Chapter 78: Evan D. Sherden Unwillingly Creating Relations (3)
Evan D. Sherden Unwillingly Creating Relations (3)
"I am Alan from Paradise Wandering. Is this my first time meeting you officially?"
"Yes, that is true, Mister from Paradise Wandering. If I knew who you were I would have greeted you."
Regardless of whether the dungeon city prospered, fell, or whatever else happened, the actual good guys tried to protect the dungeon city with the protagonist until the end.
Yet the Thunderbird Guild, along with the master and sub-master of the guild paradise, were just searching for a few elites to pick up.
"Phoenix Guild, Eloa von Sirpe."
"I'm called Mira, Submaster of Hit Shield. Originally, I should have brought the master, but he drank yesterday and he's in an ugly state as of the moment... Hmm. He couldn't come because he was still not feeling well."
He was always called the Ice Wizard because he had a cold face, but when a crisis came, he was always the one who stood at the front and unleashed magic. This was Master Eloa von Sirpe of the Phoenix Guild.
All guilds needed their shield knights who played the role of a tank, so the Hit Shield Guild was actively working in association with other guilds to attack the dungeons, and the Deputy-master Mira played the role of their representative.
"I am Velod von Salta, from Evergreen. I think we've met in the ballroom."
"I am Celline Anise of Megamine Guild. Nice to meet you."
On the other hand, the two guilds, Evergreen and Megamine, were a group of traitors who immediately betrayed humanity and turned their backs when the power of the Demon King became too strong. Of course, at this point in time, there was no reason for blaming or punishing them.
"Hou, your face really shines with light!"
"Please accept our greeting too. If you are going to be acting as a dungeon knight commander in the future, you will surely have to cooperate with us."
Right after beating back Jenien, Evan became a mindless greeting machine as the representatives of the various guilds all came over to him. He decided to pay attention to those who would become enemies of the dungeon city later, trying not to let them figure it out. Some of these had already made mistakes even at this point on, but...
'How did they get all those bad eggs into the guilds anyway? Now, if I try to provoke and scare them, these seeds of evil will only spread to other guilds.'
Whether he borrowed the power of the Marquis or managed the dungeon knights directly, if he focused on them, the time would surely come when he could cut them down without much harm.
Not knowing that Evan had such grim plans for them, the explorers greeted the angelic-looking boy.
He just enjoyed the attention lazily. He was happy that he was able to get a chance to talk to these people.
"Did you learn fighting skills from the Knight Commander?"
"Yeah. The Knight Commander was blessed by God in the dungeon and learned these, so he also taught me."
"It is true that he got it from the dungeon. But if it's such a high level skill, isn't it that not anyone can learn it?"
"High-level martial arts were all well known before, yet this is my first time seeing these. If they develop a little, they could be used to great effect. They can solve any problem."
Among the explorers, many were purely curious, and they were so impressed by the fighting spirit that Evan showed against the knight commander that they asked him various questions.
"Will Master deal with monsters with just fighting skills? That's really dangerous."
"No, I know that fighting skills are not very helpful in dungeons. This is just self-defense. I am honing my skills to assist the knights in various situations in the dungeon. I'm going to try some of them this time in there."
"Oh ho ho ho ho. That's really unique! I think you must have already done some research on this particular dungeon of yours."
"Excuse me, Alan."
"...Master Evan."
Evan was, no doubt, the center of the party. The high-ranking explorers all flocked to him, and he was talking while holding a drink. Someone then asked him.
"Do you want to see the end of the dungeon?"
The chattering explorers became a little bit quiet. That was the truth, after all. This was what they all secretly wanted to know. After all, these were all people who struggled to see the end of the dungeon in their own ways.
And it was not different even for those who would become traitors of humanity in the future. If these people did not harbor their own aspirations, it would not have been possible for them to reach a position great enough to be invited to the Marquis' party.
"The Dungeon Knights are knights created to protect the city from dungeon threats. Since our goals have already been set, there is no time to add other goals."
Evan replied with a smile. Whoever had asked him the question seemed a little disappointed, but Evan didn't care at all.
"Of course, I intend to break through the dungeon as much as possible in order to gain strength to protect people. That is the same thing in the end."
"I see..."
"If you give it your all, you would definitely see the end of the dungeon! I believe in you."
The end of the dungeon? That was nothing special. Anyone could see it if they prepared thoroughly. In his previous life, he was tired of winning in Yoma Great War 3 and 4.
But in the end, he was only Evan, who always drowned in his overflowing signs of death.
'If it's the end that I can only see if I die, I don't mind seeing that.'
'I hope that those who want to see the end of the dungeon will take care of themselves. It's good if they even get to kill the Demon King while doing so.'
Evan shrugged as he thought this.
"I know how to save my life at least, and that is all I am interested in."
It was then that a person jumped out through a gap between the explorers when their vigor and enthusiasm had cooled down a little. It was a boy who appeared to be a little older than Evan. Dressed up with dignity, he had a head adorned with blonde hair complete with purple eyes. This was a symbol of high-ranking nobility.
It was Damian L. Silkline, the first prince of this country. They thought he had followed the king, but he was still there.
"That is Prince Damian."
"It's an honor to meet you, Your Majesty."
"It doesn't look like it's an honor at all."
The Prince bluntly shouted at Evan's words and saw Serena still eating skewers beside him. Serena glanced at her brother's gaze and held out the skewer she was holding in her hand.
