3 bar menu

Volume 6 Chapter 135

Name of the Hero

We stepped into the boss room on the final floor.
Normally, Hakua would be waiting in her dragon form here, so compared to the boss rooms up to the ninth floor, this room was the biggest in comparison.
It was spacious enough for dragons to fly around and engage dungeon challengers in battle.
However, the final boss of this room, Hakua, was now in the form of an adorable young girl, walking a little ahead of me. It seemed she had no intention of fighting us.
While I could attack without hesitation if she were in her dragon form, it was difficult to launch an attack when she appeared as such a small girl.
I had a bit of worry, honestly, that once we entered the boss room, Hakua might transform into her dragon form and declare, 『Now then, come at me!』 —- but it seemed that wouldn’t be the case.
In the deepest part of the boss room, I saw what I was looking for.
A black, gigantic stone monument.
I could see inscriptions on it, most likely containing the information I wanted to know—the name of the Guardian Hero who had challenged and cleared this dungeon with Tina.
I hastened my steps towards the stone monument.
Now I know why Tina’s memory is sealed.
That’s what I thought.
「It, It can’t be……」
I couldn’t read the inscriptions on the stone monument.
I got close enough to recognize the shapes of the characters, but the writings were unfamiliar to me. They were even different from the characters in the book Luna obtained from the bonus room of the transferred heroes.
「It seems the names of those who cleared the dungeon are written here. However, I can’t read them either」
As I stood alone by the stone monument, Hakua arrived and said that. Even Hakua, the Dungeon Master, couldn’t read these characters.
When a dungeon is cleared, some form of writing is automatically inscribed on the stone monument on the final floor. It is said to be the names of those who cleared the dungeon.
Hakua had only heard about this from her fellow dragons and didn’t actually know what was written on the stone monument.
Regarding Tina, since her existence had become a rumor among the dragon tribe and the 『Dungeon Conqueror』 title had appeared on the dungeon’s management board, it was known that she was one of the individuals who had cleared this dungeon in the past.
However—-
「So, Hakua, do you also not know the name of the Guardian Hero?」
「The person who cleared this place with Tina? Sorry, I don’t know」
Hakua also didn’t know the name of the Guardian Hero.
I believed that the name of the Guardian Hero, which wasn’t written in any book, would surely be recorded here. That’s why I came this far.
But it all ended in vain.

Certainly, the name of the Guardian Hero was written there. However, if I couldn’t read those characters, I couldn’t know his name.
「My intuition was wrong after all……」
Unconsciously, I uttered those words.
I believed in my newly acquired intuition and brought everyone here.
I had a feeling that there might be a clue about Tina’s memories here. And I also felt it was better to bring everyone along, despite the fact that our time in Vestier was running out, so I forcefully came to this dungeon.
「Haruto-sama, are you okay? Your complexion doesn’t look good……」
Tina, approached me, worriedly asked me.
「No, I’m fine. It’s nothing」
I couldn’t tell Tina about the matter regarding the Guardian Hero’s name. If she realizes that she can’t remember the Hero’s name, there’s a risk she might collapse again.
「I see…… If there’s anything, please don’t hesitate to tell me. I am Haruto-sama’s personal maid and wife, after all」
Tina seemed slightly, just a little, sad. She probably noticed that I was keeping something hidden.
But, I’m sorry. I have to keep this to myself.
「Tina, thank you. I really am fine」
Saying that, I gently stroked Tina’s head.
「Haruto-sama, since you have cleared the dungeon, could you please touch the stone monument?」
Hakua, who had approached the stone monument, turned back and urged me to do so.
「Yeah, got it」
I moved closer to Hakua and touched the stone monument with my hand.
—!?
Something entered my mind.
It was the memory of me touching this stone monument.
But that can’t be possible.
After all, I—-
「Ah, Haruto-san, your name has been added!」
「Huh!?」
I couldn’t believe Luna’s words.
Upon my touch, some characters appeared on the stone monument. However, just like the characters that were originally inscribed, I couldn’t read these new ones.
「Luna, can you actually read the characters on this stone monument?」
「Yes, I can but…….」
Slightly flustered, I leaned in closer to Luna. Her face turned a little red. I felt sorry for surprising her.
But right now—
「T-then, can you read everything that’s written here?」
「Y-yes, I can. The top line says ‘Dungeon Conquerors’ The second line is your name, 『Haruto Elnoir』, which has just been added. And the third line is 『Tina Halibel』— it’s Tina-sensei」

Tina must have touched this stone monument a hundred years ago when she cleared this dungeon.
At that time, her name was Tina Halibel.
And there’s another line of characters on the stone monument. Presumably, that’s the name of the Hero who cleared the dungeon with Tina—-
「The last characters seem to be the name of a Hero who came from another world」
「W-what does it say!?」
「『Saijou Haruto』…… it’s the same name as yours, Haruto-san」