DUNGEON DIVE, page 12
“Such drivel... Entering at such atrocious timing in the first place is—”
“What’s this? It looks to me like Lady Lastiara recognizes the lad. I knew it—he may just be telling the truth when he says he has a blood connection with Saint Tiara,” Palinchron lied, his expression nonchalant.
“Wh-What? A blood connection?!” Pheydelt looked flabbergasted.
The buzzing and chattering around us grew louder, including from the guests of honor. The priests and knights who were approaching stopped walking completely now that this was about someone with connections to a saint. The barometer of opinion shifted towards us slightly. I seized upon that opportunity to talk to Lastiara. She was standing dozens of meters away, which was a little too far to talk, but I refrained from shouting. Instead, I tried to muster a calm voice that could nevertheless be heard throughout the room.
“Tell me, Lastiara. There’s something I wanna ask you. Something I wanna ask you as your friend and comrade.”
Lastiara looked as surprised as before. “S-Sieg...”
She didn’t seem to know what was going on, but she still spoke my name. She appeared a little confused. I didn’t know if Lastiara was simply taken aback or if this was because the spell cast on her had fallen away.
Pheydelt, who was listening next to her, could no longer abide this. “Her...her friend?! Enough lies! Capture and arrest that boy this instant!”
The surrounding priests and knights start walking towards me, seemingly at a loss. The reason they were hesitant was that there was no inconsistency to what Palinchron had said, and because Lastiara had looked at me and said my name.
Palinchron capitalized on that hesitation. Before the priests and knights could reach me, he pulled out his own sword and thrust its point at my back.
“No worries, gents. I know you guys’ll have trouble pointing your swords at a relation of the hallowed saint. But it’s okay. As a Celestial Knight, I’ll take the burden of responsibility and arrest him from behind, as is proper.”
How brazen of him, pointing a sword at the guest he himself had ushered here. At first glance, it appeared to outside eyes that I couldn’t move due to one of the Celestial Knights. They’d see no reason to press forward if a Celestial had the situation well in hand. Or, more accurately, they were thinking that such a judgment call was too difficult for base-level knights like them to make.
“What?! Why, you lot!” scolded Pheydelt.
I spoke over him, my voice louder than before and oozing confidence. “Lastiara, I’m sorry I couldn’t answer you yesterday. But now I can. I’ll grant your wish. I say yes to it all.”
Lastiara’s wish. I remembered it: Will you save me, Sieg? Will you go adventuring with me someplace far away? Can you make an enemy of all of the knights of the Dungeon Alliance and the nation of Whoseyards? Will you wreck tomorrow’s ritual for me? Will you come rescue me, knowing what a huge risk you’ll be taking?
Yep. I’ll make every one of those things happen for you.
“Right, you have my answer now,” I said seamlessly and gracefully, like I’d become a stage actor. “Now I want you to answer me, Lastiara. What’s your dream in this life?”
“M-My dream?” Lastiara had turned pale. The look on her face screamed, “I heard something I shouldn’t have at a time I shouldn’t have.”
Pheydelt looked panicked. He descended from the stage to the carpet she and I were standing atop. “Why, you little...”
I hadn’t failed to hear his quiet groan. Little wonder, given he was the organizer, that the flow of events Palinchron had orchestrated would prove troublesome for him.
“Knights!” he shouted as he drew closer. “Just listen to me and arrest the boy!”
In response, one guest seated in a pew to the side came on out.
“Please wait, Mr. Pheydelt,” said Dia. “I’m interested in what the boy is saying. What’s the dream of the one who would become that vaunted saint? I’m very interested. Very interested indeed.”
Like Lastiara, Dia was dressed in a pure white dress. He’d jumped onto the carpet lining the center of the room and was now blocking Pheydelt’s path. His voice sounded calm, but the magical power wreathing him was beyond the ordinary. He was pressuring Pheydelt with terrifyingly powerful magic energy.
“M-Miss Sith? What are you saying? He’s just some brigand...”
Dia’s unexpected entrance into the fray had taken the wind out of Pheydelt’s sails. Plus, getting hit by a colossal amount of magic energy had left him perplexed and bewildered.
