Although he had gathered his will, he couldn’t simply be happy.
Thanks to Shazam, he had escaped this time, but Mai was waiting outside, filled with dissatisfaction.
If he went outside, it was obvious he would immediately be ambushed.
“Whether it’s the monster hunters or the surrounding forces, they’ve all been too careless.”
But with time running short, even regretting this felt like a waste.
‘Think about it… Just like how Shazam was called upon this time, there must be some exceptional method.’
Dahav rested his chin on his hand, sinking into serious contemplation like a wounded beast in a corner.
One minute, ten minutes passed. The clock hand was already more than halfway through, but he couldn’t come up with any brilliant idea and just watched time tick away.
Knock, knock—!
With the sound of knocking, Shazam’s voice was heard.
“The Lord says she won’t be available until tomorrow evening unless it’s urgent. What will you do?”
Since struggling alone right now wouldn’t bring any solution, Dahav decided to handle what he could for now.
“I’m going right now.”
He got up from his chair and opened the door.
“Yeah, what did you think after meeting her last time? Is she really as warm as they say?”
Recalling his first meeting, Dahav couldn’t agree that she was simply a warm person, as Shazam claimed.
She wasn’t the cold-blooded type that rumors portrayed either.
Moreover, Dahav, who considered himself the one who knew Alexandra best among the ASA players, felt no need to be tense even on the second meeting.
“Once you get past the initial hurdle, just maintain a reasonable level of focus without mistakes.”
Gathering his thoughts, Dahav followed Shazam’s back as they walked.
Though it felt like quite a distance, they arrived quickly.
“Hmm… from here on, you’ll have to go alone. The Lord wishes to see you privately.”
Anything is difficult only the first time; the second time is always easier.
Just as calmly as Shazam spoke, Dahav nodded with confidence.
At that moment, as if waiting for this, someone knocked on the door.
“Enter.”
Creak—!
Dahav stepped into the audience chamber, greeting respectfully according to etiquette, but Alexandra deliberately yawned.
“Ahem! The dazzling formal greetings we had last time are enough.”
“I sincerely appreciate Marquis’ consideration.”
“Don’t you understand? Formalities aren’t necessary. If you got it, skip them next time.”
Taken aback by the unexpected words, Dahav narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced at Alexandra.
“Definitely not unpleasant.”
A faint smile lingered on her lips as proof.
Still, as the saying goes, “test the waters before crossing,” so he stayed cautious.
Alexandra had to refrain from the worst disrespectful words and actions she might consider.
“By the way, I heard from Mendelson. You passed the exam remarkably well.”
Finishing her sentence, Alexandra extended her hand.
“What are you staring at so intently? Didn’t you come to show proof?”
Dahav, who had been busy mentally running calculations, suddenly snapped out of his daze and hurriedly took out the proof of passing.
“Here it is.”
“No mistake. To pass Mendelson’s exam in such a short time… Its almost suspicious.”
“I was just lucky.”
“If you weren’t properly prepared, no matter how lucky you were, you wouldn’t have caught it.”
“Thanks to Marquis’ sharp encouragement.”
Alexandra’s mouth curled just enough to be noticeable before returning to her usual indifferent expression.
She then threw a pair of gauntlets resting on the desk toward Dahav.
“Hmph, such words again. If that’s the case, take the promised reward.”
The gauntlets flew at a perfectly measured speed—not too slow or fast.
The insult and the gauntlets landed exactly in front of his hands as if tied with strings, and a message appeared before Dahav’s eyes.
Ping !
[Experience Points increased by 150,000.]
[Favorability with Alexandra increased by 10.]
[Additional Favorability increased by 5 for swiftly clearing the Quest.]
[Reputation within all territories under Alexandra’s control increased by 30.]
[Purified Gauntlets have been added to Inventory.]
[Follow-up Quest ‘Second Assignment of Alexandra’ has been unlocked.]
The message window vanished as Alexandra continued speaking.
“I acknowledge this time that your intention is genuine. But as I said before, if someone without ability appears before me, it’s nothing but a nuisance.”
Dahav spoke with a confident expression.
“I’m prepared to prove that as well.”
“That’s the attitude. Only then will I be able to trust you.”
Alexandra threw a blue scroll from the desk toward Dahav.
Like the gauntlets, it flew at a surprisingly perfect speed and position, making it easy to catch.
“Take these scrolls and go to Monk Tik at Ayumur Temple in Daru Milda. He will assign your second task.”
Ding—!
- Alexandra’s Second Assignment
- Rank: A
- Quest Details: Alexandra has developed some trust in you for splendidly clearing the first assignment. However, she still finds you lacking and wants you to prove that you are worthy enough to achieve your ambitions. Go to Monk Tik at Ayumur Temple in Daru Milda, complete the trial he sets, and obtain the certificate of passing.
- Rewards upon completion: 500,000 Experience Points, Favorability with Alexandra +15, Reputation within all territories under Alexandra +50, Purified Boots, Unlock Follow-up Quest ‘Third Assignment of Alexandra’
As Dahav read through the quest window, a shadow passed over his face.
The content wasn’t much different, but the problem was the location of the quest — Ayumur Temple in Daru Milda.
Daru Milda was one of the dungeon cities located at the far western edge of the Palestine Kingdom.
