Rosaria Adventure Party (2)
"There's only one treasure you can get here! Be careful, because all the rest are traps!"
-Meow, meow.
The dog that lights the fire took the lead and started moving.
Most of the items Reed kept were developed by magic engineering, and those that failed and were discontinued.
"That's a magical glove that's been handed down from ancient times. They say it gives you tremendous power when you wear it."
"I see."
"This is a magic wand that the Magic Council coveted! It had to be sealed because it had too much power!"
"Hmm."
"That ax was picked by Rosaria."
"Yes, it's truly amazing."
"This one is real."
There were many made-up stories, so even the real stories were not taken seriously.
Rosaria went deep into the storage room.
Finally, Rosaria discovered a new item she had never seen before.
"And this is......"
Rosaria stopped talking.
"Ah."
The exclamation that burst from her mouth.
Rosaria looked up at the sword placed on the stand.
A smooth blade, a jewel burning like sunlight.
Although the design was simpler than the swords made by the Empire, an unusual energy emanated from the sword.
"Little girl?"
Orpheus looked at Rosaria in the changed atmosphere.
The little girl, who used to recite her adventures like reading a book, was staring at the sword as if she had lost her soul.
Orpheus felt something pulling between the sword and Rosaria.
'The sword is attracting the child.'
As the iron was drawn to the magnet, it became stronger as it approached.
Rosaria reached out with an anxious expression as she looked up at the sword.
Unaware that the sword was the holy sword used by heroes to defeat evil, Rosaria grabbed the sword.
At the moment Rosaria grabbed the handle.
The sword on the stand began to react.
Ooong-
The sword's spirit vibrated, and light burst from the red gem embedded in it.
"Ahh!"
As they were surrounded by bright light, everyone closed their eyes.
After a moment, the light disappeared, and Rosaria opened her eyes again.
"Where am I?"
Rosaria looked around the dark place, turning her gaze. Unlike the storage room, she could not adapt to the darkness even if she tried to.
Rosaria lowered her head.
The dog at her feet looked just as puzzled.
"Can you make the fire bigger, doggie?"
-Meow.
This time, it tried to spit out a bigger flame with its huge mouth.
Although there was a fire burning like a bonfire, it still couldn't see even an inch ahead.
Rosaria started to feel scared.
"What should I do...?"
-Meow...
Rosaria hugged Lucy and looked down at the dog.
However, it was unlikely that the low-ranking elemental salamander would provide her with an answer.
She seemed about to burst into tears.
"Don't cry. Crying children are annoying."
"Uh..."
"Stay calm. It's not a harmful magic, so if you keep your wits about you, you'll be able to get out of here."
"Uh."
Rosaria sniffled and wiped her eyes.
As she said, she tried to concentrate.
The dark space where nothing could be seen began to brighten gradually.
Stone walls and floors, rectangular pathways.
And a faint fork in the road appeared.
It had a structure similar to a labyrinth.
'Did the magic manifested from that sword lead us to the labyrinth?'
It wasn't a difficult situation for Orpheus.
She had experienced such situations dozens of times, and it wasn't that difficult with traps like these.
It wasn't impossible to escape, even if it took a long time.
'It's cut off from the outside, but it's still flowing. And I can feel that essence gathering in the middle of the labyrinth.'
The purpose of this space was to show something and for testing.
If it was a space for testing, it wasn't a place filled with malice.
"Little girl."
"Huh?"
"It seems you'll have to go on a real adventure now."
"Adventure?"
"Yes."
Actually going on an adventure.
Suddenly put in that situation, Rosaria started to feel scared.
It was natural.
Even if she longed for the unknown world, fear would come first when faced with the unknown.
Then the light that had illuminated the inside gradually faded and was swallowed by the darkness.
Having checked the inside, Orpheus tilted his head at the sudden change.
'It suddenly brightened, then suddenly darkened. The change that occurred whenever the child was up and down... Could it be that it changes depending on their state of mind?'
That meant Orpheus had to help Rosaria regain her hope.
Orpheus approached Rosaria and asked if his hypothesis was correct.
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"Little girl.""Huh?"
"How did you feel before you got scared?"
"Before I got scared?"
"When I said that you just need to focus inside here, what were you thinking?"
Rosaria told Orpheus what she had thought at first, as he had asked.
"I thought I could do it. I thought to myself, 'Let's go, let's go!' to gather courage."
"And how did you feel when you had to go on an adventure?"
"When I thought I had to explore here... it felt like I entered a huge labyrinth, and I was scared. I was afraid I couldn't get out."
"I see."
Orpheus felt that his hypothesis was confirmed.
"It seems that what you see in this dungeon depends on your state of mind."
"What do you mean?"
"If you have confidence that you can break through this labyrinth, it will be as bright as daylight, but if you lack confidence, you'll have to make your way through the darkness without stars and the moon."
"I see."
It depended on determination, but that wasn't easy.
'In the end, it's up to one's mindset. Does that mean it's right to keep her as hopeful as possible?'
Continuing to despair would only make it harder to escape from here.
Orpheus came up with words to encourage her.
"However, on the other hand, it means that you can change depending on your state of mind."
"Change?"
"Yes. When you're in the most challenging dungeon, think about what you need most."
"…Dad?"
The first thing that came to her mind was Reed.
"It seems that the person you want to rely on won't be helpful."
"Sniff..."
"Think about the form of the adventure you've always wanted."
Rosaria began to imagine the adventure she had always longed for, as Orpheus said.
Yes, Reed appearing in that adventure was not their adventure.
Rosaria acknowledged that and tried to think of something else.
Excitement.
She thought of the things she truly needed in an adventure.
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