As I opened the door, a faint, rainbow-colored mist billowed out.
"Wow, it’s so pretty..."
I nodded at Ryune's voice. Stepping into the room felt like walking into a space from a fairytale.
Heart and tulip patterns covered every inch of the walls. Countless orbs of light, resembling glowing balloons, drifted from the ceiling, illuminating the chamber in a vibrant, colorful glow. Transparent, crystal-like stones were scattered across the floor, sparkling beneath our feet with every step we took.
"Huh? The door we came through is..."
I turned around at Ryune's voice.
Sure enough, the door that had been there just a moment ago had vanished entirely.
"What is this room?"
The moment I muttered the question, a transparent screen manifested before us.
▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽
From here on, you will come to know the truths hidden in each other's hearts.
△△△△△△△△△△△△
"Knowing... the truth?" Ryune whispered, her voice laced with confusion.
To be honest, I didn't really understand it either. What exactly did "truths hidden in one's heart" refer to?
(I'm so hungry... I really want to eat that apple pie I bought in the Kingdom again. What was the name of that shop?)
"Eh?"
I spoke up instinctively. There was no mistaking that voice—it was Ryune’s. But her lips hadn't moved.
"Ryune, just now... you were thinking about wanting to eat apple pie?"
"Eh!? Kiskacchi, how did you know that!?"
Ryune’s eyes went wide. She definitely hadn't said it out loud.
"I heard it inside my head."
"Um... maybe this is what it means to 'know the truth.'"
I see. It meant we could perceive whatever the other was thinking.
"Hey, do you want to test it? To see if our thoughts are really being transmitted?"
"Yeah, let's. Okay, I'll think of an animal I like, and you try to guess it, Kiskacchi."
"Got it."
"Um..."
(A rabbit... A white, fluffy rabbit with ears that twitch and red eyes.)
"A rabbit. A white one with red eyes, specifically."
"Whoa, even details that specific get through!?"
Ryune wore an expression of pure shock.
So this was what it meant. Our thoughts, including mental images, were being transmitted directly to one another.
"Now it's your turn, Kiskacchi. Think of a dish you like."
"Alright."
(Mutton stew. Specifically, the fragrant, herb-scented one served at the Silver Moon Inn in Kataloff Village...)
"It's stew! From the Silver Moon Inn! That sounds delicious! I want to go eat there too!"
"I didn't think it would pin down the specific shop, too..."
It seemed our thoughts were indeed completely transparent to each other.
"Um, so, what should we do now?"
"I'm not sure, but for now... should we try moving forward?"
An obvious, single path lay ahead of us—a rainbow-colored road straight out of a children's story. It was clearly nudging us to follow it.
"Let's just follow this road for now."
"Yeah!"
And so, we cautiously began to proceed.
Still, to think that everything I’m thinking is being exposed... Well, I don't really have anything to hide from Ryune, so it shouldn't be a problem.
(Ugh... there's just one thing I absolutely don't want Kiskacchi to find out, though...)
I heard Ryune's inner voice.
"!"
I reflexively stopped in my tracks.
"Ah..."
Ryune stopped too. It seemed my agitation had reached her as well.
(Ah, crap, I have to try not to think about it... Um, um, let's think about delicious food or cute animals. Like rabbits, or kittens, um, and...)
I could feel her frantic efforts to pivot her thoughts. To be honest, it was incredibly awkward. While I wasn't entirely incurious about her secret, pryring into it through a situation like this felt wrong.
"Ah, Kiskacchi, a monster! Look, there's a monster!"
Ahead of us, a yellow-bodied, bee-like monster was hovering. Though it looked like a bee, it was the size of a large dog, and its stinger gleamed with the sharpness of a sword.
"It's a Gold Bee. Be careful, they're poisonous!" Ryune explained.
As expected of Nyau's Apprentice, her knowledge was extensive.
"Kiskacchi, look! You have to focus on the monster! Come on!"
Ryune was practically screaming, obviously desperate to change the subject. I figured I should probably play along.
"Yeah, leave it to me."
I drew my sword and took a stance. The Gold Bee charged in a straight line. That actually made things easier; a monster that flew in a predictable path was simple to handle.
