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However, I understood why Marmar was reacting so sensitively. It was probably because Professor Balan had been asking Marmar for her tail so much lately.

Thanks to that, Marmar seemed to have developed a neurosis. I should probably tell Balan to stop bullying the imps.

“Alright, alright, let’s head inside now.”

Narmi then started to go ahead, like a tour guide or a kindergarten teacher.

As I watched the imps follow her, I felt more like I was on a kindergarten field trip than on an adventure and dungeon exploration.

A field trip.

Maybe that wasn’t so far from the truth.

They said that the monsters in this cave temple were only cave bats or small geckos.

And sure enough, the only things crawling around were little lizards glittering like stars in a galaxy. I almost felt like taking one.

“So, Narmi-yang, where do we find the Queen’s Flame?”

When we reached a fork in the cave, Stella asked Narmi, who was holding the map we’d received from Sandora’s city hall.

“Um…”

Narmi hesitated for a moment and pointed to the narrow entrance on the far left.

“Here? No, no…”

Then she pointed to the hole on the far right.

“Maybe here?”

“Narmi-yang, choose carefully. Places like this are bound to have traps to block intruders.”

“Hmmm…”

This was making me a bit uneasy.

However, there was nothing we could do, as the map of the cave was said to be written in an ancient language that had long since disappeared.

This cave was a pantheon for the gods that the ancients worshiped. Naturally, everything was written in the old language. And of us, only Narmi could read it. Ṛ

“Here!”

Finally, Narmi pointed to the center path of the five. We began following her deeper into the cave.

As if to show that Narmi’s choice was not wrong.

Hwaaaaa-.

There were quite a few pretty crystals shining inside the cave. Stella, leaning in to inspect them closely, spoke up.

“These are luminescent crystals. They’re precious gems. When crafted into necklaces or bracelets, they’re considered symbols of luck. Looks like no one’s taken them yet.”

Luminescent crystals, huh.

For me, it was just ‘it shines’, and I didn’t have any other particular feelings, but the imps with their girlish sensibilities were different.

“Finally, the reason we lugged this big bag around has arrived! Sisters, let’s gather as much as we can and sell it at the city market! Hihi-!”

At Marmar’s words, the imps opened the bag and began filling it with crystals. The bag became so packed it looked challenging to carry.

“How about taking a little less, Marmar?”

I said, expressing some concern.

“Just one piece of this can cover two days of wages as an assistant! With so many mouths to feed, I have to take as much as I can…!”

I see.

A month or two ago, there was a time when many nymphs from Ark converted into imps.

Because of that, Marmar seemed to have faced challenges trying to feed her expanded imp family. It’s admirable.

Finally, the imps were hauling the bag so full it looked like they’re about to explode. I thought about offering to help, but Marmar drew the line, saying, “This is my responsibility!” she was very self-reliant and independent.

Click, creeeak—

Just then.

When Marmar picked up the last crystal, I heard a strange sound. It was faint, but it was very unsettling.

* * *

“That’s strange. According to this, if we keep going down this path, we should reach a pond with an altar. In the center of the pond, the Queen’s Flame is supposed to be burning.”

Narmi, who had been leading the way, voiced her doubts. It seemed my feeling that we had been going around in circles wasn’t just my imagination.

“Narmi-yang, are you sure you’re reading the map correctly? Could we have taken the wrong path at that five-way fork earlier?”

“I double-checked for sure….”

Narmi seemed a bit embarrassed, wondering if she’d misread the map. At that moment, the strange noise I’d heard earlier came to mind.

Could it be that some mechanism activated and altered the path?

It was entirely possible.

“Then what should we do now…?”

Marmar, trembling terribly, asked Narmi for her opinion. Though Narmi just kept staring at the map. In this situation, we can only rely on Stella.

“Now that I think about it, it seems like some kind of mechanism triggered and changed the path. When was it? Maybe when we touched all those crystals. That’s the only thing that stands out.”

Stella voiced a thought similar to mine. Were the luminescent crystals a trap? It was too late to regret it now.

“Well, mechanisms that alter paths aren’t unusual in dungeons. Since this dungeon was already cleared a long time ago, there shouldn’t be anything dangerous.”

Stella’s calm words seemed to reassure the trembling imps.

Then Narmi picked something up off the ground.

Clink.

It was a necklace. A necklace with a metal tag attached to it. The shiny golden gleam caught our eyes, and Stella seemed to recognize it.

“That’s an adventurer’s identification tag. If it’s gold, it belongs to a pretty high-ranking adventurer.”

Taking the necklace from Narmi, Stella examined the name engraved on it and furrowed her brow slightly.

“Carl. It’s from the party that received the request before us. I don’t know why it’s here, but it seems like something might have gone wrong. We might even be able to find their team.”

Although Stella sounded calm, I felt a growing sense of tension.

Would I be able to complete the condition Mirna set for me at this rate?