"How long do you plan on calling me junior?"
Evangeline queried, a crease appearing between her brows. I answered with a nonchalant shrug.
"What's wrong? Don't like being referred to as junior?"
"It sounds like you're poking fun at me..."
"Well, you can always call me senior in return."
"...Huh?"
"Refer to me as senior. I'm from the 369th batch of the Royal Academy, and you're from the 375th. We are indeed senior and junior, aren't we?"
On hearing my earnest request, Evangeline seemed slightly taken aback.
"Am I allowed to call you that?"
"Why not? Feel free to address me as such, junior~"
After a moment of hesitation, Evangeline took a deep breath.
"...Fine. It's not common to address a royal this way."
She inhaled sharply, then spoke.
"From this point on, I'll refer to you as senior. I'm relying on you... Se, Senior."
She managed to get the words out, her tiny fists balled up as if she were grappling with embarrassment. I let out a soft chuckle. If my actions could provide even a modicum of comfort to her, it would be worth it.
Let's tread lightly and build a friendship.
Just then, Lucas, who had been trembling slightly behind me, piped up.
"Hold on, Your Highness!"
"What's up now?!"
Was it because the term senior seemed too casual? Was Lucas throwing a fit?
"That's not fair!"
That wasn't it...
I held my throbbing head.
"What exactly is not fair to you...?"
"I want to call you senior too!"
"But, we're classmates..."
"Then, classmate!"
"No, forget that. Just stick to Your Highness or Lord."
"Your Lordship? Lord? Hmm, Lord..."
Lucas savored the word Lord in his mouth.
"I prefer Lord, Your Lordship."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes, Your Lordship!"
"Call me whatever suits you."
He seemed to be getting a bit carried away. The continuous battles must be taking a toll on him. I'll need to manage his battle stress.
"Oh my dear classmate~ Oh my dear country~"
Jupiter was nursing a bottle of whiskey and humming some odd tune from behind. Quiet down, old lady.
"Well, then..."
As the commotion around my title was settling down, Damien asked in a tentative tone.
"What should we call Evangeline...?"
"For now, please address me as 'Miss'."
Evangeline awkwardly twirled a lock of her hair as she mumbled.
"I was referred to in that manner while growing up here... yes."
Being the Lord's daughter, she must have been called Miss by the locals.
I tried picturing a younger Evangeline.
Her toddling around the town, locals affectionately calling out "Miss!" "Miss Evangeline!"... The thought was endearing.
"I'm Damien. I serve as a sniper and a healer. Nice to meet you, Miss Evangeline."
Damien greeted her with a gentle smile.
"I'm Jupiter, a lightning wizard. You're about the same age as my granddaughter, Miss Evangeline. Quite a darling, I must say."
With a warm, grandmotherly smile, Jupiter chimed in. Don't let her fool you! That old woman is a penny pincher at heart!
"...It's Lucas."
Spitting out his name with brevity, Lucas widened his eyes and added,
"You. Jerk."
"..."
Evangeline responded, her expression fiery.
"Pleasure to see you again. You. Twit."
"..."
"..."
A palpable tension flowed between the two frontline knights.
One might assume people within the same field would understand each other and get along, but on the contrary, could they be rivals, vying for the same position...?
"Alright, let's delve into the specifics about our team as we move along. For now, let's get going. Junior."
Positioned between colleagues and juniors, I threw an arm around the shoulders of both.
As Evangeline looked up at me with surprised eyes, I flashed her a playful grin.
"I'll show you the hidden treasures of your own hometown!"
No, no, I should not be treating this like a thrilling ride at an amusement park!
***
[Now Loading...]
[Tip - The NPCs you encounter in the dungeon can either become allies or enemies based on your decisions. Make good use of the NPCs for a smooth journey!]
***
After glancing through the usual, uninformative tip text,
Once the teleportation loading was complete, we found ourselves in a dungeon beneath the lake.
[Section 1: The Dried Sewer]
Our current location flashed before my eyes.
Section 1, an area I had already navigated. A dried-up sewer. The familiar scene of the sewer stretched out before us.
"Your Highness?"
Lucas, seeming perplexed, queried.
"Isn't this a zone we've already explored? Why revisit?"
"We could proceed directly to Section 2, but with new members joining our party, I thought it best to familiarize ourselves in a less challenging environment."
"Do you mean to suggest monsters have reappeared here?"
"Indeed. Every time we fend off a defense battle, this dungeon fills back up with fresh monsters."
Monsters 'accumulate' in the dungeon beneath the lake. As time passes, they completely fill the dungeon, and eventually 'overflow' beyond the lake's confines.
The purpose of a defense stage is to repel these overflowing monsters.
Once the dungeon is emptied like this, the next wave of monsters begins to populate the dungeon.
The dungeon goes through this cycle of monster infestation and expulsion continuously.
'In simple terms, after a defense battle, monsters respawn in the dungeon.'
Thanks to the respawning monsters, leveling up and item farming can be perpetuated.
Particularly in the initial sections, the threat posed by the monsters is minimal, making it a great spot to consistently deploy sub-parties for leveling.
The main party serves as the strategy group. They explore the dungeon, carve paths to deeper sections, eliminate bosses, and advance events.
The sub-party functions as the farming group. They revisit already explored areas, increase their levels, and collect items dropped by monsters.
The fundamental approach to exploration involved role division and careful navigation of the dungeon.
'Even though we're the main party.'
To acclimate ourselves with the new party dynamic and provide Evangeline time to adjust to the dungeon, we decided to revisit Zone 1, the simplest of them all.
And so, we returned.
"Ughhh!"
Evangeline was leaning against the wall, retching...
"Oh dear, miss. Are you alright?"
