NOVEL WEB Chapter 22
Thud!
“Everyone! Quickly, over here!”
As I was reading a novel, the dungeon suddenly started shaking, and Mas swiftly pulled a scroll from his pocket.
After quickly checking his party members by his side, he immediately tried to rip the scroll to activate it, but—
-Woong…
“Huh, what?!”
For some reason, the scroll’s light dimmed.
“What the…?”
Mas panicked instantly, but realizing that staying still could lead to who-knows-what, he slapped his cheeks to snap back to reality.
“First, we’re about 70 meters from the dungeon entrance, so if we run with all our might, we can escape quickly! Let’s go!”
‘It’s a shame, but we have no choice but to leave everything behind!’
Despite spending a pretty penny on supplies to create the ideal resting environment for the party, trying to pack all that in a crisis was just madness.
“Mas! Need a lift?”
“P-please!”
Though Mas was quite capable in many ways, his physical abilities were considerably lacking compared to other party members, so he had no choice but to hitch a ride on the frontliner, Rain.
It was a bit uncomfortable due to her great sword being in the way, but in a crisis, who had time to complain? Mas rummaged through his bag without any grievances.
‘In this situation… this will work!’
Since he was being carried by Rain, he needed to lighten his load somehow, so he started throwing Support Disbandment scrolls onto the ground one by one.
‘I can’t be a burden to Rain! I need to help somehow…’
This showed how desperately Mas wanted to be of assistance.
“Just a little more…!”
Using Levitation Magic, Windy, the mage in the lead, gleefully spotted the dungeon entrance ahead, but—
-Kuh-THUD!
In an instant, a deafening noise echoed as the entrance collapsed.
“Damn it! Everyone, be careful!”
Windy gritted her teeth and aimed her staff at the collapsing entrance.
Red magical energy began to gather at the jewel atop her staff, and she exclaimed,
“Explosion!”
-Boom!
As she finished her incantation, a massive explosion erupted from the dungeon entrance.
“Everyone hurry! That explosion could cave in again at any moment! Heist!”
After squeezing out her remaining magical energy to boost Rain’s speed, Windy immediately collapsed on the floor.
“Great job, Windy!”
Elia, who also reached the entrance, hoisted the collapsed Windy onto her back and escaped outside.
“Rain! Quick!”
“I’m running as fast as I can!!”
As Rain neared the dungeon entrance, suddenly—
-Snap!
“Ah, crap…!”
The entrance Windy had blown open was about to collapse again.
As a giant chunk of rock threatened to seal off the entrance, Elia gasped.
“Breathe…!”
-Thud!
Elia was pushed to her knee under the immense weight.
Seeing her precarious state, Rain made a decision.
“Mas.”
“Yes?”
“I loved you.”
“Huh?! Rain, what are you saying at a time like this—”
Before Mas could finish, Rain tossed him toward the entrance with one hand.
“Rain!”
The moment Mas’s body flew outside the dungeon.
“No more…!”
-Crack!
Elia’s arms, unable to hold on any longer, were crushed beneath the falling rocks as the dungeon entrance completely collapsed.
“Rain…”
The A-Rank Adventurer Party, the Twin Blades, was in ruins.
***
[The A-Rank Adventurer Party, the Twin Blades, in Crisis?]
On the day the A-Rank Dungeon collapsed, the leader and frontliner Leana disappeared while the archer Elia Elionor suffered serious injuries…
[Is the Support Disbandment a Prophecy? Those who read Volume 8 of Support Disbandment claim that the dungeon collapse mirrors its storyline…]
“…What is this?”
The A-Rank dungeon has collapsed? And it happens to be on the day that Marcus’s party, known as the Real Deal, entered?
Moreover, the frontliner vanished just like in the storyline of Support Disbandment?
“What the…?”
This feels too coincidental to be just luck…
-Knock, knock.
“E-excuse me, Author! The Twin Blades party has come to see you!”
“…Huh?”
Can a high-ranked adventurer party even meet me directly in the Imperial Palace?
“Since Her Highness is with them, you need to change quickly!”
“Ah, understood.”
If Eve is involved, it makes sense that something like this would happen.
It’s not for nothing that protagonists in otherworld stories become friends with royalty.
“I’ll be there shortly, please wait a moment.”
