Chapter 15: I Became a Swordsman in the Middle Ages

A Suitable Dungeon (5)

Waking up to the first morning inside a dungeon was, simply put, the worst feeling imaginable.

‘I didn’t sleep a wink.’

Beatrice descended the stairs, dark circles under her eyes.

The hallway that had been total chaos just the night before was now eerily calm, as if nothing had happened.

‘Who would’ve thought Lady Cecilia would actually come into my room.’

She’d been so shocked when Cecilia suddenly barged in.

Especially since she’d been in the middle of changing clothes and had no choice but to salute in just her underwear.

The problem was that Cecilia didn’t return the salute, she just stared.

Especially… at her chest.

‘So embarrassing…’

To make things worse, Cecilia even slept in the same bed.

Thanks to that, she kept tossing and turning. There was no way Beatrice could sleep properly with her superior lying next to her.

And yet, the same Cecilia was now rubbing her eyes, trailing behind her as if she’d had the best night’s rest.

‘Come to think of it, that was weird. Lady Cecilia isn’t a pervert, so why’d she stare at me like that in my underwear?’

With that thought lingering, Beatrice cautiously asked her,

“Um… Lady Cecilia?”

Cecilia, back to her usual flawless self, replied calmly as if she hadn’t been drowsy at all.

“Yes.”

“Is there… something you wanted to say to me?”

Cecilia simply stared at her.

It felt like she was silently asking, “Why do you think that?”

Beatrice grew a little nervous and responded,

“It’s just… you kept staring at me yesterday.”

“That’s not it.”

“Pardon?”

“I only stopped my growth during adolescence because having a large chest would interfere with wielding a sword. This isn’t the extent of my full potential.”

‘Wha… what is she saying?’

“Is… that so…?”

“I still have vast untapped potential.”

“That… that makes sense.”

“It’s a shame you didn’t stop your growth before reaching adulthood too, Beatrice.”

‘So that’s what it was. She stared so intently at me because she disapproved.’

Beatrice finally understood why Cecilia had stared at her chest so much the night before.

Cecilia had been scolding her.

As someone training to become a knight, having a heavy chest was nothing but a hindrance.

“…I’m sorry.”

Beatrice bowed her head immediately.

Still, she felt a bit wronged.

Suppressing physical development was something only Sword Demon Knights could do.

Not everyone could halt their growth at age 14 like Cecilia had.

“I—I mean, at my level, I didn’t have the ability to stop it. Besides, I was already this size when I was 13, so even if it were possible—Lady Cecilia?”

For some reason, Cecilia was fading away.

***

When they went down to the main hall, everyone had already gathered.

No one looked well. Cecilia sat quietly in the farthest corner, feeling a bit sorry for them.

She pulled out a baguette she’d brought with her and began munching on it.

“I—I feel like I’m going insane. I kept having nightmares, and even when I woke up, it felt like I was waking up into another nightmare. I thought morning would never come,” muttered one trainee knight, clutching his head and trembling in fear.

Cecilia perked up like a rabbit and glanced over at Beatrice, subtly expectant.

‘By now my favorability must have gone up, right?’

It seemed sleeping in this dungeon inflicted some kind of status ailment.

Having noticed that, Cecilia had watched over Beatrice all night long. Surely she’d realized that by now.

But then—

Sliiide.

Beatrice hurriedly lowered her gaze, as if afraid.

…Huh?

“We need to get out of here. Fast.”

“I can’t survive another day. I’ll lose my mind.”

Amid the unrest, Riharten stood up abruptly.

“Lady Cecilia.”

Cecilia, munching on a piece of bread as big as her face, stared back blankly.

“At the very least… please tell us when this hell ends. We’re all at our limit.”

Of course, she had no intention of answering that.

If anything, she was starting to get annoyed.

Why didn’t they understand something so obvious?

“L-Lady Cecilia, I’m begging you too.”

But at Beatrice’s plea, Cecilia softened and replied with a generous heart.

“How many rules were there again?”

“T-There were… four rules in total. Don’t tell me…”

Cecilia gave a small nod.

Four rules meant four days.

“T-Then we have to stay here for three more days?”

‘How did they get that from what I said?’

Cecilia genuinely didn’t understand.

What she meant was that they had four days to kill the demon.

“Did everyone sleep well?”

Just then, Ricardo, the steward, appeared in the dining hall.

“My, from the looks on your faces, it seems some of you didn’t rest too well.”

Some of the apprentice knights’ faces turned red with fury.

But none of them acted out.

They’d already learned the hard way just how terrifying the punishment for breaking rules could be.

Ricardo licked his lips as he looked at their faces.

“Excuse me, Mr. Butler.”

“Yes, guest? Do you have a question?”

