It was two days after Shin and Sherlene found the monster den that an emergency summons arrived from the royal palace .
“What happened?”
“It is probably related to the devil . ”
The messenger sent by the royal palace was whipping the horses in a frenzy, so they opted not to ask questions yet . He was trying to be prudent while traveling as fast as possible . If they distracted him, he might even cause an accident .
“Your guide is waiting for you . Please, do lend us your assistance . ”
After they somehow arrived at the castle, the messenger briskly saluted Shin and Schnee . They answered that they will do whatever they can and passed through the castle gates . The woman who would act as their guide approached them right away .
Shin and Schnee were led to the room where they had previously met king Kreunzeit . The guide quickly served them both tea .
“I am sure they have been notified of your arrival . Please wait here for a moment . ”
“Understood . ”
The guide had prepared tea and sweets before them, so Shin obliged without restraint . There were mainly cookie-like baked sweets with a couple other types mixed in .
“Pretty good, as expected of the royal palace . ”
“If you like them, I can make some at the hotel too . ”
“You know how?”
“I can pretty much tell, from the look and the flavor . Then I just need to make adjustments while baking . ”
“That’s amazing . ”
Level IX Cooking skills was nothing to snuff at . Thanks to visiting various countries and cities on official quests, Schnee had expanded her food repertoire .
“If you liked them, I’ll have someone give you the recipe later . ”
While Shin and Schnee were talking, Namsaar entered the room as somber and expressionless as ever . He addressed Shin in the same way as he had done to the king .
“Please, you mustn’t bother . Is there only you today, Mr . Namsaar?”
“Yes, why do you ask?”
Namsaar asked back to Shin, as if meaning to ask if that was a problem .
Normally, it would be extremely disrespectful for an average citizen like Shin to address the captain of the royal guards so casually . Namsaar himself had said to not use titles when talking to him however .
“No, I don’t have any problems with you, Mr . Namsaar . I heard it was an emergency summons, so I figured that it might have come from king Kreunzeit . ”
“It’s just information to be shared, so I’m more than enough . There is no need to put up appearances with you, sir Shin, as we must with the nobles . I’ll get on topic then . We have called you because a dungeon has been spotted about 2 kemel north of Erkunt . ”
“That’s pretty close . ”
“Yes, it is inside a forest, but it does not appear to be too deep . The knights said that they’ve never seen it before . ”
The location where the dungeon was found was in a place that Erkunt’s knights routinely patrolled . The forest was also visited often by adventurers on gathering or extermination quests: if a dungeon was present, it would be found immediately .
Namsaar added that the dungeon was not in a rarely visited location .
“Could it be related to the cave I found with Sherlene?”
“Probably so . The dungeon was found the day after the cave sighting, so I would be hard pressed to say the two are not related . There could have some sort of device or hidden mechanism, unknown to us . ”
Namsaar talked without changing expression, but he seemed to be in a foul mood . There had to have been something more behind a dungeon appearing close to the kingdom when it was preparing for a devil’s attack .
This dungeon was highly likely to be related to devils . Even if they just went to inspect it, they needed to be very careful . That was the reason why Shin and Schnee were summoned . They had enough skills to both sneak into or conquer it .
“The exploration party will be only me and Yuki?”
“No, like last time, you will be accompanied by Sherlene and some knights under her direct command . If the dungeon is connected with the devil, I am sure only Sherlene will be of use in battle, but the knights could prove useful to take care of small fry or watch the surroundings . ”
Shin found Namsaar’s words concerning, but chose not to say anything . Half baked strength was of little to no use against high level monsters . Even if they were powerful as average individuals, there was a limit to the monsters Sherlene’s knights could handle .
Shin chose not to say anything about it, though .
“Understood . Should we depart right away?”
“I had Sherlene and the others get ready . I would like you to join them and go . ”
Shin and Schnee were told that they were in the training grounds, so they were about to leave the room and go .
“Gah… . ”
They heard a lament behind them, however, and turned around . Namsaar was holding his head, a pained expression on his face .
“Are you okay?”
“No problem . Just light exhaustion . There are many arrangements to be done to advance the preparations against the devil attack . ”
Namsaar lightly shook his head, then returned to the usual stone-faced expression .
“It might be out of place for me to say, but you should rest when you can . ”
“… . I will think about it . ”
Namsaar replied to Shin’s words and left the room .
“As long as he doesn’t overdo it and collapses . ”
“Being a captain, I am sure he knows the importance of rest, but…I suppose we should mention it to Sherlene . ”
“Yeah, you’re right . ”
Schnee had a point . They wouldn’t go out of their way to openly worry that Namsaar was so overworked he risked not being able to fight when it was needed .
When they arrived in the training grounds, they noticed that Sherlene and her group were waiting, just as Namsaar had said . Sherlene was wearing a light armor with a red base color, just like before .
