For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

Chapter 9: Dungeon O-S (2)

“Although I said we were going to the dungeons, we can’t go right now. It’s important to be thoroughly prepared, after all.”

Dressed in an overcoat as she was yesterday, I started explaining the plan to Carla as we left the inn.

“First, we’ll go to the alchemy shop to buy contraceptives. After that, we’ll buy you some clothes and gather everything else we need for the expedition. Only then will we enter the dungeon.”

“Huh? Contraceptives?”

“Why are you so surprised? The ultimate goal is to get you to the academy, right? How are you going to live an academy life if we’re raising a child?”

“If I have a child, you’ll raise it, right, Master? Hehe.”

Confused by her sudden laughter, I frowned. Carla quickly waved her hands and explained.

“I just wanted to say there’s no need for that! I know contraceptive magic.”

“What? There’s magic for that too? Not just potions?”

“Potions are popular because they are affordable and accessible to anyone. But yes, contraceptive magic exists. Most children from noble families who have learned magic probably know it.”

That makes sense. After all, they couldn’t just go around getting pregnant or impregnating others recklessly.

As if asking for my confirmation, I nodded, and Carla bent down and muttered a spell while placing her hand on her lower abdomen. Soon after, her lower abdomen glimmered.

And that was it.

“Are you sure that worked? It feels a bit anticlimactic.”

“Of course. My magic is actually safer than potions that could be tampered with. Before becoming a slave, I was the top student in the magic department!”

Carla seemed to be fishing for compliments.

Whether it was when explaining the Lintblum breathing method or now, she seemed extra enthusiastic when it came to magic. It was like her confidence skyrocketed.

And it seemed like she had the skills to back it up.

Being the top student in the fourth year of the magic department at the academy was no small feat.

Even considering that she was a generation apart from the protagonist, and described as the best ever in the series… she must be at least a mid-tier magician, right?

I never fully realized how talented Carla was, only having known her from rumors right after her enrollment or from her state after her downfall.

Right now, she seemed to be reading my silence as contemplation, trying to gauge my reaction.

I smirked and pointed with my index finger,

“One.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll buy you a snack from a street vendor. We need to fill up a bit before entering the dungeon.”

“…Can I choose the menu?”

“It doesn’t matter, but you should avoid meat. We are in the auction city of Gef, after all.”

Gef’s auction house was among the best on the Eurelia Continent. There was a reason Carla ended up at the Gef auction house. Businesses in this city had developed to accommodate the visiting nobles, earning it the name of an ‘auction city.’

The luxury inn where I had been staying was also built to target nobles visiting the auction house.

Due to its rapid growth centered around the auction house, there were a few bizarre rumors about the city. One of them was that some street vendors sold human flesh disguised as regular meat.

Basically, it was a place obsessed with money.

Carla suddenly started shaking.

“M-Master, is that rumor true? That unsold slaves are processed into meat…”

“No, that’s a baseless rumor. The whole reason Gef has grown so large is because of its successful high-end strategy, appealing to nobles, right?”

Any illegal items or crimes that could tarnish the reputation of the nobles were strictly avoided. Above all, Gef was a city under the Levantin Empire.

The Levantin Empire, which controlled half of the Eurelia Continent, strictly forbade acts related to heretical teachings.

Consuming human flesh was one of the most infamous heretical practices.

So, any rumors about the auction house selling human flesh could only be untrue.

Even if Gef boasted the best auction house on the Eurelia Continent, they wouldn’t be crazy enough to make enemies of both the Levantin Empire and the Law Imperial Court.

Upon hearing my explanation, Carla visibly relaxed.

“Phew…”

“But the part about selling human flesh is actually true.”

“…What?”

Her complexion paled again at my follow-up.

Ah, her immediate reactions were really entertaining.

I chuckled at the visibly frozen Carla and then told her the truth.

“There’s a branch of heretical practitioners in Gef. They’re the ones selling it on the down-low.”

“H-heretical practitioners…”

Carla trailed off, her expression gloomy.

