I climbed the stairs frantically.
The door connecting the deepest level to the deep level was closed.
I crashed into the door, almost throwing myself at it.
Bang, bang bang!
If I knock like this, they’re supposed to open the door from outside.
Sure enough, the door creaked open.
I shot through that door gap.
“Uwaaaah!”
The dwarves pulling the pulley chains to open the door were startled.
They probably didn’t expect me to suddenly burst through.
When they lost grip of the chains, the partially opened door slammed shut again.
An idea occurred to me.
Wouldn’t it be good to make it so they can’t open the door at all?
I took out the dagger Ashura and struck the chains connected to the pulley.
Clang!
The chain showed no signs of breaking.
Damn, these dwarves are unnecessarily good at making things.
Instead, I hung from the pulley fixed above.
Contracting all my muscles while pulling on the pulley…
Crack.
The pulley broke.
“Wh-what are you doing!”
I ignored the dwarves’ shouts.
Bang!
A loud noise came from the door below.
Bluebeard and the dwarves had arrived at the door.
You can’t open it, so just get steamed like dwarves down there.
But it was too early to feel relieved.
Creeak, creeeak!
Dwarves are an incredibly strong race after all.
Bluebeard and his subordinates were managing to open the door in an overhead press position.
I turned without looking back.
Escaping the deep level.
Up, and up again.
“Catch that snake!”
They had finally crawled up from the deepest level.
This time even other nearby dwarves joined the chase.
A dwarf coming down took an awkward stance with arms spread to block me.
「Using Heart-eating Leap Lv3」
A bright red hole would have been punctured in the poor dwarf’s chest… but wasn’t.
I just grazed past his neck.
The dwarf collapsed, clutching his nape as if chilled to the bone.
Past him, the door to the deep level came into view.
The door connecting the deep level to the level above operates by gravity.
That is, you have to turn something like a cart wheel to open it, and the moment you cut that string, the iron door slams shut.
“Close the door!”
The dwarf guarding the open door was dozing off.
And Bluebeard shouted again.
“Close it, you idiot!”
An axe flew whirling over me and crashed into the wall with a bang before falling.
That startled the dozing dwarf awake.
“Clo-sing!”
He hurriedly turned the cart wheel.
The door began to close with a groaning sound.
I made my body move faster.
And another axe flew from behind.
Clang!
The chain supporting the door broke in one hit.
The heavy iron door surrendered to gravity and descended.
「Using Heart-eating Leap Lv3」
I threw my body through the narrowing door gap in a roll.
Crash!
My tail almost got cut off.
But this was clearly my victory.
With the chain for lifting the door broken, I’d bought more time.
Behind me, the iron door kept banging.
Bluebeard’s angry shouts could also be heard.
“What’s going on!”
The one who appeared shouting thunderously was Rozena.
Ah, I don’t think I can beat her…
I had three choices.
Defeat Rozena and escape.
Or slip past her and escape.
Well, the first two don’t seem possible.
There was a third option though.
‘Bluebeard has gone mad!’
Tell her what I saw.
‘He pushed an old dwarf named Jeremiah into a fire pit. He’s completely insane. Says he’s going to dig out the mountain’s heart to build a dwarf kingdom…’
“Wh-what?”
I honestly exposed Bluebeard’s atrocities.
Well, not completely honestly – I exaggerated a bit.
“This is bad!”
Suddenly Pelerian shouted.
“That woman used to date Bluebeard!”
‘What?’
Gasp, could it be.
‘Are they still dating?’
“Well… who knows?”
If they broke up then it’s completely fine.
Maybe they still have lingering feelings for each other?
Looking at Rozena’s expression told me everything.
Her face was completely scrunched up.
“That bastard Genzero…”
Ah, looks like they definitely broke up.
And not on good terms either.
Seems Bluebeard’s name was Genzero.
“I kept waiting thinking he’d come to his senses someday but in the end…”
‘You believe me?’
“Yes.”
Rozena rolled up her sleeves revealing robust muscles.
Then she gripped a small hammer that didn’t match her bulk.
I was worried she’d strike me with it, but she just handed it over.
“Snake, you said you came with Dunkel?”
‘Yes.’
“Take this.”
Rozena’s hammer was slightly worn but excellent.
Looking closely, its intricate decorations were extraordinarily beautiful.
A splendid item befitting a Meister’s status.
“Meet up with Dunkel and find Helmut. Tell him I sent you.”
Helmut – I thought he didn’t seem like an ordinary old man.
“Tell him we need to install a new mine lord since that bastard Genzero has finally lost it.”
Rozena patted my head.
I nodded and put the hammer in my subspace.
“Now, go!”
I was already wanting to run away quickly.
I fled, leaving Rozena behind.
All I could do was hope she’d give Bluebeard a good beating.
==
Rozena watched the departing snake.
While the snake might have felt like a sudden disaster to Bluebeard Genzero, to Rozena, well…
Rather, wasn’t it a lucky snake that appeared in the declining mine?
She checked her tools.
She had many threatening tools besides the hammer she gave the snake.
There were knives, and large hammers that could be used as warhammers.
But she couldn’t use weapons.
Yes, this should be enough.
Rozena picked up a pillow she used when sleepy.
Bang- Crash!
There was a loud noise from the door connected to the deep level.
Bluebeard had finally opened that door.
He and his close associates crawled through the slightly opened door gap.
“Ha.”
Watching this, Rozena let out a hollow laugh.
“You used to have a decent face at least…”
Bluebeard’s appearance was terrible.
Face flushed bright red.
White cloth sticking to his body, soaked with sweat.
Curled and twisted beard and hair.
“Genzero.”
“…Rozena?”
Bluebeard must have been somewhat surprised to see Rozena waiting with a pillow on her shoulder.
“Seen a snake?”
“Haven’t seen it, you bastard. What are you doing down there?”
“Huu…”
Former lovers meeting after a long time.
Bluebeard sighed looking at such a Rozena.
“Rozena, you.”
“Yeah?”
“You know you’ve been an exhausting type since the old days until now?”
“You…”
A vein popped on Rozena’s forehead.
“You bastard!”
