The dungeons of Lake Kingdom's Zone 5 totaled five locations.
Including the abandoned coliseum, I had cleared them all.
In other words, I had finally acquired the new defense tower guaranteed to drop in Zone 5, which I had been eagerly awaiting.
I juggled the sky-blue scroll in my hand.
[Summon Scroll: Shield Turret
It seemed a bit odd that a game focused on defense would only now provide a new turret. But, strictly speaking, this isn't a tower defense game; it's a character defense game. Genre distinctions are important, I suppose.
Anyway, I headed to the Alchemist's Workshop to research the scroll.
The moment I presented a new summon scroll after such a long time, the Guild Master of the Alchemists wore a grin from ear to ear.
"Finally! When will the next scroll come? I was pining away in silence!"
"Eh, should've spoken up."
Since the tower summon scrolls are guaranteed drops by Zone, I could've casually mentioned when I might be able to provide another. But the Guild Master said that research would take about ten days, hurriedly snatched the scroll, and darted into the workshop.
I'm counting on you. The tower's quite good; I'd like to use it in the next stage if possible.
"How's it going, Lilly?"
Since I had dropped by the Alchemist's Workshop, I greeted Lilly as well.
Seated at her desk and working on artifact management documents, Lilly looked up and smiled at me.
"A civil servant's day is always the same, Your Majesty."
"If you need anything or find it tough, let me know. You do know how much I value you, right?"
This wasn't mere lip service. Lilly was a valuable colleague whom I had shared many experiences with since the early tutorial days.
"Uh, Your Majesty, then can I retire?"
"Say that one more time and you're promoted. Want more work?"
Lilly tossed out a familiar joke, and I reciprocated.
Lilly laughed so hard that she had to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye with a handkerchief. Gotcha!
"Ah, Your Majesty, may I ask you one thing?"
"Sure, go ahead and ask."
Lilly hesitated for a moment before asking in a small, timid voice.
"So, when is Godhand coming back? It feels like quite some time has passed since he left on a mission..."
I momentarily looked surprised before nudging Lilly's shoulder with a playful smirk.
"What's up? Worried?"
"No, no! What's there to worry about?"
Her face turning bright red, Lilly vigorously shook off my hand from her shoulder.
"I mean! What if he used the mission as an excuse to desert the frontline? I'm worried as the Senior Mage!"
"Hmm~"
"Elves are all like that! They toy with people's trust for their own benefit! They're the epitome of selfishness!"
I chuckled at Lilly, who was squawking out of embarrassment. She could have just been straightforward about her worries.
"..."
But, I couldn't give a straightforward answer myself.
It was a fact that the Shadow Squad had exceeded their expected return time.
They had gone past the time of return I had anticipated.
'Could an unexpected event have occurred?' I wondered.
The Shadow Squad had gone to the Bringar Duchy to convey my proposal to the Duchess Dragon Lady.
I was inwardly confident.
Confident that the Dragon Lady would positively consider my proposal. And confident that Godhand and the Shadow Squad would successfully execute their covert mission.
The former was based on my experience from 742 game cycles. Given her defeat in the Bringar Duchy, the Dragon Lady had no other retreat but the southern front here.
At least, she wouldn't try to screw me over.
The latter was because I had assessed the capabilities of Godhand, Bodybag, and Burnout. With their skills, re-entering and escaping the Bringar Duchy should be a breeze.
However.
'They're taking too long.'
I lightly bit my lower lip.
Could something have happened? Or did they actually betray me and leave, just as Lilly said? They were originally spies from the Imperial Family after all...
'After entering the Bringar Duchy, even Aider's monitoring system stopped working... and the status is showing as unknown...'
Lost in thought,
"Your Highness?"
Lilly asked with concern. I immediately put on a smile and waved my hand.
"Don't worry too much. They'll definitely come back."
I still remembered the sacrifices and dedication of the Shadow Squad members.
I still trusted them.
"When they return, let's grill them on why they were so late."
"…"
Lilly, who had been blinking silently, finally smiled and replied,
"Yes. Make sure to include me in that."
***
The Forge.
I approached the dwarf blacksmith who was pounding on some metal, laying on his bed near the furnace of his workshop.
"Kellibey, how have you been? Wow, you're working even while lying down?"
"Ah, the young Prince. You've come at a perfect time."
Kellibey deftly spun the bed around and rolled up to me.
"You were on the back of Jormungandr, battling those werewolves, right? Got an idea while doing that. Made some equipment that could be helpful in beating them."
"Oh really? What is it?"
Werewolves didn't have a specific weakness.
The closest thing was that silver weapons could do extra damage, but not significantly so.
I was just thinking about reusing the silver weapons made during Stage 5, but did he create something else?
"Take a look!"
What Kellibey presented was... the grappling hook launcher used during the battle against Jormungandr.
"This is the grappling hook launcher, right? It was made for easier navigation on Jormungandr's back."
"Yes. I modified it slightly. Instead of the grappling hook, like this…"
Kellibey detached the grappling hook and attached a large silver stake in its place.
"Attach a silver stake! And with a little adjustment to the output!"
"Huh?"
"Voila! A one-time-use silver stake launcher! If you shoot this at the werewolves' backsides?"
Thwack!
The fiercely launched silver stake shot through the air and embedded itself in the wall.
"See? The silver stake gets shot out powerfully!"
"Wow…"
I wondered how much he had adjusted the output; the launcher's arm part was cracked and worn after the stake was fired.
"However thick their hides might be, this can punch holes right through them."
"So it's for close-range combat?"
"Exactly. The farther away you are, the less damage it does. But at close range, it can deal lethal damage."
Werewolves are resilient but don't have high regenerative abilities.
