Chapter 308

Chapter 308

Having received their equipment, Kellibey and Hannibal declared a weeks vacation, refusing any further requests and departed. My main party and I decided to re-enter the dungeon to rendezvous with the other party members who were still exploring, aiming to finish our search.

We used the teleport gate to return to the Research Lab dungeon, but...

"Guys, were ba..."

Whooosh.

Flames crackled and roared everywhere.

"...?"

What... Whats happening?

The Research Lab was already in ruins, with fires raging in various locations. About twenty other party members sat dazed and covered in ash in the safety zone.

"What the hell happened?"

A disheveled Verdandi, her usually shimmering green hair now a mess, approached me with a weary face.

"Lord Ash... Youre back..."

"Yes, Verdandi. What exactly happened?"

"...Let me explain from the beginning."

She began with a defeated expression.

"We had received information that the Holy Grail we were seeking was located in this research facility."

"Ah, so thats why you volunteered to search."

"Yes. It was the most promising lead weve had in the past 100 years. We were actively searching every corner when..."

Verdandi presented a leaf, which, despite the surrounding inferno, radiated a refreshing green hue.

"Its a leaf from our World Tree. This confirmed we were in the right place."

The Holy Grail Seekers mission was to revive the World Tree, and the Grail was deeply connected to it.

"We were confident the Holy Grail was here..."

"I see."

But why was this place a blazing inferno?

"As we excitedly ventured further in..."

She shot a resentful glance to the side.

Beside her, Dusk Bringar, attempting to act innocent, put her hands behind her head and casually whistled.

"That dragon... suddenly unleashed a breath attack, destroying the research facilitys structures. The resulting collapse and fire forced us to flee here."

"...A dragons breath? Like, a beam from her mouth? She can do that? And why did she?"

Trying to justify herself, Dusk Bringar cut in.

"Well, there were trolls hiding. They ambushed us. I was so shocked that I accidentally hiccuped."

"...When you hiccup, you breath fire?"

"Sometimes?"

Dusk Bringar smirked confidently. This wasnt the time for showing off!

While Verdandi looked ready to draw her sword and attack Dusk Bringar, she was clearly outmatched in terms of combat capability and only fumed silently.

I tried to reassure her by patting her shoulder.

"Just wait a bit. Once the fire dies down, well re-enter and continue the exploration-"

Before I could finish,

BOOOM!

A deafening explosion erupted from the research facility.

Intense heat waves followed, and debris from the facility rained down like hail.

Rushing to our aid, Evangeline extended her shield.

Swoosh!

The ice elemental Glaciar, housed within the shield, started spinning rapidly, extending an icy barrier that multiplied the shields size by tens of times.

THUD!

The massive shield caught all the debris from the collapsing facility. Evangeline, her face flushed with excitement, cheered.

"Woohoo! My new shield rocks!"

Hey! Thats great and all, but read the room!

The crystal-clear ice shield provided a clear view, showcasing the entirety of the Research Lab as it was obliterated in the explosion...

"..."

Verdandi dropped to her knees, a lost expression on her face.

"Its all over..."

"No, Verdandi, not yet..."

"Its over. All our efforts over the past 100 years, our races future... its all gone."

She held the leaf of the World Tree, which fluttered desolately in her hand. Embracing it, Verdandi let out a hollow laugh.

"Its the end! The end for elves! Accept our demise!"

"Hey, snap out of it, Verdandi!"

Upon returning to Crossroad from the dungeon, I stepped into the backyard of the manor.

I felt something cold touch my cheek. Looking up, I saw white snowflakes falling.

"Its snowing."

I muttered, catching the snowflakes.

The fluffy snow painted the sky and ground white. The younger members of the party had already started a snowball fight.

Watching them laughing and tossing snowballs, a smile formed on my face. They werent even tired after the dungeon raid.

"Its still late fall, but the first snow came early this year."

Lucas, who was next to me watching the sky, calmly said. A white breath escaped his lips.

"Winter is approaching fast."

"The season when I first set foot in this world."

And also the season of drastic changes.

My first year in this world was coming to an end.

Soon, the second year of my conquest would begin.

***

[Free Exploration Ended!]

[Leveled Up Characters]

>Sub Party 1 <Penal Squad>

- Tuesday(R) Lv.45 (1)

- Wednesday(R) Lv.45 (1)

- Bucky(R) Lv.45 (1)

- OnTheRock(R) Lv.43 (1)

>Sub Party 2 <Shadow Squad>

- Godhand(SR) Lv.47 (1)

- Bodybag(R) Lv.42 (1)

- Burnout(SR) Lv.41 (1)

- Lilly(R) Lv.37 (1)

- Margarita(R) Lv.40 (1)

[Deceased or Injured Characters]

- None

[Acquired Equipment]

- Cross Family Spear - Ifrit Edition(SSR) <Cavalry Spear>

- Cross Family Shield - Glacier Edition(SSR) <Shield>

[Acquired Items]

- Summon Scroll: Magic Tower <Player Skill>

- Standard High-Grade Magic Core(SR): 5

- Standard Advanced Magic Core(R): 10

- Troll Legion Fluid: 40

- Troll Legion Magic Stone: 52

***

A few days later.

With the next stage drawing near, I was finalizing our defense strategies and inspecting the soldiers weapons and equipment one last time when...

"Your Highness!"

Serenade burst into my mansion, gasping for breath.

Perched gently on her shoulder was a massive eagle, glaring at us with sharp eyes.

It was the messenger hawk the Silver Winter Merchant Guild used for fast, long-distance information exchange. This was my first time seeing one in person.

And with Serenade arriving in such haste with the hawk, there could only be one piece of news urgent enough to warrant such urgency.

Catching her breath, Serenade exclaimed,

"News from the central continent... The Imperial Armys 1st Division has clashed with the Imperial Capital Defense Force!"

The party members who were with me gasped in unison, and I clenched my fist tightly.

The First Legion of the Everblack Empire, responsible for the western front and border defense.

The Imperial Capital Defense Force of New Terra, a standing army directly under the Imperial Family, responsible for the outer defense of the Imperial Capital.

The fact that these two forces had clashed meant, in other words...

"And on the same day, Prince Lark, the first Crown Prince, and Prince Fernandez, the second Crown Prince, declared war on each other...!"

A bloody internal strife.

The civil war within the Everblack Imperial Family had finally begun.