novelraw Chapter 120 : Chapter 120
Chapter 120 : Chapter 120
Chapter 120. The Unexpected Appearance (1)
“No way. He’s already here?”
At my horrified cry, Noctavira, who was tidying up the office, turned to me in surprise.
But I paid no mind to her gaze and stared intently at the report that had fallen to the floor.
To be precise, I stared at the portrait of the person attached to the report.
I rubbed my eyes in disbelief and checked again, but there was no mistake.
‘Douglas Junior.’
The game database in my head blared a warning alarm.
He was the only grandson of the hero Douglas, who had been active as a hero a generation before me.
And in the original PP game scenario I had played, he was the very person who appeared like a comet right before the final battle with the Demon King and was revered as the ‘Hero of the New Era.’
His skills were certainly top-notch.
In the game, he boasted top-tier stats, and his personality was full of justice, he cherished his comrades, and he strived towards dreams and hopes…….
How should I put it? The epitome of a typical hero character.
A person so upright that he felt unreal.
‘Damn it, there was even an ending route where he married one of my daughters.’
When my thoughts reached that point, I unknowingly frowned.
That was the problem.
His appearance didn’t simply mean that a powerful hero had appeared.
‘It’s not time for him to appear yet.’
According to the scenario I knew, which I had gone through hundreds of times and knew inside out, he was supposed to make a dramatic appearance when the final battle with the Demon King was imminent.
But for him to show up here in Lumen Fortis so early, without any warning.
I had already painfully felt that the game and reality were different, but this was too big of a variable.
‘Why did he appear so early? Could it be?’
I checked his place of origin written in the report.
The Principality of Polotsk, which had now disappeared from the map.
A survivor of the very country that had been helplessly destroyed by the undead army led by the Lich King Nox a while ago.
‘Did his hometown get destroyed and he wandered aimlessly until he ended up here?’
Even so, it was too early.
Considering the distance from the Principality of Polotsk to Lumen Fortis here, if he had walked normally, it would have taken at least several months.
His early appearance must have some other reason.
I gave instructions to Noctavira in a low, fast voice.
“Find out everything you can about this man. What he’s doing now, what his purpose is, don’t miss a single trivial detail, and report everything.”
Noctavira, unfazed by the sudden order, bowed her head silently and accepted the command.
I was still looking at the kind-looking face of Douglas Junior in the portrait, lost in complicated thoughts.
‘If by any chance he and my daughters were to fall for each other, that would be truly troublesome.’
A situation where I haven't even seen Primus' shadow properly.
The power of my three daughters, Adel, Iris, and Noemi, was absolutely necessary for the final battle.
But what if one of them already lost their heart to that hero-wannabe and dropped out of our forces?
Just the thought of it was horrifying.
It would cause a serious loss of power.
‘And marriage, of all things.’
I snorted inwardly.
I would never approve of such a thing.
‘How dare he covet my daughters? Not a chance.’
I made a firm resolution.
Unless a man stronger than me appeared, I would never give my daughters away.
‘Whether it’s Douglas Junior or anyone else.’
My eyes burned with a fiery gaze.
The appearance of an unexpected variable only served to make my resolve even stronger.
***
Contrary to Frank’s concerns, the first impression of Douglas Junior, who had just arrived in Lumen Fortis, was that of a simple country youth.
His clothes were old and worn from a long journey.
His innocent eyes were filled with curiosity and awe for the new environment.
Among the numerous adventurers filling the square, he was an ordinary existence that didn’t stand out at all.
But his inner self was by no means ordinary.
With his mouth agape, he looked around at the scene unfolding before his eyes as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Wow. So this is the city that Sir Frank, the former hero, created!”
The vibrant streets.
The orderly rows of buildings.
And above all, the sight of different races, including humans, dragons, and demons, living together as if it were nothing, gave him a tremendous shock and moved him.
He had even heard rumors that vampires had recently settled here as well.
“He’s a truly amazing person. Could he be the hero of the new era that my father spoke of?”
That wasn't all.
The city was bustling with adventurers who had flocked to hear the news of the dungeon's opening, leaving no room to even set a foot down.
In this huge city, Douglas had to find his own path.
‘First, I need to find a place to stay.’
However, his pockets were not deep.
He had spent most of the money he had while traveling from his destroyed hometown, the Principality of Polotsk, to this place.
He couldn't even dream of staying in a proper inn.
‘What should I do? Should I sleep on the streets?’
Just as he was worrying about his predicament.
Fortunately, he was able to find a cheap shared lodging for adventurers with light pockets like himself.
It was a structure with several bunk beds in one large room, but he was grateful just to be able to lie down under a roof.
“Well, this is something.”
Douglas unpacked his belongings with satisfaction and lay down on the creaky bed.
But what was a little strange was that the lodging was a mixed-gender dormitory with no distinction between men and women.
From the time he entered the room, several female adventurers were resting on their beds as if it were nothing.
Just then, his eyes met with a woman’s.
A beautiful woman with a somewhat mysterious atmosphere.
She was a woman who had followed him in shortly after he arrived.
But strangely, she was sending him a gaze that seemed to be overtly observing him.
‘Huh? Why is she staring at me like that?’
Douglas Junior blushed without realizing it.
Being naive, he fell under the illusion that she might be interested in him.
‘Could it be… me?’
He deliberately avoided her gaze and firmed up his future plans.
‘Anyway, now that I’m here, I have to show a good performance in the dungeon. Sir Frank said he’s recruiting those who perform well in the dungeon as regular soldiers, so I must seize this opportunity.’
