Chapter 91: From Capital To Mirare Town - Part 13

Days had passed since the Annual Caravan had departed from the capital of the Eileen Kingdom. During those days of traveling toward the southern border, the caravan had fought various swarms of monsters and stopped at a few towns. The cavalry focused on clearing the southern main road of monsters during the expedition, the adventurers gathered materials and cores from defeated monsters and sold them at the Adventurers Guilds, the crafters and merchants sold their merchandise in different towns and made purchases as well, the priests and priestesses visited churches and orphanages, and the mage students and instructors continued their studies, gaining valuable field experience. Lynn and Arezu's party spent those days fulfilling their duty to fight monsters for the Annual Caravan Quest, as well as guarding the four mage students of their group for the escort quest. Lynn also taught Leo, Cliff, Senna, and Casey about mystic spells, while Arezu worked with Beatrix to gather more monster materials and cores to pay for the expenses of crafting an extra halberd-axe for him. And when the Annual Caravan made camp near a town, Lynn and Arezu would go sightseeing together. After two weeks of traveling, the Annual Caravan finally arrived midway to their destination— "I present to you the town of mirror and glass—Mirare!" Lynn said proudly as she stood at the carriage driver's seat beside Arezu, who was holding the reins, while she pulled aside the curtain covering the inside of the carriage to show everyone the large and expansive wall of the town, Mirare. Though it was indeed an impressive sight—seeing a town wall over 20 meters high, comparable to that of the capital—for Arezu, it was nothing new. After all— "You know I've already been here before, right, Lynn?" "It's our first time visiting this town, so don't ruin our excitement, Mr. Arezu." Although they had to push through with little sleep and travel slowly at night, the Annual Caravan timed their arrival at Mirare Town perfectly—just at daybreak. As was the norm during the expedition, the caravan set up camp in the open field outside the town before anyone could go visit and explore. "And now that we're done setting up our camp, let's go sightseeing. Yeay!" Lynn exclaimed, excited about her first visit to Mirare Town— —YEAY!— —And everyone in their group shared the same excitement, even Arezu, who had already visited the town once during his journey from the southern region to the capital of the central kingdom of Eileen. While their group stood in line at the town gate, Lynn shared what she knew about the town. Mirare Town, as Lynn had said, is famous for producing mirrors and various kinds of glass that are exported throughout the Kingdom of Eileen. This is thanks to the materials obtained from the dungeon, an underground labyrinth lying beneath the town itself. Known as the Crystal Mirror, this dungeon—a remnant of the Dungeon of Envy—serves as the very foundation of Mirare Town. Normally, a dungeon is supposed to summon monsters, making it impossible for a town to be built above it, let alone flourish and survive for hundreds of years. But the Crystal Mirror Dungeon had unique traits that made this possible. Like the Dungeon of Abandoned Cursed Weapons—which Lynn and Arezu, together with Gwen's party, had conquered during the orc-hunting quest—the Crystal Mirror Dungeon does not summon monsters. Instead, the dungeon summons something different— "And what exactly does the dungeon summon, Lynn?" Arezu asked, humoring her as she intentionally paused her story, as if waiting for everyone to urge her to continue. "Haven't you been here before, Mr. Arezu? Don't tell me you didn't visit the Crystal Mirror Dungeon?" "It's not a hobby of mine to throw myself into a place full of monsters." "Should I give you a push then?" "Didn't I told you to never do that again?" "Pfft—Hahaha..." They're flirting again, everyone else thought while listening to their conversation and watching Lynn and Arezu squabble. Continuing her story, Lynn finally answered Arezu's earlier question. "The Crystal Mirror Dungeon summons a reflection of one's envy, Mr. Arezu." From what is known about the Crystal Mirror Dungeon, it is said that the dungeon reads the memories of anyone who enters—be it a human, demi-human, or even a monster. From those memories, it creates a perfect copy of the object of one's envy. Whether it's a rival, a stronger adventurer, or a hero envied by all, the dungeon conjures a perfect copy based on one's memories and manipulates it to attack and kill any intruder. This unique trait is also the reason a town was able to be built above it, as there was no risk of a monster stampede—because the summoned reflections never left the dungeon. "But it is also the reason why the Crystal Mirror Dungeon has never been conquered—" Lynn paused, then looked at Arezu as if expecting something from him. Understanding her cue, Arezu humored her once more, urging her to continue her story. "I know, I know... So why has the dungeon never been conquered, Lynn?" "Because everyone envies someone. Be it your siblings or closest friends, one adventurer envying another, or an ordinary person envying a hero. Who knows? Maybe the current Dungeon Monster is a reflection of an envied hero... Everyone, not just monsters, bears the Curse of Envy inside them, Mr. Arezu." Everyone in their group—especially Arezu—along with others who overheard the conversation, easily understood what Lynn meant, feeling guilty as they recalled the people they envied. As a solemn atmosphere settled over the line at the gate, Lynn suddenly shifted into her usual dramatic flair, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. "Everyone except me!" —"Ehh?!"— "For someone as beautiful, elegant, generous, kind, and worship-worthy as myself, why would I envy anyone else?!" —"Huh?!"— "The Annual Caravan will stay in Mirare Town for a few days! Before we leave, our group will conquer the Crystal Mirror Dungeon—ouch!" A light smack landed on Lynn's head, cutting short her dramatic flair, followed by another lecture courtesy of Arezu. "Don't put our group in an unreasonably dangerous situation again, Lynn." Although his voice was as calm and laid-back as usual, Lynn didn't fail to notice the uneasiness in Arezu's expression. And though she wasn't sure what it meant, a sudden idea came to her mind. With her usual mischievous smile, Lynn leaned closer to Arezu and said: "My, my... Are you afraid of your own envy? Is that why you didn't go inside the dungeon before, Mr. Arezu?"