With gratitude in my heart for Dia, I hastily wove together my next remarks. I just needed to do it one more time. I had to give her one more jolt. That was all. There was no more artificial Lastiara persona to contend with. Or at least, that was what I chose to believe as I continued.
“Do you remember, Lastiara? Do you remember our contract? When we first became allies, we made a contract. I would grant your wish and you would help me return home. I just want you to tell me the dream you told me then! That’s all I need!”
Her breath caught and her body stiffened. She remembered now. That night, behind the pub. That moment we’d told each other our dreams.
She just needs that last push! I took a step forward, raising my voice little by little.
“I never had a say to begin with. With that contract in effect, I have to see your dream realized. You helped me so much in the Dungeon; it’s only right...”
She was staring at me with tearful eyes, but she still wouldn’t say anything. I had to shake her heart even more. I took another step towards her.
“You did tell me that you ‘have to’ become Saint Tiara. I won’t pretend you didn’t. But you know what?! I never heard you say becoming Saint Tiara’s your dream! Not even once!”
While the knights, priests, and guests were watching, I moved slowly towards her, one step after the other.
Lastiara, please answer me. One sentence out of your mouth and I can fight without hesitation. One simple sentence, and I swear I’ll save you no matter what. So please...
“So c’mon! Answer me, Lastiara! Right here, right now! Lay it on us, loud and clear! What is your dream?!”
I took another step forward. And another. And another. And another. I was getting closer to her. Palinchron had warned me to mind my volume, lest I be taken for a brigand. But now that we’d reached this point, I could hardly keep my voice on an even keel. In fact, it was better not to. Of course it was. I wasn’t a brigand. I was her friend!
“Don’t worry! The contract’s still kicking! If you tell me that everything here’s getting in the way of your dream, then I’ll destroy it all! And all I ask in return is that you come back to my place! That’s all I want from you! So let me hear it! Right here, right now, clear as day! Shout it out one more time for everyone to hear! What’s your dream, Lastiaraaaaaaa?!!!”
There was no going back after that scream. I was now undeniably and completely a nemesis of Whoseyards. And I had nothing more to say. All that was left was to wait for her reply.
She was trembling. She tried to speak, but she was stymied by the frog in her throat. I knew she was confused, but I wanted her to answer all the same. What she said would make all the difference in the world. Or was it our misunderstanding that the spell on her had been broken? Was the artificial Lastiara all that she had ever been?
“My... My dream...” she said hoarsely, staring me in the eyes as she strung the sentence together. “To be a hero... To become Saint Tiara...” she said, as though repeating from memory.
“...is NOT my dream! It’s not! Becoming the hero was never what I aspired to. My real dream is the story leading up to becoming the hero! THAT was what I dreamed of!”
I shook my head. Yep, there it is. I knew it all along. Lastiara doesn’t desire glory to gratify her vanity. What set her eyes aglow was always the adventures leading up to that glory. That’s why, back in the Dungeon, she always emphasized the process over results.
“If I become Saint Tiara now, my own story will be cut short! For my dream to just end after only a few days with you, Sieg...I can’t accept it!” she said, her shoulders heaving and her eyes cast downward. “I can’t take it! I can’t stand it!”
That was everything and more. It was Lastiara’s—no, it was the everything of the girl who was standing there. The ordinary girl who shouted what she actually wanted with all her body and soul.
“I’ll take a story that’s only just beginning over Saint Tiara’s, which’ll end in no time! I wanna be me!!!”
She had just disavowed the saint. And she’d shouted clearly so that everyone could catch an earful. There could be zero doubt that she was no longer agreeing to this ritual.
Ahh, excellent. Now I could break everything that had made a plaything of Lastiara with peace of mind in my righteous rage. I nodded at her; she seemed so feeble as she stared my way.
“Got it! Leave the rest to me, Lastiara! The story that starts today is yours, not Saint Tiara’s! The first chapter of your tale begins now!”
“Okay!” Her expression turned cheerful, and she nodded back. That was the moment the girl who’d been so lost for so long finally found a signpost. It was the moment her story received its lifeblood...
