133 Fighting together




 A dungeon that looks like a tunnel leading underground.

 Walking with Mia on her shoulder, Erica looks pale and distressed.

''I'm sorry--sorry,''

 To Erica, Mia cheerfully replied to her.

'It's okay! Even though I look like this, I was called a tomboy not long ago. If it's just Erica-sama alone, I can take you out of the dungeon.

 Then we come to a crossroads.

 Mia thought for a moment, then nodded and said.

 Erica looked to her left with a pained look.

'Right!'

To the left.

 They disagreed.

 Mia is in trouble.

'What? Right, right?

I think it's on the left?

 As such, we will always disagree.

 Mia nodded.

'Then, since I made it left earlier in my opinion, let's make it right this time!

Really? Thanks. But where is this place now?

 Everywhere looks the same, including the dungeon passages.

 Mia acted cheerfully.

'It's okay. I'm sure we're almost at the exit. See, I can see the entrance to a different level!''

 With that, the two of them crossed the third basement floor and proceeded further in.

 It was the entrance to the fifth basement floor.

 The two of them advancing to the back of the room were a stark contrast.

 Mia's complexion was different than usual and she was full of energy.

 I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.

 This is the exact opposite of normal.

''Erica-sama, are you okay?''

I'll be fine. More importantly, if something happens, you're on your own.

What?

 Erica told her, and Mia was surprised to stop in her tracks.

 But Erica just continues.

"You'll be fine on your own. The monsters won't be able to attack you.

What do you mean?

 Mia thinks about it.

 It's true, she's never been attacked by a monster before.

 Even when she was in the Empire, the monsters never came close to her.

 The fact that the monsters were avoiding her just now also makes her curious.

''Could it be that Erica-sama knows something?''

 Chuckling bitterly, Erica said, "You've talked a little too much," and rested her back against the wall.

'I, you know, I've always drawn monsters to me. So I'm sure leaving me behind will help you.

 Mia is in trouble.

'Um, monsters do attack people,'

Yeah. But I'm special. They don't like me.

 The word "hated" bothers me.

 Then it's as if I'm the monsters--.

 When she thought that far into her thoughts, Mia looked at the back of the passage.

'Lies. Why are there so many scary monsters out there?'

 The one that emerged from the back was a monster that was big enough to just barely pass through the passage.

 It was not a monster that would appear in a shallow area of a dungeon like this.

 It's too different from the monster we were informed about in advance.

 Mia hurriedly tried to take Erica with her.

 But Erica sat down.

 She holds her chest in pain.

''Erika-sama!''

"Ah! --Yes, go!

 He squeezed out his voice and told Mia to run away, and the air bike went past them and hit the monster with its body.

 The monster blows up.

 Then, as the sound of gunfire comes from the opposite corridor from the monster, the airbike explodes.

 The fuel ignites and the air bike burns up.

 When the surrounding area brightens up at once, it's Leon who approaches them.

'Oh, that's unusual. I'm not sure I've ever seen that face around here. Okay, die.

 As the monster emerged from the flames, Rion readied his shotgun and pulled the trigger.

 As a number of magic circles unfolded in front of the muzzle, the shotshells pierced through and generated purple electricity.

 The purple electricity pierces the monster, turning it into black smoke.

 Erica coughed and struggled as she breathed in the black smoke.

''Erica-sama!''

 Mia shouts, and soon Rion is at her side, putting his mask on Erica.

'How did you get so deep! Don't be reckless.

 Erica, with her mask on, had calmed down a bit.

 As Luxion approached, she began to analyze something.

''It must be quite tight even on the fifth underground floor. I would like to suggest that you wear a mask. Or I would like to prohibit you from entering the dungeon.''

 Leon looked at the back of the aisle and immediately raised his shotgun.

'A group?'

"Monsters are gathering here, sir. Master, you have five minutes to buy us some time.

Can it hold up?

