Chapter 93: The Arrival of the Death Knights

“They won’t provide support…?”

“That’s the conclusion.”

Two magicians sat across a small table, exchanging words.

One of them was Leonis, his arm wrapped in bandages, while the other was a messenger from the Magic Tower.

“Why? Her crimes are clear. She impersonated a magician of the Magic Tower and used it for personal gain.”

“Your report was the problem. An independent magic system, the leakage of Battle Mage faction knowledge, and the beastfolk. The Tower’s leadership has decided to lure Seris to their side instead of punishing her. If she officially becomes a magician of the Tower, her crimes will effectively be erased.”

“Then…”

“They’ve ordered you to return to the Magic Tower immediately.”

A fierce surge of mana radiated from Leonis’s entire body.

The force stirred the air, causing his robe to flap wildly as if caught in a storm.

“Allowing a beastfolk into the Tower… They’ve lost their minds.”

“It’s the leadership’s decision.”

Leonis sighed at the messenger’s calm response.

Getting angry at the messenger wouldn’t change anything.

He suppressed his rising mana while picturing a girl much smaller than himself.

“Ha…”

I swallowed dryly and glanced down at my feet.

A moment ago, I had been falling through empty space, but now I stood firmly on solid ground as if it had all been an illusion.

“This place…”

I wasn’t the only one confused. The other adventurers also looked bewildered, including Tera, who usually seemed to know everything.

Seeing their reactions made it clear—this wasn’t part of the Laoum royal family’s plan.

“What the hell…”

“The path has changed…”

“Our markers are gone.”

As the other adventurers drew their weapons and heightened their vigilance, I approached Tera.

She was adjusting her greatsword, her brow furrowed.

‘Tera…’

‘Yeah?’

‘Is this part of the plan?’

‘I don’t know. I wasn’t told anything about this…’

If it wasn’t planned, did that mean we had fallen into a trap because of me?

I frowned as I watched the other adventurers scanning the area cluelessly.

At that moment, Alfonso clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention. His expression was dead serious.

“Everyone, stay calm. It seems a dungeon trap has been activated. In situations like this, it’s crucial to assess the circumstances carefully—have you forgotten that?”

“Hmm…”

“Well, he’s not wrong…”

The adventurers, still unsure, exchanged uncertain glances. Alfonso smiled faintly at them.

“Our task remains the same—explore the dungeon and move forward.”

In the end, the adventurers resumed their journey under Alfonso’s command.

The dungeon’s passageways looked different now. Neatly cut bricks formed the corridors, and ominous statues appeared sporadically along the walls.

As the lamp’s faint glow flickered, a rattling sound echoed from the shadowy corridor ahead.

An instinctive sense of dread crawled up my spine. Sinister mana, defying death itself, oozed into the air.

“That’s…”

It wasn’t wolves or goblins. Emerging from the darkness were skeletal figures—skeletons wielding rusted and broken weapons, their forms wrapped in malevolent mana.

“This is different from what we were told…”

“They said we’d only face goblins and wolves…”

The adventurers grumbled in low voices, clutching their weapons tightly.

I stole a glance at Alfonso.

His face twisted in discomfort as he drew his sword, clearly disturbed by the sight of the skeletons.

When the skeletons drew close enough, Alfonso charged forward.

Although it seemed reckless at first glance, there was no real cause for concern—his full plate armor would easily deflect their attacks.

“Haaah!”

The skeletons weren’t particularly formidable.

Each swing of the adventurers’ swords shattered the pale bones into heaps on the floor.

Once the skeletons fell, the clerics took over. Wielding maces glowing with faint light, they shattered the skeletal remains to prevent them from rising again.

“What’s taking so long?”

“Maybe they’re taking a break?”

The soldiers pulling the heavy cart began glancing nervously at the dark tunnel.

The cart they dragged carried a cage packed with goblins.

Their job was simple—release the goblins into the dungeon upon receiving the signal.

However, no signal had come, no matter how long they waited.

“Phew…”

Time dragged on. Just as one soldier, restless with boredom, began to stand, a man clutching a lamp came sprinting from the tunnel’s depths.

The two soldiers lounging by the cart recognized the man’s face and scrambled to their feet.

He was a servant of the Third Prince.

“You—hey, you!”

“What’s going on?”

The servant’s face was pale and strained.

The soldier, sensing something was wrong, questioned him.

“Did the party led by the Third Prince pass through here?”

