The shadows of us standing in front of the entrance to the Shia Kalt Great Dungeon stretched long.
The marks of the battle were clear.
The ice rocks were shattered, and deep sword traces remained everywhere.
And upon the snow…
“This is…”
Havell crouched down to examine the bloodstain on the snow.
His sharp eyes swept the surroundings.
“It seems someone took someone this way. There are two pairs of footprints… No, they’ve moved something… or someone into the dungeon.”
At Hawin’s words, Klaus’s face turned pale.
His clothes still had unmelted ice clung to them.
“Sir Edgar…”
His voice trembled.
Adrian took a step forward and grabbed his shoulder.
“Pull yourself together. You need to head to the temple now.”
“But…”
“The potions I gave you were only temporary solutions. Your wounds were critical. You need proper treatment.”
Adrian’s voice was firm, reflecting the experience he had as an alchemist.
I agreed with his words.
Klaus’s condition was far more dangerous than it appeared.
Without Adrian’s potion, he wouldn’t have made it this far.
“And we plan to enter the dungeon. We came here to meet the flower, but we’ll also look for Sir Edgar.”
“Vermin… the King of…” Klaus hesitated but soon nodded.
“No… Thank you… Truly, thank you.”
Klaus’s figure shrank as he limped down the mountainside.
The sunlight reflected off his footprints, glinting.
Silence descended.
The cold air pierced deep into the lungs, feeling like swallowing a blade.
Hawin spoke up first.
“Seems more dangerous than I thought.”
His usual playful tone was absent.
It was rare to see Hawin being so serious.
“Are you, by any chance, thinking of turning back?”
Looking at the entrance of the dungeon, I was momentarily lost in thought.
The tales my grandmother told me when I was young came to mind.
The legend of the Shia Kalt Great Dungeon, one of the Eight Great Dungeons, which was almost completely unknown.
The story goes that intruders freeze into ice statues, their souls trapped in the ice walls forever.
Nevertheless, a strange pull stirred within my chest.
The same feeling I had when I first set foot as an adventurer in the village.
Anxiety and fear mixed with the conviction that something precious awaited inside.
I shook my head.
“When did we start choosing the safe path?”
A smile crept onto my lips.
“This is our first time here, but oddly enough, I’m not afraid. It’s as if… I was meant to come here.”
When I first decided to become an adventurer back at my hometown, the villagers all thought I was crazy.
They said it was reckless for someone so young to choose the path of an adventurer.
But here we are.
A fire seemed to be burning deep within my chest.
The real reason I became an adventurer.
The desire to see a larger world.
I had a premonition that this fire would blaze fiercer here.
“I just… have this feeling. The flower must surely be a good entity.”
Hawin looked at me curiously.
“Any evidence?”
“No, just a hunch.”
“Tch, you fools.”
Adrian sighed and gave us a disdainful look.
“Actually… I was reluctant to say this in front of Sir Klaus, but the knights are more suspicious.”
“According to Master Alldin’s story, the flower was a purely sacred being that shared divine power. Moreover, the Hero and the Holy Maiden became stronger after meeting the flower.”
That’s right.
Although Klaus’ story made me uneasy for a moment, the tales about the flower were…
nothing but good.
Adrian paused in thought.
“If the flower were genuinely dangerous, there’s no way the Hero and the Holy Maiden would have left it alone. Why were only the knights so aggressive?”
“Maybe… they had another purpose.”
“Wow, that makes sense.”
Hawin exclaimed in amazement.
I secretly marveled too.
Indeed, a smart person in the party was crucial.
“Alright, let’s approach in peace.”
At my words, the two nodded simultaneously.
We stepped slowly into the dungeon.
The ice cave was much deeper than expected.
Unlike the entrance where light entered, it became progressively darker inside.
However, strangely, the ice walls emitted a faint blue glow.
As if they were slowly releasing stored light.
With each step, the ice floor subtly reacted, as if the dungeon were recognizing our presence like a living entity.
The ice crystals on the walls were more mysterious the more I scrutinized them.
It seemed like there was a different world captured within their beauty.
Sometimes a blue glow, sometimes a purple one, faintly spread.
From time to time, droplets fell from the ceiling.
The droplets froze mid-air before hitting the ground, sparkling like tiny crystals.
The floor already brimmed with such crystalline droplets.
The bloody footprints on that floor continued, newly layered on top of the old ones.
