It was two days after Shin and Sherlene found the monster den that an emergency summons arrived from the royal palace .

What happened?

It is probably related to the devil .

The messenger sent by the royal palace was whipping the horses in a frenzy, so they opted not to ask questions yet . He was trying to be prudent while traveling as fast as possible . If they distracted him, he might even cause an accident .

Your guide is waiting for you . Please, do lend us your assistance .

After they somehow arrived at the castle, the messenger briskly saluted Shin and Schnee . They answered that they will do whatever they can and passed through the castle gates . The woman who would act as their guide approached them right away .

Shin and Schnee were led to the room where they had previously met king Kreunzeit . The guide quickly served them both tea .

I am sure they have been notified of your arrival . Please wait here for a moment .

Understood .

The guide had prepared tea and sweets before them, so Shin obliged without restraint . There were mainly cookie-like baked sweets with a couple other types mixed in .

Pretty good, as expected of the royal palace .

If you like them, I can make some at the hotel too .

You know how?

I can pretty much tell, from the look and the flavor . Then I just need to make adjustments while baking .

Thats amazing .

Level IX Cooking skills was nothing to snuff at . Thanks to visiting various countries and cities on official quests, Schnee had expanded her food repertoire .

If you liked them, Ill have someone give you the recipe later .

While Shin and Schnee were talking, Namsaar entered the room as somber and expressionless as ever . He addressed Shin in the same way as he had done to the king .

Please, you mustnt bother . Is there only you today, Mr . Namsaar?

Yes, why do you ask?

Namsaar asked back to Shin, as if meaning to ask if that was a problem .

Normally, it would be extremely disrespectful for an average citizen like Shin to address the captain of the royal guards so casually . Namsaar himself had said to not use titles when talking to him however .

No, I dont have any problems with you, Mr . Namsaar . I heard it was an emergency summons, so I figured that it might have come from king Kreunzeit .

Its just information to be shared, so Im more than enough . There is no need to put up appearances with you, sir Shin, as we must with the nobles . Ill get on topic then . We have called you because a dungeon has been spotted about 2 kemel north of Erkunt .

Thats pretty close .

Yes, it is inside a forest, but it does not appear to be too deep . The knights said that theyve never seen it before .

The location where the dungeon was found was in a place that Erkunts knights routinely patrolled . The forest was also visited often by adventurers on gathering or extermination quests: if a dungeon was present, it would be found immediately .

Namsaar added that the dungeon was not in a rarely visited location .

Could it be related to the cave I found with Sherlene?

Probably so . The dungeon was found the day after the cave sighting, so I would be hard pressed to say the two are not related . There could have some sort of device or hidden mechanism, unknown to us .

Namsaar talked without changing expression, but he seemed to be in a foul mood . There had to have been something more behind a dungeon appearing close to the kingdom when it was preparing for a devils attack .

This dungeon was highly likely to be related to devils . Even if they just went to inspect it, they needed to be very careful . That was the reason why Shin and Schnee were summoned . They had enough skills to both sneak into or conquer it .

The exploration party will be only me and Yuki?

No, like last time, you will be accompanied by Sherlene and some knights under her direct command . If the dungeon is connected with the devil, I am sure only Sherlene will be of use in battle, but the knights could prove useful to take care of small fry or watch the surroundings .

Shin found Namsaars words concerning, but chose not to say anything . Half baked strength was of little to no use against high level monsters . Even if they were powerful as average individuals, there was a limit to the monsters Sherlenes knights could handle .

Shin chose not to say anything about it, though .

Understood . Should we depart right away?

I had Sherlene and the others get ready . I would like you to join them and go .

Shin and Schnee were told that they were in the training grounds, so they were about to leave the room and go .

Gah .

They heard a lament behind them, however, and turned around . Namsaar was holding his head, a pained expression on his face .

Are you okay?

No problem . Just light exhaustion . There are many arrangements to be done to advance the preparations against the devil attack .

Namsaar lightly shook his head, then returned to the usual stone-faced expression .

It might be out of place for me to say, but you should rest when you can .

. I will think about it .

Namsaar replied to Shins words and left the room .

As long as he doesnt overdo it and collapses .

Being a captain, I am sure he knows the importance of rest, butI suppose we should mention it to Sherlene .

Yeah, youre right .

Schnee had a point . They wouldnt go out of their way to openly worry that Namsaar was so overworked he risked not being able to fight when it was needed .

When they arrived in the training grounds, they noticed that Sherlene and her group were waiting, just as Namsaar had said . Sherlene was wearing a light armor with a red base color, just like before .

Hello . Namsaar told us to join you for this expedition .

