Beyond the opened door, the maids and servants, Mrs. Kirkfield and the duke had a happy reunion. Along with explanations that were sowhat difficult for them to understand about having to reach the dungeon's central area within two hours. The duke carefully examined whether the old head maid had any injuries and repeatedly urged her.
"If you're hurt or have difficulty moving, be sure to ask for help. No one will think you're a burden."
Mrs. Kirkfield said she would do so while keeping her back straight, but even from Esperanza's perspective, the lady didn't seem like she would ask for help until the very end.
"There are more than I thought."
Cider, who had confird the number of people with his eyes, spoke. It was exactly as he said. Excluding the duke, the employees gathered here were roughly ten people. She didn't know how many employees Pinent House had, but it probably didn't exceed a hundred. Considering that there were people who died while coming with Mrs. Kirkfield's group, there would be fewer people to find.
"At this rate, it might end faster than expected."
Esperanza, who had unconsciously said that, realized her mistake and pressed her lips tightly shut. Cider sent her a puzzled look.
"I shouldn't have said that."
"Why?"
"It brings bad luck."
He might think it was a joke, but such superstitions surprisingly often ca true.
[You have defeated the Minotaur. The dungeon's boss recognizes you.]
For example, like this. Boss recognition didn't have much aning in C-grade dungeons, but A-grade dungeon bosses often had intelligence superior to humans.
But there was no use worrying when she didn't even know what kind of monster the boss was.
"First, let's do what we need to do."
Weapons poured out from her inventory. Cider felt a sense of déjà vu and laughed quietly.
"Everyone take one!"
Among the people who hesitated and couldn't approach, the duke's eyes widened.
"These must be precious. Is it okay to give them out?"
"I'm lending them. I'll collect every single one back, so don't even think about stealing them."
She hadn't worried about such things in Mabelwood, but honestly speaking, she couldn't trust the duke.
"I'll guarantee that you can collect every single one back. If any go missing, I'll do everything in my power to find them."
Esperanza expressed her distrust by narrowing her eyes, but the duke silently picked up a large axe and placed it in Lily Runderford's hands.
Given the duke's personality, it was probably a choice that matched the maid's own inclinations. What remarkable taste. Esperanza clicked her tongue. The other maids chose guns normally. The servants picked up swords and swung them around, striking unnecessary poses. Of course, their stances were generally terrible.
"Crowley, you have combat experience, don't you?"
"Yes? Yes, Your Highness."
"Then use a gun."
The duke, who had stopped a servant going with a sword and given him a rifle, gave Mrs. Kirkfield a small pistol. When the old lady looked awkward, he even taught her how to shoot.
"What about Your Highness?"
"I have this, so I'm fine."
He showed the pistol in his hand. Esperanza frowned.
"Stop making excuses and take one. You know where these items ca from."
The duke stared intently at Esperanza. Then he slowly bent down and picked up a gun.
"Miss Hunter, I thought you disliked ."
"Isn't it mutual? And I think my side has good reason for it."
Cider clicked his tongue quietly. When Esperanza glared at him, he smiled as if to show off. The duke paused, looked at Esperanza, then asked sowhat shalessly.
"You knew?"
"You showed it."
Cider answered instead. The duke touched his cheek with his hand. As if he hadn't expected it at all.
"I showed it? ...That was quite rude of ."
He apologized but didn't deny it. Esperanza shook her head in disbelief. The duke bowed his head with an embarrassed face, then headed toward where the employees were still bustling about.
"Well then. Esperanza, since you took out weapons, there should be so space left."
Cider placed the empty key box and lock in Esperanza's hands. Esperanza, who naturally put them into her inventory, glared at him.
"Do you really think of
as a porter or what?"
"How could that be? More than that, I think we should head out to the central corridor soon."
The ti limit at the top of the status window kept decreasing. To rescue people they hadn't t yet and reach the dungeon's central area, they needed to move quickly. Cider looked at the instrunt panel, Esperanza at the map.
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The palace had a structure where the interior surrounding a large garden was connected by a single corridor. The chapel was in a position close to the entrance, but since it was on the third floor, they needed to find the stairs first. The stairs were connected to the central corridor.
But it wasn't as far as expected. As long as the path didn't get twisted again, they could reach the chapel quickly.
"I just thought of this, but wouldn't it be easier to get these people into the chapel as quickly as possible and then co out ourselves to find others?"
"That would be good too. At least if it's just us, it would be easier to respond to ergencies."
"The problem is if monsters appear in the dungeon's central area... I an the chapel. Usually the central area is safe though."
When Esperanza glanced at Cider, he smiled and said.
"Don't even think about leaving
there and going."
Esperanza, who was about to say exactly that, closed her mouth. There were too few useful personnel compared to the dungeon's difficulty. Taking just Cider Claiborne to rescue people and guard the central area—what kind of hard labor was this?
But first, they had to reach the dungeon's central area. Even with over ten people moving together, there was almost no sound. Only Cider and Esperanza occasionally exchanged conversations about the situation. And people who knew their lives depended on those playful conversations listened carefully while gripping their weapons a little tighter.
The mont they entered the central corridor, Esperanza let out a gasp.
"Aaaaah!"
"G-get out of the way!"
