The New Gate (LN)

It was two days after Shin and Sherlene found the monster den that an emergency summons arrived from the royal palace .

“What happened?”

“It is probably related to the devil . ”

The messenger sent by the royal palace was whipping the horses in a frenzy, so they opted not to ask questions yet . He was trying to be prudent while traveling as fast as possible . If they distracted him, he might even cause an accident .

“Your guide is waiting for you . Please, do lend us your assistance . ”

After they somehow arrived at the castle, the messenger briskly saluted Shin and Schnee . They answered that they will do whatever they can and passed through the castle gates . The woman who would act as their guide approached them right away .

Shin and Schnee were led to the room where they had previously met king Kreunzeit . The guide quickly served them both tea .

“I am sure they have been notified of your arrival . Please wait here for a moment . ”

“Understood . ”

The guide had prepared tea and sweets before them, so Shin obliged without restraint . There were mainly cookie-like baked sweets with a couple other types mixed in .

“Pretty good, as expected of the royal palace . ”

“If you like them, I can make some at the hotel too . ”

“You know how?”

“I can pretty much tell, from the look and the flavor . Then I just need to make adjustments while baking . ”

“That’s amazing . ”

Level IX Cooking skills was nothing to snuff at . Thanks to visiting various countries and cities on official quests, Schnee had expanded her food repertoire .

“If you liked them, I’ll have someone give you the recipe later . ”

While Shin and Schnee were talking, Namsaar entered the room as somber and expressionless as ever . He addressed Shin in the same way as he had done to the king .

“Please, you mustn’t bother . Is there only you today, Mr . Namsaar?”

“Yes, why do you ask?”

Namsaar asked back to Shin, as if meaning to ask if that was a problem .

Normally, it would be extremely disrespectful for an average citizen like Shin to address the captain of the royal guards so casually . Namsaar himself had said to not use titles when talking to him however .

“No, I don’t have any problems with you, Mr . Namsaar . I heard it was an emergency summons, so I figured that it might have come from king Kreunzeit . ”

“It’s just information to be shared, so I’m more than enough . There is no need to put up appearances with you, sir Shin, as we must with the nobles . I’ll get on topic then . We have called you because a dungeon has been spotted about 2 kemel north of Erkunt . ”

“That’s pretty close . ”

“Yes, it is inside a forest, but it does not appear to be too deep . The knights said that they’ve never seen it before . ”

The location where the dungeon was found was in a place that Erkunt’s knights routinely patrolled . The forest was also visited often by adventurers on gathering or extermination quests: if a dungeon was present, it would be found immediately .

Namsaar added that the dungeon was not in a rarely visited location .

“Could it be related to the cave I found with Sherlene?”

“Probably so . The dungeon was found the day after the cave sighting, so I would be hard pressed to say the two are not related . There could have some sort of device or hidden mechanism, unknown to us . ”

Namsaar talked without changing expression, but he seemed to be in a foul mood . There had to have been something more behind a dungeon appearing close to the kingdom when it was preparing for a devil’s attack .

This dungeon was highly likely to be related to devils . Even if they just went to inspect it, they needed to be very careful . That was the reason why Shin and Schnee were summoned . They had enough skills to both sneak into or conquer it .

“The exploration party will be only me and Yuki?”

“No, like last time, you will be accompanied by Sherlene and some knights under her direct command . If the dungeon is connected with the devil, I am sure only Sherlene will be of use in battle, but the knights could prove useful to take care of small fry or watch the surroundings . ”

Shin found Namsaar’s words concerning, but chose not to say anything . Half baked strength was of little to no use against high level monsters . Even if they were powerful as average individuals, there was a limit to the monsters Sherlene’s knights could handle .

Shin chose not to say anything about it, though .

“Understood . Should we depart right away?”

“I had Sherlene and the others get ready . I would like you to join them and go . ”

Shin and Schnee were told that they were in the training grounds, so they were about to leave the room and go .

“Gah… . ”

They heard a lament behind them, however, and turned around . Namsaar was holding his head, a pained expression on his face .

“Are you okay?”

“No problem . Just light exhaustion . There are many arrangements to be done to advance the preparations against the devil attack . ”

Namsaar lightly shook his head, then returned to the usual stone-faced expression .

“It might be out of place for me to say, but you should rest when you can . ”

“… . I will think about it . ”

Namsaar replied to Shin’s words and left the room .

“As long as he doesn’t overdo it and collapses . ”

“Being a captain, I am sure he knows the importance of rest, but…I suppose we should mention it to Sherlene . ”

“Yeah, you’re right . ”

Schnee had a point . They wouldn’t go out of their way to openly worry that Namsaar was so overworked he risked not being able to fight when it was needed .

When they arrived in the training grounds, they noticed that Sherlene and her group were waiting, just as Namsaar had said . Sherlene was wearing a light armor with a red base color, just like before .

