“Oh! Alexander! Are you hurt anywhere? That was so terrifying, Alexander!”
A woman suddenly jumped out of the carriage.
Her hair was blonde and styled in rolls, and her dress screamed, ‘I’m a noble!’ to anyone who saw it.
The name displayed on the screen read ‘Blonde Noble Lady.’
“It was really scary! Suddenly, the harpies appeared and snatched you away. And when all the attendants were killed, I thought there was no way out! But do you know what scared me the most? That you might have died. It hurt my heart so much, Alexander!”
The noble lady hugged the man, pouring out her emotions passionately.
“But was this always the script for the dungeon?”
“Right? Why is it so long?”
Gobori and Rose exchanged puzzled looks.
Was something different?
[Oh! Alexander! You’re alive! That’s such a relief!]
It was indeed different.
On the screen, only a few brief lines appeared, but inside the dungeon, the noble lady endlessly expressed her feelings.
The drawn-out acting was somewhat exhausting.
“Thank you once again. Thanks to you all, the noble lady was able to escape unharmed.”
“Thank you for saving us! But Alexander is hurt too… Would it be alright to ask for an escort? Just to the city, hero!”
The man and the noble lady asked.
[★★ White Paladin Order Recruit’s……]
[★★ White Paladin Order Recruit Lv. 2]
[★★ White Paladin Order Recruit → Lv. 3]
[★★ White Paladin Order Recruit Lv. 24]
[★★★ Indomitable Sword Stalker’s……]
[★★★ Indomitable Sword Stalker → Lv. 46]
[★★★ Indomitable Sword Stalker → Lv. 47]
[★★★ Indomitable Sword Stalker → Lv. 48]
[★★★ Sane Explosomaniac’s……]
[★★★ Sane Explosomaniac Lv. 44]
[★★★ Sane Explosomaniac Lv. 45]
[★★★ Sane Explosomaniac Lv. 46]
[★★★★ Rose Fairy’s……]
[★★★★ Rose Fairy Lv. 46]
[★★★★ Rose Fairy → Lv. 47]
[Mission Clear!]
[+810 Gold]
[Pet Bonus!] [+190 Gold]
[Pet Bonus!] [+180 Steel Shard]
[+1 General Card]
With that, the dungeon was cleared.
Thud!
“Oh! Congrats on your first dungeon! You fought pretty well for such a tiny body!”
“Good job. Your tireless effort was impressive.”
Back on stage, the heroes praised her.
“Thank you. I didn’t do much.”
Tia blushed at the compliments.
But judging by what had just happened…
Tia didn’t know how to take care of herself.
Had she fought like that her entire life until she died?
I felt a twinge of pity.
“Did you manage? You held up well.”
I asked, watching Tia for a moment.
She smiled, fingering her shield.
The shield was scratched from taking so many hits, but still, Tia’s spirit was unbroken.
“Of course. And… feel free to speak casually around me. I’m in my first year at Valhalla now. Treat me like an easy-going junior.”
Her eyes sparkled as she nodded.
Hadn’t I said I was two days in?
Well, it’d be awkward if I said anything now.
“Alright. I look forward to working with you.”
“Yes, Captain Seed.”
She dropped the formal speech and immediately marched out.
[Lv. 51: Aello the Gale of the Dry Hill]
Thud!
“This area looks safe! Follow me! I’ll take point!”
Alexander greeted me as I entered the dungeon.
He was moving forward with two NPCs.
“Ah! My leg!”
Suddenly, the noble lady staggered and fell.
“Miss! Lean on me. You must be shaken up. Don’t worry.”
“Thank you, Alexander. You’re the only one I can count on.”
“Don’t mention it.”
The noble lady snickered as she leaned on Alexander.
It was… a little creepy.
“Hyaak! There!”
“Kill them! Hyaak!”
A flock of harpies swooped down.
