Chapter 49

Chapter 49

"From this point forward, I will be commanding you all!"

I spun around.

"Jupiter, Damien!"

Jupiter was already conjuring magic within her palms, but Damien seemed rooted in shock.

Two hulking golems had suddenly appeared, driving our stalwart knights to the brink, inflicting chaos from every direction.

His stunned reaction was understandable given the circumstances, but he needed to snap back to reality! I grabbed Damiens face and gave him a quick shake.

"Ow, ow, ow! That stings, Your Highness!"

Tears welled in Damiens wide brown eyes. Good, he had shaken off his daze.

"Listen up! Well target the golem engaging Lucas first."

Lucas and Evangeline were both resilient knights, but they each had a unique role.

Lucas was a hybrid - a balanced character skilled in both offense and defense.

He was adept at both roles but couldnt fully commit to either.

Evangeline, on the other hand, was a pure tank, a specialist built to endure onslaughts.

"Evangeline! Go full defense and stall that beast. Lucas! Youre assisting now!"

As Evangeline single-handedly thwarted one golem, the rest of the party could concentrate on taking down the other - a tried-and-true strategy.

As expected, Evangeline skillfully blocked attacks with her sturdy shield.

"Jupiter, focus your attack on the golems chest plate!"

"On it."

"Damien, are you ready?"

"Yes, yes!"

"When Jupiter shatters the plate, target the exposed magic core. Can you manage that?"

"I can handle it!"

Damien nodded, gripping his magic gun tight. I returned his nod.

Clang! Clash!

By now, Lucas had been driven back, dangerously close to my position.

Gwoar! Gwoooar!

The golem hammered its giant fists incessantly. Lucas parried with his sword, but the onslaught relentlessly forced him back.

Large foes like golems were few in number, but each packed a powerful punch.

Especially those boasting an elite title; a direct confrontation was a formidable challenge.

"Thats why were a team!"

I bellowed, extending my arm forward,

Flash-!

A bolt of lightning erupted.

Jupiters electric shock targeted the upper body of the golem. Its armor blackened, showing signs of fracture.

But the armor was extraordinarily resilient, merely singed with a few cracks despite Jupiters magical assault.

"Damn, its not enough!"

Jupiter grumbled, but I quickly dismissed her concerns.

"No! Its sufficient!"

Creak!

Damien had already positioned his magic gun, taking aim.

A substantial gap wasnt required for Damien. Even a minuscule crack was enough.

"Shoot~!"

At my command, Damien squeezed the trigger, and

Bang-!

A magical projectile exploded from the gun, spewing yellow flames.

"Whoa?!"

Unable to handle the guns recoil, Damien was jolted backwards.

Right before the flung Damien could collide with the wall, I darted forward and cushioned his impact with my body. Thud!

"Your Highness?!"

"Heh! Are you all right?"

"I-Im okay. What about the golem?!"

To the still stunned Damien, I flashed a cheeky smirk.

"Take a look."

I guided his gaze with my pointing finger, a smile of relief washing over Damiens face.

Boom, thump...

The golem was collapsing slowly. Its knees were already folded on the floor, and its upper body was toppling over.

Jupiters magic had carved a crevice between the golems gloves, and Damiens magic had perfectly pierced through the magic core hidden within.

The colossal golem ceased all functions in a heartbeat.

"Phew."

Lucas, too, exhaled in relief, his long sword dipping downwards.

"That was no walk in the park."

"It was an elite monster, far more formidable than the typical ones. The sudden leap in difficulty from Zone 1 caught us off guard."

It appeared that taking down a small group of elite monsters would be the key to traversing Zone 2.

Wed be better off treating every enemy encounter as a boss battle.

Just then.

"Why does everyone think its over?"

A shout echoed. Startled, we turned to see Evangeline, still resisting a golem.

I pulled away Damien, who was fussing about needing to do more healing.

Evangeline, rooted to the spot, muttered under her breath.

"No, being so considerate just makes it worse..."

But we were already making a beeline towards the golem.

Evangeline, standing dazed as she watched our retreating backs, finally exploded.

