Shinka no Mi

Chapter 173: Night Ruler*

“…… Hey, it’s a long way down, but I wonder, are we not there yet?”

We rushed into the dungeon where Luthia’s father was, but we are still going down the stairs.

Inside the dungeon, torches were hanging on the stone wall, so it’s not that dark.

Although its number is small, all the dungeons I’ve dived so far were mazes and rooms.

However, right now we haven’t even reached a room, let alone a maze, and we haven’t seen any monsters.

“……Oi, Luthia. Is It really here? We’ve been going down for thirty minutes. “

“It’s here. I can certainly feel it.”

“Gununu …… then at least, place as many monsters as you can! So, I can eat it!”

“……Glutton. That’s strange. It’s good that monsters don’t come out. It won’t consume our physical strength that much.”

“If you eat the monster, you’ll soon recover the physical strength that you lost. Rather, you can even benefit from being able to eat unknown foods.”

“…… I don’t understand anymore.”

Olga-chan sighed at Rurune’s reaction.

Not letting Rurune eat human food is one of the top three things I’ve failed in my life up to now.

When I was amazed at Rurune’s reaction, we arrived at a door for the first time in this dungeon.

The door itself is not particularly flashy, but it looks thick and sturdy.

“This is …… do you know what this is, Al?”

“Nn? I can’t say for sure if I don’t go inside, but…… as someone who has been diving into dungeons as an adventurer for many years, somehow, it feels like a room of a boss-like existence of this dungeon.”

“Eh? Suddenly, we’re at a boss’ room or something like that?”

“Just saying that if I have to compare it with my experience so far, but …… in the first place, there are often unknown things on a Dungeon. That’s why the dungeon where Zora was is also a series of surprises.”

“That’s what it is……”

When I was convinced by Al’s words, Luthia stared at the door with a serious expression.

“…… What’s wrong? Luthia-oneechan.”

“Beyond this… I can feel my father.”

“Eeh!? We, well then, is Luthia’s father already here behind this door?”

“Perhaps……”

“What’s the matter. If you can meet quickly, there’s nothing better than that.”

“……True intention?”

“I want to leave early and eat a meal!”

“……Luthia-oneechan. You can ignore the glutton.”

“Ye,yes.”

“Olga!?”

No, I think Olga-chan’s response is correct.

Then, Saria, who was staring at the door just like Luthia, twisted her neck.

“Nn? What’s wrong? Saria.”

“Eh? Ah…… hmm…… It’s just my imagination……I think, but……”

“? Is there something on your mind?”

“Yeah …… I’m curious about it…… because there is a presence similar to Luthia-chan from the other side of the door, I think it’s certain that Luthia’s father is there, but …… I don’t know this hazy feeling or something which I felt in there……”

“Is that …… your usual wild intuition?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Fumu……”

At first glance, this seems like a playful exchange, but Saria’s wild intuition can’t be made fun of.

As we go towards the door, we became a little wary.

Anyway…… Saria said that there was a presence similar to Luthia from the other side of the door so there was nothing wrong with it, but I don’t really understand any signs like that, me.

Of course, I learned how to detect presences in the Netherworld through the training of Lucius-san and Zeanos, but I can’t distinguish what kind of sign it is at all.

How does she know? From my point of view, they all feel the same……

When I was thinking suddenly about something that didn’t matter, Luthia seemed to have made up her mind and put her hand on the door.

“Yeah….. it’s fine. Let’s go.”

Then, when she opened the door and entered beyond that ――――.

“Eh?”

“This is……”

―――― A night sky was spreading.

As was the case in Zora’s dungeon, the dungeon where Luthia’s father was sealed, had a space that was spread out as if it were in another world.

There’s no shadow of a building around, the grassland is stretched out, and there’s something like shining stars and moon in the sky.

As for my knowledge, I think it’s the moon, but this is a different world. It might be another star that resembles the moon. Rather, if this moon looks the same size as was on Earth, the world that we are on right now might be unexpectedly close to Earth.

When everyone entered the door, the door closed by itself and disappeared.

“Wha!? The door is gone!?”

“……Nn. Completely disappeared.”

Other than me who was surprised, Olga-chan examined the position where the door was, but apparently, it really disappeared.

In other words, we’re trapped in this dungeon.

I think we can escape with transition magic, but …… well, just as before the worst happens, I’ll pierce the ceiling of the dungeon and we’ll escape.

But no matter how I look at it, it does not look like a dungeon.

The smell of air is no different as when we’re outside, so as the wind that stroke our skin gently, I didn’t think that this was a fake world that was created in a pseudo-underground. No, the world that spreads inside the dungeon isn’t decided to be a fake world.

But more than at the time I felt in Zora’s dungeon, I feel like I’m more outside in this dungeon. Am I really inside the dungeon?

