<~> Chapter 120

The day had finally come and everyone leaving for the trip to the new dungeon had gathered near the castle's private stable. All of us would be in separate wagons, and the soldiers who had been at our meeting with the court would be in charge of security on the way there. The outside of the wagons would be closed with solid walls. No one would be able to see us inside, but that also had the unfortunate side effect of not allowing us to see where we were going either. The idea had my neck prickling, but I had to trust Celeste, or at least my friends, to help get us out of whatever potential problems might arise. I couldn't help but feel like I was becoming a bit more paranoid as it became harder to tell my umber hound instincts apart from my own. It was something that I didn't like to admit was happening.

("Are you still worried about the sealed wagons?") Luna asked.

("A bit. I think I'm just nervous in general,") I admitted.

Luna grabbed my hand and squeezed it. ("I'm more worried about entering the new dungeon, if I'm honest. It's been a long time since we first entered a new dungeon and we don't have any information on this one.")

("The worry of that has crossed my mind a few times as well,") I replied.

"Is this a bad time to interrupt?" Milana asked as she came over.

I turned and smiled at her. "Not at all. What's up, Milana?"

"I just wanted to thank you again for the help with the lightning shard and for helping us get this job, apparently. We spoke to His Highness Dragon Prince Callisto, and he said that you recommended us."

"You helped us out, and even the other two aren't that bad," I said with a grin and a shrug.

Milana smiled. "I just wanted to tell you that I appreciate it."

Aria walked over and cut in. "It'll be good since you know about Helena's... fighting style. We will still need to find out how trustworthy the other group will be about keeping secrets."

Milana nodded. "I can see why you would be wary of outsiders, but I think you could probably trust them. Everyone here was hand-selected by the Royals and are sworn to secrecy. I doubt your fighting style would get out if you impressed upon them that it was a secret."

"Does it need to remain a secret any longer?" Aria asked. "I thought the only reason you were hiding it was because of what the Manager in Fallow said. If you have royal backing, that should be enough to get you a pass."

I frowned. "I don't know... I'll think about it."

"How is little Iris doing?" Milana asked. "It looks like she's accompanying us. Will she be kept in the camp as a helper, or are you going to bring her into the dungeon?"

I sighed. "As much as I'd like to keep her safe... she's coming with us. We had some arguments about it, but ultimately it's her decision, and she chose to come with us. I was really the only one who gave any pushback for the choice." I glanced at Luna. "Luna insists that the two of them will be plenty strong together to keep her safe. As safe as any of us will be, anyway."

Milana nodded. "After seeing how helpful a wind mage can be firsthand, I think she'll be valuable on the expedition."

"Her sound barrier magic alone will be worth bringing her along. It'll make it a lot easier for me to scout safely or allow everyone else to remain safe when I'm split off," Aria said.

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The four of us chatted about Iris and our plans for the dungeon before Callisto greeted us at the stable. "I'm glad to see everyone here already!" he said happily. "I unfortunately, will not be able to accompany you. But my sister, Lady Celeste will be accompanying you instead. Please treat her with due respect. She is my dear sister, even if she is not currently considered royalty. She will be in charge of your expedition."

There were a few whispers, but no one argued or asked any questions. Once everyone settled down, Celeste stepped forward. "It is nice to meet all of you. I have spoken with some of you already, but for those I have not, I'm sure we will have plenty of time to become acquainted soon. It will take two days to reach our destination, but for the trip, the attaché of soldiers accompanying us will be responsible for security, as well as the security of the camp at our destination. For any questions, you may speak with me or Knight Seilfreid, who will be in charge of the soldiers. Are there any questions?"

A few people asked some questions and I half paid attention, but none of it seemed to concern us. ("Luna, do you have any questions for her?") I asked.

("No, nothing that won't be discussed in detail later, such as our plan for exploration. Nothing about the trip there,") she replied.

I nodded and we waited around for everyone to finish. Once the question and answer phase was over, we were spread out into five wagons. One for each dungeon team, a wagon for the non-combatants, and one for Celeste and the soldiers. Less than half an hour later, we were packed up and headed through Ironcastle. Not that any of us could see it. I wondered a bit if part of this plan involved intentionally making it so we wouldn't know where the new dungeon was, but that was just speculation. I frankly couldn't tell if I was being paranoid or smart.