"Just mock me! Just laugh at me! Hey! Where are you all going! Ughhhh!"

***

We managed to collect a large magic stone from each of the two steam golems.

I hefted the magic stone, gauging its weight. It had a satisfying heft~ Perhaps it might fetch a good price.

"Hmm... They all seem valuable, indeed."

Lucas gripped the engine section of a golem, its magical core shimmering from within, and he scratched his head in bewilderment.

"Im utterly clueless about alchemy... I havent the faintest idea what the essential parts might be."

"Do you suppose I do? Just collect what looks to be in reasonable condition."

Meanwhile, Jupiter, on the opposite side, was briskly gathering the twinkling fragments, secreting them into her pockets with practiced ease.

Like a seasoned gold prospector, she seemed to have an almost supernatural knack for unearthing valuable items.

"Ugh... damn it... why on earth is there oil in that spot..."

Evangeline muttered under her breath, listlessly rummaging through the debris of the fallen golem. She looked as though she could use a mental pick-me-up.

"Ahem!"

Approaching with a fabricated cough, I took the opportunity to gently chastise her from behind.

"Young lady, theres no need to be so mortified by such a trifling incident. Everyone stumbles upon bigger blunders in life. Slipping on oil, pirouetting in mid-air, and tumbling to the ground is inconsequential... its merely a story to chuckle over before sleep."

"..."

Evangelines keen eyes glinted threateningly. Her bared teeth seemed poised to sink into my skin at any moment.

Hmm, it would appear that my attempt at consoling her isnt doing much good. Better to remain silent.

Finally, my attention was drawn towards what Damien was up to.

"Hmm."

He was intently scrutinizing the wall that had been battered by the golem. I decided to join him.

"Whats going on, Damien?"

"Over here. This section."

He indicated a spot within the wall.

"Theres something hidden here, sire."

"Something?"

Upon closer inspection, my eyes widened in astonishment.

Nestled amidst the rubble of the collapsed stone wall was... undeniably, a treasure chest! What a stroke of good fortune!

"Well done, Damien!"

I had been intending to scour this area regardless, but I hadnt anticipated unearthing the treasure so swiftly.

If Jupiter got wind of the treasure chest, her Gold Fever instincts would undoubtedly kick in, and she would rush to unlock it first. I needed to act promptly.

With a thrill of anticipation, I made my way towards the chest,

"...?"

The chest... it was subtly shifting.

Moreover, that glint nestled between the lid and the chest... those were unmistakably teeth.

Its a Mimic...

A Mimic is a monstrous creature that cunningly masquerades as a chest.

While it does yield actual treasures upon defeat, if you try to open it unprepared, you could be courting disaster.

I was on the verge of hastily summoning the rest of the party to handle it when another idea surfaced.

"..."

Casting a surreptitious glance behind me, I spotted Evangeline, her shoulders drooping in defeat.

She had been having a difficult time since we set foot in Crossroad.

The brunt of my 777-punch had knocked her unconscious, her armor lay shattered, she had learned of her fathers demise, and then she had blindly trailed us into the dungeon only to be made a laughingstock.

Her recent blunder seemed to have particularly dented her pride. Well, thats not entirely surprising.

Fresh from her victorious graduation as the valedictorian from the academy, her pride was understandably at its peak. To stumble so early in her first actual combat situation.

Maybe its time I gave her spirits a lift.

With that notion in mind, I gestured for Damien.

"Damien, come here."

"Yes, my prince."

Damien quickly approached my side.

"Listen carefully, Damien."

I casually put my arm around Damiens shoulder and pointed towards the chest.

"From now on, Im going to deliberately provoke that Mimic disguised as a treasure chest."

"Huh? Ah, yes..."

Damien, who didnt quite understand, listened as I continued to explain.

"And then, on purpose, Ill let it capture me, and let it swallow me."

"...?"

"Okay? Do you understand?"

Damien, who clearly didnt understand, looked up at me with a puzzled expression and then,

"There, there~"

With the hand he uses for healing magic, he affectionately patted my forehead.

No, I didnt hit my head! Im sane, Im telling you!