There is no point in staying in this place for the time being, so we plunge forward through this empty meadow.

The 【Land of Anguish】 was hot in its wilderness all around it, but there’s wind in this place, a green grassland spreads, and it feels refreshing.

As we’re advancing while on the lookout of monsters’ appearance, Luthia suddenly stopped.

“Ah……”

“Nn? What’s wrong?”

Luthia opens her eyes, and because she was standing and staring at something, when we follow Luthia’s gaze and look ahead…… one man stood.

The man was wearing a military uniform worn by Demon Kings, and he’s wearing a red cloak on top of it.

His body is pretty tight, and he looked like a very stern Oji-sama.

All-black hair and eyes that were the same color as Luthia.

Luthia stares at the man in a dazed manner.

“O. otou-san……”

With just that one word, we knew who the man was in front of us.

I can’t help but feel the remnants of Luthia on him somewhere, but …… he’s a more domineering man than I expected. More so, I imagined him having the image of an actor-like man same as Lucius-san and Zeanos.

When I think about such a stupid thing, Luthia’s father, the man, smiled lightly and spreads his hand.

“―――― It’s been a while, Luthia.”

“Tsu! Dad……!”

I don’t know how long they were separated.

But now that they’ve met like this, Luthia started running to release what she had endured.

However――――

“Tsu! Luthia-chan, no!”

“Saria!?”

“Eh!? Wh,why are you stopping me!?”

What, Saria suddenly hugged Luthia, and stopped her from approaching her father.

We were surprised at that, and Luthia stared at her as if she couldn’t understand.

Nevertheless, Saria did not release Luthia, and she sent a stern look to Luthia’s father.

“You……you’re not Luthia’s father, right?”

“Eh?”

“…… Who are you? To interfere with the reunion of our family……”

Luthia opens her eyes as if to say that it’s impossible, and Luthia’s father frowns unpleasantly.

Suddenly, Olga and Zora were thrown off at the sudden disturbing situation, and Al was puzzled because she didn’t know what to say.

I’m also confused like this, and of them, only Rurune was looking for monsters around…… Or rather, she was looking for food and didn’t care about what we were doing.

Luthia managed to escape from Saria’s restraint, and she glares at Saria.”

“Saria. Don’t say inappropriate things. I, can’t make a mistake my father. I’m here, with my real dad. “

“No, it’s not! No, she’s your real father, but no, he’s not!”

“What Saria is saying, I don’t understand. Don’t get in the way.”

Saria doesn’t seem to find the right words, and is desperately trying to persuade Luthia, but Luthia didn’t care and tried to get close to her father.

Seeing that, Saria looks at me.

“Seiichi! Stop Luthia-chan!”

“Seiichi…… are you going to get in my way, too?”

“Eeh……?”

I can’t keep up with this situation at all ……

Luthia argues that the man in front of her is definitely her father, but Saria says that it’s right, but was different.

…… Dangerous, I’m getting more and more confused!

When I turn my eyes back to Saria and the others, Saria stares at me as if begging somewhere, and Luthia looks at me with a serious expression.

However, there’s only one thing that is clear.

I, believe in Saria.

I don’t know if something that Saria is feeling is a wild intuition.

But I know that Saria doesn’t say this for no reason.

“I’m sorry, Luthia. I believe in Saria. That’s why, I can’t let you go to that person.”

“…… Are you saying that I need to force myself to go?”

“I’m so unreasonable that it won’t work.”

When Luthia keeps staring at me, I suddenly heard a laugh.

“…… Kukuku …… Kuhahahahaha ……!”

“Otou-san…..?”

The laughter of Luthia’s most important person, her father, laughs loudly as if to say that he can’t stand it and covers his face with his hands.

“It’s a masterpiece! The real daughter, what a dumbass story that she can’t see through her father!”

“Eh……”

“But at the same time, it’s unpleasant. Because of the woman there, I thought I would’ve killed you already with this body…… I think my plan went out of order because of that girl.”

“O, ochichi, san?” (TN: Combination of otou-san and chichiue, both means father.)

To the stunned muttering Luthia, her father …… No. In the image of her father, somehow, he has a distorted smile on his face.

“Don’t you know yet? I am not your father. Your father is ―――― dead.”

“――――”

“Luthia!?”

“You bastard……”

At the words of the man in front of her, Lutia knelt down on her knees while being dazed.

In a hurry, when I support Luthia, Al, who couldn’t see the man’s behavior, suddenly attacks the man.

However…….

“You’re such a barbaric woman, are you? Standing in front of me ―――― prostrate.”

“Tsu!?”

At that moment, Al collapses on the spot as if being pressed from above by something invisible.

However, she did not kneel and endured the mysterious pressure.

“Hou? You can resist my words?”

