episode_0067

The royal ceremony was as extravagant as expected.

Even though it was just a farewell, numerous instruments and people were mobilized.

Because of that, the departure was completely delayed, contrary to my expectations.

“When will this end···”

When I’m escorting normally, I’m treated like air.

But today, it is receiving so much attention that it is burdensome.

Of course, I think it can’t be helped in my head.

Since escort is an important ceremony, everyone would want to at least take a look to see what the condition is like.

But what I think is fortunate is that he looks at Camilla more intently than me.

“Ah··· I want to go down quickly···”

“Everyone is watching, so be careful.”

I’m in a position where I get nagged even for light complaints.

I think there are a lot of requirements.

I feel like I’ve already forgotten half of how many warnings I had before standing in front of Camilla.

“When will this end?”

Below the space where Camilla and I are, a performance is still taking place.

It hasn’t even set off yet, but I can’t help but feel that it’s noisy.

But on the other hand, it also meant that it was an important ritual, so there was nothing I could do but grumble.

“Father’s speech is over··· The performance we’re doing now is to celebrate the departure, so it’s next.”

“A military expedition··· How grand.”

“Because the one who will become the next king is challenging the ordeal.”

“If you look at it that way… I guess this kind of noisy event is inevitable. These clothes don’t suit me, but they’re stuffy.”

I lightly touched up the clothes I was wearing for the event.

This is the clothing originally worn by knights.

But because it was for an event, it had absolutely no practicality.

It seems that real knights only wear them when something important happens.

“Now that you’re done, focus. The explanation will come soon.”

The moment when a long performance suddenly comes to a halt.

People’s eyes were turned towards an old man.

“Now, I will explain to you the contents of the ritual!”

The old man’s clothes were not flashy, but they were luxurious.

His position is probably higher than you think, considering his importance.

The gazes of his subjects also had a deeper meaning of respect than those of similar objects.

“The prince and princess. The two of you will each challenge the dungeon located in the basement of the palace. As you all know, the dungeon is a special dungeon that has been passed down from ancient times.”

The old man explained the history of the dungeon and the palace at some length, as befitting his appearance.

“ ···So, the two of you are challenging to see if you are qualified! The method is that one of the participants touches the orb at the entrance and safely reaches the destination. ”

It’s a simple-sounding rule.

But the description of touching the orb for the first time somehow bothered me.

“It looks easy, but what kind of orb are you touching?”

“This is an orb with special power. It is said that it reads the mind of the person who touches it and designs a dungeon for each person accordingly.”

Camilla filled in the old man’s insufficient explanation.

“I wish you had told me in advance.”

“You have to go there yourself to find out what kind of dungeon will be created anyway.”

“Since there is no information at all about this dungeon··· it would be dangerous enough to be called a trial, right?”

“I don’t know much about that.”

I felt a little skeptical.

You must have done this not once but many times.

Is it possible not to know?

“But aren’t there any stories like this one about previous kings and queens succeeding?”

“Basically, it’s a secret. Instead, there’s a story that even the kings and queens of the past didn’t really want to talk about it.”

“Is it a nightmare difficulty level that you don’t want to talk about···”

A dangerous dungeon with no information.

Just imagining it made me understand the nervous look on Camilla’s face.

Of course, we cannot ignore the fact that there are other threats.

“They’re pretty curious. It’s hard to believe they’re after the princess.”

When I look to the side, I see the prince sitting in a place decorated exactly like the one I am in now.

In front of him stood several guards with a majestic demeanor.

“Of course. Especially in an event where many people are watching, every single expression can be evaluated. You don’t want to look nervous.”

“···That’s why you speak with such an elegant expression.”

“So Gluttony, you should control your expression a bit.”

I tried to control my expression, but it was impossible to look like royalty or a knight.

Camilla glanced at him and sighed for the first time.

“Haa··· I guess it’s better to just be comfortable. Anyway··· Everyone’s attention will be on me, so I can just have a blank expression.”

While doing something you don’t usually do.

Music began to resonate again in the once quiet space.

It seems like the old man’s boring talk has come to an end.

“Then! Now, let’s congratulate the prince and princess on their trials! Let’s announce the start!”

““Waaa …

There is a tremendous amount of cheering and music.

It was so frustrating that I almost frowned, but I didn’t have time to complain.

“You should go right away. Sabrina and the nuns will be ready and waiting.”

“But there are more escorts there. Is there a problem with fairness?”

“They say that the trials are adjusted to the number of people anyway. That’s why my brother also went with a small group.”

“It may be that they are trying to assassinate a small number of people, as the princess said before.”

Camilla stood up proudly without denying it.

He was not at all inferior to the prince who gave off a dignified aura.

Because the subjects supported different things, the heat of support felt subtly like war.

“I see an escort that I hadn’t seen before··· It looks like my brother is definitely planning to deal with me today.”

It’s a calm voice with no change in expression.

But Camilla’s gaze turned to me as she left the seat.

“Well··· There are some problems as an escort··· But I don’t think Glut will lose.”

The way he spoke so calmly actually boosted my confidence.

*****

“Ready, my prince.”

The man’s suit revealed his arms and gave him a sharp overall appearance.

It doesn’t feel like you’re going to an unidentified dungeon.

He was so much like an assassin, rather than an adventurer.

“You came prepared, right, Lord Greason.”

“Yes. Today··· the princess will not be able to escape the dungeon.”

“Everyone, including me, will go over to the princess and take their lives. If we fail, no one here will be able to survive.”

All the other escorts except Lord Greasson swallowed.

A weight was weighing them down.

Not only his own life, but also the prince’s life was at stake.

In the tense atmosphere, the escort, who was a former knight, opened his mouth.

“What are you going to do with the isolated space? It won’t be easy since it’s isolated with special magic···”

“I’ve already received the artifact of the former imperial magician to get over there. We just have to get over there.”

“I guess I just have to take care of the princess well.”

The lingering tension has eased a little.

I was able to gain confidence in a simpler way than I thought.

“We have the numerical advantage, so we can definitely finish it.”

“That’s right. There’s no way that Aesong, who was an adventurer, would be a match for us.”

“Rather, you might have to worry about the noise that will be generated.”

Everyone had a smile on their face.

But Greaser and the prince didn’t show even an ounce of expression on their faces.

Greison’s voice that followed soon became sharp, as if filled with anger.

“Don’t let your guard down.”

“Sorry, sorry···! Lord Greasson!”

“Even if you exclude the princess, it is an unknown dungeon. Our mission is to cleanly deal with the princess and serve the prince until the end. We cannot let our guard down.”

The prince finally smiled as he admonished his guards.

“I was right to call you. You fought to the bone in the past battlefield, and you are a knight who has won countless wars even now”

“Thank you for your evaluation, Prince. I will definitely achieve my goal.”

“The reason I called you directly, the person I wanted to keep hidden the most, is because there are too many variables. But on the other hand, it means that I trust you that much.”

The prince smiled arrogantly but coldly.

It was a face that never thought of defeat.

It was either kill or be killed, and I was confident I would be the one killing.

“If you achieve your goal, I will give you a proper reward. Of course, the other escorts too.”

““Yes!!””

There was no one to complain.

To that extent, the trust in Greison was strong.

If you were to choose the strongest person in the kingdom, there would be no disagreement.

Rather than thinking that I was being treated poorly, I trusted and relied on him.

‘Any dungeon is no problem as long as you have Lord Grison with you. Let alone that adventurer.’

The escorts looked confident.

However, there is absolutely no information about what kind of dungeon you will encounter.

In particular, the variable of them entering the opponent’s dungeon was completely outside the calculation.