Chapter 34: The Key to the Depths

The bright red hair and blue eyes seemed unreal. Yet, there was nothing unnatural about her. Surely, the girl standing before me was born with this hair and these eyes.

The girl stared at me intently and then suddenly stopped blinking.

“Did I… maybe make you angry?”
“………”

I was left speechless by those words, spoken so abruptly.

The girl in front of me didn’t seem like someone who thought deeply about things. From her behavior when she first appeared, she hadn’t struck me as someone with a considerate personality.

“Just a bit. I was relaxing.”
“Is that so? Lila was being thoughtless. Sorry about that.”

The red-haired girl bowed her head slightly. That gesture completely disarmed me, and I felt the blood that had rushed to my head slowly recede.

…I was irritated by Joe-san because I have trauma involving overbearing adults. Especially that man who left after hurting the Isshiki family.

I had lost my cool. I took a deep breath and rearranged my expression.

“No, it’s fine. Um, Lila-san?”
“Lila is just Lila. We’re the same age, and there’s no need to be formal.”

“The same age?”

In this dungeon we’re exploring, I should be the youngest. There might be newcomers joining after finishing their training soon.

It was Joe-san who came to my aid as I was bewildered.

“This one ain’t originally from our dungeon. She’s from Tokyo.”
“Lila is a city girl.”

“But for some reason, she’s been here on business since last month. I mean, Isshiki, you should know about Lila, right?”
“No, not at all.”

I answered honestly. The people around, including Joe-san, looked at me in disbelief.

Only Lila was laughing in the middle.

“Ahahaha! That’s great, that’s great!”

I wasn’t sure what was so funny, but she was clapping her hands in amusement.
Joe-san was giving me a look of pure disbelief.

“You, my friend, are like the antonym of a veteran. If you’ve been an adventurer for a while—actually, even if you haven’t—you should know this redhead.”

“I really don’t know.”
“Ahahaha!”

Lila, who was being called “redhead,” continued to laugh.
Joe-san pulled his chin beard with a sigh, looking at me and Lila alternately with exasperation, then quickly left his seat as if to escape.

“What the hell is up with you guys… Hey, redhead, I did my job already.”

“Yeah. Thanks, ‘Swing Show’!”
“It’s ‘Veteran Joe’!”

Unbothered by Joe-san’s anger, Lila turned to look at me.

“Are you staying here tonight?”
“Me? Yeah, I am.”

“Then Lila will stay here too. Oh right, I still haven’t introduced myself properly. I want to be called by my name once it’s spoken.”

Lila stared at me intently. Certainly, I hadn’t introduced myself to her yet.

“Isshiki Itsuki.”
“Ishk-eetsk?”

Read together like that, it sounded like a Russian author.

“Isshiki, Itsuki. Isshiki, Itsuki…”
“I see. Lila understands now! Itsuki, right?”

“Yes.”

It felt strange to be called by my name right from the start.

“Do you remember Lila’s name? It’s Lila Scarlettears.”
“That’s long… Scarlet what?”

“Tears. It means crimson tears.”
“Scarlettears, huh. I’ve remembered it. It sounds English, are you half-Japanese or something?”

“Whichever way you look at it, Lila is purely Japanese.”
“And how am I supposed to see that?”

“By looking into the soul.”
“That’s impossible.”

Even if I tap my chest with my finger, nothing becomes visible. Even in a mana-rich dungeon, at most, one can resonate with thoughts.

Even while having this trivial conversation, the adventurers around us did not take their eyes off Lila. As Joe-san mentioned earlier, not knowing her seemed to be quite the ignorance.

“That’s Lila, huh… She’s really just a kid, huh.”
“…So the rumors about Scarlettears were true after all.”

Murmurs could be heard.
Perhaps tired of the situation, Lila stood up and pointed outside.

“Lila is going to make lodging arrangements. Let’s continue talking over there.”

I nodded and picked up the now-empty cup.

◇

My Curiosity had been piqued.

Lila Scarlettears

I never imagined there would be another adventurer my age, and a girl at that. Moreover, she apparently is incredibly famous.

Since I got a smartphone, maybe I should look into the world more. But honestly, it feels like an alien element in my life and it doesn’t quite fit in yet. Though I do enjoy using messaging and the camera.

When we gathered near the bonfire at the square, Lila entrusted her sword to someone.

“Itsuki, did I keep you waiting?”
“No, not at all.”

It’s been a while since I’ve talked with someone my own age, whether inside or outside the dungeon.

There weren’t many people around. Here, it seemed we could talk in peace.

“Do you have any questions for Lila?”

“Were you and Joe-san the only ones looking for me?”
“Just Joe. Joe is old-school here. If he’s at the camp, he’ll immediately know when Itsuki arrives. Lila was running around all over.”

“Why were you waiting in Area 4?”
“Lila likes dungeons. I hate Earth. That’s why I waited in the dungeon. That’s all.”

“Since August?”
“Yes. Joe knew it was today that Itsuki would come. So Joe only worked today. Lila had been waiting forever, though.”

Joe-san knew I was coming.

The number of people who knew I was coming to [The Fallen Holy City] was limited. Kirishima-san, Shiraishi-san…and then I told my instructor too.

I have a feeling it might be my instructor. They seem close in age, but that’s it.

“Joe-san was pretty tough on me. Do you know why?”
“Joe is indeed mad at Itsuki. But Lila thinks Itsuki is not at fault.”

“I see. Hmm…”

There certainly are things I’ve done that could anger someone.

With the defeat of the Undead King, the curse on this dungeon has vanished. But that doesn’t mean all adventurers rejoice—surprisingly, that’s not the reality.

The defeat of the Undead King disrupted the previous balance, causing repercussions elsewhere.

“Maybe I should try talking to him. He seems like a strange talker but not a bad person.”
“That’s a good idea. Joe’s a good guy. Though he gets mad when you call him that.”

Lila grinned widely. She seemed like an innocent child. I began to wonder if this is how someone my age should smile.

“Thank you. I got to ask most of what I wanted.”
“Okay. Then, will you join Lila’s team?”

I glanced sideways.

Since resonating with the Undead King, I’ve been able to clearly sense those nearby through mana. Lila is strong. Probably much stronger than me.

Contrary to her innocent expression, she is incredibly skilled at handling mana. Just like breathing, she does it seamlessly. For ordinary adventurers, mana is just magical fuel, but for her, it seems to be part of her body.

“I’m not aiming for anything in particular yet. So I can’t form a party.”
“Why not?”

Ah, not today.
I felt uneasy and couldn’t keep my composure.

“Why me, anyway? If you’re from Tokyo, there must be plenty of other adventurers.”

Lila stepped back from me and gazed intently. From head to toe. Then she spoke with what seemed like certainty.

“Itsuki is special. Lila can tell.”
“What makes me—”

I am not special.
I wanted to deny it, even knowing that it was meaningless. I knew very well that apart from “special,” there was no other word to describe my current self.

But Lila interrupted me and said,

“The key to the depths—Itsuki is invited by the dungeon.”

Invited by the dungeon.
…When the core of the Undead King glowed, at that moment…

“Ugh.”
“Itsuki?”

A wave of dizziness hit me.
It felt like my brain was processing some kind of information and failing. The afterimage of what I’d almost grasped was as indistinct and pointless as static.

“How does Lila know that?”

I don’t know. Although there was a vague unease, it only dawned on me once she pointed it out.

Whatever I had lost at that moment, she could see.

“Lila was born in the dungeon. That’s why I can see many things.”

—It has been 20 years since dungeons began to be explored.
She stood right at the center of the crumbling common sense.