“Hello . Namsaar told us to join you for this expedition . ”

“Yes, I’ll be counting on you . Lady Yuki, I think this is the first time we have actually talked . I heard that you are much more skilled than your looks would suggest . I’ll be counting on your assistance too . ”

“I will do my utmost, as not to cast shame on Shin . ”

Schnee shook the hand Sherlene extended and nodded while smiling . Some of the knights who were watching were charmed and stopped in their tracks .

“Enough staring at lady Yuki, you lot! You have work to do!”

“Y-yes ma’am!! We shall do our utmost!!”

The knights exhibited a very sharp salute, then started moving again .

Shin felt sorry for the annoyed Sherlene, but he understood their feelings all too well .

Schnee was in a very good mood today, maybe because she could go together with Shin . Her expression clearly reflected her state of mind . Her bright smile would charm anyone: that’s why Shin nodded to the knights’ reaction .

“I see we are all ready . Let us depart for the dungeon in question then . ”

No monsters or thieves dared attack the group of armored knights armed with swords and lances . Thanks to the lack of actual battles and relative close distance, the group reached the dungeon in less than 30 minutes .

“The entrance is much wider than the previous cave . ”

“According to the soldiers we posted to observe the entrance, no monsters went inside . Though not much time has passed since it was discovered, so it could be a coincidence . ”

“It can’t be helped . Will you leave the knights here to guard the surroundings, like last time?”

“Yes, this time the explorers will be us three: Sir Shin, Lady Yuki, and myself . I believe the devil is definitely involved here . Nevertheless, we cannot concentrate all of our fighting power here . It’s rather troublesome . ”

All countries possessed more Chosen Ones than the number they made public . Shin thought that there had to be skilled fighters in Erkunt other than Sherlene, Fagall, and Namsaar .

Maybe they were either keeping them as a reserve or they weren’t as strong as Sherlene and Fagall . As they headed towards the entrance, Shin wondered why heroes who were supposed to be the kingdom’s trump cards, were used so proactively so often .

“I don’t like this presence…”

Sherlene’s expression turned sour .

Shin and Schnee felt the same, though not as much as Sherlene . There was a certain indescribable unpleasantness which they had not felt outside . It had approached them the moment they stepped in the dungeon .

“I thought this dungeon might be related to the devil, but it looks like we’ve hit the jackpot . ”

“What do you mean?”

Sherlene understood the meaning of Shin’s words after her question, as her expression showed .

“You don’t mean… . ”

“There’s a high chance there’s one here, in the lower floors . ”

It was the same in the game era . Dungeon fields where devils were present had the attribute of making players feel unpleasant . What Shin felt now though, was not so much a strong uneasiness as it was little more than a bad feeling .

“(This didn’t happen with Luxuria, so I had kind of forgotten . )”

“(That was probably because she is on friendly terms with humans . I can only feel hostility from this negative aura . )”

Shin and Schnee talked via Mind Chat .

Luxuria had no hostile intentions from the start . Instead, she wished to coexist with humanity . Schnee suggested that because of this, she didn’t release an aura that made others feel unpleasant .

“I guess we should get ready for the worst . ”

“Are we proceeding like this? Should we not call for reinforcements?”

“No, we can fight it now without risking casualties in the kingdom . It’s definitely better to defeat it here rather than let it go out . ”

Avaritia’s drain attacks had a very wide range . The damage would be incommensurable if it used them in a populated location . Dungeons might have been rife by monsters, but were the perfect battlefield to avoid human casualties .

“I see . In that case, I have no objections . Can you defeat it?”

“No need for concern . I always have anti-devil gear with me . ”

Shin then changed his equipment . In one instant, his attire turned into a shining full-body armor with silver and blue hues . Decorated with many thin, delicate ornaments, it looked like it was more suited for displaying than fighting .

The full-face helmet had a horn-like decoration extending towards the back; which gave the whole armor a strong impression of being poorly apt for battle . From the shoulders a dark blue mantle flowed down too . Paired with 『The Ark』 equipped at the waist, it really looked like what a holy knight would wear .

“Well…I am surprised again . ”

Seeing the person next to you turn into a knight straight out of a fairytale in an instant, was surely a surprise to behold .

“This is the anti-devil, anti-demon specialized gear, 『Holy Armor – Vanquisher of Evil』 . Just standing close to a person with it equipped reduces the effect of status ailments and debuffs released by devils and demons . Don’t you feel different?”

“It’s true, the unpleasantness I felt before is gone just by being close to you…I suppose this is your trump card?”

“That’s what I would like to say, but the devil surely expects us to come with this . Many warriors clad with this armor have slain devils in the past, after all . ”

“That’s true too . If we have a weapon so useful against devils, there would be no reason not to use it . ”

The armor’s grade was, of course, Ancient . It was strong enough on its own, but it also boosted attacks against devils . For them it was nothing but a bane of their existence . Shin was wearing it the first time he met Luxuria; she had casually remarked that she was scared, but she had to have really been quite terrified .

