Dante assumed that more than a day had passed since the incident. Naturally, he wouldn't be concerned about time, but now time was a matter of life or death. Nagasawa was on his back as he carried her through the narrow tunnels of the dungeon.
He wished he had time to rest, but he couldn't afford it. He needed to find food as quickly as possible. The moment he found food, he could quickly improve. Due to the malevolent sensation of the mana in this layer, Dante chose not to absorb it and pressed on. The damage from absorbing such mana could be dangerous, and he couldn't risk it anymore; he needed to survive for both of them.
In fact, it was risky for him to absorb this type of mana, especially because he had holy magic. It could completely corrupt his core and turn him into something he resolved not to even think about.
He was holding up well, but he needed to expedite Nagasawa's situation. She had already taken the pill he found with the unlucky group.
Dante was following the map. He wanted to reach the clearing where there was a small stream as quickly as possible. He could easily obtain food and water from that point and explore the surroundings while Nagasawa remained unconscious.
What really worried Dante was what would happen to her when she woke up. He couldn't check, but he felt that Nagasawa was at risk. Her arm, which had been crushed, stopped bleeding after Dante bandaged it with the skeletons' clothes. Of course, it could still become infected if he didn't clean it quickly, but he needed to reach a spring as soon as possible.
However, he assumed that she would probably never be able to use this arm again, and for a swordsman, it was the worst of all emotions.
Exhaustion couldn't defeat him, carrying the 75-kilogram woman and the legendary sword of over 100, it was a day full of problems.
Dante continued on his way while others were getting the news about his disappearance.
The world had slightly paused. Unfortunately, a serious incident had occurred. For normal people, this would be common, but it happened to two extremely renowned individuals.
Dante Scarlet and Nagasawa Yamata were declared dead, although they weren't certain.
It almost seemed like a lie. The story passed was that they died defending the students from a Golem Guardian. Who told this version? Forki Dolafor.
The account described Dante and Nagasawa in a final act of bravery, deciding to delay the monster while the students fled. Forki claimed he tried to return, but the passage was destroyed before they could reach it. The name given to this tragedy was "The Incident of the Pits of the Silver Giant."
In the infirmary, a woman had just received the news of Dante's death in battle.
"It's not true, is it?" Sara asked Director Gaspar in front of her, who unfortunately couldn't say anything.
"Tell me he's going to open that door and walk out any minute!" She cried lightly, this was the first stage of grief. Denial.
"Sara," Akiko, sitting next to the girl, held her hand tightly. It was the first time the princess had experienced such a moment.
"I'm so sorry." Those were the only words Gaspar could say. He knew he had no right to such a thing; after all, it was he who requested this mission disguised as an excursion. His recklessness not only caused the death of one of the best minds in poisonology, but also of the greatest prodigy of the first year. Despite feeling that something was wrong, he decided to first deal with people's grief.
"We will start searching, but the chance of finding something... is complicated. We'll need time and maybe that time won't be enough to find them alive," Gaspar said thoughtfully, while Sara looked at the old man with a slight look of anger.
"No... It can't be true. Dante... he promised he would come back." Her voice was choked, her eyes teary, and her spirit shattered.
Akiko hugged Sara, seeking to provide comfort for her loss. Despite not agreeing with their friendship, the days with Dante had made the princess evolve in various ways, and she was very grateful for that.
"I want my mother..." Sara said as her tears began to flow. She started to feel unwell, as if she had broken.
"I will inform Lady Lyriana," Gasper said, leaving the infirmary room and running into the Chief Nurse.
"Make a report on everyone. There's something wrong with this story," he said, and she nodded slightly.
Gaspar walked away while opening a portal to the White Tower, emerging directly in front of the biggest problem in the story he would have to deal with: Morgana Arcano.
"What do you want? I'm busy dealing with Valentina's crap and this poorly managed guild. Can you believe there's embezzlement in a venture run by a woman who can destroy armies? Seriously, they've got nerve," Morgana said while wearing glasses and having several stacks of documents.
"Morgana," Gaspar said lightly, looking at Morgana, who immediately stopped and looked at him.
"What's with the funeral face? Who died this time? Seriously, that weird elf must have died or Akemi, for you to make that face, since you love demi-humans and elves," Morgana joked, while going back to writing something on some papers.
"Nagasawa Yamata is dead," Gaspar said, and the pen in Morgana's hand simply evaporated with the flame she conjured in her hand.
"And Dante Scarlet too," Gaspar added, and Morgana started to turn into some kind of monster as she looked at Gaspar.
"Gaspar, I loved your beautiful joke. Now tell me why you came here personally? I don't really like it when people say my husband is dead," Morgana said after calming down and looked at the old man in front of her with a smile.
"There was an accident in the Dungeon. If they're alive, they're underground in a ten-floor dungeon. The entire tenth floor collapsed on them," Gaspar said, and Morgana's hands clenched so hard that her large nails began to pierce the flesh of her hands.
"Gaspar, repeat that," Morgana commented as she stood up and faced Gaspar. She was slightly taller enough for him to have to look up.
"Dante and Nagasawa are buried in rubble, probably dead," he said, and Morgana's hair began to levitate slightly as she looked at Gaspar.
"I see, so you've given up on living. Okay, I forgive you," Morgana said and put her hands on Gaspar's shoulders.
"You're going to fix this, aren't you, Gaspar?" She asked, and her affection was like the pure abyss. He clearly saw his death before him and, if two Supreme Mages were to fight, he wasn't sure if he would defeat Morgana.
"We're already handling it, a team is investigating," Gaspar said as he looked at Morgana. She realized what was going on.
"Spit it out, it wasn't just a simple incident, was it?" She asked as she sat on the table full of papers.
"The stories I've been told don't add up. I wanted a second opinion," Gaspar said, taking a seat in the chair.
"Out with it," she said, and Gaspar began to explain. A few minutes passed as Morgana paced back and forth.
"Knowing Dante, only Clovis Arton and Sara Vortex are trustworthy. They're the only ones who don't hold a grudge against Dante. Elizabeth was recently saved and may have changed her perspective on Dante because of that, but keep an eye on her."
"Next, be suspicious of Alexander. He got into a fight with Dante and then was humiliated. Like Velkan, he has a fragile ego and is too arrogant."
"Seraphina Nightfall is literally the most likely, but she's still in shock, so it probably wasn't her."
"Forki, Ethan, and Alexander could be the culprits, but even if we say something, nothing will happen, so look for Dante. He's alive."
"How can you be so sure?"
She raised her hands slightly and pointed to the ring. "It's still connected to Dante. I'll help with the search soon," Morgana said as she sat back down and summoned several clones.
"Work quickly, girls. The husband needs help," she said, glancing slightly at the sky from the tower rooftop and murmuring something.