The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon

It didn’t take long before I stopped in front of a white building. A sign hanging above the entrance indicated it was an inn.

Creak.

The thick wooden door groaned as it scraped against the door frame.

A cheerful voice greeted me warmly. ”Welcome!”

By now, it was a familiar voice.

Is no one else here?

I glanced around the hall. Unlike last time, there were no men leering at the innkeeper while drinking. Thinking about the chaos in the city, it made sense.

Rumors of one of the Four Great Swordmasters invading had spread, and the city lord had fled in the dead of night. Few would be drinking in peace under such circumstances.

”It’s quiet today,” I said.

At my offhand remark, the woman behind the counter smiled faintly. ”Oh my, is this your first time here? You act quite familiar.”

Her question didn’t require a precise answer, so I brushed off her remark. ”Who knows?”

After scanning the hall, I turned my gaze toward the innkeeper. She remained as suspicious as ever.

How did she secure this position? Is she truly the owner? Is she really just a mere employee? What is her connection to the Necron Society? If she’s involved, why hasn’t she fled yet?

Despite everything, the inn remained well-kept. The building was old, but it showed signs of careful maintenance everywhere.

As I stayed silent, the innkeeper asked, ”Are you here for a meal? A beer? Or shall I arrange a room for you?”

”I’m meeting someone. A woman, likely traveling alone. Long hair, leather armor...”

”Oh! She mentioned you. I knew as soon as you walked in. Follow me upstairs.”

Rena seemed to have informed the innkeeper beforehand. Judging by my attire and the time of my arrival, she had correctly guessed my identity.

The innkeeper led the way without hesitation. ”It’s on the third floor.”

Since the building was old, the stairs creaked softly beneath our steps.

Detection.

The stairway was narrow. By now, activating the Detection skill had become second nature to me. This world belonged to humans, and humans preferred to pretend I didn’t exist. I always needed to be aware of my surroundings.

Only Rena?

Within my detection radius, only one guest was present. The building was silent and mostly empty.

”Here we are. Your companion is staying in this room. We gave her the largest one,” the innkeeper said.

Upon reaching the third floor, I sensed a lone presence inside the room.

Rena must be in there.

Knock, knock.

”Excuse me,” the innkeeper said and knocked on the door.

It immediately swung open.

Rena’s eyes sparkled. ”Oh! Master! You’re here!”

”I thought you’d be asleep,” I said.

After confirming our meeting, the innkeeper gave me an extra key and left us alone.

”I’ve been waiting for you,” Rena said.

I looked at Rena. She felt unfamiliar, different from the person I had known. Her speech, movements, and the way she looked at me had all slightly changed. Yet, she was still Rena in the end.

”Did nothing happen?” I asked.

”Oh, no. Everything’s fine,” Rena replied.

I gave a vague response and thought to myself.

It’s not just the events that are changing...

It wasn’t just future events shifting. The way people treated me was also changing. Rena saw me split a boulder in half, making her desperate to learn swordsmanship from me.

Our relationship, or at least how she looked at me, had changed. It felt like meeting someone new. I briefly considered redefining our dynamic.

Redefine with what? How? Could things go back? Could I say it had been better before?

She’s gotten even thinner overnight.

Her eyelids looked sunken, and her gaze trembled slightly. I had sent her here to rest, yet she hadn’t slept at all and waited for me instead.

”Why didn’t you sleep?” I asked.

A few strands of hair fell over her delicate features. I felt a pang of sympathy.

”I was... preparing something,” Rena answered.

”Preparing?”

Rena pulled out a heavy pouch and set it on the table. She opened it slightly, revealing the glittering silver coins inside.

”720 roti.”

720 roti was enough to buy a dozen full-plate armors.

”I exchanged one. I’ll do the rest gradually. Exchanging too much at once would draw attention...”

Rena looked a little embarrassed, not as if she wanted praise, but as if she felt unworthy. So, this was what she had been doing instead of sleeping.

Honestly, I was impressed. She couldn’t just take a huge silver ingot to any merchant and ask for an exchange.

Despite her exhaustion, she handled this task first upon arriving in Yublam.

”I also prepared some weapons,” Rena said.

She pulled back the curtain over the bed, revealing an array of arms. There was a dagger belt, sharp daggers, a longsword, a greatsword, throwing axes, and even a saber.

”I wasn’t sure which one you’d prefer...” she admitted, looking slightly embarrassed.