Right. Now that I think about it, the downfall of the Lindelheit family was due to the false accusation that its head was involved in heresy.

Well, considering how cleanly it was framed, even Carla probably believed it was true.

I lightly tapped Carla, who was half lost in thought, on her shoulder.

“Snap out of it. You now understand what dungeon I aim to tackle, right?”

“…You’re saying there’s a dungeon hidden by the heretical practitioners somewhere in Gef.”

“Exactly.”

A dungeon that was hidden by heretical practitioners, also known as a Hidden Dungeon.

The gameplay of H&A was simple.

On weekdays, they improved their skills through academy classes, and on weekends or holidays, they explored dungeons to earn rewards.

Of course, there were events with heroines in between, but the general outline was like that.

So, where do these dungeons appear?

They could show up in the main setting of the academy, appear during field trips, or even materialize in a friend’s territory during vacation.

Dungeons could truly appear anywhere.

Of course, most were managed by nations, which publicly disclosed their locations.

Even if one couldn’t fully clear a dungeon, it wasn’t too difficult to at least kill some of the monsters inside.

And the byproducts of monsters could be monetized.

From the nation’s perspective, it was a simple matter of maintenance and collecting fees. There was no reason not to disclose the locations.

Occasionally, for dungeons that yielded highly valuable byproducts, the nation might send a Knight Order to subjugate them regularly.

In any case, the nation’s management was evident.

In the game, the difference simply relied on whether a dungeon was accessible to everyone or required a certain level of contribution from a specific nation.

However, there were always exceptions.

Heretical practitioners.

They could detect the existence of dungeons through special means and conceal them.

It made sense. Dungeons were sealed spaces containing the minions of evil Gods, and heretical practitioners served those Gods.

While there was the condition of serving the same evil God… occasionally, heretical practitioners would discover a dungeon before the nation did.

The dungeon in Gef was one such case.

It was definitely a place infested with monsters, and the heretical practitioners serving a murky deity called Hontaku were responsible for it.

Originally, in the game, a user who frequently visited Gef due to the auction house had to personally investigate when they sensed something fishy.

Finding clues and pinpointing the location through rumors and mini-maps wasn’t generally difficult, but…

“Who am I?”

A veteran with 7,000 hours of playtime.

I’ve cleared them all several times. Of course, I could easily memorize dungeon locations.

Just as I was feeling proud of myself, it seemed like Carla overheard my inner monologue. She looked surprised and cautiously opened her mouth.

“Um… My Lord?”

“True. Speaking of which, how did you find the new clothes? They’re not uncomfortable to move in, right?”

“Yes! But, um, is it okay for you to buy so much for me? And are we really going into the heretics’ dungeon, just the two of us…? Wouldn’t it be better to report it to the guards now…?”

Carla looked somewhat uneasy as she alternated glances between me and her own attire.

She was now wearing an entirely different outfit from the dress she had on at the auction house.

After all, one couldn’t enter a dungeon wearing just pretty clothes.

So, I equipped her from head to toe with battle gear.

The overall design resembled equestrian clothing, highlighted by frills on the chest and a short cape that lightly covered her back.

And the staff she was holding?

Though its gold color was a bit flashy, its magic amplification was high, and its body was sturdy enough for melee combat if needed.

Additionally, I’d equipped her with necklaces, earrings, rings, and all kinds of magical accessories… It cost around 5,000 gold in total, didn’t it?

While all these were store-bought items, their high cost certainly matched their performance.

Money was truly the best.

Especially since Carla was a top student in the Academy, specifically in the School of Magic.

The hidden dungeon in Gef was, at most, of moderate difficulty, and I perfectly remembered how to clear it, so there was no risk involved.

Then I nodded at Carla with a satisfied smile.

“Don’t worry about the dungeon. As long as you follow my instructions, we’ll clear it without any issues. As for the money…”

I briefly examined Carla’s outfit and shrugged my shoulders.

“Time to earn it back.”

Get to work, slave.