I Woke Up as the Villainess's Friend. I Don’t Want to Be the Next Dark Queen

Leading the way are three zombie trolls followed by Bob, Joe, and Tom. They set the pace and scout for traps, since on this level the dungeon core keeps shifting the locations of various spike traps that shoot up from the floor and arrow traps that fire from the walls. When they do find any, it's not like the undead know how to disarm them—the trolls just tank the damage instead.

Since they're so big and tough, they absorb the hits without taking too much real damage.

Behind them come Vincent, Ronan, and I, escorted by two more zombie trolls, along with five of the big golems, fourteen small ones, and five bats. The floor here is icy, so we have to advance carefully. The prince is trying to help as much as possible and give his best effort; I think he doesn't like being carried along.

We eventually reach what, according to the map, is the first chamber. No elementals have bothered us so far.

The entrance is honestly pretty impressive. It's like the rock tunnel ends before an enormous stone that threatens to devour anyone advancing through it.

Eyes and teeth descend from the ceiling, carved in stone, while the rest of the mouth emerges from the floor. The rock has an opening between the teeth that narrows the passage, so the trolls are going to have trouble getting through. For us, it looks as simple as lifting our legs high and stepping over those lower incisors. I won't even have to duck to avoid hitting my head on the upper ones.

At a signal from Ronan—and probably a mental command too—one of the skeletons enters. Shortly after, he comes out and waves for us to approach.

How thoughtful Tom is. He could've just told his master. Or maybe it's Ronan who, out of deference to Vincent and me, asked him to make the gesture.

In any case, we approach and look inside. I can see several ice elementals in the chamber. I squint to check their level. It's 4. The cave isn't too large, at least not compared to the biome from the previous floor. I don't think it's more than about 60 square meters.

We step back a few paces.

Those elementals remind me a bit of the wraiths, in that they can fly and have humanoid shapes. However, the elementals have sharper, more angular outlines, as if their chins were made of chunks of ice hanging like stalactites. Same with their hands and feet, or the fringes of a kind of burlap robe they seem to wear, also made of ice. Their color is grayish-blue that, in their eyes, seems to flash with more celestial tones. And I almost forgot the most terrifying part: their teeth. They're sharp and tiny like needles, arranged in several concentric rows inside their mouths.

"Let me remind you what they do," Vincent whispers to us.

The reminder is helpful for me, but I'm sure Ronan already has a strategy. It's clear the prince is trying to help.

"They have ice creation and manipulation spells," he continues, "as well as blizzard and ice bolt attacks. Also, it's dangerous to get close to them because of the freezing temperatures they generate around themselves."

Yeah, I remember that. If they freeze you, there's a high chance you'll lose your arm or whatever part they froze. Much worse than the wraiths, since this is actual freezing, not some kind of magical immobilization that simulates it.

"Fire-channeled arrows?" I ask, though I'm not sure if I'm asking him or Ronan.

Because sure, Vincent led us in the desert dungeon. After all, he invited us to go. But this time it's the opposite, and while I don't want him to feel useless, I also don't want him giving a worse plan than Ronan would.

I don't know why I'm worrying. The prince is a natural leader. He smiles and nods toward Ronan, letting him answer me, knowing that his strategic ability is superior.

"Better not, my lady. I would prefer you save your mana since there is a boss on this floor."

And if the divine beast has to give you a lick, it would have to be without Vincent seeing, so he'll think you took another potion, he clarifies through our mental link.

When I remember about the boss, I shrink with fear for a moment. An image of the scorpion boss just pops into my mind.

Relax, I tell myself silently, this is veteran level—it'll be more like the lich or the golem.

The "another potion" thing is because, unlike Vincent, he noticed when I had to ask the pup for a healing lick because I'd been left at zero mana from all that channeling. No doubt the prince would assume I'd taken a mana potion.

Vincent seems to have noticed that moment of panic I had and looks me in the eyes. He raises an eyebrow, as if asking if something's wrong. I shrug and shake my head. It's nothing important.

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Then the trolls grab the ice golems. The first approaches the chamber entrance and hurls his golem inside with tremendous force. Although the golem easily reaches my waist or navel, in the troll's enormous hand it's like a bowling ball. He throws it effortlessly, as if it weighs nothing, and at full speed it slams straight into the nearest elemental.

The crash breaks the silence. All the remaining elementals turn toward us, but it's too late. The next troll approaches with another bowling ball—I mean… zombie ice golem. And another, then another, and a third one.

Everything happens in a matter of seconds. A fierce blizzard erupts inside the chamber, making visibility difficult, but curiously it doesn't come out through the tunnel toward where we are.

Do the elementals have some kind of limitation where neither they nor their magic can leave the chamber? Hmm... I think I remember the information saying they didn't attack you until you went in after them. Well, going in—strictly speaking—only the golems did that.