Yes, Ill be counting on you . Lady Yuki, I think this is the first time we have actually talked . I heard that you are much more skilled than your looks would suggest . Ill be counting on your assistance too .

I will do my utmost, as not to cast shame on Shin .

Schnee shook the hand Sherlene extended and nodded while smiling . Some of the knights who were watching were charmed and stopped in their tracks .

Enough staring at lady Yuki, you lot! You have work to do!

Y-yes maam!! We shall do our utmost!!

The knights exhibited a very sharp salute, then started moving again .

Shin felt sorry for the annoyed Sherlene, but he understood their feelings all too well .

Schnee was in a very good mood today, maybe because she could go together with Shin . Her expression clearly reflected her state of mind . Her bright smile would charm anyone: thats why Shin nodded to the knights reaction .

I see we are all ready . Let us depart for the dungeon in question then .

No monsters or thieves dared attack the group of armored knights armed with swords and lances . Thanks to the lack of actual battles and relative close distance, the group reached the dungeon in less than 30 minutes .

The entrance is much wider than the previous cave .

According to the soldiers we posted to observe the entrance, no monsters went inside . Though not much time has passed since it was discovered, so it could be a coincidence .

It cant be helped . Will you leave the knights here to guard the surroundings, like last time?

Yes, this time the explorers will be us three: Sir Shin, Lady Yuki, and myself . I believe the devil is definitely involved here . Nevertheless, we cannot concentrate all of our fighting power here . Its rather troublesome .

All countries possessed more Chosen Ones than the number they made public . Shin thought that there had to be skilled fighters in Erkunt other than Sherlene, Fagall, and Namsaar .

Maybe they were either keeping them as a reserve or they werent as strong as Sherlene and Fagall . As they headed towards the entrance, Shin wondered why heroes who were supposed to be the kingdoms trump cards, were used so proactively so often .

I dont like this presence

Sherlenes expression turned sour .

Shin and Schnee felt the same, though not as much as Sherlene . There was a certain indescribable unpleasantness which they had not felt outside . It had approached them the moment they stepped in the dungeon .

I thought this dungeon might be related to the devil, but it looks like weve hit the jackpot .

What do you mean?

Sherlene understood the meaning of Shins words after her question, as her expression showed .

You dont mean .

Theres a high chance theres one here, in the lower floors .

It was the same in the game era . Dungeon fields where devils were present had the attribute of making players feel unpleasant . What Shin felt now though, was not so much a strong uneasiness as it was little more than a bad feeling .

(This didnt happen with Luxuria, so I had kind of forgotten . )

(That was probably because she is on friendly terms with humans . I can only feel hostility from this negative aura . )

Shin and Schnee talked via Mind Chat .

Luxuria had no hostile intentions from the start . Instead, she wished to coexist with humanity . Schnee suggested that because of this, she didnt release an aura that made others feel unpleasant .

I guess we should get ready for the worst .

Are we proceeding like this? Should we not call for reinforcements?

No, we can fight it now without risking casualties in the kingdom . Its definitely better to defeat it here rather than let it go out .

Avaritias drain attacks had a very wide range . The damage would be incommensurable if it used them in a populated location . Dungeons might have been rife by monsters, but were the perfect battlefield to avoid human casualties .

I see . In that case, I have no objections . Can you defeat it?

No need for concern . I always have anti-devil gear with me .

Shin then changed his equipment . In one instant, his attire turned into a shining full-body armor with silver and blue hues . Decorated with many thin, delicate ornaments, it looked like it was more suited for displaying than fighting .

The full-face helmet had a horn-like decoration extending towards the back; which gave the whole armor a strong impression of being poorly apt for battle . From the shoulders a dark blue mantle flowed down too . Paired with The Ark equipped at the waist, it really looked like what a holy knight would wear .

WellI am surprised again .

Seeing the person next to you turn into a knight straight out of a fairytale in an instant, was surely a surprise to behold .

This is the anti-devil, anti-demon specialized gear, Holy Armor Vanquisher of Evil . Just standing close to a person with it equipped reduces the effect of status ailments and debuffs released by devils and demons . Dont you feel different?

Its true, the unpleasantness I felt before is gone just by being close to youI suppose this is your trump card?

Thats what I would like to say, but the devil surely expects us to come with this . Many warriors clad with this armor have slain devils in the past, after all .

Thats true too . If we have a weapon so useful against devils, there would be no reason not to use it .

The armors grade was, of course, Ancient . It was strong enough on its own, but it also boosted attacks against devils . For them it was nothing but a bane of their existence . Shin was wearing it the first time he met Luxuria; she had casually remarked that she was scared, but she had to have really been quite terrified .

