The reason Lily called us over was that there was a hidden passage in the small room where we had been resting.
According to Meruru, from the back she sensed "I feel like my da-ddy is in there......"
The hidden passage beyond the wall was thickly overgrown with lumps of flesh.
On top of that, a thin membrane of flesh stretched across the floor and walls, visually making it clear that danger awaited us at our destination.
We held our breath and proceeded down the dim passage with Filio at the front.
How long had we been walking like that when the way ahead grew bright?
At the same time, a sweet scent drifted toward us. I rested my hand on the hilt of my sword and advanced quietly, careful not to make a sound.
It was a large chamber with depth.
The air seemed stagnant, making it impossible to see far, but the space appeared to stretch quite a way back. The hidden passage apparently connected to a corner of this room.
And there, lumps of flesh grew like clusters of mushrooms.
So this is the deepest part of the dungeon. Nothing but lumps of flesh - disgusting. Is this what the deepest chamber of an ant nest feels like?
As I carefully observed my surroundings, I found myself furrowing my brow.
A single man was engulfed by a lump of flesh.
A man of about thirty, his lower body completely wrapped in the flesh mass. The thing looked like a human crammed whole into a flower bud, and my tension spiked at once.
There were others. Dozens, hundreds......could it really be every person in town?
Why would this......could it be that they're all food?
I cast a glance at Lily. She had apparently already checked, and nodded in a way that said "It's all right," They didn't seem to be dead. That was a relief for the moment.
Were they being preserved as food?
But even in a remote region, a dungeon generated in a town would be subdued immediately. There would be no point in preserving them. There was no smell of blood, and the lack of any sign of flesh having been eaten bothered me too. ......If this is how the master of the labyrinth feeds, then that means.
"............What is this"
Filio let the words slip out.
She clenched her fists, desperately holding back a scream of rage.
Then I noticed that Meruru was standing there with a grief-stricken expression.
A bearded man was engulfed by a lump of flesh. Meruru called out to the man - who looked like he might have a daughter of about her age - as if clinging to him.
"Da-ddy......"
That was when it happened.
Perhaps because Meruru had called out to him, the man regained consciousness and let out a low groan.
The man, fixing his eyes firmly on his own daughter, spoke in a faint voice.
"............Who, who are you? You."
I immediately drew my sword and slashed at Meruru.
But the girl bounded adorably and dodged with a twirling, dancing spin.
Showing a body movement utterly unthinkable for a child, she came to a dead stop in midair.
"Ahaha! Eh? Was I, like, totally obvious?"
Meruru, in the air, put a hand to her mouth and laughed as if taunting us.
Her frail little-girl act was nowhere to be seen. She was looking down on us from above.
......She's strong. Better not to throw out any half-baked attacks.
"I had let my guard down, more or less."
"And yet you made your move so fast."
"If you'd been deceiving us, I was ready to cut you down on the spot."
"So ruthless! You guys seem all sweet and soft, but I totally can't let my guard down around you, huh?"
Lily had already readied her holy staff. There was not a trace of agitation on her face. She must have been thinking the same thing as me.
The problem was Filio. She stood frozen, looking utterly bewildered.
Then the man engulfed in the flesh mass shouted.
"W-what is this?! Why are you flying in the sky?!"
"Quiet, food. Shut your mouth."
"Hgk?!"
The man jerked with a spasm and then passed out again.
What did she just do? There's no smell of blood from the man.
That lifeless expression, like his life force had been drained......Drain?!
As I thought, this dungeon is that one's dining hall!
Filio shouted in disbelief.
"B-but your presence is entirely human!"
"Fufu, yeah, I used to be human, you know? My body structure isn't that different. If you'd been in your true form......you might've figured it out."
"W-what are you implying......"
Meruru smiled wickedly, as if to say that Filio would understand.
The girl floated lazily, crossed her legs, and proclaimed herself the absolute victor.
"See, I was planning to make a Dungeon-devouring Labyrinth, have a nice fun meal, and slip away right away! I came here taking a risk to build up power, you know, so wearing myself out fighting adventurers would be totally pointless!"
In place of Filio, who had fallen silent, I carried on the conversation.
"You make it sound like you can't possibly lose in a fight."
"Fufufu, wanna try me? But the world's gotten super troublesome lately, you know, and I'd rather not do anything unnecessary!"
"For someone who doesn't want to do anything unnecessary, you've done quite a lot of it, haven't you?"
"Well, when I find an interesting kid, I just can't help myself, you know!"
Meruru gazed at Filio with amusement.
Suddenly, Filio dropped to her knees.
She looked pained, anguished, gritting her teeth, blushing even to her ears. Poison......no, could this be lust1?!
Meruru giggled.
