5

“Finally found ya, you lil'—no, big fucker,” A nasty voice rang through the chamber, crude and rough.

A clash of iron and fang echoed once more, causing Mandeln to open her eyes. In front of her, a man stood firmly between her party and the monster. His armor hung in pieces—not from fierce battles, but due to sheer neglect and unkemptness.

“Feelin’ scared, you filthy asshole?” the man spat, mocking the creature. “Lost yer family to some firecrackers, perhaps?”

The matriarch attacked furiously, yet the man deflected every strike with precision, wielding only an average-looking sword.

Mandeln stood astonished, her eyes barely able to follow the fight. The man blocked one strike and immediately positioned his sword to intercept the next, moving as if he could predict the matriarch’s furious attacks.

His smile flashed in the sparks of battle. The unnamed warrior was toying with the monster—one that had defeated seasoned adventurers. He was strong, way too strong.

He can be as strong as he wants, but he freaking reeks of alcohol! Mandeln thought, covering her sensitive nose.

“Ha! Ha! Ha! Is that all you got!?” The drunkard taunted. “Let’s put an end to this once an—”

Clank.

With a dull sound, the sword bounced off the creature's hard skin.

“…”

Clank

Clank

Clankclankclankclankcla-

“—Fucking die already, you hairy-ass piece of shit!” The drunkard yelled furiously, striking the matriarch repeatedly. “T’fuck yer skin’s made of!?”

“…What are we looking at?” Decken sighed, still holding his bleeding sides.

“So, this is the afterlife, huh?” Schützen said, rubbing his head. “I expected something more comfortable.”

“…! Decken! Everyone!” Mandeln exclaimed, barely able to contain her tears. “I'm so glad you're alive.”

“Too soon to cry victory yet,” Fichte said, sitting up. “That man is as strong as he is dumb.”

“Who the fuck is dumb, you long-ass-eared bitch!” The man swore as he fought. “I just need to hit it harder!”

As the battle unfolded, everyone admired the man’s strength, yet one by one, they turned their eyes to the side. The battle—fierce as it appeared—was at a ridiculous stalemate.

To be honest, it was kind of embarrassing, yet the spider seemed to be recoiling into a corner purely from the man’s brute force.

“Hey, you there!” Rawaqi called out. “That spider is soft underneath—try attacking there.”

“Ah?” The man grunted and looked at the group.

As the drunkard got distracted, the matriarch seized the moment, striking him straight in the head and sending him flying toward a wall—with a cracking sound so loud it made everyone’s blood run cold.

The mood immediately shifted as the matriarch resumed her attack on the party. Schützen moved to the front, shielding against the strikes while Decken and Rawaqi aimed for the monster's joints.

Mandeln pulled the wounded Fichte out of danger, healing her and praying for a chance to make a comeback. Little by little, despair started to swell in her heart once more, as her comrades were clearly being pushed back and would soon collapse again.

“Hehe… Hehehe…”

Yet, a laugh echoed from the corner. The man who should have been knocked out—or worse—yelled with a hoarse voice. “—So, she’s soft below, huh? Kuhehehe, what’s this? Are ya a lover, perhaps?”

For a moment, Mandeln wondered who the true monster was as the unknown man slowly rose from the rubble. He was bleeding profusely, yet still laughed like a maniac.

“You just need a little oomph on your soft spot to get you going, huh!?” The drunkard laughed disgustingly. “One would think a woman with so many children would be past that stuff! Gyaaa! Ha! Ha!”

Leaving a trail of blood behind, the man kicked off the ground and closed the distance at incredible speed, practically appearing beside Schützen.

“W-Woah! How in the world…?”

“So, ya telling me I just hit her in the breadbasket, and that’s it?” The drunkard said, punching the matriarch right below the fangs, lifting it just enough to swing his sword. “Pfft.”

With just one swing, the matriarch's innards burst open, and copious amounts of fluids spilled onto the floor, soaking it completely.

“Fucking way to spoil the fun,” He spat.

The monster screeched and writhed for a moment before, like her offspring, curling up and going still. Massive as it was, the matriarch was now dead.

The man stood in silence, looking at the carcass with a bored expression. Then as if losing interest, he jumped off it and walked toward the group.

“… Thank you,” Decken said. “You really saved us.”

“You're so strong!” Schützen said, his eyes sparkling. “We'd be dead if it weren't for you!”

“Yeah, things aside, we owe you one,” Rawaqi added.

