We decided to take a short break and explore the underground cavern. Since we expected the dungeon raid to take several days, we had brought various equipment, making it easy to set up camp. There were no monsters roaming inside, and it wasn't a place where something could suddenly jump out at us, so the exploration was quite relaxed.
The lowest level of the cavern was shaped like a bear's paw. In the center was a large room containing the sacred sword, and branching out from this room were four smaller chambers. The rooms held nothing special—only beds so old it was impossible to tell who had used them, and iron chains embedded in the walls hinted at the rooms' purpose.
Oddly, there were two beds in each room.
Maybe it was an SM club...
"It's a prison," Karin remarked. Yeah, it was probably a prison. I shook off the lewd thoughts swirling in my head and refocused on the investigation. Karin, who was assigned to explore the right-hand room with me, rummaged through a shelf and found an old document. I glanced at it but couldn't make out the writing.
"What language is that?" I asked.
"It's an ancient human language. You wouldn't understand it," Karin replied. "I can read it because... well, tomb raiders often hide the value of their stolen goods using such languages."
She had learned it for very practical reasons. Her tone suggested she had other tricks up her sleeve, but they weren't visible in her character profile. Karin began deciphering the document, stumbling over the words.
"From what I can read, it says something about prisoners... guarding... something. The rest is too unfamiliar. I'll need to decode it properly later."
Karin rolled up the document and tucked it into her bag. There was nothing else of note. Both rooms contained identical documents, but neither could be fully deciphered. Karin collected both and left the room.
Erina and A.A. were already outside. Erina had been linking arms with A.A. but quickly let go and coughed awkwardly as we approached.
"So, are you done with your investigation?"
"Yes, we're finished. How about you, Princess?" Karin asked.
Erina explained that the rooms contained only chains and beds, suggesting they were likely prison cells. She also mentioned finding ancient documents, which hinted that the prisoners had been sent here to guard something.
"If they were guarding something... it's probably the sacred sword," Karin concluded logically. It was the only thing worth guarding in this underground chamber. Yet, there was no trace of guards—not even their remains after all this time. Karin frowned, looking puzzled.
"Something's odd," she said.
"What is it?" I asked.
Karin glanced around the rooms and replied, "There's no bathroom."
That was true. For a facility meant to confine and guard something, there was no designated bathroom. Surely, they would have relieved themselves somewhere, but there was no trace of it. In such a deep space, they would have had to handle their bodily functions somewhere, yet there was no evidence in the cavern.
Moreover, there was no food storage, no cooking area, and not even a space for guards. Did these prisoners voluntarily come here to guard the sacred sword and then commute back and forth? Through the seventh level guarded by golems? That seemed absurd.
Even the chains on the walls seemed out of place if this was a temporary space built before the golems were installed. The cavern's structure itself was artificially designed to place golems on each level. Yet, the lowest level was meant for humans to guard the sacred sword? A few people were supposed to defend against something that even a mega golem couldn't breach?
"This is too strange," I muttered.
The entire dungeon felt bizarre. It was too poorly secured to be a prison, and its purpose was unclear. The environment was too harsh for hired guards.
"It's eerie," Erina said, shivering slightly. Without clear answers, the situation felt unsettling. Only the campfire in the center of the room burned brightly. Erina moved closer to A.A. and added,
"But... maybe we should eat something..."
"Good idea," Karin agreed. We had brought plenty of food, expecting the exploration to take several days. We placed a pot over the fire and added the ingredients, quickly making a thick soup. Karin took bread from her bag and distributed it among us.
After serving the soup, she looked around, stood up, and said, "I... need to take care of something..."
Her face was bright red, so I knew what she meant. Karin disappeared into the farthest room on the right. Erina, who had been holding it in for a while, headed into another room. A.A. followed, looking awkward, and went to the farthest room on the left. The three of them went to the bathroom without me.
