The moment Erginus set foot in the dungeon where the Dark God resided, he could immediately feel the presence of the malevolent deity. He clenched his lips tightly in response.
The Dark God that remained in his memories was a disaster so far beyond the word "horrific" that it could not be expressed in such simple terms.
The Dark God’s power, which stripped away all the senses of a human, crushed hope, burdened the shoulders with helplessness, and made one wish for death rather than face the terrifying sights that awaited under the light.
Even in the final moments when they faced the Dark God, the hope for the heroes was not great.
Had not the paladin, Ruel, sacrificed his future to create a miracle, they would certainly have been defeated.
And so, now, at this moment, as they headed to confront the Dark God once again, Erginus, his eyes gleaming with a vow of revenge for the past, clenched his teeth to steady his trembling hands.
“Alright, you pathetic lot. Follow along, and if you can manage even that, I suppose that’s good enough for people like you who only have their titles and no real skills.”
However, Lucy was different. Having faced the Dark God before, surviving several life-threatening encounters because of it, she remained calm despite being surrounded by the Dark God’s energy.
It was as though she didn’t know what fear was.
“Right. The useless prince here will be shaking like a leaf after just a few steps, so he probably won’t be able to keep up. Want to be carried on your daddy’s back?”
“Nonsense! I’m not the weakling I used to be! Don’t underestimate me!”
Perhaps putting on a strong front? It seemed so. After all, no human could be unaware of the feeling of fear.
Ha. I think I finally understand why Ruel cares so much for that girl. How could such a small back look so big when viewed through the heart?
“Really? Do as you wish. When you’re crying and begging to lie down later, I’ll make sure to step all over you.”
“That will never happen!”
But something was strange. Despite Lucy being in charge, no one questioned it. Given the group’s composition, wouldn’t it make more sense for someone else to lead?
Even if Ruel’s advice was coming from the mace, wouldn’t it be difficult to make immediate decisions?
“Wait a minute, Lady Alrn. Have you been through this dungeon before?”
Perhaps having the same thought as Erginus, the swordsman, Yuden, voiced his doubt, prompting Lucy to openly laugh at him.
“Are you a fanboy? Did you leave your brain behind while watching daddy? Have you ever thought about why the other pathetic ones aren’t saying anything?”
“W-Who are you saying I was watching!? I’ve never done that!”
“Pfft. Hahaha. Look at your voice shaking. You really are a pathetic woman. Aren’t you embarrassed pretending to be a girl at your age, huh?”
“Stop! I-I’ll shut up! I’ll shut up!”
Seeing Yuden scream, Erginus resolved to remain quiet.
Better not say anything carelessly—if the fox on Lucy’s shoulder took human form, things would get really ugly.
Having been taught a lesson by the fox several times, Erginus obediently followed Lucy’s lead.
“Haha. It’s alright, swordsman. It’s natural for warriors to watch out for fellow warriors.”
“No, that’s... Ugh. Hwaaah.”
Not long after, Erginus understood why the others had so easily left the leadership to Lucy.
The small girl, who barely came up to his waist, commanded better than most legion commanders.
As soon as she took in the landscape of the dungeon, she immediately found the right path.
She predicted enemies that weren’t even in sight and spoke of ways to deal with them.
She used traps to slow down the dungeon’s progress.
Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.
She even went as far as collapsing parts of the dungeon to deal with tougher monsters below.
Erginus couldn’t help but think, as he watched Lucy’s actions, if they had had someone like her in their time.
He couldn’t say the hero who led them was a bad person. He was certainly worthy of the title of a hero.
However, regardless of the hero’s strength and character, his leadership was quite terrible.
Watching the hero rely on instincts that didn’t even match up, doing all sorts of nonsense—it was hard not to curse him, even though one knew how great he was.
What was even more frustrating was that, after making mistakes, the hero would fix them with his own skill and then apologize by bowing his head first.
They had struggled to the brink of death because of his foolishness!
And then, in a situation where they thought they would have died if it weren’t for him, he shamelessly apologized first!
Where were they supposed to vent their frustration?
“Loser mage. I know you want to watch the girl’s butt from behind, but at least pretend to follow us?”
