In front of the Ashud Dungeon, one of our soldiers stands guard.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Young master, stay safe.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Ben, make sure you act as the young master’s shield!”
“What the hell? I’m Thomas’s shield now?”
“Of course, you are.”
The soldier gave Ben a hearty slap on the back.
“Ouch!”
“Do your job properly.”
“Yeah, yeah, we’re heading in.”
We stepped into the dungeon, torches in hand.
Back at the manor, we had some old documents about this abandoned mine. According to them, it was about four kilometers long with three branching paths along the way. However, since it had become a dungeon, its structure had apparently changed entirely. In short, the information was no longer reliable.
“Ben, we’ll encounter Long Rabbits and Slimes at first. Stay alert as we move.”
“Got it!”
Relying on the dim torchlight, we cautiously advanced. Passing the spot where I had once been attacked by a Long Rabbit, we came across a fork in the path that hadn’t been there before.
“Both paths converge further ahead. Which way do you want to go, Ben?”
“Me? Hmm… Let’s go this way.”
Ben chose the path on the right.
“There it is!”
A monster appeared as we went down the chosen path.
“A Long Rabbit.”
“Leave it to me!”
“Are you sure?”
“Heh, meat’s coming right at me. I’m gonna take it!”
Ben was as confident as ever.
“I’ll cover you if things get dangerous.”
“Like that’ll happen!”
The Long Rabbit charged, but Ben caught it with his shield, absorbing the impact by bending his knees. A well-executed defense.
“Take this!”
With a swing of his morning star, Ben struck the Long Rabbit.
“Pi-kee…”
A sickening crunch of bones echoed as the morning star’s spikes pierced its abdomen. The Long Rabbit went silent with a single blow.
“You’re strong, Ben!”
“Of course I am!”
Ben flexed his arm, his grin radiant.
“Have you fought monsters before?”
“Heh, yeah. My old man took me hunting a few times.”
That explained his composure.
“Well, then I need to show you what I can do too.”
“Go ahead. I’ll watch.”
Before anything else, though, we needed to drain the Long Rabbit’s blood and remove its innards. I used a dagger to sever its neck, allowing the blood to drain, then slit its belly.
“Cleaning up takes longer than the fight itself, huh?”
“No kidding. Ha-ha!”
Ben packed the Long Rabbit into the large rucksack he had brought.
“Isn’t this bag too big?”
“I’m planning to hunt a lot. More meat means more food, right?”
That was so typical of Ben I couldn’t help but laugh.
As we pressed on, we encountered another Long Rabbit. This time, I nocked an arrow, pulling the bowstring taut.
The Long Rabbit noticed us, its bloodshot eyes filled with murderous intent.
*Whoosh!*
“Pi-kee-kee!”
The arrow lodged itself at the base of the Long Rabbit’s hind leg.
“Got it!”
I drew my sword and dashed forward.
“Take this!”
*Slash!*
With a clean stroke, I severed the Long Rabbit’s neck.
“This sword has a great edge.”
“Yeah, and you knew it was made by my old man, didn’t you?”
“Of course! Ha-ha!”
Ben laughed heartily as he started processing the Long Rabbit.
—
#### **Side Story: Rob Ashud Rocksfall, Knight Baron**
I lost my parents and wife to a plague. It hit me hard, but I couldn’t abandon my people, so I pulled myself together.
Not long after, a proposal came to adopt the child of the former Marquis Lightstar. While my late wife and I had a good relationship, we never had children. I had no intention of remarrying, so I knew adoption was inevitable someday. However, the connection to the Marquis Lightstar gave me pause.
Though my father had been indebted to the Marquis two generations ago, the previous and current heads of the Lightstar family were far from virtuous. Over the past 20 years, our interactions were limited to formal greetings.
Still, as my father’s benefactor, I couldn’t dismiss the proposal outright. To make an informed decision, I traveled to Bald territory, governed by the Lightstar family, to meet the child.
The Marquis suggested not only adoption but also marriage to one of his mistresses. I couldn’t simply walk out on the conversation, so I agreed to meet the candidate. It quickly became clear that the marriage proposal was the Marquis’s main agenda.
The woman, Aliusha , was one of the Marquis’s concubines. She candidly revealed her origins as a slave with no memory of her past before becoming a slave to the Lightstar household.
“I understand you may refuse, and that is fine. I will manage on my own. But if I may, I would beg of you to care for my son, Thomas.”
Aliusha pleaded desperately, lowering her head to the ground.
I investigated further and confirmed that both Aliusha and Thomas were treated poorly within the household.
After meeting Aliusha three more times, I decided to take her as my wife.
Her love for her son was evident, and she carried herself with humility and grace.
—
Sitting at my desk now, I sighed. Before me were four letters—three from Duke Bayerlein and one from Marquis Lightstar.
The Duke’s letters were gracious and expressed deep gratitude for the gift of a royal steed. In contrast, the Marquis’s letter was a string of demands, including control over the dungeon and exclusive rights to the steed trade.
It was a stark reminder of the Marquis’s arrogance.
“Perhaps it’s time to sever ties.”
I began drafting a letter to my trusted ally, Baron Rittenheim.
