The sudden appearance of Luciana was surprising enough. However, the statement she followed with brought about confusion. ‘Why is she speaking in such a sharp tone?’
As someone who had been with her for a long time, I could tell. It was a plain tone as if simply inquiring about the situation, but the sensitivity embedded within it caused my response to be delayed.
“Ah! It’s probably the same situation as Lady Speda. We also got caught up in the spirits’ pranks and ended up scattered.”
Fortunately, while I was momentarily stunned, Rene stepped forward to explain actively.
“Hmm. There is no lie in those words, right?”
“O-Of course not.”
It was only then that Rene, noticing the ominous atmosphere around Luciana, began to stammer.
Seeing her trembling hands hidden behind her back to avoid her sight, it was clear she was quite scared of Luciana.
‘Indeed, if you got stuck in the middle of the story, it was usually Luciana.’
A wall of lament that even the veterans acknowledged. A mid-boss whose unreasonable patterns repeatedly frustrated many seasoned players.
True to her reputation, Luciana exuded a subtly chilling aura, which was intimidating enough to instantly repel those with weak spirits.
However, the problem was, ‘Why is the young lady angry?’
“Enough. I have heard your answer. Hans, let me ask you once again. Where are the other members of your team, and why are only the two of you here?”
Stay calm.
At times like this, I needed to act brazenly.
Therefore, the choice I made was, “It is as the Saintess said.”
Rely on authority!
It was a clever idea to pass the responsibility to the well-known Saintess while explaining the situation.
“Amidst the spirits’ pranks, while being isolated from the team members, only the Saintess was not far away.”
When I answered casually with a shrug, Luciana also took a step back for now.
It seemed that she, too, had experienced the spirits’ ‘maze.’
That’s why she was wandering alone now.
‘But, who are Luciana’s team members?’
I couldn’t check because I came in first.
I was about to ask about this when.
“Be careful with your actions. It could easily cause misunderstandings.”
“Misunderstanding? What do you mean?”
For a moment, I tilted my head, not understanding Luciana’s words.
Just being with the team members and then getting scattered.
What kind of misunderstanding could arise from this?
A brief frown appeared on Luciana’s forehead at my question, then quickly disappeared.
After a moment of silence, Luciana spoke.
“…Your fiancée is the daughter of Count Frontal, who is in charge of arms distribution in the North, and my closest friend. Seeing you alone with another woman makes me uneasy, both publicly and privately.”
“There’s no way that’s true!”
I was horrified and denied her absurd words.
The Saintess was merely a tool!
I never expected Luciana to have such a ridiculous misunderstanding.
“For me, there is only my lord, Lady Luciana, and my fiancée, Lady Frontal.”
“Is that so. …Very well, I will believe you for now. But do not betray that trust. I cannot stand to see my friend hurt.”
However, even with my explanation, Luciana turned her head away with a cold expression.
My heart sank.
-The descendant of the warrior seems to have little trust in you. Even if she is just a toy for amusement, it is very insolent.
I couldn’t even hear what Bathory was saying. A dizzying shock swept through me, as if all the blood drained from my body.
‘No.’
“It was nice seeing you, even if briefly. I should be going now, I need to find my teammates.”
“Ah, please wait a moment!”
I couldn’t let her leave like this. Having been with her for a long time, I knew that if I let her go now, our relationship would become even more strained.
‘Think. Come up with a way to soothe her anger right now.’
Fortunately, my experience as her attendant allowed me to quickly reach a conclusion.
I walked up to her and whispered, “We happen to need your help, Lady Luciana.”
“…Help?”
“Yes. If it’s you, Lady Luciana, who is skilled in combat, I’m sure you can defeat the one we couldn’t.”
I took a deep breath.
She is a warrior with a strong desire to win. Surely this would pique her interest.
“The master of this dungeon, that is.”
Luciana’s silver hair, which had been fluttering as she walked, softly settled down.
I didn’t miss the opportunity and added even sweeter words.
“The loot left by the dungeon master would be highly valuable. It would greatly help in achieving the top rank.”
“…If you can capture it yourself, why share the information with another team, especially me?”
As expected, Luciana wasn’t easy to convince. I needed to answer well.
We were already in a friendly competition for the top spot.
Giving a superficial response like ‘It’s my duty as an attendant’ would only irritate her.
So I said, “You know best, Lady Luciana, how small my aura is.”
I strained myself to barely cover my dagger with a dark aura.
No, it was embarrassing to even call it that.
The aura barely shimmered on the blade, looking like it could extinguish any moment.
“I’m training hard with your help, but as you can see, it’s not enough to penetrate the thick ice walls of the monster. But you, Lady Luciana, is different.”
