The Demon Lord Is An Angel
Chapter 79: Enter The Dungeon

Chapter 79: Enter The Dungeon

By the next morning, Stella had gone from inconsolable mess to openly theorizing about her condition.

Her theories included having caught some kind of parasite from trying food - succubi being manavores, eating was optional to them - being held back by Kir’s being sealed, and being held back by the Forbidding placed on Kir by his father, Maledict, the Duke of Heresy. The theory she kept coming back to though was-

"It’s gotta be because I’m still a virgin," she squeaked into her Kir’s hair. She was in her bat form and hiding on the back of Kir’s neck, hidden by the high collar of his gambeson.

"You’ve been free to find a partner. You’re the one being picky," Kir shot back quietly. "Now hush, I need to hear what’s going on."

Kir was presently standing with the Arcane Knights students in front of a large, unassuming structure in Norneau’s Middle District. Kir had passed it many times before, but not once did he think that a reality-bending dungeon was within its walls.

He’d assumed it was some sort of granary or armory at first glance, but now that he had a shot at closer inspection, he noticed the discrete passages that led down toward the lower district. That was the way adventurers came in if he had to guess. The heavy doors were all designed to be sealed from the outside.

Entering through the main gate, he saw that there were numerous defenses both mundane and magical, all pointed at a set of heavy iron doors.

Whatever was down there, it was obvious the focus was on keeping it down there.

"Now listen up," Knight Commander Tul said. Kir finally recalled his name when Kordia reminded him that it was Tul who had ordered her to profile demonkin. He could only imagine how uncomfortable she was standing mere meters from the man. "When you enter the dungeon... you will be confronted with monsters. Our goal is the midway base and no further. As there are six paths down, there will be six groups. Stay with your groups. Stay with your qualified adventurers," he gestured at the six adventurers to either side of him. "The Vice Commander and I will check on your progress." He took on a serious look. "There are always casualties in the dungeon. Do not become one of them. Dismissed."

He looked at each of the assigned group leaders. Unfortunately for Kir, Lugh was in charge of his group.

When he’d tried to ask the Vice Commander why, the answer he got was "It’s the Commander’s idea of helping overcome your differences." As much as he tried to argue his way out, he hadn’t been allowed to. Even when he went to Commander Tul.

"On the battlefield, you sometimes must work with people you don’t like. He is the leader, and I’ve already made it clear to him not to do anything rash. So just follow orders. Prove you’re one of the good ones," the Commander had said, with a patronizing pat on Kir’s arm.

In the present, Kir approached Kordia and Rainier.

"I’m glad you two are going to be here," he said, by way of greeting.

"Even if we aren’t in the same group, we’ll still see each other on occasion," Kordia was excited.

"You two got to go down last month, any tips?" Kir asked.

Now it was Rain’s turn to beam at Kir. He’d talked almost non-stop about the orientation trip he and Kordia got to go on once their Adventurer badges were given to them. "Prepare to be surprised," he winked.

"I can’t wait to map the time differences for myself," Kordia bounced, her big ears flicking excitedly along with her tails. "Here, carry this for me." She reached out a hand, offering Kir a small pocket watch. It was a scribed magic circle on a rock with numbers that lit up to show the time. "I spent an hour synchronizing all these watches, and I got someone to hold one for me here on the surface! I finally get to confirm Hely Uil’s Labyrinthian Temporal Theory for myself!"

Kir smiled. He’d had a very fond conversation with Kordia about the nature of time, but he hadn’t known she’d devised her own experiment. From what he’d read, time in dungeons was highly variable.

The consistency seemed to be that the further down one went, the faster time was compared to the surface. This dungeon had only twenty-three known floors. None of them were tricky enough to qualify the dungeon as a labyrinth.

"Are you ready?" Rainier asked, patting Kir on the shoulder.

"As ready as I can be," Kir smiled. Reaching to his hip, he pulled Kangetsu from its sheath and showed her to Rainier.

Rain’s eyes lit up. As Kir had recently learned, he was a bit of a fanboy for legendary weapons. It was a hobby that got him inspired to learn how to make weapons out of mana. "Wow... Enumasam didn’t stint on the effort. I’m glad we talked him into it... Can I?"

Kir gently handed the sword to Rainier.

He sensed when Rain began to flow mana into it, and couldn’t help but feel a little jealous when the blade’s edge crackled, ice rime crawling down to the guard. "What’s her name?"

"Her name is Kangetsu. It means ’Cold Moon’," Kir said, enjoying Rain’s goofy smile.

"You boys and your swords," Kordia scoffed, teasingly poking Rain. "Give it back."

