Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"Hahaha……"

The intermittent breathing vibrated in my ears.

Night sweats during sleep soaked my clothes.

I am feeling very unwell.

Cassandra's eyes remained fixed ahead. Her eyes were wide open, her breathing rapid and shallow, her expression lost and disoriented.

"What... happened to me...?"

She went through a period of chaos.

In the field of vision is a wall with exposed rock. This is the 18th floor, the hotel in "Riviera Town".

Outside the room came the sounds of adventurers, a cacophony of voices rising and falling like the tides. A crumpled sheet lay on the bed he was staying on.

Memories gradually surfaced on the surface of conscious awareness.

(I just remembered, I... need to take a nap before joining the extermination team...)

Cassandra always takes a short nap before something big happens.

This is for the purpose of "dreaming," as a form of divination.

Cassandra has the ability to have "precognitive dreams".

Dreams are "prophetic" poems accompanied by blurry images. Their content always hints at calamity, which for Cassandra is tantamount to the future she is about to face. She herself doesn't particularly like it, but the "dreams" are very effective; whenever she is about to face some major situation, she will have a dream, without exception. This was also the case during the Apollo Familia's "Expeditions" or "War Games."

After Bell and the others decided to make contact with [Gale], Cassandra, following her instinctive urge to feel a throbbing pain in the corner of her mind, asked them to let her rest. So, in this room, she lay alone on the bed.

The hourglass in the room told her that less than an hour had passed since she fell asleep.

Angelica, a medicinal herb with sleep-inducing effects that has become a staple in many households, fell onto my pillow.

"...What was that just now...?"

Her head throbbed, and her vision blurred. Her lips trembled uncontrollably.

Cassandra was having a "nightmare".

It was the worst and most awful dream she had on Earth before this expedition, incomparable to any of the dreams she had on the surface.

It was a "prophecy" composed of seventeen lines, a vivid and intensely negative scene. A black, dark underworld, symbolizing despair, ravaged everything.

Blood spurted out, internal organs flew everywhere, and the corpse fell to the ground.

This also includes the flesh and blood of Lily, Haruhime, Welf, Mikoto, Chigusa, Sakura, Aisha, and her friend (Daphne)—

Upon recalling the scene from the "dream," a strong feeling of nausea immediately crept up from my abdomen.

“Wu!?”

Cassandra tried desperately to suppress the urge rising in her throat, but failed. She scrambled off the bed.

She rushed out of the room and ran to the back of the inn, which was built using caverns. Forgetting all decorum, she vomited into a hole in the wall. She vomited again and again, her throat filled with the sour, foul smell.

When the nausea finally subsided, she reached out her trembling hand toward the wooden bucket beside her.

Cassandra scooped up the clean water from "Under Resort," which the hotel owner had brought as a backup, and rinsed her mouth and drank the water again and again.

(So ​​cold...so scary...!)

Before Cassandra was young and had not yet joined the Apollo Familia.

Whenever she had a terrible "dream" in the old house in her hometown, she would always rush to her mother's bed in the middle of the night and sob uncontrollably. She felt an urge to drown in the warmth of her mother's touch on her head and back. But her mother was not there. Even if she were, the "prophecy" in her dream would not disappear.

For Cassandra, it was an inevitable future.

"No, I need to calm down... I need to think of a way... If I don't find a way, the 'precognitive dream' will become a reality...!"

Cassandra repeatedly let her thoughts, which were still unable to distinguish between "dreams" and reality, wander aimlessly, while pondering the contents of the "precognitive dreams" she had seen.

(【The Leader of Destruction】...【The Promised Fairy】...A fairy? Does it refer to 【Swift Wind】? Adventurers...we are guided by 【Swift Wind】...no, following her will make dreams come true?)

【Swift Wind】is an elf.

Based on the intelligence that she was listed as a bounty target five years ago, this is absolutely true.

Furthermore, it's said that she's an old acquaintance of Bell and the others. Going further, she even participated in the war game between Bell and the others and the Apollo Familia—she was the masked adventurer.

(What we need to do next... is to chase after [Swift Wind] and confirm the truth of the matter...)

That is the full picture of the objective.

however……

(Is that really all...?)

She didn't know, she didn't know, she didn't know.

Is this really just a simple murder case?

Is it really just a story about an acquaintance who helped the boy?

Even as the content of her "precognitive dreams" continues to invade her brain, causing Cassandra's face to turn pale—

"I can't stand it, that bastard Perth, he's all money-grubbing. Forming some kind of 'Swift Wind' extermination team... Huh? Hey, what are you doing over there!...Eh?"

The innkeeper, an orc man named Willie, came over with his goods. He noticed a guest staying there (Cassandra) and stared at him intently.

Night sweats caused her clothes to stick to her body, revealing her feminine curves. The beautiful young woman, with her air of frailty and vulnerability, combined with her frail appearance, aroused the conquering desire in the man.

The innkeeper, gazing at Cassandra's alluring figure, couldn't help but swallow hard, his mouth watering with arousal. But just then, he noticed that the girl's complexion was as bad as it could possibly be.

"...Hey, are you alright...? You look terrible...?"

"...I'm fine..."

The man was worried and somewhat panicked, but Cassandra brushed it off and stood up.

She walked forward unsteadily like a toddler, and soon her steps became a trot.