"Would you like to eat one too, older brother?"
"I came for... No, let's get one."
The Prince asked as he couldn't reject Serena. He was her brother, after all. His eyes widened as if surprised by the taste, but soon, he tried to calm his expression.
He coughed and spoke after a while, putting the skewer down on the side.
"Evan D. Sherden, I have something to ask you."
"Please, say it."
"Protect my younger sister as if she was your life."
"No."
Evan replied immediately without changing his expression the moment the Prince's words were said out. The Prince who ordered was surprised, but Evan talked calmly and firmly.
"Protecting yourself is my first priority. After that, it is my family I want to protect. But I am not obliged to protect a princess."
"You are going to marry Serena. That means you are family."
"I am not marrying the princess."
"Are you marrying me, Evan Oppa!?"
Prince Damian touched his temples at Evan's immediate answer, and more than that, the Princess shouted in surprise. Evan spoke calmly to the Prince.
"I became the commander of the dungeon knight. Marrying me means being bound to this city with me. She can't be my partner unless she is at least determined that much. Therefore, it is not possible to give me the princess of this country as a bride."
"Do you not like our Serena?"
"I think it's not a discussion about my personal tastes."
"Older brother, I'm going to be with Evan and the Dungeon Knights!"
[Look!]
It hurt enough to hear Evan's words, but the Princess's words that were occasionally thrown at him caused a severe headache for the Prince.
Why did a princess want to join the Knights, What's more, it was the Dungeon Knights!
"Where did you get this stupid idea?"
"Yes, exactly, Your Highness! Please help me so that the princess won't be forced to do this idiotic thing."
"You said I could join the knights once I get stronger!"
[Look!]
Serena and Ruby were dissatisfied with Evan's words. Evan could only laugh. Now was the time to break the dream of this delusional girl!
"You're still not strong enough. You have to be much stronger, Princess. The dungeon knights are an elite group. Being able to protect yourself does not mean you can join them."
"Hmm, am I still not good enough? Since we went our separate ways, I thought that when the time came to reunite with my brother, I would have learnt new abilities..."
The Prince looked at the conversation between Evan and Serena with a stupid expression, and finally squeezed his lips tightly and began to shout. From his mouth came a declaration that had a sensational power.
"Evan D. Sherden, I want a duel."
"No, I don't want to."
"If you lose this duel, you will accept my sister as a bride."
"Listen to me! It's impossible because I'm going to be the commander of the Dungeon Knights!"
"It's an order, fight me!"
It was exactly the same for both the brother and sister, as they loved to give orders. Even if their hair color and eye color were different, this immediately convinced him that they were siblings.
It was official. Evan was being asked for a duel by Serena's brother.
He sighed as he watched the princess clapping without even thinking. After all, from the moment she was drawn to him, Evan's life had an additional flashing death signal...!
'What was Prince Damian's ability?'
This guy obviously had some abilities in Yoma War 3 as well. Oh, yes, he could remember.
Prince Damian used an unusually large weapon, so gigantic that it seemed somewhat inconsistent with the size of the Prince.
He had an aptitude for the hammer, and it was characterized by terrible wide-range damage that daringly mowed down the earth, destroying the land as well as the enemy, allies, and anything else that came in the way.
It was quite strong and useful. In fact, it was quite popular among the regulars as there were cases where it was possible to break through to the next level with this weapon. Of course, it was never comparable to Shine or Belois.
'By the way...'
Evan glanced at the Prince. Seeing that he was pulling out a sword for the duel, he remembered what he had heard when he met the king.
One was mad for books and one for the sword. The guy who he said was mad about swords seemed to be Damian.
'That means he's not using his aptitude. Even if he has an aptitude for a sword, it's not on that level.'
If so, no matter how much the Prince grew up as a regular even in the future, it was unlikely that Evan would lose a fight with him. The evidence was that the Prince's escort knights, who were a little far away, looked a little restless.
Perhaps the Prince was not that strong now! After thinking about it, Evan changed his mind and stepped forward.
"... OK, I will fight. But, if I win, the Prince will not ask anything of me from now on, ever."
"Huh, you must have confidence. First of all, if I don't believe in that demonstration. You were just acting along with that knight commander, right?"
"Huh."
The moment the Prince said that, everyone froze. Evan was amazed by the fact that the Prince saw through the play, while others were amazed at the Prince's idiocy.
"He's a fool... Sucker!"
"Prince, what prince? Is he really going to be the next king of this country?"
"No matter how much I try, I can't see much hope for him!"
"Hey, shut up! Quiet!"
The explorers gossiped at the back. Only the owner of the restaurant was excitedly cooking skewers. Originally, if there was something good to see, people were more likely to look for good snacks!
Only
'I didn't know he was skilled enough to see through the play, but he's a regular, so that does not make a difference. However, everyone else was deceived... Can I even step back at this point?'
Evan thought about this seriously, but it wasn't the time for thinking. Eventually, when he lost the duel, he would come off the stage and then use the power of the Marquis, saying that the Prince forcibly demanded a duel.
"The Duel has a single round! It's going to be awesome!"
"Please avoid vital spots."
If he was harmed during this duel and would end up dying, Evan would at least become a ghost and haunt the Princess. Evan pledged and clenched both fists.
"Then... let the duel begin!"
As the Prince was quite confident, the match ended after a blow.
It was actually the Prince that fell at Evan's first blow.