episode_0171

“If things get really bad, I will abandon Elvengard. That’s what I know.”

“······!”

Mia’s eyes widened in shock.

She seemed to want to ask something with a questioning look in her eyes, but she couldn’t find the words to speak.

It seemed like there was some misunderstanding.

“Of course, it’s a story in the worst-case scenario. It’s not about abandoning Elvengard when it can be easily protected, but about abandoning Elvengard and evacuating only the citizens if the situation becomes dire. Elves know how important the World Tree is to them, but still… people’s lives cannot be prioritized over everything else.”

Elvengard is not just a name.

Where the World Tree grows is Elvengard, the land of the elves.

It is clear what fate awaits the elves who lose Elvengard.

But that doesn’t mean that the citizens of Elvengard can be sacrificed along with the World Tree in the face of destruction.

“Yes. I understand. In the worst-case scenario, I will recommend evacuating the citizens and abandoning the World Tree. My thoughts are the same as Eugene’s. People come first.”

“Promise me here. In the face of the destruction of Elvengard, prioritize the evacuation of the people above all else.”

“Yes, well… I will do that…”

Mia answered with confusion.

She made the promise.

No matter what happens, saving the people comes first.

It seems unlikely that a disaster where tens of thousands of citizens die will occur, even in the worst-case scenario.

“And there is one more thing we need to make clear here. Who cursed the dungeon?”

“······!”

“······?!”

At that moment.

Jill, Yulia, and Yerina all had a look of confusion on their faces.

Seeing their reactions, I was once again convinced.

It wasn’t their intention after all.

But the fact that there was a bewildered reaction when the curse of the dungeon was mentioned.

It is also evidence that these guys were involved in the curse, whether directly or indirectly.

“How did you know that?”

“How did I know? Every time I entered the dungeon, there was a chill in the air, the monsters became stronger, and chaos ensued.”

“Yes, but…? Surely… we confirmed that the curse has no effect…”

“Exactly, every time I entered.”

“Oh…! I never… thought…!”

Yulia frantically tried to explain, waving her hands.

It seems that Yulia is the main culprit.

It’s natural since she has great talent in magic and is supposed to become a sorceress in the latter part of the story.

But it’s true that she intentionally cursed the dungeon.

But it wasn’t to hinder me?

The story is getting more and more complicated.

“What does that mean? You didn’t intend to hinder me by cursing?”

“N-no… I did it to… help Eugene… At first, I tried to weaken the dungeon monsters by casting a curse… But the magic behaved strangely, and even though I cast the curse, it had no effect… I thought it failed…”

After hearing the whole story, the gist of it was this.

One day, Yulia discovered that she could curse the dungeon.

Through this, she decided to help me conquer the dungeon.

Now that it has been revealed that the dungeon mines energy and sends it to the other world, and that enemies from the other world are invading the present world.

She deduced that I am facing those enemies by conquering the dungeon.

During the time when I gave up explaining and ran away.

‘What if I had done this earlier?’

What if I had gathered them earlier and had a heart-to-heart conversation like this?

There is a slight sense of regret lingering.

Of course, back then, both I and these guys were foolish, so we could never have led to such a result.

“Uh, I’ll try to undo it quickly…”

“I can’t undo it. It’s engraved in the dungeon network. Unless we cross over to the other world, there’s no way. In fact, even if we do cross over to the other world, there’s no guarantee it will work.”

“…”

Undoing it is impossible.

Explaining how the curse works is also impossible.

We have no idea how long the curse will last.

It’s a strange thing.

Even though magic is an unknown area where the principles are not clearly understood compared to magic, the fact that magic moves on its own and engraves unintended curses is a phenomenon that is difficult to understand.

Perhaps the answer lies elsewhere.

‘This is most likely Draken’s doing.’

There’s no need to complicate things.

If Draken stole magic in the other world and applied curses as he pleased, it would neatly solve the story.

‘Perhaps we could even use this to our advantage…?’

The fact that undoing it is impossible is quite despairing.

However, a way to utilize this curse seems to come to mind.

Of course, using it would be truly the worst of the worst situations.

I fervently hope that there will be no need to use it.

“I think most misunderstandings have been cleared up. There may still be some lingering doubts, but… let’s start by putting out the urgent fires and then slowly resolving the rest. Let’s all stay alive and healthy and come together like this again.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

Silence falls in the room, perhaps because my words were too gloomy.