Alexander drew his sword and shouted,
“Harpies! Protect the noble lady… Ugh! That old injury again!”
“Alexander! Hero! Please protect us! Hero!”
A couple yelled desperately.
Had Alexander not recovered from his previous injury?
I tapped Rose and pointed at Alexander.
“Rose.”
“Hm?”
“Can you help with healing? He looks hurt badly.”
“Ah, him? I can’t heal him! It’s for the story progression!”
“For story progression?”
“Yeah! Even users complain about that. Remember last time when the key wasn’t sold? There are lots of Easter eggs that can be overridden, but many aren’t. Most are because the story is set in stone.”
“Ah, set in stone?”
I accepted Rose’s explanation.
Like when we went to the Overlord and Orc dungeons last time?
I thought the orcs would surrender upon seeing the Overlord, but nothing happened.
It was the same now.
[Lv. 51 Blue-winged Harpy defeated.]
[Lv. 51 Blue-winged Harpy defeated.]
Crack! Thud!
“Hyaak!”
“Ugh!”
We subdued the harpies as they flew in.
Rose bound them with roots and finished them off easily.
They were simple foes once the strategy was known.
“Ugh! It’s not over yet! Their leader is coming! Be careful!”
Alexander shouted, staring into the air.
Whoosh!
A small whirlwind came flying from across the field.
The whirlwind was a harpy that seemed to create a vortex by spinning its body.
“Hyaak! Calling me out because of such trash! What a pain! Hyaak!”
The harpy emerged from the whirlwind.
[Boss: Aello the Gale] Lv. 51
Aello the Gale.
Some kind of mid-boss?
“Go! Take out the trash!”
“Hyaak!”
“Ugh!”
At the leader’s command, the harpies swooped down.
“Tia! Take the one on the left! Gobori! Provide cover!”
“Yes!”
“Got it!”
[Lv. 51 Blue-winged Harpy defeated.]
[Lv. 51 Blue-winged Harpy defeated.]
Crack! Thud!
“Hiyak!”
“Gwah!”
Feathers scattered across the blue grassland.
“Phew, phew.”
Tia stared at the boss, soaked in blood.
Since she leveled up, she could easily handle normal monsters now.
“Krii…! So it comes down to me! Die! Hyaak!”
The leader harpy swooped in.
“Blade wind pattern! If you get hit by that, it hurts a lot!”
“Eek! Dodge! To the corner!”
Gobori and Rose panicked.
Whoosh! Hoo!
The harpy flapped its wings, creating sharp gusts like blades.
“EJOH!”
“Yeah!”
Tia and I blocked head-on.
Clang! Clang!
The sharp wind bounced off the shield.
Some wind sliced my leg, but the power was still bearable.
“You can hold it, right?”
“Of course!”
Tia answered confidently.
“Our rookie’s doing great!”
“Impressive!”
Rose and Gobori stayed behind for cover.
“Ugh! These relentless pests! I’ll take you all down at once! Die!!!”
The leader harpy soared up.
Then it spun, creating a whirlwind.
Its body was turning yellow.
“Unstoppable pattern!”
“Got it!”
A well-known unstoppable attack.
“Rose!”
“Yes!”
“When I signal, use Root Bind!”
“Huh? How are we supposed to catch that?”
“Don’t worry, I’ve thought this through!”
I answered Rose and charged forward.
“Senior!”
Tia was worried but it didn’t matter.
I had a plan.
“Shield Charge!”
[★★★ Indomitable Sword Stalker: Shield Charge Skill!]
Thud!
I collided head-on with the incoming whirlwind.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Sparks flew from the shield touching the vortex.
Neither the harpy nor I were pushed back, locked in a fierce contest of strength.
Bang!
“Hiyak! Dizziness!”
When the clash ended, the harpy staggered.
I raised my sword, aiming for its neck.
“Rose!”
“Root Bind!”
Crack! Crack!
Roots shot up at my signal.
