Chapter 102: 101

Upon returning to the mansion, Evangeline and the Dion Mercenary Group, who had returned from their autonomous exploration, were waiting.

"Ah, our senior is here."

"The Prince has arrived!"

"He has arrived!"

They were all relaxing in the reception room. I sat on the sofa of the head seat to hear their report from the exploration.

"Did you all have a good trip? So, how was it?"

"Oh, please don't ask. It was our first time going to such a hair-raising place."

"It was pitch-dark everywhere, not a speck of light!"

"Moreover, monsters kept popping out from the darkness!"

"We really thought we were going to die!"

The Dion mercenaries started expressing their impressions all at once.

These newbie mercenaries. They whine so much, they'd be better off called 'Chick Mercenaries'. (TL: Just so there's no confusion, it's Chick as in Baby Chickens)

"We were all shivering in fear, but Evangeline showed no signs of fear!"

"She stood at the front with her spear, saying 'Follow me!' and charged in!"

"We've never seen such a splendid knight in our lives!"

Evangeline was being showered with praise from the Dion Mercenaries, and I looked at her with a furrowed brow.

Evangeline was scratching the back of her head while twisting her body.

"Oh, don't overdo it. I only acted that way because the situation was urgent."

"You were amazing! You saved us multiple times!"

"We would have been wiped out long ago if you weren't there!"

"Evangeline, you are our savior!"

"Evangeline! The Spear Knight of Protection!"

"Evangeline! Evangeline! Evangeline!"

Now they are chanting her name. It's chaos.

"Hehe, oh please, enough already~"

Evangeline was blushing and twisting her body when,

"I said enough! I can't take it anymore! Stop it!"

Unable to bear the continuous praise, she yelled at the Dion Mercenaries. Her true colors showed.

The Dion Mercenaries quickly became silent and bowed their heads. Are they really chicks...

"Anyway, let's hear the report. How was the dungeon?"

"Hehe, don't be surprised when you hear!"

Evangeline stood up, arms crossed and head held high.

Look at her, all puffed up with a bit of praise.

"The dungeon itself was the same as last time. The terrain was the same. The darkness was the same. But the type of monster had changed."

Yeah. I know all about that.

I swallowed hard.

Could the type of enemy Evangeline and the Dion Mercenaries encountered...

"This time, the monster that came out, oh my! It was my first time seeing one in real life! It was a horde of ghouls!"

...be related to the bloodline?

My teeth were clenched. Ghouls.

'They are low-tier monsters controlled by the bloodline...'

The moment when it was confirmed that the enemy army of Stage 5 was the bloodline.

I held my throbbing forehead with my hand. Lucas, who was standing behind my sofa, asked in surprise.

"Ghouls? You mean, those ghouls?"

"Yes, those... the walking corpses. They were swarming out of the deep darkness, to be honest, it really spooked me."

Then Dion, who had been listening from behind, chimed in.

"She wasn't scared at all! She stood in front of us who were shaking with fear, and fought like a legendary hero!"

"Well, yeah, I did that! But could you stop now! Ha, really."

Evangeline shrugged her shoulders, running her index finger below her nose.

"Well, I just did what I learned at the academy. If you get injured or scratched, you can get infected, so I kept my distance and skewered them one by one with a spear."

"You also instructed us on that strategy!"

"If she hadn't, we'd all be infected and groaning! No, we'd be rolling around!"

"Evangeline! Evangeline! Evangeline!"

"Ah, enough! Seriously, stop!"

"..."

Usually, I'd laugh and join in, but I didn't feel like it. I muttered heavily.

"...So, it's true, the vampires have appeared."

At my words, Evangeline's eyes widened.

"Vampires? Like the ones from old fairy tales?"

"Yeah, those damn vampires."

Among the countless monsters in this game, they are particularly rare, precious, and goddamn terrifying.

"I knew ghouls were monsters derived from vampires, but..."

Evangeline, who had been nervously muttering, suddenly opened her eyes wide.

"Wait a minute, then the ones who are attacking this time are?"

"Yeah, it's them."

I said again, snapping my fingers for emphasis.

"Our next defense battle opponent is the vampire legion. Vampires and their armies."

Silence fell.

Lucas and Evangeline, who had been trained as knights on how to deal with vampires, seemed like they were in a fairy tale, were taken aback.

And the Dion mercenaries, who seemed to be hearing the story for the first time, were glancing around at our reactions.

Anyway, I continued to speak.

"And with a high probability, a 'Lord,' the highest-ranking creature among the vampires, will appear in person."

As I continued to paint a bleak picture, Lucas cautiously opened his mouth.

"But sire, haven't there been many defense battles where the high-ranking monsters didn't appear? Besides, the last record of a vampire appearance was hundreds of years ago."

"..."

"Although ghouls were discovered this time, they might just be fragments of vampires. Isn't it premature to conclude that a high-ranking vampire will appear?"

Part of Lucas's argument was correct.

There have been many times when the high-ranking monsters of the monster legion were the boss, but sometimes elite monsters took their place instead.

In fact, the bosses of stage 2 and 3 were represented by elite monsters.

But this time, it's stage 5.

Every fifth stage was a boss stage where the difficulty level broke through the roof.

There was a very high chance that a named monster from the corresponding legion would appear as a boss.

'To make matters worse, there seems to be some insane malevolence striving to ramp up the difficulty.’

A first-class named entity was bound to appear.

It was beyond mere intuition. This was certainty.