◆◆◆◆◆
Once Lastiara and I were done shouting at each other, I heard a loud laughing voice break out behind me.
“Ha ha, ha ha ha ha! Sieg, ol’ buddy, ol’ pal! Good job pulling those words out! That’ll be enough! Ahh, how splendid! Bearing witness to the birth of a new hero always gets my heart racing! Ah ha! Aha ha ha ha ha ha HA Ha hA!”
I wasn’t gonna begrudge him a good laugh, but since I’d fulfilled my end of the conditions he’d laid out for me, I would have liked him to fly into action more quickly. This standoff was reaching its natural end.
Sure enough, Pheydelt stamped his feet. “Wh-What?! What’re you saying?! Lastiara Whoseyards!!!” As he made his way back to the stage, he called out to another young woman. “Lady Leki! I don’t mind if you get a little rough!”
Judging by her identifying distinctions, I figured her for the senator’s proxy that Mr. Hine had told me about.
“Hrm. We’re in the middle of the ritual, but—” said Leki calmly.
“No matter!”
“Well, if you say so...”
The woman muttered something, and Lastiara held her throat and dropped to her knees moaning. It appeared some spell had robbed her of her freedom; they would brook no more outbursts from her.
“Now then, knights! Arrest the rogue who would lead the saint astray with his lies! Any who fail to obey this order will be guilty of treason against Whoseyards!” It seemed Pheydelt had no composure left.
Palinchron replied with a laugh. “Ha ha! You were too slow to make that call, Sir Chancellor! Guess who came in the nick of time! Well met, Hine!”
Somebody loudly entered through the rear entrance. As Palinchron said, it was Mr. Hine. He was so covered in wounds that it beggared belief. His body was torn up and covered in blood. In addition, the other Celestial Knights followed him in. Apparently, he’d been driven to this point after managing to hold off the other five.
“Wh-What’s with you lot?!”
Pheydelt seemed to be unaware of what was taking place outside. I was surprised too—having more enemies to deal with was a thorn in my side. This was a tad different from what we’d expected. However, I soon understood what Palinchron was aiming for. He stood back-to-back with me and pointed his sword at the newly arrived Celestial Knights.
Upon seeing that, Mr. Hine lined up next to him without hesitation to cover my back. The surrounding guests made a stir upon witnessing that surefooted motion. Lastiara refusing the ritual was already bad enough; now, two of the Seven Celestial Knights were backing me up. It was apparent they had no idea what was unfolding.
“Hine, Palinchron!” shouted Pheydelt. “What’s the meaning of this?! Are you defying the state?!”
They both kept their backs to him.
“I became a knight in milady’s service,” said Hine. “Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Hmm,” said Palinchron, “I’ll go with that too.”
Pheydelt’s expression contorted even more.
“Palinchron,” whispered Hine, “are you lending us a hand as well?”
“Our pal Sieg did a great job satisfying the conditions, and now a fun vision’s starting to form in my head. Don’t mind if I grab a ride on this bandwagon, Hine.”
“Thank you very much,” I said. “Mr. Hine, Palinchron.”
“Hold on, laddie,” said Palinchron, his tone serious. “We’ve got too many enemies in the way to be able to take her just yet, don’t we? So let’s stir the pot some more. The faith of the various nations is a brittle thing. All we’ve gotta do is add a tad more to our official stance.”
I was starting to see his vision too. I raised my voice without screaming.
“Please listen, people. From your perspective, you may see me as some idiot who doesn’t know a thing. But there’s one thing that even an idiot like me knows: the young girl over there doesn’t want this ritual. She’s afraid of her consciousness disappearing as a result! She’s on the precipice of meeting an end she never wanted, her freedom taken from her and her will twisted and perverted! Does that sound right to you?! Is that the will of the nation?! Is that what the Church of Levahn teaches?! Do your hearts not pang at the thought?! Does this truly, honestly sit right with you?!”
I hadn’t prepared the words ahead of time. It was just rubbish I was spouting out, carried away in the moment. But in that moment, I didn’t care if the argument was stupid or if it was childish sophistry. The purpose wasn’t to convince them. No, it was to confuse them.