“We have an anti-devil lance for you Sherlene, will you use it?”

Shin had procured it, but not given it to Sherlene yet, so he used this opportunity to propose it .

“May I try to use it once? An anti-devil weapon sounds very appealing, but I am more familiar with this . ”

Sherlene then looked at the weapon she was holding .

“Of course . If it feels difficult to use, you can keep it as a sub weapon . ”

Changing the weapon you were familiar with with a new one just before fighting a powerful enemy was a decision that required a lot of courage . Being a warrior, Sherlene knew it well .

Sherlene wielded the 『Holy Lance Guildern』 Shin gave her and tried a few practice swings .

She didn’t look awkward at all in Shin’s eyes .

“How does it feel?”

“I’m almost shocked…it doesn’t feel quite like my usual weapon, but it is very easy to use . It will do nicely . I am going to use it this time . ”

Sherlene judged that if she used the lance in battle, there would probably be no problems .

“Let me give you this too then . This blue one is for protection, while this red one is for throwing . By the way, the one you have is for close combat . ”

Shin pulled out some cards as he explained, but Sherlene was completely lost . The reason was all the cards he showed had 『Holy Lance Guildern』 pictured on them . Just the color was different: there were 10 red and blue cards respectively .

“My apologies, Sir Shin, but…these are all the same weapon?”

“They are, but the magic enchantments attached are different . The blue ones are for protection: if you thrust it in the ground it will create a field that reduces status ailments and contact damage . The red ones are for throwing: they have aiming support and piercing boost attached . If it hits, it can cause continuous damage . The one I gave you first is for close combat, it boosts physical abilities and grants auto-recovery . The red and blue ones are generally one use only, so I’d advise against re-using them as weapons while fighting . ”

The different colors were meant to help not to confuse them . Not only Shin, but also other blacksmiths in the game applied these adjustments . Players did everything they could in order to defeat monsters in the most effective way possible .

“A-as expected of sir Shin…I will make good use of them . ”

Sherlene’s expression was extremely tense . She could only stiffly nod to Shin’s words of using Legend-grade weapons as “one time only” items .

“Should I launch a surprise attack with the usual set?”

“Yes, I’m sure the enemy is wary of us, but that will be very useful all the same . If you can, land a blow or two . ”

Schnee nodded and changed her equipment .

Her maid attire disappeared, with an anti-devil ninja outfit in its place .

Just like Shin’s equipment, it was anti-devil gear for ninjas, called 『Shinobi Gear – Vanquisher of Evil』 .

“This looks, quite, light . ”

Sherlene wasn’t sure how to react to Schnee’s transformation . It was to be expected: Schnee was now covered by a very thin, rubber suit like outfit . Arm guards, leg guards, kunai holders, item holders and other accessories . The pieces of armor “protecting” Schnee’s shoulders and waist could barely be called part of a ninja outfit .

Schnee’s body and curves were very accentuated, so even Sherlene found it difficult to look at her straight . Just like bikini armors, this outfit too was often described as “too much” by female players in the game .

Incidentally, the male version had the same design too, but very few ever talked about it .

While it might look like something from another genre of game, its stats and effects were exceptional .

It allowed the user to move with enough stealth to completely bypass a devil’s detection field and -against devils’ attacks- have more defensive power than even the 『Holy Armor – Vanquisher of Evil』 . The negatives of its looks were completely counterbalanced by the positives of its specs .

If you could stand to wear it, it would prove to be a real asset against devils .

“I will conceal my presence till we reach the devil, then . ”

“Yeah, leave the rest to us . ”

It would be too blatant to disappear in front of the devil’s eyes, so Shin agreed with Schnee’s proposal of hiding until they arrived .

As long as extremely powerful monsters did not appear, Shin and Sherlene would be enough .

“I wonder if lady Yuki does not feel embarrassed…?”

“It’s because only you and me can see her . If there were other knights around, she wouldn’t have shown herself like that . ”

Schnee didn’t care what people other than Shin thought of her, but she still had a sense of shame . As long as the devil didn’t go on a rampage outside the dungeon, Schnee wouldn’t risk showing herself to others like that, or so Shin thought .

“I see, I understand . Apologies, it was just…that stimulating . I ended up asking something unnecessary . ”

“No, I’ve seen it plenty of times and think about it too sometimes, it can’t be helped . ”

He had seen it in the game era already, but in this world Schnee wearing the 『Shinobi Gear – Vanquisher of Evil』 was something to behold indeed .

Shin then shook his head to erase the image of Schnee that had etched itself in his brain . They were going to fight a devil: no matter how much the anti-devil gear would help, they couldn’t afford to lower their guard .

“Shall we go then?”

Sherlene nodded and they moved . Her expression did not show the former confusion anymore . Fighting was her profession, after all, and she was quick to switch back to serious mode .