“Keh, well then” The man snorted. “If you're so indebted, then better start emptying those pockets and handing over everything.”

The party stood in silence, staring at the man’s twisted smile. Everyone got the message, but it was so out of nowhere that no one seemed to know how to respond.

“What, ye think I have all the fucking time in the world?” The man said impatiently. “Need to go deeper to fetch as much as I can before the other cretins catch up to me, so let's get passing, chop-chop.”

“Are you… really trying to rob us?” Decken said hesitantly.

“Well, we have a helluva genius right here! Of course, I’m looking for yer shit! Think I’m the fucking police who came to save y’all!?” The man yelled, his irritation growing. “The dungeon’s gone to shit, everyone’s panicking, I finally ditched that snot-nosed bird bitch, what else would I do in this stu—”

Bonk.

With a thud, the man fell face down on the floor. A girl with dog ears appeared behind him, wielding an oversized wooden club, or rather...

“M-Mandeln!?” Fichte screamed. “What have you done!”

“He’s going to kill us for sure now,” Schützen said, collapsing to the floor.

“Let’s wait for him to sober up,” Mandeln said, lowering her staff with a blank expression. “I… need to talk with him.”

Mandeln and the rest made camp in an adjacent room, sealing it off just in case they got swarmed again. Since the large room had a fountain, the party decided to throw some dried meat and long-lasting vegetables into a pot to quickly recover their energy.

Somehow, the major menace of the dungeon had been defeated, and yet nobody cheered or even spoke as they worked. Mostly because its champion was lying drunk and unconscious after Mandeln’s hearty thwacking with her Ewig Baum root staff.

As Mandeln sat beside the man, tending to his wounds and reassembling his armor, Qhana, who was helping her, observed. “Looking at him up close, he doesn’t seem to be of low caste.”

Indeed, despite his disheveled appearance and the stench of booze, he was well-built and had good facial features.

“So, a noble?” Fichte asked, staring at the man with curiosity.

“Maybe,” Qhana replied. “Perhaps he’s the same as Schützen, someone so far down the line of inheritance that he ended up enlisted in the army or something… Ah, he’s waking up.”

“So, where do you know this man from, Mandeln?” Fichte asked.

“I want to confirm something first,” Mandeln said, clenching her teeth. “That’s why I need to talk to him.”

In his own words—or rather, thoughts—Saufer felt like shit. His head pounded for more reasons than one, and his body jerked as he woke up.

When the girl under his care kicked his chair at the bar and informed him that Ätherisch had been swarmed by foreign creatures, he swore at her and went home.

Alone in his room, drinking from his private reserve, he got wasted while listening to his comrades prepare for battle. He knew the girl would come for him, so after a while, he just jumped out of the window and roamed through the city.

A swarmed dungeon, tch. He cursed in his mind.

He had no idea if Ätherisch had ever been invaded like that before, yet he knew what would happen. He’d seen it time and again—lots of deaths, maybe no survivors, hundreds of families in pain, a counterattack, even more deaths, some politician spouting nice yet empty words, and then nothing would get done for months.

Long, long ago, he might have been the first to volunteer and help. And yet, as he walked, he realized he was smiling at the chance of getting something out of this.

He was the worst.

Without noticing, his legs guided him toward Verlies’ west exit. As he approached the stone gates, a guard stepped forward.

“Sir Saufer, Miss Lily was—Kuh!”

“I ain’t got no time for yer bullshit,” He spat.

Punching the man in the gut, Saufer seized his sword. As the other guards pointed their weapons at him, he knocked them all out with the hilt of the blade.

With the alarm bell clanging behind him, he sprinted away from the city toward the mountains, punching anyone who stood in his way.

Without hesitation, Saufer entered the dark passages of the swarmed Ätherisch, cutting through countless spiders until he reached one as big as a house.

That’s the jackpot! He smiled. Bet I can pay any woman I want with the loot from that.

As he pursued the monster, he eventually arrived in an open area. There, he found a group of people—the first survivors he had encountered so far. Yet it seemed their survival wouldn't last long, as only a lone girl remained conscious, desperately trying to help an elf in her lap.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

He wasn’t a hero, far from it. He had even stripped most corpses of their possessions to sell later. And while he planned to do the same with those people, after seeing the woman’s expression, he got really, really angry.

Gritting his teeth, Saufer yelled something and charged at the monster. Deep down, he knew all too well the feeling of being overwhelmed beyond hope.