Not to be outdone, Pheydelt also raised his voice. “You think such drivel is any reason to disturb an event that the nation has decided upon?! All you lot are trying to do is treason, pure and simple! You’re nothing more than criminals!” Clearly, he had cottoned on to what Palinchron was after. He was appealing to the guests, arguing that the ritual was lawful and legitimate. “Forgive me for my messy execution, but I ask for help from you capable knights in bringing this disturbance under control! Help us apprehend the wrongdoers!”
He underscored that we were the ones in the wrong, because if anybody came to cooperate with us, even just on a whim, it’d spell trouble for him. But he was practically confessing that even a little bloodshed would put him in a fix.
I was even more convinced now that the guests were his Achilles’ heel. However, due to Pheydelt’s unreserved request, several skilled guards with their hands free tried to come at us. They were guys who wanted Whoseyards to owe them.
Pheydelt welcomed this development. He didn’t want the guests in harm’s way, but their security details were a different story. The balance of power had begun to shift, and Pheydelt smiled faintly.
However, a huge wave of magic energy threw his calculations out of whack and shook the entire shrine room. The energy coursed through the chamber, freezing those who’d stood up with terror. Dia took up a space in the center, his power undulating out.
“You’re not wrong,” he said. “It may be strange to bring up the ethics of it at this late hour. One person’s sentimentality shouldn’t interfere with what a whole nation has decided on. That being said, what that boy said was very entertaining. I don’t particularly wish to lend him a hand. All I want is to hear the boy and that god incarnate over there chat for a little longer. Is that so impermissible, Sir Chancellor?”
Maybe it was my imagination, but it seemed he was in a smidgen of a bad mood.
As might be expected, Pheydelt could not hide his wrath from the one who had snapped back at him so openly.
“Lady Apostle, this is no time for play!” He glared at Dia sharply, but Dia didn’t care. Deciding that this was not the time to be concerned about Dia, Pheydelt called out to the knights at the entrance.
“Celestial Knights! What’s got you so befuddled?! Move it!”
“Urgh! We’ve no choice, do we?!” said a deep, seasoned voice.
“But Hine and Palinchron, they’re...” said a female voice that resonated with dignity.
I was happy to be faced with someone I’d have an easy time throwing off-balance. I turned around and called out to her. “Ms. Radiant! Lastiara is suffering before your eyes! Do you think she looks happy? Is that the sort of sight you want to see? Is that really okay with you?!” I shouted, pointing at my target.
The black knight next to her objected. “You’re wrong!” he said, in his seasoned, deep voice. “You’re wrong, Hine, Palinchron, Radiant! Remember, the Celestial Knights exist for the sake of Saint Tiara, who’ll be descending among us momentarily! We mustn’t mistake our mission for another!”
I wasn’t about to concede the point. There was no way I’d hand them Ms. Radiant’s heart. “That’s news to me! At the very least, the Celestial Knight I know, Hine Hellvilleshine, doesn’t feel that way! He’s not a knight of Saint Tiara! Isn’t that right, Mr. Hine?!”
“Y-Yes, that’s right! Of course! The one I serve isn’t some figure from ancient history like Saint Tiara! It’s not a dead lady I’ve been wanting to protect with all my heart! It’s the maiden living and breathing here and now! And now I can finally say it with my chin held high! I am milady’s knight!”
Mr. Hine gave a great reply despite how suddenly I’d thrown him the mic. He’d declared he was Lastiara’s knight and no one else’s with utter delight, shouting it like it was everything his life meant. I could even swear I saw a hint of tears in his eyes.
Grateful to Mr. Hine, I added more. “As you just heard, Mr. Hine is Lastiara’s knight! So tell me, Ms. Radiant, which side are you on?! Are you Lastiara’s knight or are you Saint Tiara’s? Decide where you stand and decide it now! What’s it gonna be?!” I yelled, aiming not to give her any time to agonize over it.
“Urgh! I...” said Ms. Radiant, trailing off.
“M-Miss?!” came a younger girl’s voice. It was Raggie. She screamed when she saw Ms. Radiant point a sword at the black knight.