Jupiter gently patted Evangeline's back.
"I didn't realize one could get motion sickness from teleporting..."
Upon hearing my groan, Lucas coldly mumbled.
"I've never witnessed anyone actually suffer from it before."
Well, naturally. This was my first time experiencing teleportation after all.
"I... I'm... okay..."
Evangeline, her face a ghastly pale, wiped her lips. No, she didn't seem okay in the slightest.
"But to think... such a place truly exists..."
Evangeline looked around.
Structures, starkly contrasting the architecture on the surface, spread out in every direction.
"Do you think I would lie to you?"
I spread my arms wide, welcoming them cheerfully, akin to a tour guide.
"Welcome to the dungeon beneath the lake, the remnants of an ancient magical kingdom."
"How did you come to know of this place, senior? Even I, a member of the Cross family, was oblivious to it."
Ah, I expected you would ask. I had my explanation ready.
"I can't divulit everything. But, do you think the emperor would dispatch me to the frontline here without reason?"
"...!"
Evangeline and the rest of the party looked shocked, yet they seemed to accept the explanation.
'In truth, it bears no connection to the emperor.'
I found myself momentarily thankful for Ash's father, whom I had never met.
The emperor's name holds immense sway in this empire.
It serves as a rational justification wherever it's invoked.
'If the emperor decreed, they'd believe even if red beans were to be transformed into soybean paste.'
No, if the emperor indeed declared that, the empire would genuinely commence research on how to transform red beans into soybean paste and eventually produce it.
Regardless, I managed to scrape through with a vague explanation.
After briefly elucidating the dungeon's structure and its connection to defensive battles to Evangeline.
Once her motion sickness somewhat eased, we began to progress forward.
"Everyone, lights on."
As we exited the safe zone, an oppressive darkness engulfed us.
Hisssssss...!
While the others adeptly ignited their torches or lanterns to ward off the darkness, Evangeline recoiled in surprise.
"Ah! What, what is this darkness?!"
"You'd best get accustomed to it, junior. This entire dungeon is shrouded in such darkness."
I grinned at Evangeline, who hesitantly retreated.
"If the darkness unnerves you, would you like to turn back now?"
"...! Don't, don't mock me. This is nothing!"
Evangeline hoisted her torch high. She was petite, so it flickered at my eye level. Nonetheless, it appeared she was ready.
We made our way into the desiccated sewer.
[Section 1: The Dried Sewer]
- Progress to Clear: Normal Room 0/4
There was no boss room to conquer, the previous raid having already taken care of that. We had also secured all the treasure chests at that time.
All we had to do now was deal with the monsters that regenerated inside the dungeon.
"Lucas, take point. Damien, you're up next, watching our front. Jupiter, you're in the middle, casting magic. I'm fourth, with Evangeline holding up the rear."
As I issued these orders, the party members promptly fell into line, all except for Evangeline.
"Wait a minute, I'm a shield knight! I should be at the front...!"
"Evangeline."
I interrupted her, my tone chilly.
"There's one rule I neglected to mention. In the field, the chain of command rests solely with me."
"...!"
"This is the den of these monsters. One misstep could mean the end. If you want to defy or dispute, leave. Otherwise, obey my orders without question."
"..."
"So, what's your decision?"
"...I'll follow."
Evangeline raised her bowed head.
Her small face regained its composure. Once childlike, now there was a trace of the knight about her.
"I apologize for my previous childishness. I thought maybe I was being underestimated due to my youth and stature, so..."
"The rear guard is just as crucial a role as the front. In this gloom, we can't predict where the enemies might emerge. You're tasked with safeguarding our rear. Don't minimize the significance of your role."
"Yes."
"More importantly, I don't gauge your value by your looks."
This might seem odd, but my attention is always fixated on the system window.
What I trust is not your physical appearance, but your stats displayed on the system window.
It's incredibly amazing.
"Whether you're tall or short, old or young, it's irrelevant. I trust in your proven abilities."
With her lips tightly sealed, murmuring something under her breath, Evangeline quietly nodded.
"So, as long as you're part of my party, I'll position you where you're most needed. Follow my lead, without complaint."
"Yes, senior."
"Great, let's move!"
Evangeline took her place at the tail of our formation. At long last, the five of us began our forward march.
We navigated a twisting passage and arrived at the threshold of the first room. I took a deep breath and charged into the room, throwing caution to the wind.
"What will be this season's monster~!"
Thud!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
As we infiltrated the room, colossal forms detached from the four walls and began to lumber towards us, their feet reverberating with each step.
A massive creature comprised of earth and minerals, a magic core emitting a faint glow from its chest.
"It's a golem..."
A system window promptly materialized before me.
[Dried Sewer - Room 1]
- Wipe out all the enemies!
- Lv.6 Rock Golem: 4 units
The monster we must vanquish in this dungeon exploration, and the monster horde we must confront in the subsequent defense stage, is indeed, the golems.
"'What a damn mess we've stumbled into now...'"
Golems fell under the category of large monsters. These huge bastards were charging at us in a pack.
I cursed under my breath, even as my party members formed a defensive circle around me.
It seemed that each of us would have to take on one golem. I clapped my hands together in approval.
"Alright, everyone. Shall we show them what we're made of?"
Lucas drew his sword, and Damien took aim with his crossbow. Jupiter conjured lightning in her hands, and Evangeline...
Gulp!
She positioned her shield forward, swallowing loudly enough for all to hear.
She seemed unaccustomed to real combat. A hint of nervousness showed on her face.
Observing the young prodigy's side profile, I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Let's mine these rocks! Take them down gently!"
At my shout, the four members of the party and the four golems launched into attacks against each other.