Chapter: 541
The moment Erginius stepped into the dungeon where the Evil God of Darkness resided, he bit his lip, feeling the Evil God’s energy within.
The darkness of the Evil God was a disaster that could not be described with mere words like “horrible.”
The Evil God’s authority, which stole all human senses, crushed hope and weighed heavily on their shoulders, making them wish for death rather than facing the terrifying sight that lay ahead in the bright light.
At the last moment he faced the Evil God of Darkness, the heroes had little hope.
Had the Holy Knight Ruel not sacrificed his future to bring forth a miracle, they undoubtedly would have lost.
So now, at this moment—going to confront the Evil God of Darkness—Erginius made a vow for revenge against the past while his eyes sparkled. On the other hand, he had to grit his teeth to steady his trembling hands.
“Alright, sloppy folks. Do try to keep up. If you’re just going to flaunt your high names without substance, you should be able to handle this, right?”
Yet Lucy was different. Having faced the Evil God of Darkness and having narrowly escaped death multiple times, she remained unfazed even in the presence of the Evil God’s energy.
As if she were someone who didn’t know fear.
“Right. The incompetent prince can’t keep up after a few steps because his legs are shaking. Want to ride on Papa’s back, you fool?”
“Nonsense! I’m not the pathetic weakling I used to be! Don’t underestimate me!”
Is he just putting on a strong front? Well, he can’t not know the emotion of fear.
Hah. I feel like I understand all too well why Ruel cherishes that girl. It’s astonishing how something so small can seem so big when viewed through the heart.
“Is that so? Do as you please. If you end up whining and crawling on the ground later, I’ll stomp on you for sure.”
“That won’t happen!”
But how strange it was. No one questioned why that girl took command. Looking at the folks around, wouldn’t it be better for someone else to lead the party?
No matter how much Ruel gave advice from within the mace, immediate judgment would be tough, right?
“Uh? Lady Allen, have you ever strategized this dungeon before?”
When Yuden, the Sword Saint, expressed his doubts, Lucy openly laughed.
“Uncle pervert. Did you lose half your brain while watching the fool Papa? Have you considered why the other shoddies aren’t speaking up?”
“W-What do you mean I’ve been watching someone?! I haven’t done any such thing!?”
“Pfft. Hahaha. Look how your voice is trembling. You’re such a sloppy girl. At your age, pretending to be a girl, aren’t you embarrassed? Huh?”
“Stop! Stop it! I’ll be quiet! I’ll keep quiet, so just shut it!”
Seeing Yuden scream, Erginius resolved to stay silent for now.
If he carelessly spouted nonsense, it would be a terrible situation if the fox on Lucy’s shoulder transformed into a human.
Having been schooled by the fox several times, Erginius quietly followed Lucy.
“Haha. It’s alright, Sword Saint. It’s natural for a warrior to notice other warriors.”
“No, that’s… Uh, oh my.”
And not long after, Erginius began to understand why others readily entrusted command to Lucy.
The little girl, reaching only up to his waist, showed a command far cleaner than that of an ordinary army commander.
She quickly found the way as soon as she took in the scenery of the dungeon.
Predicting enemies that weren’t even in sight and explaining how to deal with them.
Using traps to slow down the dungeon’s conquest speed.
Even collapsing parts of the dungeon’s structure to face tricky monsters below.
As Erginius watched Lucy’s extraordinary conduct, he couldn’t help but think, “If only we had a child like this back in our time.”
I cannot say that the hero who led us was a bad person. Clearly, he was a man still worthy of being called a hero.
However, his command was pretty horrific, unrelated to his skills and character.
When observing a hero relying on a gut feeling that hardly hit the mark while executing all sorts of ridiculous antics, one would know just how impressive a person he was, yet deep down, curses would arise.
What infuriated him even more was that he’d fix the mistakes he made with sheer luck and then bow his head first, saying he was sorry!
It was because of that fool’s stupidity that they had to suffer!
And in a situation where he thought they would be dead without that guy!
Rather than coming out shamelessly apologizing first!
Where in the world are we supposed to vent our anger!?
“The chubby wizard. I know you want to stare at the girl’s behind from behind, but at least pretend to keep up!”
“Do I look like that kind of person!? I just thought it would’ve been convenient if a shabby one like you was part of our party!”
