The sun set quickly.
Before long, the soldiers returned to their tents one by one.
“You’ve worked hard. Please eat while it’s still warm.”
I poured the tea I had warmed in advance and handed it to the soldiers.
It was tea brewed from rosemary leaves I had quietly grabbed from the Healing Center before departing.
Strictly speaking, I hadn’t received permission, so it wasn’t just brought along—it was stolen. But if it was Priest Margaret, she would probably turn a blind eye to this much.
“I’ll drink it well, Priest.”
“Thank you.”
The soldiers cupped the warm cups in both hands.
Among them was the soldier who had offered me wheat beer earlier that day.
“Haha, I said I’d treat you, but I ended up being treated first.”
A single cup of tea hardly warrants being called a treat—an excessive response.
Still, the warm cup of tea seemed to do some good, and the soldiers’ expressions eased considerably.
That said, there were still some who looked uneasy.
“Are you nervous?”
“Oh, no, not at all.”
The young-looking soldier quickly straightened his back.
By age and by rank, he was clearly the youngest of the group.
“Don’t worry. The thing you’re worrying about won’t happen.”
“Wilson here almost died too, but the Priest patched him right up. Don’t go fretting over nothing.”
“…”
The soldier who said he farmed wheat chimed in, but the youngest soldier’s expression only stiffened further.
If anything, it seemed to have backfired.
“…Still, if you’re feeling anxious, I can pray to the Goddess for your safety.”
As if the Goddess would listen to the prayers of a fraud who wasn’t even a real priest.
But the placebo effect existed for a reason.
I clasped my hands together as if in prayer and used a Buff.
‘Power of Bless.’
A radiant light bloomed from my hands, and with the added flourish, the soldier’s rigid expression gradually softened.
“So this is the blessing I’ve only heard about… I really do feel stronger.”
It wasn’t just a feeling—he really was getting stronger.
But I didn’t bother correcting his misconception. That had been the whole point, after all.
Of course, there were side effects.
“Um, Priest, could I possibly receive a blessing too?”
Having seen the youngest soldier receive a blessing (?), the other soldiers started looking at me with pleading eyes.
“…Yes, well, I’ll do them one by one.”
The reason I managed to sleep well was because I had gone around giving prayers to each and every soldier.
“Have a peaceful night!”
A peaceful night, it was not.
“Kueeeeek!”
‘An ambush!?’
In the dead of night, I bolted upright at the monstrous sound that cut through my sleep.
I tried to assess the situation by checking my surroundings, but the tent was somehow peaceful.
The source of the scream was easy to find.
“Kuweeeeek-“
My gaze naturally drifted to the spot next to me.
One soldier was snoring.
‘…I should have accepted when they offered me a solo tent.’
It was a regret that came too late.
I must have spent the night tossing and turning. I greeted the morning with somewhat sunken eyes.
Dang dang dang-!
A metallic sound like a gong rang out around the tents, signaling wake-up.
Upon hearing it, the soldiers rose without exception and lined up in front of the tents.
Breakfast came only after the formation was complete.
The food amounted to nothing more than bland porridge boiled from grain and bread hard as stone, but at least it had no problem filling the stomach.
‘Better than slop.’
That was why people needed to hit rock bottom once in a while.
The Knight I’d only heard about in stories arrived while I was chewing on the last of my bread.
“Everyone, quiet!”
One soldier raised his voice, and the area fell silent.
Soon, a blonde woman walked out from deeper within the forest.
Her hair caught the sunlight and shone with particular brightness.
‘So that’s the Lord’s daughter.’
Her blonde hair was very much like the Lord’s.
But everything else—honestly, it was quite different.
Her build was slender, and she seemed slightly taller than her peers, but not to the point of being imposing.
More than anything, the Knight was, unlike the Lord, pretty.
‘She must take after her mother.’
It was an unavoidable thought.
She glanced around, looking for something.
Spotting me, her face lit up and she strode over. It seemed I was what she had been looking for.
“A flashy floral shirt! Just as I heard! A pleasure to meet you, Priest Flower.”
“…It’s Flawi, not Flower.”
“My apologies, Priest Flower. At any rate, I’ve heard so much about you from my father.”
“…”
“Oh! I haven’t introduced myself yet.”
She came to her senses belatedly and straightened her posture.
“I’m Knight Charlotte. I’ve been put in command of this Dungeon expedition. I look forward to working with you, Priest Flower.”
I had to wonder what kind of ears she had to keep getting the name wrong.
Still, her personality did share some similarities with the Lord’s.
‘Not authoritative.’
She greeted the approaching soldiers naturally.
She didn’t use formal speech, but her tone and manner made it clear she cared about the other person.
‘Guess she got the Lord’s personality.’
It seemed she had inherited only the good traits from her parents.
Charlotte made a round of the camp, checked the state of preparations, and then came back to me.
“We’re going to enter the Dungeon now. Priest, please wait here and provide Healing if any casualties come out.”
Keeping the Healer in a safe spot. A perfectly sound decision.
But I couldn’t agree with Charlotte’s request.
If I stayed here, I couldn’t analyze the Dungeon.
“No. I’m going in as well.”
“The Priest, you mean?”
Charlotte’s eyes went wide in surprise.
“That would be a problem. And if you were to get hurt, my father would scold me severely.”
“Wouldn’t the safest place here be right next to Knight Charlotte? And treating the wounded on-site would also give them a better chance of survival.”
“…Well, that’s true.”
When I brought out the justification I had prepared, Charlotte seemed to waver.
