Reverse Dungeon

They made their way through the eerie streets and arrived at the hospital—or rather, at the place where the hospital had once stood.

Keith’s eyes widened at the sight of the collapsed building.

“What in the...”

“Well, you saw the monsters running around and no soldiers guarding the place. Obviously, no one is protecting anything. Not even the hospital.”

Ian could not help wondering.

Did losing his sick little sister drive Maverick mad? Did it make him cling even harder to the Pope?

It was ironic, considering the Pope’s actions were what had filled the streets with monsters in the first place.

In Keith’s route, his squire had been portrayed almost like a puppet, obedient to the Pope’s every word. With the Pope’s blessings strengthening him, the already formidable knight became like a hammer forged from solid steel, clashing fiercely with Keith.

The battles had been entertaining to watch.

They were much less entertaining when Keith was supposed to be his ally.

“Maverick... What has my squire been doing? And the others...?”

Keith ran a hand through his hair, visibly shaken.

“Maybe the patients were evacuated. Either way, your plan is dead. What now?”

If the Pope got his sick sister killed, Maverick would probably still side with him instead of the man who tried to protect her.

Ian suspected the Pope had most likely moved the patients elsewhere. Keith’s first plan had reached a dead end.

Ian looked at Keith, who had fallen silent in thought.

“I need to check my residence.”

Keith’s residence was one of the high-ranking official quarters provided by the Vatican. Since Keith had spent most of his time inside the Vatican itself, he had rarely used it. His squire, however, had often stayed there, since many of Keith’s missions were too dangerous to bring him along.

With no home of his own, the residence had essentially become the squire’s.

Keith seemed to believe Maverick might still be there.

Ian doubted it, but he followed anyway—just in case. If Maverick was there, it would save them a great deal of trouble. If he was not, then he was probably inside the Vatican, which meant they would have to infiltrate it.

Looks like that’s where this is going anyway.

When they arrived, Ian noted that the house did not look inhabited. The lights were out, the air was cold, and although the place seemed maintained, that was all.

They would probably have to infiltrate the Vatican after all.

Keith should know a back door or two, after spending his whole life here.

Ian had no intention of marching in through the front gate.

As he was forming a plan, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

Then the door opened.

An old man entered, holding a candle.

“Nuane?”

“Sir Keith!”

The man Keith had called Nuane gasped. He quickly looked around, then slipped inside and shut the door behind him with care.

“You’ve returned!” he whispered. “I... I thought you would never come back. What happened?”

“You’re still here. Why didn’t you leave? You must have known I was excommunicated and branded a heretic.”

“I am the caretaker of this residence. My duty is to maintain it for its owner. There was no reason for me to leave.”

Keith seemed relieved.

“I see. I thought none of my associates would still be here. It seems the Vatican is not entirely heartless.”

Nuane shook his head gravely.

“That is not true, Sir Keith. Everyone connected to you was taken away, and I have heard nothing from them since.”

“......”

“I was released only because I swore before witnesses that I would not follow you, and that I would report you at once if I ever saw you again.”

Should I shoot him?

Ian tensed, but Keith showed no reaction.

“And yet here you are, not reporting me,” Keith said with a bitter smile.

“Because it was a false oath. Sir Keith, I am a fool, but even I cannot understand why you were branded a heretic. Many others feel the same. Even those of us with little learning know what kind of man you are. And...”

Nuane closed his eyes. His eyelids trembled.

“Not long ago, Master Maverick came to this residence.”

“He did?”

“Yes. He seemed anxious... restless. I overheard something he muttered. It was so horrifying that I could hardly believe it. But seeing the state he was ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) in, I could not think it false.”

“What did he say?”

Nuane swallowed hard.

“He said the reason the Vatican had remained safe from the demon tribe was not because of the Pope’s divine power, but because the Pope had been making deals with them. That whenever the demon tribe demanded it, the Pope secretly handed people over to them, ensuring that the Vatican would appear safe.”

His voice began to shake.

“Sir Keith... what am I supposed to do? Should I believe that? And if it is true, then what about my son? The son I sent to the hospital long ago, the son I have not seen since? The hospital has collapsed, but no one dares ask what happened to the patients there. What became of those sick people? Sir Keith...!”

Nuane seized Keith and broke down in tears.

He looked like a man who had been drowning in fear for a very long time.

Keith placed a hand on Nuane’s shoulder. His lips pressed into a hard line, as if he were holding something back. Only after a moment did he finally speak.

“I will find out. Stay here and wait.”

“Sir Keith! Please... I beg you!”

Nuane clung to his cloak.

Keith’s face had gone pale with rage.

Oh?

Ian, who had been casually thinking that this had to be a side quest, froze when his eyes met Keith’s.

Keith’s gaze was filled with unshakable resolve.

There was no room for argument.

“Lord Ian. We need to go to the Vatican.”

“Uh... sure. We can take the back route...”

“I need to speak with the Pope. There are things I must hear from him.”

“What? Hold on...”

Wait. Is this okay?

Ian’s face paled.

This was not part of the plan.

Can we even face the Pope right now?

The combination of the Pope and Maverick was an endgame-level challenge in Keith’s route. Yes, Ian and Keith had defeated the Western Demon Duke early, but that had required other four-star heroes and a dungeon. Even then, demons were natural counters to both Ian and Keith.

And now Keith wanted to charge straight into the main storyline with only the two of them?

“Hold on! Let’s think this through. Is this really the right move? I get that you’re angry, but finding your squire comes first, doesn’t it? How about we focus on getting your sword back and asking around about what happened to the hospital? The locals might know more!”

“No. What I need to know is not how the hospital collapsed, but why it was destroyed. Whatever the reason, the Pope had been protecting it. Whether because my squire’s family was there, or because he had some other purpose... did he hand it over to the demon tribe because I was no longer useful to him? I want to know what the Pope was thinking when he offered sacrifices to demons.”

Keith’s anger was palpable.

Ian could feel it pressing against him like something physical.

This world felt far too real for his liking.

“Lord Ian. I must hold him accountable. You understand, don’t you?”

Of course Ian understood.

That was precisely why he hated this.

I don’t care about these tragic character arcs...

But Ian knew the pain of losing family all too well.

He had lost his parents in an accident when he was ten. People thought that was too young to understand the weight of such a loss, but Ian knew better. Even then, he had understood that his world had crumbled. That he had lost everything. That the arms that had once held him would never return.

Ian nodded before he could stop himself.

He regretted it immediately.

Keith mounted his horse.

“The Vatican lies straight ahead.”

“......!”

Ian had no choice but to follow.