DBOFS 95

Chapter 95

Cough, hack!

As soon as I came to my senses, I started coughing. My vision was blurry, as if soap had been splashed in my eyes, and my mind was a complete mess.

“What… what happened?”

I groped through my memories, recalling everything bit by bit.

Godwin… right, we left from the Godwin estate to attend the capital’s Foundation Festival.

“Oh, and the late Duke’s expression was a little strange.”

Before leaving, I had shown off my ring, and he had frowned, saying, “So you did end up wearing it,” and later even glared at Harris.

“Maybe the late Duke of Godwin thought the design was too simple?”

For some reason, Harris, who had accompanied me, avoided meeting the late Duke’s gaze and insisted we depart.

And…

“Oh, right. Lenore and Démuiard.”

Their punishment, being of the Layerga and Godwin bloodline, was actually a bit ambiguous.

Lenore, being the Layerga heir, was naturally exempt, and Démuiard, the cause of the incident, was still young.

“And Princess Irene… no, the Marchioness of Layerga took responsibility for all the sins.”

As a result, she lost most of Godwin’s rights inherited by blood, including succession and inheritance rights. Naturally, she could no longer be called a princess. But still…

“Keep her at the estate and have her work?”

“Yes, hard labor.”

Harris, in charge of all punishments concerning the Marchioness of Layerga as assigned by the late Duke, said this plainly, his face chillingly expressionless.

“She was so politically shrewd within the old Godwin faction, so it’s fine to have her do useful work in the future too.”

The old Godwin faction, who had once shunned Harris, had knelt in tears of repentance to apologize. But Harris, now awakened, refused to accept them.

To be precise, he didn’t even reject them outright—he simply remained indifferent. Perhaps due to everything that had happened in Godwin, Harris seemed thoroughly fed up with it all.

“Let them stew in their own messes.”

Being recognized as a successor by the late Duke was the one reason Harris had stayed at the estate. Once that goal was achieved, he intended to leave immediately.

“So he plans to use the Marchioness of Layerga as someone to perform her role for him.”

Since she was experienced, no handover was necessary, and being in a state where she could never be promoted meant there was no risk of losing succession rights.

“And, after being forced to remain in Godwin for decades, she’s been separated from her family for life.”

Of course, they could come to find her, but would the head of the Layerga household leisurely leave the estate to come to Godwin?

The Marchioness of Layerga accepted all of these punishments with composure, but

“And Démuiard Layerga will go with us to the capital.”

“No!”

She screamed at the final verdict.

“I didn’t admit all of this was my fault! How could—!”

“Shut up.”

Harris’ words were not a suggestion but an order. A black force emerging from his feet silenced the Marchioness and forced her to kneel.

“Ugh—!”

“The reason that damn Layerga kid survived isn’t because your plan to lure them into Godwin and defend them succeeded.”

Harris looked down at her coldly.

“It’s thanks to the favor my Jade extended.”

“….”

“If not, I would have left you all to die.”

At those words, the Marchioness of Layerga faltered. It wasn’t wrong—if I hadn’t turned and jumped off the terrace, or if Harris had been even slightly late, Démuiard would have been finished.

“But if we leave, will that brat really be safe?”

“…!”

The Marchioness’ purple eyes widened, and veins stood out on her clenched jaw. One eye glared with anger, the other with malice, a strangely mirrored expression.

Perhaps veins couldn’t lie. As I was thinking that, Harris suddenly lifted the corner of his mouth.

“Then, I’ll protect him during the journey.”

“Harris…!”

It was an evil smile so unbelievable it looked like a con artist’s. Yet the late Duke had been impressed, and the Marchioness couldn’t protest further.

“Well, it would indeed be hard to find anyone more indifferent yet powerful than Harris regarding Démuiard.”

Thus, Démuiard accompanied us to the capital. Lenore, as the Layerga heir, would have attended the Foundation Festival anyway.

So they traveled together, but…

“Huh? My favorite isn’t usually the type to help others this willingly.”

I was puzzled. Watching Harris through the carriage window, our eyes met, and he waved his ringed hand with a mischievous grin.