To put the hesitant Charlotte at ease, I added more.
“Besides, I’ve lived my life as a wandering Priest. I can take care of myself.”
“Very well. But you must be truly careful.”
Fortunately, I managed to persuade her.
“Then, we’re moving in.”
Two soldiers with shields passed through the Portal first.
Once a signal came from inside that all was clear, Charlotte and the rest of the soldiers followed in turn.
I passed through the Portal after all the soldiers had entered.
Whoosh-
‘Dazzling.’
The moment I stepped into the Dungeon, an intense light poured down, washing my vision in white.
I reflexively closed my eyes, and this time, a familiar scent reached me.
It didn’t take long to figure out what it was.
‘Seasalt?’
A salty, briny smell and a damp breeze brushed past the tip of my nose.
Slowly opening my eyes, I saw a blue beach glittering under the sunlight.
“Are you here, Priest? It seems this place is what they call the sea.”
Charlotte, who had approached without my noticing, murmured in wonder.
“Is this your first time seeing the sea?”
“As you know, our territory is deep inland—one of the deepest parts.”
Right, that was true.
I briefly opened the Gallery to check the map.
Just as Charlotte said, no matter which direction one went from the territory, the sea was incredibly far away.
‘It really is a brutally inland region.’
I tried to check the coordinates to see if I could figure out the Dungeon’s location, but nothing was displayed.
‘So it really is a separate space.’
It reminded me of the Tower’s interior, where GPS wouldn’t work.
It wasn’t enough to be proof, but my gut told me the Dungeon and the Tower were connected.
‘If I investigate the Boss, I’ll know for sure.’
“Knight Charlotte, do you have a plan?”
“Calling me Knight is too stiff. Please, feel free to call me something else. Hmm, Charlotte is only used by family…”
Charlotte paused for a moment, then clapped her hands as if she’d thought of a suitable nickname.
“How about Lotte? That should be fine.”
For a moment, my mind went blank, Dungeon and Tower all forgotten.
“…Lotte is not fine.”
“Hmm, why not?”
“No, forgive my rudeness. Forget I said anything.”
It was something I couldn’t possibly explain.
“Anyway, may I ask about the plan?”
Charlotte didn’t press further. She scanned the shoreline and the forest that led inland, then looked at the soldiers.
“This is embarrassing to admit, but today is the first time I’ve seen the sea.”
Her expression turned somewhat awkward.
“When I heard the soldiers’ reports, I planned to set up camp on the shore, capture an Orc alive, and strike their hideout. But I never imagined the beach would be this hot.”
The metal parts of her armor were gradually heating up under the strong seaside sun.
The soldiers in chainmail were already showing visible signs of fatigue, sweat pooling underneath.
‘Is the season different too? Unlike the city, which was in spring, the inside of the Dungeon feels like late summer.’
Midsummer beaches were bound to have fierce sunlight.
And the sand itself held that heat, raising the surrounding temperature even more.
There was a breeze, but for Charlotte and the soldiers who had to wear armor for extended periods, it had to be miserable.
“If that’s the case, may I offer a suggestion?”
“If it’s the Priest’s wisdom, I’ll gladly listen.”
It was a bit aggressive for a Priest’s wisdom, but trusting her promise to listen, I spoke without hesitation.
“Set it on fire.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Set the island on fire.”
The Portal, the entrance, was on the shore anyway.
Even if the flames spread wide, they could just step through the Portal to escape.
Even if the Orcs fled the Dungeon to survive, dealing with a wounded enemy wouldn’t be difficult.
‘No need to fight on the enemy’s turf.’
“Um, are you sure it’s acceptable for a Priest who serves the Goddess of Flowers to burn down a forest…?”
Charlotte, genuinely unsure, asked again. But the fraud’s answer wasn’t going to change.
“The ashes will hold rich nutrients and bloom into beautiful flowers. The Goddess would surely prefer an island in full bloom over one overrun with Orcs.”
I spouted the sophistry I’d grown used to.
The Knight listening looked doubtful, but no better option came to mind, and in the end, she nodded.
“Considering the soldiers’ safety, it might be the best option.”
Once the decision was made, the soldiers moved quickly.
At the news that they wouldn’t have to fight the Orcs for their lives, there was an unprecedented energy in their movements.
Soon, dry branches and dead leaves were piled together, and preparations to set fires in several spots—like pouring oil around—proceeded rapidly.
The fire caught after most of the oil was spent.
Small sparks spread slowly but surely to the surrounding trees.
Once the trees caught, the flames spread through the forest in no time.
Black smoke soon blanketed the sky, and the heat pressed in all the way to the sand.
“Everyone, get out!”
At Charlotte’s command, the soldiers passed through the Portal one after another.
I took one last look at the burning forest and then stepped out of the Dungeon.
After that, there was nothing to do.
The soldiers formed ranks and waited, prepared for any Orc that might come charging out, but I had no need to squeeze into their formation.
“It’d be nice if they all just burned to death.”
“If an island that size goes up in flames, they’ll either burn or suffocate, won’t they?”
Charlotte looked as if I were worrying over nothing.
But I, who had climbed the Tower for a long time, knew.
I knew just how vicious monsters’ survival instincts could be.
And sure enough.
Desperate shouts and monstrous screams came from beyond the Portal.
“Kueeeeek!”
“Here they come!”
At the commotion, the soldiers raised their shields and weapons in unison.
Soon, Orcs covered in burns came pouring out of the Portal.
Thud-!
The Orcs, fleeing for their lives, collided with the soldiers’ Shield Wall.