“Shu, shu,t u,p…… this, sham aristocrat……”

“What was that…… ? Tsu!?”

The man was about to rage at Al’s words, but as if not missing the gap, Olga-chan goes behind the man, and she thrusts her kunai around his neck.

“……Your head, I got it.”

“Nuu, annoying ……”

Olga-chan’s attack arrived firmly, and she sticks her Kunai to his neck, but the man just frowns and doesn’t to be much damaged.

But…….

“Blow away.”

“Haa!? What, you bastard! Gaha!?”

Saria who dived into the man’s bosom, fired a blow with her full body to his empty belly in front of his eyes.

The impact is so tremendous, that you can even see the impact piercing through the man’s back, and the surrounding grass shakes violently in its aftermath.

The man who was thrown into the air, flew straight to Rurune, but Rurune didn’t seem to be interested in the situation at all, and she kicked him off with her foot while being annoyed.

“You’re a hindrance to searching food!”

“Guboa!?”

The kick pierced neatly on his side, and the man flew far away in a miserable appearance.

Watching the series of events unfolding, I muttered in a daze manner.

“Ettooo…… I also wondered what he said earlier, so I was thinking of lending my hand on him, but…… it seems that that wasn’t necessary……”

“Tha,that’s right. Or rather, is he alive? That person……”

As Zora says, Olga-chan’s attack would normally be fatal. Moreover, that kunai also has special effects, and can even cause status abnormalities.

Anyway, more than the man who was blown away, now, it’s Luthia.

“Luthia, are you all right?”

“……Otou-san, is dead……”

Even if I call out to her, she still couldn’t believe the man’s words, and was muttering with a hollow expression.

……What to say to her, I don’t know.

I, when I was on Earth, too, as I heard that my dad and mom were dead, I couldn’t swallow the situation at all.

However, if the current appearance of the man is undoubtedly Luthia’s father, then that means he’s using her father’s appearance.

That is, unforgivable for me, too.

However, with the cooperation of Saria and the others, it does seem to be very safe, but ――――

“―――― Hahaha. I’m surprised.”

“tsu!?”

“Such…… it was certainly a two-fold seized ……”

“……Nn. I surely stabbed, my kunai on his neck. Also, the Deity of a while ago, does he have the same ability?”

The man, who should’ve been attacked so much, he walked back unharmed as if nothing had happened.

Certainly, this is the first thing that comes to my mind in the Deity’s ability that I heard in Olga-chan’s story, but …… for that matter, it looks like there’s no effect on Saria and the others.

Then, the man frowned unpleasantly.

“You bastards…… who are you comparing me to? That’s disrespectful!”

“…… Then you say who you are.”

In response to my question, the man exhaled a big sigh.

“Haa …… ignorance is terrible. You don’t know me…… that’s fine. I’ll tell you. I’m the 『Night Ruler』”

“Night Ruler?”

As I twisted my head at the unfamiliar words, I took a peek at the state of Saria and the others, but it appears that everyone doesn’t know him.

“I’m the great 『Night Ruler』! In this place that’s dominated by night! Can you defeat me?”

“Such, we won’t know if I don’t do it……”

“Eh?”

“Seiichi, no!”

“Buhera!?”

In an instant, I approached the Night Ruler, and the moment I tried to hit him, I heard Saria’s stopping voice.

For that reason, what was originally adjusted to the extent that it won’t destroy the world, my fist pierced Night Ruler’s face in a sloppier manner.

While seeing off the Night Ruler who flies far away again, I ask Saria.

“Sa, Saria. Why did you stop me?”

“Because, that person’s body, is that of Luthia’s father ……”

“Eh?”

“―――― That’s right, little girl.”

“Nn?”

Night Ruler, who should have flown quite far, though he was messed up, was already returning close to us, and he came back while rubbing the nose that I hit.

Unlike when Saria and the others attacked him, the Night Ruler who was attacked by me seems to be damaged.

And the Night Ruler turned his frightened gaze at me, and was muttering something.

“I,isn’t this strange? He did too much damage to me, the ruler of night ……”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but…… how did you come back? I intended to fly you quite far ……”

To my question, Night Ruler suddenly returned to his sanity, and he said with an unyielding smile.

“Fuh…… you don’t understand? I’m the Night Ruler, so I rule the night. In other words, I exist in a certain place at night. In a place dominated by this night, there’s no place or distance where I can’t move.”

Apparently, this Night Ruler guy have the ability related to the night.

“That’s why, in this place where the night rules, I’m the only one ―――― Gaa!?”

“Tsu!?”

Suddenly, the Night Ruler held his chest, and started suffering, so we kept a distance from the Night Ruler and remain vigilant.

And then――――

“Lu…… thi……a……!”

“Eh…… ochichi……san……?”

Completely different from the previous one, the atmosphere of the Night King changed drastically.

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