The atmosphere was uncomfortable. Extremely uncomfortable. Karin avoided making eye contact with me, and Erina fidgeted nervously beside A.A. A.A. remained silent, walking steadily without saying a word. I wished they'd at least glare at me or try to attack—I could've just killed them then. But seeing them act like they'd been wronged in some terrible way left me feeling uneasy.
It's like *I'm* the one who did something wrong.
We climbed the stairs again and reached the door. The golem still blocked the exit. Whether we fought or negotiated, we needed to get out first. So, we had to figure out how to open this door.
"Let's smash it," I said.
A.A. didn't respond properly, just nodding stiffly, like a traffic signal mannequin. I called their name again.
"Hero?"
"Oh! Yes. What did you say?"
"Let's destroy this," I said, pointing at the golem blocking the door. I wondered what part of the golem I was touching—its butt? Its back? I ran my hand over its smooth surface. Karin and A.A. drew their swords. I pulled out my mace. Seeing me with the mace, Karin asked,
"Why not use the holy sword?"
"I'm not used to swords."
"Still, maybe the holy sword will have some special effect. It's worth trying."
I'd just checked the holy sword's status window and knew it had no such function, but explaining that was too complicated. So, I decided to follow Karin's suggestion. The sword itself was sharp enough to cut through stone.
I pressed the blade against the golem's solid surface. Maybe because it was a legendary sword—the moment the edge touched the golem, it sliced through like tofu. It felt as hard as iron when I touched it earlier. Was this the sword's power? I pushed the blade deeper into the stone.
"Kyaaaaaaa!"
A deafening scream erupted. My companions and I covered our ears and collapsed to the ground as the cave shook violently. A status window appeared before my eyes:
- Due to the effect of *Just Reward*, the Mega Golem is instantly killed.
I couldn't understand. Instantly killed? What the hell? It only works on humans, right? Is the golem human?
But I had no time to question it. The golem was collapsing. Its iron-hard body melted like slime, spreading across the floor. The ground absorbed its oozing liquid endlessly.
"This is..."
Karin covered her mouth, slowly approaching the golem's remains. Its massive, bloated body gradually shrank. The golem's indistinct limbs transformed into a human shape. A person. Yes, this was a person. I called up the status window.
*The status of the deceased cannot be checked.*
Damn. The shrinking golem finally took the form of a man, now a cold corpse. A complex magic circle was etched into his back. Karin brushed her hand over it. Beneath the circle was a deep sword mark I'd just made.
"It's a magic circle. Someone likely transformed him into a golem using magic."
"Transformed into a golem?"
"Yes. If this is an ancient person, that's probably it. In ancient times, there was magic to forcibly transform criminals into golems while preserving their consciousness."
It was a horrifying magic. If true, this man had been sealed here in the 7th basement, fully conscious, waiting for a hero with the holy sword—unable to die or sleep, indefinitely.
I had another question. Was the holy sword even the reason for this sealing? Shouldn't it be stored in the royal palace's basement? Why here, in this dungeon? And why use these untrustworthy criminals? Karin drew a dagger from her waist.
"Karin? Why the dagger?"
"We should take the magic circle. We can't carry the corpse, so removing the skin with the circle for research seems best."
"Maybe we should hand it over to the soldiers upstairs?"
"That's a good idea too."
Karin looked oddly disappointed. She seemed to have developed a taste for skinning criminals, judging by the dagger she carried. If not for her being a knight, she'd probably be a serial killer like Eve.
We left the corpse and headed upstairs. There were six more golems above. A chilling thought struck me. Judging by my companions' expressions, they were thinking the same.
"Wait... the people in these rooms..."
A.A. pointed trembling fingers at the lowest floor. Four rooms, two beds each, maximum eight people. Seven golems in the dungeon. Seven people. No toilets, no food storage, no guards—just a clean space.
A man with a magic circle on his back. Transformed into a golem.
They weren't dead or missing. We'd been facing the people who'd been here all along. Erina collapsed to the floor, trembling. It was a chilling, unsettling revelation. A.A. looked at me.
Right, I held the holy sword. Or at least, I thought it was the holy sword. Maybe it was just a sword placed here to torment these criminals with false hope. If so, our task was simple: stab the golems and free them.
I extended the blade and said,
"Let's free them one by one."
Since we had the holy sword, they no longer needed to guard the dungeon. Curious intruders could die, and the golems seemed useless elsewhere, so we had to destroy them anyway.
We couldn't bring A.A. on every follow-up mission.
I climbed from the 6th to the 1st floor, stabbing each golem's butt. Each time, they let out a piercing scream and shrank. Did they feel immense pain when dying? No one thanked me for their liberation, though I hadn't expected it.
As I stabbed each golem, I thought: If the original was human, the sword's effect works even after transformation. Surprisingly versatile. If it works on human-turned-golems, it might work on werewolves or zombies too—anything once human.
I thought its first effect was just betrayal, but it's more versatile than expected.
Stabbing the last golem on the 1st floor, it let out a grotesque scream and transformed into a man. The dungeon became a mystery escape room, each floor filled with seven emaciated men.
Every man had a magic circle on his back, shaved heads, and handcuff scars on their wrists. After confirming the last man was dead, I prayed in the Grand Celestial Church style. Erina asked,
"You mourn the dead too?"
"I'm the high priest, after all."
A.A. watched us, deep in thought. I wondered what Erina's lies meant at this point. Even if she's crazy, she wouldn't spout nonsense like "baby-making alchemy" in front of A.A.
Lost in our thoughts, we exited the dungeon.
Karin informed the guarding soldiers about the corpses below, and they quickly took them away. Inside the dungeon, I hadn't noticed, but outside, the corpses looked distinctly different from the kingdom's people.
As the corpses were taken to the palace, Karin asked,
"Shall we all go to the palace? There'll be a big reward with the report."
As the holy sword's owner, I had to go, but Erina and A.A. had no reason to. Their mission ended with the dungeon exploration, and they weren't bound by the palace's orders.
So Karin tempted them with a "big reward." Erina shook her head.
"No, I'll return to my kingdom and master baby-making alchemy..."
"Ah, yes."
Karin cut her off neatly. I shook my head too. Erina never backs down from her lies unless forced. Karin already saw her as a complete mess, glaring coldly since the dungeon incident.
Karin looked at A.A. sympathetically.
"And you, Hero?"
"Ah, I..."
"Of course, A.A. will come with me to Ahildern..."
A.A. grabbed Erina's shoulder. Erina's eyes widened. Both Karin and I unconsciously reached for our weapons, expecting A.A. to strike.
But A.A. didn't.
"Erina, I forgive you."
"What? What?"
"Because I'm a woman, you're unsatisfied, right?"
"Th-That's..."
Erina searched for words but found none. A.A. smiled.
"Still, you love me, Erina?"
"Of course! I've always loved only you!"
A.A. hugged Erina tightly and said,
"I'll return as a man. Definitely."
Then, A.A. kissed Erina's cheek and disappeared into the forest. Karin narrowed her eyes at Erina, who stood stunned, touching her cheek.
Before leaving, I'll have Erina one more time.