"They're all ready.Then we'll be at the bottom of the pile.Don't be too careful, everyone.

　The next day Elena's voice echoes as the party is ready to finish their meal and enter the bottom.
　Those who heard it looked as if they were going down the stairs in front of them, and they looked tense and serious.

"The procession is the same as yesterday.The avant-garde is Ver and Custe.The middle guard is me, Ray, and the rear guard is Arla, Seto."
"Do you have a moment?"

　It was Ray who called out to Elena.
　Couste's eyebrows were slightly frowned upon in his impolite tone, but he was silent without saying anything in particular.
　There was an incident at breakfast in which Ray was troubled by the way he spoke to Elena, but the fact that Elena himself had given her permission made it all right.If Elena had not declared so, there would have been a full-scale killing battle between Custe and Ray by now.

"What?"
"I'd like to be in the rear guard, but is that no use it?"
"Why?"
"I understand that Arra is wary of a surprise attack, but when she does, I will be able to better coordinate with Seto."

　You must have thought that there was a point in the word.Think about it for a few seconds before nodding.

"With Arra's axe you can't do anything about being a middleman, but... well, the frontman is Ver, Arra.The middle guard is me and Custe, and the rear guard is Ray and Seto.Who disagrees?"

　Elena, seeing that no one in particular objected, nodded a little and looked down the stairs.

"Well, then, it's at the bottom.Here we go."

　and with the declaration they were going down the stairs to the bottom.





"This is the bottom layer."

　muttered Arla, who was in the avant-garde, looking at the bottom layer.
　Spread before the arra, the shiny walls, the wide aisle, the stone floor, and the hierarchy we had seen.However, their presence is clearly different.The walls are elaborately carved, and decorations that appear to be stone hung from the ceiling.The floor is made of stone, but it is covered with glossy materials like marble.

"What should I say? It feels like everything is a level higher than the dungeon we've ever had."

　Custe nods to Ver's words.

"Especially, the things that are laid all over this floor are so rare that even nobles can't get them."
"Is it because there is an altar of succession that makes it so luxurious, or is the other dungeons different from the bottom?"

　He looked at the situation with such admiration, but Elena clapped her hands and drew everyone's attention.

"Surely it's different from what it used to be, but it doesn't matter now.Our aim is to be an altar of succession... and which way to go."

　Elena looks around and tells him something is troubling.
　The stairs that came down from the sixth basement level, the seventh basement level at the end of the stairs, and at the bottom of the stairs, the passageway suddenly extended to the front, back, left, and right of the wall.

"Perhaps one of them is our goal, the altar of succession, and the other is our boss's room leading to the dungeon core.I don't know about the other two."
"Glu".

　Seto sings in her throat as if she agrees with Ray's words.Elena nodded with a smile around her mouth as she watched the situation.

"I suppose Ray is right.The existence of these two is confirmed by the information obtained in advance.The question is, where is the altar of succession?"
"Well, wouldn't it be better to rely on Ray's intuition as usual here?"
"...hmmm."

　Custe snort as if she didn't like Ver's words, but if she was asked if there was any other good way, there would be no such thing.

"Well, it's Ray's intuition which has helped him so many times to get this far.Let me rely on you to the end."
"Oh, I don't mind.However, I don't think it's very reliable because I'm making the choice without any clue, either by intuition or intuition."
"Even if you can't find it according to your intuition, it's my fault for making the judgment.Ray, there is no reason for you to be blamed."

　Rather than... Elena tells them to check Custe, who is giving him an abominable stare, and at the same time she turns her gaze back and forth, wondering if she can't back away.And I chose...

"Left,"
"All right, then we'll go down the left aisle."The line remains the same.Ver, I'll leave it to you as to traps."
"Aye,"

　Ver nodded lightly as usual, and went straight to the left passage.
　It's been 10 minutes since I started going down the aisle.without any enemies or traps, he reached the front of the room with the door.
　The door was engraved with a lion sculpture, which was close to a kind of magic item that would give a mentally weak person a sense of oppression just by looking at the door.

"Magic items on the door... It's my first time seeing them."
"The door to the office of Count Larx was quite a good one, but after I saw it..."

　But Elena, who was called the Princess General, and the Knights of the Guard under her direct control, and for Seto, a Rank A monster, and Ray, who was an adventurer, it seemed as if he could give her that impression.

"Well, the question is what is inside?-- Ver."
"Ryokhatt,"

　I checked if there was a trap, and in a few seconds I judged that there was nothing.He slowly opened the door and looked into it, and the next moment he closed it with a cold sweat all over his face, and returned under the elenas.

"No, no, no, no.In that room is the Silver Lion of the Rank S Monster, which I know.It's not something you can do with."
"Silver Lion!"

　When Custe hears Ver's words, he exclaims unconsciously, but even Ray's face is stiff with astonishment.
　Silver lion. As Ver said, it's a rank S monster, with very few sightings.The reason is that their ferocity was raised and most of the people they encountered were killed.It is said that the silver body hair, from which the name originated, invalidates most of the offensive magic, and so it is also said that knives have little effect.It is said that in order to cause damage, a strong impact must be applied directly to the body, not to cutlery, so if a person encounters a person without weapons such as a hammer or an axe, the only way to do so is to run away as fast as possible.The roar of a lion, called a lion's roar, has a certain shock wave, so if you listen to it properly, the eardrum breaks and you lose your sense of balance.It's more of a legend than a normal monster.

