Published: January 22, 2026
It had been ten days since we departed Tsutolairu, and it seemed that we were progressing more smoothly than planned. We were scheduled to arrive at our destination, the city of Roirus in the Reglyph Territory, by the afternoon two days from now.
During these ten days, although we occasionally stepped outside when sleeping, eating, or resting, we were basically inside the carriage.
With such a lifestyle continuing for this long, one might expect the conversation to run dry, but strangely, there was never a moment when awkward silence settled due to a lack of topics.
Usually, Carole would bring up subjects and engage everyone, so it’s fair to say this was thanks to her.
I was impressed by how she could come up with one topic after another so effortlessly.
That said, she wasn’t constantly talking; when I was reading or the others were busy with their own tasks, she refrained from chattering unnecessarily.
That kind of consideration was something she was better at than anyone else.
Perhaps it’s better to say that she simply did it naturally rather than being able to.
From appearances, Carole didn’t seem to be pushing herself, but she carried trauma from her past.
Though it had quieted down recently, trauma isn’t something that can be resolved quickly.
Even now, there are many moments when she puts others before herself—that probably speaks volumes.
“This is a good time; let’s begin today’s lecture.”
As the conversation reached a lull, I spoke up.
Not all the travel time was spent in casual talk. Though shorter than usual, I held my usual lectures.
The clan had requested that I teach them not just about being explorers, but also about party management and clan operations behind the scenes.
These kids, expected to become central figures of the clan in the future, still had plenty to learn.
“Yay! It’s master’s lecture time! What’s the topic today?”
“Today is about dungeons. Much will be review, but since we’re about to start dungeon exploration, let me explain dungeons again.”
After confirming the three had nodded at my prompt, I began the lecture.
“First, starting with the basics: a dungeon is an underground space scattered across the continent where demonic beasts appear. Why dungeons exist is completely unknown, but historical records say they suddenly appeared across various places hundreds of years ago—back in the era of fairy tales. Explorers like us delve into dungeons seeking resources unavailable on the surface and magic stones that appear after defeating demonic beasts inside.”
Magic tools are indispensable in our current life.
Most magic tools’ exteriors are made from materials obtained in dungeons, and their activation requires magic stones.
In other words, without explorers, it would be no exaggeration to say that new magic tools couldn’t be made.
Because of this, the general populace holds explorers in a certain respect, and explorers themselves take pride in supporting people’s livelihoods.
“Some confuse dungeons and Great Labyrinths, but they’re different. Can you tell me why?”
“Yay! Different numbers of floors! Great Labyrinths have one hundred floors, but dungeons are at most thirty layers deep, right?”
Carole answered my question.
“That’s right. It’s said that the maximum depth of a dungeon is thirty layers; no deeper dungeons have been found. As for Great Labyrinths, the Great Western Labyrinth has one hundred floors, so that’s what people say. However, whether the Great Southern Labyrinth where we operate has one hundred floors remains uncertain. To find out, we’d have to reach the lowest floor. —There are other differences too. Can you name them?”
“Maybe… the demonic beasts that appear don’t change?”
Next, Sophie answered.
“Correct. In dungeons, although the types of demonic beasts differ by dungeon, they don’t change from the first floor to the lowest. If anything, the number of demonic beasts increases as you go deeper. In contrast, Great Labyrinths have demonic beasts that change every few floors. From the lower floors, the environment itself also changes. —Anything else?”