Cassandra rushed to Daphne and the others, determined to banish the dreamlike scene at all costs.

(My "precognitive dreams" are not about a predetermined future...!)

Some futures depend on the actions of the prophet (Cassandra), while others may be avoided.

There's still a chance to save your teammates (team)!

With only this thought in mind, she rushed out of the inn built from a cave.

"Lord Welf, have you collected all the equipment?"

"Yes, Bell and the others have all had their weapons repaired. They also have the 'Demon Sword' left. They can easily make one or two more attempts at the 'Lower Level'."

"We need to act before the other adventurers... which means the enemies aren't just monsters. There might even be player-versus-player combat involved, so keep that in mind."

Bell and the others had already gathered at the entrance of the inn.

The floor's hours are still "nighttime".

The white crystal light, like moonlight, fell everywhere.

The meeting centered around Lily or Aisha, and a final situation briefing was held.

"Ah, Cassandra! What are you doing? Time to go!"

"Gentlemen!"

Daphne called out, and Bell and the others also noticed Cassandra at the same time. As soon as she opened her mouth, she shouted loudly.

"Could...could I not join the extermination team...?"

She drew everyone's attention as she uttered this plea.

"...Huh?"

"Something terrible will happen... so... maybe you shouldn't go...!"

She issued a warning in a trembling voice.

Lily and Welf were so shocked by this absurd request that they almost rolled their eyes.

Sure enough, Daphne immediately stepped forward and started yelling at people.

"Cassandra! Are you going to say something like 'dreaming' again? I've told you to stop messing around!"

"...!"

Her best friend, with whom she had a long-standing friendship since their home (the Apollo Clan), completely ignored her.

Daphne refused to believe in "prophetic dreams." No, not just Daphne, nobody believed in "prophetic dreams." It was almost as if they were under the control of "magic." The same was true of the war game they fought against Bell and the others.

Lily and the others, though somewhat confused, didn't believe Cassandra's nonsense about "something terrible happening." Mikoto, Haruhime, and Chigusa seemed bewildered, Sakura looked astonished, and Aisha was completely dumbfounded, as if to say that venturing into the dungeon was inherently dangerous.

(Before, no one was willing to believe me... But now...!)

Cassandra shifted her gaze from Daphne and the others to the white-haired boy.

"Mr. Bell...!"

Only one person was willing to believe in "precognitive dreams," which no one else wanted to listen to.

This is Bell Craney standing right in front of me.

How should I put it? Yes, the boy possessed a "blessing" that could be called "luck," strong enough to break Cassandra's "curse." Ever since the day she visited the old headquarters of the Apollo Familia to find her lost pillow, the boy who was willing to believe her had become a "special" existence to Cassandra.

Cassandra's eyes trembled as she pleaded with him, who was also the team captain.

A look of embarrassment crossed Bell's face... and he slowly began to speak.

"I'm sorry, Miss Cassandra... I can't do it."

Despair clouded Cassandra's face.

"I must see Miss Ryu... I want to help her."

At the same time, Cassandra saw his rubellite eyes and became certain.

(Ah...no, he won't change his mind...!)

Even if he believed Cassandra's prophecy, this overly gentle boy would still go to the "promised place" shown in his "premonition" for the sake of his beloved.

At this moment, Cassandra understood for the first time that an unyielding will and an indestructible destiny were synonymous.

No matter what they did, they couldn't stop Daphne and the others.

The moment she realized this, Cassandra's knees buckled and she collapsed.

"What's wrong, Cassandra?"

Lily and the others panicked, and Daphne quickly helped the girl up.

Daphne wanted to ask, "Are you alright?" but as she stared intently at Cassandra's pale profile, a wave of unease washed over her. While Cassandra's behavior was usually strange and her complexion often unpleasant, this was the first time Daphne had ever seen her so haggard.

"...Uh, sorry. We were originally planning to go find [Swift Wind] together..."

Daphne supported Cassandra, glancing around at Bell and the others with embarrassment.

"But the child doesn't seem to be feeling well, so... could you let her rest? I feel bad about it, but I'd like to stay with her in the inn town (Rivera) --"

At that moment, Cassandra, who had been slumped over, suddenly opened her eyes wide.

"no!!"

「!?」

"No, this can't be! This is the only thing that absolutely cannot be done...!"

Seeing Cassandra lying on her back, repeatedly insisting "no" as if she were broken, not only were Bell and the others astonished, but even Daphne was greatly surprised. This surprise gradually turned into intense confusion, and even into strange looks.

She covered her head with her hands, tossed her long hair into a mess, and her slender body trembled uncontrollably.

The girl's complete lack of understanding from her companions made her seem like a prophet of tragedy.

(I absolutely cannot leave them...!)

Even if Cassandra's "prophetic dreams" cannot avoid the outline of the content, they can deviate from the route of "prophetic" poems in order to escape decisive destruction.

Only Cassandra, who knows the content of her dreams, can embark on a path different from "precognitive dreams".

Cassandra's absence from the group means that, according to the prophecy, Bell and the others are destined to face the most tragic calamity.

(I can't do it, I can't do it...! I can't abandon them now!)

If Cassandra and Daphne had stayed in town, they would have been saved. If it were the Cassandra of not long ago, she would have prioritized the safety of her best friend and herself.