Watching multiple palms lunge at me from the wall, my body refused to move in that critical moment.
My flesh was already drained of strength and starting to ache from the intense fatigue, but on top of that, my mind had gone slack from the aftermath of battle.
(Why all of a sudden—)
A woman's hand, bearing down on me as if to crush me in its grip.
But what appeared before that hand was—
Monica.
"What the hell are you doing to the— wait, what is this?!"
Monica had pulled an enormous hammer from beneath her skirt and swung it to blow the thing away, but the hammer sank in as though the material were as soft as clay.
And even as the hammer was being absorbed, the palms kept closing in around me, encircling me on all sides.
Above, below, left, right.
I tried to turn and flee, but fingers began emerging from the ground as well.
The first thing they caught was my foot.
"Gah— from the ground too—!"
"Eyiyi! If it comes to this—!"
Monica, too, began sinking into the ground, and the surroundings disappeared from view.
It seemed Novem and the others were casting spells. I could hear voices calling out to me, and even as she sank, Monica crawled over to me and threw her arms around me.
"Hey, what are you doing?!"
"Shut up and hold still!"
She clung to me, straining to lift me up.
Just as I was trying to free myself — or rather, just as she tried to lift me up — the Third Generation's voice cut through.
"What's happening… they're coming from above too!"
Countless hands closed in around us from every direction, and my consciousness gradually faded to black.
That scene — Aria could only watch.
No, to be more precise, she could do nothing at all.
Giant hands had burst from the walls and floor, swallowing Rael and Monica whole.
She tried to save them by hurling spells and attacks, but the clay-like hands regenerated no matter how many times she struck them.
Aria had never heard of a Monster like this, and confusion filled her as she stared at the wall where Rael and Monica had been taken.
The hands had emerged from the wall, and in the end, they retreated back into it.
Aria rushed over and pressed her hands against the surface, but there was nothing there — just the rough, craggy stone of the cavern.
"W-Why… how is this possible?"
This couldn't be real.
Just as she was about to whisper those words, Miranda was already preparing a spell to hurl at the wall.
"Aria, step back… Fire Cannon!"
A blazing fireball shot forth and smashed into the wall, scattering flames in all directions. The wall, scorched black and dented, immediately began to repair itself — they were inside a Dungeon, after all.
Aria stumbled back, and the sight of that wall restoring itself filled her mind with the worst possible thought.
"Rael and Monica…"
…She couldn't bring herself to finish — *are dead.*
But Miranda once again raised her staff, ready to blast the wall with another spell.
Aria looked around desperately. The entrance leading down to the ninth basement floor was still sealed shut. And from the direction of the way they'd come in, she could hear something crumbling and collapsing.
Looking back, the ceiling at the entrance had collapsed, sealing the room shut.
"What's happening..."
Aria was in a state of confusion, but Miranda was no different. She had never heard of a story where the party defeated a boss only to be locked inside.
She didn't want to naively brush it off as something they simply didn't know about.
Just then, Novem began to move, raising her staff as she walked toward the wall.
"Novem, what are you—"
She was about to say that walls couldn't be destroyed with a staff, but when Aria saw Novem's weapon, her eyes went wide.
The tip of the staff had changed shape.
The black handle had extended, taking on the form of a pickaxe.
Novem raised the former staff with both arms, and the pickaxe head was the same size as Novem herself—or perhaps even larger.
Novem hefted that enormous object and swung it down, putting her full strength into the blow.
Yet even that motion left Aria in disbelief.
Again and again, and with increasing Speed, Novem carved away at the wall faster than it could regenerate. Seeing the silver pickaxe head, Aria remembered the Jewel that Lyle had possessed.
"The same as Lyle's weapon."
She recalled that the decorative element on the Jewel—capable of transforming into a greatsword and then a bow—had also been silver.
Watching the expressionless Novem silently demolish the wall, Aria found herself unable to speak.
Normally, Novem served as the party's magical firepower, fighting as a mage.
