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“…And so you died and came back.”
“Yeah…”

Frey spoke with a cold voice, staring at Crim who was sitting crestfallen on the floor, with a sign hanging from her neck which read ‘I became impatient and went to a raid dungeon alone’.

“Are you a child or what? How hard is it to just sit patiently instead of rushing solo?”
“I have no words to express my regret…”
“Oh well, whatever. So what happened?”
“Umm…”

Frey sighed in frustration, and then Crim began narrating what she had experienced a moment earlier.

◇◇◇

Crim boarded the boat she borrowed from someone in the town and headed to the island, and after circling it for a bit she spotted a decaying port, which led to a set of stone stairs to climb up the sharp cliff side.

She secured the boat to the port, then began climbing the stairs. Then a small window suddenly popped up in her peripheral vision.

«Would you like to begin Castle of Seyfert? Yes/No (1/15 Members)»

She immediately pressed the Yes button, which caused yet another window to appear, this time showing a clock counting down from 06:00:00, which was the time remaining to complete the dungeon.

At the same time, the fog surrounding the island cleared up, exposing the blue sky and pristine lake.

“I really thought it would be a creepy place like most raid dungeons… But it was really…pretty…”

After climbing the remaining stone steps, Crim emerged onto a vast space, covered in green grass and many little white and yellow flowers.

That place had likely once been paved with stone, but across many years nature had reclaimed it and turned it into a large flower garden, leaving only some vestiges left of its past appearance.

There were also fragments that had broken off the castle lying in random spots, creating a scene reminiscent of Glastonbury Tor in England, which had inspired Avalon of King Arthur’s legends.

Then in the very center of the island was her main goal, the main building of the old castle, built out of white stone, and which seemed to be inviting Crim to get closer, she had already gotten this far after all.

“So that’s it…The place where the Red Lion Emperor began his uprising…”

Gripping her Cloak of the Young Red Lion Emperor, she walked through the beautiful yet lonesome flower garden.

Since no one had stepped foot on the island for so long, it had not only become a garden, but also a paradise for wild birds, many of which had built their nests between the plants, and would spread their white wings to take into the air when she passed by.

Crim watched in amazement as she walked on, until…

“Ohh, that cloak…I remember it, and it brings back memories.”
“…Who’s there?!”

Hearing that, Crim realized she had just stepped into the center of a circular construction in the middle of the garden, paved with white stone.

Did I accidentally trigger a fight?!

That white stone was not visible in the present day though, Crim’s surroundings had changed almost like she had been teleported back in time, back before nature took over.

Crim cursed in her mind as the air swerved in front of her, leading to the apparition of a figure.

That figure wore crimson knight armor, and had beautiful golden hair. She also had a sword, made of the same crimson material as her armor, which she thrust into the ground before standing imposingly.

She’s so pretty…almost like an angel.

That female knight was so beautiful that Crim was stunned by her.

That sword also looked familiar though, it looked identical to one of the swords from Ephemeral Spectral Sword which she had used against Sorleon not too long ago.

“My name is Adnammelech, tenth of the Red Lion Emperor’s Twelve Blades, and younger sister to Knight Commander Effie. A knight of light who purges evil.”
“…Huh?”

Crim had heard that name before.

The Red Lion Emperor’s Twelve Blades. According to the history of Destiny Unchain Online, they were twelve loyal knights, who had dedicated their lives to serve the Red Lion Emperor. George had been really enthusiastic to talk about them when he told Crim that story.

…This beautiful lady who almost looks like an angel is actually a legendary knight?

“Girl from the demons, adorned in the Red Lion Emperor’s cloak that carries the wishes of its former bearer, I shall not turn you away. Your upright spirit and readiness to face our twelve trials are evident. However, venturing here alone was unwise.“

Saying that, Adnammelech turned her eyes away with sadness before pulling up her sword. And then…

“Ghuh..?!”

A sudden pressure befell Crim, forcing her to her knees, while her skin felt like it was on fire. Her HP gauge also began to flash red and shrink slowly. Then she realized, it was not mere pressure…

“Is she hitting all of my weaknesses at once..?!”

