Volume 1 Chapter 36 The Request Of The Princess
The girl named Merletta, who calls herself the princess of Cretia, lifted her head and looked at us with a tense expression.
"What is the meaning of this...? Um, Your Highness."
"Having witnessed the earlier battle with the soldiers, I realized that both of you are very skilled individuals. Moreover, you have brought me here without even knowing who I am."
The princess spoke in this manner, alternating her gaze between me and Fatina.
"But, Princess-san, even if we were to lend our aid, what specifically would we be doing? Even if you are indeed genuine, without at least explaining the situation, how are we to make a judgment?"
The shop owner, disregarding the fact that his interlocutor was of royal blood, addressed the princess with a firm and resolute attitude.
But what he said was reasonable.
The scenario of the princess escaping the castle and the soldiers giving chase was reminiscent of a fairy tale, yet the soldiers' behavior was far from ordinary.
"Um! I want to be of help to the princess!"
Even though the princess hadn't said anything yet, Fatina suddenly raised her hand.
"Hey, wait a minute, young lady. You haven't heard anything yet, have you?"
"But, I can't think of a reason for her to lie about being the princess, and I'm sure I'd feel lonely if I were her. So, I want to help..."
Could it be that Fatina remembered being helped herself and now wants to help others?
(...Come to think of it, that might be true)
"I feel the same way as Fatina. I want to help her."
"Thank you, Ark-sama!"
"Sigh... these people..."
The shop owner muttered discontentedly, plopped down on a chair, and rested his chin on the counter.
Fatina looked at the shop owner and smiled slyly.
The princess in question had wide eyes, frozen in what appeared to be surprise.
After a moment, she shook her head as if to clear her thoughts.
"Thank you. Now, I will explain everything about why I have come to Voltana."
And so the princess began to speak.
"Are you aware of the fact that our country is constantly engaged in the subjugation of monsters?"
"Oh yes, especially in the dungeons, there were unusually large numbers of monsters."
The Emerald Green Dungeon had a higher number of monsters compared to other dungeons.
This was revealed from the information provided by Ryuin and the others.
"That's right. It seems that dungeons, by their nature, are places where monsters tend to gather, but this tendency is particularly noticeable in the vicinity of the three dungeons."
"Are the three dungeons the ones located around Voltana?"
Fatina inquired, and the princess nodded.
"Yes. There's the 'Emerald Green Dungeon' to the east of this town, the 'Aquaflow Cavern' to the north, and the 'Inferno Pathway' to the west. These are the dungeons."
"Huh? Were those really the names of those dungeons?"
I and Fatina knew, but the shop owner seemed curious as it was the first time he heard of them.
But knowing the names of the dungeons, it seemed certain that she was indeed the princess Ryuin had mentioned.
"As for the names of the three dungeons, they have been passed down to some extent within the royal family of Cretia."
"Oh, I see."
"Um, does this have anything to do with the dungeons and the princess running away?"
In response to Fatina's question, the princess composed herself.
Perhaps, this is where the core of the story begins.
"Starting from the Voltana region, the number of monsters has increased, and we are now short of soldiers. Most of the defense now relies on adventurers visiting our country."
That's a story I heard from the shop owner once.
"So, my father decided to hire adventurers with exceptionally high level caps and outstanding skills, treating them well under the pretext of conquering each dungeon and eliminating monsters."
"Could it be that..."
Fatina glanced at me briefly.
"Currently, there should be an S-Rank adventurer named Allen in the northern 'Aquaflow Cavern', and similarly, a man named Balzark, also S-Rank, should be tackling the western 'Inferno Pathway'."
Allen.
Balzark.
(...I never expected to hear those names here)
I haven't seen Balzark, especially since that incident, but it seems he's in the midst of conquering the western dungeon.
Balzark's party consisted of a cat-like girl who approached me, and two men wearing armor.
"Do you know those two?"
"Yes. They are adventurers my father called upon to conquer the dungeons. And, they have been given another special assignment. It's the search for the 'key'."
"Key? What's that? Something used for doors or something?"
"The shop owner made a motion that twisted his wrist.
"'Keys' are three treasures that appear in an old legend of the Cretian royal family. It is written in ancient documents that one is enshrined in the lowest layer of each dungeon. They possess tremendous power. It was kept secret and should never be released."
The shop owner nodded at her story.
"That dungeon hasn't been conquered for a long time. It wouldn't be strange if there were one or two legends like that."
"In fact, there have been reports for some time that the difficulty of these dungeons is incomparable to others. So my father summoned them with the promise of a title if they found all the keys."
When the shop owner heard this, his mouth dropped open.
"D-Did you just say the title of peerage? You're not mistaken, are you? Is it possible that adventurer would give in for something like that?"
"I think that's a lie. Maybe after he get the key..."
When I said that, the princess looked down. I can somehow imagine what she's thinking.
(If that's the case, Allen and Balzark should have noticed it too)
If that's true, they never intended to fulfill the king's request seriously from the beginning; they must have planned to steal the key.
"Eventually, a horde of Black Chimeras and monsters from the Emerald Green Dungeon stormed Voltana. Upon hearing the news, my father seemed to be convinced of the existence of the 'key.'"
Is she referring to the horde of monsters led by the Shadow Chimera?
"Since then, my father has become obsessed with the key, as if he has changed, and he no longer listens to my pleas to stop the exploration. And in the end, he imprisoned me in the tower of the castle."
"To do such a thing to his own daughter..."
"But soon after, I was rescued by the trusted maids and knights. I took the ancient documents, passed through the underground passage known only to the royal family, and made it here from the capital city by carriage."
"To escape the castle alone and come this far, you're quite bold..."
The shop owner also folded his arms, impressed by the princess's ability to act.
"But if it was a few days ago, I think the Cretian soldiers would have noticed too soon."
Their patrols looked as if they knew Voltana had a princess.
"I think that the letter I wrote to Ryuin was probably read. I had predicted that it would happen, so I didn't write anything that would touch on the main points. If I ran away, I would come here. I guess that was expected."
That's why the letter addressed to Ryuin was an abstract request.
And I guess that's where we are now when we arrive at Voltana.
"While I was still in the castle, I heard that Ryuin's party had captured the Emerald Green Dungeon. If that's true, she must have one of the keys. I came here to warn you."
"No, I have the key."
"──Eh?"
I picture it in my head as if I were to take the Emerald Green Key out of my body.
Suddenly, a golden shimmering key appears in the air in front of my chest.
It radiates light as it hovers in mid-air.
"Th-this can't be...? Why is it here?"
"Ryuin and the others entrusted it to me, saying they had no use for it."
After gazing at the key floating in the air, the princess looks up at my face.
"Please. Accompany me to the remaining dungeon and destroy the key with me."
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