Chapter Text
A white dragon flew over Count Dolkness's territory. This dragon was Ray, the only current dragon of light. This dragon carried four passengers to a dark dungeon located in that region.
The second prince, Edwin Valschein, the nobles William Ares and Oswald Grimsarde, and the commoner Alicia Enlight were Ray's passengers. Alicia was the light mage who was being used as the secret weapon against the Demon King and the owner of the dragon that was guiding him.
The Demon King's return was already foreseen, so when a light mage appeared, she was allowed to attend the royal academy even though she was a commoner. The queen decreed that Enlight should know about the Demon King's return a year in advance so that she could better prepare.
What was Alicia's opinion of all this? Terrible. Discovering that her friends had been using her as a weapon for two whole years affects anyone. Enlight wasn't interested in hearing their excuses at that moment; Because she would have no choice but to face the literal Demon King.
Alicia wasn't a particularly strong mage; she was above average by academy standards, but that didn't matter to someone facing the Demon King. That's why Enlight and the others were going to level up in a dungeon of the dark element, to at least have a chance against the Demon King.
Did I mention she has to face the Demon King? I hope so, because no matter what, Alicia kept remembering her responsibility. Enlight tried to distract herself, but she could only think about her own corpse on the floor of a dark castle.
The atmosphere between Alicia and the boys had become very tense, as Enlight was practically considering death imminent at 17. Honestly, she would do anything to have some time to herself and not think about her future death.
"I think we've arrived." "The dungeon must be only a few dozen meters away," Oswald said, looking at the map, which for some reason (Count Dolkness's incompetence with his own territory) hadn't been updated in years.
It didn't take long for them to locate a place that resembled a dungeon entrance. In the distance and in the air, they could already see several bags of stones from the morning and items on the seal side. Surprise took over the whole group.
"That's strange," Edwin pointed out, visibly irritated that someone had gone ahead of him, even after he had done all the paperwork. "This dungeon should be abandoned according to the records. However, they seem to be outdated."
William smiled. "Someone's having their own adventures. Do you want to recruit this group for the big fight?" They barely knew there was no group at all, just one person there.
"Are you going to drag more people into this mess?" Alicia asked, expressing some of her pent-up hatred.
Grimsarde raised his eyebrows. “You’re still upset that we hid this from you? It was literally a state secret.”
Enlight understood his logic, but she had her own issues. “Sorry for being upset because the people I thought were my friends only wanted to use me as a weapon against the boogeyman. Jessica was the only one who came after me without ulterior motives.”
Ares remembered the dragon they were riding. “Didn’t she ask you to deal with dragon attacks?” The look he received from Alicia was deadly. The boy cowered.
The dragon landed on the ground. For some reason, Ray refused to get even an inch closer to the dungeon. Alicia stopped to pet his snout. “Who’s the good boy?” The light dragon let out a happy roar at the affection.
A while later, they dismounted Ray and moved to open the dungeon door. They were greeted with a floor completely empty of monsters or any chests.
The group ventured into the dungeon. The first floor was empty, the second also, the third the same, and so on. With each empty floor, the group's impatience grew, causing them to descend more and more carelessly.
The dungeon could be summed up by its single element: darkness. As they descended, everything seemed to compete with each other to be as dark as possible, both in lack of light and color. It was the perfect place for the demon king to have as a cellar, or catacomb.
Tension gripped the group. Alicia was breathing heavily, whether from nervousness or anxiety, or from being underground. Oswald was becoming incredulous, William looked twice to the side every few moments, and Edwin was grinding his teeth.
The heavy atmosphere caused by the emptiness of the dungeon was broken by an unexpected flash. Suddenly, the floor was teeming with monsters again. Everyone was startled, but instead of trembling with fear, they prepared their fighting formation.
Oswald prepared his spells of the four elements. William set off with his sword to slice through monsters. Edwin conjured spells to enhance his sword and protect the rear. Alicia began to unleash her spells, decimating monsters.
The decisive blow that wiped out the monsters was Alicia using the Sun Rain spell, the same spell she used during the martial arts tournament. Due to the change in intensity, since last time the focus was on being peaceful, the effect was devastating and decimated the monsters on the floor.
All four were exhausted. Alicia was the worst off; her mana was almost depleted, and a little more effort would have caused her to faint. Enlight had to drink some mana potions just to stabilize herself and be able to stand.