I didn’t want to say such things either, but I had no choice.

After all, there are not just one or two people here who would hesitate or willingly sacrifice their lives in a crisis…

I may be cowardly and despicable, but I fear that the main characters would sacrifice themselves for me.

“Even if everything ends, it’s meaningless without you there. So please, don’t have any vain thoughts.”

After defeating all the Four Kings, I want to celebrate with them.

Of course, even if the Four Kings disappear, the threat of Draken remains.

But for now, the immediate danger of having my neck on the line in everyday life has been eliminated, so it’s cause for celebration.

Next, I want to join forces with the heroines to defeat Draken.

I want to stay in this peaceful world and spend the rest of my life with these guys.

That’s my dream.

…I think I need to write a letter to Cornelia.

Outside, there are the Frost Lord and Tran Silvia!

Frost Lord? Tran Silvia? So what does that mean?

I can’t understand the situation…! The Frost Lord and Tran Silvia joined hands and attacked us! I don’t know the reason, but it’s clear that they are hostile towards us while holding hands with that man!

…

The Great Demon emerges from the abyss and starts making a commotion.

Luna briefly closes her mouth and keeps silent, observing the Great Demon’s demeanor.

She looks extremely frightened.

Having lost many puppets she had been subjugating over a long period of time.

The Great Demon, who even lost Draken’s protection, has never looked as pitiful as she does today.

Probably when the battle begins, the Great Demon will be the first to run away without a fight.

Luna decided not to have high expectations.

It doesn’t matter. Even if the Frost Lord comes, they can’t break through here. This dungeon itself is like the most impregnable fortress in the world, and with the Undead Legion stationed here…

Releasing the Undead Legion outside would be a disaster in itself.

Of course, they are still in the process of resurrection, so it’s not a complete legion yet.

If we keep them released in the dungeon and focus on defense, this place is truly an impregnable fortress.

No matter what we do, we can’t break it down or penetrate it.

It’s not a difficult level, it’s ‘impossible.’

Luna could assert that.

Unless the whole world united and supernatural beings reached an agreement to focus an enormous amount of firepower in one spot, a miraculous event like that wouldn’t happen…

|Sense of presence…!|

At that moment, the Great Demon, startled, slithered back into the abyss.

Moving swiftly through the shadows towards the dungeon entrance, the Great Demon.

At the spot where the Great Demon arrived,

the tightly closed stone door was slowly opening, allowing light to seep in.

|Lord of Frost! Come in here! You may have avoided fighting me earlier, but here…!|

If they fought inside the dungeon, it would be a fierce battle.

As the Great Demon confidently moved forward and peered through the open door,

instantly, the Great Demon’s instinct screamed in terror.

|…!|

The decision was quick.

The Great Demon rapidly shed most of the magic it held in its body and swiftly leaped sideways.

And at that moment, an enormous amount of magic burst through the opening between the stone doors.

Like a bright light, a golden beam of sacred magic!

The holy magic that vanquished the corrupted surged into the dungeon, wiping out everything in its path.

The magic that the Great Demon shed and fled with vanished without a trace.

The spot where the Great Demon had been was now deeply scarred, with no trace of its previous presence.

‘Is this the Archmage of the Papal Court?’

Confirming the arrival of the Lord of Frost,

they had not expected such a strong force to come from the Holy Empire.

The Great Demon, taken aback, hid in a small remaining shadow and made a decision.

As the formation unfolded, a barrier began to form around the Great Demon, blocking all magic.

|Magic…?!|

However, at that moment, dark energy began to seep in through the opening.

Magic creeping towards the Great Demon’s neck like a noose.

After planting a totem inside the dungeon,

the magic began to spread in all directions.

|Jegiral, Jegiral! Jegiral!!!|

While it may be difficult to set up a barrier that blocks not only magic but also magic,

if it’s an attack involving a shaman, the best option is to flee.

Ultimately, the Great Demon decided to leave all defense to Luna and the undead army, and immediately began to flee.

“Where are you rushing off to?”

“Hey! You have to pay for the damages!”

|Why do these monsters keep popping up everywhere!!!|

But soon, four strong hands that had pursued immediately grabbed the Great Demon’s legs.

Trancylvia and the Lord of Frost.

The trembling bodies of the two as they locked eyes with the fearful Great Demon.