The Unfortunate Girl Wants an Easy Mode in Her Second Life – Chapter 169

Chapter 169: The Captive Dragon
ㅤ”Here it is.”
ㅤ
ㅤLed by Popolack-san, we arrived at the Dungeon Master’s room.
ㅤ
ㅤThe 17th floor was a single, vast room serving as the Dungeon Master’s chamber.
ㅤIt was probably about the size of a baseball field.
ㅤ
ㅤIn the middle of it was a dragon with golden scales.
ㅤA beautiful and powerful-looking dragon, but the only thing that marred its appearance was a painful-looking purple crystal-like object embedded in its head.
ㅤThe dragon’s eyes shone with the same purple hue as the crystal.
ㅤ
ㅤ――Vu, Gi, Ga……
ㅤ
ㅤThe dragon groaned.
ㅤ
ㅤ”It seems to be in pain.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”That looks like… a Dungeon Core.”
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san’s words surprised me.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Eh? That too? Isn’t there a core where the Gnomes are trapped further in?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”This dungeon is unusually deep, and I thought the monsters were tough from the lower floors, but maybe that’s the reason.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”So there were two cores?”
ㅤ
ㅤPopolack-san spoke up.
ㅤ
ㅤ”It seems that dragon wandered in some time after the dungeon was created.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Wandered in? From where?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”You see, there’s the vertical shaft that Minato came down from. It used to be a large hole that opened to the outside. Whether that dragon opened it or it opened by chance, I don’t know.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I thought it was because the Abyss Worm was rampaging in the deeper layers.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Perhaps it was a combination of both. Dungeons don’t collapse so easily.”
ㅤ
ㅤI see, I see.
ㅤAs I was nodding,
ㅤ
ㅤ”Minato, what are you going to do?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”For now, I want to remove that core. It’s stuck in its head, so it might d*e if I remove it, but…”
ㅤ
ㅤWouldn’t it be better than continuing to suffer like this?
ㅤ
ㅤ”I thought you’d say that, but how?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Let’s see. That core pierces through the head and protrudes from the jaw, so maybe I can knock it out from below with magic.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Then, I’ll distract it.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Thank you, but will you be alright?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”It’s not like direct attacks are the only type of magic.”
ㅤ
ㅤSaying that, Arne-san stepped forward.
ㅤ
ㅤThe dragon, noticing the petite elf magician, turned its eyes filled with anger towards her.
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san pointed the staff in her hand at the dragon.
ㅤ
ㅤThe dragon looked at the staff.
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san slowly swayed the staff from side to side.
ㅤ
ㅤThe dragon’s eyes followed it.
ㅤ
ㅤ”~Lululu…”
ㅤ
ㅤA humming sound came from Arne-san’s lips.
ㅤ
ㅤThe dragon, its eyes moving from side to side, blinked heavily as if its eyelids were getting heavy.
ㅤ
ㅤ（She can do that?）
ㅤ
ㅤImpressed, I slid under the jaw of the dragon that looked like it was about to fall asleep.
ㅤ
ㅤTaking out the Wand of Regret, I gently touched the tip of the staff to the core protruding from the jaw.
ㅤ
ㅤI had to do this in one go.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ether, solidify and become a giant hammer. Ether Blow!”
ㅤ
ㅤThud, the aftershock of the Ether hit me.
ㅤThe impact from the staff struck the core.
ㅤThe core popped out of the dragon’s head with a single blow.
ㅤI recovered the rather large core with magic and laid it on the ground.
ㅤ
ㅤI looked at the dragon.
ㅤPerhaps surprised by what had just happened, it woke up and looked around.
ㅤ
ㅤIt immediately noticed me at its feet and made eye contact.
ㅤ
ㅤ『I thank you, human.』
ㅤ
ㅤA voice echoed in my head.
ㅤIt seemed to be some kind of telepathy.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ahaha… you’re welcome. More importantly, are you okay? That thing was stuck right through your head.”
ㅤ
ㅤ『I’m fine. It wasn’t physically piercing me. The moment it pierced me, I interfered and shifted its phase, but it remained stuck and fused with my soul.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”Shifting its phase, that’s pretty skillful.”
ㅤ
ㅤ『The staff you’re using is also partially phase-shifted, isn’t it? Thanks to that, you were able to knock that thing away.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”Eh, really?”
ㅤ
ㅤ『Indeed. Can humans not see phases? With your magical power, I thought you would be able to see them.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”What is a phase, anyway?”
ㅤ
ㅤ『The form of existence, you could say. The aspect of how things are.』
ㅤ
ㅤI see, I don’t understand.
ㅤ
ㅤ『The staff you have has a special phase. The phases are folded multiple times, as if trying to draw something with phases. This is… what is it? It’s like an arrowhead for piercing an extremely high-order being.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”It seems to be the Demon King’s staff.”
