Chapter 137

I pointed at the food inside the lunchbox and asked the little creature,

“You want some too?”

“Kyung.”

“Uh… is it okay if you eat this…?”

Since I had no idea what this thing actually was, I couldn’t be sure it was safe to feed it human food.

After a brief hesitation, I tore off a small floret of broccoli and held it out.

The pink salamander stretched out its tiny front paws and accepted it politely.

“Kyuu!”

It beamed up at me, as if saying thank you.

A salamander that small—and it had facial expressions!

‘So cute…!’

It was the kind of cute that made you want to bite it. Not that I actually would.

A pink salamander… It looked like an axolotl, so let’s call it Lupa. Lupa nibbled delicately at the piece of broccoli.

If I knew what it liked, I could try giving it something else….

‘Should I use an appraisal skill?’

That was when—

“Muriel? What is that…?”

Lycian’s puzzled voice drifted over from beside me.

The next moment, his eyes met Lupa’s.

A brief silence fell.

“…Lupa? I guess they live around here too.”

At that, my eyes went wide.

“This creature’s called Lupa?”

“Yeah. They show up in dungeons sometimes. They’re not aggressive, and they’re not monsters either, so they’re harmless.”

I never expected its name to actually be Lupa. A laugh slipped out of me.

Lupa resumed nibbling its broccoli.

Lycian stared at it for a moment, then added,

“For the record, Lupa are edible.”

“Pff—!”

I’d just taken a sip of water and ended up spraying it everywhere.

“Oh dear.”

Lycian calmly pulled out a handkerchief and wiped my mouth for me.

I stammered, my lips still trembling. “E-edible? This little thing?”

“If you soak it in beaten egg, coat it in breadcrumbs, and deep-fry it, it’s pretty tasty. Crispy on the outside, tender and juicy inside… I’ve heard it tastes like chicken. I’ve never tried it myself, though.”

“D-don’t describe it in that much detail…!”

They eat something this cute?

Adventurers are awful!

‘It smiled so brightly over a tiny piece of broccoli!’

By the time Lupa had finished its broccoli, I held out my hand. It carefully climbed onto my palm.

Cold and damp.

‘And it’s this adorable…!’

I drew my hand closer to my chest, as if shielding Lupa, and turned to Dante.

“Have you… ever tried eating one, Dante?”

“Huh? Tried what?”

He was completely absorbed in the Holy Knights’ dungeon subjugation report. Clearly, he hadn’t heard a word of our conversation.

While Dante remained glued to the report, Camilla shot him a sidelong glance and spoke up.

“Well, I’ve tried it before….”

Mikhail chimed in, “Me too.”

A massive shock washed over me.

Y-you terrible people…!!

I cupped Lupa gently in both hands and declared,

“I’m absolutely not handing this little one over…!”

“…I don’t want it. I’m full.”

“Same here….”

Both of their lunchboxes were already empty. It must have been delicious if they finished that quickly….

“What are you all talking about? Muriel, I’ve finished reading this. It’s quite interesting.”

Dante finally resurfaced from the report and handed it to Mikhail.

Now Mikhail was the one pulled into its depths.

“You know why adventurers compete to clear a dungeon first, don’t you, Muriel?”

I nodded.

“Because of the highest-grade Monster Core and ancient relics you get from defeating the dungeon’s ruler.”

“Exactly. A highest-grade Monster Core can fetch any price…. Hm? That little guy is….”

Only then did Dante notice Lupa, his brows shooting up.

In the next instant, an expression I had never seen on him surfaced.

He looked like someone who had just fallen into a pit crawling with cockroaches.

“M-Muriel…! Please get that thing away from me—no, release it at once! Don’t bring it any closer! Please!”

His face drained of color as he babbled, then ducked behind Rena.

Blinking rapidly, I stared at him, utterly bewildered.

Then laughter burst out beside me.

“Hahaha!”

The culprit was none other than Lycian.

He pointed at Dante and openly mocked him.

“You’re still scared of that? Idiot.”

Only then did I understand what was going on.

Dante… was afraid of this tiny, seemingly harmless Lupa!

‘Why?!’

It’s nothing but cute!

“M-Muriel…! They love boiled eggs! If you give it one, it’ll be satisfied and go back!”

Dante pleaded, trembling pitifully.

I was beyond flabbergasted, but I had no desire to torment him, so I did as he suggested.

“Here.”

I held out half a boiled egg. Lupa accepted it with a bright grin.

And unlike the broccoli, it devoured the egg in just a few bites.

It even let out a tiny burp, as if to say it had eaten well.

I stared at it, dumbfounded.

“You were totally being picky earlier, weren’t you?”

“Kyuu.”

Lupa beamed again and rubbed affectionately against my finger.

Then it hopped down from my palm and disappeared in an instant into the pond beneath the pavilion.

Apparently, having gotten a satisfying meal, it had gone home.

“So cute… right?”

I murmured without thinking as I turned around—only to lock eyes with Dante, who looked like he’d just swallowed a rotten tomato.

“…….”

“…….”

An awkward silence stretched between us.

Dante stared at me as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

I avoided his gaze and offered an awkward smile.

According to the report, this dungeon had not one ruler, but two.

Usually, a dungeon had a single ruler. Two was unusual.

The Holy Knights had named them as follows:

One was the “Wraith Lord.”

The other, the “Ashen Bride.”

Since both had been defeated, the Holy Knights had obtained a total of two highest-grade Monster Cores.

They were currently being stored at the Grand Temple—but naturally, they belonged to me.

“Please sell them to me, Muriel.”

Having recovered his composure at some point, Dante sidled up next to me and chattered eagerly.

A murderous aura radiated from Lycian as he glared at him.

Afraid Dante might actually get killed at this rate, I quickly nodded.

“I was planning to sell them to the Veratis Guild anyway, so calm down, Dante.”

“Really? That’s a promise!”

“Yes, yes. I promise.”

Dante practically cheered with joy—only for Lycian to kick him squarely.

Dante staggered, nearly falling over, yet he simply grinned in delight.

I shook my head, letting out a soft laugh.

‘A highest-grade Monster Core really is something.’

Monster Cores were used for many purposes, but the highest demand was in the creation of magitech dolls.

I didn’t understand the precise mechanics since I wasn’t a magitech engineer… but dolls crafted with highest-grade Monster Cores were said to be far more refined.

‘Almost like a living person….’

Without thinking, I glanced sideways at Rena—only to meet her eyes directly.

‘Eek.’

I forced a stiff smile and quickly looked away.

Swallowing the sigh rising in my throat, I carefully descended the dark staircase.

That’s right.

We were now… heading toward the deepest level of the dungeon.

‘According to the report… the deepest level is a tomb.’

At the same time, it was also the “Ruler’s Chamber.”

In simple terms, the boss room.

I quietly recalled the contents of the report.

[It seemed there was a hidden space beyond the stone chamber’s wall, but we were unable to find a way to open it.]

That might have been true for the Holy Knights, but as for me—the system-recognized “Owner of the Dungeon”…

I might just be able to uncover the secret hidden in this dungeon’s depths.

“We’re here…. This should be the Ruler’s Chamber.”

Mikhail, who had been walking ahead, glanced back at us as he spoke.

I nodded at him, and he gave a faint smile before pushing the stone door open with force.

Creeeak—

Thud.

Beyond the open door, the space lay submerged in darkness as black as spilled ink.