The moment the man opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the visage of a woman. Now up close, more sober, and in better light, he could see her more clearly—her golden locks cascading around her round face, her piercing eyes that craved information, and the ears on top of her head that seemed to react to every bit of sound around her.

That dream again... He thought.

Shifting his gaze away from the girl for a moment, he noticed the ridiculously oversized staff behind her, too big to be handled properly.

There’s no fire… No, it’s not a dream.

Then his eyes returned to her, and the woman smiled as she noticed his eyes widen slightly. He quickly forced them back to their usual scolding look.

“…Just what the hell are you doing here?” the man asked, his expression complicated.

Mandeln looked at him for a while. He had changed, of course; it had been ten years since she last saw him. His eyes looked more sunken, and strands of white had started to appear in his hair and beard.

Yet the more she looked, the clearer her memories became.

“I could ask the same,” Mandeln finally said, softening her expression and even showing a hint of red on her cheeks.

In a way, she knew that all those memories were somewhat distorted by a child's perspective. It only took one glimpse of this mess of a man to realize that the dungeon she fell into as a kid was probably just a random cavern, the hideous beast must have been a boar, and the man in front of her was likely just fighting it to get some food.

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. The root chamber had been used as a hideout, and he had likely grabbed whatever root was closest to get rid of her—the pestering child—quickly, ultimately using her as a scapegoat to hide the stolen goods. Because he was no prince, but a scoundrel.

Yet, just as Fichte noted, his features would be rare among peasants. Mandeln vaguely remembered stories of a royal knight, a legend who had fallen from grace long, long ago and become an outcast.

Her curious mind raced, and her heart followed suit. Since she was a kid, she had craved to know more about this man. She wrote stories about him, heroic tales of his adventures inside dungeons and in each one she was rescued by his strong arms. But they were never enough. She always wanted to talk to him, learn about him, discover his true origins.

But…

“Does that really matter now?” She continued. “May this be destiny’s play?”

“The fuck if I know. I don’t believe in bullshit like that,” The man spat, his expression growing more sour. “Move, lemme sit.”

But for once, Mandeln decided not to pry. She would let things take their course. If destiny wanted them to meet again after this, so be it. For now, she was just happy to finally meet her childhood crush again.

“Yeah, yeah,” Mandeln said with a smile, giving him some space. “Glad to see you well too, Saufer.”

And then, Fichte’s bowl of soup slipped from her hands.

“The dungeon stopped shifting here,” Decken said, noticing the writing on the walls. “These are old marks; it seems the spiders didn’t get this far. Ätherisch is untouched from here on.”

“W-We did it!” Qhana said, collapsing to her knees, unable to hold back her tears.

“Just half an hour, and we’re out,” Rawaqi said, reading the information on the wall. “Good job, everyone.”

“Yeah, and I did all the work. You’re damn welcome,” Saufer said, walking away deeper into the dungeon once more. “Now get out of my sight.”

“—You are staying in Verlies, right?” Mandeln said. “Let’s find each other again and catch up, okay?”

Saufer then stopped briefly and turned. “… You’re becoming a Raider, right?”

“Y-yes…!” Mandeln said, getting flustered all of a sudden. “I’ve wanted to become one since the last time we met.”

“What a stupid idea,” Saufer spat. “I might not be there to save your ass again.”

“Meaning you might be there if I’m in trouble?” Mandeln said, smiling.

Saufer didn’t reply. He just scowled, turned away, and continued on his path.

“H-hey! Remember about the people at the camp!” Schützen called after him.

“Fuck you,” Saufer muttered, disappearing into the darkness of the dungeon.

“Whew, that’s some guy you happened to know, eh Mandeln?” Schützen said.

Yet Mandeln didn’t respond. She just stared after him until the darkness swallowed him once more.

The party walked mostly in silence; perhaps an aftereffect of their journey through the rest of Ätherisch in near silence. Mandeln was especially quiet, Fichte noticed. She kept looking forward at no particular point, even stopping her usual sight-seeing as the masonry despite becoming more intricate, a sure sign that the exit was near.

“…Hey, Mandeln,” Fichte said slowly. “Is it really fine to leave that guy in there?”

“Do you think he might cause more trouble?” Mandeln replied instantly.

“N-no, but, you know…” Fichte struggled to find the words. “I can’t claim to know you extremely well, but the Mandeln I have in my mind would have jumped with joy at seeing that man again. If he’s really the Saufer you couldn’t keep quiet almost our entire carriage trip, I just assumed you’d have clung to him and never let go again.”