I keep hearing fighting sounds. Impacts and what seems like the whistling and noise made by ice bolts hitting and shattering, though I'm not sure if the golems or the remaining elementals are casting them.

The trolls enter. After a couple of minutes, the sound stops and the blizzard disappears as quickly as it came.

In the middle of the chamber stand the five golems, a bit chipped but otherwise unharmed. The trolls are beside them.

The three skeletons also go inside, and shortly after, Ronan tells us it's safe to enter.

On the floor are some stones similar to the golem cores, just a bit larger and more elongated. Joe gives them to Ronan. He tries to raise an elemental but can't.

"You can't?" I'm surprised.

"No, my lady. I do not know the reason. Until now it had only happened due to lack of mana or power. But that's not the case. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that it is an elemental."

Anyway, Ronan pockets the core stones and we continue through the passage that opens on the other side of this chamber. Like the previous one, it only has traps. After about 200 meters, we arrive at another mouth similar to the previous one, giving access to a new chamber.

We repeat the previous strategy, and when the second troll throws his golem, he misses. He doesn't hit the elemental dead-on and destroy it in one blow—instead he clips it and only tears off an arm. Immediately it generates a blizzard vortex that swirls toward the chamber exit, toward where we are.

So they can attack us even if we don't enter?

Two of the golems position themselves in front, blocking the space between the stone teeth. Thanks to their ice-resistant skin, they avoid both the blizzard damage and being frozen.

How does it occur to the dungeon core to give us the weapons to defeat its creatures?

And it's not just that Ronan is a necromancer. Someone with air-based hypnosis or fire-based seduction spells could make those mobs fight for them too.

I feel like rushing into the room with a flash step and taking out those elementals with my fire-channeled sword, but Ronan's right about the mana.

Right now, I only have six of my ten mana points. Although I spent a total of twelve on channelings and the earth wall, in the fifth village I discreetly asked the pup for a lick while Vincent was busy fighting the trolls. At that moment I was at zero. I went up to six. I spent two on a final channeling for my sword and later recovered two through meditation.

It's not like I need to have my mana pool full. I can do two channelings and an earth wall with six points.

The other three trolls block the passage behind their two companions, so they can get through the mouth without the blizzard or any ice bolts reaching the rest of us. A third troll enters and the other two stay to protect us. This time the battle is longer, and when it ends, the trolls are badly wounded. Even being resistant to ice magic, there were about seven elementals in there. Six if we don't count the first one they eliminated with a one-shot golem.

However, I don't see Ronan looking distressed, just like I didn't see him that way when traps pierced the trolls' feet or bodies.

Then I get it.

"They keep their regeneration magic even as undead, right?"

I should have realized from the beginning.

"Of course, my lady. As long as they have mana, they will regenerate passively."

"Your zombie trolls regenerate?" Vincent blurts out the question, clearly incredulous.

"Of course, just like the golems can keep levitating and attacking with their ice spells. Or Joe maintains his bow mastery from when he was still alive."

"But that's completely broken," he protests.

I smile at him. Vincent just realized what I did before: we have the final boss on our side. Or at least one of them.

"Well, be glad he's our friend," I tell him. "It motivates me to work hard leveling up and not fall behind. That way you can keep fighting alongside him." I wink at him.

"My lady, I am uncertain what you are conveying to Vincent, but I assure you I am merely a student of dark magic. Naturally, Vincent may continue to fight alongside me—I hold him in high regard."

Vincent smiles a bit awkwardly hearing this. Sometimes Ronan talks to me as if the others aren't there. It's not like we're going to hold it against him, given his past.

For a moment, looking at the prince, I remember he's not the heir, that he's not the one destined in an otome to marry the heroine or the saint.

Good. He can do it with me. I've been clear for a while that my path isn't that of boring Bianca, count's daughter, personality-less friend of the villainess's sister with only a bit of earth magic at her disposal.

Dark queen? No, that's not it either.

But having a high nobility title as Vincent's wife wouldn't be bad, especially if I can give the goblins a home on our lands. And it would be even better to earn my own duchy in the games and thus, when an engagement is established between him and me, have it be on equal terms regarding social status.

Yes, I definitely have to finish first in the point rankings this year.

If I was competitive before, now my inner LoL player who wants to reach Diamond but is hard stuck in Gold has just awakened.

And don't let anyone come at me with that "you're a girl, stick to supporting an ADC and get carried" bullshit. Because I wanted to achieve it myself. Just like now.

I smile at Vincent.

I get it—it doesn't feel good when your teammates surpass you like that. But it's okay. Even if he's not super strong, he has two affinities. I'm sure Vincent would place in the top five this year even without my help.