"Hello?"
A playful yet captivating voice brushed against Seong’s ear.
It had been such a long time since they last met.
Was it when he first summoned Valtar?
It’s been that long.
He had met the past Helena, but not the soul of Helena. This was the first time in a while.
When Seong greeted Helena with a pleased expression, she teased him.
"Did you miss me?"
Seong nodded immediately, answering, “Of course. I missed you.”
"...Hmm. Well, I suppose that could be the case."
Helena gave a light cough, a reaction she didn’t expect. She wasn’t easily taken aback by things like this, but she never thought Seong would actually say he missed her.
Regardless, as soon as Helena appeared, Leonic and Fiora, who were nearby, had their eyes widen in surprise.
Though they had heard about it from Seong, meeting Helena in person was unexpected.
"Hehe, Helena-sama!!!"
"Ah, Aaaah! I can’t believe it's Helena-sama!!!"
Unable to hold back their tears of joy, the two of them shed copious amounts of tears, as large as chicken droppings.
Serving a new master, they couldn’t call her Lord or Master, but they still called out Helena’s name with the emotions they held from the past.
They gazed at Helena, sitting on Seong’s shoulder, calling her name in a wistful tone.
On the other hand, Noctrynium, who had never been dead, and thus never a soul, couldn’t help but be bewildered.
Helena?
He too had longed to see his former master, but he could never truly meet her again. The thought left him deeply melancholy.
However,
“Everyone, calm down.”
"Yeah, as Seong said, calm down. You’re getting too emotional with all that crying, you know?"
Seong and Helena shared the same opinion on this.
Helena had struggled in the past, so she fully understood how overwhelming those tears could be.
Regardless, Seong spoke to Noctrynium, who still looked downcast.
"Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you meet her again soon."
"...Th-thank you."
Seong’s comforting words seemed to have worked, as the melancholic mood seemed to lift.
And then,
"Noctrynium, this has always been your problem. You need to be patient and wait a bit."
"Haha, yes, that’s true. Helena-sama herself said that your problem has always been impatience. She told you to wait a little longer."
"...Ah... I know."
When Leonic relayed Helena’s words, Noctrynium’s face flushed with embarrassment, likely recalling his past impatient tendencies.
It was nice to reunite, but that wasn’t the priority at the moment.
Helena was someone who could enter again.
They had to hurry.
"Do we need to go back in?"
"Hmm, no, you don’t have to right now."
Helena spoke in a flirtatious tone, almost like a soft snort.
Seong glanced at her in confusion. Wasn’t she already exhausted, resting inside of him for a while?
Wondering if she could stay longer, he was about to ask, but Helena spoke first.
"Past me gave you some power, and Seong, you’ve absorbed so many memories, so you’ve replenished a lot of your strength. Thanks."
"Ah, I see."
If that was the case, then it was good. Now there were things to do.
If it was Helena, she would definitely be helpful.
Seong thought and spoke, "Shall we start with creating Helena’s body?"
"Helena-sama’s body!? Hah!!!"
"Ahh!!! Our lord is truly amazing!!!"
"Is... is that even possible!?"
All three subordinates were shocked.
But Helena, who had half-shared the idea with Seong already, smiled and nodded.
"Great idea."
When Helena said it was a good idea, they were about to set things into motion.
However, before they could do so, Helena stopped them.
"But with the materials we have now, it's not enough."
"Hmm... I figured as much."
Seong had briefly thought about it. With the alchemy knowledge he’d gained from Melisia’s memories, it was clear that there were still not enough materials to create Helena’s vessel.
‘I’ll need to gather more materials.’
Even with the help of other skills, additional materials were required.
While Seong was contemplating this, Helena helped him.
"I think we can get everything we need within this labyrinth. If we end it with transcendence of death, we should have more than enough."
Everything they needed was in the labyrinth?
At this, Seong smiled.
"Gathering the materials one by one won’t be easy."
Still, it was fine. The labyrinth would be thoroughly explored.
And then,
"By your expression, Seong, you’ll also need the corpse of a raid boss, one that’s human-shaped, right?"
A raid boss.
Visit frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓ for the b𝘦st novel reading experience.
Seong thought for a moment, then nodded.
He had just the right monster in mind.
It was quite unusual for a raid boss, and as Helena had said, it was humanoid.
A rather tough one.
Seong remembered it from Melisia’s memories.
"How about this one?"
Seong shared his findings with Helena, and upon hearing the idea, Helena laughed cheerfully.
"Ahahaha! This sounds fun!"
Helena, too, seemed pleased with the plan.
However, the raid boss’s lair was in the heart of the labyrinth.
And that heart wasn’t a place just anyone could enter.
But that was fine.
"So, are we heading to the lord now?"
Helena’s suggestion made sense.
Seong had a connection with Paragon, the lord of Pentagrid.
So, the next destination was set.
"Yeah, we’ll go to the lord’s castle."
Seong thought that if he completed the lord’s quest, they would be granted access to the central part of the labyrinth.
With that in mind, Seong stood up from his seat.
But before that...
Skill Book – Melisia's Homunculus Alchemy
→ Legendary
→ Consumable
→ Usable only by Alchemist and Dark Mage class characters.
→ A skill book containing Melisia's Homunculus Alchemy.
→ Using this will allow the character to learn Melisia's Homunculus Alchemy.