“Do I look like that kind of person!? I just thought it would have been easier if someone like you had joined our party!”
“Hahaha. You sound just like an old man. How much of a pathetic idiot must the so-called hero have been to be compared to someone as cute as me?”
Erginus, who was about to speak up for his old comrade’s insult, could find no rebuttal.
The incompetence the hero showed as a commander was so vast that the word "pathetic" couldn’t even cover it.
As he tried to think of any good leadership the hero had shown, the party continued advancing without stopping.
It took them just one hour to reach the 10th floor from the 1st.
And from the 10th to the 20th floor, with added gimmicks, it only took an hour and twenty minutes.
Then, from the 20th to the 30th floor, the time was even shorter, taking only forty minutes, as Lucy had Benedict recklessly destroy parts of the dungeon to speed things up.
“...Is this really okay?”
“It’s perfectly fine for a dungeon made by a pathetic fool. Actually, I’m a bit disappointed we couldn’t destroy it all. I’d love to laugh at that idiot’s face when he sees the pitiful expression he’ll make.”
“Hah. I can’t even tell who the villain is.”
This swift progress didn’t change even when the Dark God’s power started to influence the dungeon on the 30th floor.
Even though some of their senses were fading, under Lucy’s command, there was no room for any variables.
She could predict what needed to be done as if she had seen the future—nothing as simple as losing a sense could stop her.
And so, within half a day, Lucy reached the 46th floor, finding the location where the Dark God was sealed, even without Erginus giving her any hints.
“Pathetic wizard. Finally, it’s time for you to do some work. I hope you won’t look as pathetic in your own field of expertise, right?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve spent nearly a century verifying this plan.”
By this time, there hadn’t been any major battles, so their physical condition was close to perfect. Mentally clear, their mana abundant.
There would be no mistakes.
Even if there were variables.
‘I never thought that the loser Agra would be quiet today.’
Since the creature beneath me was in danger, Agra would surely intervene, but it was strangely silent.
Was the pathetic god blocking it, or had it seen our strength and thought it was no use and was conserving its power?
Personally, I think it’s the latter. Even if the Dark God, who had lost most of its strength after the Burrow domain incident last year, resurrected in front of us, it would be defeated instantly.
<In other words, it’s waiting for the right time.>
‘Waiting for when we reach the Forest of Fairies?’
<Yes. It would be wise to prepare its maximum strength. The calamity is coming.>
Listening to the words of my grandfather, I saw Erginus preparing the magic circle.
The magic he was drawing was so complicated that I couldn’t possibly understand it with my knowledge.
The others who were with me were no different. The difference was only in how much they understood, but all of them gave up understanding at some point.
Some of the group hadn’t even given the magic circle a second glance from the start.
Arthur, still lying on the ground, was one of them.
He was barely moving, but he had kept following us, clinging to his pride.
Even when it seemed like he might collapse from exhaustion, he gritted his teeth and followed us with his own legs.
Could he really hate hearing the word “pathetic” from me so much?
I’d praise his tenacity, but I wish he’d understand that if something goes wrong, it’s us who will suffer.
...
<What are you planning this time?>
‘Oh. How did you know? Are you spying on me like a perverted fox, sniffing my sweat?'
<Your face looked like you were trying to prank someone.>
I hadn’t really planned anything.
I just wanted to see if he’d get up or not and, if not, maybe I could take some stress out on him.
I wasn’t doing anything too wrong by imagining how I’d tease him if he couldn’t get up.
Once I had some free time, I pulled out a piece of paper to draw my side profile and vent my irritation from dealing with the perverted monk.
It wasn’t a big mistake, right?
As I grumbled inside, the darkness around me began to thicken. The magic sealing the Dark God was reacting to Erginus’s magic.
“Prepare for any unexpected situations. We’re about to disturb the seal.”
As the darkness continued to deepen, I moved closer to Arthur, raised my divine shield, and formed a protective barrier.
A place where darkness could never consume.
Then, I stared at the cracked seal as I felt the malevolent intent from within the darkness and the electric tension signaling an impending crisis. I smiled wide, as if I had already won.
Goodbye, you shut-in idiot. It’s time to see the light of day.