A girl materialized within the magic circle before Rei’s eyes. Ignoring both Rei and Elena, the girl didn’t even change her expression when she saw Set. She simply uttered a single sound.
"Nn."
As if that were enough to conclude her business, she moved to walk right past Rei.
"Wait a moment."
Beside Rei, Elena instinctively reached out and placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder.
"Nn?"
The girl tilted her head slightly. The gesture was adorable, but her nearly frozen expression gave her a strangely detached, stoic aura.
"It’s not 'Nn?'. This is a dungeon, you know. It’s no place for a child to wander alone. Are you by yourself? Where are your parents or guardians? Do you have a party?"
"Nn."
The girl gave a small nod to Elena’s interrogation.
As Elena and the girl went back and forth, Rei took the opportunity to observe her. She looked to be about ten years old. Her gear prioritized mobility; she wore minimal leather armor, likely made from monster hide, protecting only vital areas like her torso and forearms. A pair of daggers were sheathed at her hips, and she held a small crossbow in her hands. A quiver and a rucksack were strapped to her back.
She had blue hair that reached her shoulders and deep black eyes. Even Rei could tell that her refined features would undoubtedly bloom into great beauty one day.
But her most striking trait was her expression—or lack thereof. Even from this close, she hadn't flinched or shown the slightest hint of fear at the sight of Set.
(A kid like this in a dungeon alone? Well, I know I'm not really one to talk, given my own apparent age...)
Rei knew he looked to be about fifteen, but there was a massive gulf between fifteen and ten.
Elena seemed equally stunned that a girl so small—so young—was diving solo. She crouched down to meet the girl’s eye level.
"I don't think you're lost, but why are you in the dungeon alone today?"
"Nn? ...Nn."
The expressionless girl tilted her head again. Once she finally seemed to grasp what Elena was asking, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a card. Rei, watching from the side, immediately recognized it as a Dungeon Card.
"You want me to look at this?"
"Nn."
The girl nodded and handed it over.
Elena took the Dungeon Card and began looking through it, almost overwhelmed by the girl’s silent momentum. Bored with the adults, the girl tottered over to Set and stared at him.
"Gu, Guruuu?"
Being scrutinized by a child who didn't move a single muscle in her face was apparently uncomfortable even for Set. He let out a perplexed trill.
The girl continued to stare at him for a moment before suddenly reaching out and patting Set on the head.
"..."
Set looked confused as the girl stroked him with a blank face. However, since arriving in Exil, he had been met with nothing but terror. Having a girl pet him without a hint of fear seemed to please him; he narrowed his eyes and purred contentedly.
"She’s petting him right off the bat without being scared? That’s a first for Exil. Usually, people only stop being afraid after they see him eating something," Rei remarked, nodding in admiration.
Elena lightly tapped his shoulder and handed him the girl’s card. The name written there was Byune Flaut. It proved that the expressionless girl petting Set was a Surname Holder.
"A Surname Holder? Is she a noble? Would a noble family really dump a child this young in a dungeon alone?"
Elena shook her head at Rei’s question.
"No. It’s true that this girl... Byune, has a surname, but she isn’t a noble. Don’t you remember? Exil was originally ruled as a semi-autonomous city by four houses, but one of them fell into ruin."
That was enough for Rei to connect the dots. He understood Byune’s lineage now.
"So, Byune is a descendant of that fallen house?"
"Almost certainly. Look at the bottom of the card, too."
Following Elena’s prompt, Rei looked again. There, he saw the characters for Rank D.
"Wait, she’s Rank D at her age?"
"Yes. There is no doubt she is incredibly skilled. Especially considering she is solo."
"No, it’s not just that."
"Nn? What do you mean?"
Rei shook his head.
(Elena doesn't know much about adventurers, so it makes sense she wouldn't know the specifics of the Rank Up Exams.)
He kept the thought to himself. To reach Rank D, an adventurer generally had to pass an exam that involved the act of killing a human being. If Byune was Rank D, it meant this ten-year-old girl had already taken a life.
(Or maybe the killing requirement is only a thing in Gilm? Surely the guild wouldn't force a child to do something like that...)
The faces of the Gilm guild staff flashed through his mind—Kenny, Lenora, Gran, and Marina. He couldn't imagine any of them forcing a girl like Byune through a promotion that required murder. Even his own promotion at fifteen had probably been a borderline case in their eyes.
In truth, Rei’s intuition was half-right. If Marina were the Guild Master in Exil, it never would have happened. However, because Byune was a descendant of one of the founding houses of the Labyrinth City, the local guild had felt obligated to honor her request. As a result, she had passed the exam and promoted to Rank D before she even hit double digits.