Considering Shinaga was at the eastern end, the western end was very far.
It would take about ASA in-game hours, which was about two days in real time, just to travel there.
Simply having to go to Ayumur Temple was a significant loss of time.
Yet Alexandra, determined as ever, turned her chair and gazed out the window while speaking.
‘So much time has already been wasted. There’s a lot to do, so if you have no business, you should leave.’
Though the time loss was inevitable, there was no other choice.
“Thank you for this opportunity. I will pass the trial as quickly as possible and visit you again soon.”
After a respectful bow, Dahav was about to leave the audience chamber.
Alexandra’s voice, sharp enough to pierce ice, stopped him.
“Are you planning to lie to me?”
Dahav quickly ran through the conversation in his mind to grasp the meaning behind Alexandra’s words.
But Alexandra was faster.
“Don’t you even know where the city with Ayumur Temple is?”
Understanding her intent, Dahav swallowed hard.
‘I don’t know the reason, but she’s testing me.’
It was a bit unfair to be caught on a minor slip-up, but any lame excuse would only make things worse.
Alexandra’s reputation for her personality was well-known.
Therefore, not even the smallest trick should be attempted.
“I understand it’s at the far west of the Palestine Kingdom.”
Alexandra, as if waiting, asked again.
“Yeah, it takes almost two weeks by royal courier. So claiming you’ll ‘soon’ visit me is a lie, isn’t it?”
Not knowing the exact answer, Dahav had only one option to choose.
“Sorry…”
He bowed his head to apologize, but Alexandra cut him off.
“Enough. Instead of apologies, try to find a way to keep your word.”
Dahav, having endured many harsh nights, knew this was no idle threat.
He understood Alexandra’s real intention and purpose behind her words.
Knowing this, he couldn’t help but nod.
“You’re right. But I don’t know how yet…”
“I will arrange for you to use the Great Teleportation back and forth for free through the royal palace ladies. Just keep your promise to visit soon. That’s the price for the service.”
Dahav’s eyes widened in surprise.
‘Great Teleportation?!’
It wasn’t that warp magic was impossible to get.
But the warp magic circles in the Auction House had limited capabilities; they couldn’t transport players, only objects.
On the other hand, the warp magic circles used by high-ranking nobles with immense power and authority were different.
They required strict conditions and a costly catalyst of about 10 gold coins, so not anyone could use them, but they offered excellent means to transport not only goods but also players with ease.
‘With this, I can completely bypass Mai waiting outside!’
As this problem was resolved, Dahav couldn’t help but smile.
“Why are you smiling? It seems you didn’t fully understand what I said.”
Although he heard this many times, the situation had improved so much that he could only laugh briefly.
Dahav quickly thought back to what Babylon had said in the video about Alexandra.
‘Alexandra isn’t just cold. She’s simply a tsundere NPC.’
Many readers misunderstood Babylon’s words.
But after several conversations, Dahav now knew Babylon was absolutely right.
‘She never intended to test me from the start.’
She had only circled around without directly telling him to use warp magic.
Knowing the truth, Dahav was so grateful that if Alexandra didn’t hold the title of Marquis, he would have rushed over to give her a hearty hug.
“No, Marquis, your concern moved me so much I just lost focus for a moment.”
“That’s enough. I’m busy, so you should go now.”
Alexandra left the audience chamber with a slight glance, but unlike her words, the corner of her lips was slightly lifted.
***
Around Shinaga’s Lord’s Castle, experts patrolled.
Mai and his team surrounded the Lord’s Castle.
But Mai’s relentless team, known for being ruthless to anyone caught, somehow seemed to have relaxed their atmosphere.
It was understandable.
When approaching anything, focus is at its peak, and that applied to Mai and his team as well.
At first, they had openly shown their deadly intent, but since Dahav hadn’t come out for a long time, even the team members were getting tired.
“When the hell is this bastard coming out? Is he even going to come out?”
“Don’t you remember the last time he shook that bracelet? He must have realized we were targeting him and is deliberately hiding.”
As disharmony brewed among the team members, Vice-Captain Vajra cautiously spoke to Mai.
“Though it’s only ASA in-game hours, it’s already been about 30 hours. Considering the team’s condition, shouldn’t we back off for a while?”
Mai clicked his tongue.
“Pfft, how stupid. You don’t learn after experience? He’s cunning. This whole situation is probably his plan from the start.”
“But…”
“I get that you care about the team, but it’s okay to be impatient. Judging by Shazam’s attitude and the closeness with Alexandra, what Dahav is doing now could very well be called a Main Quest. He won’t let any other bastard steal this golden opportunity, so no matter how late, he’ll have to come out by tomorrow at the latest. Simply put…”
A refreshing smile bloomed on Mai’s face.
“This is almost the end, leading to our victory. Unless he uses Great Teleportation, there’s no way he can escape our siege.”
Great Teleportation.
Even among the top 100 high-rankers, without a noble title, it was just a system to exist without recognition.
There was no way a beginner player around level 30 could use Great Teleportation.
In other words, as Mai said, Dahav was like a rat trapped in a cage.
“Truly admirable…”
Vajra couldn’t help but sigh in admiration at Mai’s insight and nodded in agreement.