 The monsters are gathering one after another.

 If what I just said is true, they are gathering to get to Erica.

 As Mia clings to Erica's arm, a knight in black armor now charges at the monsters.

 With a swing of the sword in his hand, the monsters turned into black smoke.

''Sir Knight! Boo!

Mia, you're safe.

"I told you not to do that, Boo!

 Finn slays the monsters that keep appearing one after another, but he struggles with their numbers.

 Rion is there to support Finn.

 Rion shot a large tiger-like monster that jumped at Finn, shooting it in the head.

'I'll cover you, you can ramp up the flair.

 Finn looked a little happy at Rion's words.

''Don't hit me.''

You wouldn't mind getting hit, would you?

 Both of them even feel comfortable in some way.

 Looking at them, Mia thinks.

(Knight-sama, you look kind of happy.)

 It made Mia happy to see Finn enjoying himself more than he had in the country.

 Normally, he was either nervous or worried about himself all the time.

 Mia wanted him to smile more, and she was glad to be in the kingdom.

'You hit it! Buddy, that scrap metal, he hit me!

It's because he's acting so strangely

Lie! You could have absolutely predicted it!'

'I can't predict the newcomers' weapons. I don't even want to understand it!''

'You guys are May! Luxion, you need to do your job properly too!

You don't believe me, master!

Concentrate, blackie, you focus!

"Hey, buddy, you better take care of yourself!

 However, Brave and Luxion didn't seem to be on good terms with each other.

 While the two of them were making noise, the monsters were all defeated.



 At that time.

 On the ground, Merse was crowded by Roland's friend, the court physician.

 The place was a warehouse where no one came.

'Quite a hobby, isn't it?'

 Compiled in the report was information about the court physician's hobbies.

 It contained hobbies that couldn't be made very public, and Roland's friend hurriedly hugged the report.

''This, this is that!

'I don't want to hear excuses. If you don't want this spread around, you know what I mean. You brought it right, didn't you?

 The court physician takes a potion out of his bag.

 Merse takes the bottle with the skull symbol pasted on it.

'With this, I can get rid of the old bastard.

 Merse, who called Roland a shitty old man, looked truly abominable.

'What's the matter, my dear Merse? If you want to be my lover, you must be younger than that. I'm not interested in old men.'

 The court physician turned away from the royal nobleman's, feminine words.

''Why would Your Majesty want you to do that?

Shut up, men! Some perverted a**h*le calls me "you"? Look, I was supposed to marry into the Countess' family. The countess. And now, because of him, it's all going to be like this--

 The court physician shoves the papers into his bag and runs away so as not to irritate the breathing Merse.

 Seeing his back, Merse laughs.

''I won't forgive you if you tell His Majesty the Dumbass.

 Approaching Merse, who was smiling vulgarly, was Luttoart in his work clothes.

'You're in a good mood, sister,'

Yeah. I won't have to deal with that old man.

"Your Majesty? Didn't I tell you we haven't even kissed yet?

'Just listening to that guy's boring stories irritates me! How hard do you think I've worked to get information out of the Royal Army?

 Merse kicks Rutoart.

'I'm sorry, sis,'

'If you're a man, you should care more about women! That's why you're no good! If we'd just married and kicked those trash out of the mansion, we wouldn't have been in so much trouble!

 The trash, that's who they are, Barchus.

"I don't deserve to be in that fiefdom! I want a fiefdom on the mainland. I don't want to be ridiculed just because I'm in the country anymore.

You're the one who made that shit up, and that's why that a**h*le in Rion got carried away!

 Totally unrelated, but Merce just wants to take it out on them.

 As Luttoart is soiling his work clothes, Zola comes in.

'May, Merse!

Oh, Mother. --I'm sorry.

 Such is the case with Merce, who is deflated by Zola's words.

 Zola is sitting on a chair in the warehouse, holding a bottle of liquor.

 There are a number of liquor bottles lying on the floor.

