Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

Looking at the kind-hearted dragon girl, the lizardman warrior paused for a moment, then smiled, revealing his sharp teeth.

"Don't worry, Winnie, according to Fels, Rey is currently under the 'protection' of the Loki Familia."

"shelter?"

"That's right, just like how Little Bell and the others ensured your safety back then. Perhaps she gets along well with those powerful adventurers."

When Winnie heard Reed mention the group of adventurers, she burst into laughter through her tears and finally felt relieved.

Reid was also very worried about Rey's safety. Not long ago, he received a message from Fels through his magical artifact, the "Eye Crystal," informing him that Rey was safe and sound. This news came from the leader of the Loki Familia himself.

Humans "protect" monsters.

Until recently, Reed certainly wouldn't have believed such nonsense.

But ever since that great battle in the labyrinth street.

Then things began to change.

To be honest, it was because of "a certain boy" that the mindset of herself, Rey, and the adventurers all changed.

—If this news is true, it will be the most joyous news in the world.

Perhaps the adventurers received the sentiment behind Rei's selfless dedication.

At least Reed believes so, and hopes it will come true.

"Let's stop talking about that for now. These disgusting 'flesh' are spreading everywhere, and we don't have time to chat right now."

"I know that, Guros."

A gargoyle chimed in from the side.

Reed shrugged like a human being at his compatriot, who had a troubled past and was so rigid that he wouldn't even allow himself to indulge in sentimentality. He then returned to his work of "digging holes."

"They actually want us to dig a tunnel to the enemy leader's location... That's really going to be a lot of work."

"Anyway, this isn't the first time the magician has entrusted such a reckless task."

Reed, who was breathing fire and swinging his sword, complained bitterly, while Guros, who was attacking with his claws, also joined in.

The "heretics" are currently located on approximately the 9th floor of the dungeon.

Unlike the Ganesha's Kin, who carried out the green meat removal operation on the surface, they expelled the "green meat" from underground.

In fact, the "heretics" rarely operate above the 10th floor.

They generally avoid the "upper levels," where there are more novice adventurers. The reason is that the total area of ​​the "upper levels" is much narrower than that of the "middle levels" and below, and there is a risk of encountering adventurers unexpectedly. This time, thanks to the assistance of Uranus and his companions, they were able to successfully infiltrate the ninth level undetected.

That being said—

It will take some time before we reach the enemy's main base... that is, before we reach our "destination".

"However... the green meat's resistance seems to have weakened considerably compared to the beginning, right?"

"Yes, you're right. The initial reaction was quite violent, resulting in casualties on our side."

At the time of the investigation, the "green flesh" was quite active, constantly emerging from above, below, left, right, and all directions, even from the floor, walls, and ceiling, as if it had merged with the maze to become a giant beast and launched an attack.

In contrast, the "green meat" is currently only active in localized areas, appearing occasionally as if suddenly waking up. Although it is tiring, it is not life-threatening.

The situation is similar to the passive "defense" of keeping the city gates closed.

At least that's what Reed thinks.

"!"

After chiseling through the green flesh and advancing a distance, a "crunching" sound, like flesh being torn apart, suddenly came, and several "corpses" fell in front of them.

On the corpse, one could see armor that barely retained its original shape.

He is an adventurer.

To be precise, it was that night, like a nightmare, when the members of the Dionysus Familia were tragically devoured by the green flesh.

"...The body was washed ashore here."

The condition of the body was horribly disturbing.

Some had turned into mummies, while others were unrecognizable as if they had rotted away. The only thing they had in common was that their skin was in terrible condition, making it impossible to identify them, let alone their appearance, or even to analyze the "Blessing" engraved on their backs.

To use a human adjective, it's like "wolfing down" food—eating without regard for table manners.

Reed and the others quickly blocked the view of the others, but Winnie, with her sharp eyes, still caught a glimpse of them, causing her to cover her mouth and gag.

"Just as the magician predicted, the 'flesh' has converted all the captured adventurers into 'nutrients'."

After examining the mangled corpse, Guross crouched down and whispered his conclusion. Reid, upon hearing this, displayed his disgust on his face.

At the same time, a question arose in my mind.

(The question is... where did the acquired "nutrients" go?)

The "green flesh" covering the entire maze originated from "filthy fairy essence," which is probably to be expected.

However, the enemy's "target" has not yet been confirmed.

Is it simply to annihilate the adventurers who have been lured into the artificial labyrinth?

Or is there some other motive?

(Could the reason why green meat's resistance is weakened be related to the way "nutrients" are used...?)

A premonition was stirring in Reed's mind.

This is an inexplicable "intuition" unique to monsters born in the underground city and surviving to this day.

Reed let out a wild growl, and as he slightly twisted his long neck—

"──"

He suddenly stopped moving.

"Reed...?"

The dragon girl at the back tilted her head in confusion, her long, bluish-silver hair swaying in the breeze.

The lizardman remained silent, reaching out to touch the lifeless, green remains of the meat, scorched by fire and hacked with knives.

"Reed! What are you doing?!"

Guros issued a stern warning.

Reed whispered quietly:

"There's a sound."

This murmur was not directed at the compatriots who had already stopped moving.

