After five days of bed rest, I finally managed to convince Beatrice and Mama to let me back into the dungeon. I promised to be extra careful and assured them that we were close to the end, which was technically true, since we were 60% done with the dungeon.

  Mama knew better, but she also sensed this was something I needed to do.

  A sense of urgency gripped me. Everywhere I looked, enemies were crawling out of the woodwork. In Aaron’s diaries, I saw the Queen coming for me. From my talks with Tomas, I pieced together the Consort’s plot to incite our house. And after scouring through the maps and our house records, I uncovered a web of conspiring neighboring houses reaching out to ensnare even some of our branch families.

  Danger was everywhere.

  I had tried using [Shadow Fingers] to spy further afield, but unfortunately, I couldn't maintain them beyond a quarter-mile radius. That meant I could only watch over the House when I was physically present.

  And underneath it all it was the threat of demons.

  I need to get stronger, and I need the Tiara.

  “Was getting nervous there, lass. Thought you might’ve left us,” Gorian said as we gathered at the Wayroom.

  “I needed to convince my governess that I would be more careful this time. Though…” I rotated my injured shoulder, working through the range of motion. “It seems that every time I go down there, I get more injuries. Perhaps this time it’ll be something permanent.”

  Serina buried her face in her palm. “Really? You just love to tempt fate, Joan.”

  “Of course, collecting death flags is my forte.”

  I have enough [Conditions].

  “Please no,” Kamuel murmured. “Though, I must say your house healer is really impressive. That bruise is totally gone.”

  I nodded. My Hp had nearly fully recovered as well. While infuriatingly boring, the bed rest did do a bit of good

  All my non-physical attributes had increased by 1 over the course of my rest, with the ones still in [Sync Penalty] doubling to 2 as usual.

  I could understand the [Intellect] and [Willpower] boosts as being due to practicing spells and reading. But [Charisma]? I hadn’t charmed anyone at the House that I know of.

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  I suppose I did use [Seduce] on the ants, though I felt like I was the one being used there.

  My [Toughness] had increased as well, but that was expected given the beating I took.

  “You know, they’ve been betting against you showing up again. Thanks so much for getting me the jackpot!” Justin interrupted my examination of the status screen.

  “So, you’re betting on that too? Have the odds of me surviving gone down? You should place a bet there as well.”

  “Nuh uh! No way. I’m not adding more death flags!” Justin exclaimed, waving his hands about.

  Zadina dipped her head to me. “Welcome back, My Lady. Should we get down to it?”

  “Yes, let’s finish this.”

  —

  The seventh level was a normal dungeon floor, featuring the usual stone block walls and paving. Orcs and ogres replaced the goblins and kobolds, but none of them posed a problem for us.

  Using [Shadow Shroud], I emerged from the shadows behind groups of gathered orcs or lone commanding ogres, tearing through them with my shadow sword and blades formed from the fabric of my shroud.

  During my bed rest, I had experimented heavily with [Shadow Snare] using it as a model to give my shadows more solidity and heft. Previously, I could shape the [Shadow Fingers] into forms solid enough to lift items, but any kind of resistance or pushback would shatter them.

  Seeing the sinewy structure of [Shadow Snare] gave me ideas on how to strengthen my other shadow spells. It made even my shadow sword stronger. I just had to manually cast the spell to apply the modification—something I usually did anyway.

  The only cost of this learning was my dignity.

  Since the limited range of [Shadow Fingers] meant I couldn't reach the woods to experiment on the forest dwellers, I had to use myself as a test subject. On one hand it allowed me to do strength exercises while in bed, on the other, well…

  I was twisting against black hands grasping all over my body, pinning me down, when I looked up to see Mama staring at me, her arms crossed over her chest.

  Her eyes dropped lower. When I followed her gaze, I noticed the straps of my gown had snapped apart in the struggle.

  “I’m not sure what you’re doing. But do you have to make such lewd grunting sounds? I think you woke up half the wing.”

  That was all that she said before walking away, leaving me sitting there with my face burning.

  It seemed that a few giant monsters were thrown into the dungeon floor for good measure.

  There was a giant millipede that I simply vaulted onto, running down its length to slice a line through its shell, cracking it open. We found more giant snakes, and after dispatching them, we harvested their meat and metal scales for materials.

  A lone magma golem guarded the floor exit, towering over us at ten feet tall. It had a body of black obsidian veined with molten red lines, and the air around the giant humanoid figure distorted in a wavering heat haze.