ㅤ
ㅤ『That girl over there is an elf. That was a nostalgic song.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”You know this?”
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san was surprised.
ㅤ
ㅤ『You don’t know? That song is a testament to the covenant between dragons and elves. I thought that if you knew that song, you would naturally know about that too.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”A, a covenant? Umm… I haven’t heard of it. I ran away from my village, so maybe I wasn’t told before I left.”
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san said, sounding a little awkward.
ㅤ
ㅤ（It seems like Arne-san has been quite reckless too.）
ㅤ
ㅤMore importantly, an interesting topic came up.
ㅤ
ㅤ”What does the covenant between dragons and elves mean? Does it have anything to do with the Grandmasters?”
ㅤ
ㅤThe dragon widened its eyes at my question.
ㅤ
ㅤ『――Oh. For you to come up with that idea, have you arrived at the truth of history?』
ㅤ
ㅤ”I am the Demon King, after all.”
ㅤ
ㅤ『A human, is?』
ㅤ
ㅤ”Well, things happened. If you want proof… well, you’ll understand immediately if you come to the Demon King’s Castle.”
ㅤ
ㅤ『I’m not doubting you. You saved my life, after all.
ㅤSo, you have knowledge about the world’s alteration performed by the Grandmaster who has now become a g*d?』
ㅤ
ㅤ”You too, right?”
ㅤ
ㅤ『Naturally. Dragons and elves were the most powerful races before the Grandmaster killed the Demon King. Dragons with robust bodies and capable of wielding magic. Elves with the ability to directly perceive Ether. Although their directions were different, they were the same in that they possessed powerful abilities.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”But now, there are few dragons and elves.”
ㅤ
ㅤI think I’ve traveled quite a bit in this world, but this is the first time I’ve encountered a dragon. The only elf I know is Arne-san.
ㅤ
ㅤ『The Grandmaster divided the dragons into good and evil. Good dragons were left in the world as beings who would lend their power to adventurers, and evil dragons as beings who would threaten humans.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”But you know about that, don’t you?”
ㅤ
ㅤ『Dragons have the ability to see phases. I can tell just by looking that you are a different existence from a mere adventurer. You disassembled the power you gained as an adventurer and reassembled it into that of a Demon King. The traces of that can be seen from your phase.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”Wow… so that’s possible.”
ㅤ
ㅤ『Therefore, superior dragons can see through the deceitful veil that the Grandmaster has placed over the world.
ㅤSimilarly, there are those among the elves who are aware of the deception of the current world order.
ㅤDragons and elves once had a relationship of non-interference, but among those who have become aware of the deception of the world, they secretly exchange information. That is the “covenant.” The song from earlier should have been passed down to some elves as proof that they know the truth. Dragons also have a dragon song that serves as proof of knowing the covenant.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”So, that’s what was happening…”
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san’s mouth hung open in surprise.
ㅤ
ㅤ”I see. So dragons and elves were aware of what the Grandmasters did.”
ㅤ
ㅤ『Only a select few know, however. It is only possible when one has both the passion to seek the secrets of the world and the power to do so.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”I thought that dragons and elves… especially elves, were in a favored position by the Grandmasters and were the force maintaining the status quo.”
ㅤ
ㅤ『That understanding is largely correct. Good dragons and elves do not question the current world order.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”How many dragons and elves are there like you who have arrived at the truth?”
ㅤ
ㅤ『Well… I doubt anyone knows the full picture. If the knowledge of the truth were to leak to the g*d, it would put us in danger. Even though we help each other through the covenant, there has never been a movement to organize those who know the truth.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”Put you in danger?”
ㅤ
ㅤ『Demon King. Since you call yourself that, I thought you might have already encountered them.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”Eh, no, I don’t think so.”
ㅤ
ㅤ『Hmm. You don’t know of the existence of “angels”?』
ㅤ
ㅤ”Angels?”
ㅤ
ㅤ『G*d cannot directly intervene on earth. Therefore, he uses pawns.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”And those are angels?”
ㅤ
ㅤ『No, it’s a little more complicated. He gives divine power to pawns and releases them into the world, receives offerings from those pawns, and grants his forces to those pawns. Those forces are what are called angels.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”Pawns, huh…”
ㅤ
ㅤOf course, the person who came to mind was Cretias.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Could it be that Cretias already has angels?”
ㅤ
ㅤ『It seems you have someone in mind for the p*wn.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”Yes. What is the offering required to summon angels?”
ㅤ
ㅤ『The cries for salvation. When humans despair and wholeheartedly seek salvation from G*d, G*d gains an excuse to send angels to earth.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”Was the attack on the royal capital and the petrification of Loft for that purpose…?”
ㅤ
ㅤAs I pondered,
ㅤ
ㅤ『…Hmm. It seems the situation has changed drastically while I was out of my mind.』
ㅤ
ㅤThe dragon said.