“We were almost at the end, and the monsters suddenly appeared. This must be some kind of trap, but I don't remember reading about it,” Oswald concluded, trying to remember if he had studied anything similar, but without success.
Eventually, they managed to clear the infested floor and ended up exhausted. "We need to rest before heading back," Will said. The strength they currently possessed wasn't enough to climb back to the top. The small group decided to sit down and use some of their supplies to regain their energy.
A few minutes passed, and footsteps could be heard in the distance. A human silhouette appeared in the darkness. Everyone stiffened in their fighting stances again; Alicia used her magic called "Lamp" to illuminate the floor.
What Enlight saw was a young woman whose appearance suggested she was the same age as her. Her hair and eyes were dark, just like the dungeon, and her skin was rather pale. The young woman's clothes were of high quality fabric and appearance, indicating that she was a noblewoman. The only strange detail was that this girl had shadowy contours around her, but this was only perceptible to Alicia.
"Who are you and why are you here?" Edwin reached for his sword, which was still sheathed. "You are not allowed to be in this dungeon."
The young woman blinked. "I need permission to be in a dungeon in my own territory?" Perhaps it was Alicia's imagination, but that question seemed genuine and not a mockery.
The second prince frowned. “Are you part of Count Dolkness’s family?” The young woman nodded before speaking.
“My name is Yumiella Dolkness. I am an only child and heiress.” Yumiella gave a mediocre bow, for a nobleman, as she introduced herself.
Oswald was next to speak. “Count Dolkness doesn’t have a registered son.” The blue-haired mage stated.
Yumiella put her hand to her chin. “So my parents are pretending I don’t exist, I don’t know why I’m surprised.” Dolkness said without expressing any sadness about the fact.
William stepped forward. “You still haven’t said why you’re here.”
Yumiella looked into their eyes before speaking. “The same as you, I come to this dungeon daily to level up for fun and because I want to get stronger.”
Alicia asked her question. “Why didn’t I meet you at the academy?” For some reason, Yumiella lingered longer on Enlight’s gaze.
“Nobody told me when I had to go there.” Yumiella replied. “Honestly, it wouldn’t even matter since my parents probably didn’t register me.”
Everyone was silent for a moment, absorbing the information. Alicia was the next to speak. “You said your parents are pretending you don’t exist?”
Yumiella nodded. “I’ve never met them, so I guess they’re disgusted by me because of my hair color or something. Anyway, it’s not the worst thing they’ve ever tried to do to me.”
Enlight felt a strong wave of compassion wash over her. She stepped forward and ran to Dolkness and hugged her. Yumiella was awkward for a moment, but returned the hug shortly after, murmuring, “Typical of a heroine.” Alicia was also patting her back to comfort Dolkness.
After Enlight’s comforting session, Yumiella simply spoke her presumption. “You’re here to train the light mage?” Everyone stiffened at Dolkness's words.
"Before you ask, I'm a dark mage; I can sense the light magic in her." It was a flimsy excuse from Yumiella, but it worked. Alicia understood the dark undertones in the girl; it seemed the same applied to her.
Edwin paused to reflect for a moment on the stranger. She didn't seem to display any aggression, but the whole story seemed unbelievable.
Liars usually try to tell truths amidst lies to make people believe them. However, what this girl was doing was different, and she exuded complete confidence. It didn't even seem like she was lying.
Meanwhile, Yumiella summoned a small dark hand to show that she was indeed a dark mage. Edwin truly hoped they would join the fight against the Demon King. Without wasting any more time, he devised a plan and began to move.
“You must know this dungeon like the back of your hand,” said the second prince. “Wouldn’t it be a problem if you accompanied Alicia for a while? We have some matters to attend to in a tight timeframe.”
“Huh?” Alicia grumbled.
Dolkness’s eyes gleamed. “A companion? I’ve never done this before. I’ll show her all the fun of leveling up.”
“Edwin, what are you doing?” Oswald and William asked.
Yumiella wasted no time and grabbed Alicia’s hand and ran down to the lower floor of the dungeon. The heroine desperately tried to convince her to slow down as she was dragged along by Dolkness.
Edwin gave the other two boys his “Trust me, I have a plan” look.
Vaslchein began to explain. “Dolkness doesn’t seem to be lying, but there are several holes in this girl’s story.”
