Returning to Cairula

The next day, the two parties made their way up through the secret passage beside the main chamber.

From there, they followed Nick's map to the letter.

"You – you have a map!"

"Of course I have a map! All adventurers have a map. This is one of our lifeline! Only amateurs don't explore while sketching a map," Nick stared at Kaihaku. "What the hell have you been teaching them, man?"

"I'm…not good at drawing maps. I usually go by instinct," Kaihaku said sheepishly.

As they wre bantering, Illumca threw her dagger at an oncoming Bilge Rat, killing it instantly. She pulled it out of the dead body expressionlessly while raising a rhetorical question.

"Odd, the enemies don't seem to be as aggressive."

"That's because we took the Dungeon Core," Sidonai said.

"What? The Dungeon Core?"

"Alabaster Atrium is not a proper dungeon. Do you think introducing a new monster at the level of a boss is easily done? The Grunford act as a replacement for the Dungeon Core. That is why when it was taken, the dungeon began to regress. Eventually, it will become a Tamed Dungeon. Something similar to the Training Dungeon, only slightly harder. It will begin to form a Dungeon Core eventually. But it will take hundreds of years."

"This is good," Akira said. He and Kaihaku were on either end of a makeshift stretcher made by using Hannah's spear and a spare iron spear in her item ring. "I don't want to aggravate her condition by moving too much. Having less enemy to hinder us is a blessing."

"Y-you are very knowledgeable for a minstrel," Eleanora commented.

"Why, thank you. Hearing that from a genius from the Tower is a pleasure."

They managed to reach the floor before the entrance in a few hours. It seemed to be noon-ish, judging by the sunlight going through the large hole in the ceiling.

"Your party should head up first," Connie said as she leaned on the leg of Junnaveil's statue.

"Why?"

"Ah, a Hero's return," Sidonai said with a knowing smile. "Understandable. She meant that she did not want to be involved with your triumphant return as the Hero who conquered Alabaster Atrium."

"I still don't get it," Akira said, perplexed." You'd give away the glory and honor of conquering a dungeon to me. Why?"

"…You are an idiot, Sakagami Akira," Connie began. "An idiot, but not irredeemable. But I tell you this, I simply don't want the hassle of being famous. You, on the other hand…need the honor. Think of this as a whim of mine."

Akira did not say anything in return. Then, Kaihaku placed a hand on his shoulder and said to Connie. "Milady, before we go. If you could offer him some guidance, it would be a great boon."

"Are you seriously asking me to do that, Master Kaihaku? Will they even accept the truth? I do not want to spend energy from preaching to a deaf audience."

"S-she defeated us handily even without using a proper weapon. I think listening to her would do us g-good," Eleanora offered.

Akira relented, his pride cowed from the beatings he had endured.

"Sakagami Akira. I don't have to tell you what you lack. You know well what they are. My advice to you is, from now on…start thinking. Start learning. The easy life of a coddled hero is nothing but a crutch to the growth of a man."

She then turned towards the small mage.

"Eleanora. You are a mage, a genius. But you lack self-confidence. You are strong, so do not be scared of others. Do not flinch or close your eyes, even if someone come at you with a sword," she raised her arm as an example. The same arm with which she almost skewered her. "A single moment of carelessness would mean your death."

The girl flinched, but meekly accepted the critic.

Surprisingly, Connie then looked at Kaihaku. "And Master Kaihaku, as a fellow martial artist I can tell that you have doubts in your movements. There is no conviction in it. The techniques were there, yet there is no sharpness to them. You might do well to return to your roots. Stop practicing and start meditating instead."

Kaihaku gazed at his trained hands, then closed them. Returning to my roots…Rokudo temple. Maybe it is time I faced judgment.

"As for you, Hannah…arrogance is in your blood. That is fine, but arrogance without the strength to back it up is a dangerous thing. So do not find solace in the protection of your title. For it is but a hollow shell. The only thing you can trust is not your family name, but yourself."