In situations where werewolves get up close, using it could inflict significant damage; it'd serve as an excellent emergency measure. I nodded my approval.
"Sounds good. It's suitable as an additional weapon for emergencies. It's also a way to repurpose the equipment we made before."
"Heh, heh, this old man may be aged, but my creativity still shines, you know?"
"Of course. You're a renowned craftsman after all."
As I played along, Kellibey's pride seemed to inflate. Ah, such an easily pleased person.
"I'll modify the existing grappling launchers to dart launchers and order some more. Please oversee the project, Master Blacksmith."
"Hmph. Just leave it to me."
"I'll be going on a dungeon expedition tomorrow. Could you prepare ten by tomorrow morning?"
"Alright. I'll have them delivered to the Lord's residence by tomorrow morning."
As we were exchanging these words, a young boy ran past the workshop carrying a heavy load.
It was Hannibal, the newly hired N-rank boy mercenary.
Upon spotting me, Hannibal respectfully placed his load down and greeted me.
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
"Mm, good job."
Bowing deeply, Hannibal quickly picked up his load again and hurried off.
Despite sweating profusely, he moved quickly without showing signs of fatigue.
I gestured toward Hannibal and asked Kellibey.
"How's the new assistant I got you? Is he useful?"
"Hannibal? Oh yes. He's sharp as a tack. Teach him one thing and he figures out three or four more... Reminds me of myself when I was young."
Unwittingly, I found myself imagining a young Kellibey.
Hmm... a young dwarf... Did he have a beard back then too? Was his hair lush?
"But he seems to be hiding something."
Kellibey stroked his beard, emitting a thoughtful hum.
"Well, as long as he's smart, obedient, and efficient, it doesn't matter to me."
Hiding something?
I looked at Hannibal, who was diligently scurrying about. What could such a young kid be hiding?
"…"
Suddenly, I recalled the incident with Camus from yesterday. Camus had also been harboring a secret. I felt a bitter taste in my mouth.
Everyone has secrets.
As a commander and a lord, what actions should I take to ensure that each mercenary's individual secrets don't become detrimental to the front?
"You look like you're trying to carry the weight of the world. Lighten up, young man!"
Lost in thought, I was jolted back to reality by a slap on the back from Kellibey. Staggering a bit, I forced a smile and asked,
"Kellibey, can I borrow some of your wisdom?"
"Huh? Sure. I've lived several times longer than you, so I should be wiser, no? What's on your mind?"
I briefly explained the situations I faced yesterday—about Camus, Reina, and Junior.
My worry about future conflicts that would inevitably arise weighed heavily on me.
"How can I prevent fights like this from happening in the future?"
At that, Kellibey chuckled.
"Prevent them? That's impossible."
"What do you mean?"
"You're not a god, kid. You're just a greenhorn commander. It's impossible for you to know the intentions or hidden thoughts of every subordinate and prevent mishaps based on that. All you can control is their actions."
I blankly listened to Kellibey's words.
"Look, what good is it if I craft the finest sword in the world, but the fools who wield it end up chipping its blade, ruining its balance, bending it, and breaking it? Should I then say, 'Ah, if I knew you'd handle the sword like this, I would've reinforced this part more'?"
"So, what would you say?"
"I wouldn't say a damn thing! Will the sword repair itself if I complain? I can only curse and fix the damaged parts."
Kellibey punctuated his point by slamming his hammer onto the workbench with a loud bang.
"What's going to burst will burst. As a commander, your role is to manage the aftermath clearly."
"..."
"Set principles. Stick to the rules. Be generous with rewards and decisive with punishments. Discipline those who mess up and reward those who prevent mishaps."
The old dwarf twirled his beard and chuckled.
"If the principles you set are robust, even if your fortress shakes, it won't fall."
"..."
"And if it does fall, shit, you fix it! What are you gonna do? Monsters are attacking all the time. Are you not going to fix it?"
Principles and rules...
Chewing on Kellibey's words, I received his parting remarks.
"Now, off you go, young commander! I have to craft ten silver bolt launchers, so I'm busy."
***
Evening.
For the past two weeks, the routine had been to gather the party members for a briefing and dinner before setting off on an expedition. Tonight was no different.
The exploration team remained the same.
The main party of four, excluding Junior, along with five members from Kuilan's Penal Squad. Verdandi would join us on-site, making it a total of ten.
"Tomorrow we're heading to Zone 6."
I began my explanation as I sketched a simple map of what lay beyond Zone 6 on the chalkboard.
Zone 6, also known as Depth 6.
This was where the true darkness of the Lake Kingdom unfolded, also referred to as the Demonic Realm.
"The Lake Kingdom is divided into two main areas: Zones 1-5, where the commoners are believed to have lived, and Zones 6-10, where the aristocracy presumably resided."
Although the aristocracy would have been fewer in number, paradoxically, the inner city area spanning Zones 6-10 was much larger.
Though it's called an 'inner city,' it seemed more like a wall within the city separating the living spaces of different social classes.
While we couldn't be certain about the social structure of the Lake Kingdom, the possibility that it had a grotesque setup was a tentative guess.
"The gate leading to Zone 6 is sealed. We have to break through it tomorrow."
I pointed to the narrow gate that led to the inner city.
Inner Gate Checkpoint.
That was the name of the dungeon we had to conquer tomorrow.
"This place isn't too high, but it's fortified with walls and designed in a way that favors the defenders. In other words..."
I grinned.
"This time, we're not playing defense in a siege battle, but launching an offensive siege."
At this unexpected revelation, surprise flickered across the faces of the party members.
That's right. Haven't we just been defending walls all this time?
'Sometimes, it should be fun to be the attackers and bring down the fortress!'