Vol 1 Chapter 11 – The Dungeon and Princess Debora’s Power【Vol 1 – Spoiled Princess Arc】

I, Miriam, and Princess Debora were heading toward a dungeon not far from the royal capital.

Since it’s so close to the city, it’s the perfect distance for escorting Princess Debora.

“Erik, are you sure we don’t need to stop by the Guild?”

Miriam tugs on my hand and quietly asks, making sure Princess Debora—striding ahead of us—can’t overhear.

Hmm… the Guild, huh.

It’s true that if you’re going into a dungeon, you can pick up a Guild quest and earn some reward money…

“Ideally, yes, we’d grab a request first, but we can’t exactly announce that Princess Debora is coming along.”

“…………I see.”

If royalty shows up at the Guild, it will definitely cause a scene.

In this kingdom, any royal other than Prince Orace is viewed with… let’s say, less-than-warm feelings.

Princess Debora isn’t as bad as King Rei, but everyone knows she’s the terrifying “Spoiled Princess” who blows people up when she loses her temper, so most folks steer clear of her.

If word gets out that she’s diving into a dungeon—where prying eyes are scarce—people with ill intentions will crawl out of the woodwork.

I’d actually welcome that, but I can’t put Miriam in unnecessary danger.

Losing her is out of the question.

Even so, Miriam looks at Princess Debora’s back with obvious irritation.

Hm… her dislike of nobles runs deep.

“Since we’re not taking a request, we won’t go down very far. We’ll just wander the shallow floors until Her Highness is satisfied.”

“…But you never know what can happen in a dungeon. We still need to be careful.”

“Of course. I’ll protect you.”

“…………That’s not what I meant.”

She turns away with a sharp pout.

I suppose an endurance specialist like me isn’t very reassuring…

Still, as I told her, I don’t intend to push into the deeper layers this time.

Getting abandoned on the bottom floor would thrill me, but if we also lost Princess Debora, King Rei might go berserk and crush Miriam along with my hometown.

I must avoid hurting others for the sake of my kinks—as much as possible, anyway.

“Hey, hurry up, Hero!”

Princess Debora spins around and cheerfully calls out—not to us but to me in particular.

She and Miriam had a little… incident back at the palace.

The two of them are pretty much at each other’s throats now.

Normally I’d smooth that over before going somewhere life-threatening, but letting it simmer may actually work out in my favor later, so I’ll leave it be.

“She’s calling us. Let’s catch up.”

“…Okay.”

Miriam and I jog after the princess.

◆

“So this is a dungeon, huh.”

We’re inside the dungeon now.

Princess Debora looks around with sparkling curiosity.

Heh… not long ago I was like that too, hunting for monsters that would satisfy my M-leaning tastes. Brings back memories.

These days I can more or less sense them by their presence, though.

“Yes. There are many dungeons in this world, but this one has been thoroughly explored by adventurers.”

“Eeh? I wanted more adventure! Wouldn’t an unexplored dungeon be way cooler?”

Just as planned, Princess Debora bites.

I went out of my way to mention what I didn’t need to, after all.

“Let’s start with something easy. Once we know you’re comfortable, we can try other dungeons. Sound good?”

If I phrase it that way, she might invite me again next time.

The higher the difficulty climbs, the nastier the injuries I’ll get to suffer.

Ah… my chest is already fluttering with anticipation.

“Hmm… well, if the Hero says so, I guess I’ll deal.”

She sighs melodramatically and walks on ahead.

Whether that total lack of caution means she trusts me or simply has absolute confidence in herself…

Almost certainly the latter.

With that thought, I trail after her.

◆

“…Hm?”

After walking a while without meeting any monsters, something brushes against the edge of my modest danger sense.

“Erik…”

Miriam notices too and tugs on my sleeve, warning me.

Honestly, because of my proclivities I unconsciously like being ambushed, so I’m not great at detection.

Miriam, on the other hand, is an ordinary girl when it comes to combat—she has no desire to be attacked, so her awareness is sharper than mine.

“It’s all right. I know they’re there, and I’ll keep you safe.”

And hopefully create more chances to throw myself in harm’s way…

“O-okay…”

After confirming her small nod, I call out to Princess Debora ahead of us.

She continues walking, absorbed in looking around, clearly unaware.

“Princess Debora.”

“Hm? What is it?”

She turns and tilts her head adorably.

Looking at her like this, you’d never think she’s the infamous “Spoiled Princess.”

Well, I have experienced that magnificent explosion firsthand.

“I sense monsters approaching. Please ready yourself.”

“Oh, finally?! All right—time to show the Hero how strong I am! No helping, okay?”

“Understood.”

She’s fired up.

Maybe I really can leave it to her; considering the power of that blast, anything on this floor shouldn’t be a problem.

And if things go south, I can always jump in and take the hit myself…

Heh… I’m getting excited.

“If you interfere, I’ll punish you severely, got it?”

“……G-gulp.”

Maybe I should jump in even if she’s winning.

A monster’s strike and her explosion?

If I could take both at once… oh, bliss!

Screech!!

The cry reaches me while I’m quivering in anticipation.

The monster that appears is a goblin—hardly a threat.

That said, take them too lightly and they’ll kill you.

Even a small monster has more than enough strength to end a human life.

Fortunately, it’s alone. Unless something goes horribly wrong, no adventurer would fall here.

Now, how will Princess Debora handle it…

“Heh heh heh… A wimp like this isn’t worthy of me! Bring on a dragon or something!”

She’s brimming with confidence.

Honestly, if a real dragon showed up, we’d be wiped out.

Although… being roasted by dragon fire does sound thrilling…

Screeeeech!!

“Hup!”

The goblin leaps at Princess Debora.

Its speed isn’t terrifying, but a first-timer might freeze at the sight.

Goblins aren’t exactly pretty, after all.

Many adventurers loathe them because they look so grotesque—lucky them.

Princess Debora dodges the pounce with ease.

“Hyaaaah!!”

“Gyaaaaaaah!!”

With a swift draw of her sword, she cleaves the goblin clean in two!

Down it goes—textbook kill.

“Hmph! How was that?”

“Ohh… As expected of you, Princess Debora. Felling a goblin in one strike…”

“Well, for me, that’s only natural!”

I heap praise on her smug expression.

Defeating it without even using an explosion is genuinely impressive.

Since this is her first trip into a dungeon, cutting down a goblin without flinching is remarkable.

Were she not a princess, she’d be a prodigy adventurer to watch.

Even if her sword and armor are absurdly expensive for a beginner, her skill is the real deal.

“…Still, it was just a goblin. My heart didn’t race at all.”

She sounds a bit dissatisfied.

With her strength, I suppose goblins feel lacking.

But everyone has to build experience one step at a time.

When King Rei first ordered me into a dungeon, I got mugged by goblins plenty.

Ah… those were the days…

“Don’t worry—goblins aren’t the only things here. There are plenty of other monsters… oh? Looks like more are coming.”

While soothing her, I feel several presences brush my detection range.

This time it isn’t just one; multiple creatures are headed our way.

“All right! Leave them to me again!”

Princess Debora clenches her fist with boundless confidence, but handling a crowd might be tough.

Besides, I’d really like to be attacked, so maybe I’ll—

Just as I step forward, Miriam grabs my hand.

Oh? Feeling nervous?

When I turn, I realize I was wrong—her usually unreadable face is tight with rare fear.

“E-eek… E-Erik, th-there…!”

I follow her trembling finger.

Squirm, squirm, squirm…

Wh-what is that…?