“Hello . Namsaar told us to join you for this expedition . ”
“Yes, I’ll be counting on you . Lady Yuki, I think this is the first time we have actually talked . I heard that you are much more skilled than your looks would suggest . I’ll be counting on your assistance too . ”
“I will do my utmost, as not to cast shame on Shin . ”
Schnee shook the hand Sherlene extended and nodded while smiling . Some of the knights who were watching were charmed and stopped in their tracks .
“Enough staring at lady Yuki, you lot! You have work to do!”
“Y-yes ma’am!! We shall do our utmost!!”
The knights exhibited a very sharp salute, then started moving again .
Shin felt sorry for the annoyed Sherlene, but he understood their feelings all too well .
Schnee was in a very good mood today, maybe because she could go together with Shin . Her expression clearly reflected her state of mind . Her bright smile would charm anyone: that’s why Shin nodded to the knights’ reaction .
“I see we are all ready . Let us depart for the dungeon in question then . ”
No monsters or thieves dared attack the group of armored knights armed with swords and lances . Thanks to the lack of actual battles and relative close distance, the group reached the dungeon in less than 30 minutes .
“The entrance is much wider than the previous cave . ”
“According to the soldiers we posted to observe the entrance, no monsters went inside . Though not much time has passed since it was discovered, so it could be a coincidence . ”
“It can’t be helped . Will you leave the knights here to guard the surroundings, like last time?”
“Yes, this time the explorers will be us three: Sir Shin, Lady Yuki, and myself . I believe the devil is definitely involved here . Nevertheless, we cannot concentrate all of our fighting power here . It’s rather troublesome . ”
All countries possessed more Chosen Ones than the number they made public . Shin thought that there had to be skilled fighters in Erkunt other than Sherlene, Fagall, and Namsaar .
Maybe they were either keeping them as a reserve or they weren’t as strong as Sherlene and Fagall . As they headed towards the entrance, Shin wondered why heroes who were supposed to be the kingdom’s trump cards, were used so proactively so often .
“I don’t like this presence…”
Sherlene’s expression turned sour .
Shin and Schnee felt the same, though not as much as Sherlene . There was a certain indescribable unpleasantness which they had not felt outside . It had approached them the moment they stepped in the dungeon .
“I thought this dungeon might be related to the devil, but it looks like we’ve hit the jackpot . ”
“What do you mean?”
Sherlene understood the meaning of Shin’s words after her question, as her expression showed .
“You don’t mean… . ”
“There’s a high chance there’s one here, in the lower floors . ”
It was the same in the game era . Dungeon fields where devils were present had the attribute of making players feel unpleasant . What Shin felt now though, was not so much a strong uneasiness as it was little more than a bad feeling .
“(This didn’t happen with Luxuria, so I had kind of forgotten . )”
“(That was probably because she is on friendly terms with humans . I can only feel hostility from this negative aura . )”
Shin and Schnee talked via Mind Chat .
Luxuria had no hostile intentions from the start . Instead, she wished to coexist with humanity . Schnee suggested that because of this, she didn’t release an aura that made others feel unpleasant .
“I guess we should get ready for the worst . ”
“Are we proceeding like this? Should we not call for reinforcements?”
“No, we can fight it now without risking casualties in the kingdom . It’s definitely better to defeat it here rather than let it go out . ”
Avaritia’s drain attacks had a very wide range . The damage would be incommensurable if it used them in a populated location . Dungeons might have been rife by monsters, but were the perfect battlefield to avoid human casualties .
“I see . In that case, I have no objections . Can you defeat it?”
“No need for concern . I always have anti-devil gear with me . ”
Shin then changed his equipment . In one instant, his attire turned into a shining full-body armor with silver and blue hues . Decorated with many thin, delicate ornaments, it looked like it was more suited for displaying than fighting .
The full-face helmet had a horn-like decoration extending towards the back; which gave the whole armor a strong impression of being poorly apt for battle . From the shoulders a dark blue mantle flowed down too . Paired with 『The Ark』 equipped at the waist, it really looked like what a holy knight would wear .
“Well…I am surprised again . ”
Seeing the person next to you turn into a knight straight out of a fairytale in an instant, was surely a surprise to behold .
“This is the anti-devil, anti-demon specialized gear, 『Holy Armor – Vanquisher of Evil』 . Just standing close to a person with it equipped reduces the effect of status ailments and debuffs released by devils and demons . Don’t you feel different?”
“It’s true, the unpleasantness I felt before is gone just by being close to you…I suppose this is your trump card?”
“That’s what I would like to say, but the devil surely expects us to come with this . Many warriors clad with this armor have slain devils in the past, after all . ”
“That’s true too . If we have a weapon so useful against devils, there would be no reason not to use it . ”
The armor’s grade was, of course, Ancient . It was strong enough on its own, but it also boosted attacks against devils . For them it was nothing but a bane of their existence . Shin was wearing it the first time he met Luxuria; she had casually remarked that she was scared, but she had to have really been quite terrified .