I swiftly stepped aside, dodging the lunge, and brought my blade down to clip its wings as it zipped past. Losing its balance, the monster crashed to the floor. I delivered a finishing blow by severing its head.
"Kiskacchi, that was amazing!"
Ryune clapped her hands in delight. Then, she grabbed my hand and began pulling me forward.
"Let's go, quick! There might be more monsters ahead!"
"H-hey..."
Ryune was in a clear hurry. No, she was flustered, and her desperation to flee the situation was painfully obvious.
(Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it...)
Her inner voice was like a frantic mantra. I decided to keep my mouth shut and let her pull me along.
Grrrrroooooaaaaaarrrrrr!!
Suddenly, a low, tectonic roar echoed from deeper within the passage.
"Hey, Kiskacchi. That's a Golem, right?"
Blocking the path ahead was a massive humanoid construct made of stone. Its height easily exceeded five meters.
(This is bad. Golems are pretty strong. But I can't use magic without Master...)
I heard Ryune's anxiety.
I was certain I had encountered a Golem back in the Kataloff Dungeon. For some reason, the details were fuzzy, but my intuition told me this was an opponent I could manage.
"Ryune, stay back!"
With heavy, thudding footsteps, the Golem lumbered toward us.
(Kiskacchi, the Golem's weak point is the Mana Core in its chest! It's slow, so you'll definitely have an opening!)
I nodded at the voice in my head. Nyau’s training had served her well; she knew exactly how to dismantle this thing.
The Golem raised its massive arms, intending to crush me into the floor. Its movements were sluggish, but the sheer force was terrifying. I leaped aside to dodge, and the spot where I had been standing was instantly gouged out.
(Yikes! Kiskacchi, are you okay!?)
"I'm fine! Just worry about yourself, Ryune!"
I reflexively shouted the answer to her mental cry.
Dodging the next strike, I set my sights on the Golem’s chest. Knowing the weak point made all the difference.
"There!"
With a strike backed by all my strength, I pierced the Mana Core.
With a sound like crumbling mountains, the Golem collapsed into a heap of rubble.
"We did it! Kiskacchi, you're amazing!"
Ryune was practically bouncing. The skirt of her maid outfit swayed with her movements.
(Kiskacchi really is strong after all. No wonder Master trusts him so much...)
Her sincere admiration reached me, and I felt a faint heat rise to my cheeks.
"No, it's only because you told me where to strike, Ryune."
"Ehehe, I should at least be able to do that much."
Ryune smiled happily, but her expression quickly clouded over again.
"Hey, I don't think we can move forward like this..."
The Golem's massive carcass had completely plugged the narrow passage. There were no other paths; this was a problem.
"Kiskacchi, look!"
Ryune pointed toward a small gap between the Golem’s torso and its arm.
"If we squeeze through here, I think we can make it...!"
Without waiting, Ryune dropped to her hands and knees and began crawling through the opening. It was tight, but it looked like I could fit if I followed her.
Or so I thought.
As Ryune crawled through the gap ahead of me, the hem of her skirt caught on a jagged piece of stone. She didn't seem to notice and kept pushing forward.
This was bad. At this rate, I was going to see everything.
Before I could even think to look away, it happened. I saw it—Ryune’s pure white underwear.
"Eh?" Ryune squeaked.
Ah, crap. I forgot. My thoughts were being broadcast to her, too.
"Waaaaahhhh!!"
Ryune let out a shriek, frantically clutching her skirt as she scrambled through the rest of the narrow gap.
(No, no, no...! Kiskacchi saw everything!)
Trying to ignore her mental screaming, I followed her and crawled through the opening myself.
"Look, I'm sorry about that," I said once I reached the other side.
Ryune’s face was beet-red as she glared at me, her eyes watery with embarrassment.
(I didn't think Kiskacchi was such a pervert. Pervert, pervert, pervert, pervert, pervert...)
Ugh. Being lambasted like this in my own head was actually pretty draining. In the first place, it was an accident. It wasn't like I had intended to look—I couldn't exactly help it.
"What do you mean, 'couldn't help it'..." Ryune muttered under her breath.
(You stared intently when you should have looked away...)
Well, it was true that the image was burned into my mind... Ah, crap.
"Kiskacchi, you idiot—!!"
Ryune's scream echoed through the chamber.