I tilted my skull and asked, ”Wouldn’t it have been more natural for you to be fast asleep?”

Rena had been hung up and suspended for three days. Even after getting one night’s rest, she spent the next two training in swordsmanship. Considering everything, it would have been more natural for me to find her passed out when I arrived.

”I’d like to hear why you pushed yourself,” I said.

Rena hesitated momentarily, her face weary, before cautiously answering my question. ”I don’t want to miss this opportunity.”

”Opportunity?”

Our gazes met. Her eyes wavered with urgency.

”I don’t want to miss the chance to learn from you, Master. I don’t know why you’re being so kind to me. At first, you called it a contractual relationship, but you haven’t asked for anything. So, I had no choice but to figure out what I could do.”

Clank.

I removed my helmet and shook my skull. ”No need to overdo it. I’m already gaining plenty.”

I wasn’t doing this for her. I just wanted to see Rena’s scenario through to the end. Her reaction made me a bit uncomfortable.

Before she could ask further, I changed the subject. ”Have you eaten?”

Rena exclaimed, ”I ate a bit earlier! Before you arrived...”

”Then get some sleep. You haven’t rested properly for three days, have you? You’re not like me—you’re not a Skeleton.”

Rena giggled before quickly apologizing. ”Pfft!Ah, I’m sorry!”

”I meant for you to laugh.”

”Oh... Haha...”

Her face flushed slightly. ”By the way... I heard an odd rumor in the city. The lord fled, and one of the Empire’s Four Great Swordmasters, Marquis Leandro von Batyenne, is supposedly coming here. If he’s that skilled, he might see right through you. Shouldn’t you hide? I can stand guard.”

I smirked at her serious expression. ”It’s fine.”

”But Master, if Marquis Leandro finds you, it’ll be dangerous—”

”He’d cut me down immediately,” I interjected.

”I didn’t say that!”

”No, I would get cut down, but he’s not coming here.”

The rumor had spread because of me, but there was no reason for the marquis to come to Yublam. Even if he heard the rumors, it wasn’t physically possible for him to reach this town.

He’s probably somewhere far away.

The emperor’s assassination... No, Isabelle Simone’s murder happened two weeks before he arrived at the cave in my past life.

Rena tilted her head, puzzled. ”Uh... If you say so, Master...”

I had something to show Rena as well, so I cut her off. ”You don’t need to worry about that.”

”Yes!”

Rena watched as I carefully stacked the silver ingots she had placed on the table earlier. At the bottom of the stack, I placed three ingots. On top of them, I added two more. Finally, I placed one ingot at the very top.

Thud. Thud. Thud...

It was a total of six ingots.

”Hold on to these,” I ordered.

Rena froze in place, blinking rapidly. Her expression revealed sheer disbelief. After absorbing skills from the imperial guards, I had a rough idea of how much these silver ingots were worth.

Well, it’s still not even close to a single gold ingot, so it’s nothing special.

However, Rena’s mouth remained agape before she finally gulped hard.

”You left just to get... this?” Rena asked.

”Yeah. If you can, buy some potions for yourself. Maybe some bombs, too. If this isn’t enough... just find more somewhere else,” I said.

”Not enough?!” Rena exclaimed.

Rena waved her hands frantically, quickly explaining just how much gear she could buy with even a single ingot. ”With this much money... I could drink potions like water while throwing bombs left and right. I might even be able to get extraordinary-tier equipment.”

”Extraordinary-tier equipment?”

”Yes. Some artisans in Grassmere craft rather unusual weapons, like equipment that boosts combat power. They also craft things like bomb launchers, wrist-mounted cannons... or machines that spew flames.”

Machines that spew flames.

I recalled Grassmere’s Fire, which burned even on top of water.

Did they use that as a fuel source? If such weapons existed, even I would need to be cautious.

”Of course, even if you offer money, they don’t just sell extraordinary-tier weapons to anyone.”

I reached into my coat and pulled out the metal badge Chandler had given me. ”Would something like this help?”

Beneath the engraved signature, the fine print was etched into the metal.

Rena’s eyes widened the moment she saw it. ”This... isn’t this an A-rank weapon permit? Where in the world did you get this?”

The gold-plated badge gleamed under the light.

”A-rank?” I asked.

”Yes. The highest-tier artisans don’t make weapons for just anyone. Most of what outsiders can buy are mass-produced standard weapons.”

”Is that so?”