She never engaged in melee combat, and she never particularly looked that strong.
But before Aria's eyes, Novem was swinging the massive pickaxe in every direction—vertically, horizontally, diagonally—shaving the wall away.
Then, just like that, Novem's movements came to a sudden halt.
(What... threads?)
Lit by the lanterns hung from the boat, threads had coiled around Novem as if to stop her movements cold.
Novem turned her head and spoke to Miranda in an expressionless voice.
"...Let go. I don't have time for this."
The wall she had worked so hard to carve away was repairing itself before their very eyes.
When Aria looked at Miranda, it appeared as though threads were emanating from her fingertips. She was wearing the same gloves as always, yet threads were trailing from them.
"I know, I know. But look at the situation—we need your strength right now."
When Miranda dropped her stance, the threads loosened and pulled away from Novem. Aria could barely make out the threads at all.
They dangled from Miranda's fingertips. She raised her right hand, clenched it a few times, then spread her fingers open, testing the sensation.
Novem reshaped the pickaxe back into its staff form and thrust it forward.
"Both of you, that's enough—"
Before Aria could step in to stop the two of them, a boss emerged from the water's surface with the bellow of a bull.
And not just one.
The boss they had defeated was still floating on the water. But one after another, more of the same monster appeared from the surface.
Ten in total.
A room they had thought was spacious suddenly felt cramped.
Miranda turned her body toward the water, shook both her right and left arms outward, then quickly crossed them in front of her chest.
"...I was saving this trump card for you, you know."
The boss nearest to them had its head sliced off in multiple rings.
Novem began chanting a spell.
"Fire Whip..."
In a low voice, unlike her usual tone, she was showing her anger. The whip of flames closed in on the boss and wrapped around it, burning it right there.
The thrashing boss fled into the water, but the flames didn't go out. And just like the boss they had defeated before, it burned and floated to the surface before the whip of flames vanished.
In the meantime, Miranda was tearing the second one to shreds.
But—
"Aria, sorry, but you'll have to protect yourself. I'm not used to this, so I don't know how many I can take out. Plus... with this many, I can't handle them all."
Hearing Miranda's discouraged words after defeating the second one, Aria leveled her spear.
"With this many, even I can't manage. But one or two should be possible... [Quick]"
Aria activated her own skill and lunged at the boss trying to crawl up from the ground, then flew straight up and unleashed multiple slashes.
When the boss's back was cut open, she plunged her spear, along with herself, straight through its body.
Emerging from the falling boss, Aria was covered in blood.
"It was good I asked Lyle about the location of the heart. But this really isn't my preferred way to kill them."
Blood-soaked Aria looked at Novem.
For a while now, the highlights in her eyes had vanished, making her look terrifying.
(There's an eerier atmosphere than usual...)
Aria found Novem eerie. Novem was kind and reliable, but Aria sometimes found that version of her frightening.
And now that fear was intensifying.
After Miranda slaughtered the third one, Novem walked forward and dipped the tip of her staff into the water.
Her voice was colder than usual.
"...Freeze. And never again interfere with me. Even if you are... my other half, I will not forgive you."
The next instant, every drop of water in the room froze solid.
(He's saying something right now —)
Aria wanted to hear what was being said, but she shut her mouth in the face of Novem's ghastly expression, afraid she'd miss something important.
The bosses were encased in ice.
Novem pulled her staff free, reshaped it into the form of a hammer, and brought it crashing down.
With the sound of shattering ice, the bosses broke apart, scattered in every direction.
A voice rang out.
It was a voice calling to me.
That nostalgic voice belonged to my father, Meizel Walt.
"Laiel, what kind of lord are you going to become?"
When those words surfaced in my memory, I couldn't recall how I had answered. But I think my father, having heard my reply, had smiled and ruffled my hair.
And gradually, more voices joined in, calling my name.
Before I knew it, I could hear them clearly — starting with the Fifth Generation.
"Get up, already!"
Even Choe of the Fourth Generation was in a panic.