'Utterly, all of you mock me. What a forest of ladies. You take it out on me, assuming I'm bad and taking it out on me.

 Drinking straight from the bottle and wiping her mouth, Zola was suddenly older than she had been in years.

 She looks older than her age.

''--Rutoart, you've checked the information on the school, right?

Yes!

Then get those grain-busting fiancées. I'll hold them hostage and torture the grain crusher in front of me.

 Rutoart stops her in a hurry.

'Mother, I can't. It's the duchess you're dealing with!

'When we take back our country anyway, we're just a little girl! He didn't like it before either. A little girl of only high status, making fun of me.

 Zola, drinking, remembered her first meeting with Angel.

 He couldn't forgive her for making a fool of herself.

'Bring the commoner's daughter with you. I'll tease you right in front of me. You'll see that grain crusher crying and begging for forgiveness. Finally, I'll send the grain crusher's corpse to Barchus. What will Balcus, the villain who has forgotten what he did for you in marriage, do?

 Both Merce and Rutoart were donkeys.

 But they couldn't stop Zola from losing everything and going on a drunken rampage.

 Zola then handed Rutoart an item he had ordered from abroad.

'Mother, what is this?'

The executives gave it to me. They didn't know what to do with it, so they forced it on me. They say it's some kind of lost artifact that can be used as armor or something. Rutoart, you must use it. They say that if you take this potion and use it, you will gain great power.

 Zora handed the dubious potion to Rutoart, no matter how you look at it.

''--Huh?''

 It seems to be a piece of black armor, but Rutoart wondered what to do with such a thing.



 The next day.

 After meeting secretly with Roland, Merse used a poisonous potion given to him by the court physician.

 He is told that it is a slow-acting poison and that it is an item that will never leave any evidence.

 Roland hugs Merse.

'I couldn't take your lips again today. I'm sorry, Merse.

Oh, my God, Your Majesty.

My lips? (Don't be silly, old man!

 Pushing Roland away from his embrace with both hands, Merse waved his hand.

'We'll be waiting for you again, Your Majesty.

I wish you had called me Roland.

Well, we'll see you next time.

(You won't get a second chance, though. You think we're just lucky that the source of all our pain is being dealt with.)

We'll put it that way. Now, goodbye.

 As Roland leaves, Merse puts his hood up and starts moving around.

 As we stepped out onto the front street, I remembered how we used to play with more flair.

(Why do I have to sneak around?)

 Then three men and a woman walked over from the other side.

'Hey Finley! Why do you have so much money in your pocket!

Jenna, come on, calm down.

'Brother Leon gave it to me. I cried to him and he was all over me.

What's he doing?

 Jenna was angry at Finley.

 Nix was dismayed to see her sisters like that.

'Ahhh, I heard there was a popular esthetician in King's Landing and I wanted to try one.

 Nix laughed when Jenna said that as she stood taller.

'You're desperate for a younger man to fall for. Why don't you fix your personality?'

What? You're the reason why the marriage will never happen! Master Oskar would never say such a thing!

He's not interested in you. Last time I saw him, he kept talking about muscle training. He said to me, 'That's good muscle. How did you work them out?' I kept asking me, "What's going on?" and it scared me.

 Finley was eating a crepe.

'You're too desperate, sister. But don't worry. Maybe Master Oskar will call you 'sister-in-law'.

 Jenna shouts at Finley, who is agitated.

'You'll see. I'll make you turn around for sure. 'Finley, give me a crepe!'

 The crepe is taken from her and Finley grabs Jenna's arm.

'Give it back to me!'

 Nix let out a sigh as he looked at his sisters, who seemed to be enjoying themselves.

'You guys are so close, aren't you?'

 Merce bit her lip as she walked past the three of them.

(Why are you having so much fun and I'm sneaking around? (You have no right to be playing in the capital.)

 It was Merse who was forever trapped in the past.