Chapter 108: Heavy Burden

Sarah, the other two Valkyries, and I said our goodbyes to Erina and Diane, then headed toward the mine, carrying canteens of Holy Water with bandoliers strapped around our bodies.

Thanks to our strategy, we could be bolder by entering through the front gate and defeating as many Ghosts as we could, but that wasn’t our mission.

Our only task was to reach the destroyed core. Of course, to do that, we would have to face Derug and the Boss, but that was inevitable. Still, to accomplish it as quickly as possible, the best option was to take the shortcut to the heart of the dungeon.

We were approaching the secret passage when we saw a small figure in the distance. The little boy waved at us when he saw us.

“You really don’t have a sense of safety, do you, kid?” Sarah said as soon as we got close to him.

“Are you guys going to clear the dungeon today?” Carl asked excitedly, seeing all of us geared up.

“It’s not as easy a task as you think,” Justine said, adjusting her glasses.

“That’s right. We promise we’ll do our best, but clearing the dungeon today…” Sarah said to him.

But before she could finish, I said, “What are you girls saying? I’m sure we can finish this dungeon today.”

“What?” The three Valkyries reacted in unison.

“I mean, if we follow the plan, we’ll have more than enough mana to face this dungeon’s Boss.”

The three girls didn’t seem so convinced. Among them, Alicia broke the silence. “But even if we defeat Derug, we have no idea what the Boss of this dungeon is.”

“Ah?” I let out a surprised sound. I had been stupid enough to forget that these girls had no idea what our foe was. I only knew because I remembered reading about the story we were living in. “About that, I think I know what kind of creature we’re dealing with.”

“Eh? How can you know that?” Sarah asked, looking at me dumbfounded.

I was in a pinch. How could I explain it to them without revealing my past? It was then that I looked at Carl, who was staring at the ground. I remembered that he had been afraid of the monster.

“Carl, you saw the monster in the core’s room, right?”

He nodded at me. “Y-Yes, I saw it.”

I felt relieved hearing that from him, giving me the perfect opening to explain the situation to the girls.

“It looked like a flaming skull, right?” The boy made a frightened face as I said that. Bingo!

The boy took a deep breath, composing himself, then looked at me with all the courage he could gather. “You’re right. That monster—it was dressed in black, like it was the king of a castle, but its head was a skull surrounded by blue flames.”

“That is…” Sarah looked dumbfounded, finally realizing what kind of monster we were dealing with.

Alicia approached Carl with a gentle expression and said to him, “Carl, thank you for helping us, but it’s better if you go home now. Things might get pretty dangerous from here on.”

The little boy nodded to her, then looked at me. “I hope you can defeat it. I’ll be cheering for you!!” After saying that, the boy ran off toward the town.

Now that he was far from us, I could speak more freely with my party. “We’re dealing with a Lich.”

“A Lich?” Alicia didn’t seem to understand what kind of monster that was.

Before I could say anything, Justine adjusted her glasses and explained, “It’s a type of undead, but one that can use magic—among its abilities is necromancy.”

Alicia grew nervous upon hearing that. “So it’s an undead that can control other undead?”

“That’s right,” Justine said.

“That means it has the same weakness as the others. Holy is still very effective against it,” Sarah said in a more cheerful tone. “Maybe we can actually fight it.”

Alicia also seemed happier with the news, but Justine, standing beside them, didn’t seem to be in a very good mood.

“Is something wrong, Justine?” I asked her.

“Rick, you knew exactly what kind of monster we were dealing with, didn’t you?” Justine asked me somewhat awkwardly.

I froze where I stood. I wasn’t sure how I should answer her. Could I really reveal to them that I had transmigrated? They would definitely think I was crazy if I said that.

“Yes, I knew what the monster was, and it wasn’t just a guess of mine.”

“How did you know?” she asked me—not in an interrogative way, but more as if she felt uncomfortable than anything else.

I looked down at the ground, not knowing how to answer. I liked the three girls standing in front of me, so why couldn’t I tell them the truth? I asked them to trust me, but why couldn’t I do the same?

Those questions only made me irritated with myself. I took a deep breath and faced them.

“I’ll explain everything to you, but only after we deal with this dungeon. I want Erina and Diane to hear it too. I hope you understand,” I said in a determined tone, heading toward the secret passage.

The three girls seemed worried about me. They knew I wouldn’t hide something from them out of malice—I was doing it so I wouldn’t make them worry.

“Try not to think about it during the mission. We’re in enemy territory. Even with Holy Water, any mistake could be fatal, so don’t let your guard down.”

Even with hesitant looks, my Valkyries nodded, still willing to follow me until the end.

’A man trying to avoid death while facing a commander of the dead. Hmph, what a tasteless joke.’ With that thought, I stepped into the narrow passage leading into the dwelling of the dead.

…

Unlike the first time we entered through that tunnel, the secret passage wasn’t as empty as before. Maybe after our failed attempt, Derug had pulled some strings to make sure more Ghosts occupied the path. Of course, that was already expected. A few meters from the entrance, two Ghosts were roaming the area, and when they saw us, they came to greet us with a cold and deathly hello.

The undead came toward us without hesitation. Fortunately, this time we were more than prepared. I grabbed one of the canteens I had with me, uncapped it, and poured Holy Water onto the faces of the two ghosts when they were close enough. The effect was instantaneous.

Smoke began to rise where the spirits were touched by the blessed water, and the two figures writhed in pain, their bodies dissolving at the touch of the holy liquid until they turned to dust.

“This Holy Water is really incredible. And to think that just a little could deal so much damage to them.” Sarah said, impressed.

“For you, it’s a lethal weapon against undead. With this, we can definitely advance through the dungeon.” I looked at Sarah’s sword. “Let’s keep moving.”

A few steps ahead, we came face to face with four Ghosts, which were easily eliminated by Sarah and me without spending a single point of mana. With every step we took deeper into that dungeon, we could hear the moans of pain from the restless souls that haunted the place.

Remembering what had happened last time, I turned to the blonde girl behind me. “Are you alright, Alicia?”

“I-I’m fine!” she replied in a slightly frightened voice. “I’m not scared at all!”

“Alright. Stay in the rear, and we’ll give you all the support you need, okay?” I said to her.

“Yes,” she said in a somewhat sad voice. Suddenly, I felt her slender fingers tugging at the edge of my shirt.

“Is something wrong?” I asked, noticing the sadness in her tone.

“No, it’s just that you’re always smiling at me, at us, but sometimes it feels like you’re carrying a heavy burden.” Alicia said in a sorrowful tone.

Even in a situation that was horrifying for her, she was worried about my well-being.

I had two secrets: the first was the fact that I had transmigrated, and the second was the death flag written on my back.

“This isn’t the best time for that. The problem is something that can’t be resolved in this town. Like I said, when we return to the inn, I’ll tell you everything.”

“What are you talking about? You’ll never leave this dungeon alive!”

When I heard that shrill voice echoing through the tunnel, my eyes darted around, searching for any sign of the demon behind it. Justine, holding the lantern, pointed ahead. “Rick, there!”

That’s when I saw it a few meters away—a small demon in the shape of a black, stretched octahedron, staring at us with its single eye. Anger surged within me the moment I saw it, remembering the harm it had caused Sarah and Alicia.

“Derug!” I glared at the creature, fury blazing in my eyes. This time, I would eliminate it once and for all.

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