“First, I wanted to thank you.”

Beatrice’s expression was tense. Cecilia looked at her with a curious gaze.

“For allowing us to stay in this mansion last night… after we lost our way.”

“Ohhh—”

Ricardo clapped once—snap!—and made a dramatically moved expression.

Then, with an overly theatrical sweep of his arm, he bowed deeply.

“It is an honor to be appreciated.”

“But now that morning has come—”

Gulp. Beatrice swallowed hard.

“…We’ll be on our way, then. Staying any longer would be quite rude of us.”

Ricardo had referred to them as “guests.”

And if you looked closely, all the “rules” were merely things naturally expected of any well-mannered guest.

In that case, wouldn’t it be logical that a guest could also politely leave?

‘Smart.’

An excellent approach.

There were two ways to clear a dungeon:

Breaking it with logic or breaking it with brute force.

Cecilia referred to them simply as “logic-clear” and “brute force-clear.”

“What a courteous person you are.”

Ricardo lifted his glasses, pretending to wipe away a tear. But no tears were seen.

After all, demons do not know how to cry.

“Yes.”

“…!”

The knights’ eyes widened as far as they could stretch.

“Personally, I’d love for such rare guests to stay longer, but if you insist, I can’t stop you.”

“Y-You mean it? You’ll really let us leave… just like that?”

Ricardo smiled warmly.

“Of course. Haha, it would be improper of me to forcibly detain anyone… Was it not you, after all, who came all the way here on your own?”

“T-Then we’ll leave immediately.”

“Yes, then. Safe travels.”

The trainees exchanged glances.

‘Really? Can we really just leave like this?’

Even Beatrice, who had come up with the idea, felt uneasy.

“But.”

Of course, logic-clearing a dungeon was never that easy.

“You must pay a price, mustn’t you?”

“...A price?”

“Why, of course. This is a rather expensive mansion built on prime land, you know. And you’ve all received quite a fine reception, haven’t you?”

Ricardo’s gaze twisted into one of loathing.

“To enjoy such things without paying anything in return…? That won’t do. Rights always come with responsibility.”

“W-What kind of nonsense is—”

The knight who began to shout quickly lowered his voice.

“H-How is any of this considered hospitality?”

“It was hospitality. Or are you perhaps looking down on the loyal staff of this mansion?”

Ricardo’s tone turned chilling.

The flustered knight waved his hands.

“N-No, that’s not what I meant…”

“As long as you pay the price, you’re free to leave.”

“Then… what exactly is that price?”

Riharten asked calmly.

Ricardo looked at him and smiled quietly.

“Why, the lodging fee, of course. Since you stayed for a night, all you need to do is pay the corresponding cost.”

“We’re more than happy to pay.”

Riharten pulled a pouch of gold coins from his coat. The others followed suit.

Quite a few hefty pouches were placed on the table.

“Excellent. Then I shall collect the fee and return the rest.”

With a relaxed demeanor, Ricardo stepped up to the table and opened one of the pouches.

“Hmmm.”

“…Don’t tell me it’s not enough?”

“Hahaha!”

Ricardo let out a short laugh. It sounded almost like he was mocking them.

“What meaning could human currency possibly have to me?”

A knight began to protest, but Riharten quickly covered his mouth.

“…We don't have any demon money. Is there no other way?”

“Of course, there is. If you don’t have money, then give me something equivalent in value.”

Ricardo spun around, seemingly delighted.

“Fortunately, all of you happen to possess exactly what I want.”

His smile twisted into something cruel.

“A heart.”

“…!”

“If you pay with just one heart, I will allow the rest to leave freely.”

It was, in effect, a demand for a sacrifice of a single person.

Everyone froze.

Countless conflicting thoughts flashed across their faces.

But the look on Beatrice’s face carried a different kind of struggle.

‘Waiting for my cute newbie’s answer could be fun…’

Cecilia was indeed curious, and even a little excited, to see how Beatrice would respond.

‘If she stops there, then she’s just someone trying to survive.’

Cecilia’s lips curled into a faint smile.

Truthfully, that was enough.

‘For a regular newbie.’

But to truly be worthy of surpassing one’s limits in the Windsor Knights… one had to go beyond that.

It was almost time to give a hint.

“Well then.”

Cecilia casually dropped her half-eaten bread and spoke in a calm tone.

As everyone’s attention turned to her, she met Ricardo’s startled eyes and said—

“So that means we’re free to use your heart, right?”

Fear instantly clouded Ricardo’s eyes.

Meanwhile, hope began to flicker in the eyes of the knights.

And Cecilia… shattered that hope immediately.

“Just kidding.”

‘Hmm. Maybe I gave away too much.’

Cecilia returned to munching her bread.

That was practically handing them the answer key.

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