"…" the girl did not react. She gave a complicated gaze and turned her head away.

Though the one who said it was younger than all of them, the weight and gravitas that she exuded could make them mistake her for an experienced veteran.

Akira even had the inkling that she was a Hero. He quickly shook that thought away. It was a well- known fact that there could only be 7 heroes in one generation for 7 kingdoms. And he knew that all 7 had already been summoned. This is the law of nature, as was written by the gods themselves.

"And Sid…"

"Oh, do you also have something to say to me?" she asked with a finger touching her chin and a tilted head.

"…I'm looking forward to meeting you again in the future."

"…" the minstrel did not answer. Connie too, did not need to hear an answer.

"We are going," Akira said demurely. He had many things to do. The future that he saw should never be allowed to happen, thus he walked forward. As he did so, he held Grunford by the hilt as it suddenly trembled.

Akira led his party towards the entrance and out of the dungeon. He then announced the taming of the dungeon, which were greeted with much celebration by the other Hunters.

Nick and the others heard the cheer from inside the dungeon entrance and felt somewhat unappeased.

"You should have told us that you're going to trade the sword!" Nick said with a disgruntled face.

"The sword was Connie's to begin with. Why would you care?" the dark elf commented.

"I agree with Nick. I don't know what you are planning, but to give away that kind of power…" Martell began. "To give away a sword that allows you to gain the military strength of Calendia is stupid."

"I will eventually build my army, but I will not use Grunford. Using Grunford means that the loyalty of the army will be to that sword, and not to me. I have no need for such a hollow power," she made a calm rebuttal. Then she smirked, thinking about the chaos that would transpire after the hero made his way to the capital.

Opposite to her, Nick drooped his shoulders. His goal was not the sword itself, but it would be lie to say that he did not feel apprehension at how easily the girl threw away the Sword of the First King.

"The Sword of the First King. A sword at the level of a Legendary Treasure. Abandoned just like that."

Connie and her party waited until the cheers reached their peak to silently make their exit. They took their wagon and left some coins as the guy manning the stable was cheering alongside the other hunters.

She sat down, followed by the others. Nick made his way onto the driver's seat and took the reins.

As the wagon went past the Hero's party and their adoring fans, she recited a mysterious prose. She did not even take a glance at Grunford being raised triumphantly into the sky by Akira, as if a woman scorning a needy man. "After tasting the finest of wine, would crude wine even suffice to wet a man's lips?"

"After tasting the finest of wine, would crude wine even suffice to wet a man's lips?" Martell mulled the words in his mouth. He did not know why, but that simple prose caused a chill in his spine and a flutter in his stomach.

On the way back to Cairula, Illlumca and Martell enjoyed a brief nap. Even after last night's rest, it was not optimal and everyone except for Connie were fighting off drowsiness.

As soon as they arrived at the store, they saw the crowd gathering at the entrance. This time much bigger than the one before. Seeing this, the scruffy Paladin drove the wagon to the side and parked it there.

"I'll be returning to the mansion. I will return here tomorrow."

"Alright. Have a good rest, Nick. You deserved it."

Nick gave Connie a salute, now fully treating her as his Mistress. He then clanked his way through the street and into the crowd.

When Connie entered through the store's back door, she saw Ethel sitting by a bubbling cauldron, concocting medicines with a nice flow. No longer were her hands moving stiffly, now they had a certain rhythm to them.

"Mmm…experience does make a difference," Connie commented as she saw her doing this.

"Oh, didn't see you there," she said, pouring a bunch of crushed leaves into the cauldron. "Wait a minute. There are some matters I need to discuss with you."

Connie did not mind the casual way she talked and nodded. From behind came Martell and Illumca, their eyes fighting to stay open.

"Not enough rest, eh? The two of you go up and have a good nap. I'll see you at lunch."

