Three hours later, Rina was already ready to enter the dungeon. When she left, she found Aoi waiting for her, already dressed in the combat uniform of the students of Yaminohana Academy, in Tsuyokuni.
"This will be my third dungeon."
Rina nodded and began walking toward the place where the group would gather. As she walked, she thought about how she should approach Enrico and, most importantly, how she could make him choose her as his Ketsumei.
"What do you think I should do to make Enrico my Ketsumei, Aoi?"
"Maybe—"
"I think I have to win him over first. Which should be easy, after all, everyone says I'm beautiful."
Rina continued talking about her possible strategies for most of the way, while Aoi decided to simply let her talk. After some time, the two were escorted by the servants to the Norimono and, after about two hours of travel, arrived in the region where the dungeon was located.
As soon as they got off, they began walking along the trail accompanied by one of the guards. The path was not particularly complicated, but the silence of the forest kept Aoi alert.
"...You don't seem nervous."
Aoi adjusted her white mask as she walked, watching Rina, who did not take her eyes off the path.
"What? Are you scared?"
"Tsk... It's not fear. It's caution. This dungeon is Faizes level, Rina."
"Don't worry. Takeshi and five elite guards will be there."
A short while later, the trees opened up and the group finally appeared ahead of them. At the top of a small rocky elevation, Enrico stood beside Yumeha. Farther ahead, Takeshi remained with his arms crossed, attentive to any movement, while five elite guards wearing light armor stood behind him, all with the symbol of Tsuyokuni embroidered in red on their shoulders.
"You finally arrived, Miss Rina and Miss Aoi. I hope you're ready."
"Yes."
Rina answered firmly. Takeshi then turned his attention to the two of them.
"We made a preliminary analysis of the dungeon. There are three Level One Faizes Nartheis inside, and the boss has been classified as Level Two Faizes. Most of the other Nartheis encountered so far are Level Two Zara, so don't let your guard down."
Rina and Aoi nodded. Yumeha, however, hesitated for a moment, looking away toward the dungeon entrance. Enrico noticed and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry. You can do it."
Yumeha took a deep breath and nodded, regaining her confidence.
Enrico then approached and opened the map he had prepared.
"I entered the dungeon about two hours ago, memorized the route, and left shortly afterward. Since it was already active, I was able to check the structure without wasting much time."
Rina stared at him in silence.
She did not believe that story.
She knew that Enrico knew the future and was certain there was something much more important inside that dungeon than he was revealing. Even so, she could not prevent a small spark of excitement from appearing in her eyes. If Enrico really knew what was inside, then this expedition could be much more interesting than she had imagined.
Aoi approached and observed Enrico carefully. Her gaze quickly passed over his hands, noticing small marks and signs of constant training.
"Interesting... Sometimes, when a prodigy appears, they don't work very hard because their talent alone is enough. But you seem to be the same type of prodigy who trains a lot. Just like Rina."
Rina immediately adopted a more confident posture, as if that comparison confirmed that she and Enrico would make a great pair.
Yumeha immediately realized what was behind that attitude.
'So she still wants to be Master's Musubinin.'
Yumeha's eyes gained a determined gleam.
'You're going to have to work very hard to stay by Master's side, sister.'
She remembered a small conversation she had previously had with Enrico. On that occasion, Yumeha had asked if he would accept one of her sisters if Renzou asked him to choose someone else to form a bond.
Enrico's answer had been simple.
'If someone wants to become my Musubinin, they'll have to work hard. I would only choose someone capable of keeping up with my potential.'
Yumeha had taken those words seriously.
Without her knowing it, Enrico had only said that to encourage her to keep training. Now, however, his words had created a competition he did not even imagine.
Enrico closed the map and looked at the dungeon entrance.
"Alright. Then let's go in."
Everyone nodded.
One after another, they began crossing the dungeon entrance. Enrico entered right after Yumeha, followed by Rina, Aoi, Takeshi, and the guards, while the darkness inside slowly swallowed the group.
In a dark room, Soushi, one of the emperor's sons, was sitting cross-legged in front of a small table. On it were fresh ink, sacred paper, and a ceremonial seal from Tianlong. His eyes carefully scanned the words he had just written:
'The Emperor has awakened. He was saved by a strange young man with something unexpected.
Urgent reinforcements are not necessary.
I only request that you wait to see what happens now.'
Soushi sealed the scroll with the ceremonial stamp. As soon as the seal was activated, a seagull made of energy appeared over the paper. The creature possessed the ability to become invisible and was ready to carry the message to the Tianlong council.
However, before it could take flight, a golden spear pierced through the window in a straight line and struck the bird in midair.
The magical creature was cut in half and exploded into small particles of bluish light, disappearing before it could even complete its first flap of its wings.
Soushi suddenly stood up, his eyes wide.
He would recognize that move anywhere.
"...Daigo?"
The door slowly opened.
The figure that entered was unmistakable. Daigo walked into the room with a firm expression, the golden spear still in his hand. His steps were heavy and controlled, while his eyes remained fixed on Soushi.
"You shouldn't have done that, young master."
Soushi instinctively stepped back as Daigo stopped in front of him.
"You wanted your father's throne? Is that it? Or were you planning to hand the territory over to our enemies?"
"It's for the future of Tsuyokuni! We have no way to fight Tianlong. The best decision would be to surrender!"
Daigo remained silent for a few seconds, something that made Soushi feel a little more confident.
"Lord Daigo, even though I'm weak, I feel that I can be a good deterrent when all of this is over."
Then, without even drawing his spear, he advanced and delivered a dry punch directly to the center of Soushi's chest. The force was carefully controlled so as not to kill him, but it was enough to knock all the air from his lungs.
"Ugh...!"
Soushi fell to the floor, unable to breathe properly. His eyes rolled back and, a few seconds later, he lost consciousness.
Daigo looked at the young man lying on the floor with evident contempt. Then he put away his spear, placed Soushi over his shoulder, and also picked up the scroll he had prepared.
"Good for the future of Tsuyokuni... What a joke. A coward like you would probably run away at the first difficulty."
Daigo left the room carrying Soushi and the scroll as evidence. Farther ahead, he encountered one of the guards, who immediately realized that something was wrong.
"Lord Daigo, what happened?"
"The emperor's son is a traitor. There will be a trial."
The guard became serious immediately. This was not something that could be treated as a simple family conflict. If the accusation was true, the consequences could affect the entire imperial family.
Without asking any further questions, he followed Daigo down the corridor.
The two headed toward the emperor's room, while Daigo thought about how Renzou would react upon discovering that one of his own sons had decided to betray Tsuyokuni.