“So you left Alicia with someone who has malicious intentions?” William asked, frowning.
Edwin replied, “It’s not holes in what the girl said, but rather in relation to the royal documents.”
“In other words, someone is lying,” Oswald finished, adjusting his glasses. “Considering the Count Dolkness’s nonexistent decency, the girl could be either someone neglected or a secret weapon for the anti-king faction.”
“Yes, we can leave Alicia watching her while we investigate,” Edwin said. “Alicia can defend herself because she’s of na advantageous type if Dolkness becomes aggressive.”
Oswald finished speaking for the second prince. “Alicia will level up too… while we get some time away from her.”
William sighed in relief. “Finally, we really needed some time away from her.”
The light mage had become rather unbearable for the boys because of the whole thing about having to face the Demon King. At least this way they could get some time away from her while Enlight calmed down.
Yumiella took a moment to realize Alicia was trying to get her attention. The final villain paused for a while to explain herself to Enlight.
“Sorry about that. The idea of having a companion cheered me up a bit,” Yumiella said.
Alicia was breathless from trying to keep up with Dolkness's speed. “It's alright… but let me digest a little of what just happened.”
Enlight wondered what Edwin's plan was, she was only sure that the second prince was up to something. Alicia felt a pang of betrayal, but it was insignificant compared to the betrayal she felt when it was revealed that none of those boys had become her friends for any reason other than to convince her to face the demon king.
Alicia suddenly jumped. “Wait a minute. The monsters from the previous floors also suddenly reappeared? How are they going to come back?”
Yumiella took a moment to understand what she was talking about. “You were attacked by monsters when I finished the dungeon, weren’t you? I’m sorry about that, but don’t worry, I defeated all the monsters on the previous floors before finding you.”
Alicia’s eyes widened. “You did all that by yourself?” Yumiella nodded.
Alicia looked at Dolkness with a mixture of envy and admiration. How strong could she be? Meanwhile, Enlight would have to face the demon king and probably die in the process. If Alicia could trade her future as a saint with Yumiella, she would do it without a second thought.
Enlight took a deep breath before returning to the present. Whatever Edwin’s game was, she had to play it. Alicia turned to Dolkness and signaled that they could continue.
Yumiella put her hand to her chin. “You were in a group before, so I don’t know exactly how strong you are. We’d better test that as soon as possible.” It was important to remember that they had descended another floor. Dolkness warned Enlight to use magic against a monster on the floor. Yumiella wanted to test Alicia's magical strength, so she could at least determine the best floor to level up on.
Alicia attacked a nearby monster, which hadn't yet noticed them, with light magic. An unexpected event occurred. It turns out you become a very large target when using light magic in a dungeon with practically no lighting.
Almost all the monsters on the floor went after Alicia. Enlight began using spell after spell to desperately try and ward off or eliminate the monsters. Yumiella could have defeated them all, but she didn't realize the heroine was having trouble dealing with the monsters until Alicia had already killed them all.
Enlight was already quite tired, but all the extra effort she had to make was too much at that moment. Alicia fainted; the last thing she saw was Dolkness catching her before she hit the ground.
Alicia woke up feeling rested, her head resting on something relatively soft. It took Enlight a moment to realize two things: first, that she was still in the dungeon; and second, that she was sitting with her back against the wall, her head resting on Yumiella's shoulder, who was beside her.
"What happened?" Alicia asked, her mind still somewhat clouded from her previous sleep.
Yumiella was relieved that she had woken up. "You used too much magic against those monsters and fainted. I carried you back to the first floor and waited for you to wake up. I didn't think it was right to leave you lying on the hard stone or take you somewhere else without your consent."
"Thank you, you really didn't need to." That gave Alicia enough time to wake up. After thanking Dolkness, she got up to look for the dungeon exit. Luckily, it was literally right next to them.
Enlight was having some questions. How long had she been unconscious? "Edwin still hasn't finished whatever he was doing?" Alicia opened the dungeon door, and Yumiella followed her patiently.
The first thing the heroine noticed was that it was nighttime outside, the second was Ray's absence. "What?"
...
Only one scenario crossed Alicia's mind. "They left me behind." She must have successfully irritated them enough to abandon her to her fate at the first opportunity. It became harder for Enlight to breathe, and tears began to stream down her face.