I subtly mentioned our training sessions and pointed to her sword at her waist, as if encouraging her.
“With the prized sword of the Speda family, your excellent swordsmanship, and your overwhelming aura, you can surely defeat this boss!”
“…Hmph, your speech skills are certainly impressive.”
‘Success!’
She turned her head back towards me.
The heat reflecting in her lake-like blue eyes was now visible, and the previous coldness was gone.
“I will help. Lead me to where you found the dungeon master.”
“As expected of the treasure of the North.”
I bowed my head, hiding a satisfied smile.
Now, the roles were clear.
I was the tank and support mage who actively used evasive maneuvers.
The Saintess was the support healer.
And the main damage dealer was…
Luciana, who stood there confidently, emanating a pure white aura that matched her silver hair.
She was the key to this boss battle.
The only one who could penetrate the ice spirit’s armor.
“But first, we need to hear about the enemy. Is it a spirit?”
“Yes. It’s an ice spirit specialized in defense and slowing. It’s an advanced spirit, so you need to be extremely careful.”
Although it’s weaker compared to spirits of other elements, being an advanced spirit still makes it quite powerful. The best strategy is to dodge its slow attacks as much as possible.
Just then,
Thud, thump,
Kraaah!
I began to feel faint vibrations at my feet. It was getting closer.
“I-I think it’s coming! What should we do?”
“What do you mean, what should we do?”
I couldn’t speak informally in front of Luciana, so I turned to Rene with a smile and respectful words that contained zero politeness.
“An opportunity for a good test result is falling right into our laps, why refuse it?”
First place, second place, and even third place. Running away wasn’t exactly great for our pride as first-year top performers.
“…You were the one who ran away earlier.”
“Ahem. This time it’s different. Let’s use this opportunity for the Saintess to witness my lord’s strength.”
You need to experience how reassuring it is when the mid-boss you fear is on our side.
‘A step back to take two steps forward. Don’t you understand?’
‘You were so confident earlier and then ran away.’
‘Then why don’t you try it alone?’
Soon, those disrespectful eyes will realize how brilliant she is.
Moreover,
– Must you humble yourself like this?
– The higher you place someone, the more painful their fall. Isn’t the supreme delicacy we gain from that truly something to look forward to?
– Enough. This is a pointless argument. I understand why you care for the warrior’s descendant. But why do you also act like a nanny for that brat?
– We need to start grooming the Saintess now to fight against Tyrant later.
While I was calming down Bathory, who had been grumbling for a while,
Thud, thud.
The vibrations grew louder.
Crack, crumple, thud!
A wall crumbled, and the old man’s face emerged at its peak.
– Hahaha. Still scurrying away like a rat, huh? If you ran into a passage where I couldn’t move, I just need to break everything!
A force of cold powerful enough to create a path where there was none.
[BOSS]
[Ice Spirit of the Snowy Mountain before Resurrection]
However, unlike when I fled powerlessly earlier, now I was with Luciana, the [World’s Official Strongest Talent].
“You’re quite the opponent.”
As if meeting my expectations, Luciana unleashed the aura she had gathered towards the emerging ice spirit.
Kraaah!
The brilliant white slash sliced through the thick ice armor like tofu, making the monster scream in agony.
“Indeed, the first strike is crucial in a fight.”
It was an awe-inspiring strike that made me gasp in admiration.
Seeing the huge scar etched on the ice, I quickly took my position to support her, adding some sweet words as a bonus.
“You seem even fiercer today.”
“It’s not good. When emotions are involved in swordsmanship, it becomes less sharp and only rougher. It was the same a moment ago.”
‘What’s going on?’
Normally, she would be pleased with such words, but for some reason, she started to blame herself.
…This is something I need to look into.
Luciana may have a somewhat clumsy and delicate side, but she is the daughter of a high-ranking noble and a knight who has undergone numerous training sessions. She wouldn’t be swayed by emotions over a mere dungeon exploration.
However, for now, I shook my head strongly in denial.
“No, that’s not true. How can there be growth without a competitive spirit? As long as you maintain proper composure, channeling your emotions into your sword can sometimes be beneficial.”
Right.
As long as you don’t completely lose your mind and rationality, like that spirit.
– Kraaah! You insolent brats! You don’t know your place! This time, I will show you the true power of an advanced spirit! Die, all of you!
The grotesquely distorted old man’s face on the icy mountain.
His furious gaze was fixed entirely on me.
“…Unintentionally, I’ve drawn his aggro.”
Being swayed by emotions like this.
Normally, aggro is drawn to the one who causes the most pain, and I was worried about how to divert it, but it seemed the mental anguish I caused him took precedence.
