The First Floor of the Imperial Dungeon, in the lord boss room.
"BOOM!!!"
An enormous Monster crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Ellie flicked her wrist, shaking the blood off her longsword and onto the ground. The blade regained its bright sheen.
She glanced at the lord Monster lying on the ground, now utterly lifeless, and curled her lips in boredom.
"That idiot young master is way too cautious. The Monsters here aren't even that strong. How could there be any danger?"
A trace of dismissiveness colored her voice.
"He even said, 'Whatever you do, don't go deeper alone.' I think he's just worrying over nothing. Even without him, I could clear out this whole place myself."
After putting away her longsword, Ellie continued downward along the passage revealed at the back of the lord's room.
A fine layer of grayish-white powder covered the passage floor, leaving clear footprints with every step.
A faint smell of dust hung in the air, mingled with the dry scent peculiar to some kind of ore. It felt like a wasteland forgotten by time.
The walls on either side were built from stone with a dull yellow sheen. Their surfaces were smooth and cold, covered in relief carvings: some depicted interlocking gears, others hourglasses tipped on their sides, and still others abstract spirals, as though illustrating something related to time.
But the carvings did nothing to slow Ellie's steps. She couldn't understand them, and she even thought they were rather ugly.
Ellie soon emerged from the passage, and the damaged remains of buildings came into view.
Huge gears lay half-buried in the sand, their teeth worn beyond recognition and their surfaces covered in rust.
A sundial's face had shattered into several pieces scattered in a corner, its gnomon pointing crookedly