The group of us returned to the 29th floor. The door closed behind us to rejuvenate the next boss after the giant. I didn’t think she had lied to us, but even if she did, I had peeked past the doors on this side, and if push came to shove it should be enough for me to Portal to the other side of the boss room. Therefore, we had nothing to lose.
We took a break and ate something. Faeyna insisted on cooking, but she found herself slightly disappointed that she hadn’t had a chance to gain levels yet. The last few levels had been surprisingly light on enemies, and while taming gave my Monster Tamer a ton of experience, it hadn’t affected any of my other jobs, let alone the girls’ jobs.
Finally, we touched the Kiosk and set to go to the 34th floor. I was only a little surprised when it actually worked. The group of us disappeared from the room into a similar-looking one. In this one, the door was shut permanently and could not be opened again until the boss was dealt with. Furthermore, down below, there was no door, but a light flickering beyond. It was time to take on the final boss.
We had already been prepared to fight the final boss today, so nothing had really changed. We had met the giantess, and although we hadn’t managed to defeat her in a typical way, I wouldn’t say that it was so bad that we were dispirited. In a serious fight, there was no saying whether we could have eventually dropped her or not. It might have taken a lot of time and all of our most powerful skills, but we might have been able to do it.
Knowing that the boss after her ought to be even more powerful than that left me feeling a bit worried, but I tried to remain optimistic. If push came to shove, I would heal the girls, and we’d all flee back up and Portal away. Even if we did fail, the mission would be complete. After walking into that boss room, I’d know the fate of the King. If we could help him escape, we would.
Thus, defeating the final boss was not truly our goal here, and that took a lot of pressure and worry off of us. The me who had charged into the final boss room of Mina and Karr’s dungeon had truly been too naïve, and if it wasn’t for various special circumstances, I absolutely would have died in both situations.
While the girl’s started checking their supplies and making sure they were ready for the fight, I went to check the mural. This was the final piece of the puzzle, and thus the most important part to me. There were eight murals in all depicting what happened in the dungeon. That was eight chances to unwrap its secrets. Furthermore, the bosses themselves usually held some key. As the giantess herself said, every boss was created with the feelings and thoughts of the people involved in the curse. In that respect, understanding the bosses was another part of understanding the dungeon. It was a siren, a copycat, and a giant. What would the final room show me?
As my eyes looked upon the mural, I saw the image of a woman in a room with a man. The woman who was a maid was standing by his bedside, and he looked like he was dead. This must be the point where he had been poisoned by his wife, except… this woman looked to be his wife as well! She was glowing with power, and then, in the next image, it showed her in his place as he wept at her feet. The final image showed him on a throne, with a crown on his head.
“What? What is it?” Celeste asked excitedly, looking at the mural absently.
“Do you see?” A voice came from the stairway, causing all of us to glance over. “Do you understand it now?”
Standing there was a man who looked to be in his 50s with a grey beard. He had a straight back, strong features, but seemed to be wearing a pair of loose-fitting pajamas, which took away a bit of his regal air.
“Hello, King Aberis,” I responded simply.