"My Miasma isn't strong, you know. Just a weak, weak Miasma2 that makes you feel a little naughty. But for an immature kid hiding her true nature......it might be super effective."
"D-don't be absurd......ah♥"
"My motto is to eat happily and harmoniously, all together with everyone, you see?"
"You speak of harmony......♥"
"If there's a fellow kin3 around......it makes me want to invite them, doesn't it?"
At the word "kin," Lily raised one eyebrow.
This is bad - Lily still doesn't know Filio's true identity. Judging by her past-life reaction, it seems she'd confided in Lily, but now is a bad time.
Filio shouted as if fighting back the pleasure.
"Then tell me what is your true identity......?! Ah......♥"
"Succubus Melruria, former human4. Fufu, I never thought I'd meet a fellow kin......and one just like me, too. Ah-ha♥"
Smiled at by the succubus Melruria, Filio crouched down even further.
"Hah......hah......♥"
Lily was about to unleash a Heal Blast, so I gave her a look and made her stop. Lily hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
The situation isn't good.
We should either probe for the enemy's weak point or launch an all-out attack. We must at least avoid a scenario where Melruria goes on a rampage, causes massive damage around us, and ends up escaping.
We need Filio's power too. But in that state, the enemy's aim is.......
Melruria drifted through the air, looking amused.
"A poor fellow kin, siding with humans... But you smell of anger and sorrow, you know. In that case!"
Melruria snapped her fingers.
"How long are you going to keep wearing that human skin? You're totally at your limit already, aren't you?"
Melruria released a sinister wind.
Filio, taking it head-on, transformed into a succubus.
She sprouted horns, wings, and a tail, and as she leaned toward her demonic nature and her resistance to pleasure rose, her expression turned clear and composed.
I expected her to wear her usual refreshing smile, but she immediately clouded her expression.
Because the people engulfed in the flesh masses were waking up one after another.
"Nnah.....," "W-where is this......?" "There's someone over there......?"
And then they began staring at her, now a succubus, with eyes full of terror.
Filio forgot how to smile.
Trivia:
- Meruru's "father" fails to recognize his own daughter, hinting early that the girl beside the party is not who she appears to be.
- The protagonist notes the absence of blood and of any sign of flesh being eaten, quietly signaling that the victims are being stored, not consumed, which foreshadows the succubus feeding method.
- Filio's reaction to the word "kin" and her concealed true form tie directly into Melruria's taunt that her human skin is already at its limit.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ A term for lustful or erotic energy; here it names the corrupting influence that arouses victims, distinct from ordinary poison.
2 ↩ "Weak-weak Miasma" — a cutesy, deliberately childish phrasing that softens the threat, emphasizing Melruria's mocking tone.
3 ↩ "Fellow kin" — used by Melruria to imply a shared non-human nature, which is why Lily's suspicion is immediately raised.
4 ↩ "Former human" — a key nuance, as Melruria and Filio both were once human, tying their identities together thematically.
Notes:
• Lily - A servant-type companion to Haruya who addresses him with formal deference. She is also described as an innkeeper at an adventurer's lodge and a devout follower of the Great Goddess faith, serving as a priestess of the Goddess Flora. Polite, composed, and professional, she is attentive to Haruya's needs and practical about travel funds, never complaining about unpaid quests. She observes Haruya's duel and recognizes when he is holding back, using a promised reward to snap him out of his deliberate losing act. Skilled in sleep magic, she has a sweet, deferential demeanor and a teasing streak. Though strict and proper on the surface, she deliberately seduces Haruya through the wall at night.
• Meruru - A young girl found on the surface in the town of Gosse. Chestnut-haired and dressed in a cute outfit now dirtied from chasing after the group. Carries a pendant made from a processed found-flower, which lets her sense her father's location. Desperate to rescue her kidnapped parents.
• Filio - Given name of Filio Valceid. A noble-born scout-class adventurer who disguises herself as a man. She has radiant golden hair, clear sea-blue eyes, and a boyish, handsome appearance with distinctly feminine loveliness. Despite her light blouse-and-trousers outfit, her large chest is conspicuous. Cheerful, persistent, and idealistic, she believes those with power have a duty to help others and make everyone smile. Skilled in scouting, detection, trap avoidance, and lockpicking, she owns a falcon named Persha. She prioritizes civilians' lives, rewards others generously, and refuses to let talent go to waste. A trusted companion from Haruya's past life, she often pushes his party to accept unpaid quests as a duty to do good.
• Melruria - Succubus and former human. Created the Dungeon-devouring Labyrinth and lures victims into flesh masses as food. Cheerful, teasing, and cruel; uses a weak Miasma that induces lust. Appears as a young girl and hides her true nature.