As we walked back the way we came, they seemed to be moving in a practiced and knowledgeable manner. It could be possible that they were using a Pathfinder ability, so I decided to ask since I didn’t want to walk the entire way in silence.

“No, Faith here has the Pathfinder ability, but on the 1st floor, we’ve taken this path enough that I know where I’m going.” The leading woman spoke.

“Ah, I see…” I said, fearing that this was it for our conversation, but after a moment of silence, she continued.

“Don’t feel disheartened by our comments. We act this way because we want you to be safe. In truth, there aren’t enough skilled Dungeon Divers in this world. While countries fight and squabble, they ignore the true threat, Dungeons. These are curses on our land. They suck up mana, create monsters, and pose a threat to the entire world. Remember, the Demon lands came to be because of a single Dungeon that was allowed to fester until it literally became a world threat.”

“So, the Demon castle came first…”

She nodded. “The Demons were once just a creation of a dungeon called Hell’s Dungeon. Yet, because it was far in the north, human’s ignored it. Then floods of Demons came out. Eventually, the Demon King appeared and the Demon King’s Castle grew on top of it.”

“They’re two dungeons?”

“No one is certain, but that is the belief. Hell’s Dungeon below, and the Demon King’s Castle Dungeon above. If that is the case, then it’s even more horrifying than one could think.”

“How so?”

“Because it means the Demon King is only the first boss, and there is something more horrifying at the bottom of Hell’s Dungeon. This is the oldest Dungeon this world has. No one knows how old, but at least 1000 years.”

That seemed to make the mood even worse. The thought truly was terrifying. Hell’s Dungeon… I could barely get past level 30. Even the greatest warriors in the world struggled around level 50. What would a level 999 be like? What would a 1000 level final boss be like? However, perhaps because of my weird relationship with dungeons, I asked a different question.

“How would you complete its lore?”

“You’re cute.”

“Eh?” I glanced up at her in a fluster.

“Ah!” She blushed as if she hadn’t intended to say that. “That’s not what I meant! Not saying you’re not cute! I just mean you’re idealistic! You reminded me of myself a few years ago. Wanting to complete dungeon lore… it’s only a myth, I think…”

“If she likes Master, she should just say it,” Lydia whispered to Shao in a quiet voice, but thanks to the acoustics of the cavern ended up heard by everyone.

Shao nodded. “Master’s big enough to satisfy her. He says he likes women of all sizes.”

That was a misquote! I was talking about boob size! Not that I was going to say that out loud here. Besides, even though the Titan’s Fall leader was large, she was also very beautiful, with large breasts and a voluptuous figure that even her leather armor didn’t hide. She had long curly red hair and freckles on her face, and she gave the impression of an Amazon woman, although her armor was a bit more modern than the fur loincloths someone usually imagined.

I didn’t respond to the whispers, staring straight ahead. Rather than be angry, the other girls in Titan’s Fall started whispering behind our backs.

“So, that’s why she wanted to take him with us. I can’t believe Captain finally fell in love.”

“And with a human!”

“Love has no boundaries; it’s very sweet.”

The leader’s face had turned completely red, making her freckles even more obvious. Like me, she was staring ahead while pretending she didn’t hear anything.

“My name is Deek, by the way…” I coughed under my breath.

“Ah… Alysia.”

The rest of the walk, the pair of us were quiet, but my girls and her girls started to become a bit more talkative. I didn’t hear their conversations!