ㅤ
ㅤ『Very well. Then, I shall accompany you.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”Eh? You will?”
ㅤ
ㅤ『Having heard the song of the covenant, I cannot refuse to help. Moreover, you are my lifesaver.』
ㅤ
ㅤWith those words, the dragon’s body was enveloped in light.
ㅤ
ㅤAfter the light faded, there stood a dragon-human with curly blonde hair and horns.
ㅤShe looked to be about the same age as me.
ㅤAnd she was female.
ㅤHer red eyes with vertical pupils closely resembled those of the dragon from before.
ㅤSmall dragon wings also sprouted from behind her waist.
ㅤShe wore clothes with a unique atmosphere, like a cheongsam from Earth.
ㅤ
ㅤ”It’s been a while since I used the Human Transformation Technique, but is it alright?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Amazing. You were so big before.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”By manipulating phases, such things are possible. Knowledge of phases is essential to deceive the eyes of G*d.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I didn’t expect you to be a girl.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I’m not so young as to be called a child, but it’s true that I am female. I never said I was male, to begin with.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Now that you mention it, you’re right.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”You can tell the s*x of a dragon by looking at its skeletal structure. Just like humans, females are more rounded.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Well, it was the first time I’d ever seen a dragon.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Anyway, if you’re in a hurry, we should move on. Your current objective is the Dungeon Master ahead, right?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”That’s right. The Gnomes are worried. Now that he’s become the Dungeon Master, there’s nothing we can do, but they want to settle things with their own hands.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Hmm? Demon King, you should be able to remove the core from the Dungeon Master, shouldn’t you?”
ㅤ
ㅤThe dragon said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Eh? Can I do that?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”The Dungeon Core was originally a part of the Demon King. If you are the Demon King, there should be a way to save him.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I see. In the dungeons I’ve conquered so far, the Masters were already dead.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Dungeon Masters usually d*e once their karma is completely absorbed by the core. However, this dungeon had an irregularity in me. Perhaps it’s related to the fact that I was originally a spirit. It was also fortunate for the Master that his fellow Gnomes were watching over him nearby.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”So, you’re saying he can be saved!”
ㅤ
ㅤPopolack-san raised his voice.
ㅤ
ㅤ”It’s a rare miracle.
ㅤThe Master is this way.”
ㅤ
ㅤThe dragon turned her back to us and started walking.
ㅤ
ㅤ”By the way, what’s your name? Ah, I’m Minato. Norizakura Minato.”
ㅤ
ㅤI asked, belatedly remembering.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Me? Unfortunately, I don’t have a name that humans can pronounce. Let’s see, you can call me Escavelm.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Okay, Escavelm.”
ㅤ
ㅤWe reached the deepest part of the dungeon.
ㅤIt was the very back of the 17th floor, the lowest level, so it was truly the final room of this dungeon.
ㅤ
ㅤThere was a large amber Dungeon Core in the center, and a Gnome was trapped inside.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Oh, Papinoa. My son…”
ㅤ
ㅤPopolack-san said, clinging to the core.
ㅤ
ㅤ（He was your son?）
ㅤ
ㅤWithout saying a word about that, Popolack-san only said he wanted to put him at ease.
ㅤHis feelings are beyond imagination.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Um, how do I do this, Escavelm?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”How should I know?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”That’s true.”
ㅤ
ㅤI tentatively approached the core and held out my hand.
ㅤI’ve collected several cores before, but each time I just shoved them into the Abyss Worm’s Infinite Stomach.
ㅤAfter collecting them, I took them to the Demon King’s Castle and left their management to Elminarsh.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ah, I can feel something.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”What the Grandmasters called a Dungeon Core is, in its origin, a part of the Demon King’s power. You should be able to restore its phase and retrieve it as power.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”That phase thing, you see…”
ㅤ
ㅤI tried this and that, drawing on the Ether.
ㅤ
ㅤ”How about the staff you used to remove the core from me earlier?”
ㅤ
ㅤEscavelm suggested, unable to bear watching me struggle.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ah, right.”
ㅤ
ㅤI took out the Wand of Regret and brought it closer to the core.
ㅤ
ㅤFor a moment, the staff and the core seemed like very similar things.
ㅤ
ㅤThey were also very similar to my power as the Demon King.
ㅤ
ㅤ”I understand. You said the phases were different, but in other words, the essence was the same.”
ㅤ
ㅤIf I focused on the “same” part, I would naturally understand how to handle it.
ㅤ
ㅤThe Dungeon Core changed from an amber crystal to an amber cocoon-like object.
ㅤThe cocoon began to unravel as if spinning thread.
ㅤThe unraveling threads turned into power and entered me.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Papinoa!”
ㅤ
ㅤPopolack-san embraced the freed Gnome.