"What language is her name from?" he asked.

Kir’s tail twitched. He didn’t want to lie but he hadn’t exactly told anyone about his memories from a past life. "Uh... an ancient one... It’s called nihon-go."

"I’ve never heard of that language," Kordia looked at Kir with a tilt to her ears, a sign of curiosity. "You never told us you speak another language."

"I didn’t?" Kir asked. "I was sure I mentioned it..." He tried to buy time. Time enough to think. In the past, he’d forged entire sections of books to keep his moms from questioning him too much. He didn’t have that luxury here. But maybe... "I-it’s a dead language. Something I studied with my moms..."

"Oh I definitely want to hear more about that," Kordia’s tails wagged. "Imagine what we could learn if we find ruins of the... Nihonese?"

"Nihonjin," Kir corrected. "I’ll... uh... teach you some things when we get back, okay?" Stars, he hoped she forgot by the time the delve was done.

"You better!" she poked him.

Just then, a massive rumble filled the air. The gates to the dungeon were being lifted, one by one, showing themselves to be massive constructs of stone and steel, warded a thousand times over.

A moment after it started, Ata jogged up to Kir. Unlike him, she was dressed in a proper steel breastplate. It even had a few magic circles carved into it.

"Lugh sent me to get you," she said. "Oooh, fancy sword."

Ever since losing the duel, Lugh had seemed frustrated and angry. Being sworn not to trouble Kir, he instead treated Kir as if he didn’t exist. Now that they were in the same squad, that would be impossible.

But it seemed Lugh was intent on never communicating with Kir directly.

Kir sheathed Kangetsu. "I’m on my way," Kir replied, then turned to his lovers. "See you down there."

He followed Ata. "So what’s his name?" she asked.

"Rainier," Kir replied.

"I meant the sword, idiot. Everyone knows Rain. Half the Academy and the Knights want to ride him into the sunset and-"

Kir coughed loudly, partly out of embarrassment and partly from knowing firsthand what ’riding him into the sunset’ was like. Rain was certainly a lot to keep up with, and he was only getting more creative now that he had Kir and Kordia to share a bed with.

"Cold Moon," Kir said, once he could bear her raunchiness no longer. "Her name is Cold Moon."

"Some girl give you the cold shoulder once?" She punched Kir on the arm. "Swords are boys. Shooty things are girls."

"It’s my sword. I get to pick her gender until she tells me otherwise," Kir punched her back. Over the last month, they’d grown into a new friendship, albeit one predicated on kicking each others asses on a daily basis. Most of Kir’s growth in enhancement magic, he owed to her.

"There’s a reason living weapons are banned. Don’t be a ladykiller." She punched him again.

"Wait what?" Kir asked, but Ata was already falling in line with the squad. Their adventurer was a grizzled-looking elf, and surprisingly he was wearing an Academy badge along with his adventurer one, which had blue in every field of magic and green in the practical skills for the physical half.

"Everyone," Lugh said, pointedly not looking at Kir. "This is Professor Faymar. He will be guiding us and, if necessary, saving our asses."

Professor Faymar began a speech that had a very lecturing tone. "As you are all aware, the local dungeon monsters are regularly hunted. For the first few layers, you will see mostly insect-like...

Kir joined the back of the formation and Stella chose that moment to peek around his neck. "Huh. That guy seems familiar," she noted.

"Now’s not the time for you to have a thing for old men," Kir whispered back at her.

"Ugh, my standards haven’t fallen that low. That elf looks like a sack of bones."

Kir rolled his eyes.

Right then, the Professor glared at Kir with a look that seemed far beyond annoyance. "Mister Gale, if you are so tired of hearing me speak, then perhaps you should go back to the Academy."

"I apologize, Professor," Kir said. "I’ll stay."

The elf turned to Lugh. "Cadet Lugh. Put Mister Gale in the front of the formation. If he does not wish to hear the advice of his betters, then he can demonstrate that he already knows what to do."

Most of the squad of twelve contained Lugh’s friends. They broke out into chuckles but Lugh just scowled. Instead of speaking to Kir, he beckoned angrily.

Kir stepped out in front of the formation, displacing a minotaur who was a head taller than him.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Faymar snapped. "Let’s get on with it." "Llun’haes deiin vasvis se’hesh delkrit," he muttered to himself, barely within Kir’s hearing. Kir recognized the last work. He’d learned a lot of pejoratives for demonkin over the last month. The Elvish word was the Common one, with the word for "shit" attached.

"First Squad, forward march!" Lugh shouted.

With that, the squad went first into the darkness.