"There's a sound... coming from inside."

Gaiden: Sword Oratoria 12 Chapter 3 Rabbit Oracle

"I can't find it!"

In the center of the enormous library.

Tiona, surrounded by a large number of books that had been taken down from the bookshelf, screamed loudly.

"You idiot, Tiona! Stop causing trouble here. This isn't the headquarters library!"

"Tione, keep your voice down too..."

Immediately following was Tiony's shout.

Ais's gentle attempts to stop her were ineffective, only earning her glares from those around her.

This is the "Goblin Library".

Located in the eastern part of the labyrinth city, this place, like the "Goblin Rental Treasury," is one of the facilities operated by the goblins living in Orario.

Among the fairies, goblins, possessing exceptionally skillful hands, have successfully integrated into human society thanks to their unique abilities. Those goblins skilled in commerce and the operation of facilities like vaults are known as "Goblin Lords," using the gems they've mined to create businesses that rival those of the gods and merchants. This "Great Library" and "Rental Treasury" are prime examples. Incidentally, because goblins consider knowledge a form of "property," access to this "Great Library" requires a hefty fee, thus it's rarely frequented by ordinary citizens or lower-ranking factions.

In this open-shelf library with its high ceiling, you can see many members of the [Family] looking up information.

Tiona and her companions, making a loud commotion in the center of the library, drew helpless glances from onlookers who thought, "It's the Loki Familia again..."

Unable to bear such gazes, Ais could only shrink back in embarrassment.

"There's absolutely no mention of a dragon named 'Nidhogg' in any of these books!"

Completely oblivious to the atmosphere, Tiona bent over and lay directly on the table.

Ais and her friends came here to investigate the mural "The Evil Dragon and the Six Maidens".

While ordering his crew to prepare for battle, Finn instructed them to gather information about Nidhogg. Because the books in the main library were already worn out from being read so many times, he sent people to the "Goblin Library," which boasted the largest collection of books in the city.

Finn said he had investigated the ancient documents in the museum, so Ais and the others decided to try their luck with the heroic tales that Tiona liked to read... but so far they have not found any clues.

"Excuse me, have you seen this mural before, sir?"

Tiona, looking up from the table, had already forgotten the order to investigate the matter secretly. She grabbed a passing librarian and showed him the copy of the mural. The goblin, shorter than a dwarf, wearing a uniform that looked more upscale than a bank clerk's, and with an old face, shook his head, his large beard swaying with the movement.

Tiona pressed her face against the table again.

"Navi, have you made any progress over there?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Ais, we also found nothing on our side..."

"It's not just this 'Great Library,' our headquarters library also has a considerable collection of books, but we haven't found anything yet... and we've already searched for so many books."

Navi, a girl belonging to the Second Army, answered Ais's question wearily, holding a large stack of books. In contrast, Tione, who had no habit of reading, seemed to be struggling with a headache, brushing her bangs aside.

Currently, apart from Bert and Anastasia who have received other orders, the entire Loki Familia has been mobilized to investigate data at the "Great Library".

"Nidhogg is probably a very old fairy tale. It can be said to be an elder state when monsters emerged from the 'Great Hole'."

Tiona, who had finally come back to life and slowly raised her head, picked up a book from the table and stared at it blankly.

"That's why the information was so ambiguous... You see, this book doesn't describe it as a dragon, but as a 'snake.' As for its name, it's called 'The World Eater' or 'The Wrathful Coil.'"

"The World Eaters..."

"When I first heard the name 'Nidhogg,' I had no idea what it was."

From a young age, Tiona loved reading all sorts of heroic tales.

Since even Tiona had never heard of it, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe "Nidhogg" as a "faceless monster." As Ais pondered the name, she couldn't help but associate the "unknown mastermind" with an evil dragon.

"Tiona, do you know which hero defeated Nidhogg...?"

"There are no heroes in the story of 'World Eaters'~"

"If that's the case, then who defeated it?"

"I don't know~"

"What?"

"Because the ending was just vague, saying things like 'it was eliminated by the gods' or 'it was purified by the heavens' and so on."

Tiona answered Ais and Tione's questions with a complicated expression.

"And I've never even heard of any 'six girls'..."

Tiona kept comparing the contents of the book with the rubbings of the murals. Ais and Tione looked at each other in bewilderment.

This information is indeed intriguing, but even if one wanted to verify it, there was far too little information available.

If this continues, it will never end.

"Now that things have come to this, let's go to the 'Guild'! Ask them to let us see the books in the archives!"

Tiona, her brow furrowed, quickly stood up from her seat.

Upon hearing this suggestion, Ais tilted her head in confusion, while Tione pouted.

"Does that mean we should investigate the documents stored in the 'Guild'...?"

"I believe the guild leader has already entrusted the guild with gathering information. And the archives there, in principle, only store information related to dungeons and cities..."

"Anyway, Nidhogg is from the dungeons too, right? Maybe we can find some clues there! And if the guild is also stuck there, we can always ask the other gods for help!"

It sounds like there's little hope.

But there is some truth to it.

Since the enemy maintained its usual strange silence, Navi and the other members nodded in agreement with Tiona's suggestion to do whatever they could for the time being.