After I receive the Identification Card from Guildmaster Karlogen, we settle onto the plush couch in the secret chamber, its cushions sinking softly under us.
Just then, a soft knock echoes, and Karven, Karlogen’s son, steps in, balancing a tray of tea and cookies. He sets the tray on the table, pouring the tea with practiced grace. Steam wafts from the delicate cups, curling in the air like tiny wisps. The cookies, freshly baked chocolate chip, sit in a tempting pile.
"Thanks, Karven," Eris says.
"Thanks!" I chirp, my ears bouncing as I nod at him.
Karven bows, then retreats swiftly, closing the door with a quiet click, leaving us in the cozy calm of the chamber.
Eris picks up her teacup and takes a whiff, her eyes fluttering closed.
"Mmmnh! Slls nice!" she hums, her voice warm with delight, her tail swaying lazily as she savors the mont.
Guildmaster Karlogen follows suit, his forked tongue darting out to taste the steam. He takes a careful sip.
"Hmm, good tea indeed!" he rumbles, a faint smile curling his lips.
I follow their lead, raising my teacup and inhaling deeply, hoping to catch the sa aroma.
But... huhu... as expected.
Nothing. I slled nothing.
My dulled senses betray , and all I feel is the cup’s heat against my hands, scalding my fingers.
I then sip cautiously, and of course, it just tastes like plain hot water, flat and lifeless.
However, I now have to lie, otherwise Guildmaster will know there’s sothing wrong with !
And thus, "Mmmmh! Good tea!" I chirp, forcing a bright smile.
I set the cup down quickly, my tail flicking nervously, hoping my enthusiasm doesn’t seem too forced.
"Right?" Karlogen beams, his eyes lighting up. "One of my old friends got this tea from the Far East. It helps with digestion and stress!" He takes another sip, his wings relaxing. "Ahhh... I feel better already."
"Nn!" I nod, agreeing with a quick bob of my head.
Even though I can’t taste it, now that Karlogen ntioned it, I do feel a small wave of relaxation spreading through ! It’s quite cozy and blissful!
Eris, anwhile, sips her tea contentedly, also dips a cookie into the tea and eat it.
"Mmmh!" she chews nom nom nom.
We continue sipping tea in comfortable silence, the clink of cups and the faint rustle of Karlogen’s wings filling the room. But then, suddenly, I feel a shift in the air. All eyes turn to , their gazes sharp and curious.
Eh?
"E-Eris? Guildmaster Karlogen?" I stamr, my tail freezing mid-sway, my ears flattening. "W-what’s wrong?"
"Weird..." Karlogen murmurs, his slitted eyes narrowing as he leans forward, studying . "You haven’t touched a single cookie. I thought you liked these?"
...
...
AAAA SHITTT!!
I FORGOT!
My mind screams, my tail fluffing out like a startled puffball!
Last ti, I devoured cookies and candies here, sampling every flavor, my mouth stuffed with sugary bliss. But today? No matter how good those chocolate chip cookies look, they’d taste like cardboard to , thanks to my dulled senses.
That’s why I haven’t touched them...
But apparently, that makes the Guildmaster grow suspicious!
My stomach twists with panic, and I scramble for an excuse.
"I-I’m sorry! I’m too full!" I blurt, scratching my head with a sheepish grin, my ears drooping as I spin the lie.
Under the table, I secretly nudge Eris’s leg, pleading,
Eris, help !
Help !!!
"Y-yeah!" Eris chis in, setting down her teacup with a quick nod, her tail flicking as she squints at with an amused, sneaky smirk. "We ate quite a lot on the way here," she says, her voice smooth, covering for like a seasoned partner-in-cri.
"Oh, I see..." Karlogen sighs, his wings sagging slightly.
I then notice a hint of disappointnt in his eyes.
"Too bad, then. Karven made these fresh especially for you..."
Oh no...
My heart twinges with guilt, my tail curling tightly around my leg. Now I feel awful for not eating those cookies!
"I-I’m sorry, Guildmaster..." I mumble, my ears drooping further, my cheeks flushing with embarrassnt.
"Haha, it’s okay!" Karlogen laughs, his voice warm and forgiving as he waves. "Well, if you want, you can take all of these ho with you!"
"O-of course!" I squeak, forcing a sheepish smile, my tail perking up slightly.
Fortunately, Guildmaster Karlogen still hasn’t seen through my facade.
Phew!