His eyes shone with firm resolve.
His hometown, the Principality of Polotsk, was destroyed by the undead army, and his beloved parents also lost their lives then.
He had to get revenge.
And as a survivor, he had to achieve something.
Douglas clenched his fists.
‘I will definitely succeed here. And I will definitely get revenge on those undead bastards.’
Behind his back, as he engraved his firm resolve, Noctavira’s cold, observant gaze quietly lingered.
Following Frank’s orders, she had begun to quietly watch this innocent-looking young man.
***
Meanwhile, around that time, Adel had finally arrived at the shelter in the 35th-floor area, panting heavily.
The demonic beast she had just fought was even more powerful than the Floor Master of the previous floor.
She had already far surpassed Iris' record and was now in the vanguard group of the dungeon, but she was not at ease.
‘The monsters that appear as I go on are no joke.’
Adel looked down at the armor covering her body and the twin swords in her hands.
The magic armor that reflected attacks, a gift from her father.
And the legendary twin swords, Anceps, imbued with an ancient spirit.
If she hadn't had these two things, would she have been able to come this far?
She probably wouldn't have even been able to cross the threshold of the 20th floor.
‘I’m still far from it. I have to get stronger.’
She couldn’t rely on such equipment forever.
She wanted to become as strong as her father, no, even stronger, so that she could conquer up to the 100th floor with her own strength alone, without these things.
That was the reason she was challenging this dangerous dungeon.
Adel took a moment to catch her breath and turned her gaze towards the figure standing quietly in the corner of the shelter.
Number 1, her guide.
He hadn’t said a single word since entering the dungeon.
He always followed her silently like a shadow, maintaining a proper distance.
A being whose thoughts and feelings were completely unknown.
Adel took out a piece of hard beef jerky provided as emergency food in the shelter and casually handed it to him, opening her mouth.
She didn't really expect an answer, but a question had suddenly popped into her head.
“You were quite close with Iris in the Durani Empire, weren't you?”
Number 1 silently took the beef jerky and then, also silently, nodded.
It was the expected reaction, but Adel stubbornly continued her question.
“How was Iris there? The Iris I knew was a child who hated not only bugs but even the sight of blood. But now she’s completely different. I’m curious about what kind of training she received there.”
A moment of silence passed.
Number 1 just stared at Adel with no change in expression.
Just when she thought she wouldn’t be able to get an answer, he opened his mouth.
His voice was dry, without emotion.
“That is a special training unique to us, the Unseen Ones. We have no obligation to disclose it to outsiders.”
A firm refusal.
But Adel instead let out a small laugh and nodded.
“I see. It wasn’t my intention to ask you to tell me the secret. It’s just that I thought Iris must have worked really hard there too. She’s my sister, after all.”
Her sister, who, despite lacking talent, didn’t give up and found her own path to become strong.
That fact made her feel proud and admirable all over again.
Adel brushed herself off and stood up.
“Let’s get moving. We can’t just rest here forever.”
Number 1 silently nodded and prepared to follow her.
Adel once again tightened her grip on Anceps.
She would prove her worth here.
To her father, and to herself.
Her eyes were once again shining with firm resolve.
***
“I did it! I did it!”
Though she looked haggard with dark circles under her eyes from staying up for days and nights, Noemi’s face was lit up with a bright smile as if she had the whole world.
At her feet, a magic circle with a complex and elaborate pattern was emitting a faint light.
It was the moment the prototype of the transition magic circle system for movement within the dungeon, which her father had requested, was finally completed.
“Hahaha. I really am a genius.”
Not sparing any praise for herself, Noemi hurriedly left the room, eager to tell her father the good news and receive praise.
But contrary to her expectations, her father's room was empty.
He wasn't in his office either.
“Dad! Where are you? I did well, right? Praise me!”
She shouted into the empty air, but there was no answer.
Even Noctavira, who had been sticking to her father like a shadow lately, was nowhere to be seen.
‘Where did they go? Are they doing something fun without me again?’
Noemi frowned and left the mansion.
Just in case, her steps, which were heading towards the external office her father sometimes visited, suddenly stopped.
Because she saw a familiar back in the distance.
It was Noctavira, who had changed from her maid uniform into plain clothes.
But her behavior was somewhat strange.
‘Tailing someone?’
Noctavira was cautiously following someone, looking around her surroundings.
Curious, Noemi tiptoed closer and checked who Noctavira was tailing.
At the end of her gaze was a young-looking boy in shabby clothes.
It was a face she had never seen before, and he looked like a country bumpkin who had just come to the city.
‘What. She was following a guy like that?’
The corners of Noemi’s lips curled up.
To think that she acted so respectfully to her, but was secretly following a guy like that behind her back.
‘To think her taste is for a country bumpkin like that. Noctavira has lower standards than I thought. Hehe.’
Just as she was about to click her tongue as if it were pathetic and pass by.
For some reason.
Noemi couldn't take her eyes off the boy's face for a long time.
His clothes were shabby, but his distinct features and firm eyes were quite impressive.
‘Hmm. His face… is quite handsome?’
Noemi was slightly flustered to realize she was having such a thought.
Noemi bit her lip for a moment.
She couldn't be sure herself if that feeling was simple curiosity, or something else.
She shook her head and started to follow the two of them.
It wasn't that she was particularly interested in the boy.
She was just curious why Noctavira was tailing a man like that.
And where on earth her father was.
That was all. Truly, that was all.