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Though the Hero Perishes, the Lake’s Beauty Persists – Part 01

He needed to verify whether this adventurer was telling the truth or not. Scorching Goblet had killed the Boss monster, so there shouldn’t be any imminent threats there.

“Paula, Freya, I’ll head back to the second floor. Be on high alert here.”

“O-Okay. Take care!”

“Hikaru?! It’s dangerous down there!”

Bolting out of the cavern, he made his way toward the second floor, racing down the slope illuminated by the magic lamp’s glow.

What in the world happened?!

Two possibilities crossed his mind. First, the person who killed the other adventurers also killed Zappa.

That seemed improbable, however. No one would be foolish enough to attempt to kill Zappa when he was fully armed, even if he momentarily dropped his guard after defeating the Boss.

The other possibility was the cup in the innermost small room, which had accumulated a significant amount of magical energy for an unknown purpose. What if it did something to the man?

Suddenly, Hikaru heard growls and shrieks.

“Wh-Where did they come from?!”

He stumbled upon fishmen attacking adventurers.

I don’t have time for this!

Keeping Stealth active, Hikaru entered the room and dealt a fatal stab with his dagger from behind, killing the fishman. The Stealth plus Assassination combo was effective even against monsters.

Wide-eyed, the adventurers noticed Hikaru, who had disabled Stealth, as the fishmen crumbled to ashes.

“Get out of here, quick.”

“Wh-What? Who are you?!”

“I received word from a member of Scorching Goblet that Zappa’s dead. It’s dangerous here.”

Hikaru resumed running. If they still lingered after hearing that, it wasn’t his problem anymore.

As he exited the room and sprinted down the next passage, his Mana Detection showed adventurers collecting their belongings and fleeing to the first floor.

Monsters are still prowling about. This implies the dungeon is still active. It’s not over just because they defeated the Boss.

His thoughts were a mess. There was too little to go on.

Since he had used the same path before, Hikaru easily navigated through the trap-filled room and reached the expansive hall.

“Zappa! Zappa!”

“This can’t be happening!”

“I’m sorry. My magic can’t heal him.”

Members of Scorching Goblet were crying in front of the passage leading to the innermost room.

“How… How did things end up like this?”

Even Angela, a guild receptionist who shouldn’t be shaken by a bit of chaos, was down on the ground, stunned.

With Stealth active, Hikaru approached them, moving through the shadows of the pillars supporting the vast space.

What on earth happened to Zappa? What transpired in the brief time Hikaru was away?

Hmm?!

He almost let out a sound.

Zappa—or what appeared to be Zappa—lay in the midst of the circle created by party and support members.

The equipment undeniably belonged to Zappa, but his large frame was nowhere to be found. His cheeks were sunken, arms emaciated, and his skin had desiccated and turned ashen.

In essence, Zappa had wasted away like a mummy and died.

Impossible! I’ve never even heard of a spell or curse capable of something like this!

Hikaru’s hackles rose, and he shuddered.

He could understand if someone had stabbed the man or struck him with a magic spell, but the idea of turning into a mummy and dying like this was beyond his wildest imagination.

Hikaru let out a gasp, but no one reacted. He saw something.

He spotted Skaer standing alone in silence, away from where the members of Scorching Goblet formed a circle.

He was covering his mouth with his hand, but his expression did not convey grief. He was smiling. He was holding his mouth as though trying to contain a smirk.

His eyes were glazed over with ecstasy, as if he were savoring the pinnacle of pleasure.

The dungeon rhapsody that disturbed the tranquil lakeside settlement had now subsided.

Zappa’s death was an undeniable reality, and resurrection was impossible. Everyone knew that even high-ranking clerics couldn’t bring the deceased back to life.

Members of Scorching Goblet solemnly carried Zappa’s lifeless body out of the dungeon and into the assembly hall, where they took turns keeping vigil over the corpse.

“I never thought this would happen,” Angela murmured.

They were in one of the unused buildings—a dilapidated house that Hikaru’s party had borrowed during their survey outside the dungeon.

Freya had led the disoriented Angela here and offered her a cup of warm tea brewed by Paula.

“What happened exactly?” Freya asked.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

Angela nodded. “They did defeat the Boss on the second floor. I thought they had cleared the dungeon. Witnessing the clearing of a dungeon is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so I was excited.”

She entered the innermost room with Zappa and his party. It was the same as Hikaru last saw them.

Members of Scorching Goblet celebrated their newfound treasure. Angela, repulsed by the corpses lining the wall, was pondering the value of the loot, how most items were rusted and how the silver and copper coins would have to be melted down. She estimated the gold to fetch around ten million to a hundred million gilans.

“What’s wrong, Zappa?” someone had asked.

Only then did Angela direct her gaze toward Zappa. He was standing in front of the mummy on the wall, then slowly fell backward. His body had already begun to desiccate, and the mummification process was nearing completion.