We have an anti-devil lance for you Sherlene, will you use it?

Shin had procured it, but not given it to Sherlene yet, so he used this opportunity to propose it .

May I try to use it once? An anti-devil weapon sounds very appealing, but I am more familiar with this .

Sherlene then looked at the weapon she was holding .

Of course . If it feels difficult to use, you can keep it as a sub weapon .

Changing the weapon you were familiar with with a new one just before fighting a powerful enemy was a decision that required a lot of courage . Being a warrior, Sherlene knew it well .

Sherlene wielded the Holy Lance Guildern Shin gave her and tried a few practice swings .

She didnt look awkward at all in Shins eyes .

How does it feel?

Im almost shockedit doesnt feel quite like my usual weapon, but it is very easy to use . It will do nicely . I am going to use it this time .

Sherlene judged that if she used the lance in battle, there would probably be no problems .

Let me give you this too then . This blue one is for protection, while this red one is for throwing . By the way, the one you have is for close combat .

Shin pulled out some cards as he explained, but Sherlene was completely lost . The reason was all the cards he showed had Holy Lance Guildern pictured on them . Just the color was different: there were 10 red and blue cards respectively .

My apologies, Sir Shin, butthese are all the same weapon?

They are, but the magic enchantments attached are different . The blue ones are for protection: if you thrust it in the ground it will create a field that reduces status ailments and contact damage . The red ones are for throwing: they have aiming support and piercing boost attached . If it hits, it can cause continuous damage . The one I gave you first is for close combat, it boosts physical abilities and grants auto-recovery . The red and blue ones are generally one use only, so Id advise against re-using them as weapons while fighting .

The different colors were meant to help not to confuse them . Not only Shin, but also other blacksmiths in the game applied these adjustments . Players did everything they could in order to defeat monsters in the most effective way possible .

A-as expected of sir ShinI will make good use of them .

Sherlenes expression was extremely tense . She could only stiffly nod to Shins words of using Legend-grade weapons as one time only items .

Should I launch a surprise attack with the usual set?

Yes, Im sure the enemy is wary of us, but that will be very useful all the same . If you can, land a blow or two .

Schnee nodded and changed her equipment .

Her maid attire disappeared, with an anti-devil ninja outfit in its place .

Just like Shins equipment, it was anti-devil gear for ninjas, called Shinobi Gear Vanquisher of Evil .

This looks, quite, light .

Sherlene wasnt sure how to react to Schnees transformation . It was to be expected: Schnee was now covered by a very thin, rubber suit like outfit . Arm guards, leg guards, kunai holders, item holders and other accessories . The pieces of armor protecting Schnees shoulders and waist could barely be called part of a ninja outfit .

Schnees body and curves were very accentuated, so even Sherlene found it difficult to look at her straight . Just like bikini armors, this outfit too was often described as too much by female players in the game .

Incidentally, the male version had the same design too, but very few ever talked about it .

While it might look like something from another genre of game, its stats and effects were exceptional .

It allowed the user to move with enough stealth to completely bypass a devils detection field and -against devils attacks- have more defensive power than even the Holy Armor Vanquisher of Evil . The negatives of its looks were completely counterbalanced by the positives of its specs .

If you could stand to wear it, it would prove to be a real asset against devils .

I will conceal my presence till we reach the devil, then .

Yeah, leave the rest to us .

It would be too blatant to disappear in front of the devils eyes, so Shin agreed with Schnees proposal of hiding until they arrived .

As long as extremely powerful monsters did not appear, Shin and Sherlene would be enough .

I wonder if lady Yuki does not feel embarrassed?

Its because only you and me can see her . If there were other knights around, she wouldnt have shown herself like that .

Schnee didnt care what people other than Shin thought of her, but she still had a sense of shame . As long as the devil didnt go on a rampage outside the dungeon, Schnee wouldnt risk showing herself to others like that, or so Shin thought .

I see, I understand . Apologies, it was justthat stimulating . I ended up asking something unnecessary .

No, Ive seen it plenty of times and think about it too sometimes, it cant be helped .

He had seen it in the game era already, but in this world Schnee wearing the Shinobi Gear Vanquisher of Evil was something to behold indeed .

Shin then shook his head to erase the image of Schnee that had etched itself in his brain . They were going to fight a devil: no matter how much the anti-devil gear would help, they couldnt afford to lower their guard .

Shall we go then?

Sherlene nodded and they moved . Her expression did not show the former confusion anymore . Fighting was her profession, after all, and she was quick to switch back to serious mode .