If the Despair’s Ancient Tome is used, the skill book will transform into a random Dark Mage class skill book, keeping its grade.
Since Melisia's Homunculus Alchemy is a skill that must be manually crafted, it may be quite difficult. Please proceed with caution.
Seong took out the skill book.
It was a skill that allowed the crafting of creatures like chimeras and homunculi, and as expected, it was only usable by Alchemist and Dark Mage class characters.
Without hesitation, Seong used it immediately upon confirming the conditions.
[Using Legendary grade skill book, Skill Book – Melisia's Homunculus Alchemy!]
[You have obtained the Legendary grade skill, Melisia's Homunculus Alchemy!]
[The Alchemy tab has been unlocked.]
[You can now create homunculi.]
With the basic conditions now met, Seong spoke up with enthusiasm.
"Hehehe! Let’s go—! To the lord’s castle!"
0.
The lord’s castle in Pentagrid exuded a tranquil atmosphere.
The Gridri family, who had been lords for generations, valued simplicity and avoided excessive decoration.
This lack of grandeur contributed to the castle’s calm and elegant ambiance, which gave it a rustic yet timeless charm.
It was a castle that could be considered a source of pride for the Gridri family.
However, in the lord’s office, the very heart of the castle, Lord Paragon Gridri let out a deep sigh.
"Huuhhh..."
From the heavy sigh, it was clear that he had significant concerns, but his attendants, sitting nearby, simply avoided looking at him. They couldn’t offer any solutions.
The lord’s worries were not something that could be easily alleviated.
'What should I do...'
Could it be because of the labyrinth?
No, that couldn't be the case.
The labyrinth had existed long before this land was even settled.
It wasn’t the labyrinth that had been troubling Lord Paragon.
However, in a sense, it was similar.
A massive underground labyrinth stretching beneath the entire city.
But to make matters worse, a vicious NPC had managed to sneak into the area directly beneath the lord’s castle.
"Huuhhh..."
At first, a bounty was placed.
Naturally, players flocked in.
From Paragon’s perspective, these outsiders came in droves, drawn by the lord’s quest.
But after the bounty was placed, how long had it been?
Days had passed.
An outsider, a woman with a sword, had nearly cornered the NPC, but it fled into the labyrinth, causing the opportunity to be lost.
Regrettably, new outsiders and soldiers from the lord's forces were sent in, but that, too, ended in failure.
A large-scale expedition, meant to capture the NPC in the labyrinth, lacked the means to endure the labyrinth's harsh conditions.
Furthermore, a faulty chariot attack caused the expedition to suffer a crushing defeat.
"Huuhhh..."
Even now, thinking about it brought another deep sigh.
Honestly, if Overpalace had stepped in, they might have easily captured the NPC and eradicated its lineage.
But who could manage Overpalace?
Even Lord Paragon, with all his authority, was considered to have less power than the branch leader of Overpalace.
Overpalace was not a force that could be dealt with by any lord.
So, constantly on the lookout for capable talent, Lord Paragon had heard news recently.
An outsider who had earned the title of knight.
He had even captured a murderer and handed them over to the guards.
A knight, something this territory had none of.
Therefore, it was assumed that his skills were guaranteed.
Even the outsider woman who wielded a sword hadn’t been a knight, had she?
Paragon considered this an opportunity.
He immediately began to search for this outsider and made his way to the auction hall.
But, due to noble etiquette, he couldn't speak plainly and subtly conveyed his message.
Usually, other outsiders would have arrived right away, but—
Seong, was it?
Even after the auction had ended, he didn’t come to the lord’s castle.
"Ugh, maybe I should have been more straightforward?"
But once said, it would be hard to retract those words.
Such was the way of the nobility.
"Huuhhh..."
Just as Lord Paragon continued to sigh, there was a knock on the door.
It was the housekeeper, the one responsible for overseeing all matters in the lord’s castle.
Seeing him approach, Lord Paragon motioned for him to speak.
The housekeeper, with a respectful demeanor, placed his hand over his chest and bowed slightly before speaking.
"Lord, the outsider knight, Seong, has arrived to see you, saying he has business with you."
"What, what!? Have him come in immediately!"
"...Understood."
Lord Paragon, who had forgotten all about his noble composure in his urgency, shouted, causing the housekeeper to flinch slightly. Nonetheless, the housekeeper quickly left to fetch Seong.
Soon after, there was another knock, and this time, Seong entered with someone else.
It was the outsider he had seen at the auction yesterday!
Seong himself.
"I am Seong, the one you saw yesterday at the auction."
Though he wasn’t well-versed in noble etiquette, it didn’t matter.
Right now, he appeared as more of a hero to Lord Paragon than anyone else.
This was the hope of Pentagrid!
"Ah, you’ve come! You’ve come at just the right time! Please, sit down, and let’s talk!"
"...???"
Seong, seeing the overly enthusiastic Lord Paragon, tilted his head in confusion.
What was going on?
Why was he being welcomed so warmly?
Is the lord a man who likes other men?
No way.
Seong thought this to himself as he tightened his cloak and sat in a chair a little further from the lord.
Lord Paragon, noticing this distance, tilted his head and asked.
"??? Why are you sitting so far away?"
"Oh, it's just more comfortable this way."
Hahaha!