I recalled the named vampires under the Blood Clan in my head. I had faced all of them while playing the game.

Each was a ruthless, blood-curdling raid.

'The worst case scenario would be...'

The Blood Clan's ruler.

The No-Life King, Celendion, making a direct appearance.

It seems improbable for the king of the Blood Clan to appear as early as stage 5, but the difficulty level of this game has already gone haywire. It’s best to assume the worst.

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'A Celendion raid in Stage 5...'

The thought was so absurd it made me laugh.

Could it be possible?

'No, it's an old worry.’

Shaking my head, I widened my eyes.

It's not about whether it's possible.

I will make it possible.

That's why I'm here.

'I still have time. I'll scrape and gather as much as I can.'

After a while, lost in my thoughts, Evangeline asked with a curious tilt of her head,

"But, senior?"

"Hmm?"

"Who is the person next to you? I haven't met her before."

Ah, I realized I hadn't made introductions yet.

I gestured towards Jupiter Junior, who stood quietly beside me.

"Say hello. This is our new wizard... Jupiter's granddaughter, Jupiter Junior. She will be joining as the main party's magic attacker."

At this, Junior waved as if she had been waiting for her turn, her face lit up with a smile.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Jupiter Junior. You can call me Juju. Or just Junior, if you prefer!"

Evangeline's eyes sparkled.

"Can I call you Juju sis?"

"Of course, Miss Evangeline."

"But, how do you know my name?"

"Hehe.Those guys were singing songs just a moment ago."

Junior pointed towards the Dion Mercenary Group. Dion and his N-ranked mercenaries sheepishly grinned.

"Anyway, great job on the dungeon."

I clapped my hands to lighten the mood.

Regardless of the vampires, I couldn't keep them standing here forever.

"Evangeline. And the Dion Mercenary Group. Rest well, everyone. I will call upon you later for your next mission."

"Roger!"

"Thank you!"

"Thank you-!"

The Dion Mercenary Group simultaneously bowed to me and then exited the meeting room.

Evangeline, who bowed her head to me, waved to Junior.

"I'll chat with you later, Juju sis!"

"Sounds good, Miss Evangeline. Rest well."

Finally, after nodding to Lucas, Evangeline scurried out.

Outside the reception room, there were noises of 'Let's go for an after-party, after-party!' 'Oh, me too?' 'Of course, you must go together, miss!'

They grew close quickly after their initial bickering. Should I be relieved?

"There are so many adorable people. I've only heard that the Monster Front is a vicious place, it seems a little different than expected."

Junior said with a beaming smile. I pressed my furrowed brows with the tip of my fingers.

"Even if war with monsters is hellish, it's better to live brightly in normal times."

"Hmm. Indeed."

"Why? You prefer a place that's more desolate?"

"No, that wouldn't be the case."

Junior slightly lowered the brim of her large hat with a flick of her fingers, obscuring the upper half of her face.

"Just, I've seen it a lot. Young and cute individuals gradually losing their laughter and expressions."

"..."

"War not only steals wealth and lives, but also the joys and sorrows of the survivors. That's truly regrettable."

I could imagine it clearly.

As stages repeat, as everyone becomes exhausted from the continuous monster invasions.

Everyone in this front, who are now laughing and chattering. The sight of them becoming haggard and emotionless.

"...Jupiter Junior."

Shaking off my thoughts, I looked at Junior squarely.

"You need to explain your abilities."

Jupiter Junior is a character that doesn't appear in the game.

While I have a rough idea of her abilities through the stat window, it would be more accurate if she explained it herself.

"I'd be glad to, your highness."

Junior slowly bowed to me and placed her hand on her chest.

"I am an Elementalist. I can handle most elemental properties, but I can proficiently use three."

Blue, green, and yellow magic power swirled at the tips of Junior's extended fingers.

"Water. Wind. And lightning."

Lightning.

This point is also similar to Jupiter. I nodded my head.

"I'm ashamed that my mastery is still low, so all I can utilize from the elements is simply firing them."

She must be talking about her 1st skill [Elemental Burst]. So the end of the element usage is simply striking with an element?

"But with a bit more training, I think I can figure out the next usage."

"Indeed."

"That's about it. It's a humble ability, so it's embarrassing to show in front of your highness."

"Humble? It's really good."

A three-element Elementalist. I'm tempted to prostrate myself.

"Then shall we negotiate your weekly wage?"

As I spoke, Junior chuckled with a smile in her eyes.

"I've heard that you paid my grandmother's annual salary all at once. Can't I have the same?"

"Sorry, but the financial situation lately isn't so good."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"More importantly, I can't possibly evaluate your worth when you haven't shown me all the cards in your deck, can I?"

"What do you mean...?"

"I know you're hiding some of your abilities, Junior."

Junior's face hardened. I couldn't help but chuckle.

One of Junior's traits was 'Cunning Fox'. (TL Note: Changed from Fox Den, since it sounds better this way)

[Cunning Fox]

- Always prepares an escape route. To set up an unexpected trick, deceives the opponent about one's own abilities.

This trait involves lowering and hiding one's own stats.

For characters with this trait, it allows them to deceive enemies, but for players, it's a headache because they can't know the exact stats.

"Go ahead and reveal all the hidden abilities you have, Junior."

I decided to play it straight with her.

"Then we'll be able to sit at a much better negotiation table."

"..."

Junior's face, usually so relaxed, had turned blue.