Thick roots wrapped around the harpy’s ankles.
“Hiyak! Wait! Wait!”
[Lv. 51 Aello the Gale defeated.]
Crack!
I swiftly cut the stunned harpy down.
Feathers and tangled hair rolled on the ground.
[Mission Clear!]
[+840 Gold]
[Pet Bonus!] [+210 Gold]
[Pet Bonus!] [+190 Steel Shard]
[+5 General Cards]
The dungeon was cleared easily.
Tia’s level rose to 34.
Just 16 more levels for amplification.
[[★★ White Paladin Order Recruit] learned [★Light Heal] skill!]
“Oh?”
“Active skill! Congrats!”
Tia had learned a skill.
“What’s an active skill?”
“Ah! Some heroes get skills at certain levels! It happens sometimes! It’s common among magic users or supporters who rely heavily on skills!”
Gobori answered my question.
“Skill…!”
Tia looked a bit moved after gaining the skill.
[★Light Heal]
Restores a small amount of target’s health.
I checked Tia’s skill on the screen.
Come to think of it, even ‘The Priest’ had basic skills.
I hadn’t known at first, but the buffs used in the prologue were all basic skills.
Many heroes apparently start with skills.
Unlike us…
Rose narrowed her eyes and said,
“What’s with the look? You were just thinking, ‘Why doesn’t she have an active skill?’ Right?”
“No, I wasn’t!”
“Be careful! I can read you just by your eyes!”
Rose huffed irritably.
“Alright, alright, I’ll be careful.”
Her intuition was incredible.
“It seems like the harpies have a purpose! They’re not originally these monsters. Let’s get out of this plain quickly! I’ll take point!”
Alexander, fully healed, led the way across the plains.
Thud!
We returned to the stage.
With nothing major happening, we set out without rest.
[Lv. 53: Oquepete the Ascendant]
[Lv. 55: Celaeno of the Storm]
The next battles were the same as before.
Bosses blew wind with their wings, and only their colors changed in similar attack patterns.
I was happy getting five cards each time, but something felt lacking.
“Oh, Alexander. Why are you ‘Alexander’?”
“I don’t understand your question, miss.”
There was another oddity.
At first, I thought it was just dramatic acting, but the noble lady endlessly showed affection toward Alexander.
Affection that wasn’t displayed on screen.
“There’s something strange.”
I looked at everyone.
“What? What is it? Did you discover something else?”
“What is it?”
“What?”
Gobori, Rose, and Tia focused their attention.
I touched my chin and pointed at Alexander.
“The word ‘noble lady’ he uses. It’s originally a respectful term for the daughter of a superior. But he calls us ‘noble lady’ too and keeps saying it. Isn’t that incorrect? I think we should tell him.”
It was a question about Alexander’s use of the term ‘noble lady.’
“Ah, whatever. Users don’t care about that! They don’t mind the details of historical accuracy!”
“No, some users are quite particular. They complain about historical errors.”
“Those picky users are most likely otaku.”
“Wow! Apologize to those sensitive users!”
Rose and Gobori whispered back and forth.
When I caught Tia’s eye,
“Heh. I don’t really know about those things.”
Tia smiled playfully.
She seemed much more relaxed than before.
“We’re almost there! I can see the castle!”
Alexander spoke after a long walk.
A towering castle stood on the vast plain.
That must be the noble lady’s castle.
“Miss!”
“The lady has returned!”
“Alexander is with her! Everyone’s safe!”
“Wow!”
As we approached the gates, many people cheered.
It was the largest castle we had seen so far.
Of course…
It would burn down after this episode ended.
“Countess Fodarge is here!”
“Countess Fodarge is here!”
Soon, a woman appeared high atop the castle.
She had red hair piled up and heavy eye makeup, probably in her late 30s.
Her golden eyes carried a strange menace.
This was Countess Fodarge.
A witch who would transform into a dragon and burn the castle down.