LGT Chapter 21

Fortunately, the dungeon wasn’t far from there.

The coachman who had brought Ruth Finnegan to this place had only recently departed from the dungeon entrance. Though visibly frightened by the dungeon, he repeatedly bowed to Ruth in gratitude before reluctantly leaving, unable to dissuade his savior from entering a place as deadly as this. Ruth, however, was relieved to finally be rid of the bothersome human as soon as the carriage pulled away.

Ruth and the Carlo Knights stood at the dungeon’s entrance, pausing for one last moment to acknowledge each other. Entering was a choice, but leaving might not be possible through sheer will alone. With a resolute nod, Carlo led his knights forward, each ready to risk their lives to conquer this dungeon.

As Ruth watched, he couldn’t help but marvel at the determination of humans. Despite their brief lives, they sometimes pursued goals so fervently that even dragons found it hard to understand. Carlo’s red eyes met Ruth’s calm gaze, and Ruth gave a slight nod. Carlo took it as confirmation and was the first to step into the dungeon.

The entrance they passed through was covered by an indescribable, transparent barrier. As they moved deeper into the dark cave, a pungent odor assaulted them.

“Ugh, smells like a corpse,” one knight muttered, grimacing.

“It’s not corpses. It’s sulfur,” Ruth corrected, calming the anxious group. Better to think of it as sulfur than something worse.

“S-Sulfur? Is that dangerous?” another asked, glancing at Carlo.

“Of course,” Ruth replied, sounding almost annoyed by the question. For this venture, he had taken the role of a mage and intended to support the group where he could.

“The smell of sulfur in a dark underground cave means…” Ruth started to explain.

Rumble, rumble—

Suddenly, the entire dungeon shook. The group lowered their stances to keep from falling.

“…it’s an ideal habitat for golems,” Ruth concluded. Just as he spoke, the tremors subsided, only to be replaced by the unmistakable sounds of rolling stones. Rocks and boulders seemed to assemble with purpose, forming into shapes until they weren’t merely piles of stone—they were moving structures, like mountains come to life.

“Golems! Form up!” Carlo shouted, raising his sword in a steady arc as he took the lead. Ruth raised his arms, channeling mana that shimmered and enveloped the group in protective magic.

Recognizing Ruth’s enhancement spell, Carlo exchanged a quick nod of acknowledgment with him, then turned his focus to the golems. No time for gratitude—combat was upon them. Ruth stretched his arm forward, casting a spell to reinforce the knights’ weapons. Regular swords wouldn’t suffice to cleave through a golem’s rock-hard exterior.

Carlo, with his empowered blade, was the first to charge, slicing cleanly through a golem. Despite their massive size, the golems didn’t last long against the combined force of the knights and Ruth’s magic.

With the dungeon’s entrance still visible behind them, Carlo dusted off his sword and said, “From now on, we’ll take the shortest route.”

He didn’t have time to waste. Young as he was, Carlo’s charisma naturally commanded the group’s attention.

***

They pressed steadily onward, descending further underground. Although they had no idea what awaited them at the end, the monsters grew stronger the deeper they went.

Ruth, the gold dragon, walked alongside the party, constantly vigilant. Surprisingly, reaching the lower levels hadn’t been difficult. As Carlo mentioned, these were some of the best knights on the continent, and Ruth’s magic was a significant advantage.

But it had all been too easy. It made no sense that humans had left a dungeon like this unresolved for centuries. Ruth narrowed his eyes at the imposing doors of a temple deep in the dungeon. After defeating the golems at the entrance and encountering a few monsters, the group had come through without much trouble. While there were monsters as rumored, it all felt too simple.

Was this really it?

They stopped before a temple within the cavern. It was built of bright white marble and stood out in the vast, dark space, emitting a soft glow. Ruth narrowed his eyes as he studied the large temple doors. One of the knights, with a determined look, placed both hands on the marble doors. They opened effortlessly, as if the temple had been waiting for their arrival.

“…Too easy,” a knight murmured. Not just Ruth, but even the humans began to feel uneasy at the sudden appearance of the temple and the easily opened door. Yet their suspicion was short-lived.

When the massive doors opened, they were greeted by the sight of what they’d been searching for—the treasured gem, visible even from afar on the marble floor of the vast temple hall.

“We found it… We really did it!” one knight exclaimed, almost in disbelief.

“Is that… really the treasure?” another added, overcome with excitement.

“No,” Ruth interjected, calming the celebratory atmosphere. Gazing at the glittering gem in the depths of the dungeon, he narrowed his eyes as if to gauge its authenticity.

“Don’t lose your guard. If we can’t make it back alive, we fail,” he cautioned.

“Damn it. We can’t afford to lose after coming this far!” a knight muttered, visibly tense.

If they failed here, they’d have to bring in new allies to attempt it again. But on the surface, Ruth hid his own indifference, blending in by feigning awe like the rest, as though he, too, was entranced by the temple.

“If we succeed this time, we’ll change the fate of the entire continent!” a knight shouted.

With a determined look, Carlo was the first to step into the temple. The silent temple seemed to welcome the four humans and the dragon within.

They advanced cautiously toward the gem, feeling the weight of each step as they neared their goal.

“Wow. Look at that.”

One of the group members pointed a finger toward the ceiling. At this, Ruth looked up. There, on the ceiling, was a mural. It was so realistic that it felt like the underground temple was open to the sky. The painting depicted a vast blue sky, filled with white clouds, and an angel sitting atop them, holding a large bow in one hand. Despite being merely a mural, the painter’s skill was extraordinary—the angel appeared almost alive. Its serene expression and smiling eyes seemed to warmly welcome them into the temple.

“It’s beautiful. A mesmerizing work of art.”

The humans stopped in their tracks, captivated by the mural. It was the kind of image that made any person pause to take it in. After gazing at the ceiling for a moment, they resumed their steps.

“…So, we just keep walking to get there?”

“At least nothing’s happened so far,” one knight commented, as they continued walking ahead, chatting amongst themselves.

But the dragon, Ruth, remained where he was, unable to tear his gaze away from the mural on the ceiling.

He looked up at the angel. The moment his eyes met those of the angel in the painting, Ruth felt an eerie sensation of familiarity, something he’d never experienced before. Was it because the painting was so lifelike? No. This feeling went beyond that.

It felt… as if that angel were truly alive.

Just as he tried to look away from the angel’s smiling face, a chilling presence washed over him. The angel’s eyes had moved.

Its gaze was now directed at the humans walking toward the far end of the temple.

And the unbelievable events didn’t stop there.

The angel in the mural lifted its bow and drew it taut, aiming solely at the humans. This movement was beyond the realm of magic, unlike any mana Ruth himself wielded. It was purer, of an impossibly high caliber.

The instant Ruth sensed that mana, a wave of helplessness overcame him. There was no way to stop it.