It was apparent that someone had supported the knight named Edgar as they moved deeper in.
“Are they going to the flower too?”
Hawin murmured.
“Seems that way. The fabled flower is a sacred existence even the Holy Maiden acknowledged.”
At Adrian’s words, Hawin tilted his head.
“But… would they revive an enemy they attacked?”
“I don’t know. But those ahead, carrying the knight so deep, surely revere the flower greatly.”
Indeed, they must have.
Carrying a knight so badly injured that they couldn’t heal them to such a depth indicates a strong conviction.
“Apparently, our judgment was right.”
…
“Isn’t it strange? Not a single monster in sight.”
“Could it be the knights or the two who went ahead cleared them all?”
“If they did, shouldn’t we see signs of battle?”
The fact that we hadn’t encountered a single monster up to this depth was highly suspicious.
All that existed in this eerily still place were the long streaks of blood and footprints.
“Shh!”
Suddenly, Hawin raised his hand.
“There’s… someone ahead.”
Without hesitation, our trio instantly formed an instinctive formation honed through long-term cooperation.
If our guess was correct, it would be the people carrying the knight named Edgar, but we must always be prepared for any emergency.
Hawin ducked into the shadows and drew his bow, while Adrian fingered the potion pouch and dagger in both hands.
I unsheathed my sword but kept it partially inside the scabbard.
Silently, we advanced.
Tension hung thick in the air.
A shadow emerged from the darkness.
A man was supporting an injured knight, and a female warrior stood guard.
The female warrior’s gaze was sharp.
Her hand was already gripping the hilt of her greatsword.
Her imposing presence was evident the moment we laid eyes on her.
She wasn’t an ordinary adventurer.
The female warrior immediately assumed an attacking stance upon seeing us.
At that moment, Adrian quickly retrieved a high-grade life recovery potion from his pouch.
The red glow of the potion sparkled in the darkness, akin to a gesture of peace.
The female warrior’s piercing gaze wavered briefly.
“Who…?”
Her guarded question softened somewhat when she saw the potion Adrian held.
The tense atmosphere slowly eased.
The man exhaled a sigh of relief.
The knight he was supporting had a pale face with numerous severe wounds, and ice crystals clung to the edges of the injuries, indicating serious frostbite.
Adrian approached the knight without hesitation and administered the potion.
His movements were precise, showing the expertise of an accomplished alchemist.
“Truly… we owe you a great debt.”
“This is Brian, and this is Lady Havell, and my brother Edgar.”
So the injured knight was indeed Edgar, and Havell… that name seemed familiar.
“She’s from the Indomitable Will party we met at the inn.”
Hawin whispered.
Instantly, I recalled the stories from the inn.
“Are you heading to meet the flower?”
Havell looked slightly surprised.
“Yes, that’s right. And you?”
We introduced ourselves in turn.
As we spoke, it turned out Brian was also an adventurer who had once met the flower with the Indomitable Will party. The powerful and versatile flower named Lycoris. And yes, they were indeed seeking Lycoris for the knight’s recovery.
“Let’s go together.”
I made the first proposal.
Havell and Brian nodded simultaneously.
“I’ll carry my brother.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Thanks to Sir Adrian, Edgar’s chill has subsided significantly.”
Havell reflected for a moment before speaking.
“Then, I’ll take the lead. I’ve spent some time with Lycoris and the insects.”
Roles were naturally assigned.
Adrian would periodically check Edgar’s condition.
All five of us worked together like long-time teammates.
Hawin moved ahead with Havell, frequently stopping to scan the surroundings, while Havell followed his signals, her greatsword ready.
Brian carefully carried his brother behind Havell, and Adrian kept checking Edgar’s status with potions at the ready.
I guarded the rear, occasionally communicating with Hawin through gestures.
Strangely, communication flowed smoothly even without much talking, like seasoned comrades in arms.
As we ventured deeper into the dungeon, the blue glow of the walls intensified.
Occasionally, distant sounds of dripping water and wind-like noises would come from afar, but there was no sign of monsters.
“No monsters in sight still.”
Hawin lowered his voice.
“I suspect it’s due to Lycoris’s influence,” Brian nodded. “This dungeon is her domain now.”
At his explanation, Hawin’s eyes widened.
“Her? The flower is female?”
“Obviously,” Havell smiled. “You’ll know once you meet her.”
I felt my heart race at that moment.
The realization that we were about to meet a mysterious entity became vivid.
