Trap (1)
It’s been a long time since I’ve been to Elvengarde.
Elvengarde is where the immortal elves live, so I thought it wouldn’t change much even after a little time.
From the moment I started walking, a completely different scenery unfolded before me.
‘Mercenaries?’
First of all, the road leading to Elvengarde is crowded with people.
Judging by their attire, most of them are mercenaries and merchants.
What’s going on?
“What happened to Elvengarde?”
“You didn’t hear the news and come here?”
“What news?”
“A dungeon appeared in Elvengarde. It’s quite tricky, so they’re looking for mercenaries to deal with it. The reward is the territory of Elvengarde, so there’s a lot of trouble.”
“Huh······.”
I didn’t know that.
In fact, I’m more surprised that Elvengarde asked for outside help than that a dungeon appeared in Elvengarde.
The elves, who are nothing more than corpses without their pride, are enduring this humiliation.
It seems that they have realized a lot since the last Kali incident.
“Where is it? Is it under the World Tree?”
“No. I heard it’s a dungeon a little far from Elvengarde······. Currently, the advance team dispatched by the Mercenary Council is determining the level, but it’s said that it’s not easy to clear the path to the boss room. It’s said that there will be casualties soon and that there is a good chance of receiving a black star following the red star······.”
It’s not eroding the World Tree, is it?
If so, there’s no need to deal with it in a hurry.
However, from Elvengarde’s point of view, they have a history of suffering greatly after leaving a dungeon alone, so they seem to want to get rid of it quickly, even if it’s a trivial dungeon.
‘That’s right. It’s the right judgment.’
And it was a wise choice.
Because the dungeons that are being newly created now are not natural dungeons.
Now that Draken’s authority has been completely recovered.
The only ones who can create dungeons are the Four Heavenly Kings.
Unique dungeon.
Luna or Belphegor’s unique dungeon is in Elvengarde.
In other words, Luna or Belphegor’s main body is now in Elvengarde!
“Isn’t this a signal to me? Now that the authority has been recovered, only the Four Heavenly Kings can create dungeons. So, are you telling me to come find you?”
“Probably.”
I can’t help but agree with Kali’s words.
They must have learned that Kali has been resurrected.
And they must have used the unique dungeon as a means to let Kali know their whereabouts.
But why Elvengarde?
Elvengarde, which is full of magic power and spirits······.
Oh!
‘Undead Legion······!’
Originally, to create an undead legion, you need a tremendous amount of magic power and spirits.
The atmospheric environment of Elvengarde is what can fulfill that.
If they have enough time, they can summon an undead legion with a fighting power comparable to that of a knight.
The fact that they created a unique dungeon means that they are prepared for a head-on confrontation.
This dungeon is not only a signal to call Kali.
It’s also a kind of provocation to tell me to come in if I want to stop them.
“I can’t not go.”
I can’t refuse.
They came to a head-on confrontation in a place with no way out, so I have no choice but to face them.
Perhaps the outcome will be decided here.
Either I die, or the Four Heavenly Kings are completely annihilated······.
Now, there are only two possible futures left.
“Let’s unpack our luggage in Elvengarde first.”
“W, will it be okay? Even if you enter Elvengarde?”
“Of course. The priestess is my acquaintance.”
“What, what······? You······.”
Kali looks at me in surprise.
But soon, the light of embarrassment disappears from her eyes, and the light of respect seeps in.
It seems that she thought I had made friends with the priestess as a spy.
In fact, it’s the complete opposite.
“Then there’s nothing to worry about! If you ask the priestess, you can enter the dungeon alone. Then we can contact the Four Heavenly Kings secretly.”
“That’s right. That’s it.”
Kali hit the nail on the head.
Enter alone with priority over the mercenaries.
And kill the Four Heavenly Kings from the inside.
If the opponent is Luna, I can easily neutralize her by taking Kali hostage.
If it’s Belphegor, I can overwhelm him with force.
······I wish it was.
It’s a pity that it’s impossible because of a minor problem.
“Let’s go······.”Rubbing his throbbing head, he enters the square filled with mercenaries.
Since Elvengarde rarely has visitors, it seems there is no suitable place to accommodate this many people.
A short while passes.
Soon, a woman with blue hair, whose identity is apparent even from her silhouette, walks in from afar and draws the attention of the crowd.
“······.”