The soldier glanced at his companion before answering.

“Did anyone come by?”

“Not a soul, not even a mouse.”

The servant’s face drained of color.

Clutching his head in panic, he turned back and sprinted down the tunnel.

“The prince… The Third Prince has vanished!”

His desperate cry echoed into the darkness.

The occasional appearance of skeletons wasn’t much of a threat.

For the moment, we seemed to be making steady progress through the dungeon.

“Wait a moment.”

It was the Gold-ranked ranger leading the group. He stretched out his hand, signaling the others to stop.

“Did you find a trap?”

“Yes.”

In response to Alfonso’s question, the ranger lay flat on the ground and carefully brushed the dust-covered stone floor.

As the white dust cleared, a slightly raised section of the floor became visible.

“It would be best not to step on this.”

The ranger, having spotted the trap, smiled lightly and stepped over it.

The moment he did—

Whiz!

A blue flash shot out from between the walls with a sharp noise. I frowned. It was too far.

I quickly extended my sword, but it only grazed the edge of the blue light.

With a dull thud, the Gold-ranked ranger’s head fell to the ground.

Splurt!

Blood burst forth belatedly, but few adventurers reacted to his sudden and meaningless death.

Alfonso, who was leading the party, stood dumbfounded, his mouth slightly open as blood splattered over him.

“Ha…”

“…Damn…”

Only then did the adventurers’ murmurs break the eerie silence.

The ranger’s lifeless body collapsed to the ground, blood still gushing out.

At that moment—

Clack, clack, clack!

A rapid mechanical sound echoed as three arrows shot down from the ceiling.

A strange silence settled among the adventurers.

Each person scanned their surroundings nervously before, all at once, raising their heads and shouting in outrage.

“Hey! This isn’t what we agreed to!”

“Show yourself! This is a breach of contract!”

The outbursts seemed to snap Alfonso out of his daze.

Still covered in blood, he raised his hands, trying to calm the group.

“P-Please… everyone, calm down… A breach of contract? What do you mean—?”

Just as Alfonso attempted to pacify the group—

Clank.

A heavy footstep echoed from the darkness.

Clank.

Clank.

Not just one—two, no, three. The sound multiplied as more footsteps approached.

The adventurers, previously loud and agitated, grew silent again, sensing the new threat creeping closer.

Clank.

The faint flicker of a lantern reflected off gleaming, worn full-plate armor.

Three figures emerged from the darkness—knights clad in old and battered armor.

“Oh…!”

Alfonso’s face brightened as if salvation had arrived. Turning to the party, he called out with a relieved smile.

“Don’t worry! Those are knights of the Laoum royal family! They must have come to rescue us!”

“K-Knights…?”

Clank.

As if to confirm his words, the emblem of Laoum was faintly visible on their breastplates.

However, the knights said nothing.

They simply advanced toward us in eerie silence.

I drew my sword and stepped forward alongside Tera.

These weren’t ordinary knights.

“W-What are you doing? They’re knights of Laoum—”

Before Alfonso could finish his sentence, the three knights unsheathed their swords, releasing a chilling wave of mana.

Without hesitation, Tera surged forward, swinging her massive greatsword.

The dark blade scraped along the walls and ceiling as it struck the leading knight’s body.

Boom!

Despite the immense force, the Death Knight remained unscathed.

Only a slight dent marred its armor.

“Damn…”

In the next instant, three blades wreathed in ominous purple mana slashed toward Tera.

They were fast—but not faster than her. She deftly avoided every strike.

Her light pink hair fluttered as she landed next to me.

“D-Death Knights…!”

“Death Knights? You mean those used by necromancers…?”

Panic spread among the adventurers behind us, and even Alfonso stumbled backward in shock.

It was a small relief. There was no room for all of us to fight in this narrow corridor.

Circulating my mana circle, I spoke to Tera.

“Tera.”

“Yeah.”

“Can you handle them?”

“We’ll see…”

She furrowed her brow and adjusted her grip on the greatsword, the black blade dragging against the floor.

Even a Gold-ranked swordsman couldn’t guarantee victory.

That was how powerful these three Death Knights were.

The murky purple mana emanating from them grew thicker, pressing down like a blade against my throat.

I quickly enveloped myself in mana, reinforcing my entire body.

As my heart pumped starlight-infused energy through my circle, the Death Knights launched their assault.

Clang!

When our swords clashed, the sinister mana and starlight collided, erupting in a violent storm of energy.