Chapter 326

Wearing a bizarre can on his head and visibly hunched, Lucas had returned nonetheless.

I decided not to ask any questions for the moment. Once he was more settledor took off that canId have a detailed chat with him.

"Today, were going for a free exploration of the dungeon!"

I planned to go to the dungeon for a practical test of my ultimate skill, [Imperial Edict].

To use [Imperial Edict], a flagpole and a flag were necessary.

I didnt pay any attention to stats and simply picked up a standard Imperial Army flagpole from the forges storage.

Since I didnt have any spare Imperial flags, I took out a random festival banner that was stored in the warehouse.

It was just for a skill test, so it didnt really matter what the flag was.

"Its heavy!"

But it weighed quite a bit. I swayed when I picked it up without thinking.

The flagpole combined with the flag was heavier than Id thought. The flag bearers in each unit must have insane arm muscles. Ugh.

"Ill carry it for you, My Lord."

"Oh, thanks."

Lucas volunteered to be the porter, so I gladly delegated the task to him. What else would I use his spare Stamina and Strength stats for? Knight, carry my stuff.

"Great, lets call the rest of the party members while were at it!"

Evangeline could join us last since she was staying in the manor. First, lets stop by the temple and the inn to pick up Damien and Junior.

Exiting the forge, I headed towards the temple. Damien happened to be sweeping the front yard.

"Yo! Damien! Did you sleep well? Were gathering. Grab your gear!"

"Ah, Your Highness! Yes!"

When I called him, Damien looked back at me with a bright face, then his eyes widened.

Following his gaze, I found he was looking at Lucas standing behind me.

A towering knight with a can on his head, waving a flag from a festival that had already ended... It did look a bit strange.

"Ah! Aha!"

Damien suddenly let out strange noises and clapped his hands.

"Got it, got it! Just a moment!"

"Huh?"

He dashed into the temple. What was going on?

A moment later, Damien came running out, a mace strapped to his back and something in his handsa small flag representing the Church of the Goddess.

Damien excitedly waved the small flag back and forth.

"Lets go!"

"...?"

I mean, its not a flag parade...

But seeing Damiens innocent smile, I couldnt muster the courage to tell him the harsh truth.

Reluctantly nodding, I took the lead.

Next, we arrived at the inn.

Sitting on the terrace, sipping coffee and jotting something down on paper, Junior saw us and furrowed her brow.

"Your Highness? And everyone else...?"

A knight in a can helmet lifting a festival flag high, and Damien, who seemed delighted for some reason, flapping a small Church flag.

Observing this scene, Junior clicked her fingers.

"I get it!"

Then she went into her room and came back out with... a kite shaped like an eagle. What was that about?

"Like this, and... yup!"

Junior tied the string of the kite to her staff and cast a wind spell, sending the kite soaring into the sky.

The kite shot up and fluttered its long tail in the sky. It sort of resembled a flag too.

"Its a magic kite for high-altitude scouting. This should do, right?"

"...?"

Do what?

Whats fine? You mean that kite works as a flag?

No, I mean, its not a flag parade! How did it end up like this?

But what could I do? Im not so tactless as to rain on the parade of my mysteriously jubilant party members.

The four of us cheerfully headed back to the manor.

Seeing our spectacle, the citizens of Crossroad were puzzled. Some went back into their houses, returned with whatever flags they had, and started waving them while singing marching songs. What was going on?

"Hey! What is this? Why are you guys having fun without me?"

As we got closer to the Lords mansion, Evangeline burst out, holding the banner of Crossroad.

"Let me join in!"

In front of the Lords mansion, the four members of my party were laughing and waving their own flags.

Seeing this, I clenched my throbbing forehead. No, I mean, what the

"...Never mind. Its fine."

If youre happy, then so be it. Sigh.

Craaack-!

Theyre loud!

Not just that, they actually use their screams as a sonic attack.

A wrong move and you could end up dizzy or disoriented, a real nuisance of a status inducer.

A flock of about ten Harpies swarmed in, filling the air with a cacophony.

Caught off guard by this attack, my head instantly felt dizzy. I covered my ears and staggered.

"Hey! Can someone shut these birds up!"

Before my words even finished, my party members were already sending the Harpies crashing down.

Bang! Bang-!

Damien casually fired his magic pistol, Cerberus, and

Zap!

Junior released a small chain lightning, burning the rest of the Harpies.

In a matter of seconds, about ten Harpies fell to the ground, feathers spewing everywhere.

Evangeline, who had been about to throw her spear, and Lucas, who had been gathering energy at the tip of his sword, awkwardly halted their attacks.

"Having such weak monsters all of a sudden is a bit disorienting..."

Junior muttered, looking over the Harpies he had scorched black with his lightning.

Fair enough. Going from high-level zones back to a beginner dungeon is like going from fighting tigers to squirrels.

I complained as I pressed my hands against my throbbing ears.

"Even if theyre weak, its an issue that theyre loud..."

Heroes like us can probably withstand their sonic attacks, but regular soldiers might suffer hearing damage.

Ill have to prepare some earplugs for this season.

But apart from the discomfort in my ears, the dungeon was easily conquered.

The monsters in Zone 1 had become so weak that they were falling to our basic attacks, so it didnt even take us 30 minutes to fully clear the dungeon.

Once the cleanup was complete, I received a flag from Lucas.

It was finally time to test my ultimate skill, [Imperial Edict].

[Imperial Edict] <Special Equipment - Flag Required>

- Declares a specific area as territory belonging to the users faction and exercises control.

- Allied Units Inside Territory: Applies all beneficial effects the user possesses.

- Enemy Units Inside Territory: Applies all harmful effects the user possesses.

- Within the territory, the summon limit is removed.

- If the declared area is an enemy zone, it will enter a [Conquest War], and winning will allow the capture of that zones control.

Everything about the skills effects seemed clear, except for the last line.

Use in hostile territory to initiate a Conquest War. Winning the battle will seize control of the area.

So, if I use this skill in this dungeon, does it mean I can snatch it away from the monsters?

Theres no way to know for sure except to test it out in the field. I took a deep breath and raised the flag high. Alright, lets do this!

"...?"

I paused my flag-raising, sensing something odd, and turned around.

There, I locked eyes with my party members, each raising their own flags and banners.

"...What are you doing?"

"...It looked fun?"

Evangeline answered while scratching the back of her head. I shook my head, flabbergasted. Do as you please, then.

I hoisted the flag up high once more.

"This land..."

And, chanting the ultimate skills incantation, I drove it into the ground.

"...I declare as territory of the Empire!"

The flag was planted.

Flash!

With a blinding burst of light, magic power flowed from my body, covering the entire areaexpanding outward in a wide circle.

The party members who had imitated me by planting their own flags recoiled in surprise.

Their flags couldnt stay planted in the ground; instead, they were repelled by an invisible force.

Whoosh!

As my far-reaching magic power settled and the atmosphere calmed down, there it was.

"...?!"

A fortress, constructed out of gray magic power, stood in a circle.