Sōzoku Shita Sofu no Ie no Urayama ni Danjon ga Dekimashita - Chapter 114

Chapter: Takuya and Misuzu: A Close Call

The moment we stepped into the magic circle, the scenery shifted in an instant.

Everything went black. Not a single thing was visible.

I was about to call out to Freesia and ask her to make a light orb when—
torches along both walls burst into flame.

One after another, starting from the front and moving deeper in, the lights flared to life.

The room, once shrouded in darkness, grew brighter and brighter until the entire space came into view.

It was… huge.
At least the size of a school gymnasium.

The floor, walls, and ceiling—everything was made of solid stone.

And at the far end stood an altar, with a single treasure chest resting upon it.

“Look! There’s a treasure chest!” Misuzu-san exclaimed.

“Hold on,” I said. “Anemone, can you check for traps?”

At my request, Anemone darted toward the chest.
Meanwhile, Misuzu-san and I started walking forward at a cautious pace.

We were about halfway across the room when—
Anemone suddenly launched a wind blade at the chest!

“Huh?!”

Apparently… it was a trap.

The lid of the treasure chest sprang open, revealing rows of razor-sharp fangs.

Wait a second… I’ve seen this before. Back when we fought that lich!
What was it called again? A mimic?

While that thought crossed my mind, Anemone made quick work of the creature.
The mimic dissolved into shimmering particles of light, leaving behind a single magic stone.

“So that chest was a monster…” Misuzu-san muttered, disappointment in her voice. Guess she was hoping for actual treasure.

“Well, nothing we can do about it,” I said with a shrug.

I walked up to the altar, picked up the magic stone, and slipped it into my pouch.

“Spirits,” I called out, “check the room. See if there’s anything unusual.”

The spirits flitted about, scanning the walls, the ceiling—every nook and cranny.

But then… something felt off.

The spirits started clustering together, chattering in hushed tones, as if holding an emergency meeting.

“What’s wrong?” I wondered aloud.

I walked over to them—
and that’s when it hit me.

Danger. Run. Get out. NOW.
The emotions flooded into me from the spirits.

I spun around. “Misuzu-san! The spirits say it’s dangerous! We have to get out of here!”

“Eh?!” she gasped.

We bolted toward the magic circle and jumped inside—
but nothing happened.

“…What?”

The circle didn’t react at all.

“What’s going on? The magic circles on the first floor worked both ways, so why…?”

We stepped out, back in, again and again—but no response whatsoever.

“Don’t tell me… this is a one-way teleportation circle?!”

This is bad.
Like, seriously bad.

We’re trapped.

“Misuzu-san… it looks like we’ve been locked in. The circle only works one way.”

Her eyes widened, but instead of panicking, she said,
“Panicking won’t help. Let’s have some tea and calm down!”

Before I could even respond, she pulled a thermos from her pouch with a smile.

“…You’re seriously amazing,” I muttered.

I pulled out a leisure sheet and spread it on the floor.
Misuzu-san, ever prepared, handed me some chocolate.

“They say sugar’s good for your brain,” she said cheerfully.

And so, there we were: sitting on the floor of a sealed stone chamber, drinking tea and eating chocolate like it was a picnic.

But reality didn’t change.
We were still trapped in here.

“Spirits,” I ordered, “check again. Any cracks in the walls? Thin spots? Anything.”

They zipped around, searching every inch.
But no. Nothing. Not even a hairline gap for air to pass through.

Which means—
once we use up all the oxygen in this room, we’ll suffocate.

“…This might actually be the biggest pinch we’ve ever been in.”

And then it hit me.
Back when we met the Earth High Spirit, Viola used her shadow magic to transfer us to another room…

I turned to her. “Viola, can you use your shadow magic to get us out of here?”

She vanished into the shadows, slipping away like ink.
A few tense seconds later, she re-emerged and nodded with a grin.

“Yes!” I clenched my fist. “It’ll work!”

“Misuzu-san! We can escape using Viola’s magic!”

“Great! Let’s pack up first!” she said, smiling as if this were just another day.

I quickly gave Amber an order. “Destroy the magic circle.”

Following my command, Amber used earth magic to shatter the teleportation array.
That should keep other explorers from falling into the same trap.

Once everything was packed, Misuzu-san and I joined hands.
Then, together with the spirits, we stepped into the shadows.

Freesia conjured a small glowing orb to light the way.
We followed that gentle light through the darkness—
until it finally blinked out.

Looks like we made it.

Our bodies slowly rose upward, and when we emerged, we were back in that hidden chamber inside the great tree.

The magic circle there had gone dark—probably because the one on the other side was destroyed.

Exhausted both mentally and physically, we decided to end our exploration for the day and head back.

Honestly… this was the biggest pinch since becoming an adventurer.

Man… I’m beat.

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