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Chapter 22
It was only after I noticed Lois staring at me with a puzzled look that I barely managed to move my feet.
If it was supposed to be a bridge connecting two cliffs, then it should’ve been built safely, right?
Two massive pillars on each side, ropes tied across to keep the tension balanced, like a normal suspension bridge.
But what was this floating magic bridge supposed to be?!
‘No, it’s not that I’m scared. It’s just that this situation makes no sense. It’s cognitive dissonance, that’s all.’
How could rocks just float in the air with nothing underneath them? That completely violated the laws of physics!
I wasn’t actually scared, okay?!
“Phew.”
Thankfully, once I took that first step, the floating stone bridge ended quickly enough.
I could feel the other party members staring at me strangely, and I even heard Melin’s muttering complaints, but overall they just let it go.
It was a moment that made me truly feel, once again, that I had fallen into a world different from the one I used to live in.
After sending the others ahead, I kept silent, focusing on steadying my breathing.
‘Never crossing a bridge like this again.’
Just then, I faintly heard the voices of the party members up ahead.
“…We’ve come pretty far in. The dungeon must be nearly over by now, right?”
“Probably almost finished. It hasn’t even been that long since we came in, and we’ve already beaten five boss monsters…”
Answering Elaine’s remark, Lois suddenly realized something and shouted with excitement.
“Wait a sec—does that mean we’re moving super fast? No, we really are fast. Then, could we maybe set the highest score? That’d be insane!”
“We’re not even done yet, so stop talking about highest scores. Focus on clearing, Lois.”
“Aw, come on. Getting the top score would be amazing. My grades in other classes suck, so I have to get an A in Dungeon Studies!”
Melin’s sharp retort made Lois frown, as if begging her not to ruin his dream.
At that moment, Claire, usually the quietest of the group, gave a slight nod.
“He’s right. At this pace, we’ll definitely set the highest score. It’s also true we’ve cleared so quickly thanks to Camon.”
“Thanks to? Thanks to nothing…”
“Ugh, seriously, Melin. How many times do I have to tell you—jealousy is ugly. Ugh!”
Thwack!
“I warned you, Lois. Say that crap one more time and you’d get smacked.”
“Hey, I wasn’t wrong! Without Camon we wouldn’t have come this far this fast. Right, Elaine?”
“Y-yeah. Haha!”
Elaine burst out laughing at Lois rubbing his back where he’d been hit, and nodded in agreement.
Melin was the only one who clearly disliked this atmosphere, pouting the whole time, but even she couldn’t argue further.
Anyone could tell who had contributed the most to this dungeon clear so far…
‘Yeah, obviously me.’
I nodded lightly at the self-evident truth.
Well, it wasn’t like I felt proud or smug about it.
After all, it was something I had to do anyway if I didn’t want to get expelled from the academy.
Still…
‘…Things might change a little.’
I suddenly recalled the way others had treated me when I first came to the academy.
“……”
The infamy and crimes that Camon Baird had accumulated were far too great to erase in one stroke.
But if I kept clearing them away like this, little by little… maybe, someday, the way they looked at me would change.
‘Well, honestly, it doesn’t matter to me.’
As long as their insults or scorn didn’t cause me direct trouble, I didn’t care.
That was as far as I was willing to go.
“Huh?”
Just then, something seemed to happen ahead of us.
“There’s… there’s some kind of door here.”
At Elaine’s words, everyone turned to look.
And there it was.
“Whoa, what is that?”
“It’s huge.”
“What’s with the sudden door?”
Lois pointed at the massive gate covered in bizarre carvings and monster statues, but Melin shook her head.
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s screaming ‘I’m the final gate.’”
“J-just looking at it makes me not want to go in.”
The massive black door radiated a dark, oppressive aura that made all of our expressions stiffen.
Then—
“…There’s a problem.”
Claire’s quiet murmur.
“What? Problem? Like, a monster?”
Lois overreacted, but Claire shook her head.
“No. A real problem.”
“Wh-what problem?!”
“Stop babbling and look. There’s the problem.”
“Huh?”
Claire pointed at the final gate, and Lois quickly followed her gaze.
“Oh crap, you’re right.”
“Those… those are letters?”
On the giant gate, inscriptions were carved.
Seekers of the path.
You who do not falter before mazes and hideous landscapes.
You who press forward with courage, wisdom, and an unshakable heart.
To overcome despair, darkness, and suffering before you, solve this riddle.
“What, is this supposed to be like poetry or something?”
“Shut up, Lois! We’re solving it.”
Everyone refocused and continued reading the inscription.
In ancient days, the warm and merciful flame soothed the hearts of travelers and adventurers alike.
But in this age, all have forgotten the warmth of the flame, and so its master lowered her head in sorrow.
Seekers of the path.
You who do not falter before mazes and hideous landscapes.
You who press forward with courage, wisdom, and an unshakable heart.