“I’ll just step out to the restroom for a moment.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
After confirming that Rate had gone inside, I communicated to Belua outside that she could come in.
Then, Belua entered the room holding a pair of elegant outfits.
“I’ll get you changed right away!”
“Yes, please do.”
“And I’ll tidy up that wild hair of yours too.”
“About that…”
My bangs are rather important, you know.
“…Fine, fine. I really don’t get why you won’t let anyone touch your bangs.”
“Ahem, are we really in such a hurry?”
“Oh! I’ll change you right away!”
***
“Ugh, these fancy clothes really aren’t my style.”
“Really? I think they suit you just fine.”
“How could someone like me, who feels like an extra, wear something studded with jewels?”
“That’s because your face is always hidden behind your hair…”
“Ahem, but do we really have to do this?”
I glanced down at my right arm.
My arm was looped with Eve’s, and we were tightly linked.
Eve looked fine, but I was dying of embarrassment.
“Neither of us has ventured into romantic territory yet, but outwardly we’re engaged, right? We need to show that we’re engaged at an event like this, so please bear with me.”
“Sigh, if that’s the case, I guess I have no choice. The princess must be feeling the same pressure.”
Could I really just shrug this off when Eve, being a princess, is also enduring this?
“…I actually don’t mind it.”
“Excuse me? What was that?”
“Nothing. Ah! We’ve arrived.”
As Eve and I reached the door, the two maids opened it for us to enter.
Inside, three people were seated at a table laden with refreshments.
An elf woman with bandaged arms, a very fatigued-looking black-haired woman, and likely the protagonist of the rumors, a brown-haired man with green eyes, embodying the essence of a young hero.
“Ah, nice to meet you, Twin Blades party.”
As we sat down with Eve, I offered my greetings first.
However, it didn’t seem like they were in a mood to exchange pleasantries, so I dove straight into the matter.
“I hear you were looking for me. What’s the matter?”
At my question, Mas pulled a battered book from his bag and placed it on the table.
After rolling it on the floor, he opened a page filled with scars and asked me,
“Author, what should I do?”
The page he opened contained the story of Marcus losing the frontliner Leana in a collapsing dungeon and falling into despair.
On the back page, there was only a scene of Ricardo making a deal with a demon.
From the protagonist’s perspective, the part where Leana was trapped was the end.
I could guess why he was showing me this right now.
Marcus losing Leana in a collapsing dungeon, and Mas losing his frontliner in the same circumstance.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t really provide any answers either.”
To them, I probably seemed like some sort of prophet.
But really, I’m just a light novel author.
“Recently, I’ve had a lot of people treating me like a prophet or divine messenger, but I’m really just an ordinary author with genres focused on regret, despair, and obsession.”
“But…”
Seeing Mas trying to get a word in, I promptly cut him off.
“Ah, let me reiterate; I can’t offer you anything. If I can give you any advice, it would be not to regret and think carefully before you act.”
That’s basically the moral of my stories.
Don’t do things you’ll regret. Once you’re broken, you can’t go back. No amount of obsession will earn you their love.
That’s about it.
“Think twice before you regret…”
“Yes. That’s all I can provide. My books never fail to impart the same lesson. That’s the end.”
“…Understood, Author.”
“Yes, I’m glad you understand.”
It’s unfortunate that they lost their frontliner and the archer lost both her arms, but what I could offer…
Oh.
“By the way, Princess? Can’t we get a potion or something for that elf? Or are there no Clerics around?”
“…I’ll make sure to prepare something for you later, so don’t worry about it.”
“Thank you.”
After sharing a satisfied smile, I met eyes with Mas.
“This is about all I can do for you. If you find yourself lacking in material resources, feel free to come see me from time to time. I really like people like you, Mas.”
Not people like me, but someone who truly deserves the title ‘protagonist.’
A living fantasy. A character who became an A-Rank adventurer without giving up on their dreams.
Pretty admirable, right?
“…Thank you, Author. Thanks to you, I’ve found my answer.”
“Huh?”
Mas suddenly stood up and shouted at his party members.
“Let’s head back to the dungeon right now!”
“Eh, what?”
Did Volume 9 leak without my knowledge?
In Volume 9, Marcus enters the dungeon again…