“We have an anti-devil lance for you Sherlene, will you use it?”
Shin had procured it, but not given it to Sherlene yet, so he used this opportunity to propose it .
“May I try to use it once? An anti-devil weapon sounds very appealing, but I am more familiar with this . ”
Sherlene then looked at the weapon she was holding .
“Of course . If it feels difficult to use, you can keep it as a sub weapon . ”
Changing the weapon you were familiar with with a new one just before fighting a powerful enemy was a decision that required a lot of courage . Being a warrior, Sherlene knew it well .
Sherlene wielded the 『Holy Lance Guildern』 Shin gave her and tried a few practice swings .
She didn’t look awkward at all in Shin’s eyes .
“How does it feel?”
“I’m almost shocked…it doesn’t feel quite like my usual weapon, but it is very easy to use . It will do nicely . I am going to use it this time . ”
Sherlene judged that if she used the lance in battle, there would probably be no problems .
“Let me give you this too then . This blue one is for protection, while this red one is for throwing . By the way, the one you have is for close combat . ”
Shin pulled out some cards as he explained, but Sherlene was completely lost . The reason was all the cards he showed had 『Holy Lance Guildern』 pictured on them . Just the color was different: there were 10 red and blue cards respectively .
“My apologies, Sir Shin, but…these are all the same weapon?”
“They are, but the magic enchantments attached are different . The blue ones are for protection: if you thrust it in the ground it will create a field that reduces status ailments and contact damage . The red ones are for throwing: they have aiming support and piercing boost attached . If it hits, it can cause continuous damage . The one I gave you first is for close combat, it boosts physical abilities and grants auto-recovery . The red and blue ones are generally one use only, so I’d advise against re-using them as weapons while fighting . ”
The different colors were meant to help not to confuse them . Not only Shin, but also other blacksmiths in the game applied these adjustments . Players did everything they could in order to defeat monsters in the most effective way possible .
“A-as expected of sir Shin…I will make good use of them . ”
Sherlene’s expression was extremely tense . She could only stiffly nod to Shin’s words of using Legend-grade weapons as “one time only” items .
“Should I launch a surprise attack with the usual set?”
“Yes, I’m sure the enemy is wary of us, but that will be very useful all the same . If you can, land a blow or two . ”
Schnee nodded and changed her equipment .
Her maid attire disappeared, with an anti-devil ninja outfit in its place .
Just like Shin’s equipment, it was anti-devil gear for ninjas, called 『Shinobi Gear – Vanquisher of Evil』 .
“This looks, quite, light . ”
Sherlene wasn’t sure how to react to Schnee’s transformation . It was to be expected: Schnee was now covered by a very thin, rubber suit like outfit . Arm guards, leg guards, kunai holders, item holders and other accessories . The pieces of armor “protecting” Schnee’s shoulders and waist could barely be called part of a ninja outfit .
Schnee’s body and curves were very accentuated, so even Sherlene found it difficult to look at her straight . Just like bikini armors, this outfit too was often described as “too much” by female players in the game .
Incidentally, the male version had the same design too, but very few ever talked about it .
While it might look like something from another genre of game, its stats and effects were exceptional .
It allowed the user to move with enough stealth to completely bypass a devil’s detection field and -against devils’ attacks- have more defensive power than even the 『Holy Armor – Vanquisher of Evil』 . The negatives of its looks were completely counterbalanced by the positives of its specs .
If you could stand to wear it, it would prove to be a real asset against devils .
“I will conceal my presence till we reach the devil, then . ”
“Yeah, leave the rest to us . ”
It would be too blatant to disappear in front of the devil’s eyes, so Shin agreed with Schnee’s proposal of hiding until they arrived .
As long as extremely powerful monsters did not appear, Shin and Sherlene would be enough .
“I wonder if lady Yuki does not feel embarrassed…?”
“It’s because only you and me can see her . If there were other knights around, she wouldn’t have shown herself like that . ”
Schnee didn’t care what people other than Shin thought of her, but she still had a sense of shame . As long as the devil didn’t go on a rampage outside the dungeon, Schnee wouldn’t risk showing herself to others like that, or so Shin thought .
“I see, I understand . Apologies, it was just…that stimulating . I ended up asking something unnecessary . ”
“No, I’ve seen it plenty of times and think about it too sometimes, it can’t be helped . ”
He had seen it in the game era already, but in this world Schnee wearing the 『Shinobi Gear – Vanquisher of Evil』 was something to behold indeed .
Shin then shook his head to erase the image of Schnee that had etched itself in his brain . They were going to fight a devil: no matter how much the anti-devil gear would help, they couldn’t afford to lower their guard .
“Shall we go then?”
Sherlene nodded and they moved . Her expression did not show the former confusion anymore . Fighting was her profession, after all, and she was quick to switch back to serious mode .
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