I Became the Butler of the Seventh Princess, Who’s Regressing Into a Child - Episode 23

Episode 23

(Back to Rondo’s Perspective)

I stood at the entrance of the [Black Swamp Cave], taking a deep breath. I’d been here a few times before. But today, I intended to go deeper than ever. First, I checked my current stats:

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Rondo  

Level: 7  

Job: Enchanter 

Status Points: 25  

Blessing: Time God Limres

Strength: 10  

Endurance: 11  

Magic Power: 27  

Mental Strength: 11  

Agility: 10  

Luck: 1  

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Until now, I hadn’t allocated my status points. But since I was planning to explore the deeper floors, I figured it was time to power up. Today’s goal was the third floor. And if things went well, I’d push even further. Although, this isn’t a game; this is real life, where one slip could mean death. There’s no respawn after dying here, so I was more cautious than I ever was in a game.

I decided to boost my strength and agility a bit, putting 10 points each into those, and allocated the remaining 5 points to magic power. With that, my offense was covered. Defense-related stats like endurance and mental strength were important, too, but my focus was on evasion—I planned not to get hit at all.

After distributing the points, I felt a slight lightness in my body. Now I was ready. With my Black Thunder Sword in hand, I ventured deeper into the dungeon.

The air inside the cave was cold and dim, just as usual. Still, the glowing magic stones provided enough light to see my way. So I proceeded with caution.

The first floor was familiar territory, a level I’d cleared multiple times. The monsters here posed no particular challenge. I moved through quickly and soon reached the second floor. I spent some time exploring, but there was nothing particularly new to discover here. The only monsters I encountered were Shadow Wolves, the same as on the first floor. They seemed slightly stronger, but I could still handle them without much trouble.

In the game, the monsters would have become tougher with each floor progression. But here, I didn’t feel much of a difference; I could fight comfortably. Maybe I was just stronger now? Still, I shouldn’t let my guard down.

Using the map I remembered from the game, I continued on the second floor. I battled Shadow Wolves along the way until I found a staircase leading downward. Just like in the game—everything matched.

This was it: the third floor.

I descended the stairs cautiously, stepping onto the third floor. The atmosphere shifted. The air felt heavier, colder, and slightly damp… or maybe it was just me, knowing that different monsters started appearing on this floor in the game.

With that thought in mind, I tightened my grip on my sword and advanced, staying alert. Before long, a new monster appeared before me: a Lizard Skull. It has a giant skeletal body and glowing red eyes. It was like a lizard-man stripped to bare bones, with large, razor-sharp claws.

Just like in the game, the monsters that appear have changed.

I readied my sword and faced the Lizard Skull. Seeing it reminded me of the fight against the Skeleton Lord. Back then, I’d been on the verge of defeat. But I felt no fear now. Maybe the training with Klaus-san gave me more confidence.

The Lizard Skull let out a sharp cry and charged at me. Its movements were clear as day to me; I swung my sword lightly, deflecting its claws.

“…It’s light.”

“Graah!” 

The Lizard Skull seemed to react as if it understood my words. I hadn’t intended to taunt it, but here we were.

Compared to Klaus-san, this enemy was no threat at all. I quickly shifted, breaking the Lizard Skull’s balance, and brought my sword down on its head. With a satisfying crunch of bone, it crumbled to the ground.

“All right, no issues here.”

I could tell that my movements had become more efficient. It was not so much because my sword skills had improved, but because I wasn’t wasting any effort. Maybe it was partly due to my status boost. But I owed a lot to Klaus-san’s training as well. With this progress, the third floor shouldn’t pose a problem.

As I continued to fight while exploring, a familiar voice echoed nearby.

“…….Wait, aren’t you the one from before!?”

I turned around and saw Anfi. She seemed to be alone this time.

…Come to think of it, neither of us had introduced ourselves before.

“Um… you’re—?”

“M-my name is Anfi! I never properly thanked you for helping me last time. I’m so sorry for that!”

She bowed respectfully, but I waved it off.

“No need to worry about it. I’m Rondo. Good to officially meet you.”

“Rondo-san, right? Thank you so much for your help last time!” 

She perked up and then tilted her head. 

“Are you alone today as well?”

“Yeah, and you too?”

“Yes, that’s right. After you helped me, I realized just how weak I was. So I’ve been diving into the dungeon whenever I get the chance.”

“…I see. Well, just don’t push yourself too hard, all right?”

“Oh, I’m fine! As long as it’s not a unique monster, I can handle most things on my own now!”

Well, Anfi wasn’t exactly a weak character. Just… hopelessly unlucky. Not that I had any room to talk with my own abysmal luck stat.

B-but, I mean, low luck stats only affect skills and abilities… it’s not like they affect your whole life, right?

“Glad to hear it. Just be careful, though; the monsters start getting stronger from the third floor onward.”

“Yes, I will! You be careful too, Rondo-san!”

With a cheerful response, Anfi and I parted ways within the dungeon.

…It felt like playing the game again, like when you’d randomly run into a friend in the middle of a dungeon. Just as I was thinking nostalgically about that…

“Kyaaahhhhhh!”

Anfi’s scream rang out.

No way… Not another unique monster, is it?

I looked back. And there she was, running tearfully toward the staircase to the next floor.