The Dungeon Smells Like Chicken

 

Senna’s late grandfather firmly grasped her hand and said,

“Senna, you must not sell this house. You must live here.”

Although Senna knew this was a dream, she nodded while crying.

“I will never sell it. I will live here until I die.”

“Our grandchild is so kind. But listen, if the door opens… knock knock!”

Senna suddenly woke up from the dream. Checking her phone beside her, she saw a message had come in.

[…Are you sleeping?] 2:12 AM

It was a message from her ex-boyfriend that arrived every dawn.

Even if she blocked the number, he still sent messages every day as “Unknown.” A moment later, another knock sound came.

[I think I’m too drunk. I miss you.] 2:12 AM

“Ugh, seriously…!”

Fully awake now, Senna kicked off her bed. She felt hot and thought she needed to drink cold water.

As she went downstairs, the old stairs creaked underfoot. Her ex-boyfriend hated the noise it made, but Senna liked it. After their parents had passed away, this house had embraced her and her younger brother for ten years.

But her ex-boyfriend insisted on selling the house and made a fuss about it.

“Let’s sell this place, add some money, and move to a 50-pyeong apartment. How nice it would be to have your parents with us in a bigger house! What about your brother? He can live on his own. He’s grown up.”

The money her ex-boyfriend wanted was from their parents’ life insurance. When she flatly refused, he became angry and caused a scene.

“I’ve never met someone as stubborn as you. Your brother is already 17. You know? A boy that age can live alone. Independence! Independence is important. Back in my day—”

The guy who ate warm meals made by his mother while going to school was talking big. After a while, he made a critical remark.

“Your brother seems to be suspicious of me for some odd reason. You two aren’t involved, are you? Just kidding! Why are you getting angry?”

Ultimately, they fought like dogs over this and broke up. Even now, she thought it was the right decision.

*I should have slapped him at least once.*

After gulping down cold water, Senna sighed heavily. Just thinking about her ex-boyfriend made her stomach feel tight.

She placed a hand on her chest and opened the door, sitting down on the porch. The cool breeze seemed to relieve her a bit.

Her parents had passed away when Senna was 15 years old.

Suddenly orphaned, she and her younger brother were entrusted to their grandfather. The grandfather, who had a chronic illness, passed away two years later, leaving behind a will that said not to sell the house.

A large, old two-story house. A warm home with a porch and a wide yard.

Senna loved this house. Even without her grandfather’s will, she wanted to keep living here.

“Who would want to sell this place?”

Raising her middle finger toward her ex-boyfriend, she fell back onto the porch. The cool air made her feel drowsy.

That was when—

*Crash!*

Senna startled and shot up. She heard something fall in the basement.

“Did a cat get in?”

There had been times before when a cat got trapped in the basement and made a ruckus. Senna grabbed a can and a fly swatter and headed toward the basement.

“Meow?”

She turned on the basement light and went down the stairs without a second thought. However, what she encountered wasn’t a frightened cat.

A strange man was standing in the basement.

“Uh?”

Senna blinked in confusion. But the man did not disappear.

It was the first time she had seen someone so tall. He seemed to be almost 2 meters tall. Dressed like a medieval knight in a helmet and armor, he held a blood-stained sword in his right hand.

“Uh? Uh?”

It really was a sword.

Scared, Senna turned to run. She was so shocked that she forgot what she was holding.

The bent fly swatter hit the wall and flung her body back. She fell down.

*Thud!*

A dull pain spread through her body. Senna, who had curled up in fear, realized that it didn’t hurt as much as she thought.

“Are you alright?”

As she opened her eyes, she found the helmet right in front of her. Instinctively, Senna screamed.

The man carefully lowered her, stepping back. He knelt in front of the terrified Senna.

“I apologize for startling you. I am Michael, belonging to the Steel Wolf Brigade.”

“Uh… uh…”

“I didn’t intend to threaten you. Please forgive me.”

Noticing that the man’s hands were empty, Senna raised her head.

The sword he had been holding was now lying in a corner. It seemed he had thrown it to the floor to catch her as she fell.

*He doesn’t seem to plan to harm me right away.*

Gaining some courage, Senna decided to ask the first question that came to mind.

“U-Um, why are you here in the middle of the night? This is my house, you know?”