People running while screaming from the end of the corridor. And chasing after them, a spider monster—an arachne.
By the ti Esperanza, who was at the very back of the group, entered the central corridor, two out of six people had already lost their lives to the spider's hands.
The giant spider spat sticky webs from its mouth as it raced down the corridor. A real spider wouldn't produce webs from its mouth, but the arachne had a convenient body.
And it had eight legs.
A full eight legs.
'Are you insane?'
One might ask what the problem was since spiders originally have eight legs, but disgusting was disgusting. Physiological revulsion surged up. To see a bug that was disgusting even when small at an enormous size that filled the corridor—it was as disgusting as its size.
So she had to kill it quickly. So she wouldn't have to see that disgusting sight anymore.
Esperanza, who had loaded her gun with her lips pressed together, drew up her mana. It wasn't even a boss-level monster like the minotaur, just an arachne. The webs were annoying, but it wasn't that difficult. She'd end it in one shot.
Cider, who was a step late because he was replacing the magic stone attached to the instrunt panel, burst into hollow laughter seeing her state.
"Why are you so excited?"
Cider, who had tapped Esperanza's foot with his shoe tip while raising his gun, said.
"I'm not excited!"
"It's not like you."
"Ah, really. Clear away that disgusting thing first, then talk."
Ah. She hates spiders. Though who would like them?
"We need to deal with the people first. Close combat is okay for a mont, right?"
Even though that was the end of what he said, it seed like she could clearly see the picture Cider had drawn in his mind. Esperanza nodded and threw her gun into her inventory.
Cider's cane gun hit the arachne's mouth as it spat webs.
The mont the spider hesitated, Esperanza jumped up and charged toward the spider on the opposite side of the corridor. Sharp sword strikes cut through the webs. While Esperanza dealt with the spider, people who had been struggling with their limbs bound ca running with tear-stained faces.
"W-we're alive!"
"Everyone's safe, thank goodness! The gardener and Emily..."
Mrs. Kirkfield and the maids comforted the people and took them to the safe rear. anwhile, Esperanza had already lured the monster to the middle of the corridor, slowly dealing with it with a sword that had beco damp from the spider's blood.
And the mont the spider crossed half the corridor.
Cider's cane gun severed the arachne's front leg, while the duke's revolver cut off the opposite leg. In an instant, the corridor was filled with webs spat by the dying spider.
Esperanza, who had put down her sword, picked up her gun again. The mana released without proper aiming passed through the arachne's body.
It ended with a single sniper shot. Esperanza put down her gun with a face as if she had swatted an annoying fly. Cider, who was removing spider webs stuck to the gun muzzle, laughed as if he couldn't help it.
When their eyes t, Esperanza suddenly held out her palm. Cider, who had been looking down at the palm thrust out without context, grabbed her fingertips with a puzzled face. Carefully, as if a feather was landing. However, the caught fingertips coldly shook off his hand, then flipped over and clapped palms together. Clap, at the cheerful sound, people turned around with a start. Esperanza smiled triumphantly at the surprised eyes.
"In the sense that our teamwork just now was quite excellent."
"Must be a culture among hunters?"
Cider tilted his head and looked at his stinging palm. The hand that had briefly flushed red quickly regained its color.
"Well, you could say that."
Cider, who had been quietly clenching and opening his hand, discovered one particularly direct gaze among the glances that were pretending not to look this way. His lips ford a sharp line. He wrapped his arm around Esperanza's shoulder and pulled her close. It was almost like confining her halfway in his embrace.
"Why?"
"The duke is staring."
"Was the sound too loud?"
Cider's eyes, looked up at from below, held mockery and seed unfamiliar. However, when the eyes that had been facing forward t Esperanza's, the sneer had disappeared without a trace.
"Seems so."
Though she didn't appreciate the duke giving them looks, since she wanted to get away from the corridor filled with arachne corpses, Esperanza set about cleaning up after the battle without complaint.
The first place she headed was where the people they had t in the corridor were gathered. Mrs. Kirkfield was caring for them.
"Is anyone hurt?"
"No one. Everyone was startled, but... can you walk?"
A young-looking servant nodded and tried to stand up, then tripped over his own feet. His thighs were trembling. The duke ordered a well-built servant to carry him on his back. The servant looked displeased but glanced at Esperanza and obediently bent down.
The rest only had minor scratches, no major injuries. There was nothing to be done about those who had already died before eting the group. The duke and Mrs. Kirkfield observed a mont of silence with somber faces.
Who would have thought dungeon clearing with civilians would be this difficult? If Golden Claw had quests like rescuing everyone, it would have been truly horrible.
'Well, if there had been such annoying things, I wouldn't have played the ga this long either.'
And by now she would have been resting comfortably at ho in the original world.
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The path toward the central area, leaving the arachne's corpse behind. Esperanza's face grew darker and darker.
The people who had been chased by the arachne were in the best condition. Most of the people they t afterward were injured. The people she had thought of as combatants each had a person loaded on their backs. Combatants becoming pack mules was a matter of monts.
The number of people increased, but the combatants decreased. She could see people getting increasingly tired and suffering. The duke encouraged them that they only needed to go a little further, but they already knew. No one knew how many battles would be included in that "little."
The worst thing happened next.
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