"Right then, I suppose I’ll take the treasure and head home."
Past the room where the boss had been, there was a small side chamber.
A luxurious treasure chest sat there, waiting.
"That’s it. The treasure chest. You should be the one to open it, Roberto."
"Are you sure? You’re the one who did almost all the work to clear this dungeon, Tao."
"But I’d be dead if you hadn't been here. That gives you the right to open it, Roberto-ne."
"I see. Well, if you insist..."
I stepped up to the chest and opened it without ceremony.
Inside was a single dagger.
"Oh, a dagger? Here, let me see it for a second-aru."
Watching from behind my shoulder, Tao stared intently at the blade.
Then, she slapped her forehead with a loud smack.
"…Oof, what a shame. It’s a total dud-ne."
"Is it? I can feel some kind of magical power coming from it, though..."
"Yeah, you’re right, it’s a dagger with Enchantment Magic on it. But it’s nothing special. Look at the base—it’s just an ordinary iron knife with zero decorations. You can’t put strong magic on something like that. It was probably just someone’s practice piece for Enchantment Magic-aru."
A dagger someone used to practice enchantment, huh?
Looking closer, the blade was slightly chipped, and it showed signs of heavy use.
It looked more like something that had belonged to someone for years. It was strange for a dungeon treasure to be so mundane.
As I pondered this, the treasure chest began to slowly sink into the ground.
"Wait, could it be...?"
On instinct, I cast the Wind System Magic spell 'Wind Cutter,' sending out a blade of air that sliced off a corner of the chest.
I felt an incredible surge of magical power from the severed fragment.
...I see. This thing is the dungeon's core.
These creatures usually live underground, growing into dungeons by consuming Magic Tools and items dropped by people.
Then, when they're on the verge of being cleared, they pretend to be a treasure chest and offer up their contents, using the distraction to make their escape.
Fascinating. It’s a clever mechanism.
"Roberto? What are you smirking about-ne?"
"Oh, nothing. Anyway, if this dagger isn't worth much, do you mind if I keep it?"
"I meant for you to have it from the start. Help yourself-aru."
"Thanks."
I’d actually been wanting an enchanted dagger for a while.
The castle has weapons like this, of course, but they’re all far too expensive to just dismantle on a whim.
I hadn't been able to experiment with Enchantment System Magic yet, but this would make a perfect test subject.
I tossed it into my bag along with the fragment of the chest.
Suddenly, a low rumble began to shake the earth.
"Oops, come to think of it, dungeons vanish once the treasure is taken, don't they?"
"Yeah, we need to get out of here fast-aru!"
I sprinted out of the dungeon alongside Tao.
By the time we made it back to the surface, the sky was growing dim.
"Gah, damn it..."
I’d completely forgotten about Grimo.
I’d left him alone for far too long. I wondered if he was holding up okay.
"What’s the matter, Roberto? You’re acting all fidgety-ne."
"…Sorry, I just remembered I have some urgent business to attend to. My apologies."
After a quick apology to Tao, I immediately activated 'Flight' and leaped into the sky.
"Ah! Where are you going-ne!?"
"Sorry, I’m in a hurry!"
"Wait! At least exchange contact infoooooooo!"
As Tao’s voice echoed behind me, I flew straight toward the castle.
It was a bit of a shame, but we probably wouldn't ever meet again.
Still, I’d learned about 'Ki,' seen all sorts of monsters, and even picked up some interesting loot in the dungeon.
It had been a very satisfying day.
I slipped back into the castle grounds, hiding my presence just as I had when I left.
Wearing a look of pure satisfaction, I returned to my room to find myself—well, Grimo in my form—collapsed facedown on the bed.
"I’m back... Uh, hey, Grimo? You okay?"
When I spoke, his neck turned toward me with a mechanical creak.
His expression was utterly lifeless.
"…Lloyd-sama... I told you... I told you the maid came by... over and over..."
"Hahaha... Sorry. I forgot."
It seemed he really had tried to contact me multiple times.
It must have been when I was preoccupied with the monsters... I have a bad habit of tuning out the world when I'm focused on something.
I really need to reflect on that.
"Yes, well... I told myself you were surely busy and managed to waffle my way through the conversation. But in the end, I couldn't get out of our 'sword practice.' She beat me to a bloody pulp, she did. That maid... her strength is no joke-ssu..."
"I imagine not."
The effigy Grimo is inhabiting is a copy of my own body.
I’m not bragging, but I have absolute confidence in my total lack of physical talent.
"If it were just that, I could take it-ssu. But the problem is... after she thrashed me, she started crying. Then she said, 'I will beat some backbone into Lloyd-sama's spineless character!'"
"Ah..."
She must have thought I was slacking off.
Usually, I use magic to mimic Sylpha's own movements.
Unfortunately, what she saw today was my actual, unaugmented physical ability.
"Because of that, we were sparring until just a few minutes ago. Ever since noon. All. Day. Long-ssu."
"…I’m sorry."
I apologized sincerely.
It looked like I wouldn't be able to sneak out for a while.