The two days passed by quickly despite how boring the trip was. The six of us in our wagon mostly just relaxed or talked about basic combat strategies now that Iris was joining us. Our formations would change a little for Aria and the casters, but they would be more or less the same for Maxell, Piper, and me. Piper insisted on remaining near the front as a defender despite her role as our healer. No one wanted to argue with her, and I honestly respected her choice. While she would be in a little more danger than she would otherwise, keeping her instincts sharp would be good if she was forced to fight, in my opinion.

Eventually, our caravan reached its destination. I stepped out first and looked around. The area surrounding us off in the distance looked like a mostly barren desert, except for the oasis circled by thorny greenery that faded as it spread away from the large lake of water. That lake meant that this place would probably be habitable if a city built up near it. Despite the water, the air felt mostly dry and reminded me of my home. This area felt like a desert, but this time of year meant it was really nice out. It was the tail end of winter, but it felt like it was only sixty degrees Fahrenheit or so right now. Normally, that would be jacket weather for me, but the chilly air didn't even register as cold to me anymore after my run-in with the frost salamanders. No one else seemed cold either. They were probably used to even more frigid weather this time of year, or their gear was already warm enough.

The ground in this area was rich with mana without any obvious sources. That was probably caused by the dungeon that was nearby. That was a confirmation that we hadn't been tricked so far, which was a nice reassurance to the part of my brain that was distrustful of the situation. I didn't see the entrance itself yet. Nothing in the immediate area looked like it would lead to the dungeon. That must be why it hadn't been discovered yet. I could tell which way we had come from based on the tracks in the dirt behind us, but we had traveled far enough away from Ironcastle that the nearby mountain chain wasn't visible anymore.

I followed Maxwell as we were shown our spot to set up camp. The soldiers kept the four distinct groups away from each other, and the area in the center was used as a communal area where we would be fed. Rows of soldiers a distance away were digging holes in the ground. I was informed that they would be our latrines for the duration of our stay. My nose wrinkled from the idea already, especially since I'm sure I'd be able to smell it from anywhere in the camp. Some of the soldier beastkin laughed at my reaction and assured me that they would do something about the smell without me even voicing my disgust.

Off to one side, away from everyone else, a larger command tent was being set up where Celeste would be staying for the duration of the expedition. She had mentioned personally entering the dungeon herself, and after some of her stories, I imagined she was a lot stronger than she appeared to be, but she would not be coming with us. She was still a royal, even if she didn't formally hold the position right now, and she was not allowed to put herself in too much danger. Much to Celeste's apparent annoyance. This would be the last night before Celeste shows the entrance to our teams and we begin delving.

A meeting was held for all of the teams while the soldiers guarded the perimeter of our camp after sundown. We had just been fed some surprisingly tasty stew and we were waiting for Celeste to come address us all. The chattering died down when she stepped near the bonfire that had been set up in the center of the communal area of our camp.

"Tomorrow morning, I'll show all of you the entrance to the dungeon. To start, we'll be doing shallow delves to get an idea of what the first floor is like. Take samples of everything you find in there, whether mundane or magical. Bring back the full corpses of any monsters you find as well. The first few delves of each new floor will be the most dangerous, as none of us know what to expect, so remain wary and vigilant," Celeste said.

She waited for the murmuring to die down before continuing. "We don't have the outside of the dungeon well guarded yet and tomorrow you'll see why that is. We shouldn't need to worry about a dungeon break, but while your groups are delving, the soldiers outside will be reinforcing the outside and building a structure around the entrance. It will be left open but guarded so that you may return at any time with anything you find. Avoid pulling trains of monsters through the entrance if you can, but we're aware that early delves of unexplored dungeons are dangerous, so you will not be punished if it happens. As long as it isn't intentional," her last words were punctuated by a fiery glare. "Do not test me."

"All three delving teams will enter one after another and will attempt to spread out to cover as much ground as possible. Return immediately if you find an entrance deeper into the dungeon. Once we've established the threat level of the first floor, I will send a cartographer along with one of your groups to map out the dungeon if possible. Because of the nature of this expedition, all of you are being paid handsomely to make up for missing out on the income you would gain from the materials you give up to us to catalog. However, if you bring something valuable back and would like to use it as part of a craft eventually, our quartermaster will track who brings things back, and you'll have first pick of similar materials once we feel confident that we know what everything is worth. To make up for that, our crafters will make you anything you need from the materials we allow you at no additional charge. The royals will pay for their work instead. All of you must value your lives first. If you come across something you cannot fight, run and escape. Some trains of monsters led out of the dungeon will be inevitable, but each one of you delvers are invaluable to us right now. Do not die. That is an order," Celeste's eyes were staring at Luna when she finished that last statement.

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