“No last words or anything. Someone so powerful, a heroic figure in Vireocean, died in an instant.”

In the quiet room, the only sound was the crackling of the fireplace.

“Why do you think Zappa died?” Hikaru asked. “Did any other members mention anything about it?”

Angela had previously dismissed Hikaru as a low-ranking adventurer, so he didn’t expect a response.

“They believe it was some kind of trap. They think the mummies on the wall fell victim to the same trap.”

To his surprise, however, Angela answered his question without reserve.

Hikaru was aware of Scorching Goblet’s trap-disarming expert’s skill. Despite numerous traps in the dungeon, he had marked their positions without missing any.

Was there a trap he failed to notice? Hikaru thought not. If there were, his Mana Detection would have picked it up.

There were no magical traps in that room. That much was certain.

In that case, it must have been the cup.

Freya and Angela stayed in the lakeside hamlet for several more days. Upon learning about the clearing of the dungeon and the death of a Rank A adventurer, the guild dispatched an investigation team and personnel to carry the dungeon loot. The receptionists had to be there to receive them.

Members of Scorching Goblet also stayed in the village. They couldn’t leave Zappa’s body behind, and their spirits were utterly shattered.

Hikaru’s appointment with Serika was drawing near, but he couldn’t leave Freya behind, so he decided to stay.

“I heard there’s a cleric here.”

One the day before the guild’s investigation team was scheduled to arrive, the red-haired adventurer from Scorching Goblet visited the dilapidated house where Hikaru’s group was staying.

Gone was the cocksure attitude he displayed before; he looked exhausted, as if he might collapse at any moment.

“That would be me.”

Paula, clad in her habit, approached him.

“I’d like you to perform funeral rites for Master Zappa.”

“What?” Paula couldn’t hide her surprise.

She had already proposed the idea herself, but they stubbornly safeguarded Zappa’s remains, almost as if they believed the man might awaken someday. Paula shot Hikaru a quizzical look.

“We apologize for declining before. I know I’m just uttering excuses, but we genuinely couldn’t accept the fact that Master Zappa was already gone.”

“Paula,” Hikaru said with a nod.

“Okay,” Paula agreed. “I’ll do my best to guide Zappa’s soul to heaven.”

“Thank you.”

The adventurer weakly led Hikaru and Paula to the assembly hall building where Zappa’s remains were kept.

Scorching Goblet members were still around, visibly fatigued. Some offered comfort to those weeping. Hikaru briefly scanned for Skaer, finding him seated with a soulless expression.

Was I just seeing things back then?

Hikaru vividly remembered Skaer’s sinister smile when death claimed Zappa. However, the current Skaer showed no trace of that malevolence.

Upon entering the assembly hall, the potent smell of incense greeted them, mixed with a sickening stench—the smell of putrefaction. A beautiful cloth with an intricate pattern covered the table, where Zappa lay, surrounded by numerous flowers. Incense burned in a corner of the room.

Zappa’s form remained withered, with no indication of him ever coming back to life.

Several individuals inside gazed at Paula as if she were a villain attempting to take Zappa away. Hikaru positioned himself in front of her, but no one made a move. Everyone was too drained to even stand.

“It’s all right, Lord Hikaru. They’ve all accepted his death.”

“…”

Hikaru moved out of Paula’s way.

Paula approached the lifeless body with a dignified yet somber expression. In Hikaru’s eyes, it appeared as if she, wrapped in radiant light, was piercing through the darkness veiled by death.

“O’ gods who dwell in the heavens, extend your compassionate hand to the wandering souls still present on this earth. Guide them to your divine embrace, o’ mother and father of all life.”

As Paula’s body radiated a golden glow, several orbs of light converged onto her outstretched palm.

The incantation was longer and more ceremonious than when she held a service for the fallen adventurers in the dungeon.

Paula placed her fingers on Zappa’s forehead.

“Wounded and weary soul, the time for rest has come.”

She touched his belly, and a golden line materialized.

“Leave behind all the suffering and sorrow that binds you in this world.”

Next, she touched the area under his left shoulder and then the right, and horizontal lines also manifested.

“Bid farewell to this world and journey towards the radiant afterlife.”

The cross-shaped lines glowed bright, transforming into a pillar of light that pierced through the assembly hall’s roof, rising high into the vast skies.

“Adventuring is all about the unexpected.”

Adventuring is all about the unexpected. Are you saying that leaving comrades behind and dying without understanding the cause is also a part of that?

Hikaru asked the silent Zappa. The man would likely reply with a “yes.”

“…”

It took several moments until the light subsided. Slowly and steadily, the brilliance faded, until dimness returned to the room.

“Master Zappa… Master Zappaaaa!”

As one adventurer crumbled into tears, the emotions rippled through the members of Scorching Goblet, and they all started crying.

Perhaps, in their hearts, they had finally found closure—Zappa was gone, and he was never coming back.