  Needless to say, Justin’s fire spells were useless against it. Gorian’s sword strikes sparked uselessly against the glossy stone. Zadina’s hammer dented its chest, but magma surged to fill the depression, instantly cooling into new black obsidian.

  My shadow blade dissipated into black wisps upon impact, the extreme heat dissolving the edges of my shroud as well.

  I almost resorted to [Void Blade], but decided to test my new shadow hardening method instead.

  After reforming [Shadow Sword] with the tight sinew structure, I struck the golem repeatedly, darting in and out of the shadows to ensure the blade didn't linger for more than an instant against the searing heat.

  A flurry of strikes later, I severed the golem's leg, sending it toppling. I hacked at its chest until it cracked open, hissing as steam escaped.

  The party decided to give me the golem’s large red magic stone after that.

  “You deserve it after that display,” Gorian muttered, prying apart the golem’s split chest plate. “Besides, its core is worth a bit too.”

  I wiped at my forehead. The fight had soaked me in sweat. It wasn’t just the intense heat, but also the sheer volume of attacks needed to bring the thing down.

  —

  The eighth level was another maze, but it wasn’t a catacomb like the previous one, nor did it seem corrupted.

  This time, I didn't take any chances. I cast [Seduce] on the first viable target we encountered: a minotaur. The bull-headed giant was level ten, with over two hundred Hp, and plenty of [Def], plus a decent [Atk] as well. It was the perfect tank.

  Having already mapped out the maze with [Shadow Fingers] and using the minotaur as a front, we breezed through the level. Our party cleared out bands of monsters: gnolls, skeletons, and even a massive gelatinous cube that filled the entire hallway. The thing got a hold of Zadina's hammer and nearly sucked it in. She yanked it free seconds before Justin boiled the jelly with flames.

  I didn’t make the mistake of naming the minotaur this time, but I still fought alongside him. Even if I was using him as a meatshield, I still wasn’t comfortable with ordering someone to charge into the fray without joining in myself, especially when I was unhurt.

  There were convoluted pressure plate puzzles in this level as well. But this time, instead of splitting up like the dungeon wanted us to, I pinpointed the spot where the wall was thinnest based on my mental map of the maze. Then, I had the minotaur smash through to the other side with his thick, horned skull.

  He wasn’t bothered by it in the least.

  The dungeon, however, seemed to have taken it personally. In the final chamber, we were ambushed by orcs in plate armor, close to twenty of them, swarming at us from all sides. The minotaur cleaved the head off of one orc with his greataxe, but trails of black tar pulled the severed limb back onto its neck.

  Ichor Ghoul hybrids. And once more it was orcs.

  I immediately formed the void in my hand and wiped it over my sword, activating [Void Blade].

  Zadina called upon her Holy Smite.

  Justin’s fireballs burst around us, detonating alongside Serina’s explosive arrows.

  The minotaur swung its axe in a wide arc, severing more heads, and I followed up by slicing apart their cores with the void.

  We eventually prevailed, but everyone was left battered. Even Zadina’s usual pristine armor was dented. The blood splattered across her plate was black, but the cut on her forehead bled crimson.

  The minotaur was bleeding from a spear wound to his chest, and Gorian was missing his right pauldron, blood stained the tunic underneath. Both Justin and Serina were nursing their own wounds.

  I used [Voice of the Maiden] to heal them back up, though it did nothing for their armor.

  —

  Everyone felt refreshed by my ability and so we decided to press on.

  The cavernous maw of a massive cave greeted us on the ninth level. I glanced at Serina and she nodded back grimly.

  This matched the cave from the crystal orb she had shown me in my bedroom. That felt like a lifetime ago, yet the memory was fresh now that I saw its true form.

  The Donkey Master was here.

  We hacked our way through a group of ogres, and then reached a deeper section of the cave where the ceiling receded into the darkness above.

  We found the ground littered with white cocooned bundles—corpses with hair, mandibles, and limbs poking out from the webbing.

  “Spiders!” Serina shouted, just as man-sized, eight-legged shapes spilled in from the darkness around us.

  The minotaur split the head of one spider, but black miasma poured out of the wound, coalescing into a ghostly figure with clawed hands.

  “Wraiths!” Zadina cried out.

  Another spider collapsed with an arrow shaft protruding from its thorax, only for a wraith to seep out of it.