”Yes. It’s partly to prevent technology leaks, but also because the number of high-grade weapons they can craft is limited. Still... this is truly incredible.”

A notification appeared with a faint ding, indicating that Rena’s Affection toward me had increased.

It wasn’t just numbers—her emotions felt more perceptible, even through the air. Her expression revealed a mix of admiration, expectation, gratitude, and an indescribable wistfulness.

It wasn’t hard to see why. I had demonstrated unmatched swordsmanship and trained her personally. In a single night, I’d handed her multiple silver ingots. And when she mentioned Grassmere’s weapons, I nonchalantly handed her a weapon permit.

That one was just a coincidence, though.

A rapid increase in her favorability was reasonable.

Rena stammered, ”H-here... I should return this to you.”

I rejected her offer outright. ”I don’t need it. You use it.”

Rena bit her lip slightly. She seemed a bit flustered, but ultimately, her emotions settled into appreciation. The proof was the continuous sound of notifications indicating rising Affection.

Hmmm.

Perhaps overwhelmed by emotion, her face turned noticeably red. I could even hear her heart pounding.

It seems like she won’t be getting any sleep now.

”If you’re not going to sleep... let’s check your stance again. Is there a good place to practice?” I asked.

”Thank you! There’s a suitable open area behind the inn,” Rena said.

”Bring a sword.”

Rena nodded and grabbed a saber. She locked the door with a key before heading downstairs. We passed the creaking staircase and stepped outside. Behind the inn was a sizable open space, almost like a garden.

Someone put effort into maintaining this.

Did the commission fees from selling women like Rubia go into maintaining this garden?

The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth, making the scenery no longer look beautiful.

If I go back now, I can still save Rubia.

Unlike before, dealing with the Yublam guards would be trivial now. I could easily save one person.

I shook my skull, clearing my thoughts. I had no idea how to go back. Besides, thinking about Rubia while standing in front of Rena felt wrong when she had died twice in front of my eyes.

To shake off my thoughts, I focused even more on instructing Rena. ”This is how you do it...”

***

Rena had reached her limit by the time she was drenched in sweat. ”Haa... Haa... Huff...”

”That’s enough. Go inside,” I instructed.

”Aren’t you coming, Master?”

”I have things to do.”

I didn’t need sleep, and if I stayed, Rena wouldn’t be able to rest comfortably. Besides, my mind was cluttered. I wanted to wander outside for a while.

”Understood. Then, I’ll head in first.”

Rena bowed slightly before staggering upstairs. Left alone, I folded my arms and gazed up at the crescent moon, deep in thought.

What should I do?

Soon, the emperor’s procession would pass through Gith-Za-Rai’s trap. It was happening today in just a few hours. The dilemma haunted me throughout the night.

Should I go? Should I stay? Should I warn her? Should I ignore it?

I wanted to ignore it. I would immediately get entangled with the world’s top-tier monsters if I warned Gith-Za-Rai. If I ignored the necromancer’s death, I could safely grow stronger with Rena by clearing dungeons. Warning Gith-Za-Rai was nothing more than self-satisfaction. It was perhaps self-consolation, pretending to repay a debt for granting me Essence Absorption.

Unable to decide, I simply stood there, staring blankly into the night.

Flutter!

A beetle flitted between the trees in the garden.

”A beetle...” I murmured.

It reminded me of Elwin, the fox-masked woman who had saved me when I was bound and helpless before the marquis. She was the one who had urged me to flee as she faced off against him. She had saved me... because of Gith-Za-Rai. I remembered the sensation of her tracing my skull as if treasuring it.

I can’t ignore this.

If I abandoned Gith-Za-Rai, I felt like a part of my heart would die. I pulled out some paper and a pen and wrote a letter to wedge into Rena’s door.

I felt pathetic. This was impulsive and inconsistent with my character. I had resolved to live with Rena, yet here I was, unable to endure the thought of Gith-Za-Rai’s death.

However, I needed to try saving Gith-Za-Rai at least once. Even if it was futile, this was a matter of principle.

Creak.

I wedged the letter firmly into Rena’s door. The contents of the letter were sloppy.

Sorry. Let’s meet in Grassmere two months from now. I’ll come to find you. If I don’t, don’t wait for me.

I also included all the dungeon and treasure information I had gathered in this life. Both my hesitation and the letter itself were unnecessarily long.

The sky had already begun to brighten. If I wanted to stop the necromancer and didn’t want to be too late, I had to leave now.