A few days later.
One week before the start of Stage 25.
I visited the blacksmith in Crossroad city with Lucas.
"Welcome, Your Highness, and Sir Lucas. We've been expecting you."
The head of the blacksmiths' guild greeted us with a bright smile.
"Your armor order is complete. This way, please."
In the center of the forge, a set of elegant teal armor was displayed. Other blacksmiths were giving it a final polish and buffing it with a cloth.
"This is the armor [Water Moon]. I can proudly say it's the finest piece I've made since becoming the head of this guild."
"Looks impressive."
"As per your request, we focused particularly on magical defense. But its physical defense is also formidable. You'll be satisfied once you try it."
The armor was custom-ordered for battles against magicians. We needed it to face the Lich Legion in the upcoming stage.
'The magic damage reduction rate is exceptionally high. It even has a low chance of reflecting magic.'
Inspecting the stats, I nodded in satisfaction. This should withstand a few of White Night's magical attacks.
"Lucas?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
I gestured to Lucas, who promptly tried on the armor.
It fit him perfectly, having been custom-made to his measurements.
The armor, lined with small armor plates, not only looked impressive but also boasted excellent stats.
Switching from his old armor to this, he looked like a completely different person. I suppressed a smile and motioned with my chin.
"How does it feel, Lucas, wearing the new armor?"
"At first, I was always happy to receive new armor, but recently, it's a bit sad."
Huh? Why sad about getting new armor?
As I looked at him quizzically, Lucas smiled bitterly.
"It's an item granted by you, my Lord, but it will be broken again."
"Ah."
Lucas had realized. No matter how cherished, armor is just armor. In the end, it's a consumable in battle.
I chuckled and patted his shoulder.
"As long as you're safe, that's what matters, right?"
"Indeed, my Lord."
"One day, you won't have to break your armor. The one you wear then, even if you want to change, you'll have to keep it for life. You might even miss these days of frequent changes."
Lucas smiled back at my joke. Then, I turned to the head of the blacksmiths' guild.
"To be honest, I underestimated the craftsmanship here... but I was wrong. It's excellent."
"Haha, if the comparison is with that Elder Dwarf artisan, it's inevitable. But the imperial armor-crafting techniques accumulated over hundreds of years are also not to be underestimated!"
Pleased with our satisfaction, the head of the guild beamed.
"While it's a joy to make equipment for regular soldiers, creating such high-end gear that fully utilizes our skills is also delightful. Please entrust us with more orders, Your Highness."
"I'll be sure to."
Leaving the forge, we headed straight to the teleport gate in the back yard of the Lord's mansion, making our way to the base camp. Arriving at the Kellibey's forge, we saw Kellibey fitting Torkel with new armor.
"Raise your arms, come on, hurray!"
"Uh, hurray..."
"No need to actually shout it, just stretch your arms up!"
Torkel seemed uncomfortable with the situation of someone else dressing him in armor.
But the newly ordered armor [Great Mountain], true to its name, was very heavy and covered the body completely, making it impossible to put on alone.
Lucas and I stood back for a moment, watching Torkel getting fitted into his new armor.
Once Torkel had donned the heavy armor made from the magic core of the Gorgon sisters, he almost looked like a walking small mountain, or perhaps a section of a fortress wall.
His entire body was encased in thick, rock-like armor, leaving no gaps. Since the helmet, gloves, and boots were all made of the same material, there was a concern about whether he could move properly.
Not to mention the gigantic rectangular shield.
In the center of the shield, two eyes resembling the mystical gaze of the Gorgon sisters were frighteningly carved... Just a carving, right? It looked eerily real.
"Wow~ that's impressive, Torkel. But can you actually move in it?"
As I approached Torkel, who had finished putting on his armor, he surprisingly rotated his arms and legs with ease.
"It's heavy, but it doesn't hinder my movements."
"Of course! Who do you think I am? Do you think I'm a blacksmith who only cares about defense and makes armor ridiculously heavy? I maintain the sturdiness while making it as light as possible! I even applied weight-reducing magic everywhere! That's the kind of armor this is!"
Kellibey proudly exclaimed, bursting forth.
"This armor can withstand an hour of bombardment from the Crossroad Cannons! And that's not all! Because it uses the magic core of the mythical Gorgon sisters! The magical defense is outstanding!"
Lucas then muttered quietly.
"The magical defense of my armor is better."
"Eh? What was that, Sir Knight?"
"No, nothing... Ahem. It looks good on you, Torkel."
Lucas's blue eyes briefly flashed with jealousy, but oblivious Torkel, from within his helmet, kept making a sound like wind escaping in laughter.
"That's the thing. I wonder if I deserve such fine equipment..."
"Your role is going to be even more critical from now on, Torkel."
I grimaced, watching the overjoyed Torkel.
Getting good armor ultimately meant one thing.
It meant to take a lot of beating at the front. In a way, Torkel was destined for an even tougher and more dangerous path ahead.
But Torkel nodded happily.
"That's exactly what I wanted, Your Highness. Throw me into the harshest, most intense battlefields. With this armor, this shield, I will protect my allies."
"Ah... that's truly a statement befitting a tank, Torkel."
I unknowingly wiped under my nose, moved by his words.
Lucas kept pursing his lips as if envious of Torkel's armor... But hey, you got new armor too. And you and Torkel have different roles. You're a mobile DPS tank, Torkel's a pure stationary tank. Okay?
I led the two knights, now clad in new armor, deeper into the dungeon.
We've been using Soya and Black Night to deal with the difficult monster legions, and to clear the tough dungeons.
And as it became easier to defeat the monster legions and clear dungeons, we used our heroes' spare strength to turn all dungeons up to Zone 5 into our territory through conquest.