Crim’s sensitivity to light was often overlooked in fights, but now it was being fully exploited, making her feel like she was being lacerated on her entire body.

On top of that, there was also divine power harming her, almost like she was in a church…or rather, it was even more powerful. It was like a sanctuary that cleansed demons.

“My garden exposes anything demonic to the light of scrutiny, and ties it down. You can’t defeat me on your own.”

Saying that, Adnammelech’s red blade was thrust forward.

“Do…you think…this will hold me?!”

Halfway out of desperation, Crim reached for a knife on her hip and held it with both her hands, deflecting the incoming blade just as it was about to strike her neck.

Sparks flew out as the red sword grazed her neck. But that was it. Crim had used every ounce of her willpower to do that, and now she no longer had the energy to keep her arms up, so they fell lifelessly.

Still the fact remained that Crim had deflected one attack, which shocked Adnammelech, who stared at Crim with eyes open wide…and then her face softened.

“…You’re strong, girl. Make sure you’re accompanied by trustworthy companions next time you come.”

Adnammelech pointed her red sword at Crim again.

This time Crim did not raise her arms anymore, her HP gauge had already shrunk so much she hardly had any time left.

Ahh…this is impossible.

It was probably the game itself that was keeping her away. Realizing the futility of her attempts, Crim completely gave up. And then, even though she had a gentle smile, Adnammelech drove her sword into Crim’s heart.

◇◇◇

“…And that’s how it ended.”

When Crim was done relating her experience in the castle, the entire room fell silent.

“Ah…I’m sorry, Crim. You can stand up again.”
“Are you sure?!”
“Yeah, you actually did a really good job at scouting the area.”

Frey apologized for giving a harsher punishment than was necessary, and Crim quickly took off the sign hanging from her neck and stood up, massaging her legs that had been under pressure as she sat. There was no numbness in the virtual world, but she still felt the need to do that, for psychological reasons.

“First off, I’m really glad that we know about Adnammelech beforehand.”

After a heavy sigh that seemed to carry a lot of emotions, Frey spoke again.

“I think you, Sorleon, and Shao will have to step back while we fight her.”
“…Yeah, I figured as much.”

It seemed like demons would never be able to beat her. Crim had been in excruciating pain the entire time, so she was actually surprised she had managed to retain the memories of the encounter.

“It seems we’ll have to reconsider our initial plans from the ground up, as the three Demon Lords who we considered our strongest members might have to stand in the sidelines…”

After Frey said that, he and everyone else listening to the conversation looked more tense. Everyone had thought that Crim, Sorleon, and Shao would spearhead their raid party. But now that assumption everyone had was denied, which produced that shock in everyone.

If they had charged in blindly without knowing that, the realization within the dungeon would have been extremely demoralizing.

“The problem is…what’s to say there aren’t other foes with the opposite abilities further in?”

It was a raid dungeon with a party size limit of 15. It was hard to believe that they would make certain species completely useless within the dungeon, instead, the more likely option was…

“…The opposite of Adnammelech, so a boss that will make anyone who isn’t a demon useless…”

Crim muttered that.

There were very few species classified as demons. The common selection only had Dragonewts, and everything else was considered a rare species.

“Oh right, when Adnammelech introduced herself she mentioned she was Knight Commander Effie’s younger sister.”
“That does stand out…we’ll have to be careful about whoever that Knight Commander is.”

Frey quickly took more notes as he said that.

“I feel like you and the other two Demon Lords will be able to get through it though… Still, you probably should let them know whenever you can too. I’ll have to gather some more information. When are you gathering with them?”
“Ah, we meet every Sunday, so that’s the day after tomorrow.”
“I see, that’s pretty soon. Sorry everyone, we’re not going hunting today, and I’ll be borrowing Crim for a bit.”
“Okay, good luck Frey and Crim!”

Saying that, Frey and Crim left while Freya wished them the best.

They ended up talking overnight about that new problem, trying to identify any pitfalls and how to take care of them…