Chapter 111: Beneath the Fortress
A typhoon had swept through once, but a new storm cloud rolled in.
Vivian suddenly started stubbornly insisting that she would give up clearing the dungeon and remain behind.
She claimed she couldn't leave until she repaid the sin of disappointing him.
“That would be difficult.”
Naturally, Yohan rejected her without hesitation.
Vivian's Madness had already shot through the ceiling and into the sky.
In any field, once someone was trapped at their peak, there was no answer.
“I…”
“No.”
“B-But…”
“I said no.”
Vivian bit her lip tightly, but no still meant no.
However, the real problem occurred that night.
Feeling as though he had been pinned down by terrible sleep paralysis, Yohan slowly opened his eyes.
“……!?”
A girl was standing beside his pillow.
Their eyes met.
“Vivian.”
He spoke as calmly as possible.
Maintaining his composure.
“Yes, Lord Yohan.”
“It's one in the morning.”
“It's such a beautiful night. The crescent moon is especially lovely tonight.”
Forget the crescent moon or the full moon.
“This is my room.”
“I know. It's just that a room like this feels far beneath someone of your stature, Lord Yohan. So I planted beautiful maple trees and yellow roses.”
That wasn't what he was pointing out.
His head began to ache, wondering where he should even start explaining.
“Sigh... Since when have you been standing there?”
“Hmm. I remember everything from when you said, ‘Today was really exhausting,’ then ate a sandwich and drank coffee, took a shower, read a book, wrote in your diary, and finally went to bed.”
Insane!
That meant she had been in his room the entire time.
And he hadn't noticed her presence even once.
A cold sweat ran down his back.
“I take back what I said earlier. I think it'd be fine if you came with us.”
If he wanted to stay alive, he had no choice but to allow it.
But one request.
Please.
Let's sleep in our own rooms.
It felt as though the childhood story about ghosts hiding inside closets had become reality.
Except it was about a hundred times more terrifying.
“R-Really?”
“Yes. I believe that's the best choice for everyone's sake. Now I'm going to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be another long day.”
“Thank you. Then, good night.”
Vivian smiled brightly and quietly sat on the corner of the bed.
Then she wriggled forward and tried to crawl under the blanket.
“Get out!”
＊＊＊
At the same time.
Knock! Knock... knock knock.
An oddly rhythmic knock echoed through Count Pedro's temporary office.
“Come in.”
“It's been a while.”
The door opened, revealing Cain Belmaier.
And.
“Grrr.”
A black-haired girl bared her fangs.
Murderous intent streamed from her bright yellow eyes.
Her enormous claws continuously scraped against the floor.
“So, that's an Oni brought in from Japan.”
“Yes. I was told she'd greatly strengthen our forces, so the higher-ups assigned her to me.”
As Cain answered respectfully, Count Pedro slowly poured whiskey over ice.
Tonight was a night that required alcohol.
Many of his plans had dissolved into nothing.
And even harsher trials awaited him.
“The Bloodwind Division sent by the Church has been annihilated. They intended to wipe out the expedition, only to be destroyed themselves.”
“Which is exactly what we've been telling you all along. Only the Requiem Cult can accomplish what the noble figures of the Empire truly desire.”
“Is that so? Though I hear your side has also been suffering one defeat after another lately.”
Religion.
Politics.
The military.
The Requiem Cult had sunk its roots deeply into every corner and had always achieved whatever it desired.
But recently, cracks had begun appearing in its flawless reputation.
The cause was a single person.
Kang Yohan.
Before the Apocalypse began, there had been virtually no information about him.
He wasn't a Ranker from a major guild.
Nor was he the heir of a prestigious family.
Yet now, he wielded greater influence than anyone else.
This expedition had reportedly turned from failure into success solely because of him.
“Of course, I admit we've made many mistakes. But this time is different.”
“So I can trust you?”
“Yes. We will succeed without fail.”
Even if Count Pedro hadn't been angry, Cain's life was already on the line.
Failure meant death.
Cain clenched his fist until blood seeped from his palm.
