"Oh, there’s a hideout here."
Past a hole that required crouching to enter, we found a spot that looked suitable for staying the night.
It was furnished with a bed, a sofa, and even a table and chairs.
"Shall we call it a night here?"
We had been exploring for a long time, so I had no reason to object.
"Why is there a place like this inside the Dungeon?"
"Probably a hideout prepared by a Vampire for their own use."
"A Vampire?"
"Yes. The Vampire Eudite. A Monster that makes this Dungeon its stronghold."
"Something like that lives here? Is it... okay to just use it? Won't that Vampire be angry?"
"It should be fine," she said, sitting down on the bed.
Well, if Ageha said so, I would trust her.
"Hey, Kiska. Come over here. I want to talk with you more."
"A-Ah... sure."
I sat down beside her as instructed.
"Hey, Ageha... do you think I'm creepy?"
I finally voiced the question that had been weighing on me.
"Why?"
"Because of my hair. Because it's silver."
This hair was the reason the Villagers had persecuted me since childhood. Silver hair was the hallmark of the Alcusians, a race loathed and shunned by all. No one who saw it ever wore a pleasant expression.
"Is that so? I think it’s cool."
"Cool...?"
"Yeah. Silver hair is ethereal and beautiful."
"I-I see."
She was only the second person, after Namia, to ever compliment my hair.
"Though, perhaps I only feel that way because I'm an otherworlder."
"An otherworlder...?"
"Yes. I came from another world."
A visitor from another world. I had never heard of such a thing.
"You don't believe me?"
"No, I believe you."
"Fufu, I knew you’d say that, Kiska."
Ageha leaned into me, resting her weight against my shoulder.
Maybe her strange sense of personal space was because she was an otherworlder. Perhaps this distance was normal where she came from.
"Shall we eat?"
She pulled some Monster meat from her <Item Box>.
She treated me to a meal she prepared herself. Being inside a Dungeon meant she couldn't make anything too elaborate, but it was still incredibly delicious.
Once we finished, we decided to turn in early to recover from our exhaustion.
However, there was only one bed.
"You use the bed, Ageha. I’ll take the sofa."
"There’s no need for that. You can sleep in the bed with me."
"That would be a bit inappropriate, wouldn't it?"
In the end, I took the sofa and Ageha took the bed.
If I could keep receiving her help, I might actually be able to escape this Dungeon.
I felt pathetic relying so heavily on a girl’s power, but compared to her, I was essentially helpless. I had no choice but to depend on her for now.
"Nn...?"
I was drifting off when I felt a weight on my waist.
I opened my eyes to find Ageha sitting on top of me.
"I'm here."
She wore an innocent, guileless expression.
"Hey, what are you—"
I didn't get to finish.
Ageha pressed her lips against mine.
"Hey, Kiska. Feel my heart. It's pounding so hard, isn't it?"
Ageha took my hand and pressed it against her chest. I could feel her softness through my palm, but I didn't have the luxury of enjoying it.
"I love you, Kiska."
"...Huh?"
"I love you. I love you, love you, love you, love you, love you, love you, love you...!! I love you so much!"
"W-Wait! I don't remember doing anything to make you feel this way."
"What are you saying? You saved me, Kiska."
"Saved you...?"
"Yes. For a long, long time, I was sealed in the Dungeon Depths. I waited all alone for hundreds of years, wondering if a Prince would ever appear to rescue me. That’s why I gave Skills to the people who wandered into the Dungeon Depths."
I see. She gave me the Skill because she wanted me to save her.
"But it was no use. I gave Skills to as many people as there are stars in the sky. But every single one of them had their hearts broken before they could reach me. You’re the only one, Kiska. No matter how many times you died, you kept coming back for me."
...Was that it?
She had given <Save & Reset> to others before me.
And I was the only one who had finally made it here.
"I was waiting the whole time. Waiting for the Prince who would wake me up."
The expression on Ageha’s face was one of pure ecstasy. She looked like a maiden in the throes of love.
"Yes, Kiska. You are my Prince."
She kissed me again.
"I love you, Kiska."
Then, she began to pull at her clothes.
I didn't need to think to know what she intended to do next.
"Stop it...!"
The shout left my throat reflexively.
"Why...?"
"I don't look at you that way."
It was a hard thing to say, but I steeled myself. If I didn't say it clearly, she wouldn't understand.
"I see. That's a pity. But I don't mind. As long as I love you, it's enough."
"I can't do this with you."
"But why...?"
"There’s someone else I love."
"I see. That's fine. I'll be satisfied being the second person you love."
She tried to press her body against mine again.
In that moment, it happened.
I had a flashback. I thought of my Beloved Namia, and the men who had violated her.
It was hideous. Ageha was starting to seem just as hideous as them.
"Get off me!"
Before I knew it, I had shoved her away with all my strength.
"Eek!"
The force of it sent her tumbling off the sofa.
"Ah—sorry."
The words left my mouth as soon as my head cooled down. Even if I was rejecting her, there must have been a gentler way to do it.
"I-I'm sorry. Maybe I was getting ahead of myself..."
She feigned a bashful smile, acting as if she weren't bothered.
We both returned to our respective spots and lay down.
I suppose I could consider the matter settled for now. Things were awkward, but I couldn't get out of this Dungeon without her. I needed to pull myself together by tomorrow.
◆
I woke up.
"...What?"
I stared, stunned.
It took my brain several dozen seconds to process the scene before me.
Because when I opened my eyes...
Ageha’s corpse was lying right in front of me.