It was called an aimless journey, but in truth, Yuna had already done her planning.
"Lady Nanoda, let's go conquer a dungeon together!" Yuna exclaimed as they traveled down the road, her voice bright with excitement.
"A dungeon?" Nanoda had a vague impression of the term. In this world, 'dungeons' referred to underground labyrinths, ancient ruins, and similar places. Scattered across this storied continent, they were everywhere — packed with monsters, traps, and treasure, equal parts peril and opportunity.
"Have you already decided where you want to go?"
"While you were away, I contacted the Continental Magic Association and found a promising one."
"Oh? What's it like?"
"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure myself," Yuna admitted. "Apparently, it's been known about for some years, but no one has managed to clear it yet. Most of the adventurers who've gone in never came back out."
"That sounds incredibly dangerous!"
Choosing a high-difficulty dungeon right out of the gate — Yuna had quite the nerve.
"So what's this dungeon called?"
"The Fallen King's Tomb. That's the name the Continental Magic Association gave it. Apparently, it's the burial site of a king from an ancient dynasty."
"Hold on — the Fallen King's Tomb? Are you sure that's what it's called?"
"Yes, absolutely."
Yuna gave a firm, emphatic nod at Nanoda's look of surprise.
The Fallen King's Tomb. That was the very dungeon that, decades from now, a certain slacker — Frieren — would clear during the second round of the First-Class Mage examination.
She had expected it to be some unfamiliar labyrinth. It turned out to be the one dungeon Nanoda actually knew anything about.
Still, she had her concerns.
"Will it just be the two of us going in?"
"Yes."
Nanoda weighed it in her mind. There were pros and cons to this arrangement.
With only two people entering the tomb, the number of duplicate entities inside would be minimal. Aside from the guardian duplicates stationed at key points, there would be only a single wandering duplicate roaming the tomb — which meant their progress should be relatively manageable.
The problem, however, was her own duplicate. To be honest, Nanoda had no idea how strong it would be. If it truly replicated her full power, things could get genuinely troublesome.
"Is something the matter?"
Noticing Nanoda's thoughtful silence, Yuna spoke up.
"No, nothing."
Nanoda didn't want to dampen Yuna's enthusiasm for adventure. She decided to cross that bridge when she came to it.
*
The scene shifted — to the exterior of the Fallen King's Tomb.
Five stone pillars stood at the entrance. Carved upon them were two sword-bearing knights, two priestesses with hands clasped in prayer, and at the center, a king crowned and scepter in hand.
The tomb itself was built into the mountainside, constructed from ancient white stone blocks. Just from the imposing grandeur of its entrance, it was clear the interior would be vast. Looking inward, the passage was dark and deep, swallowed entirely by shadow.
"Why do I keep running into you everywhere?!"
Because of the infuriating person standing before them, the excitement Yuna had been feeling about going on an adventure with Nanoda evaporated on the spot. She stood there with a sour expression, looking thoroughly displeased.
"Come on, why do you keep hating me like this?" Lerne said with a wry smile.
He had been at loose ends in the army, and the Association had notified him that someone was planning to attempt the Fallen King's Tomb. So he had come along in high spirits, bringing along his newly developed escape-type golem — a contingency gift for whoever was brave enough to challenge the place.
He hadn't expected to run into familiar faces.
"This is a new escape-type golem I developed," he said, holding out two triangular glass vials from his sleeve, each containing a small, curled humanoid figure. "If you run into danger, smash it — it'll carry you out of the dungeon."
"Hmph. Who asked for your junk?"
Yuna had a long memory. Ever since the Second-Class Mage examination, Lerne had never failed to get under her skin.
"It's fine — I'll take them on her behalf. Thanks."
Nanoda, her headband covering her broken horn, accepted the golems from Lerne without ceremony.
"You really should learn from your companion's attitude," Lerne said, spreading his hands in a gesture of innocence. "I came here for your safety, you know."
"Alright, let's get moving."
Nanoda just wanted to separate these two as quickly as possible. She glanced at the four stone entrances and picked the second-to-last one at random.
"If you run into trouble, you'd better try those golems," Lerne called after them. "I won't be going in — I'll wait out here for you."
Yuna looked like she still had something to say, but Nanoda had already grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the tomb.
Lerne watched the two of them disappear into the dungeon and gave a helpless shake of his head. He had half a mind to go in with them, but given how openly hostile Yuna was toward him, he thought better of it and stayed put.
*
"It's really dark in here."
Nanoda walked at the front, taking point. Behind her, Yuna lit a flame at the tip of her staff to serve as a lantern.
"I'm so excited — maybe we'll find treasure in here," Yuna said, her voice echoing through the corridor. The displeasure of seeing Lerne had already been swept from her mind entirely.
The two of them made their way down a somewhat narrow passage. The walls on either side were built from neat, square blocks of stone, and at regular intervals hung the blackened remnants of torches long since burned to charcoal.
Even just passing through kicked up swirls of dust from all sides.
The path beneath their feet gradually began to slope downward — they were drawing closer to the underground burial chamber.
After descending a further stretch of incline, a plain stone door some five meters tall appeared ahead of them.
The two exchanged a glance, then each put a shoulder into one side and pushed it open.
Beyond the door was a wide stone chamber. At the far end sat another door, identical to the first.
"Wait — look at that."
They stood at the threshold. Nanoda stopped Yuna just as she was about to step inside, pointing to the two rows of stone statues flanking the door on the opposite side.
"Are those... gargoyles?"
There were four of them. Each one had a grotesque face — blue-tinged, with a gaping maw of fangs — two sharp horns crowning its head and a pair of broad, half-body wings folded at its back.
For now, they crouched motionless against the walls on either side of the door, looking for all the world like ordinary decorations.
Through her Mana Perception, Nanoda could detect only the faintest whisper of mana emanating from them.
"If we step inside right now, we'll probably trigger their attack."
Yuna had seen this type of creature in books about magical monsters. Since they hadn't yet crossed into the activation range, the gargoyles simply glared with blank stone eyes, completely still.
"One each side — take them out from a distance."
As she spoke, Nanoda extended both palms. Two white magic circles bloomed, and a pair of Ordinary Offensive Magic bolts fired outward.
"Got it."
Yuna followed her lead and launched her own volley.
BOOM.
The Ordinary Offensive Magic tore straight through the gargoyles' defenses. All four statues were pierced through, chunks of stone clattering across the floor. Each gargoyle crashed down in its own way, shattering apart on impact.
____
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