————————
Monts later, after a brief rest, Karlogen straightens on the plush couch, his green scales shimring in the secret chamber’s dimd light. My fluffy catgirl ears perk up, and my tail sways lazily as he begins discussing the new S-rank dungeon,
Apparently, as we heard from the outside, this dungeon was discovered just yesterday by the Celestial Hounds. They hail from the sa place as us, the Eldenwald Kingdom, but from a different duchy to the north—the Schwarzfels Duchy, a land Eris once described as a jagged expanse of dark, volcanic crags and obsidian cliffs.
The thing is, Schwarzfels is quite far from Löwenberg Duchy. It would take at least two weeks to travel between them on wyverns’ backs—the fastest mode of transportation short of teleportation.
So, the fact that the Celestial Hounds discovered this dungeon raises a few questions. Mainly... how did they do it? Was a mber of their guild here by chance when the dungeon appeared? Or... is there sothing else at play?
We all fall deep in thought, the air thick with unspoken theories. My tail curls tightly, and my ears twitch, caught between curiosity and a creeping unease.
Then, Eris is the one who breaks the silence.
"Artifact resonance—that must be it."
Karlogen nods, his wings twitching slightly. "Yep, I think so too," he rumbles, his voice low and certain, as if piecing together a puzzle.
Both seem to understand what’s going on, their shared glance brimming with knowing. But ? I’m still completely in the dark! My ears droop, and I puff out my cheeks, frustrated.
"You guys, what’s artifact resonance?" I ask, my voice a mix of curiosity and impatience, my tail flicking as I lean forward.
"Oh, sorry, Felicia!" Eris says, her grin softening as she turns to .
And then, she starts to explain.
"Artifact resonance is a rare phenonon where an artifact reacts to the presence of its place of origin. For example, if I hold an artifact from Dungeon A near its gate, it can sense the mana flowing from that gate and give off a signal—usually by glowing, vibrating, or even burning up."
"Ooooh, so it’s like a compass?" I muse, my ears bouncing as the idea clicks, my tail swaying with excitent.
"Yup," Eris chirps, her grin widening. "And apparently, the stronger the dungeon, the more likely its artifacts are to resonate."
But then... wait!
Wait a minute!
My eyes widen, and my tail fluffs out, a jolt of realization hitting like a lightning spell.
Now that Eris ntioned it...
Artifact resonance... I’ve encountered that before!
It was —I was the artifact!
When I was soaring high above the clouds in Vanessa Dungeon, a sudden dread pulled toward the dungeon where Morvena rests, a chilling tug I couldn’t explain. That was how I was able to go to Luminaris.
Even now, the mory sends a shiver down my spine.
It was definitely so kind of artifact resonance!
"But wait!" I blurt, my tail flicking with confusion. "Artifact resonance ans you have to already possess an artifact, right? So... how is that possible if the dungeon wasn’t there in the first place?"
Yeah, how could I have an artifact when I haven’t even entered the dungeon?
"Good question!" Eris chirps, her tail swishing as she flashes a grin.
She turns to the Guildmaster, her head tilting playfully. "Old man, what do you think?"
"It’s simple," Karlogen replies, sipping tea as he leans back. "This one must be related to the dungeon that existed in Schwarzfels."
"Oooooh!" I exclaim, my ears bouncing as the idea clicks.
That makes sense!
But then... "Ermmm... how does that work, exactly?" I ask, my brow furrowing, my tail curling tightly. "How can one dungeon... be in two places?"
"Why not?" Eris says, her voice light but teasing, her grin widening as she reaches for a single chocolate chip cookie from the tray.
She holds it up. "This is the dungeon," she says.
And then—crack!
She breaks it in half with a sharp snap
One half, she dips into her teacup, the tea rippling slightly. "This is Schwarzfels’s dungeon."
The other half, she dips into my teacup.
"And this is Löwenberg’s."
And with that, I understand the whole idea completely.
It’s simple!
A realm sohow breaks into two different realms. And then, as the two pieces drift away, they end up in different places.
Karlogen leans forward. He sets his teacup down with a soft clink. "You know, about fifty years ago, another S-rank dungeon surfaced in the Schwarzfels Duchy,. It’s still a mysterious place—we’ve never fully explored its depths—but the Celestial Hounds claid so remarkable artifacts from it. There was even a Divine Weapon."
"What? A Divine Weapon?" I gasp.
My eyes dart to Eris. Eris’ Sheol... isn’t it... a Divine weapon too?!
Eris narrows her eyes.
"Yup," Karlogen confirms.
He then sighs, a weary sound, his shoulders sagging as he runs a clawed hand through his hair. "Back then, it caused a bloodbath as people fought over it." His voice grows distant, as if haunted by mories of chaos. "That S-rank dungeon shook the entire world when it first appeared. And now, to think another piece of it has erged..."
He trails off, his gaze drifting to the walls.
"I wonder what will happen this ti."
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