Episode 22 – Survival II
Nada had no idea how deep the dragon had fallen.
But after finally letting go of his lingering attachment to the dragon’s Calvaon, he set out toward the surface, walking through the long passages of the dungeon. He didn’t encounter many monsters. Perhaps the path he was on was simply a narrow, isolated one.
The steep, upward-slanting route back to the surface was harsh for Nada, whose body had been battered within the dragon.
He did not know how long he climbed.
Because the place he exited from, beyond that narrow path, turned out to be a low floor within Podie. No—more precisely, the passage beyond that small path ended in a dead end. But the final part crumbled open with just a kick, and Nada escaped through there.
“Haah—”
Finally escaping into the part of Podie he recognized, Nada let out a breath of relief.
It had been a long journey.
From the moment he was swallowed by the dragon to arriving here.
After glancing back at the route he’d taken, he heard a familiar, wolf-like, shrill howl in the distance, prompting him to head toward the exit. Nada wondered what would become of that small path—likely another internal shift would occur and collapse it, he thought vaguely.
Once he returned to the surface from the dungeon, Nada immediately checked on Dan’s safety with the brown-haired receptionist he knew. He asked about Corvo and Serena as well.
“For someone with no friends, you probably didn’t know this, but inside the academy, it became a big topic: several parties reported that they were ‘eaten by a dragon.’ Well, since they returned in less than three days, and the adventurers swallowed by the dragon came back at the same time, the uproar has settled a bit. But now a new rumor is spreading.”
She said this flatly.
Listening, Nada checked the date he’d entered the dungeon.
Four days ago.
He was shocked—had he truly been inside the dungeon that long? Ever since leaving the party Aghiya, Nada had only done day trips into the dungeon. Partly because of his stamina, partly because staying overnight in the dungeon required someone to keep watch, something he couldn’t do alone.
This had been his first long expedition in a while.
Realizing that, Nada felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.
Besides, ever since being swallowed by the dragon, his internal sense of time had been completely broken. Understandable—he’d lost consciousness inside the dragon, wandered through its bizarre insides for hours, blacked out again after stabbing its heart, and then walked through the dungeon for hours more.
There was no sun inside the dungeon, so it was impossible to know how long he’d slept or rested.
To Nada, it only felt like roughly a day had passed since that moment.
“So—what kind of rumor is going around?”
Having sorted out the time in his head, Nada finally asked the part that had bothered him.
The receptionist, sitting on her round stool behind the counter, briefly furrowed her brow, then answered.
“The rumor is that the six people who were eaten by the dragon defeated some strange, massive dragon. Though the six of them are denying it.”
“Huh—”
“And the rumor has credibility. Those six brought back some extremely large, high-quality Calvaons. They were split in two, but even so, I haven’t seen Calvaons of that size in a long time.”
Nada immediately assumed those Calvaons weren’t from the dragon, but from the knight-shaped “insect” they had cooperated to defeat.
He told her nothing of the truth.
“I see—”
“Yes. Most likely, the academy’s ‘Bureau’ will investigate their dungeon expedition in detail and publish an official report. The rumors will die down after that.”
She said this in her usual, calm tone.
At Larva Academy, when an adventurer encounters unusual circumstances during a dungeon expedition, the matter is investigated by the academy, and a report is submitted to the upper administration. Students affiliated with the academy have the right to view these reports, and any useful information is shared among adventurers.
When Nada defeated the gargoyle, that report was also submitted, and most students of the academy would be aware of that monster’s traits. Still, the ones who want information on strays are usually researchers, not adventurers.
After all, monsters of the same “stray” type rarely exist.
“Right…”
Nada, having gotten all the answers he wanted, responded half-heartedly. The receptionist in front of him then puckered her lips and pressed him further.
“So, what is that outfit supposed to be? I’m quite sure you were wearing armor before entering the dungeon. Are you trying to be some kind of exhibitionist?”
Now that she mentioned it, Nada finally looked over himself.
His upper body was bare; he was only wearing pants, and he had various fresh wounds all over his torso. Realizing he had come back looking like this, he felt another sigh coming, but instead lowered his head and gave the receptionist a token apology.
“My bad.”
“And I don’t see the Calvaon, either. As a student of Larva Academy—and as an adventurer—how exactly do you view your duties?”
“…The adventure went south.”
“According to the records I remember, you entered the dungeon four days ago. What have you been doing since then? You weren’t inside the dungeon the entire time, were you? Because, according to your submission, you filed it as a day-trip.”
The receptionist said this with a smile. A cold smile that sent a shiver down his spine.
“…Something happened.”
“So you couldn’t return as planned, ended up looking like that, and you don’t even have the Calvaon?”
“…Looks like that’s how it is.”
“I don’t know what happened, but perhaps you should relearn the basics of being an adventurer. It seems you still lack awareness of your responsibilities. I will be reporting this. Make sure you write a detailed account of everything that happened in the dungeon and submit it.”
She said this in a voice full of bounce. Nada hated the thought of what was coming next, but in this situation, he could only nod.
“Got it…”
“Well then, Nada-sama. Good work on today’s dungeon expedition. You must be tired, so rest well at home. And return to the dungeon soon so you can bring back some Calvaon.”
“Yeah.”
“If possible, I hope I won’t have to scold you after your next expedition.”
With that, Nada left. He suddenly felt exhausted.
Before going home, his stomach growled. He stopped by his usual diner and filled himself with a mountain of bad-tasting oatmeal and a small portion of dried meat.
After that, Nada returned home, tossed his weapons onto the floor, and—without even the energy to change—collapsed onto his bed, falling asleep like a stone in his sweat-soaked body.
◆◆◆
Nada woke up the next evening.
Because he hadn’t locked his door, Dan let himself in and woke him up.
As soon as Nada opened his eyes, Dan said:
“Everyone from that time is getting together today. At a pretty nice place. You’re coming too, right? I’m sure everyone has a lot they want to hear from you.”
Dan smiled. But he was angry.
Because his eyes weren’t smiling. Nada noticed he was forcing the expression just with his facial muscles.
Even though he had just woken up, Nada knew Dan well enough to understand his mood.
Nada didn’t want to go anywhere near the people who had been inside that dragon with him, but he had no choice.
In a small voice, he said, “Alright.”
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