Chapter: 157
It all started with a “grumble…” from the Duke’s stomach. Being from a country that couldn’t stand hunger, Lian immediately began preparing for a meal.
While kindling a fire and setting up for the meal, the Duke needed a place to rest. And thus, a makeshift tent was set up.
Eating on the ground wasn’t too bad, but the thought of serving food to Iris’s mother, who also held the title of ‘Duke,’ while she sat on the cold ground felt rather impolite.
So, Lian pulled out a pristine white tea table and chairs that weren’t in his bag before, laid a white cloth on the ground, and set the table. He thought about adding dessert, but since the Duke didn’t particularly enjoy sweets, he served tea as a post-meal refreshment.
Lian wanted to serve expensive black tea, but not knowing the Duke’s preferences, he offered barley tea instead, which was well received.
As they sipped tea, they discussed how to escape the place. The conclusion was that with the area filled with Apen ore, breaking through the ceiling was the only option.
The issue was, not knowing how deep they were, they could risk getting buried if they tried to break through.
[ If that’s the problem, I can solve it. ]
‘What? How?’
The Magic Sword immediately sprang into action without a word. It spread out invisibly in an instant. Just like Noah had done while exploring the surroundings, the Magic Sword also released its power to scan the area.
“What was that just now…?”
The Duke seemed overly sensitive to the magic energy, springing up from his seat and placing a hand on the hilt of his sword.
Realizing what the Magic Sword had done, Lian quickly calmed down the Duke. Thanks to Lian’s desperate explanation, the Duke sat back down in awe.
“It must be difficult to scout with the area filled with Apen. That’s impressive.”
“No, it’s nothing special.”
The Duke firmly shook his head at Lian’s habitual modesty.
“You must have gone through many trials to reach that level. Don’t undermine your own abilities; that would deny your past.”
“…”
At the Duke’s serious words, Lian’s eyes rolled down, his neck turning red and his lips pursing.
The power he held was no different from a cheat obtained with the help of a gag filter. He hadn’t swung a sword dozens of times like Noah, nor had he built up his skills through trials as the Duke mentioned.
Thus, embarrassment welled up in him, causing his face to flush. The sight looked too much like someone unaccustomed to praise, and pity thickened in the Duke’s gaze.
‘…Even though he possesses such skill, not being used to praise indicates he must have lived a life lacking recognition.’
While the Duke’s mind unfolded a tapestry of imagination, Lian was pondering a newly realized fact.
‘Certainly… in this world, it’s a common rule that one becomes stronger through trials.’
The Dark Fantasy world is brutally realistic and harsh. Yet, there lies hope within that world.
Even amidst cruel realities, there are those who save others, dream of a better future, and refuse to stop loving. Those known as ‘Heroes’ embody such existence.
For these ‘Heroes,’ there must be trials, and the more they overcome, the brighter they shine, becoming the light of a world that has none.
It’s like how a comically light and frail girl from a gag world can tumble when bumped by someone but will move like a bulldozer when chasing after a handsome senpai.
There exists a principle that each world permits.
‘Iris, Noah, and Jess will also have to face their trials.’
With countless changes in the original story, it was possible that the futures where Noah and Jess became part of the hero party had changed, too. However, Lian felt an uncanny certainty that the three would march into battle to defeat the Demon King.
This ‘intuition’ was due to the divine power accumulating within him, but Lian remained unaware of it. He only recognized that the three needed many trials to grow stronger.
Just as his thoughts began to delve deeper, the voice of the Magic Sword pulled Lian back to reality.
[ I’ve confirmed it. It’s not as deep as I thought. ]
The Magic Sword had expected to have fallen several thousand kilometers considering it had been a long time since they played a card game together, but apparently, it wasn’t that deep.
[ If you both strike at the same time, you should be able to break through the ceiling easily. ]
‘Really?’
