Chapter 13: The Dungeon and the Divine

Rumble

“There really is a dungeon…”

Following Bisus through the city’s alleyways, they arrived at the dungeon’s entrance.

As they stepped inside, Sofia muttered to herself.

She hadn’t seen this dungeon in her previous life.

Bisus had never explored a dungeon near the academy back then.

So how did he know about this place?

Sofia’s thoughts drifted to the princess she’d encountered days ago.

…That woman seemed to have memories of Bisus too.

Is she in the same situation as me?

If the princess had also lived through a past life with Bisus and he saw those memories in his dream, this dungeon might be one he explored with her.

A part of Bisus’s past I don’t know.

With that woman.

I don’t like it.

But if I explore this place with him instead of her…

That might not be so bad.

A chilling smile crept across Sofia’s face.

Unaware that Bisus knew of the dungeon from the novel, Sofia mistakenly thought he’d learned of it through a future with the princess.

“…A dungeon.”

A dungeon hidden in the alleys near the academy.

A first-year student, even one as beloved as her lord husband, shouldn’t know of its existence.

That means he learned of it from a dream tied to another woman!

He dreamed of that barbaric republic girl but not of our celestial bond!

I thought after dreaming of her yesterday, he’d surely dream of me today!

What if he recalls his bond with her instead of me and drifts toward her?

Artoria grew anxious.

Meanwhile, Bisus was tense for a different reason.

This was his first real combat.

Despite never having fought for real before, even with Sofia and Artoria by his side ensuring his safety, he couldn’t shake the nerves.

This dungeon was created by a mad academy graduate.

No traps, but filled with hostile defenses like golems, crafted by a sinister mage.

Dangerous, yet perfect for gaining real combat experience.

And at its end awaited a reward crucial for him now.

Hum

“Intruders. Eliminate.”

As the trio ventured deeper, a massive pile of rocks rose, blocking their path.

“A golem?”

“It’s a golem.”

A high-level golem, so intricately crafted that attacks below a certain threshold couldn’t harm it.

Yet both women muttered calmly.

“Bisus, I’ll handle—”

“Can I try first?”

Shing

Bisus drew his sword and stepped forward.

“I want to test my strength. If I’m in danger, can you help?”

“…Sure.”

Bisus relying on me completely? So adorable.

I can’t resist this.

Sofia’s inner thoughts were beyond Bisus’s comprehension.

An Iron Golem.

Impervious to attacks below a certain level.

It could even repair damage unless its core was destroyed, making it a formidable foe.

How far can I go with my current skills?

Bisus recalled the hero he was in his dream, single-handedly turning the tide of battle with overwhelming power.

If I’ve inherited even a fraction of that strength, I could perform miracles too.

Whirr

Mana flowed through Bisus’s sword, forming a sharp aura.

A clear sign he’d reached the Sword Expert level.

“Here I go!”

Boom

“Repair… impossible… system… critical…”

The golem’s core shattered, and its body collapsed.

Sheathe

Bisus slid his sword back into its scabbard.

He replayed the fight in his mind.

His body had moved instinctively, dodging the golem’s attacks and striking its limbs along the optimal path, destroying its core in under a minute.

Muscle memory, was it?

It felt like his body calculated the perfect movements on its own.

…Am I stronger than I thought?

At this rate, could I clear this dungeon alone without Sofia or Artoria?

Having lost all confidence from repeated failures in this world, Bisus felt a spark of it return with this true victory (the spar with Naber had been too surreal to process).

Clap clap clap

Turning at the sound of applause, he saw the two women approaching.

“Impressive swordsmanship, Bisus. It’s like seeing you at your peak. You’ll soon reclaim the strength from our past life.”

“It was like watching you lead angels to vanquish demons, my lord husband! I’m falling for you all over again… well, I already have, hehe.”

“Let’s keep going!”

Buoyed by their praise, Bisus strode forward confidently.

After passing through a long corridor, they reached a vast chamber.

“To think a place like this was hidden behind the alleys.”

“It’s less a dungeon and more… an underground city.”

Technically, the dungeon’s creator, driven mad, built an underground city to rival the academy city above, but no need to explain that.

It’d be hard to justify how I know.

The trio crossed the chamber to a massive door on the other side.

In front of it was a child-sized switch.

“Probably the mechanism to open the next area.”

Knowing the dungeon’s gimmicks from the novel, Bisus approached the switch, feigning deduction.

Thud

As he pulled it, gears whirred, and the massive door slowly opened.

Boom boom boom

But at the same time, dozens of golems dropped from the chamber’s ceiling.

“Extermination mode activated.”

Their glowing red eyes fixed on the trio.

“Don’t move yet.”

The Trial of Desire and Patience.

Like most dungeon creators, this madman was twisted.

He designed a test: when the door opens and golems appear, would intruders rush inside?

The creator’s intent was for the party to fight the golems together.

If someone abandoned their allies to flee through the door, a golem waiting inside would tear them apart.

But if they fought as a team, the golems would deactivate after a time.

In Eclipse, this served to strengthen the protagonist’s party’s bond.

Fighting the golems carries some risk since you have to hold out until they deactivate, which is why I brought Sofia and Artoria.

With them, surviving that time should be no problem.

“The open door is a trap. It’s designed to lure us into escaping the golems.”

“As expected. Dungeons often test people like this.”

“The golems appearing only after the door opened did seem suspicious. It’s a trap.”

“We fight.”

“I’m in.”

“Sounds good.”

“Extermination initiated.”

The golems charged, and the battle began.

Moments later

“S-S-S-System…”

“Repair… impossible…”

Dozens of golem wrecks littered the ground, so damaged they were unrecognizable.

Only two retained their heads, barely intact.

The golems, meant to deactivate unscathed, were utterly destroyed.

“It’s refreshing to stretch my limbs after so long.”

“That was fun.”

Bisus stared at the two women, dumbfounded.

What are they?

I thought I’d gotten strong…

Sofia, wielding sword aura, erased golems like they were nothing.

Artoria, unleashing holy magic, brought forth an apocalyptic judgment.

It was like watching the final battle of a fantasy epic.

…Maybe I should just cling to these two and forget about world-ending threats.

Bisus’s newfound confidence crumbled once more.