“Duke!”

Noah also shouted in surprise.

I stopped Noah who tried to rush toward the wall and shouted.

“We can’t let Lynen’s sacrifice be in vain!”

Just then, Lynen’s calm voice came from beyond the wall.

“It’s fine, come this way.”

“Lynen! You’re alive?”

“……”

Hehe. I actually knew he would be safe.

‘These mechanisms usually transport people to hidden spaces.’

I took Noah and pressed the brick just like Lynen had done. Immediately, our bodies were sucked into the wall.

The next moment, I stepped onto solid ground, stumbling slightly.

This was definitely a different space.

The smell in the air was subtly different. A damper smell of deeper underground.

It felt like a much older space.

‘So it really was a hidden level.’

“You’ve arrived.”

Lynen, who had arrived before us, glanced at us.

Boing!

Slimes were gathered in front of him, wiggling about. Once Noah and I arrived, they bounced away again.

“They really seem to be luring us somewhere.”

Noah remarked with curiosity.

Just as Noah said, something like snail mucus left behind by the slimes formed a trail leading in one direction.

Wait. Being able to control dungeon monsters to this extent…

“…Didn’t they say this dungeon has no boss?”

“As far as I know. Even the imperial family, including the Crown Princess, doesn’t know about this hidden level. But since it’s been so obviously revealed to us, there’s likely a dungeon boss here.”

“How did no one know about this until now? And why are they only luring us? If it’s really a dungeon boss, I mean.”

“Well. We’ll know if we ask.”

“Huh?”

“Usually, boss-level monsters in dungeons have enough intelligence for communication.”

“…That sounds dangerous.”

Lynen nodded and took the lead with his sword drawn.

“So don’t fall behind me.”

Now that we knew there was a potential danger, we had to temporarily suspend Noah’s training.

With Lynen in the lead, we carefully followed the slimes’ trail.

The trail led into a large stone chamber.

Lynen pushed hard against the massive door that must have been at least ten meters tall.

Creeeeak…

The heavy door slowly opened, releasing dust.

The scene inside the wide stone chamber was revealed.

All the slimes that had fled earlier were gathered here. They formed rows around the central space where we stood, like spectators.

Boing! Boiiing!

A large object slowly rose in response to the slimes’ clamor.

‘It’s huge! About the size of a three-story building!’

A translucent sky-blue body. Elasticity reminiscent of pudding. Wearing a crown made of various trinkets, it was none other than…

“King Slime.”

That’s right.

The boss of the slimes was, naturally, an enormously large slime.

“Wow, it’s so big. Will a sword even penetrate it?”

Unlike me and Lynen who seemed relieved, Noah looked extremely tense.

The King Slime moved its massive body and roared toward us.

“Rawr…!”

The slimes bounced violently in response. If they had voices, they would probably be shouting “Death to humans!”

This isn’t some colosseum.

Lynen and I folded our arms and conversed.

“So it lured us here with the slimes?”

“Yes. The consistent behavior of the slimes must have been due to this boss’s control.”

“Rawr! Humaaans!”

“It’s enormously big, is it really strong?”

“It’s probably the strongest among slimes. But it still has the limitations of being a slime.”

“So it’s just good quality experience points right now.”

“Rawr! Death to humaaaans!”

“Lynen, I suddenly want some pudding.”

“When we leave, let’s have snacks with Noah.”

As our conversation continued, the supposedly powerful King Slime wailed.

“Waaah! Don’t ignore meee!”

The angered King Slime’s body turned red. It extended parts of its body into thin arm-like appendages.

“Tentacles? That’s gross!”

But at the end of dozens of these arms, it was holding something.

Starting with old goblets, wooden clubs, shields that seemed to have been collected from all over the dungeon, and even swords that skeletons might have used.

All items it had been storing inside its body.

“Hey, fight like a proper slime, what kind of hybrid is this… Wait. Could that be?”

Among the items the King Slime had produced, there was one that stood out.

An ornate hand mirror decorated with jewels that looked extraordinary at first glance.

“That looks exactly like the Mirror of Truth that Lucilia told us about!”

She said it might be in the dungeon, but I never thought we’d find it like this.

“Give it to meee…!”

CRASH!

The King Slime swung dozens of weap*ns. Surprisingly, its offensive was fierce.

“Don’t break the mirror— ugh.”

Lynen dodged the attack while carrying Noah and me under his arms.

CRASH! BANG!

Every time it wildly swung its arms, the floor and walls of the chamber cracked or shattered.

Even Lynen seemed somewhat surprised by its unexpectedly powerful strength.

But that didn’t last long.

After dodging the attack and landing, Lynen lightly kicked a broken stone piece rolling on the floor.

BANG!

Despite his casual movement, there was a sound like air exploding, and the stone piece, wrapped in aura, flew like a missile.

It pierced through the King Slime in one go.

“Rawr!”

The King Slime with a large hole deflated like a punctured balloon with a whooshing sound.

As its body collapsed like liquid, all sorts of trinkets it had been holding inside became visible. Among them was the Mirror of Truth.

I approached the mirror while looking around at the sky-blue slime residue spread everywhere. I muttered unconsciously.

“Is it defeated?”

Oh no, that line…!

“Wait, Calliphe!”

SPLASH!

Like my words were some magical spell, the King Slime’s remains that had spread across the floor engulfed me.

‘Ack, I did it without thinking!’

The creature regenerated instantly, churning violently. My body was rapidly pushed along like being swept by waves inside its turbulent interior.

I could hear Noah and Lynen shouting something from outside.

‘But why did it only swallow me?’

Anyway, for Lynen to deal with this monster, I needed to escape first.

‘I have a way!’

[Using an application of the ability ‘Villainess’s Parenting Method’.]

I clenched my fist. I could feel my contaminated magical energy responding.

But before I could throw my punch.

FLASH!

The Mirror of Truth suddenly emitted light and sucked up my magical energy. The force with which it drained my magic was terrifying.

‘I didn’t expect this?! Is it trying to kill me?’

I quickly tried to pull my hand away from the mirror. Or rather, I would have, if a familiar figure hadn’t appeared in the mirror.

‘That’s Noah? But…’

—Get lost! You coward!

—Did you want to win that badly?

—Talentless scaredy-cat!

Many people were hurling insults at Noah. They criticized him mercilessly.

In the midst of it all, Noah stood alone, trembling.

‘What is this situation?!’

“The Mirror of Truth shows the user the truth they want to know. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the present… It means it can also show the future that awaits the user.”

Lucilia’s words came back to me ominously.