Chapter Eighty-one: Is This Even a Conquest!?
As I look around the temple interior or rather the Colosseum area, there’s nothing there… And then, Gomamiso’s ears perk up before it suddenly gets up. It leaps from my arms, slipping between everyone’s feet to plop down right in the center of the Colosseum.
For a moment, the pupils in its amber eyes constricted. The kitten’s mouth opened wide, revealing the bright red interior.
‘Nyaaaaaan!’
The kitten’s high-pitched voice reverberated through the Colosseum, the echoes trailing off into silence. Suddenly, the area where the kitten had been sitting started to rise up.
Emerging from the cracked Colosseum floor is a crystal orb larger than the basketball-sized kitten—a translucent blue-tinged sphere, with flashes intermittently sparkling and fading within.
“N-No way, that’s a Dungeon Core!?”
“Eh… You know what it is, Mr. Ville?”
“As the name implies, it’s the core of the dungeon, the very foundation of it. Without this Dungeon Core, the dungeon can’t exist… but why did this appear so suddenly…”
“Nya-an, I forgot but nya-an, I’m supposed to guard this!"
The kitten perched on the massive crystal orb… the Dungeon Core, puffed out its chest with a uselessly smug look, and as it meowed, a foolish-sounding voice echoed from the Dungeon Core into the Colosseum.
“…That was Gomamiso’s voice I’ve been hearing this whole time!”
“What!?”
“Now, I remember! I was supposed to protect this!"
The kitten wagged its tail energetically, its eyes sparkling. In that instant, it was no longer a kitten.
Standing as tall as a human’s chest, with massive wings, a gaping maw revealing razor-sharp fangs… and thick, huge forelegs that could probably knock someone senseless with a cat punch.
While I just stood there slack-jawed, the rest of the party seemed to have anticipated this outcome to some degree, instantly readying for battle with Mr. Ville taking the lead.
Eh… Don’t tell me Gomamiso is… the enemy… no, the boss…!?
Flashes of Gomamiso sleeping peacefully on my lap, demanding more petting by bumping its head against my hand, blissfully gorging on cockatrice meat… led to the realization that this cat really has some nerve! Yup, the boss… The boss. Its shamelessly brazen nature makes total sense now…
“?? Why are you pointing weapons at me? I’m Gomamiso now, so I don’t need to guard this place anymore."
Seemingly baffled that the humans who had been petting it were now threatening it with weapons, the massive lynx firmly smacked the Dungeon Core with its huge paw. The crystal orb, which had been resting on some kind of pedestal, couldn’t withstand the impact and rolled away from its stand. Now large Gomamiso went after it, pinning down the rolling orb. Then, there was a sound like something shattering under Gomamiso, and it began to shrink…
“…Huh?”
’I’m Gomamiso now, so I’m leaving here! Let’s go together!’
“Eh? Wha-Wait… What’s happening?”
Before I knew it, Gomamiso—now small—was sitting there smugly puffing out its chest. Standing up with tail perked, it rubbed its head against my leg, then stretched up pawing at me, demanding to be picked up. I instinctively scooped it into my arms, where it squinted contentedly and started purring.
At the same time, the pedestal that had held the Dungeon Core began glowing.
“No way!? You can’t mean we cleared the dungeon just like that!”
“Eh? Could that be the exit!?”
“Yes, it is! It’s the exit created by destroying the Dungeon Core, not by defeating the boss! Run! We’ll be caught in the dungeon’s collapse!”
Before Mr. Ville could even finish speaking, an ominous rumbling assaulted the Colosseum. Accompanied by a low droning sound, the entire room started shaking, and parts of the ceiling, walls, and audience seats began to crumble away. The Dungeon Core is the foundation of the dungeon… Without that core, the dungeon can no longer maintain its form.
As I stand dumbfounded watching the room progressively collapsing, Mr. Ville grabs my shoulder.
“Let’s go, Rin! Think about the details later! We need to escape now!”
“Ah, yes! My apologies, I’m coming!”
Looking around, only Mr. Ville, Gomamiso, and I remain in the crumbling Colosseum. Everyone else must have already escaped through the exit. Urged on by Mr. Ville’s frantic expression, Gomamiso and I both leap through the glowing former pedestal serving as the exit. An overwhelming light floods my vision with whiteness.
I instinctively shut my eyes, and when I opened them again, I was standing dazed in the forest from before, still clutching Gomamiso, who was curiously looking around. Mr. Ville, who should have come through the exit with me, was a short distance away, and everyone else was scattered around at similar intervals.
As we all slowly took in our surroundings, the guild staff members disguised as other adventurers quietly approached us.
“Welcome back! We’re relieved you’re unharmed!”
“The dungeon entrance has vanished, so we’re contacting the guild!”
“Vanished… So it really did vanish…!”
“Did you destroy the Dungeon Core? Ah, no, you can explain the details at the guild! The Guildmaster should be waiting!”
We are each handed a healing potion. "Drink this if you’re feeling fatigued," they whisper. Eh, what is this healing potion? Is it some kind of nutrition drink? I’m not curious enough about the taste to actually drink it since I’m not that tired. It seems the others feel the same, pocketing the healing potions.
Once the guild staff has discreetly moved away, we of the Gourmands regroup and start walking back to town.
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