I think this was far too extraordinary to be called a coincidence.
So you could even call it fate.
"......"
"......"
"Oh, another one with the same face!?"
"......"
"......"
"But the height is different."
"......"
"......"
"They could almost pass for sisters. Hah, wait — could it be an illegitimate child? Long-lost sisters!?"
"Narcissus. Could you quiet down for a moment?"
"Yeah. I'm with them on that."
Narcissus was confronted by two identical faces wearing threatening smiles and told to be quiet, then instinctively retreated behind the witch.
Even the witch let out a wry smile at that.
This was the second floor of Skia Coffin Ere.
The bedroom next to the witch's workshop.
Nekea was in the bed, surrounded by mountains of books. Megadia was beside her.
Standing side by side, they looked so alike they could be twins.
Just lying in bed aside, their heights were clearly different.
Their builds differed too — Megadia was slightly more voluptuous, and their hairstyles were different as well.
If you looked even more closely, Nekea's eye color and lip color were just a shade lighter.
"Sisters. That's quite the understatement."
"So you're saying this body really is her sister?"
"It's a body from a distant ancestor."
I hesitated over how to phrase it, then picked the easiest word to understand.
Nekea nodded.
"I see. So there is a blood connection."
"Yes, something like that."
The complicated expression on my face was because a rabbit was doing a side-shuffle dance in my head.
And because of that rabbit, Hydrangea had become a complete mess.
"From what I hear, it's a rather prestigious bloodline. Worthy of a king."
Nekea let out a small hum of satisfaction.
"A king?"
"Ah, right — her soul used to be a queen."
"A queen's soul?"
"Once, she ruled a human kingdom as the Queen Spider."
"A spider? A human kingdom? Oh, well that explains why her soul's color was different."
"Her soul's color?"
"Yes, that's me. With a Relic, I can see the color of a soul."
"That's amazing. I can't do that much, but I can temporarily disable a Relic's use."
"Now that's even more impressive."
"However, it only works if the rank is low enough."
"Heh—fufufufufufufu... fufufufufufufufufuuu!"
Narcissus suddenly flashes a fearless grin and slips out from behind the witch.
All eyes naturally converge on her.
"...?"
"The Spider Queen. You. Do you know sauce?"
"Sauce?"
"Yes, sauce."
Narcissus produces a bottle of sauce with a proud smile.
Nekia tilted her head at the sight of it.
"I win! If you're a queen and you don't know sauce, then I, who know sauce, am the priestess!"
She plants her hands on her hips and struts triumphantly.
"...Huh? Wait, what? Um, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"Sauce is great! So I am great!"
"Huh, um...?"
Nekia, completely at a loss, couldn't help but glance at Megadia.
"..."
Megadia responded to Nekia's troubled expression with a faint, wry smile.
"......What has she been doing this whole time? What kind of person is she?"
Nekia was thoroughly bewildered.
It was the first time in her long life as queen that she had encountered this type.
She knew all kinds of people existed.
But this was the first time she had met someone who could be so smugly self-confident without any meaning, reason, or basis whatsoever.
And on top of that, bringing out sources to brag about it. She couldn't understand what the person was trying to accomplish.
By the way, according to Megadia's Relic, the color of her soul was colorless and transparent, gleaming with light.
Far too pure and innocent.
The witch's soul was a strange, murky black, thick as a swamp.
But when she looked another time, it was red as blood.
Yet another time, it gleamed golden. After that, she stopped taking the witch's soul readings seriously.
"Well, well, now that introductions are out of the way, the two of you will be helping young Wof from here on, is that right?"
"Yes. As a First-class Delver, I'm interested in dungeon creation as well."
"Of course! It sounds like fun!"
"...And perhaps we can understand the reason for how this happened."
I called Narcissus, and the consciousness of Heizen's dungeon vanished.
Why did it vanish? There had to be a reason.
Besides, if it stayed vanished, it would get in the way of dungeon creation.
"Well then, well then, I'll introduce you to a couple of dungeon experts later on."
"Two more experts. Do you actually know some?"
"Fufufufu — whether those two will live up to my standards… I can hardly wait to find out!"
Narcissus crossed her arms and let out a booming laugh.
"What exactly is this person's position?"
"…What position, I wonder."
Megadia made a helpless face, unable to give Neekia a straight answer.
Right then, the witch hatched a plan.
"Oh, oh, that's right. That's right — I haven't introduced you to the one who runs this town yet, have I?"
"Oh? The one who runs this town."
Narcissus bit on that in a heartbeat. Megadia glared at the witch in a heartbeat.
The witch put on a bewitching smile, like a mischievous scheme had gone perfectly.
"Hello, hello — if you'd like, I could arrange an introduction?"
"Of course. I'll meet them! You'd better wash your neck and wait, one who runs this town!"
Narcissus had issued a declaration of war.
"A coup?"
Neekia tilted her head, and the witch was smiling.
"Ahhh… I could really use a drink."
Megadia had found her escape route in alcohol.
Second floor of the Delvers' Guild. The Guild Master's office.
We reported to Basaran.
"Thanks for your hard work. But worms? Red gems that produce worms inside that giant monster's body?"
"With that many worms around, it's strange there were no reports at all."
Giiza had a point.
There had been that many worms. It really was odd that no reports had come in.
Basaran seemed to feel the same way.
"No sightings of worms, huh? Maybe everyone who saw them ended up as a victim. Worms attack from underground — they go for your feet. Once they get you, you're gone before you even notice. Besides, worms don't normally appear in Heizen. So what about the spider woman?"
"Didn't see her."
"Just the worms."
Sorry. That was a lie. That black spider woman had vanished.
She'd headed toward the Heizen Great Forest.
"I see. If you didn't see her, that's fine. Understood. You've done well. Wof — as promised, I grant you permission to enter the Heizen Great Forest."
"Thank you!"
"Happy for you."
"Yeah. Thanks to Giiza."
"No. It's thanks to you that we could eliminate those troublesome worms. Who knows what would've happened to Heizen if we'd left them alone. I support your dungeon creation. As one of the two great families, the Zenzena family won't hold back. And of course — I'd be glad to help too."
Giiza smoothly extended her hand.
I shook it.
"Yes. I look forward to working with you."
A lot had happened, and some of it was pretty shocking.
But being able to get on good terms with Giiza like this — that, at least, was a good thing.
The Forbidden Land Again. First, Let Me Form a Party.
Get a Dungeon Core, and build my ideal dungeon here in Heizen.
But — like the knife goddess told me — what kind of dungeon do I actually want to build?
The dungeon I want to build... huh.
Heizen Great Forest. The deepest reaches. The Forbidden Land.
At the center of a vast, barren, inorganic space — no decorations, nothing — stood a black pedestal.
Floating above the pedestal was a sphere. It turned slowly.
In the back of that space, past a long corridor, in a great hall beyond, a massive transparent cylinder had been installed.
The cylinder was filled with a dark, reddish-black liquid. Inside it was a naked man.
The man had brown hair and a medium build — neither heavy nor thin.
His body was slightly muscular, but otherwise unremarkable.
He wore only a red mask.
Beneath the cylinder, a metal plate was mounted.
On the dust-covered plate, the words '■'s Earth □bit□■' had been carved.
Then, inside the cylinder, bubbles began to rise — one after another — and behind the red mask, eyelids opened.
The liquid was rapidly drained from the cylinder. It slowly opened. The man in the red mask awakened.
And from afar, a black spider woman watched the Forbidden Land, her gaze deep with meaning.