One could call it a tragedy born of Byune’s innate talent as a thief and adventurer. Of course, Byune herself didn't mind. If it meant earning more money, she was more than willing to stain her hands with blood.
"In any case, it’s dangerous for a child to be in here alone. How about it? If you like, you can join us," Elena offered.
"Nn!"
Byune shook her head firmly. To her, B2F was a floor she had conquered long ago; she didn't feel any danger here. She was only on this floor today to fulfill a guild request for the special silk used in the B2F traps. Acting solo meant she didn't have to split the rewards—and for Byune, that was the most important factor.
"Nn."
Byune reached out for her card. Elena gently returned it to her.
"You’re determined to stay solo, then?"
"Nn."
Byune nodded.
Elena let out a soft sigh and reached out to stroke the girl’s blue hair.
"I see. I still have my reservations about letting a child dive alone, but... I am Elena. We are staying at the Golden Wind Inn. If you ever need help, come find us."
"Nn!"
After nodding, Byune turned her gaze toward Rei. Realizing she was waiting for his name, Rei shrugged and spoke up.
"I'm Rei. This is Set. And the one on Elena's shoulder is Iero. Good to meet you."
"Nn."
"Guruuu."
Set trilled a greeting, and Byune nodded before reaching out to pat his head again.
"Kyu-kyu!"
"Nn!"
Iero took flight from Elena’s shoulder and landed on Set’s back. He chirped a greeting, and Byune patted his head as well. Though Iero was small, he was undeniably a dragon. Most people would have shown at least a flicker of hesitation, but Byune didn't care in the slightest.
"Kyu-kyu!"
"Nn."
"Kyu?"
"Nn."
"Kyu!"
"Nn."
A bizarre conversation unfolded between the girl and the dragon. Byune only used her signature grunt, but they seemed to understand each other perfectly. Rei watched them, tilting his head in confusion. Elena watched with a faint, warm smile, though she maintained her usual dignified air.
"Nn."
With one last mutter, Byune gave both Set and Iero a final pat. She raised a hand briefly to Rei and Elena before turning to leave.
"See you again, Byune!"
"Nn!"
Byune gave a short nod to Elena’s farewell and sprinted off into the depths of the 2F.
Once silence returned to the corridor, Rei spoke.
"Well, shall we get going? Though I wonder if she'll be okay with the traps... Actually, never mind. She looked like a professional thief."
"I suppose you're right... Still, Rei."
Rei knew what Elena was thinking. Child soldiers weren't unheard of on the battlefield—some were conscripted, some volunteered to cover taxes, and others sought glory. But even then, ten-year-olds like Byune were rare. Elena had never seen one personally, and it clearly weighed on her.
"Rank D means she can handle herself. And did you see her record on the card? She’s reached B12F. The most elite party in the city hasn't even hit B30F yet, and she did twelve floors solo. B2F is basically her backyard."
"I know that intellectually, but her age makes it hard to swallow."
"Gurururuuu?"
"Kyu!"
Set and Iero cut into their somber conversation. They looked down the hallway, as if telling the humans to stop talking and start moving.
"Fair enough. Standing around here won't solve anything. Besides, if Byune went ahead of us, all the traps might already be disarmed."
"I wouldn't count on it. This is a dungeon, after all... See?"
As they walked, they came upon a crossroads. Excluding the way they had come, the path split in three: forward, left, and right.
"True. Since the path splits, there’s no guarantee she went the same way we’re going."
"So, which way?"
"The map says the stairs are to the right, but I'm not really feeling like going to B3F on our first day. Let's try straight or left. I'll leave the choice to your B-Rank intuition, Rei."
Elena left it entirely up to him. Rei let out a sigh, but being relied upon by her clearly put him in a better mood. Beneath his hood, a small smile played on his lips as he pointed to the left.
"Gurururuuu?"
"Kyu-kyu!"
Set tilted his head while trilling, and Iero mimicked the gesture on the gryphon's back. Wrapped in a somewhat cozy atmosphere, the group proceeded down the left passage.
A few monsters appeared along the way, but they were the same low-rank Goblins and Poison Toads found on B1F. The only new additions were the Soldier Ants.
"Hah!"
Rei dashed forward, circling around a Soldier Ant. He swept it off its feet with the butt end of the Death Scythe, flipping it onto its back, and followed through by driving the shaft into its soft underbelly.
Beside him, Elena sliced through another Soldier Ant with a Wind Blade, while Set’s right talon crushed the head of a third.
After a few hours of combat practice on the 2F, the party made their way to a magic circle near the stairs and exited the dungeon for the day.