If you wish to go forward, speak her name and beg her to open the way.
Everyone fell silent, staring at the words.
“W-what does that mean? ‘Her name’?”
“‘The ancient, warm, merciful flame’?”
As confusion spread, Chelsea spoke in a low, solemn voice.
“The ancient goddess Birgetta. The goddess who governs fire.”
“Oh, Chelsea. Wow.”
“You knew about ancient gods too?”
“Then we’ve solved it, right? Let’s hurry up and open it!”
Excited, Lois shouted,
“Lady Birgetta, please open the door!”
But—
“……”
Nothing happened.
Chelsea spoke again.
“Not in the modern common tongue. The ancient gods only used the old Rune Language.”
“What? Rune Language?”
“Then just say it in the Rune Language. Problem solved.”
Lois tilted his head, but Chelsea smiled bitterly.
“We don’t know it.”
“Huh?”
“We don’t know how to speak her name in Rune Language.”
“Uh… then what do we do?”
Everyone’s faces stiffened at Chelsea’s unexpected answer.
“If we don’t know the Rune Language… does that mean we can’t even enter?”
“But then how did the princess’s team get through?”
Melin and Elaine both asked, frowning.
‘Because Princess Francia recited the spell herself, obviously.’
I recalled the original story.
Having devoured nearly every book in the imperial library, she was fluent not only in Rune Language, but in every tongue, history, and tradition.
Which meant—
‘Should I be… thankful?’
I almost thought that, but quickly shook my head.
As if I’d ever be thankful to that lunatic.
Besides, I had memorized the original novel inside and out.
So here—
Creak!
I stepped forward to the final gate and recited the exact phrase I remembered from the novel, the words Francia had once spoken with cold dignity.
“Birgetta, Aperi Portaum.”
At once—
Thunk!
The massive gate trembled…
BOOOOM!
…and slowly opened inward.
“Huh?”
Through the widening gap, I saw something flickering—a deep, purple mass.
“P-purple…?”
And then—
Thud.
Something shoved against me.
BOOOOOM!
“Urgh!”
A violent shockwave swept me away.
BZZZZZZZT!
In the middle of the gymnasium, light began to gather.
“Another elimination.”
“So that means only Kyle’s group cleared?”
Then—
“One, two, three… four of them? Huh? Not a total wipe?”
As the students murmured, familiar faces appeared where the light condensed.
“W-what? What happened?”
“Uh, looks like we got forced out?”
Lois scratched his head.
“Last I remember, the door opened, and then…”
“Something jumped out and attacked us. Then we were instantly warped back here.”
Claire’s voice was firm.
“W-wait, does that mean we failed?”
“Yeah. This is the gym again, so we’re definitely eliminated.”
Lois nodded with a regretful look.
Elaine then asked urgently,
“Then what about Chelsea? And Camon? Are they still inside?”
“Uh… yeah, why aren’t they here?”
“Ha, thank goodness. At least it wasn’t a full wipe.”
Elaine sighed in relief.
But then—
Grit!
“Damn it, Camon Baird…!”
“M-Melin?”
Everyone turned to Melin, startled by her furious voice.
“That bastard. He knew, and he did it on purpose!”
“What? What are you talking about? He opened the door for us.”
“No, think about it! He knew everything about the dungeon so far. Every trap, every detail.”
It was true—Camon Baird had acted as though he knew the entire layout beforehand.
“But this time? He just opened the door without a word of warning. And bam, the boss monster bursts out. No caution, no heads-up.”
Melin spoke with absolute conviction.
“He did it deliberately. I’m sure of it.”
“Nothing’s been proven yet. Calm down, Melin.”
Claire’s cold words did nothing to soothe her.
“Claire, you still don’t get it? That bastard set us up! Damn it, we should never have trusted him!”
“H-hey, that’s too much. You’re reaching—”
Glare!
“What?”
“N-nothing.”
“……”
Lois quickly backed off under Melin’s sharp glare. Nobody else dared speak either.
The party could only exchange awkward glances.
Meanwhile, from a distance, Princess Francia smiled faintly as she watched.
“So in the end, it came to this. How unfortunate that they failed.”
“But the test isn’t over yet. Chelsea and Camon are still—”
“Yes, two remain. But that only means two people are left. What could they possibly accomplish on their own?”
Her tone was firm, and Fabian nodded in agreement.
“You’re right. Considering what the final boss is…”
But then Kyle shrugged.
“Huh? Why are you all talking like it’s already over? It’s not.”
“Kyle, you of all people should know. You saw it yourself. The final boss can’t be beaten.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know?! You’re always hung up on the weirdest things.”
“It’s not weird…”
Kyle scratched his forehead and muttered,
“I just think—if Chelsea and Camon worked together, I don’t think even the final boss could withstand them.”
His words, full of certainty, made the entire hall fall silent.