In an instant, the crowd falls silent.
All eyes are directed to the front.
Mia has yet to say anything.
There is probably no human who can resist the charm of an elf.
“Greetings. I am Mia, the priestess of the World Tree. I understand that you have all come in response to Elvengarde’s recruitment for the dungeon raid. Elvengarde will provide you with material and moral support for your convenience and the success of the dungeon raid, and we will arbitrarily determine the order of the raid attempts to avoid any disturbances. So first, let’s divide those of you who have come as a party and those who have come as individuals······ Huh?!”
“······?”
Mia, who had been calmly explaining, suddenly screams.
And at that moment.
Suddenly, all eyes are on me.
I wondered what was going on, but······.
Mia is pointing at me, her lips trembling.
“Yu······! Ah. No. You! Follow me back for a moment!”
“What? What’s going on?”
“The priestess called you out?”
“What kind of guy is he?”
I was going to visit her quietly later······.
But since Mia pretended to know me first, I had no choice.
As I stepped forward, people made way for me.
I followed Mia, who was beckoning me, toward the inside.
“Now then, I will continue to guide you. Those of you who have come as a party, please gather here with your representative, and those of you who have come as individuals, please register over there-“
“Eugene!”
The moment I enter the small room in the back, the voices from outside are cut off.
A barrier has been deployed.
At that moment, Mia’s face changes color, and she suddenly hugs me, calling out to me in a tearful voice.
At this, Miso and Kali’s expressions clouded slightly.
“I was worried······.”
“Worried? Why?”
“Well! Well······! I couldn’t reach you! Do you know how many letters I sent? What on earth happened?”
“Ah······.”
The timing was quite exquisite.
Did she try to contact me at the time when Linda had committed suicide and was incapacitated?
So there was no way I could have received any news.
“I’m fine. It’s just that my communication device was broken······. Did you call me because of the dungeon?”
“Yes, that’s right. Can you help me?”
“I’ll help you. If possible······.”
“Here is a map of the dungeon that we have identified so far. The monsters that appear, and also······.”
Mia shows me various materials without giving me a chance to answer.
It seems that she has not yet grasped everything about the dungeon.
But this gives me a rough idea of the structure.
If this is the structure······.
It is definitely Luna’s unique dungeon.
Judging from the fact that it is mainly inhabited by undead monsters, it is certain.
“A large amount of magic has been detected inside. It is highly likely that this dungeon was created by a powerful enemy, such as the spider monster that eroded the World Tree. We haven’t figured out what’s going on yet, but that’s why we’re even more anxious. What kind of trouble will happen this time······.”
“First, prepare for the evacuation of the Elvengarde residents. Also, find out in advance where the residents will be accommodated during the evacuation. If the dungeon raid fails, Elvengarde will be destroyed.”
“······!”
We must prepare for the worst.
In the case of a major fire, the fire spreads slowly enough for everyone to evacuate.
However, if an army of undead invades, most of them will probably not be able to evacuate and will be sacrificed.
We must make preparations for a quick evacuation.
It would be best to evacuate them in advance.
However, without prior consultation, there is nowhere to accommodate this many residents, and it may result in too much panic among the residents.
The best outcome is to succeed in the dungeon raid without having to evacuate.
“Do you know anything about the enemy?”
“I do, but I won’t be of much help. It’s best to give the mercenaries who will attempt the raid information about the enemy.”
“Yes? Why is that?”
“If I enter the dungeon······. Sigh. No. It would be faster to show you directly. Guide me to the dungeon.”
“Yes.”Why am I not helpful?
The answer is simple.
It’s better to show you once than to tell you a hundred times.
I followed Mia, who was bewildered.
We left Elvengard and headed for the swamp through a controlled road.
The well-armed elf warriors greeted Mia.
We arrived at the entrance of the dungeon without being stopped.
A huge stone door appeared in front of us.
In fact, there is no need to go inside this door.
I put my hand on the stone door and looked back at Mia.
[The monsters in the dungeon are strengthened by the blessing of the saintess.]
[The monsters in the dungeon have a weak poison due to the curse of the witch Julia.]
[The dungeon is cold due to the resentment of the frost lord Yerina.]
“This is what happens when I go in.”
“······!”
Frost formed on the stone door, and cold air spread everywhere.
And when the monsters inside screamed in a frenzy,
Mia’s face turned pale.