Her voice asserting it was her house gave her strength. The man answered calmly.

“I was exploring the ‘Labyrinth of the Grand Sorcerer’ under the orders of the Duke. While wandering, I found a door, opened it, and ended up here.”

“The D-Duke? No, more importantly, what door?”

The man turned his body and pointed at the wall. When she looked instinctively, there was indeed a door she had never seen before.

Without realizing it, Senna got up and approached the door as if in a trance.

Inside the half-open door was a landscape she had never seen. Flickering torches illuminated the stone pillars lined up on either side.

The stone walls, which looked like they had been there for hundreds of years, had unfamiliar plants clinging to them.

In the empty space, a bizarre creature lay collapsed.

It was a monster that looked like a centipede with long legs. Blood flowing from its severed body darkened the ground beneath it. The moment she saw it, her vision blurred.

“Excuse me.”

A large hand covered her eyes. The smell of blood and iron wafted from the cold gloves.

Moments later, with the sound of the door closing, the man’s hand fell away. Senna stared at him blankly.

“You seemed startled.”

The man awkwardly stepped back after speaking. Senna became confused.

*What on earth is this person?*

His strange outfit and sword. Words like “Grand Sorcerer” and “Labyrinth” that made no sense. The strange door and the monster she had never seen before.

Everything terrified her.

*Grrr…*

At that moment, a loud sound broke the tense atmosphere. The man flinched and held his belly. Senna realized that the sound was coming from his stomach.

“Are you hungry?”

“Due to lack of food, I’m starving…”

The man spoke in a voice that was almost a whisper. He added, looking quite embarrassed,

“I’m sorry, but I would like to request food and water. I can pay any amount. Please.”

Senna, pressing her confused head, looked at the man. After a moment of hesitation, he pulled out a thin metal badge from his pocket.

“This is my identification badge. I swear I will not harm you.”

“I wouldn’t know what to do with something like that.”

Senna muttered weakly.

Having come down to the basement in the early morning only to find someone from another world popping out, and seeing a monster lying in a strange space.

No one would believe her if she told them. Even if she called the police, they would think it was a prank call.

“What you want is food and water, right? If you get those, you really will go back, right?”

“Yes…”

Fortunately, the man was not a robber. What he wanted was something within her ability to provide.

*I want to throw him some bread and send him away quickly, but if I treat him poorly, he might turn on me.*

Even if he seemed calm now, she couldn’t let her guard down. Senna decided to be as safe as possible.

*Let’s feed him until he bursts with tears of gratitude and send him back. Surely, he won’t kill me for treating him that well, right?*

Then she could call someone to clear out the basement as soon as he left.

*Don’t think about other worlds. The person in front of me is just a guest. He’s someone who will leave soon and is just dressed strangely.*

After organizing her swirling thoughts, Senna said,

“I don’t need money. I’ll offer you a meal. As for the food, you can leave things like the sword and armor here.”

“Ah, thank you.”

The man replied in a cheerful voice. Senna, who didn’t want to hear any more thank-yous, waved her hand dismissively.

“First, help me block that door. I don’t know what might come in if you leave it open.”

The two moved heavy furniture to block the door. The man easily lifted everything by himself, so Senna only gave verbal instructions. After that, she helped him take off his armor. Senna, puzzled, asked,

“How did you put this on by yourself?”

“Usually, I receive help from my companions.”

The man, having removed his helmet, turned to her and smiled

. He had a very handsome face.

“May I know your name?”

“Senna.”

“A beautiful name. I’m Michael.”

The man smiled again, and for some reason, Senna felt slightly embarrassed.

“Let’s get to the kitchen. I’ll prepare food.”

“You don’t need to do that. I can help you.”

“No, you sit down. I’ll take care of it.”

“Alright.”

After Michael sat down in the corner of the living room, Senna headed toward the kitchen. She was concerned that he would sneakily run away with her things.

*I shouldn’t trust him completely. I need to keep my guard up.*

While she prepared a simple meal, she kept glancing over at Michael. He was sitting quietly with his hands in his lap.

*Does he really think he’s going back after eating?*

Even while cooking, Senna could not shake the feeling of unease.

—

Let me know if you need any adjustments or further translations!