  A ball of flame exploded, engulfing several more arachnids, while Kamuel’s voice rose in a chant.

  I was carving through the wraiths when a loud thud shook the ground behind me. An even larger spider with a glossy black shell and scarlet dots on its back had landed in the midst of the party.

  Zadina smashed one of its legs, only for nebulous black shadows to reform the limb. From the intensity of its aura, I knew this was no mere wraith spider. It was another hybrid: a Wraith Knight Spider.

  Before I could charge to help, another equally massive spider dropped from above. It impaled the minotaur with a spear-like front leg, killing him instantly. The bull’s head twitched against the chitinous spike protruding from his skull before going still.

  Crunch!

  The sickening sound of metal being twisted open tore my attention back the other way.

  “Shit! The fucker got me good,” Gorian grunted, blood spraying from a gash in his breastplate. The metal was peeled back, exposing his ribs.

  I dashed toward the immense spider squatting down to finish him off, diving straight into its shadow. I erupted from the darkness underneath its head, stabbing up between its hooked mandibles. My annihilating blade carved a wide path through its body, slicing straight to the core of its being.

  I didn’t care if the void destroyed its bland, tasteless soul.

  Serina was cradling Gorian in her arms when I rolled out from beneath the collapsing spider. He was coughing up blood, and the pallor of his face indicated he was fading fast. One look at his throbbing, gaping wound told me there was no normal way of saving him.

  I tried calling upon the [Voice of the Maiden], but no power came to my words. This fight must be considered the same Battle as the previous one, and I could only use it once per each one of them.

  “Kamuel!” I shouted. He was in the midst of healing Justin, who was clutching at his arm. When his eyes shot toward Gorian, his face fell. The sweetness that suddenly welled up from Kamuel's soul told me his healing wouldn't be able to save Gorian.

  Zadina was now engaged with the other Wraith Knight Spider. She was on the defensive, holding up her shield against the onslaught of the spider’s attacks. She was running out of time as well.

  I mentally reached into my inventory slots and retrieved the red vial from my tutorial quest. It was supposed to be a “Full Heal” potion, according to Aaron.

  “Give this to him,” I commanded Serina, tossing the potion over to her.

  Then I sprinted over to the spider who had pinned Zadina down to the ground. I used [Shadow Fingers] to launch myself upwards, landing with a solid thump on the creature’s polished armored back.

  I drove my sword down between its cluster of eight spherical eyes. The void blade disintegrated carapace, flesh, and the writhing shadows that gushed from the wound like ichor. I dragged the blade backward, carving through its body until I hit its core, and the thrashing monstrosity beneath me finally went still.

  Images of the fight flashed through my mind. My pulse pounded hard and fast in my veins.

  I didn’t have time to dwell on that. Hopping off the mound of the spider corpse, I helped Zadina to her feet.

  She assured me she was alright. Her shield was mangled, but aside from the fresh dents in her armor she looked okay, so I rushed back over to Serina.

  She still had Gorian in her arms. His eyes were closed, but his chest was slowly rising and falling. The gash in his chest had clotted over, but it was still angry looking.

  “What did you give to him? It’s a miracle!” She said with her eyes still glued to him.

  I wasn’t as impressed.

  Shouldn’t ‘Full Heal’ mean full healing? Maybe that only applies to Heroes or… demon swords.

  “I think we should camp for the night. Going through three floors in one day might be overdoing it,” Kamuel said after pulling his hand from Gorian’s forehead. “We might even want to consider retreating.”

  I was about to nod in agreement when I sensed auras spiking all around us. The air itself was now saturated with sweetness.

  Despair.

  Giant, monstrous figures stepped into the edge of the torchlight. Green warty skin, wild manes of stringy hair, massive beak-like noses, long claw-like fingers, and jaws lined with rows of razor-sharp teeth: trolls.

  And then a crowned figure stepped into view, shaking the ground with every step.

  At first, it looked just like a larger troll wearing a crooked crown, but with each step its image flickered. The forlorn, ghostly face of an old man superimposed itself over the troll's features.

  That unmistakable voice howled at me.

  “épouse-moi, ma fille…” — Marry me, my daughter…

  I surveyed the wreckage of our party, broken and bleeding on the ground as the corrupted trolls closed in.

  Trapped by the Donkey Master and the Troll King fused as one.

  How rather appropriate.