“Pfft. You’re talking just like that old grandpa. How incompetent and shoddy would that hero have to be to be compared to a cute girl like me?”
Though Erginius was about to open his mouth when he heard his past comrade was insulted, he could come up with nothing to rebut.
The inadequacies the hero displayed as a commander were too vast to be summarized with the word ‘shoddy.’
While Erginius thought of any leadership the hero did well in rebuttal to Lucy’s words, the party continued pressing forward nonstop.
It took merely an hour to reach from the 1st to the 10th floor. With additional gimmicks, it took one hour and twenty minutes to reach the 20th floor.
Then it actually took less time—forty minutes—going from the 20th to the 30th floor. Halfway through, Lucy had Benedict rampage through the dungeon, cutting down time.
“…Is this really okay?”
“It fits for a dungeon made by a pathetic loser. No, I even wish we could demolish it fully. Just imagining that loser’s face while he’s in despair makes it seem entirely delightful.”
“Whoa. Who’s the villain here, anyway?”
This rapid advance didn’t change even after reaching the 30th floor, where the Evil God of Darkness’ authority resided within the dungeon.
Even though parts of their senses were fading, there were no variables under Lucy’s command.
How to proceed seemed known to her as if she could see the future, and taking away just one sense wouldn’t be enough to stop her.
Before long, having reached the 46th floor in less than a day, Lucy found the place where the Evil God of Darkness was sealed, even without Erginius saying a word.
“Incompetent chubby wizard. It’s finally time for you to work. Don’t tell me you’re going to show some pathetic form in your specialty?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve spent nearly a century validating this plan.”
There hadn’t been any real fights during their journey, so his condition was nearly optimal. His mind was clear and his magic power ample.
So, there was no chance he’d make a mistake.
Even if some variable appeared.
*
‘Who would have thought the pathetic Agra would remain quiet today?’
Naturally, one would think Agra would intervene since the one beneath him was in danger, yet strangely it wasn’t stepping in.
Was the Shoddy God keeping it at bay, or did he think they would be easily defeated and was saving his strength?
Personally, I think it’s the latter. Even if the Evil God of Darkness resurrected before them with most of his strength lost from last year’s Burrow territory incidents, they’d be defeated instantly.
[In other words, he’s waiting for the right time.]
‘Waiting for when we reach the Fairy Forest?’
[Yes. It would be wise to prepare as much power as we can. A disaster is approaching.]
Listening to Grandpa’s words, Erginius began preparing the magic circle.
The magic he was drawing was so complex that it was beyond my understanding with my knowledge.
The others here weren’t much different from me. Their understanding had been abandoned since a certain point.
Some had never cast a glance at the magic circle from the beginning.
Like Arthur, who lay sprawled on the ground.
So still he seemed, it was suspicious if he were even alive, yet he clung desperately to preserve his pride.
Even moments when he looked like he might collapse from exhaustion, he gritted his teeth and followed behind us with his own legs.
Could it be he hated being called ‘shoddy’ that much?
While I commend his perseverance, I hope he understands that if any variables arise, we’ll be the ones suffering.
…
[What new prank do you plan to pull? ]
’Oh, how did you know? Did my thoughts smell like sweat to you like a perverted fox next to me?’
[Your expression looked like you wanted to play a trick on someone.]
I wasn’t really thinking anything much.
I just wanted to see if he’d get up and attempt to get mad if I upset him while he was like that.
If he couldn’t get up, I imagined tormenting him to relieve stress.
Once I felt a bit relaxed, should it really be such a big deal to take out a piece of paper and start drawing my side profile because of the perverted apostle prattling on next to me?!
In the end, isn’t it bad to take out my anger on the part where I ended up failing to record-breaking due to trying to accommodate that guy?!
How much had I done for him!
Muttering silently, I noticed the surrounding darkness was rising. The magic sealing the Evil God of Darkness was influenced by Erginius’s magic.
“Be prepared for any unforeseen circumstances. We’re about to loosen the seal.”
As the darkness gradually thickened, I moved closer to Arthur to raise my spirit and establish a territory.
A place that darkness cannot engulf.
Then, staring at the slight crack in the seal, I felt the thick malice surfacing through the dark, the tingling sensation of a warning.
I smiled knowingly.
Hello, you shut-in loser buried underground. It’s time to see the sunlight.
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