"Darius!"
I slammed my hand on the table. The old man flinched in guilt.
The servants and the few remaining patrons also jerked in shock and fear toward our table.
They turned away as soon as they saw my stern face.
"Forgive me, my lady. I thought you'd want to know how it looked like inside."
He replied stiffly in apologetic tone.
The man must had slipped past us as we were making our way back from Leonin Park.
If my mind was not so occupied back then, I would definitely notice him!
He thought I would want it?!
Darned the man!
Seven was unbearable. How would I handle eight?!
"You could've gotten yourself killed! We don't know how dangerous the monsters inside are!"
Jonah suddenly touched my hand and interjected.
"Fina, since Darius managed to return safely to us, why don't we listen to what he has to say first about the dungeon?"
I could hear Shanny and Trudy mumbling curiously upon the term 'Fina.'
I had expected there would be reaction from the others upon the 'progression' in my relationship with Jonah, but I could not care less what they would say about it.
It would never bother me, anyway.
At the moment, Darius took precedence.
Jonah was right. The old man did not seem injured.
I could always berate him later. But for now, I had to know his newfound knowledge, though obtained prematurely.
"What did you learn in your scouting, Darius?"
I asked him calmly.
Seeing my temper had lowered, Darius cleared his throat and gave his report.
"I learned from the other mercenaries that the dungeon is structured in stratums. Each stratum is composed of an extensive labyrinth filled with various monsters and treasures. The further the stratum, the more complex and trap-packed the labyrinth, the stronger the monsters, and the more precious the treasures."
"How deep did you explore the one in this city?"
Shanny asked.
"Just till the entrance of the second stratum. Though I didn't find anything valuable in the first stratum since it's already cleanly looted. And Lady Serafina was right. The dungeon is too dangerous for us to explore."
Darius said with wary tone.
"Did you learn how strong the monsters inside? Could you see their levels like in the trials?"
Jonah asked.
Darius nodded.
"Yes, I could. The ones on the first stratum were around level 12 to 16. Those that I saw at the second stratum's entrance were at least level 21."
Goodness! Deria and the other children sneaked into such place?
Trudy formed a frown upon Darius's answer.
"Shanny and Jonah are level 13 at the moment. The highest in the lobby. Even they would have a hard time against the monsters in the first stratum."
"How many stratums does the dungeon have, Darius?"
I was the one who asked this time.
"They said the deepest someone had gone to in the Seraphold dungeon was the fourth stratum. It's likely the dungeon still went deeper. Since there are rumors from the Great Desert of someone discovering an eighth stratum in one of the dungeons over there."
Given the limit of our levels was determined by how high we climbed the tower, we would probably need to reach at least the seventieth floor to be able to challenge the eighth stratum.
Just what kind of bounties awaiting us in such dangerous place?
"Has anyone ever reached the deepest part of such dungeon? What can be found at the end of it?"
I asked again.
"Only rumors, my lady. There are various tales. But the most often told is the one mentioning a stone that could grant immense power."
The knight-turned-mercenary said.
I had to find a way to make him call me 'Serafina' again.
"A stone? A Promotion Stone, perhaps?"
Trudy speculated.
"That would be a lousy prize if we have to level up that much to get it. We can make them in the lobby."
Shanny replied.
"Maybe it's one of those Promotion Stones that can turn us into a 4-star like Fina. The fairy did say it would require a special stone for that."
Jonah suggested.
Once again, Shanny and Trudy frowned suspiciously upon him calling me with my nickname. Even Darius joined them this time.
I perhaps should ask him to only use that name in private.
Or maybe not. I liked him calling me that way.
"Well, whatever that stone is, if it is indeed a stone, we can't obtain it as we are at the moment."
I said to my comrades.
I then turned to Darius with an acknowledging bow. My voice remained stern, however.
"You did good work by providing us with this valuable information, Darius. But what you did was reckless and dangerous. You will not visit the dungeon again without consulting your party. Do you understand?"
Darius made a respectful bow as a reply.
"I understand, my lady. Please forgive my blunder."
It would be easier if he was being sarcastic with his words.
Unfortunately, the old man actually meant them. He used to be a knight.
I had to get him call me Serafina again!
But Darius's behavior could wait.
Preventing my comrades from dying had to come first.
I turned to the rest of my party.
"None of us will be entering the dungeon in this exploration trip. And just to be clear of how dangerous the place is, we will treat the dungeon as how we would a Quintal Trial. We will explore it only after a long and careful preparation."
That marked the end of our discussion.
I told them tomorrow we would be getting the maps I ordered from Jeanine and spend the rest of Jonah's money, our remaining budget, to buy more elemental stones from the mercenary guild.
From then we would wait in the Lightland Hut till the timer runs out and return to the lobby.
Now that we were about to rest, I proceeded to tell my comrades of the rooms I had booked for us and asked how they wanted to divide them.
Before I could give my own suggestion, Shanny and Trudy had taken a room for themselves, while Jonah and Darius the other. Leaving a whole room, the biggest one, for me alone.
I wanted to object and tell somebody else to get the single room, but the others ignored me and quickly retired to their own upstairs.
Sighing, I grabbed the sacks of elemental stones and Replay Stones with me to my own room.
I had insisted on taking all the collectibles since I would have more space, given that I would sleep alone.
The room was modest. Carpeted floor, a sizeable fireplace, and soft-enough bed.
After stashing the stones under the bed, I dragged a chair in there and sat myself by the window.
I spent the night watching the cherry trees in the square's garden as well as the rest of Seraphold being illuminated by moonlight.
This city might be a recreation through the forged land's power, one where I did not even existed, but it was still home that I recognized.
A home that I was trying to truly restore.
I would like to enjoy the nostalgic sight as much as I could before I had to return to the lobby and continue my grand mission.
After an hour of staring and reminiscing, someone suddenly knocked at the door.
Invisible mist of mana flowed from my palm and I set my detection field across the room and beyond.
Once I sensed the figure on the other side, I dispelled the field, lowering my guard.
"Come in."
I called by the window.
The door opened and entered a handsome blond-haired man with forest-green eyes whose muscular body towered mine.
"I was wondering if we could begin our lesson tonight."
Jonah said as he closed the door behind him.
He had stripped his spears and armor, leaving himself in his gray shirt that pressed so well on his bulky frame, as well as dark pants which snugged nicely on his firm thighs and calves.
Truly, his outfit left little to the imagination regarding what it was trying to hide.
The Goddesses could never make a man more pleasing to the eyes.
But it was actually Jonah's words which triggered a smirk to my face.
I rose from my chair and pulled a string of my dress, relieving a tension from around the bosom. The fabric slid down slightly, enough to reveal the upper outlines of the mounds kept underneath.
A female peer in the magic academy said I was gifted in that particular area. Though at the time I did not know how I was supposed to use that knowledge to my advantage.
I believed this was the time to finally make use of that talent.
While flicking my troublesome hair over my shoulder, I gestured to the bed.
"Make yourself comfortable."
My hometown was beautiful and all, but I was not too homesick that I would deny the company of such a fine shepherd.