＊＊＊
Vivian joining them wasn't entirely a bad thing.
Their options had increased.
Thanks to that, Yohan could now aim for a certain Opportunity.
Step.
The place they headed toward was the underground section of the fortress.
Since the Agamemnon Mountain Range was infamous for frequent monster appearances, every defensive city stored vast quantities of military supplies beneath it.
Of course, simply knowing that didn't mean anyone could stroll in and out as if it were their own home.
Even if it wasn't on the level of the Imperial warehouse, the underground storage here was layered with countless security measures and protective spells.
In other words, at their current level, sneaking inside unnoticed was impossible.
But.
“Devour it, Greed.”
Vivian lightly tapped the ground with her staff.
Then.
“Kieeeek!”
“Keeeeh...”
Countless eyes and fangs emerged from the shadows.
Crunch!
Crack!
They mercilessly bit into the door.
Not only physically tearing it apart, but also consuming the barriers and magic protecting it.
As expected.
It was astonishing.
Yohan was reminded once again of the absurd feats those with higher Divine Thrones were capable of.
“Excellent.”
The praise that left his mouth was rather dry.
“I merely displayed a trivial little talent.”
Yet Vivian trembled slightly, as though Yohan's praise thrilled her beyond words.
Once they stepped inside, they found a space created through illusion magic.
‘It's been a while since I came here.’
There was another reason he had hesitated to come.
Each checkpoint contained a special mechanism, and every individual could only participate once.
If someone violated that rule, all the military supplies inside would be sealed for three days.
‘If I were alone, I'd have had to give up.’
But that wasn't a problem.
He had brought plenty of lab rats for exactly this purpose.
It was about time he gave those rebellious elements, who had recently started getting too full of themselves, a lesson in iron-fisted discipline.
“Hoeeeeh! I-I'm going to get eaten!”
The piranhas frantically chased after them.
Sea Otter No. 2 paddled desperately using a clam shell like an oar.
It was a futile effort.
The difference in speed was simply overwhelming.
“C-Comrade Division Commander! Private Sea Otter is sinking! T-The water around him is turning all red!”
“It's paint.
Or ketchup.”
Surely an all-ages story wouldn't allow an adorable summon to be chewed apart so gruesomely.
So it would probably be fine.
...Probably.
Next came Sambok's turn.
“Heh. Are you telling this noble Lord of the Abyss and Sovereign of Darkness to cross through that swarm of giant bloodsucking mosquitoes?”
“Yep.”
He guessed correctly.
“Hehe. Master. Jungbok saw them. Those mosquitoes are all striped black and white like zebras.”
“People call them Adidas mosquitoes. They're an incredibly vicious species.”
With all that thick fur, he probably wouldn't even get bitten much.
Quit whining.
It'd be better to volunteer before Yohan confiscated his dog treats for a week.
After Yohan threatened him, Sambok reluctantly entered the passage.
However, only a few seconds later—
Their prediction that his dense, long fur would act like a mosquito net proved completely wrong.
“Yelp! Oww! Ah! That hurts!”
“Master! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please save me!”
Sambok leaped wildly while screaming.
“Hmm. They say mosquito proboscises can pierce jeans. Guess they weren't kidding.”
“Hehe. Indeed. He looks incredibly itchy.”
Apparently, someone had released an even nastier breed than expected.
An ordinary human would have bled to death long ago.
About five minutes passed.
The mosquitoes, now completely engorged, all clung to the walls to rest.
“Let's go.
Now 'we' are safe.”
Yohan hummed cheerfully as he walked forward.
His entire body swollen with bites, Sambok gathered his last remaining strength and wrote something on the floor.
It looked like a dying message.
Let's see.
Kang Yoㅎ….
A commendable effort.
But he still didn't understand.
Scrape.
Something like this only needed a quick wipe with his foot.
Having exhausted even his final ounce of strength, Sambok closed his eyes in complete resignation.
The remaining party members trembled from head to toe, terrified that they would be next.
Needless to say.
There was no mercy.