In that case, let’s fulfill the role of a ‘tank’ properly.
“The majesty of an advanced spirit? You’re nothing but a guard dog for a mere human count’s family.”
“… …”
“And on top of that, you couldn’t even gain your own freedom and are venting your frustration on an innocent human. Isn’t that pathetic?”
“I’ll kill you!”
Soon, the old man’s face shifted from grotesque to one of pure anguish.
“Ah, how foolish.”
Even though it took the form of an old man, it was still a spirit.
Its mental age was no different from that of mischievous low-level spirits.
It was so easily provoked by such an obvious taunt.
Now that the aggro was fixed, all that was left was unlimited attack time.
“Saintess, don’t worry about me. Give all your blessings to Lady Luciana!”
Luciana stepped back briefly, perhaps to regroup.
To buy the dealer some time, I charged towards the spirit.
* **
It was truly massive, like a mountain.
She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t overwhelmed.
“So this is an advanced spirit.”
She felt the sting in her palm as she gripped her sword’s hilt.
It was clear that her attacks had an effect on the enemy, but her hands had endured significant strain from the recoil.
If it weren’t for the calluses formed from past training, she might have dropped her sword.
Luciana watched the spirit in front of her with a bitter gaze.
Swirling cold and incessantly flying ice spears.
Hans weaving skillfully through it all.
…And her own foolishness for forgetting what she had learned from him and charging in recklessly.
Charging in with great power requires a commensurate price.
She had forgotten even that basic principle and thrust her sword in haste.
‘Phew, I truly lost my composure.’
The blatant infidelity of her fiancé, the crown prince.
And the subsequent signs of infidelity from her cherished attendant.
‘…I was only interrogating him because I was worried about Lisa.’
Moreover, the subtle familiarity between the two of them. It was understandable to be mistaken, Luciana thought. But regardless of the reason, the sudden surge of anger had affected her swordsmanship.
‘It would have been better to aim for his face. The best attack is always a surprise strike. I regret that I wasted a golden opportunity by letting my emotions get the best of me, but what’s done is done. Now, I need to focus on the enemy before me.’
Luciana gathered her resolve once more to face the opponent in front of her.
‘Where and how should I attack?’
“Lady Speda! I’ll lend you my strength!”
With the Saintess’s spell, golden magic swirled around her. As it flowed into her body, she felt a surge of power in her muscles, far greater than before. The Saintess’s touch brought a refreshing and invigorating energy.
‘But it’s not enough.’
Having directly faced the dungeon master, she knew for certain. Even at her level, merely scratching its surface was the best she could achieve.
Luciana’s gaze deepened.
‘At this rate, can I even cut through it?’
Once shaken, it was incredibly difficult to regain her composure. Where had her usual self gone? The daunting task of splitting a mountain. As this situation approached her, each step she tried to take grew heavier. Luciana’s bitter eyes focused on the battle before her.
“You rat!”
“Haha, and you can’t even catch such a rat, it seems.”
Even as she hesitated, Hans was busy showcasing his skills, exhaling cold breaths. His agility allowed him to narrowly dodge the massive ice spears by a hair’s breadth. It was typical of Hans.
At a glance, it seemed as though he was merely toying with the enemy. But to her, it looked different.
‘…He’s desperate.’
The ice spread around his feet, the influence of a slowing spell, making his usually light footwork seem heavy and sluggish.
Most of all, the beads of sweat trickling down his cheek showed his trouble and exhaustion.
It was a foregone conclusion that the longer the battle dragged on, the more disadvantaged he would become.
Therefore,
“Hup! I won’t let that happen!”
Luciana sprang off the ground, changing her sword into a greatsword with a shout. She aimed at the back of the icy mountain and swung down with all her might, channeling her aura into the blade.
-Clang!
‘Damn.’
The creature was growing stronger. The strike that would have at least scratched it a moment ago was now completely blocked.
-Haha! What now? It feels like an ant bite!
“Ah!”
“Lady Luciana!”
Like brushing off an ant, the creature lightly swung its massive arm, sending her crashing into the cave wall.
-It’s useless! You pathetic humans can never defeat me! This is the sanctuary of spirits!
‘So, it’s true, it’s getting stronger.’
Or perhaps it was better to say it was recovering.
Luciana, rising from the ground, bit her lip hard at the spirit’s booming declaration.
Regardless, the spirit, as if she didn’t matter at all, focused solely on catching her attendant, making thunderous steps with its enormous feet.
Another round of Hans’s precarious dodging ensued.
However,
“…Huh, so we can never win, huh.”
From deep within Luciana’s heart, the flames that had momentarily subsided began to burn fiercely again.
Cliche Novel 