Today was the day to conquer the last dungeon in Zone 5.
As we entered the entrance of the dungeon room, all the party members were already prepared for battle.
"Oh, both of your armors look quite impressive."
Evangeline, who had been leading the other party members in my absence, smiled slyly.
"Well, it's still a bit less than my [Snow White]!"
"..."
"..."
Lucas's face flashed with annoyance, and Torkel seemed like he wanted to say something but just hesitated.
The three of them spread out their bodies as if showing off their armor, puffing out their chests unnecessarily. Acting like peacocks showing off their tail feathers... What are you guys doing...
"Ahem, ahem! Ahem!"
Kuilan, seemingly not wanting to be left out, cleared his throat and fluttered his leather cape... Stay out of the heavy armor competition, leather armor. It would be a headache if you joined in too.
Ignoring the tension between the vanguard characters over their armors, I surveyed the rest of the heroes. Everyone seemed in good spirits, but I noticed five particularly tense figures.
They were none other than the five members of the Gambler's Club.
Their tension wasn't due to fear of the upcoming battle but because all five were on the verge of awakening.
Probably, after today's conquest battle, they would all reach level 50 and awaken their ultimate skills. Realizing that the time of their awakening was near, they were instinctively tense.
'I've been pouring all the spare experience points into you guys. It's time to show your worth, kids!'
With that thought, I walked to the center of the dungeon room, holding a plain black flag in my right hand.
After preparing to declare the conquest, I turned around.
All the heroes under my command nodded as our eyes met. No need to verbally confirm if we're ready, we're past that stage now.
"This place is..."
I shouted energetically and planted the flagpole into the ground.
"The very frontline of the world-!"
Whooosh!
My ultimate skill [The Foremost Flag] activated, and walls of magical energy rose up on all sides.
And simultaneously,
[The conquest battle will soon begin.]
The final conquest battle of Zone 5 began.
***
The conquest battle ended without a hitch.
We successfully repelled the monster waves and conquered this dungeon.
Now all dungeons up to Zone 5 are under my control. Though the dungeons in Zones 1 to 5 are on a smaller scale and lower level compared to those in Zones 6 to 10...
Still, numerically, it's a conquest of half the dungeons! A significant achievement, this!
And, I also successfully retrieved the [Princess's Soul Fragment] from the last dungeon of Zone 5.
"..."
I held the accumulated soul fragments in my hand and looked at them intently. Quite a lot had gathered since I last handed them to Nameless.
'Will returning these improve Nameless's condition?'
I remembered Nameless bound in chains of darkness.
'Of course, giving these to her will improve her condition a bit...'
A premonition hit me.
This wasn't a fundamental solution.
How can I help Nameless not to become the final boss...?
"Phew! So is that the end for today?"
Evangeline, having removed her [Snow White] armor, wiped the sweat from her forehead refreshingly.
Lucas and Torkel, who had been holding the line together, also started to breathe a sigh of relief and began their maintenance.
The trio, shining in their new armors, had made significant contributions today. Most monsters couldn't get past these three and were utterly defeated.
"Ahem, ahem! Ahem?"
Kuilan, seemingly trying to assert his presence with a fake cough, looked a bit out of place... He wasn't in his beast form but in human mode, looking like a lost fish... I had deliberately adjusted his position so he could fight softly from behind.
"But Senior, I've been wondering about something!"
As we were collecting items from the dead monster bodies and preparing to return,
Evangeline, approaching me as I was retracting the magical walls, tilted her head and asked.
"When did the activation phrase for your... fortress summoning technique change?"
"Huh?"
"Why, before you used to say 'I declare this land as the territory of the Empire~!' It was really cool, but suddenly you changed it to 'This is the frontline!'"
I felt a bit embarrassed. She had been paying attention to that? It felt a little embarrassing.
My ultimate skill, [Imperial Edict], had evolved into [The Foremost Flag]. It had several added features, but there was another crucial difference.
"...Because my flag is not the flag of the Everblack Empire."
I explained slowly.
"My flag represents all those who strive to protect the world, standing at the very forefront."
The monster front is no longer the southern front of the Everblack Empire. This place is the forefront of the World Guardian Front, defending the entire world.
That's why the name of my ultimate skill changed, as did the activation phrase.
After all, skills and ultimate abilities are just tools I possess. It's natural for them to change according to my values and beliefs.
Evangeline narrowed her eyes as she listened to my explanation.
"Hmm?"
"...What? Why? What?"
Why are you sending such a cryptic look my way, junior?
"No! It's just that, sometimes you say things that sound like they come straight out of a hero's tale, without batting an eye, and..."
Oops?! My face flushed.
"Wh-Wh-What's the problem with that?!"
"Absolutely none. Everyone actually likes that about you."
Evangeline smirked playfully. The other party members snickered too. Hey! Stop teasing your lord, you rascals!
Shaking off their gazes, I headed towards the five members of the Gambler's Club, who had been relegated to a corner of the battlefield.
The five gamblers didn't just spectate; they all clumsily wielded weapons and joined the fight.
Though they suffered minor injuries, all five of them had a sparkle in their eyes, brighter than usual.
Finally.
All five members of the Gambler's Club had successfully reached level 50 this time.
"Great, Gambler's Club! As soon as we return, come to the lord's mansion. We'll review the newly awakened skills and reassess the strategy I previously ordered."
"Yes!"
The five members of the Gambler's Club responded energetically. Now that's more like a response befitting heroes under our command, not just gamblers.
"...So, my lord."
Watching the five members of the Gambler's Club retreat for maintenance, Lucas cautiously asked.
"What exactly is the strategy you've instructed for those members of the Gambler's Club? And which of the two White Nights have you chosen to target, and how do you plan to defeat them?"