"Well, I certainly didn't expect this one!"
The Seventh Generation.
"Damn it — what the hell is going on…"
The Sixth Generation fretted over me.
"Laiel, can you still fight? This situation is no time to be lounging around!"
The Third Generation had said.
"Look around you. Normally, you'd never get to see a sight like this."
Hearing those words, I slowly opened my eyes. Standing before me was Monica.
She stood there as if shielding me, but she was in tatters.
Nearby lay the enormous hammer that had also been caught up in the attack, and Monica's mace and other equipment were scattered across the ground in a melted, deformed state.
(What on earth happened…?)
Moving my body was agony. All I wanted to do was close my eyes and sleep again.
But I couldn't afford that.
I tried to push myself up by putting strength into my right arm, and Monica was standing right in front of me. She was positioned before me as if protecting me.
The oversized hammer had been melted and had fallen to the ground.
Other equipment too—Monica's mace and the rest—lay melted, glowing red and giving off smoke as they rested on the ground. They emitted a distinctive acrid smell. As I rose to my feet, Monica offered me a hand.
Monica's maid uniform was in shreds, and all around us—.
"Why are these guys here…? And why are there two Monicas?"
The Monica helping me to my feet spoke with visible irritation.
"I will not accept this. That one and me being equated? Look carefully, please. I have a chest, whereas that one does not. Just because we're the same model doesn't mean we should be lumped together!"
Gazing in the direction of angry Monica's stare stood an Automaton with golden twin tails, fair skin, and red eyes.
The difference was, as Monica had pointed out, the chest. But there were other distinctions as well.
Strapped to that Automaton's back was a tool resembling the legs of a white insect.
It was aimed in our direction, giving the appearance of being on full alert.
The Automaton resembling Monica lifted both ends of her skirt, bunched the fabric up, and gave a curtsy. Her gestures were every bit as flawless as Monica's own.
But—.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I apologize for appearing in such a state, but please forgive me. I hadn't received any maintenance, you see."
One of its legs was missing, its apron was tattered, and silver machinery was visible in patches.
The surrounding Automatons were the same.
They were damaged, yet stood with straightened postures. Among them was an Automaton that had lost both legs and was being supported by its companions.
There was even one whose face was half blown away.
Looking around, I noticed Monica's appearance also bore damage.
"You fought?"
I glared at them, and the other party looked slightly exasperated.
"I simply wanted to assess my level of performance. After all, you are an existence corresponding to my 'sister,' whom the Dungeon regenerated. Besides, considering you serve humans, a performance evaluation was necessary. This is so I never lose anyone again."
(Lose anyone? What are you saying—)
Monica interjected with a protest.
"Lies! That was jealousy! This self-proclaimed 'sister' was envious because I have a Chicken!"
The Automaton called her sister brought a hand to her mouth and laughed.
"Oh my, I have no idea what you mean. Well, time is short, so I'll tell you directly."
Then, the surrounding Automatons bowed once more.
"We cannot even give our names. There is very little we can convey to you. However—"
However—.
"—we have received a message from the eighth. It's quite unpleasant for us, though."
Hearing about the eighth, I didn't immediately understand.
(My head is still spinning.)
Then, the Fourth Generation spoke.
"Lael, it's peridot! The August birthstone! And it's the eighth one! There's something about this Dungeon!"
As I gripped the Jewel, Monica's sister looked at the Jewel in my hand.
"Another unusual memory. It's quite out of place for this era. Oh, right — there was a message. Well then—"
Monica's sister addressed me with a serious expression.
"I have a message from the eighth, for you — Lael. 'If you want to know everything about Septem... come to me.' And the final part—"
(Septem... about Ceres?!)
I wondered why the eighth knew about Ceres, but I could imagine there was some connection through the numbering.
And the final message was—
"'I want you to trust Novem.' That is all."
Hearing those words, I noticed that somewhere inside me, I was accepting the fact that Novem's name had come up as though it were only natural.
(She really did know something after all... Novem.)