Fichte laughed at herself at the image. Yeah no, it was probably not the time to do stuff like that.

“…Should I have done it?” Mandeln asked in a flat tone, her head slowly turning toward Fichte.

“Eh?” Fichte exhaled.

“Should I go after him then!?” Mandeln squeaked, her voice full of panic as she grabbed Fichte’s hands. “I-I was trying so hard not to jump into his arms at every step—I almost cried when he left! I mean, it was him, in the flesh! He’s just like I remembered, minus the alcohol, but whatever. It’s him! He’s the same but somehow even cooler? The beard is new, though, and it suits him so well…! And that thing he said when he left!? ‘I might not be there to save your ass again.’ Hyaa!! It made my heart bounce so hard it almost hurt. I was so nervous inside and tried to act cool to hide it—I may have been a bit too forward with my words, though… W-wait, did I flirt with him!? Oh, goddess, I won’t be able to look him in the eye next time I see him!”

It was as if the floodgates had opened. The group stood in shock as Mandeln buried her flushed face in her hands, making little jumps while spinning.

M-Mandeln fell in love with a delinquent! Fichte screamed to herself.

As Mandeln was about to turn and run back into the dungeon, Fichte—and Qhana, unsurprisingly—stopped her by the shoulders. “Mandeln! Look at me. That guy is bad news; nothing good will come from this.”

“Y-yes!” Qhana chirped. “You are too wonderful for someone like him. You’re also very cute—it’ll take no time for you to find someone better!”

“C-C’mon, girls,” Mandeln said with a perplexed expression. “You just need to know him a bit better…”

“Listen, I’ve seen his type time and time again,” Fichte insisted. “They’re the worst of the worst, a waste of air. Please, take it from someone who’s decades older than you. Or do you want him to run away and leave you alone with a kid in your arms?”

“K-Kid!?” Mandeln yelled, her face now red as a tomato. “I-I-It’s too early for things like that, I’ve never thought of you as the naughty type, Fichte!”

“At least deny it…” Fichte whimpered, slumping her shoulders in despair, losing hope.

“He’s so scary. For all we know, he could be mugging the entire camp right now,” Qhana said nervously. “We need to hurry and alert the guards!”

“I don’t think he meant it…” Mandeln said while trying to calm herself. “He could have just ditched us and run away. Instead, he escorted us through the last part of the dungeon until it was safe to travel. Isn’t that something good, at least?”

That was a weak, but valid point, Fichte had to admit. He also didn’t take anything from them—she checked twice, and she was pretty sure everyone else did too, except for Mandeln.

His parting words were half Mandeln’s interpretation, but he didn’t deny her comment either. If she’s telling the truth, then maybe—just maybe—he’s someone useful at the very least.

Sigh… I’ll need to keep an eye on her. Fichte thought to herself. Not that I planned to leave soon anyway.

It was sunset when the party finally emerged from Ätherisch, stepping out onto the top of a ravine. After almost three days inside, the fresh air felt like a blessing against everyone’s skin.

Fichte nearly stumbled from the relief, wanting to scream in happiness, but she didn’t have the energy to go much further.

As they descended the stairs and reached the dirt path, they spotted a battalion of armed men in the distance. It seemed the alarm had rung a while ago, and they were preparing to enter the dungeon.

“Halt!” One of the guards said. “Identify yourselves!”

“It’s me, calm down, Roh,” Decken replied, stepping forward. “Good to see you.”

The guard stepped back in surprise, then lowered his weapon and approached. “Decken, good lord! How in the world did you get out of that? I assumed the worst after hearing you were delivering a package to Schritt!”

“It wasn’t that far from the truth,” Decken nodded. “Luckily, I had some good comrades with me. I’d tell you more, but perhaps it’s better you hear it when I give my report… ah, she’s coming.”

Just as he mentioned, a woman accompanied by two of the battalion's largest soldiers approached the group.

The girl was taller than Mandeln, but Fichte was taller still. She was probably fifteen at best—not that height and age mattered when a single glance from her frozen gaze could make you feel so insignificant. With confidence, she regarded the group, her crimson hair fluttering in the wind as she scanned everyone.

“Lady Lily,” Decken said, kneeling. “I’m afraid I have complicated news to report.”

“Or so I've heard,” The girl, Lily, said sharply. “Report then.”