Yumiella didn't know what to do when Alicia began sobbing amidst her crying. Dolkness wondered how the events of the game had triggered this. The final villain also wondered what she could do to calm and comfort Alicia.
Yumiella's social inexperience became a serious problem for the first time. Dolkness desperately tried to remember any useful information from the game that she could use to calm Enlight. The final villain looked up and remembered a specific scene.
“The stars are beautiful today,” Yumiella said.
“Hm?”
That was enough to make Alicia stop crying for a second to focus on what Dolkness was saying. Yumiella was grateful to be able to remember the scene from the school dance, where it's revealed that Enlight loved the stars.
“I'm just stating a fact,” Yumiella replied. “Are you calm enough to talk now?”
That seemed to finally awaken Alicia, and she realized she had burst into tears in front of a stranger. Normally that would embarrass Enlight, but she was already too mentally exhausted from the situation to care.
“I'm scared,” Alicia admitted, gazing at the stars for comfort and courage. “I'm also nervous and anxious because I can't tell anyone. I feel like my friends betrayed me and threw me to the wolves.” Enlight wiped the tears from her face as she spoke.
The worst part was not being able to tell anyone. Alicia couldn't talk to Jessica or even her own grandmother because the Demon King's return was a state secret. Yumiella's next words would shock anyone.
"It's about the Demon King's return, isn't it?" Yumiella asked casually.
Alicia's eyes widened. "H-How do you—"
Dolkness stepped forward to explain. "I'm a dark mage, so I can sense another powerful dark mage slowly emerging." That kind of excuse was quickly becoming Yumiella's favorite.
The heroine felt an enormous relief in her heart; she felt as if a chain had been removed from her leg after months. Alicia was speechless for a few seconds.
"Yes..." she admitted. "I'm very afraid of dying, but I feel that the lack of choice hurts more for some reason."
Alicia hadn't processed it until it came out of her mouth, but it was true. Enlight never had a choice, at most an apology from the queen when she revealed the truth to her.
Yumiella had a simple answer for that. “You know, you don’t have to fight the demon king if you don’t want to.”
Dolkness said that because she herself must have been strong enough to handle the job. For Yumiella, those were simple words.
Alicia’s eyes widened. She had interpreted it differently. For Enlight, Yumiella was saying that she didn’t have to take on such a heavy burden if she didn’t want to. The problem was never the risk, but the lack of choice. For Alicia, those words meant the world.
Yumiella quickly found herself caught in a very tight hug by Alicia. Dolkness was genuinely being crushed, even at level 99. Enlight was crying again, but for a different reason this time, a good reason.
Several minutes passed and Alicia finally calmed down completely. The heroine approached the area where Ray had previously been and noticed her belongings, which had been aboard the dragon, scattered there; a small letter was also attached.
Enlight picked up her things and read the letter. “Alicia, due to suspicions that Count Dolkness is hiding a dark mage and heiress, we will investigate the matter personally. Please keep an eye on her and continue leveling up if possible. Keep all of this a secret.”
The first thing Alicia did was ignore the last sentence of the letter. Enlight literally read it aloud beside Yumiella. Some might argue that the heroine was being hasty, but Alicia wouldn't hide something like that from Dolkness.
Enlight no longer considered Yumiella a stranger. Dolkness had shown a good amount of empathy towards her that some of her friends hadn't. At the very least, the two were friends now.
Yumiella listened attentively. “So they put you to watch over me. That's a good idea.” Alicia raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you annoyed?”
“Doubting my parents’ character is never a bad thing.” Dolkness shook her head. “I know you’re annoyed, and you have very good reasons, but the four of you need to sit down and have a civilized conversation about this sometime.”
Yumiella realized that Alicia still considered those boys as friends or romantic interests, otherwise she wouldn’t have cried when she was left behind.
Enlight lowered her head. “Maybe you’re right, but I don’t want to think about it now.”
The two remained silent for a while. Conveniently, they looked up and contemplated the view of the stars for a while.
After a few minutes, Yumiella broke the silence. “Do you have somewhere to spend the night?”
Alicia looked at her belongings. “I have enough money to rent a room at an inn for a few days.”
“There are some extra rooms in the mansion if you want.” Yumiella offered.
Enlight accepted her proposal. Some strange things made her want to spend more time with Dolkness. Yumiella might have black eyes and hair, and be a dark-type mage, but to Alicia, she seemed like a very bright star.