"Dinner," The dark elf said, groggily making her way up the stairs.

"Yeah, dinner," the wolf-eared boy said, yawning.

"Haha! Dinner it is," the blonde-haired girl chuckled with amusement on her face. She then lounged on a chair while popping a random flower into her mouth.

After she finished concocting, Ethel wiped her hands with a towel and said to Connie. "Some of my fellow herbalists came to me asking about concocting pills."

"Oh, that was fast."

"What do you think about this?"

"What do you think?" she asked back.

The old woman bit her lips. Her reply was slow and carefully worded. "I…the moment you unlocked my ability to concoct pills, it opened a new door. Especially what you taught me, an alchemic technique that does not rely on jobs, was nothing sort of magical. If this can be spread, then we can heal more people…" she paused, seemingly unsure about what she was about to say.

"And…?"

Ethel's wrinkled face grew resolute as she finished what she wanted to convey. "I know the danger. I know what would happen if this secret technique is spread irresponsibly. Nevertheless, I want others to know. To prevent deaths that can be prevented. To heal those who cannot afford potions."

"You know then, why it must be kept secret."

"I understand."

"However…" Connie popped a fresh pill from one of Ethel's new batch and crushed it with her teeth. "If you can attest to these people's secrecy. Then you have my blessings. Let them meet me tomorrow. I will see if they are worthy."

"Yes," she bowed slightly, then she appeared to have thought about something and spoke. "Also, another thing. About the assassin downstairs. How long will you keep him in my custody? I have no love for assassins but seeing his state I think it's better for all of us if you finished him quickly."

Connie played with her lock of red hair, appearing to think about it. "Hmm, yes. I suppose it is time to dispose of him, eh? I'll handle him later. For now, just keep doing what you do. You are improving, but don't let up."

After that conversation, Connie went up to her room and took her rest until dinner time.

The dinner was simple, with some nice pork sausages drowned in gravy and plenty of mash, courtesy of Bertus's pastime. They washed it down with a glass of ale.

While Connie was enjoying a piece of apple as dessert, Illumca began. "Connie, I am going to the Assassin's Guild."

"Whoa. That's sudden," Connie said.

"In the fight against the Treant-Golem, my blades and magic were not strong enough. I need to get stronger and polish my skills. I want to stand as your equal, not a helpless thing to be protected."

"Tonight?"

"Yes. No time like the present. The Guild only open when it is night. Also, the rewards from successful missions are often rare treasures that could not be found anywhere else. Perhaps I can find something that fits me well, and help you find rare ingredients."

"Hmmm," Connie caressed the long red hair dangling from her head. "Then go, with my blessings."

"Thank you. I'm going to the Assassin's Guild branch right away."

Illumca stood up and swiftly made her way out the back door. Her eyes brimming with purpose. Connie watched her go, feeling pride at seeing the will to excel the dark elf showed. To think that she once was so downtrodden and negative.

"Umm…"

"What is it, Martell?" She gazed at him noncommittally.

"Ah, even now you won't call me Mar." The beastfolk boy did not know how to deal with this Mistress of his. So far, he could attract anyone with his smile. If not, then his body and the promise of earthly pleasure and degeneracy which none had ever refused.

"Yes?"

He swallowed his question, understanding that at this time he was not a favored slave, only someone mildly useful for the tyrant in front of him.

"N-nothing."

Seeing that he had no intention of speaking any further, she bade him a good night and went to the attic. Tonight she planned to absorb the baleful energy from the Treant's Essence Crystal.

She called Yao-er to keep guard. Yao-er looked at her from atop her palm with a bit of a peeved expression. It appeared that it was angry for not being called during Dungeon Diving.

"Come on, now. You know you are still weak. Wait until you can make a Golden Silk thread, then you can trample my enemies with me. For now, be a good boy and keep watch."

The little worm rubbed its forehead on her thumb and dutifully wriggled its way to the door.