“Kyaaaa! Lord Yohan! I'm sorry! I hate ghosts!”
As evil spirits chased after her, Scarlett de Juliard fled while holding up her parasol.
She cried and screamed the whole way.
She should've behaved herself from the beginning.
If she had talked behind his back during the banquet, she had to pay the proper price.
“Forward! Forward! Since the Earth is round, if we keep going~!”
As Yohan's singing grew louder, his companions steadily dwindled in number.
Instead, they drew ever closer to their destination.
They were almost there.
“Warrior Kang! Weren't we brothers bound by blood? A true warrior should know how to forgive the mistakes of his comrades!”
Ragnar Lodbrok stood before a gigantic trap floor.
The ground resembled puzzle pieces.
Anyone could tell that stepping on it would activate traps.
“Exactly. A real warrior should be able to laugh off little things over a mug of beer.”
“R-Really? Kahahaha! I knew I wasn't mistaken about you!”
He was celebrating a little too early.
Apparently, he still hadn't learned that he should listen until the very end.
“Unfortunately, I'm not Warrior Kang.
I'm Mage Kang.”
Mages were naturally petty, spiteful, and never forgot even the smallest grievance.
Well, to be more precise, they quickly forgot kindness.
But even if they had to leave it in their last will, they never forgot a grudge.
“I believe you'll be fine. Besides, isn't one of your Traits that you become tougher the more hits you take?”
“E-Even so, enduring this with my bare body is...”
“I understand. Well, if you really don't want to, I won't force you.”
“Really?”
“Yep. I'm honestly completely fine with it.
Though this friend beside me seems a little uncomfortable. Didn't someone once say that if the team's Tank was going to show fear, it'd be better if he wasn't there at all?”
Lodbrok froze when he saw Vivian smiling sweetly beside him.
The Vikings were famous for charging ahead without thinking.
But even they knew there were exceptions.
It was called knowing when to control your temper.
Vivian wasn't merely strong.
She was ominously strong.
Naturally, he couldn't help shrinking back before her.
In the end, Human Shield No. 1 stepped forward.
Boom!
With nothing but his bare body.
“Kraaaagh!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
He sacrificed everything for the team.
“Guuugh!”
As the explosions and screams blended into perfect harmony, a path opened across the trap floor.
The smell of roasting meat filled the air.
Looks like tonight called for barbecue and drinks.
After casually dragging the steaming Lodbrok into a corner, Yohan entered the final room.
Ding!
[You have obtained authority over 6 tons of food supplies!]
[You have obtained authority over the weapons and various pieces of armor!]
[…]
System windows appeared one after another.
Only third-rate fools would greedily steal all the military supplies here.
There was simply too much.
And disposing of it would expose them almost immediately.
First-rate and second-rate experts would probably secretly search for pearls hidden in the mud and quietly take only those.
Depending on their skill and experience, they might select something worthwhile.
But veterans...
Walked the path that no one else chose.
As always.
Yohan ignored the military supplies and approached a jewel embedded in the floor.
A fist-sized sapphire engraved with the symbols of the five elements.
Originally, it had served as the guardian of the final checkpoint.
But because it posed a danger even to allies, its function had been sealed.
Whoosh.
First, he lit the candles he had prepared beforehand at the five designated positions.
4 cm.
6.5 cm.
7.72 cm.
8.01 cm.
10.55 cm.
Each flame also had to be a different color.
Red.
Orange.
Yellow.
Green.
Blue.
The beautiful flames flickered, heating the jewel.
Hummmm!
Exactly fifty-five seconds later, brilliant light burst forth from the sapphire.
“Oh? What's this? Was this brat the one who woke us up?”
“He's got some nerve. Does he have a death wish?”
“Everyone, be quiet. My head hurts.”
Salamander.
Sylph.
Undine.
Gnome.
Even Wisps.
Spirits that looked extraordinary no matter where one looked appeared one after another.
Each proudly radiated the elemental mana they represented while gazing down upon a mere mortal with undisguised contempt.
“They're such adorable little friends.”
Vivian smiled softly.