After following the path along the edge of the cliff and descending a bit further, the three of them finally arrived at a slightly wider platform.
The space here was much larger, making it a good place to rest for a while.
“Achoo—”
Alice, still damp, sneezed unconsciously and rubbed her arms.
Even though she had been using Light Element to dry off as much as possible after getting wet, since she hadn’t wrung her clothes out, and due to the dampness and darkness of the Dungeon, her clothes remained wet.
Though it was still hot summer outside, the Dungeon was different.
The solid ground blocked out sunlight, and with the waterfall cascading down and the eerie wind blowing from below the cliff, cold and dampness filled the Nasca Labyrinth.
The temperature difference between outside and inside the Dungeon was huge—a fact the three hadn’t considered.
While they had brought a change of clothes, they hadn’t brought anything thick or warm.
Still, the Dungeon’s cold wasn’t really a problem for them.
Alice and Field could warm themselves with Light Element and Fire Element, and Liyakade’s demonic bloodline gave her a robust body.
This level of cold didn’t affect Liyakade at all.
“Alright, alright, let’s rest here and change clothes.”
Liyakade took a white handkerchief from her pocket and gently wiped Alice’s nose.
“Um… Miss Liyakade, don’t peek, okay?”
Alice said softly, glancing shyly at Liyakade.
Though Alice had been quite assertive earlier, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t get embarrassed.
If both were undressed, Alice might be a bit more at ease than Liyakade, but if only she had to strip, she would feel a little shy.
“Wait a moment.”
Seeing Alice about to take off her wet school uniform right there, Liyakade gently held her back.
“Let’s go inside the tent to change. That group seemed to be following us just now.”
“Eh!?”
Alice’s senses and magic power weren’t as sharp as Liyakade’s, so she hadn’t noticed anyone behind them.
Upon hearing this, she quickly covered her chest and curled up, since her wet school uniform had become more see-through.
“Th-they!”
“It’s fine. They’re far away—they can’t see through your school uniform, Alice-chan.”
Liyakade reassured her.
“But… it’s really rude to follow someone like that!”
Alice bit her silver teeth, glaring angrily at the stone pillar behind them.
“No helping it. That’s just how it is in the Dungeon. Even if we confront them, they’d probably just claim they’re exploring too and happened to be behind us.”
Field had also noticed Anatoli’s group trailing them.
While Liyakade helped Alice wipe her nose, Field had already set up the tent and started a fire with a found tree branch.
“Still, they don’t seem to mean any harm. Let’s just lose them after we rest.”
Field suggested.
“…Alright.”
Though a little angry, since the other group hadn’t seen her underwear or done anything hostile, Alice decided to let it go.
“Let’s go change inside the tent, then warm up by the fire and leave them behind.”
Liyakade agreed with Field’s plan.
“Okay.”
Alice nodded obediently, lifted the tent flap, and went inside to change.
After taking off her school uniform, Alice wiped herself down with a towel, then used her Light Element to dry any remaining droplets before changing into clothes from her Storage Ring.
“I’m done.”
Soon, Alice came out, wearing the light blue dress from the Cultural Festival, with a red ribbon fluttering at the hem and a bow tied at her chest.
She sat down beside the fire.
Although she had warmed herself with Light Element, Fire Element was still better for heating up.
Field took Alice’s damp school uniform and added some warmth to her hands, keeping the temperature just high enough to dry it quickly without deforming it.
In just a moment, the uniform was good as new.
“Now that I think about it, you two make a great laundry team.”
Liyakade joked, glancing at the freshly cleaned uniform.
If you only used Fire Element, you could dry the Slime’s mucus, but it would still feel sticky.
But with the purifying effect of Light Element, you could clean the slime and stains completely—a perfect combination.
“Really.
Maybe we should open a waterless laundry service at Yorozuya someday.”
Field laughed and put the uniform back into her Storage Ring.
“So, let’s choose our direction first, then lose them.”
Liyakade took out the Magic Detector given by Darkness.
The detector was already reacting, its pointer aimed at the lower levels of the Dungeon.
“Looks like Darkness’s Storage Ring is still below.”
Seeing the direction of the pointer, Liyakade dropped her wishful thinking.
She had hoped maybe a monster had carried the ring up to the higher floors, but clearly, there was no such luck.
“Then let’s head down quickly, Miss Liyakade, Princess Field.”
Alice was already eager to shake off those following behind.
“Yeah.”
At that moment, Anatoli’s group was still trailing them from a distance.
Watching Liyakade’s group pause to rest, Anatoli felt a hint of admiration.
After an attack that left their clothes wet, taking a break was the right call.
Rather than camp on the narrow, steep cliff edge, they’d wisely moved to a wider platform first.
In Anatoli’s view, it was a smart decision.
But when he saw Alice’s changed clothes, Anatoli shook his head helplessly.
To him, the three were still unprepared.
They hadn’t brought warm clothing or protective charms, obviously unaware of the cold inside the Nasca Labyrinth.
The first layer of the Nasca Labyrinth was already around 10°C, and it only got colder further down.
Field was a Magic Swordswoman of Fire Element—Anatoli knew this—but relying on Field alone, the ever-dropping temperatures of the lower layers would be too much for Liyakade and Alice.
Even with Field nearby to warm them, it might not be enough.
At least, that’s what Anatoli thought.
However, while Anatoli was still evaluating the trio—
He suddenly realized that the three on the platform had vanished without a trace.