires used to raise them were severed long ago. All the mechanisms are inside, so they can’t be opened from the outside.>

Everyone exchanged glances at Uncle Gry’s explanation.

A portcullis is a door made by suspending metal plates vertically. Though time-consuming to raise, it could be dropped quickly by gravity, making it a common feature for castles in wartime.

If the wire to raise it was broken, it meant the gate couldn’t be opened.

“Then what about a side entrance—”

<This was built as a fortress for war. Maybe the inner walls had such weaknesses, but the outer perimeter? Don’t spout nonsense.>

Uncle Gry brusquely shut down Dietrich’s idea.

The Citadel Dungeon was constructed with three concentric walls, and its core was a towering keep. The outermost wall, the one now standing before Roa’s group, wasn’t built to allow easy access.

“Any other entrances?”

<None. There used to be an escape tunnel for nobles, but it was buried long ago.>

“Then what if you just fly us over with magic?”

<The tower would launch an attack immediately. Even I would be slowed while flying with this many passengers. Even a crude spell could strike us then. I’ll be fine, but the rest of you would be finished.>

“Then how about blowing a hole in the wall?”

<This fortress was built with magic architecture that nullifies spells. My magic might produce some effect, but not enough to open a hole.>

“…”

Dietrich glared at Uncle Gry, who returned the look with a deliberately exaggerated expression of exasperation.

“Why is there even a fortress in the middle of a damn plain?!”

Out of ideas, Dietrich snapped and yelled, kicking a stone like a sulking child.

<It was likely built to defend against dragons. They used to be in the northern regions, you know.>

“Dragons?!”

The members of Nostalgia reacted in surprise—except for Roa, whose eyes sparkled.

Dragons now lived deep within remote mountain ranges and rarely ventured near human settlements. Roa’s fascination with such a rare magic beast was only natural.

In ancient times, dragons were hunted like any other magical creature, but that had changed.

Roughly a thousand years ago, a blue dragon had aided the Hero and the Sage in slaying the Demon King. Since then, all dragons had been revered as kin of that noble creature.

Dragons, for their part, refrained from attacking humans who treated them with respect.

Though technically magic beasts, they maintained a peaceful relationship with humanity.

In some cases, they were even known to help humans.

Still, they remained the most powerful species among all magic beasts.

A fortress designed with dragons in mind would naturally be built to withstand their assaults.

There was no way ordinary humans could break into it.

Dietrich and the others knew the Citadel Dungeon was an ancient battlefield constructed with lost magic architecture, but they had not expected it to be so thoroughly fortified.

“So, where’s the way in?”

It was Roa who asked the question.

They had fought a Gigant Skeleton during the day and a Greater Lich in the dead of night.

But since then, everything had gone smoothly.

The battle against the Greater Lich had taken place while the members of Nostalgia were unconscious, thanks to the ritual Uncle Gry had used to increase their magic capacity.

To them, the entire encounter had passed unnoticed.

Perhaps to avoid having his connection to the Greater Lich questioned, Uncle Gry hadn’t said a word.

Roa had played along, pretending nothing had happened.

Ordinarily, the emergence of two back-to-back enemies that might require an army to defeat would have been cause for alarm.

That was why Roa found himself growing a little anxious, wondering what kind of foes might await them beyond the wall.

<If there’s no entrance, we just have to make one.>

“Ah, from underground…”

Roa’s immediate reply brought a satisfied smile to Uncle Gry’s face, the kind a teacher might show to a promising pupil. Then he shot a mocking sidelong glance at Dietrich.

<The kid understands logic far better than some sleepyhead. It’s a problem when someone has lived too long in comfort and grown incompetent. Just as the brat said, we’ll go in from below. No fortress is guarded underground!>

“…That’s not so different from my idea of flying in with magic, is it?”

<The difference is like heaven and earth. You really don’t see that?>

“Shut it, you mole freak!”

Dietrich snapped, but Uncle Gry only laughed through his nose and dismissed him.

To Uncle Gry—who had previously created a massive underground maze beneath the city of Amadan—digging a tunnel into the dungeon was a trivial matter.

More importantly, the earth magic needed to create it had only become available after he formed a familiar contract with Roa.

Even if the Gryphons inside knew of Uncle Gry’s capabilities—or rather, because they did—they likely wouldn’t suspect this method.

To Roa, it seemed like the best option.

But…

“That means I won’t be able to forage, huh.”

During the journey here, Uncle Gry had explained the layout within the dungeon walls.

When Roa heard there was a lush forest inside, his curiosity had been stirred.

Of course, Roa prioritized rescuing the soldier. There was no question about that.

But the allure of harvesting rare plants in an unexplored place tugged at him.

One reason for this longing was their visit to the Rabbit Forest—a vast herb garden—where he hadn’t been able to gather anything.

After seeing something so captivating, being unable to collect any herbs had left him feeling unfulfilled.

As a result, his self-restraint was weaker than usual.

Still, he had no intention of acting selfishly when a person’s life was on the line.

The words had simply slipped out.

<Foraging, eh? You can take your time with that after everything is dealt with. On the way back, perhaps.>

Uncle Gry said it offhandedly.

But in essence, it was a declaration that every enemy inside would be killed.

“A-Anyway, we should get ready. We’re leaving the horses behind, right? Should we let them go?”

“Wouldn’t they be safer tied up here with a purification barrier tool than wandering into undead territory?”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Cornelia and Kristoff began discussing preparations.

The members of Nostalgia didn’t know that the defeat of the Greater Lich had drastically reduced the Undead activity in the area.

That was a secret only Roa and his familiars shared.

As the two searched for a safe place to tether the horses, Uncle Gry began digging the tunnel.

𑁋

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