“Of course,” Decken replied. “Ätherisch has been swarmed by Kaltehölle spiders. The leading theory is that the dungeon pierced a nest somewhere. There are currently fourteen people in need of help inside the camp.”

As Decken gave his report, Lily's eyes grew narrower and sharper.

“So, there are other survivors,” she said. “And how did you manage to come out? There’s no way people like you could overcome something like that easily.”

“We were lucky,” Decken said. “Miss Mandeln here is a scholar, well-versed in dungeon layouts and monsters. We traversed the dungeon and avoided the spiders as per her instructions.”

“Impressive,” Lily said, though she looked anything but impressed. “If that’s the case, why are you all so battered?”

“…We were attacked by a swarm, led by a Kaltehölle matriarch,” Decken explained, looking a bit uncomfortable. “It was thanks to Miss Fichte’s wits that we dealt with the swarm. Then the matriarch showed up, and… and a warrior named Saufer defeated it. He left us just where the dungeon stopped shifting and turned back.”

Lily’s entire demeanor changed the moment Saufer’s name was mentioned.

“Saufer is in there?” Lily said, smirking for the first time.

Turning around, Lily called out to the battalion. “Soldiers! Make haste and prepare for a rescue and capture mission. We’re entering Ätherisch.”

“Yes, chief!”

The soldiers sprang into action immediately. Weapons were gathered, carriers picked up boxes of food and water, while others dismantled tents, prepared ropes, and readied handcuffs.

“Good job, soldier,” Lily said to Decken. “Please report to the commander at headquarters. Repeat what you just told me and then go rest—you’re relieved from duty for two weeks.”

As Lily turned to walk away, Mandeln took a hesitant step forward. “M-Miss Lily! Is Saufer in trouble?”

Lily paused briefly, her eyes piercing through Mandeln. “Do you know him?”

“Yes, from a long time ago,” Mandeln replied sincerely.

“Then you must know that man is always in trouble,” Lily said. “It seems you’re new here. I apologize that it couldn’t be under better circumstances, but I bid you welcome. Please mention my name at the inn in the center of Verlies—they should provide you with a room to recover.”

With nothing more to add, Lily turned and returned to the battalion.

“I knew that man was no good,” Fichte said, as Qhana nodded in agreement.

“What do we do!?” Mandeln exclaimed. “Saufer is in trouble!”

“He probably hasn’t paid his taxes or something—that’s the only thing the city cares about,” Rawaqi said nonchalantly. “You’ll soon see there’s not much law around here.”

“In any case,” Fichte clapped her hands. “Sounds like his problem. So, how about we finally take a look at what we all came here for?”

With no further distractions, they turned toward the valley, and there it was—the reason all travelers braved that ancient dungeon in the first place. Towering over the entire region known as Herrenlos like a beacon, Verlies, a city so ancient it rivaled Ätherisch.

Mandeln was still worried about the people in the camp. She would make sure to give all the information she could to the guards so they could reach the camp as soon as possible. But at that moment, she couldn’t help but forget everything else, as the city mentioned in so many books about dungeons stood before her. She imagined herself entering the stone walls, obtaining her raider’s license, and meeting good companions to delve into dungeons together. And yet, she hoped that her first companion would be the one she happened to meet even before arriving here.

“Er… Fichte?” Mandeln said hesitantly. “Are you still considering becoming a Raider?”

“Hmm,” Fichte mused. “To be honest, I’m a bit done with dungeons for the time being.”

“Oh…”

“Ask me again in a week, okay?” Fichte said with a small smile. “I know myself—I love money, and it’d leave a bad taste in my mouth letting you go all alone. So do I really have a choice? Give me some rest, and I’ll be kicking again soon.”

“…!! Yes!” Mandeln nodded happily.

“We might not see each other as often,” Decken said in his usual stoic tone. “But find me whenever you’re in trouble.”

“Same here,” Rawaqi added. “I run a repair shop in the city when I’m not inside a dungeon. Pay me a visit, and I’ll treat your weapons finely.”

“I actually came here to enroll in Verlies’ magic court!” Qhana said excitedly. “So I’ll see you all the time!”

“Uh… I got sent here against my will,” Schützen said, scratching his cheek. “So, same?”

There was no need for more words. Dungeons are frightening, but all meaningful things come from the struggles people endure to achieve their goals.

In silence, they walked once more.

Toward Verlies, the so-called Dungeon City, as it shone brightly in the golden sun.