"And haven't you noticed them?"

　As expected, Elena asks with a serious expression, but Ver nods, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Yes, but I think it's only when you enter the room that you're recognized as an enemy."
"... by the way, where is the altar of succession?"
"There was nothing like what I had heard.But there was a huge jewel-like thing in the back... I think that's probably the core of the dungeon."
"I see. No wonder this dungeon won't be captured.I can't believe the boss monster is the silver lion of the rank S monster.""Silver lion... who often appears in fairy tales?"

　Ver nods to Arra's question, and Custe answers it with a wry smile.

"Yes, that Silver Lion.Fortunately, he was not sitting on the altar of succession.What shall I do, Mr. Elena.
"Of course it's a retreat. Our goal is not to capture dungeons, so we don't have to force ourselves to fight against the monster Silver Lion."

　They all nodded to the words, moved quickly from the front of the door and returned to the place where the stairs were.

"Ray's intuition is keen, or rather too keen.A quarter chance of allocating a Dungeon boss's room ... but I wish I could allocate a place for the succession altar."
"No, even if you say so.It can't be helped because you chose it with your intuition."
"...stop Ver and Ray.As I said earlier, I was the one who left the choice to Ray.I bet on the vague thing of intuition.That's why I'm responsible for it."
"Well, Mr. Elena, there's nothing wrong with him.only Ver's idiot complained."

　Elena's words flustered Arla, glaring at Ver with a grim stare.

"Wait, Ver. Do you have any complaints to Mr. Elena?"
"Oh... I mean, I'm sorry.But since I've seen a Rank S Monster, why don't you consider my feelings a little?"
"Ara, Ver. Why don't you both quit?"Don't show too much shame to Elena."

　The situation is settled through the arbitration of Custe, and the next step is to discuss which path to take.

"The boss's room was on the left, and I think the aisle on the right would be better."
"I understand what Arla means, but I would recommend the aisle in front of me."
"... Mr. Elena, we cannot decide at this rate.I think I should ask Elena to decide here."
"Well, then shall I put it to the right?"

　He glances toward Ray for a moment and confirms that he is stroking Seto's back.
　Even for Elena, it is not certain that she is on the right.He just judged that Arra's words were somehow credible.
　However, it is true that Ray's heart was fixed when he saw him caressing Seto.
　When I see Ray, I feel a sense of security.Elena doesn't know what it is yet.

"All right, let's go.Next, as I said, is the right aisle....so long as the boss monster protecting the dungeon core was a silver lion, you'd better expect the other monsters at the bottom to be powerful as well.Don't let yourself down."

　They nodded in Elena's voice and went down the right aisle.and after walking for ten minutes, the figure of the door came into view again.

"...well, how about this time?"Ver, please."
"I hope you don't have a silver lion monster."

　Ver, who, in a light tone and still with a serious look, examined the trap at the door, as well as in the boss's room, quietly opened the door, and...

"Here's the answer! We've arrived at the altar of succession! There's no monster among them."

　Check the contents of the door from the slightly opened door, and shout as you forcefully open the door."At last, sir,"

　Elena also peeped into the door with her usual keen eyes and a soft look of relief.
　It was a room that could only be described as a beautiful ceremonial place.Inside the room, there are three magic teams that are made up of countless green crystals that seem to contain magical powers, forming a triangle.And from that magic camp, drawing intricate patterns, it continues to the magic camp in the center of the triangle, and in the magic camp in the center, there is something like an altar for dedicating something.

"This is... the altar of succession."

　It's a solemn room that you wouldn't think was in a dungeon.Ray mutters with that impression in mindlessly.

"Yes, this is the altar of succession.It's the place we've been aiming for, and in a way, the place where I'll be reborn."
"...what?"

　She looked back at her beautiful face without thinking of the word "reincarnate" that Elena muttered next to Ray.
　He must have understood what Ray was thinking.Elena opens her mouth with a wry smile.

"I don't know what you're worried about, but I don't think it's something Ray's worried about when he's born again.... well, with Ray's help, we have reached the altar of succession, so it would be a good idea to explain what the ceremony is like here."
"Dear Elena!? Wasn't the Duke of Kelebel to keep the matter as secret as possible?"

　Just like the others, Custe, who was listening to the conversation between the two of them, even though he fell in love with the altar of succession, approached them without thinking.
　But Elena shook her head with a wry smile.

"In any case, if we hold the ceremony here, Ray should understand what the succession ceremony is like.Then it wouldn't be much different if I taught you that now."
"... All right, if Mr. Elena says so..."

　To Custe, who was displeased, Elena continued, patting him on the shoulder and handing him a water bottle from his waist pouch.

"A ceremony held at the altar of succession.It is conveniently called the succession ceremony, but the simple expression of what kind of ceremony it is is 'taking in the monster's magical stones as one's own power.'"