The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter

The petrifying woman probably can turn people to stone even without looking them in the eyes.

And the person who is thought to be the petrifying woman is now standing at the door. Beautiful purple-haired woman, in a black dress with largely exposed shoulders. On the bottom she had a skirt, however, the serpent’s tail was grotesque, making that beautiful face wasted on her.

It matches the information from the diary… At the same time that I used, 【Appraisal Eye】her eyes shined purple.

Name: Magura

Level: 95

Skills: Petrifying Gaze, Whiptail.

I received the information. My body was unharmed. I didn’t turn into stone. There, I check the details of the skill that caused this incident.

【Petrifying Gaze】

＜Consumes magic power and petrifies those in the field of view eternally. However, enemies with Petrification Resistance C have a high chance to avoid this effect. Completely ineffective versus Petrification Resistance B or higher. ＞

It’s not as atrocious as I expected. It’s confirmed that it won’t work on me at all. Seeing how I was unfazed, she starts to panic.

「Look, into, my, eyes.」

「I do, for a while already. Your Petrifying Gaze won’t work on me.」

「Kuh.」

This is surprising. I was pretty sure she will attack and was prepared, but she tucked her tail and ran off.

「Emma, I will be right back.」

Please bear just a little more. It will be annoying if she runs away here, so I gave priority to chasing Magura. Comes the sound of the entrance on the first floor being destroyed. She is fast. I jump over all the stair at once and dart outside.

「Both of you, the one who just came out is an enemy…」

I choked on my own words. Because Laura-san and Luna-san who were on the lookout, both were petrified. Magura did it running away.

You really get done in instantly without resistance skills. I spot Magura, moving as if slithering along the ground, and chased after her.

「I won’t let you escape!」

My loud yell informs Layla-san who was waiting at the back about the abnormal situation.

But I won’t be able to keep up if I were to wait for her, so I keep chasing.

Magura turned from the main street to a side street. I do the same.

「Ugah?!」

I was blown away. She waited for me in the ambush and attacked me with the tail.

「Shyaaa!」

As I was on the ground, a follow-up attack comes. Grabbed by the face I’m lifted off the ground.

「You’ve got… Too cocky!」

When I kicked her into the stomach, Magura twisted her face and released me. After taking distance her eyes once again shine with an ominous purple light.

Realizing that it is pointless she makes a frustrated yell.

「Why you would not turn into the stone?! WHYWHYWHY.」

「You are persistent. I have petrification resistance.」

「Release it, I will kill you if you do not.」

Is she an idiot? I thought she was a highly intelligent monster but looks like it might not be true. That being the case there are still things I want to ask.

「You were afraid of reflecting mirror and thus entered the mayor’s house?」

「I am not afraid! I smashed it because it was a nuisance.」

Look like someone has very high pride. I will lead the conversation without retorting too much.

「But, it’s amazing that you realized he had the reflecting mirror. Could it be that your comrades were hiding in the town?」

「I do not have comrades. Humans are inferior. I was just informed by the man named Eiga.」

「I heard that name somewhere…」

It was written in the documents that I read at the mayor’s house not long ago. He was angry at being scolded by the mayor and plotted unjust revenge. Him being the vice commander of the private corps was quite impressive and thus remained in my memory.

So the man with resentment leaked inside information to the monster. It’s not normal. He should have anticipated that this will happen. No, perhaps he wanted his revenge even if it meant destroying a town.

「Where is that Eiga right now?」

「I do not know and I do not care. Now, I will question. How did you learn Petrification Resistance.」

She surely is obsessed with it. Looks like the fact that her favorite Petrifying Gaze didn’t work was quite a shock.

I’d like to provoke her some more. I might be able to win easier if I enrage her.

「I was watching ugly paintings every night, and it naturally developed.」

「Paintings…?」

「Yes, yes, monsters were depicted on them, very similar to you.」

「I WILL KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILL YOUU!」

Losing control, Magura rashes at me. This monster is quite emotional, is this an influence of upper part resembling a human?

Since she lunged at me without any plan, I released 【Flash】from my fingertip. Although it is momentary and narrow in range the light it emits is intense.

「UGYAAAH.」

I perfectly blinded her. I close in upon Magura who was thrashing around covering her face. I stab the double-edged sword into her chest that I could hit with certainty.

Magura, gasping for the last breath, for some reason starts laughing.

