"Lady Nanoda, have you ever cleared a dungeon before?"
"Not once. This is my first time."
"Eh?!"
"What's wrong?"
"It's just... surprising, I suppose. You've lived for such a long time, after all."
"Ah, the reasons are a bit complicated."
The sound of footsteps and quiet conversation echoed through the corridors of the burial chamber. Torches along the walls had been lit by magic, casting warm light across the ancient stonework. Two figures moved side by side through the tomb, exploring its depths together.
"It's strange, isn't it? After all this time, the candles in here can still be lit."
Yuna crouched beside one of the torches set into the wall, studying it with open curiosity. Despite the countless years that had passed, the candles still ignited at a touch — and once lit, their flames refused to die out.
"Probably because magic was applied inside the Fallen King's Tomb as well. Though come to think of it, aside from those gargoyles we ran into, we haven't come across any other guardian monsters or traps yet."
Deep within the tomb, Nanoda's Mana Perception was greatly diminished. She relied far more on her own senses and instincts to probe the surrounding darkness.
After breaking through the gargoyles, the two of them had descended to the second level of the tomb. From what Nanoda could tell so far, the entire structure was a labyrinth of interconnected burial chambers and passageways spiraling steadily downward. The four entrances on the surface likely each led down a different route, and her Mana Perception could barely reach beyond the walls around them.
"Oh — a fork in the path."
Two dark passages yawned ahead of them. Yuna hesitated, unable to decide which to take.
"What if we just use magic to blast a hole straight down?" Nanoda suggested, a new idea taking shape. "It'd be faster. If we could bypass the guardian duplicates entirely and dig straight through to the room with the mirror demon, that'd be a clean, no-stress speedrun."
"That's true, but — wait. No, absolutely not. What would be the point of adventuring then?"
Yuna waved both hands in emphatic refusal.
"Then let's just pick one at random. If it's a dead end, we come back and take the other."
Yuna nodded in agreement. Going on gut feeling alone, Nanoda stepped into one of the passages. The magically conjured torch behind them flared to life once more, lighting the way forward.
In the dim silence of the burial corridor, time seemed to lose all meaning. Neither of them could say how long they had been walking.
Then something very familiar came into view.
A treasure chest.
A large, ancient bronze chest with brass trim along its edges, nearly half a person's height and width. It sat perfectly still, its mouth sealed shut, the darkness pooling in its seams as if silently inviting someone to come and open it — an irresistible temptation for any adventurer.
"Yuna, do you know any magic for identifying treasure chests?"
Nanoda stared at the chest without moving closer. Instinct was screaming at her — the probability that this thing was a mimic was extraordinarily high. The kind that came with a built-in special weakness for Frieren.
"No, I've never learned that kind of folk magic."
Yuna swung her braids idly. She had no experience with this sort of thing either.
What to do?
But what if there really was rare treasure inside? Or a lost grimoire?
Nanoda fell into hesitation. In that moment, she found herself understanding exactly how Frieren felt when confronted with a treasure chest. Though she wasn't quite as extreme as Frieren — she didn't have that magic capable of identifying mimics with ninety-nine percent accuracy — if she could actually confirm it was a mimic, she would destroy it without a second thought.
Since she had no such magic, the only option was to test it in person.
"Yuna, step back. I'll try it."
She reached out and touched the exterior of the chest. It felt hard and metallic — iron and bronze — giving Nanoda the convincing illusion that this was simply a chest. She ran her hand back and forth across its quiet surface.
Something like Frieren's spirit seemed to possess her in that moment. An inexplicable confidence rose up in Nanoda's chest.
"Yuna, I have a feeling — there's treasure and a grimoire inside."
Without another moment's hesitation, Nanoda put both hands on the lid and threw it open.
Click.
No glittering jewels. No ancient grimoire. When the chest opened, all that emerged was a thick, long tongue — and two rows of pointed fangs.
The entire chest launched itself off the ground. Its gaping maw lunged straight for Nanoda's head.
It was a mimic.
Body faster than thought, in that razor-thin instant, Nanoda — crouched low to the ground — closed her fist and swung.
Her knuckles sank into the mimic's soft flesh. Saliva sprayed in every direction. The reflexive punch sent the mimic flying before its jaws could snap shut — a resounding clang rang out as it crashed into the corridor wall.
Beside her, Yuna had snapped back to her senses in the same instant. She raised her staff and fired a Ordinary Offensive Magic bolt straight at the mimic where it lay.
The beam of light pierced clean through it. The creature dissolved into drifting black mist.
"That was disgusting..."
Nanoda shook the remaining saliva from her fist, her face twisted in utter revulsion.
She had almost fallen for the same trick as Frieren. Unlike Frieren, however, Nanoda was a close-combat specialist — the mimic's ambush had come just within the window she needed to react.
"Lady Nanoda, are you alright?"
Yuna held out a silk cloth. Nanoda took it and wiped her hand clean, then sighed with mild disappointment.
"Nothing serious. Just thoroughly grossed out. That mimic really had patience, waiting until I actually opened it before making its move — or rather, its bite."
"Mm... looks like some got on your face too."
She wiped her cheek as well. From this point on, Nanoda decided, she was never opening another treasure chest until she learned the magic to identify mimics.
"Hehe — this is the first time I've ever seen you make that expression."
Perhaps because her feelings were so intense, it was the first time Nanoda's face had displayed such profound, unfiltered disgust.
"Alright. Looks like this path is a dead end. Let's try our luck on the other side."
"Mm."
Just then, an out-of-place set of footsteps appeared somewhere in the corridor.
Nanoda's brow rose.
Beside her, Yuna wiped the smile from her face as well, snapping immediately into a combat stance. Both hands gripped her crimson staff tightly — as though it were not a staff at all but a spear. She leveled the tip toward whatever was emerging from the shadows of the burial passage.
Lerne?
That was the first name that came to Yuna's mind, but Lerne's footsteps were never this light. The figure taking shape in the gloom was vaguely humanoid — another uninvited guest had apparently found their way in.
Yuna grumbled internally about what exactly Lerne was doing guarding the entrance, but she didn't dare let her guard down. Friend or foe — she had no idea yet.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
The footsteps quickened. The figure ahead came into focus.
"Be careful, Yuna — I'll leave this one to you."
With those words from Nanoda at her side, Yuna got a clear look at the thing charging toward them at full speed.
It was herself.
A mud-stone construct with her exact face and features came rushing at her, wielding a mud-stone weapon identical to her own — the same spear-shaped staff, raised high and swinging down in a direct, ruthless strike.
____
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