And I Have No Intention of Hiding Her

Duplicates. So that's a thing, huh.

I had thought the Divine Bedding was like a certain set of balls, with only one of each existing in the world, but I guess not.

Well, even if they're "divine," they're still bedding, so there'd be spares. Even those balls had different ones with different stars.

"O-oh. The Divine Comforter, huh? Sounds warm."

"Can Golems even feel warm or cold…?"

"It's about the feeling of it."

Well, even if it's a duplicate, it's not a problem at all since I could use it separately from Rokuko's.

I'm curious what would happen if we tried using both at the same time, though.

"What other Divine Bedding items are there?"

"Besides the comforter, there's apparently a pillow, mattress, blanket, nightcap, pajamas, and underwear."

"Umm, is underwear really bedding?"

"Would you sleep naked under the pajamas? That works too."

Well, if you ask whether it's bedding or not… it's borderline bedding, I guess. It's more bedding-like than Chanel No. 5, at least.

"That aside, are we on defense duty here?"

"That's right. For now, think of it as standby duty for defense. Well, no adventurers have made it this far yet, so you can take it easy. By the way, do you need guards just in case? Or do you not, since Leona seems to be quite strong?"

"No way! A weak girl like me feels so anxious, so please leave like five or six Orichalcum Golems here!"

Whose mouth is saying that… By the way, Leona's current daily DP is 5,000 DP. That's worth about four or five Heroes.

"That would be overkill… I'll leave ten Iron Golems. That should be enough to handle any adventurers who make it here."

"I want some iron material, so can I dismantle one of them?"

"… Well, if it's just one, go ahead."

I'm a bit curious what she'll do without any equipment though. That's something to keep an eye on.

I decided to wrap up our conversation and head back.

Then, when I looked at Rokuko, she was sprawled out on the Master Room floor.

Again?

"… Rokuko, are you alright?"

"I'm fine… my legs just feel weak. Actually, my blood circulation feels amazing."

So it's like Leona gave Rokuko a massage that left her completely limp. What kind of attack method is that…?

"I-it's probably the DP. It feels similar to when Haku-neesama gave me DP transfer practice."

"I see."

The possibility of her being dungeon-related is increasing more and more… Oh, come to think of it, Setsuna's parent was a Dungeon Core. If there's that connection too, then her being dungeon-related is pretty much confirmed, isn't it? But then why did Haku-san tell me not to talk about dungeon matters with her…?

I carried Rokuko to her futon and put her to bed. Though by "carried," I just used the menu's deployment function to send her to the bed in her room.

With the Divine Comforter, a good sleep will fully restore both her stamina and magical power, so she should be fine.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

I decided to leak information about Leona to Setsuna right away.

In exchange, I should have her tell me who Leona really is.

When I secretly left a letter in Setsuna's room saying "I've obtained information about Leona. Come alone immediately," she came right away. Even though she wasn't on shift today, she sure got here fast.

Setsuna arrived at a small room in the corner of the former Puzzle Area called [Avarice Lodge], and following my instructions, asked about Leona as soon as she got there.

"So, you said you got information about Grandma?"

"Yeah. To be specific, Leona's whereabouts."

"… Umm, is it really my Grandma Leona?"

"It generally matches the information you gave me. I'll need more detailed information to be certain."

With that, I described the appearance of the Leona we found.

After hearing everything, Setsuna nodded solemnly.

"… A ponytail, huh. That's Grandma's favorite hairstyle. Alright, I'll tell you about Grandma's true identity, so tell me where this Leona was sighted. I feel bad for everyone, but depending on the situation, I might have to chase after her right away…"

"I'm fine with telling you the location first, but there's no guarantee. Tell me her true identity."

"Got it."

Setsuna nodded. Finally, I'll learn what Leona really is…

"Grandma is… a Dungeon Core."

"Oh, she's a colleague then… Hmm? But was that an identity she needed to hide from me?"

"She's a Dungeon Core, but, umm, she's not just a Dungeon Core… like, uhh. She's apparently also a Dungeon Master."

A Dungeon Core who's also a Dungeon Master…? Like how Rokuko called herself when we first met?

At any rate, if the term Dungeon Master is coming up, then her being dungeon-related is confirmed.

"And this is really hard to say, but… she's also a Hero."

I see, a Hero, huh.

… Wait. I can understand being a Hero and a Dungeon Master. I'm like that myself.

But a Dungeon Core who's a Hero? What does that mean?

"Is she a self-proclaimed Hero?"

"No, she's a genuine Hero who was properly certified by God. She said her black hair is proof of that… I know it's, umm, awkward telling a Dungeon Core that I'm a descendant of a Hero, but… I-I don't intend any harm."

"That's fine. I understand you trust this place… But she's not a Hero's descendant? I heard Heroes have black hair and black eyes."

"Her eye color turning red is a side effect of a skill she has."

"Huh…"

A skill with a side effect that turns your eyes red, huh. What kind of skill is it? Something vision-related?

… Ah, could that be why Haku-san's eyes are red too? No, that's not relevant right now.

"What kind of skill is it?"

"She said it's [Super Massage Lv 10]."

"… Huh?"

The [Super XX] naming means it's a Hero's skill, but massage? And Lv 10? That has to be a joke.

"I don't know if it's true, but she said it's a Hero's skill."

"If it's true, I don't really get it, but that's scary… Why would that turn her eyes red?"

"Apparently so she can see where people's stiffness is?"

"O-oh, I see."

I'd like to dismiss it as nonsense, but thinking back to how Rokuko was after I spoke with Leona, I can't dismiss it outright.

"So, uh, what does it mean for her to be a Hero, Dungeon Core, and Dungeon Master?"

"Apparently she has a skill called [Super Alchemy]… and, umm, they merged into one. The Hero and the Dungeon Core, that is."

"… Huh? W-why would she do something like that?"

"I don't know why, but that's what she said."

In other words — assuming what Setsuna said is true — Leona is a being where light and darkness are literally combined. Basically, a dangerous existence.

An upgraded version of me? Ha ha, hah…

"So, where's Grandma?"

"Ah. She came to this dungeon the other day… Right now, she's living in housing I built even deeper than this area."

"… Eh? She's HERE!?"

Setsuna raised her voice in shock. Understandable.

"Yeah. Honestly, I want her to leave, but I thought it'd be better for you if I kept her here. I'm keeping her in place… she's being docile for now, but I don't know how long I can keep her here. If you want to meet her, do it soon. I won't interfere if you and Nayuta go together."

"Got it… If Grandma's here, I'll need some time to prepare, but within two days."

"While we're at it, since I'm keeping her here for you, tell me what your goal is as a bonus."

"Okay. My goal is to have Grandma restore my body to what it was."

Saying that, Setsuna smiled.