The sacred sword's pressure must have triggered some strange urges. I felt fine, though. I considered spying on them but decided against it—getting caught would ruin my reputation. It wasn't worth it just to watch them pee.
I stirred the steaming soup in front of me and rummaged through my pockets, realizing I still had an aphrodisiac. Perfect. This was a golden opportunity. I quickly dumped the entire aphrodisiac into Erina's soup. It was a low-grade potion, so it wouldn't cause an extreme reaction, but for a horny elf like Erina, it would be more than enough.
I acted casually as I waited for them to return. Karin came back first, her face still flushed.
"Did you... hear something?" she asked.
"What kind of sound?"
"Never mind..."
Karin didn't elaborate, and I didn't press her. It was time to eat. Soon, Erina and A.A. returned. A.A. muttered something about not being used to it, while Erina sat down as if nothing had happened.
During the meal, Karin, trying to hide her embarrassment, spoke loudly.
"Well... let's eat!"
Everyone was hungry and devoured the soup and bread quickly. Erina paused mid-bite, frowning as if something was off, but seeing everyone else eating without complaint, she resumed her meal. Was it that strange-tasting?
After finishing the soup, I used a cleaning spell to tidy up the dishes. We decided to take a break since we had plenty of time. All that was left was to digest our food and figure out how to destroy the golem to escape.
I lay down, using my bag as a pillow, and observed Erina. Her face was slowly turning red. Her breathing grew heavier, and she squirmed, rubbing her thighs together. A.A., noticing her labored breathing, asked,
"Erina? Are you okay? You're hot..."
"Ah... no... I'm fine..."
The aphrodisiac seemed far more effective than I expected. Even a high-level, sturdy elf like Erina was so affected by a low-grade potion. I understood why aphrodisiacs were banned—if a low-grade one had this effect, a high-grade one would probably incapacitate someone completely.
I recalled the people in the trading city who had collapsed in arousal, rubbing their thighs after failing to satisfy themselves despite hours of self-pleasure. Did Eve and Sellu use something like a high-grade aphrodisiac back then? Mermaid blood was said to have aphrodisiac effects—was that what caused it?
"Haa... haa..."
Erina's breathing grew increasingly ragged. I couldn't tell if elves were just more susceptible to aphrodisiacs or if the low-grade potion was stronger than I thought. Karin, who had been resting with her eyes closed, peeked open to glance at Erina. A.A. looked worried.
"Erina? Are you okay? You're burning up..."
"Ah...!"
When A.A. touched Erina, she let out a lewd moan and twisted her body. Karin sat up. A.A. looked panicked. Erina glared at me briefly—she clearly suspected I was behind this. But she didn't press the issue. Instead, she grabbed A.A.'s hand and pulled her up.
"Erina?"
"Follow me."
Erina dragged A.A. into one of the unused rooms, cleverly choosing one without a bathroom, suggesting she still had some sense left. And then...
"J-just a moment, Erina... wait...! Ah... this is... too much...!"
"S-stop... haa... just a moment... it's too intense... ah... this is...!"
"Ah...! Haa...! Sorry... sorry, Erina... I... can't hold back...! Ah...!"
Obscene sounds filled the air. Just from the noises, I could guess what they were doing—likely fingering each other. But since only A.A.'s moans were audible, Erina seemed unsatisfied.
Karin turned bright red and looked away. A.A.'s screams of ecstasy excited me. I pressed down on my growing arousal and waited for them to finish. A.A. emerged with a dazed expression, dragged out by Erina, who still looked unsatisfied.
"Ugh... ah..."
A.A. collapsed onto her backpack, trembling and gasping for breath. Was she more sensitive as a woman than she was as a man?
Erina, breathing heavily, rubbed her thighs. I subtly adjusted my bulging erection through my clothes and turned to her. Our eyes met, and she said,
"Lucius... I need to talk to you... about the Elf Kingdom... come to the room with me..."
Her gaze lingered on my bulge. I had no reason to refuse. In fact, this was exactly what I wanted.