「KAKA, AHAHAHAHAKAKAKA.」

「What’s so funny?」

「They will not change back. Just because you killed me, people of this town, will not change back, not a single one of them.」

「Well, that’s to be expected.」

「You must regret, not being able to save them. The woman who was with you will stay a stone forever.」

It’s about Emma and others. This damn, she is hoping that I will despair upon hearing that my friends will not come back. She has a really bad personality, I’m getting sick of it. Well, in that aspect I’m not about to lose though.

「I already found a way to cure it. In fact, I already cured a petrified person from this town. Too bad, everyone except you will be happy.」

「SHIIIIIT!」

Squeezing her last remaining strength she attacks me with【Whiptail】. Of course, I also come with the counterattack. I gave her【Ice Needle】from the point-blank range.

It splendidly pierces through Magura’s face. Thanks to her simple mind, I was able to win much easier than I expected.

「I guess it’s an effect from training in the hidden dungeon.」

…And, there was one thing that bothered me. Layla-san still didn’t catch up with me. I also can’t hear her voice, is there some reason for it?

Since this thing left from the front it’s hard to think that Laura-san turned into a stone.

I immediately return to the mayor’s residence. When I went to the backyard, there was a surprising sight.

Beside Layla-san, there was another living human.

「Please, I beg you, let me go…」

Pretty well dressed, a middle-aged man. He had a good physique, which made oblivious that he was training daily. And that person was now immobilized by Layla-san with joint lock technique.

There was a sword lying nearby, so it must’ve been a result of combat.

「Layla-san, I’m done here, but what is this situation?」

「This person was hiding, and when I noticed him he suddenly attacked.」

Well, it’s difficult to understand Layla-san’s strength from her appearance alone.

「Your objective?」

When I ask, he starts his desperate plea.

「Lad, please help me. I just thought that this girl was a companion of that monster.」

「Monster?」

「Coming here you saw a lot of petrified people, right? The one who did that.」

He knew that petrification was a work of a monster? And he is alive and kicking.

「Can I ask your name?」

「Tamzan.」

I use appraisal, just in case. One second later, appraisal revealed me important information. His name was not Tamzan, but Eiga. Since he resorted to lying right away, does it mean that he feels some guilt?

「Noir-kun, should I release him?」

「No, please stay like that. I will tie him up now.」

「Haa?! Why?!」

Before answering, I took the rope out of subdimension and tied his limbs tightly. He doesn’t seem to possess special skills, so he shouldn’t be able to untie ropes.

What I saw in the mayor’s diary and what Magula have said. When I relayed it to him, he started panicking terribly.

「Please, I beg you, let me go. If you want money, I have savings I amassed. I will give you a half, for you, it will be a considerable amount of money.」

「You should have went with “all of it”. Well, I wouldn’t agree anyway though.」

Involving the lives of the townspeople in your personal revenge is absolutely unforgivable. On top of it, that revenge wasn’t even justified.

Leaving this scene to Layla-san, I head to help petrified friends and mayor.

The same as it was with Aisha-san, after applying a petrification remedy they return to normal. Emma doesn’t even remember being turned to stone.

It’s because she was done in from behind. And the mayor Veld-san also safely returned to his original appearance. A refined man in his early fifties.

「What I…? And who are you?」

「Hello. I will explain everything.」

I followed the chronologic order and explained about the current incident.

The mayor was pale the whole time, but once he heard that petrified people of the town can be cured as long as there are materials, he finally sighs in relief.

「Noir, you made an achievement!」

「I believed that Noir-san will definitely save us.」

「We alone wouldn’t have won.」

I melt under the praise from my companions.

Yes, I should also tell that we captured Eiga. When I told the mayor about that he dashed to the backyard.

「This idiot.」

His anger explodes and he hits Eiga a number of times. Eiga screamed for someone to stop it, but we didn’t interfere.

「If you hate me then exact revenge by yourself! Don’t involve everyone from the town!」

A good mayor. With such a person on top, people can live in peace. I leave Eiga’s disposal to him.

I make petrification remedy from the remaining items and spend the rest of the day saving the townsfolk. I managed to revive a few hundred people.

However, I didn’t have enough materials, so we have to wait for the aid from Hornest.

「Noir-sama, and his esteemed friends. As the head of this town, I express you my deepest gratitude. You are our saviors.」

「「「Thank you very much.」」」

At the time of dinner, the mayor and the people that were returned to normal came to thank us. It felt very encouraging.

The way to use the power given by the master.

Would it mean that for now, I made no mistakes in it?