But Harris didn’t smile.

“Jade—!”

His suddenly stern face rushed toward me, shouting something, reaching out his hand…

“…Ah.”

I murmured with a barely audible voice.

“I… fell.”

I remembered.

The sound of the carriage being crushed.

I turned my head toward the sound, and through the shattered carriage, I saw fragments breaking like glass.

And now…

[Sudden Dungeon Appears! Quest: <Escape the Collapsed Temple> has been generated.]

• Condition: Survive until escaping the dungeon

• Reward: Truth revealed

• Penalty: Death

Dangling in darkness, I stared blankly at the system window that had appeared before me.

“Crazy.”

Only then did I realize I had been swept into a suddenly appearing dungeon!

“Why! Why me—!”

A scream clawed at my throat, but I forced it down. Cold sweat ran as I looked at the darkness below my feet.

“Huff… huff… haah…”

After taking a long breath, my heart calmed and I assessed reality.

I had fallen.

But thankfully, I had landed on a protruding iron rod.

“Hurray for puffy underskirts!”

Thanks to that, I was able to hang without serious injury.

“Ha… I almost died…”

Wiping a tear with my sleeve, I carefully freed my skirt from the iron rod and climbed down. Luckily, the rod wasn’t too high from the ground, so climbing down cautiously wasn’t difficult.

“…Now what?”

My voice echoed in the dark space, making me instinctively shrink.

I had been caught in a dungeon before, but never alone.

“Scary.”

I let out a long sigh. What should I do?

First, I tried the most effective, reliable method.

“Harris! Harris—!!”

My beloved, my ultimate favorite! Show me why you’re the strongest in this world!

“Save me quickly with your magical and miraculous powers!”

I shouted at the top of my lungs, but my voice only echoed and faded into the vast space.

“…Ugh, this isn’t working.”

I rubbed my sore throat and gave up.

“The quest is <Escape the Collapsed Temple>, so I need to find a way out somehow.”

Grabbing the torn skirt, I walked carefully.

“Damn dungeon, why is it so big?”

Though my outfit was inconvenient for walking, luckily the new travel shoes I bought were comfortable.

However…

“….”

Prepared for monsters and having my gun ready, I froze at what I saw.

True to its name, the collapsed temple had marble floors covered in fallen stones and dead bodies.

It was terrifying.

I had seen corpses before, but never like this—so directly.

‘I’ve seen Harris run wild and kill people right after I possessed him, and after escaping, things got insane, and even when Démuiard was kidnapped… it was bad.’

But in those moments, I was too busy to focus fully. Now, alone, I was paralyzed.

“Scary…”

The instinctive fear stiffened my body.

But,

“I… I’m on a movie set~ just on a movie set~”

I had to escape. I had to move.

I whispered, trying not to look at the corpses.

“They’re all props~ Not real corpses~”

But I couldn’t maintain the self-delusion completely.

Changing tactics, I tried:

“They’re all fake~ I’m a character in a movie~!”

Sniff, sis, this is terrifying.

Mom, your youngest daughter in this bizarre world is suffering all kinds of hardship today.

“They’re not real… not real at all…”

Tears welled up as I tried to keep my wits.

A flicker in the darkness caught someone’s gaze.

“Hello.”

“…Fake?!”

A sudden greeting escaped as a high-pitched voice from my throat.

“Wh-what! What is this?! You’re not fake?!”

“Real.”

“Waah!”

Shocked but relieved to see another survivor, I rushed over.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere…?”

And I saw him.

“…Huh?”

Pale skin. Dull gray hair. Eyes the same color.

A handsome face, but with a barely noticeable presence unless you paid attention.

‘Wait a second.’

Could it be… that guy…?

He smiled at my frozen expression.

“Jade, right?”

Seeing the sharp fangs at the tip of his smile, I was certain.

It was him.

“Hello, Jade.”

Duke Eindelta.

The third S-class ability user after Harris and Alucas, the strongest assassin with a hobby of killing, and a voyeur who had stalked me for a long time, now stood collapsed before me.

“Nice to meet you.”

My heart felt pierced by a statue-like sensation.