[ Yeah! So hurry up and get out of this dump and bring me sweet, sweet blood! ]
Finding a way to feed the Magic Sword without the Duke noticing was proving difficult, leaving it hungry to the max. The thought of escaping this wretched place and indulging in the delectable blood of its partner completely occupied its mind.
Lian immediately relayed the information to the Duke. The Duke was also eager to leave and check on the knights’ condition, wanting to assure them of his safety, so his expression brightened significantly.
Lian quickly gathered their belongings and looked up at the ceiling with the Duke.
At the same time, someone was gasping for breath above the ground where the Duke and Lian were trapped.
“Hah, haah… finally, made it…”
A woman with pink hair sticking out from beneath her heavily draped robe and a pained expression appeared; it was the Necromancer. She was leaning on a sturdy branch like a staff to support her trembling body.
It looked like she could topple over at any moment, but somehow she held on.
“Heh, heh… even if I don’t get a soul, I’ll at least take a corpse.”
She thought the Duke would have already turned into a cold corpse by her late arrival. Though she chuckled that a corpse would still be a gain, her eyes were filled with a mix of anger and fear.
The ferocious face of Jess, who had leapt at her to rip her throat out, flickered in her mind. Having been hunted through the eyes of a Ranger, the horror overwhelmed her, making it feel as if her own throat had been torn out.
Simultaneously, a dark anger welled up. If it hadn’t been for that red beast, she could have acquired the ultimate weapon in perfect condition – regrets and fury swirled in her head.
“Okay… let’s go down before the corpse decays further.”
Once she had caught her breath somewhat, she tossed the branch aside and peered down at the ground.
‘Please… don’t tell me they’re still alive.’
Anxiety surged momentarily, but she quickly shook her head to dismiss it.
‘If they were, the doppelganger would have been recalled by now.’
This problem arose from the fact that the Duke was trapped so deep that she couldn’t understand how the doppelganger was moving.
Normally, it was a given that when a summoned Undead encountered issues, they would be recalled; thus, she couldn’t dismiss her worries.
The fact that this rule had been broken by the Magic Sword and Gag Resident was something she had no way of knowing.
“If they are alive, it’s fine! I’ve prepared thoroughly!”
She gave her chest a few pats. Inside the fabric she patted were expensive multi-defense magical tools and a powerful magical tool that reflected any attack exactly once.
Calming her anxiety, the Necromancer took a deep breath, then commanded the earth to open where she stood, remotely instructing the forest’s owner who could only relay commands from a distance.
Rumble.
The hole that had swallowed Lian and the Duke appeared again. Just as her body was about to fall down.
Woom!
“Eh?”
A magical tool in her possession activated.
Crash!
“W-What?!”
Before she could even fall down, an incoming attack shattered multiple layers of defenses in an instant.
Boom, swoosh!
Before she could comprehend the situation, a crimson attack flew in, cleanly slicing through what remained of her defenses. The red attack aimed to strike her body, but—
Crackle!
The attack reflection magical tool she had bought with her money activated and blocked the attack. However, due to the Magic Sword’s overpowering might, the attack didn’t bounce back but trembled in mid-air with an eerie sound.
“W-What the hell?!”
She let out a belated scream as she attempted to summon Undead, but the Magic Sword’s strength surpassed the magical tool’s force.
Crackle…!
If it were a cheap magical tool, it would have been destroyed long ago and reduced her to pieces, but the one she had was too expensive to break easily.
“Eh? What? Wait a minute?”
That didn’t mean her magical tool’s power was stronger than the Magic Sword’s…
Boom!
“AAAAH!!”
Like a baseball that had been hit by a bat, she flew upward through the air. Someone could have shouted, “Home run!” as she soared in a straight line toward the high sky, sparkling before disappearing.
“Didn’t we just hear some sound?”
“Hmm? What sound?”
“Something felt off… but it might just be my imagination.”
The Duke shrugged off the scream he just heard as mere imagination, shaking his head.
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